So here we are, first Sunday in June, the beginning of summer, makes me think back to growing up in Ohio, where summers were spent with friends going to King's Island amusement park outside of Cincinnati there in Mason, Ohio. And one of my favorite rides at the theme park was a ride called The Beast. I mean, it's a great name. Also was at the time, I don't know if it still is today, but at the time was the longest and the tallest wooden roller coaster in the world. And wooden coasters are great because not only are they exciting, but with all the ups and downs, twists and turns, but when it's a wooden coaster, you never at any point feel safe in the ride. If you've ridden a wooden roller coaster, you understand. I mean, you're going up the first hill, click, click, click. You're like, this doesn't feel secure. Like this feels like it was built in my backyard. And then at the end of it, you need to go see the dentist cause you're like, uh uh uh uh uh like, like every moment of it. OK. Now, why do I share this? Is that, you know, life itself can very much feel like a roller coaster at times. All the ups and downs, all the twists and turns, and even you could say life itself can be a beast at times, right? And so what do we do with that? Because we sing songs and we praise God, we're like, you know, bless God and sanctuary and like, and, and he's our firm foundation. But then you go into Monday. And we got all these things and stuff and questions and doubts and addictions and worries and anxieties and stressors. And we have a culture that promotes happiness as a way of living, and saying that if you, if you have enough, if you do enough, if you perform enough, you will find fulfillment. But we know in our heart that's not true. Because life can very much feel like a roller coaster and, and happiness is so fragile because at one moment, Yeah, like you can feel good, and the next it can, it can be bad, right? Like someone, uh, someone, you know, can give you a compliment and it can turn quickly, right? Like the other day, someone said, hey, you're looking really good, feeling great for an old person, feeling bad. Right? And, and like it turns quickly. So what, what if there was something deeper? What if there was a confidence, a strength, a delight? That could not only survive the bad days, the hard seasons, and the painful circumstances, but actually give you the fulfillment that you're actually looking for. I think it's possible because it's actually found in what's called joy. And joy is very different from happiness, and we're gonna break into that and dive into that today. But today's message is entitled Spirit Filled joy, because we're taking a look at the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians chapter 5, verse 22 and 23. And there's 9 characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, and we're gonna take a week on each of them. But for today's message, I want you to write this truth down, that joy will sustain you in a way that happiness never can. Joy will sustain you in a way that happiness never can. See, the fruit of the spirit is not manufactured, it's cultivated. And last week, we shared that the fruit of the spirit is really the evidence, not the effort. And that it's what God works in you and through you. Now, there's responsibilities that we have to garden and tend to the really the garden of the soul, the the the soil of our heart, but that when we are connected to God. When we are spirit-led and spirit-filled, that God will start to produce in us what was lived out through Jesus. And so to be spirit led, we said was to be or to have humility, trust and obedience. And that humility and that It's not your way, that way. Trust that God's way is better and then the courage to actually live out a life of obedience and actually do what God tells us to do. And to be filled with the Spirit, as we shared, is that word abide, to to dwell in, to make home and to stay connected to the vine, which is Jesus Christ himself. So as our theme passage for the summer is found in Galatians 5, go ahead and open up your Bibles to Galatians chapter 5. If you're not if you do not own a Bible, uh, could you stop by the welcome table in the lobby after service. So we'd love to gift you one today. But let's go ahead and jump into verse 22 and 23. It says, but the fruit of the Spirit. Is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now, today our topic is joy, but it's actually found also not just in this passage, but also where Jesus talks about the value of being connected to the vine. So flip back a few pages to the Gospel of John, John chapter 15. And for time's sake, I'm gonna read verse 4 and 5, which is what we shared last week. But then I'm gonna jump down to verse 11 and you're gonna see where joy comes into the mix. So John chapter 15 verse 4 and 5, and then we're jumping down to verse 11. Says abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine and you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing. And then in verse 11. We have these words, these