How to Access God’s Joy

The Holy Spirit is God and one of the greatest gifts a person can receive. He provides power, comfort, truth, and yes, fire. Today, we’re talking about the joy of the Holy Spirit and how the kingdom of God is a kingdom of joy. If you’ve grown up with negative experiences related to church and God, the Holy Spirit can redeem and heal those experiences, bringing you God’s joy through His truth.

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Special thanks to World Concern for sponsoring The Bonfire Podcast.

Transcription:

Welcome to The Bonfire. We’re in season three and we’re talking about the Holy Spirit. It’s been refreshing to talk about the Holy Spirit because sometimes I think this topic is not covered either very well or very biblically sound, and because of that, a lot of people are confused. When you start talking about the Holy Spirit, they just think emotions or they think it’s going to get weird. They think, “Let’s talk about something else.” I want to talk about the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is God. Father, son and Holy Spirit, one God, three persons, and the Holy Spirit is one of the greatest gifts you’re ever going to receive. The Holy Spirit literally dwells in you when you put your trust in Jesus.

And we’ve been talking about different aspects, this relationship with the Holy Spirit. Is there power? Yes, there’s power. Is there comfort? Yes, there’s comfort. Is there truth and fire? Yes, there is. Today, let’s talk about the joy of the Holy Spirit. And I’m already smiling because when I think about the Holy Spirit and all that God has done in my life, I’m so thankful. I’m so thankful. Now, we read in the Bible that this is a kingdom of joy. That is not the conception that a lot of people have. That is not, when you talk about God’s kingdom, a lot of people have grown up, whether it’s at home or it’s at church, they’ve grown up with hypocrisy, mean, double lives, kind of tense, pressure, performance, just doctrine’s all that matters.

There’s been a lot of versions that don’t really represent the joy of the kingdom of God. And what I’ve found is that when you start to enjoy and celebrate, express that joy, there’s a lot of people kind of curmudgeon. They don’t want that. There’s too much joy in this church. We don’t want to see that joy. I don’t know why, but people, not everyone embraces the joy of the kingdom of God. When we read, heaven rejoices, the angels rejoice. Nonstop praise. When we read about the worship in heaven, and even pray, may it be done on earth as is in heaven, what we’re praying for is that the joy of heaven would overflow, would come down and would just take over because sometimes we’re in a spot that it feels bleak and it feels hopeless, and we get exhausted and it feels dire and we’re thirsty, and what we really need, it’s the joy of the Holy Spirit. The joy that comes from God.

God’s essence is joy. There is joy. You can’t take joy away from God. No one can steal. The devil can’t steal it, the critics can’t steal it, the skeptics, cynicism, no one can come along and just take joy away and steal it from God. That won’t happen. Who God is, it includes his joy. And when you talk about a relationship with the Holy Spirit, there’s a lot of joy. Now, I put my trust in Jesus as a young adult, that’s when I started following God. That’s when I knew, I’m born again. I’m a new creation and I had this joy that I discovered, this new source of joy. I remember, as a brand new Christian, see, I would go to parties. There were a lot of parties on my college campus. It could be fraternities or sometimes in apartments. There was a lot of drinking. And I remember going to the same parties where I used to drink, and now not really being interested in alcohol at all, not taking a drink, and yet having more joy at those parties than I did with the alcohol.

And whether that was first drink, second drink, third drink or whatever drink it was, it didn’t matter how many drinks I had. The drinks couldn’t produce the joy. It’s almost ironic when you think about the first miracle and Cana, and it’s the wedding, and Jesus turns water into wine, and we live in a culture that thinks, “Oh, the joy is the wine. Get more wine.” Well, the joy isn’t the wine. The wine represented joy. Jesus brought the wine and turned the water into wine in the ceremonial jars that represented the religion, in the tradition, in these ceremonial jars. That was not an accident. Jesus didn’t just like, “Oh, where am I going to put the wine?” No, he put it right there in the ceremonial hand-washing, the jars they would use for that holy water, in those cleansing jars. Here comes the wine.

