Joy isn’t easy to define, especially when you think about different personality traits and temperaments. Joy is not an all-out 24-7 silliness or giddiness. There is a time to weep. Sorrow and grief are real emotions that have to be truly felt. Joy is not pretending that everything’s OK when it’s not.
And joy is not happiness. The word “happiness” comes from the same root as the word “happening.” Happiness is probably based on what’s happening. Happy things happen… and then you’re happy. But joy is not based on circumstances; it’s not based on happenstance.
what joy is...
I like to be happy (who doesn’t?). But I’d rather have joy any day. Joy is not the happiness of happenings.
Joy is possible even in the midst of the trials of life. Joy isn’t dependent on circumstances. Joy is internal. Joy is eternal.
Joy comes when we have a deep, abiding trust in the loving, sovereign, heavenly Father in every circumstance. When joy abounds in our lives, there will be a limit to our murmuring, complaining, irritability, and impatience. The ticked-off George Bailey in you has to go.
Your heart can be breaking – your hopes and dreams and plans and material things can be failing, but you can still have joy. There might not always be a smile on your face, but at a deeper level, there can be joy in your heart, joy in your soul.
We can be sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. We can be sober, yet joyful. We can be soldiers with a wartime mentality, yet joyful. We can say ouch, yet be joyful.
God wants us to know joy – mega joy!
problem: we’ve been robbed of our joy
Who has robbed you?
[Jesus said about the devil], “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” [Jesus said about Himself], “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
John 10:10 (ESV)
And what does the devil want to steal from you? Lots of things. But one thing he wants to steal from you is your joy. You are meant to experience joy, you are wired for it. But your joy can be stolen.
Why don’t we have joy? We buy the lies of the devil. “You don't have enough.” “If God really loved you, you’d be able to do more and buy more at Christmas.” “You don’t measure up to the kind of Christmas your mom orchestrated.” “You can’t buy much for your kids’ Christmas because you can’t provide like your dad, your father-in-law, your brother, your friends.”
We buy the lies and the devil steals our joy. But the Christ of Christmas has come to change that!
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
I John 3:8b (ESV)
And what would be one of the works of the devil? To steal your joy!
Question: When did the Son of God appear on this earth? Christmas. Now, look again at the verse. Christmas is about spiritual warfare.
We just spent 6 weeks talking about spiritual warfare. We learned that we are under attack. We learned that we have an enemy who wants to steal from us. And one of the things our enemy wants to steal is our joy.
Christmas celebrates the appearance of God's Son on earth. And the reason Jesus appeared is to destroy the works of the devil. So, the reason there is a Christmas is because God aims to destroy something.
Think about it. Our planet is in rebellion to God. Christmas is God's cosmic infiltration of the rebel planet, Earth. He is on a search and destroy mission. The reason Jesus came at that first Christmas was to destroy the works of the devil. The invasion has happened. Someone greater than Luke Skywalker has come. The mission? Search and destroy the works of the devil.
When Jesus died and rose again, He defeated the works of the enemy. The Bible teaches that while Jesus has won the war, battles still remain.
We are in an in-between time. We are between the arrival of joy through Jesus’ first coming and the ultimate fulfillment of our joy when Jesus returns and establishes His eternal kingdom. Now, God is allowing this rebellion against Him to play itself out to prove for all eternity to all creation, that rebelling against a loving, sovereign Creator is foolish and futile and devastating.
So, we shouldn’t be surprised that even though Jesus is the Victorious One, we still struggle with the enemy. We still struggle to experience the fullness of joy that Jesus has come to give us.
We are going to have to go to war for joy. Satan is trying to steal your joy. Pray for your family and for your marriage. War for joy. Why?
The joy of the LORD is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10 (ESV)
Joy will strengthen your life. It will strengthen your family. We ought to be in a serious war for joy. We have to take the fight for joy seriously.
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