things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. Now, there's some fascinating words or phrases in verse 11 that I want to point out, because I love that Jesus actually flat out says, this is why I'm telling you this. Like, well, I wonder why did Jesus share? He, we don't have to wonder. He actually says, these things I have spoken because, or so that. And so he's saying, I want you to abide in me. I want you to stay connected to me. So that my joy may be in you, in you, and then your joy may be full. Now, why does Jesus, the first interesting phrase there is Jesus says, my joy. Why why is that interesting? Because if he clarifies that he has joy to give, Then that shows us that we try to find joy in other things. That there is differing levels of joy, and that true genuine joy actually comes from Jesus and by default, we don't have it. He says, my joy. Which again, If, if you are the creator, sustainer of the universe, died for all of the world, and now hold the universe in your right hand, sustained by the very power of your word, I think that's pretty good joy. Like if you're gonna If you're gonna pick a joy, I'd go with that one. You know what I mean? And so he says, my joy. I do this so that my joy may be in you. In other words, that you need it. But when he gives it to you, then your joy will be full. He has so much more joy for your life available than what you even realize. It's like taking a little Dixie cup and going to the Niagara Falls and being like, oh, I just want a little bit of water. He has more joy than what you can even think or imagine, and it's available to you. And when you have access to that joy from the inside out, your joy will be full. I, in college, I drove this sweet sports car, uh. Don't wanna make anyone jealous, but Ford Taurus, anybody? Uh, you know, right? 0 to 60 in about a minute and a half. And I had this thing where, uh, I, I mean, I've gotten better, but in college, I used to really not like getting gas. Now I wish we had those prices today. Um, and so I would just let it go down and I didn't have where it said, oh, so many miles until you're empty. You just had the, the line. And I would play this fun game called how, how low can I go? Right. And probably the lowest it ever got one time, uh, it was, I got, I don't know, it was really running by faith and grace at this point. Um, the car was so low that when I pulled it into the gas station and turned the key off, no joke, the line actually went up to E. Like that's how empty it was, OK? Here's the thing, if you do not have God in your life, you are trying to run on empty. But God wants to fill you with joy, the, the joy that created the world, the joy that saved the world, the joy that sustains it. He says, my joy, I will give to you so that your joy may be full. But what is it? What is joy? So here's what we're gonna do this morning. We're gonna talk about 4 things. It's gonna look like this. First, we're gonna address what is joy. Because people say that word, and what does it even mean? And, and then we're gonna take a look at joy in the life of Jesus, right? He actually exemplified it. The fruit of the Spirit really was lived out by Jesus. So we're gonna see joy in the life of Jesus. Then we're gonna see joy in the life of the disciples. It's very different than you would think. And then we're gonna land the plane here and talk about what does that mean for you and I and joy in our lives today. So what is joy? Joy in the life of Jesus, joy in the life of the disciples, joy in our life today. Let's jump into it. First, we have what is joy? Right? Uh, growing up in church, we'd sing these little songs. I got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Right. I wasn't confident you were gonna come through. I mean, we're non-denominational here. I don't know where people are coming from. But if you said where, you're my people, OK. Um, so you have a song and we'd sing it. I got the joy, joy, like, but here's the, here's the struggle though. We sing about it and then you go into work. And you got that meeting and you got the bills to pay and the kids are home sick and then you're sick of them and they're right like it just starts getting stressful and anxious and full and no one's going I got like it does it doesn't, it doesn't work, right? What do we do with that? Let me give you a biblical definition of joy. Joy is deep and lasting delight, rooted in the presence, power, and promises of Jesus. It is deep and lasting delight rooted in the presence, power, and promises of Jesus. And I, I love this definition because notice, it's not based on circumstances. It's not based on feelings. It's not based on possessions or achievements. Because what we know from scripture is that joy is not a feeling, it's a focus. Right? It it's where you focus. A joy is not about your circumstances. It's, it's a choice. It's, it's how do you interpret your circumstances. It's the lens through which you see the world. And it, and the joy really comes from the inside out. It's the presence, the power and the promises of Jesus. Don't just take my word