And it’s not just a wine like they’ve been drinking. It’s a wine, the greatest wine, the best wine. And people are puzzled. Wait a minute, everyone brings out the best wine first. How come we’re getting the best wine right now? Jesus brought a great wine, not… Jesus never, never wants anyone to get drunk. Let’s make that clear. Drunkenness is not from God. That’s a sin. But the wine that people have, it was the deeper meaning. It was, yes, there was wine. Yes, that helped at a wedding that goes on for days. Yes, it was a celebration. Yes, that was Jesus’ miracle. But if that’s all you see is the physical, you’ve missed the miracle. The miracle and the deeper meaning is the joy that Jesus brings, the joy of the fodder, the joy of the Son, the joy of the Holy Spirit, and the wine represents the joy that this is going to exceed any kind of religion, tradition, formulas, just rituals that are empty, dead religion.

No, this is a new joy that’s coming. Are you ready for the joy? Yes, it’s in scripture. The joy of the Lord is our strength. Nehemiah needed the joy of the Lord. That’s where that scripture comes from. Nehemiah, there was a big project. When we take on big tasks, we need God’s joy. When there’s opposition, Sanballat, Tobiah, constantly for Nehemiah, opposition. We need God’s joy. When the work is difficult and some people are more in than others, we need the joy. We need the joy of the Lord. It is our strength. Lots of different settings. Yes, we say that verse, but I’m not interested in just saying the right verse. I’m not interested in just having the right head knowledge. I’m interested in the joy that is the joy. I’m not chasing joy. See, if you try to manufacture joy and chase joy, you’re not going to find joy.

But when you find the Holy Spirit, joy comes. And the fruit of the spirit, there’s love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, these are the fruits of the spirit. Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. So, what is your kind of philosophy with joy? A lot of people, and we don’t usually unpack it like that. We don’t say, “Here’s my philosophy on joy.” But we all have a philosophy on joy. We all desire joy and we’re all looking for where’s the joy going to come? Does ice cream bring some joy? Sure. Does Christmastime with a great meal bring joy? Yes. Does being around family bring joy? Yes, it does. But my philosophy can’t be, “I’ve somehow got to continually fill my schedule with little joy boosts. And if I put them all in there, then whew, I’ll have enough joy for the day.”

Because what ends up happening, people go to gaming for that joy, they go to purchasing for that joy. They go to certain people expecting that joy, and they try to just basically bring enough little joy factors together to create enough joy for the day. I’m telling you, you get tired out. The created cannot ultimately bring the joy that you want. It’s the creator. The blessings can’t bring the joy that you want. It’s the blesser. And ultimately, if you just look for the gifts, you’re not going to have the joy. I don’t know how else to say. In America, we have so much that God has provided. The beauty of that is that we are so blessed and we can receive those gifts, share those gifts letters, be generous, bless people in other nations.

The danger in having all that provision is that somehow there’s a shift. Instead of needing the Holy Spirit, I’m just going to focus on the blessings. And instead of walking close with God during the day, I’m just going to fill my day with enough outside sources of joy that I don’t really need God. And we kind of like that because instead of this deep relationship with God where we don’t always feel in control or there’s some mystery, and instead of all of that needing God stuff, I can feel like I don’t need God. I just need my joy menu, my joy options, and I just pick those, and I’m in control and I can get enough joy. Well, is that working? Is that working in America? Why, with all the abundance we have, are we so desperately searching for joy? And here it is at the crux of it, you can’t have the joy of the Lord without the Lord.

You can’t have the joy of the Holy Spirit without the Holy Spirit. Is God going to bring you joy with food and friends and some entertainment? He absolutely is, but we know that’s not going to satisfy your soul. And where is that satisfaction going to come from? It’s going to come from a deep relationship with the Holy Spirit, the joy. There’s a line in an old movie, Chariots of Fire, and the line is, “I feel God’s pleasure. He made me fast and I feel his pleasure when I run.” There is a pleasure. Yes, there’s pleasure and exercise. Yes, there’s pleasure in winning the Olympics. Yes, there’s pleasure in using your gifts and talents. Yes, there’s pleasure in the race and competing and the team, and there’s pleasure in all those things. But in the Chariots of Fire, “I sense his pleasure when I run,” it’s a whole different level.

It’s not just the tangible or the human. It’s not just the feelings. There is a connection with God. There is a closeness with God and you feel God’s pleasure. Do you feel God’s pleasure? God loves you right now just as you are. It’s not dependent. He doesn’t love the version of you or the perfection that you’re going to bring in something. He loves you right now. With all of the messes going on in your life, he loves you right now. And when you’re secure in that love and you receive that love, now you want to grow in that relationship, and part of that growth is going to be a growth in the joy. And in this relationship, you’re going to start to pick up on when does the Lord have joy? Yes, he already loves you. Yes, you’re wonderfully made, in God’s image. Yes, he sings over you. Yes, he has joy about who you are right now.

