Galatians 5:22-23 Pg. 826 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The first element of the fruit of the Spirit is love, and the characteristic of love is joy.
John 15:1-11 Pg. 764 I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
John 15:1-11 Pg You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
John 15:1-11 Pg I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:1-11 Pg If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
John 15:1-11 Pg This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
John 15:1-11 Pg If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
HAPPINESS comes from the world around me. JOY originates directly from the Spirit of the Living God in me.
Happiness is an experience of the emotions, where joy is an experience of the SOUL.
I. Holy Spirit JOY comes through our connection to CHRIST – vs. 11 El Espiritu Santo viene por medio de nuestra coneccion con Cristo.
John 15:1-11 Pg I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
Love must motivate our ACTIONS in LIFE, joy must regulate our REACTION to LIFE.
To live in joy we must abandon the search for it and go looking instead for the One Who is Himself Joy. “Joy is the flag that flies over the castle of our hearts announcing that Jesus is in residence today.”
John 15:1-11 Pg If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 15:1-11 Pg Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
John 15:1-11 Pg I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
II. Holy Spirit JOY has a capacity to grow – vs. 11 El Espiritu Santo tiene la capacidad de crecer.
Joy is a redemptive gift of Christ, a part of the Spirit's fruit in us, a promise guaranteed by our Lord.
To grow in JOY, is to practice the presence of God which advances the process of sanctification which causes joy in the believer.
Thomas Watson wrote, "The more holiness any man has, the more he shall enjoy him, in whose presence is fullness of joy, Ps. 16:11; and the more any man enjoys the presence of God with his spirit,
the greater will be his heaven of joy in this world....Divine joy ebbs and flows as holiness ebbs and flows" (Works, vol. 4, 353).
Charles Ross: “What is the joy of which he here speaks? It is not merely the joy that he would produce in them-- the joy of which he is the author; neither is it the joy, which he feels on their account;
but it is the joy which he experiences in knowing himself to be the object of his Father's love. (The Inner Sanctuary, 131)
"But now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy made full in themselves" (John 17:13)
I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. 2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. Psalms 30 Pg. 394
3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave ;you spared me from going down into the pit. 4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of His; praise His holy name. Psalms 30 Pg. 394
5 For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalms 30 Pg. 394
6 When I felt secure, I said, "I will never be shaken." 7 O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. Psalms 30 Pg. 394
8 To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: Psalms 30 Pg. 394
9 "What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Psalms 30 Pg. 394
10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help." 11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, Psalms 30 Pg. 394
12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever. Psalms 30 Pg. 394
III. Holy Spirit Joy is to LIVE in Him, for HIM - vs El Gozo del Espiritu Santo es para vivir en EL y para EL.
Believe that you are not alone in an uncaring universe. TODAY believe that you are in the hands of God, who is goodness, mercy, and power.
TODAY I believe that God is with me and that in Him there is forgiveness of sins, healing for sorrow, strength for the day, courage for the task, and hope for tomorrow.
Joyful Prayer is the evidence of our relationship to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2 CONDITIONS to CONNECTION – vs. 7