for it. Let's take a look at the Psalms. Psalm chapter 16, Psalm 16 verse 11, says you make known to me the path of life in your presence. There is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. So notice the presence of God is directly connected to the joy of life. Uh, we recently, uh, passed out shirts this spring. It was a lot of fun. Uh, and the brown shirt, if you, if you got that, it's got a really cool little design on the back and actually has a verse on the back. Uh, actually, it's quoting Psalm 13. And actually, there's a really cool teaching when it connects us to the heart of joy that you might not catch, but we're gonna take a look at it here. So Psalm chapter or Psalm 1, verse 1 to 3. It said, blessed is the man who walks, and notice the pattern here. He's gonna be walking, then standing and sitting. He says the man who walks not in the council of wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. That's the path of sin, isn't it? First, you're walking by something, you're like, yeah, it's fine. Like I'm just passing by. Next thing you know, you're standing, and next thing you know, you're seated in it. Right, that's how sin works. You, you just kind of walk past it. Next thing you know, you're standing next to it, and then you're seated right in the middle of it. He said, but that's not, that's not the man who is blessed. He says, but his delight is in the law of the Lord. And on his law, he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water. That yields fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. And all that he does, he prospers. And what's fascinating in this, there's in this verse, I mean, there's a lot of great things. But for our discussion today, I want you to notice the difference in the lines that produces fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. There are seasons for fruit. Now that sounds very, uh, well, duh, OK. Yeah, but again, remember, think about our lives. There are seasons for fruit. And sometimes as Christians, we think we should be happy and like fruitful all the time. But it doesn't work that like agriculture doesn't work that way. It says in its season, it'll produce fruit. Even when it's not in that season, it's still that tree, right? When a tree is not producing fruit or visible fruit at the time, it is still an apple tree. It's just not the season. This is not the season. You have a lemon tree in the backyard. And there are times where it produces lemons, and there's other times where it's growing, but the growth is not visible. And so what I'm encouraged by this verse is that in its due season, it'll produce fruit and the leaves will not wither. And so if you are in a season where you are not seeing visible fruit, understand that you can still have sustaining joy and your leaves do not have to wither if you stay planted next to the streams of living water in his word. So joy is available at all times because joy is not connected to a feeling, it's a focus. Your leaves don't have to wither. David committed a bazillion sins. He's described as a man after God's own heart, but has a completely broken life at one point. And in the middle of his confession to God over the brokenness of his sin, he says these words in Psalm 51:10 to 12, and I want you to notice the mentioning of joy. He says, create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence. There's the presence there, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. And he says in verse 12, restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. Sin will take your joy. Because sin's gonna take you away from the presence of God, and from the power of God and the promise of God. Sin gets you focused on self, sin gets you focused and and isolated away, and, and you start feeling guilty and shameful and pulled back. That's why David in his confession says, create in me a clean heart, forgive my sins, and then restore through the Holy Spirit, the joy of what? The joy of salvation that is found in him. Joy is found in his presence, in his power, and in his promises. And joy is actually found in the life of Jesus. Jesus lived this out. The characteristics found in Galatians 5, the fruit of the Spirit, were lived out by Jesus Christ in his earthly ministry here. And so we see this from the beginning, middle and end. Let's take a look at it here. So the very beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry, AKA the Christmas story, right? Luke chapter 2, verse 10 and 11 says, and the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of what? Great joy, that you will be for all the, that will be for all people. And what is this joy? For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior, who is Christ the Lord. So David is writing a Psalm about 1000 years before the coming of Jesus, and in his Psalm of confession says, restore to me the joy of salvation. And then you fast forward to the Christmas story. Right? What do we sing? Joy to the world. What the Lord has come. It is good news of great joy. Why? Because salvation is here. Salvation is here because