There’s also an additional joy when you start to live for the Lord and his joy increases in your life. When does that happen? What does that look like? And I just want to share in the rest of our time talking about when the joy of the Lord and sensing God’s joy. And this joy, in America, we’re very individualistic thinking. We’re very individual, we’re very feelings based. Right now, how do I feel me? When we talk about joy, some people shrink the conversation into just me, just my feelings, and joy is so much bigger. It’s the joy of the Lord and God’s joyful and I’m joyful and the community is joyful and other people I’m with are joyful, and it ends up being all three. That’s the fullness of joy.

When you give a gift to someone and you’re generous, let’s say you walk past someone that doesn’t have much money and you say, “Let me take you into this restaurant, buy you a meal, listen to your story.” Where’s the joy? That person’s going to have the joy because they’re loved. God is smiling down. God’s joy is abounding. And then, you have the joy because you know God’s here and this person’s getting encouraged, and there’s healing in their life and you’re part of it, and all this comes together. That’s the fullness of joy. So, when I talk about when is the joy happening, keep in mind it’s the fullness of that joy. It’s not just about you, but yes, you are going to experience that joy. And instead of just what’s out there that makes me joyful right now and feeling good right now, instead of that approach, let’s think of the joy of the Lord where God’s joy is evident.

The other people have joy, you have joy, and it’s so exciting when you start to live in that. So, when does that happen? For me, one of the times that stands out is when I share about Jesus. When I share about Jesus, is it scary? Yes. Do I know what I’m going to say? No. Do I have fears? Yes. Do I feel like I do it well? No. A lot of times, I feel like, oh, later, I think I could have said that. I could have added this. I could have mentioned this. I could have invited them to this. All of that exists, so I’m not saying that this is just slam dunk, it goes so easy. What I am saying is, as God leads and the Holy Spirit leads and I share Jesus and someone else hears about Jesus, and now they’re thinking about Jesus and we’re talking about Jesus, and they have some misconceptions about God that start to change, I feel God’s pleasure. I feel God’s joy when we’re talking about Jesus.

I feel God’s joy with spiritual growth. If I’m growing, if other people are growing, my kids are growing, our family’s growing spiritually, I feel God’s joy. We’re talking about scripture. We’re applying it to our lives. Now we’re living for God in these ways. We’re encouraging each other. We’re coming alive. We’re growing in our faith. I feel God’s joy when I say no to a temptation. When there’s something that looks good, we probably feel good, tastes good, whatever it is, and it’s like a chocolate covered poison. And the chocolate looks tempting, but it’s poisonous, and I say, “I know what that is. That doesn’t honor God.” I want to live for God. I want to choose God. I don’t want the short-term pleasure and then the cost and the poison. I don’t want that.

I see that for what it is and I’m going to walk away. God always provides a way out. He’s faithful when tempted. And when I step back from that and I say, “No, God is more valuable. God is my treasure. Not that. I don’t want to get trapped in that. I don’t want to go back to that.” That freedom right there, I sense the joy of a Lord. Is that hard? Yes, because all of us have a flesh that wants what we know is wrong. But when you break out of that, you feel the spirit’s power, the spirit’s joy. It’s the joy of the Holy Spirit. When there’s a couple and they’re not getting along well and they’re talking about divorce, and then we begin to work through that, and people repent and people become humble and people apologize and there’s reconciliation, and now it’s 10 years later and they have a close marriage, and I think back to those moments. I feel that joy. I feel that joy that that family’s intact.

It’s God’s work. It’s the Holy Spirit working through us. I don’t think there’s a greater joy than knowing you’ve been faithful to Jesus, than choosing what honors God. And when you do that, that joy, you get a taste of that joy and then that’s what you want. You want it more than sin. You want it more than money. You want it more than the admiration from people. Where you start to find your great joy is in that faithfulness and that closeness to God. And you get that in the walk with the Holy Spirit where there’s this intimacy, there’s this closeness. The Bible describes as like keeping in step with the spirit. It’s like you’re tuned in. You’re listening, you’re being guided, and this closeness is happening. It’s a relational closeness. It’s a purpose. There’s purpose. It’s loaded in it. The joy and the purpose go together.

If you are doing a lot of things that’s not where God wants you, that joy and that purpose starts to fade. But when you are doing the things that God’s called you to do, that he’s made you to do, your name is on it, when you do those things, that sense of purpose and joy increases.

