TEXT: Nehemiah 8:10
PREACHER: Pastor Bodunrin Timothy
Nehemiah 8:10
10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Joy, according to the Webster dictionary, is a feeling of great happiness.
Biblically, joy is a feeling of good pleasure or happiness that is dependent on who Jesus is rather than on who we are or what is happening around us. Also, joy is accessible to us even in the worst time, and it can never be taken away from us. John 16:22
John 16:22
22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
WHAT IS JOY?
Joy is Knowing Jesus (Phillipians 4:4).
Phillipians 4:4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Knowing Jesus brings good feelings in our soul that are produced by the Holy Spirit. He causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world.
Knowing Jesus requires time with him in the word of God, and that time produces a relationship full of abundant peace and joy (John 8:32).
John 8:32
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joy is Faith in God’s Word (Psalm 16:11). God’s word makes the path of life visible to us, and it is alive and active, bubbling over with truth, hope, and joy.
Psalm 16:11
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Knowing God’s promises is so important, and believing in them is so essential for planting joy deep in our souls.
Joy is Abiding in Jesus and in His Holy Spirit. God has given us the Holy Spirit as a down payment for whoever receives Jesus. The Holy Spirit is God in man (John 15:5). Remaining in the holy Spirit also means that we produce the fruit of the spirit, and Galatians 5:22 tells us that one of the fruits of the spirit is JOY. Joy comes whenever we are abiding in Christ/holy Spirit.