Jesus is here. And so at his birth, Jesus brings joy. And then he's going through his life, preaching sermons, performing miracles, connecting with his disciples. And there's this little tiny verse in the middle of his ministry, that it's very easy to pass over until you realize that actually is the key to doing ministry. And it's found in Luke 10:21, and it's talking about Jesus in the middle of ministry, in the middle of his life. It's almost you. Almost don't think of it as like a throwaway statement, but you just like, well, that's not the point of the story. It's like, OK, get to the miracles, get to the sermon, get to the casting out of demons. But in the middle of all of this, we have Luke chapter 10, and the first half of verse 21 says this, in the same hour, he rejoiced. In the Holy Spirit. You know, Jesus had the Holy Spirit too. And God the Father, Jesus, Son, the Holy Spirit. If you want to be amazed, read the Gospel of Luke and underline every time you have Jesus and the word Spirit. Because Jesus modeled for us how to live. It says in here, it says, he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. So in the beginning of his life, he brought joy. In the middle of his life, he brought joy. And then notice what it says here in Hebrews chapter 12, verse 2 and 3. He says, looking to Jesus. Again, joy is a focus, not a feeling. Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. That does not make sense. Through the lens of American society. Does it does not make sense. For joy, he endured the cross, died the most excruciating, excruciating way possible with the weight of the world's sin, with the wrath of God, with the forsaking of his father. For joy? How is that possible? Say, for joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Then consider him. Again, you have to choose this, right? You're gonna see in our passages today, look to Jesus, considering Jesus, counting it as joy. These are all things that you have to choose. Consider him who endured from sinner such hostility against himself so that you may not grow weary or faint hearted. He considered it joy, because It's not that that action or that situation was joyful, but he know he knew that through it, he would bring about restoration and relationship and forgiveness and healing. He went through the deepest, darkest valley to connect our hearts with his. And so even in the darkest moments, you could consider it joy. This tells us that Jesus brought joy through his birth, his life, and his death. Beginning, middle, and end of his earthly ministry was marked with joy. Was it easy? No. Right. He's not carrying the cross, like I got the joy, joy, joy, like. But he did endure the cross. For your sake and for mine. Because what it brought about. OK, so there's joy in the life of Jesus. But what about the disciples? And joy is found all throughout Scripture. And you're gonna see the different disciples and how they interacted with joy, but it's not what you would think. It really isn't. let's walk through this here as some examples here. First, we see joy on mission. Joy on mission. In Acts chapter 13, we have these words, and the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. OK, that seems cool. But then there was the next verse, or the next phrase. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and they drove them out of their district. In other words, they were literally chucking rocks at their head, chasing them out of the town. How would you respond if someone's chucking rocks at your head? Well, I'll tell you how the disciples responded. Verse 51, but they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Aconium, and the disciples were filled with joy in the Holy Spirit. Notice how many times you got joy and spirit connected here. It was on mission. They were seeing lives being saved and they're being persecuted, but they had joy because they were living on mission. They also experience joy and prayer. Paul, writing to the church in Rome, wrote this in verse in Romans 15:13. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope. Again. If if Paul is praying for the believers to be filled with joy, that means that by default, we need that, right? And it is the spirit that comes in and gives us a joy beyond. Understanding. We see joy in mission, we see joy in prayer. We also see joy and pain. First Thessalonians chapter 1 verses 4 to 6, it says, for we know brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you. Because our gospel came to you, not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we have proved to be among you for your sake. And now in verse 6, it says this, and you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction with joy of what? The Holy Spirit. In all these cases, the word is joy, the word joy is surrounded by trials. The letter most known for joy, Philippians, 4 little chapters, joy is used 19 times. Paul wrote it in prison. Towards the end of his life. He writes these words in Philippians 4:4, says rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. He's in the valley of valleys. He's