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As you decide how you’re going to live each day, you’re making different decisions. You choose to rejoice. The Bible says, “You choose to be thankful.” Hope is a choice. Gratitude’s a choice. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a choice, and it’s a choice to rejoice. And when you start to praise God, that’s a choice. Every time you experience joy, it’s a foretaste of heaven. Do you know your home heaven can’t have more joy? It is saturated with joy. That’s where we’re going to be. That’s our destiny because of Jesus, and because he paid the price, there is a redemptive side to joy that we experience it through his death and his resurrection.

Some of the joy that you’re going to be involved in, it’s not just going to be gain, gain, gain, gain. Instead, it’s going to be give, sacrifice, serve, surrender, joy. And for the farmer who has the joy of the harvest, there’s the toil of the planting of the seeds, and the diligence, and the disciplines, and all of the different aspects that go in, from the weather to the work, all of it. The equipment, it’s all part of the joy of the harvest. Joy sometimes is a delayed gratification, and it’s not always about right now.

When you look at a biblical perspective of joy, first of all, the most important thing is drawing near. It’s the fullness, it’s the presence, the Holy Spirit, the presence of the Holy Spirit. Then, there’s also purpose. And as you step into your purpose, there’s going to be joy. Within that purpose though, there’s going to be a lot of challenges that you’re going to overcome. There’s going to be a lot of sacrifice. But Jesus considered it joy as he thought about the path ahead, his calling, he considered it joy. Even the cross. How could the cross be joy? Literally the most painful moment in the existence of human history, how could he consider that joy? Because what it accomplishes, the redemptive piece. What’s going to happen in terms of salvation, in the nations and eternity? And as he’s honoring Father as well, they’re equal, they’re both God, one God, three persons. That’s the beauty of the Trinity, the mystery, the community that’s in the Trinity.

And as Jesus pays the price, it opens the door for joy. You’re going to have times where you pay the price and it opens the door for joy. You’re going to have a joy as a parent in serving your kids. You’re going to give up your time, your energy. You’re going to be the chaperone when it comes to sports. You’re going to stay up late as they have a sleepover. You’re going to be praying for them when they’re out doing something that is kind of an adventure. There’s going to be so many times, but you’re going to have joy because you love them, you want the best for them, and you’re going to see the fruit of your prayers. You’re going to see the fruit of what you invest in those relationships. That’s the realistic side of joy. So, is joy available? Yes, through this relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Is joy a choice? Yes. Choose to rejoice. The Bible says, “Rejoice.” I say it again, rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in his goodness, in his character, his provision, his blessings. And then also, there’s going to be joy in the purpose. But I want to give that realistic piece because there’s going to be a lot of days where you have a deep, deep joy, but you don’t have all of the feel good, you don’t have all of the feelings. And you might even wrestle with, is this worth it? Is this really going to work out well? Noah’s building that boat, he’s building that ark, and it takes a lot of faith to build that when it’s never happened before. The flood, the desert, the skeptics. But I think there’s a joy as he builds. There’s not a joy that people die in. They’re not joining him, they’re not joining God, and they die in the flood, that’s not the joy.

But the joy is the steadiness, knowing that you’re part of something bigger than you, that there’s a service involved here that’s going to bless the generations. And with that new start, that restart, and still that incredible picture we have, that reminder. All of that’s glorifying God and all of that’s tied to the joy. As we’re talking about the joy of the Holy Spirit, I really want to emphasize community. And I do that because from the pandemic the last few years, there’s been so much isolation restriction. We’re already pretty individualistic. And we talk about the joy of the Lord and the joy of the Holy Spirit, yes, the Holy Spirit is God. Yes, the Holy Spirit resides in us. Yes, we do experience personally that joy, but the joy really grows in community.

And one of the things that’s helped me throughout the years of following Jesus is getting into whether they call it a small group, a Bible study, a community of people that are doing life together, that pray together, pray with each other, pray for each other, grow in their faith, get real about life, get honest, go deep, serve together, all of those different one anothers, love, encourage, pray for, all of those get lived out. And the joy that God brings, yes from his presence, yes from just the purpose he gives us individually. But don’t miss the community aspect of God’s joy because the Holy Spirit dwells in other people.

