2. Joy?”……The Greek word for joy is chara. Joy is the natural reaction to the work of God, whether promised or fulfilled. Joy expresses God’s kingdom-His influence on earth (Romans 14:17). The Spirit's production of joy can manifest in several different ways:…The joy of deliverance:

When God sets someone free, rejoicing is in order. ……1 Samuel 2:1…Then Hannah prayed:…"My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies;… I rejoice because you rescued me.

Hannah was filled with joy at her deliverance from her enemies.…Acts 12:14:…14 When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, "Peter is standing at the door!"

The servant girl was so overjoyed that God had rescued Peter from prison that she forgot to let Peter in the house.……The joy of salvation:…Our greatest reason to be joyful is that God wants to save us and spend eternity with us. Nothing is better than this. …Luke 15:7…7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!…All heaven is joyful when a person accepts God’s provision of salvation. …Acts 8:8

8 So there was great joy in that city.… The people of Samaria were joyful as they heard the gospel and saw God’s power in healing the sick. …Acts 13:52

52 And the believers[a] were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 15:3

3 The church sent the delegates to Jerusalem, and they stopped along the way in Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the believers. They told them-much to everyone's joy-that the Gentiles, too, were being converted.

Jewish believers rejoiced when they heard of the work of the Holy Spirit in saving Gentiles.……The joy of spiritual maturity:…As the Holy Spirit works in us to bear more fruit, we become confident in God’s promises and rejoice in our walk with Him and with other believers. …John 15:11

11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!…The fullness of joy comes to those who continue in the love of Christ and obey Him.…2 Corinthians 1:24…24 But that does not mean we want to dominate you by telling you how to put your faith into practice. We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm.

2 Corinthians 2:3

3 That is why I wrote to you as I did, so that when I do come, I won't be grieved by the very ones who ought to give me the greatest joy. Surely you all know that my joy comes from your being joyful.

2 Corinthians 7:4

4 I have the highest confidence in you, and I take great pride in you. You have greatly encouraged me and made me happy despite all our troubles.

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20

19 After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you! 20 Yes, you are our pride and joy.

1 Thessalonians 3:9

9 How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God's presence.

Paul knew joy as the churches gave evidence of the Holy Spirit working among them.

…Philippians 2:2…2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

Groups of believers who unite in demonstrating the mind, love, and purpose of Christ bring joy to others.…Hebrews 10:34

34 You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.

Hebrews 12:2

2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.[a] Because of the joy[] awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne.

James 1:2-4

2 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Believers, following the example of Jesus, endure persecution because of the promise of future joy.……The joy of God’s presence:

The Holy Spirit draws us to God, in whose presence we can know true joy. Without the Holy Spirit, no one would seek God.…Psalm 16:11

11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.…( Greek version reads You have shown me the way of life, / and you will fill me with the joy of your presence. Compare Acts 2:28.)……Mary and the shepherds were joyful because Immanuel had been born.

Matthew 2:10…10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

Luke 1:14

14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,

The women who went to Jesus’ tomb and the disciples were overjoyed that He rose from the dead.…Matthew 28:8

8 The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel's message.

Luke 24:41…41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?"…

The Greek chara is closely related to charis, which means "grace" or "a gift."

Chara(Joy)is the normal response to charis(Grace)…We have joy because of God’s grace.

The next step in the progression is to allow our joy to become an action as we express it.…Sometimes joy can be so great it is inexpressible

1 Peter 1:8…8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.

Possessing joy is a choice. We choose whether to value God’s presence, promises, and work in our lives.

When we yield to the Spirit, He opens our eyes to God’s grace around us and fills us with joy …Romans 15:13

13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Joy is not to be found in a fallen world; it is only fellowship with God that can make our joy complete (1 John 1:4).

1 John 1:4

4 We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.

(Or so that our joy may be complete; some manuscripts read your joy.)

Is there a difference between joy and happiness ?…Yes, yes, and yes! …Depending on your translation, the Bible uses joy (or rejoice) over 300 times. …Happiness (or happy) is only used about 30 times. There has to be a distinction between them, but what is it?

What is Happiness?…The definition of happiness in the dictionary is "a state of well-being, a pleasurable or satisfying experience."

What is Joy?…Joy comes from the Greek word chara, and it means “to be exceedingly glad.” …Take this example from. Joy is such a little word, but it explodes with a profound meaning. …James 1:2-4…2 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” …Joy comes from a solid factor, an unshakeable fact: your faith in the Lord. …True joy burns within you and is not dependant on external circumstances. Lets look at Philippians 1:12-24…12 And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters,[a]that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. 13 For everyone here, including the whole palace guard,[] knows that I am in chains because of Christ. 14 And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers[c] here have gained confidence and boldly speak God's message[d] without fear.…15 It's true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives.16 They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 17 Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18 But that doesn't matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. 19 For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.

Paul's Life for Christ

20 For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honour to Christ, whether I live or die. 21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. 22 But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don't know which is better. 23 I'm torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me.24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.

Did you notice verse 18? “18 But that doesn't matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. ”

Paul wrote these words while he was in jail and knew his life was nearing the end. Yet he still had joy; his foundation was in his Saviour, and through his suffering the gospel spread throughout all of Rome. This was no fleeting happy feeling; it was assurance in God’s power to use his life for His glory.

What kind of crops do you want to harvest in your life?

Let us pray

Dear Father thank you for showing us once again that you expect from us to bare the fruit of the Holy Spirit and we ask Oh Holy Spirit to fill us and help you to sow according to Your way . You want to bless our lives so that we can produce good fruit.

We need you Lord , alone we are too weak to try and do it on our own, Help us to trust you Father in that area of our lives so that we can walk in the spirit and bare the fruit that is so necessary for our spiritual growth and all we have to do is just trust You and obey You.

Amen