And when you come together, that joy, the culture starts to change. And you might think, “Yeah, it’s easy for you to say, Jesse, you’re an extrovert. Of course, you want to be around other people.: I’m a 100% in on the joy God brings when no one’s around. I value that time. What I’m saying that’s missing for a lot of people is that joy of the community that is healthy, that is centered on Jesus, that is deep, that is spiritual.

And when you’re in that community, that’s something that’s an incredible gift from God. And I encourage you to take the risks to find who has the joy of the Lord, and then start to serve with those people. Who has the joy of the Lord? Take them out to lunch. Who has the joy of the Lord? Find a mentor who has the joy of the Lord. Who has the joy of the Lord in my field? Who has the joy of the Lord that’s in my neighborhood? I’ve got a guy who lives down the block from me, and we text each other. We don’t go to the same church. I don’t naturally see him. And yet, I knew from the first time I talked to him, I was like, “Who is this guy?” His name is Ziggy, and the joy of the Lord, it just, it’s so obvious. He exudes it. And as soon as I met him, I just thought, “I want to hang out with this guy. I want to get to know this guy better. I want to stay in connection with this guy.”

So, I just asked him for his number, and I see him at different events, or I’ll pass by in the streets. We’ll text each other a lot. That’s one of the ways we keep in touch. I know Ziggy. Ziggy has the joy of the Lord. And when I’m around Ziggy, it’s like the joy Lord multiplies. When you get one person who has the joy of the Lord, another person who has the joy of the Lord, and you come together, it’s not one plus one equals two. There’s some multiplication that starts to happen, and you find some of the people that have the joy of the Lord, and then go on a missions trip together. Find a bunch of people, go on a missions trip together. Find a bunch of people in a campaign, an initiative together.

Find a bunch of people and start to serve the food bank in your neighborhood. Find a bunch of people and do something together that’s going to bring the joy of the Lord to other people. That’s my challenge today. I want to give you a challenge when it comes to the joy of the Lord. Yes, grow in your relationship with the Holy Spirit. Yes, step into your purpose, but don’t do it alone. All right? If you’re trying to just process what we’ve been talking about today, the joy of the Lord is real. It’s available. The joy of the Lord is a choice. So, choose the Holy Spirit. Say yes to the Holy Spirit, then say yes to your purpose. But here’s the third yes. Say yes to community, to those deep friendships, and find something to do together that’s going to bring joy to other people.

You might provide clean water. You might go on a walk. There’s a 13.1 half-marathon. Do that with some other people, bring clean water to kids in Africa. Maybe that’s your pick. Maybe it’s prayer and fasting. Maybe you share your faith together. Whatever it is, choose something. Do it with some other people who have the joy of the Lord. Pick one thing. That’s my challenge for you as we wrap up today. Pick one thing because joy is contagious, joy grows, and when you receive God’s joy, that’s only the first half. We’re all designed to receive his joy and give his joy. And when you do that together in community, it is powerful. It’s powerful. And I’ve seen that play out in so many spaces in my life, whether that’s Daytona Beach where everyone’s getting drunk and partying, and we have the joy of the Lord and we start talking to people, and people are turning to Jesus.

I mean, it can happen in any setting. When you gather with people and you have the Holy Spirit, and then you’re doing something to bring His joy, not everyone’s ready to receive it. Don’t expect that. Trust God with the results. But be intentional. Bring God’s joy to other people. We need a grassroots movement. We need something to happen in our families, we need something to happen in our neighborhoods, in our communities, in our churches, where the joy of the Lord returns. And we need the Holy Spirit. We need to say yes to God, and we need to be intentional and bring his joy to other people. Can we do that together? Can I get a yes? Take a few minutes as this podcast ends to get some time alone with God. Listen to God and write down who are the people, who are the people right now in your life that have the joy of the Lord? And what could you do together to bring joy, the joy of the Lord to more people?

The Bonfire. That’s how we grow. We grow deep with God, we grow together in community, and we want to look far beyond the walls of the church. We want to make a difference locally and globally to bless other people. God blesses us to bless others, that’s the joy of the Lord. Let’s keep growing in that joy together. If you’ve enjoyed this time, share it with someone else. Share because a lot of people are curious about the Holy Spirit. And with one simple share, people can discover the Holy Spirit and realize you don’t have to do life alone. God provides power, love, peace, joy. And in this season right now, we’re going to keep growing in our relationship with the Holy Spirit because that’s an important part of the bonfire that God is building together. Thanks for joining today. And remember, taste and see that God is good.