saying I have joy. Then you have the brother, half brother of Jesus, James. He's writing in the church and and most letters start by saying, hey, hello, it's James. I'm gonna write you a letter. It's right out of the gate to people experiencing persecution and division and dispersion and challenges. He says these words, here we go, verse 2 to 4, says count it all joy. All right, he's gonna encourage us. He's gonna lift us up. Count it all Joyman Brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. Wait, what? When you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, and let the steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete and lacking nothing. Count it all joy. It's not saying that everything is joyful. It's saying that you can count it as such. Again, joy is not a feeling, it's a focus. Joy is not a circumstance, it's a choice. Consider it, count it. Think about. Choose it. Right, we've seen John, we've seen Paul, we see Peter, or we see James. Now, now let's see, let's see what Peter has to say to us. OK? First Peter 16 to 9. In this you rejoice. Though now for a little while if necessary you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes though its tested by fire, may be found to result in the praise and glory and honor. At the revelation of Jesus Christ. Verse 8, though you have not seen him, you love him, and though you do not see him now, you believe in Him and you rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. We see it with John, we see it with Paul, we see it with Peter, we see it with James. Every single one of them in the middle of afflictions and challenges, proclaimed joy. Why? Because joy was not an emotion they chased. Joy was a confidence they carried. Joy was not an emotion they chased, joy was a confidence they carried uh in the backyard of our house. Uh, we have a basketball hoop. And being in Arizona, a lot of, you end up having to get lots of balls cause the sun either takes it out or uh like there's so many things with spikes. What, what is it with Arizona plants that just like everything wants to kill you? You know what I mean? Like, in the Midwest and out east, it's like, oh, they're like butterflies and like flowers and trees, and you get to Arizona, it's like, die. We must, there's no water, everyone for themselves, right? OK. So you have to buy a lot of, you know, sports balls in the back if you're playing with the kids. Now, in my hands, I have 2 basketballs, OK? They look the same, they feel the same. But they're very different OK. One has air. One does not. Which one has air? Which one does not? Do you know? You sure? The only way to tell. OK. In our world It's easy to look like you have it all together. But unless you are filled with the Holy Spirit. You will not have what you need to sustain you when the bounce comes, when you hit the floor. But if you have the Holy Spirit in your life, if you are abiding in the vine, connected in Him, when life comes your way, bounce back up. That phone call comes. That meeting breaks down. The broken relationship that comes. That no matter what the world throws your way, you understand that it is not an emotion you chase, it is a confidence you carry. Because joy will sustain you in a way that happiness never can. You need to be filled with the Spirit of God from the inside out, so that no matter what the world throws your way, you get back up. This is what true joy is. Is deep delight rooted in the presence, and the power and the promises of Jesus. We looked at what is joy. We studied joy in the life of Jesus. We then see joy in the life of his disciples. So what about us? What about joy in our lives today? I want to challenge you with 3 thoughts. Number 1 is to stay connected. Stay connected. We're called to abide. Be a branch, not a stick. Be connected to the vine, that when you are connected, abide in Him and in His word and in His spirit. God says, my joy. The one that overcame the pain experienced on the cross. My joy, I will give to you, and when I give to you, your joy will be overflowingly full. To stay connected. 2, stay grateful. Part of finding joy in the present is remembering how God came through for you in the past. Right, if you, if you're willing to take a moment to take a beat, to pause. I bet you will see God's work in your life looking backward. Oh yeah, I remember when he came through here, when he sustained me here. And I brought that resource, that person into my life exactly when I needed it. They're like, John, I, I don't see it in my life. OK, go back to his work. Because we got 2000 years. Of fulfilling stories. We're in the middle of affliction, in the middle of valleys, the disciples chose joy. And finally, I want to challenge you to stay hopeful. Stay connected is in the present. Staying grateful is being reminded of the past. Staying hopeful is remembering the future. So there's gonna come a day where there is no more sin, there is no more cancer, there is no more pain. There is no more brokenness, that he is coming back. And the fact that he provided salvation and the fact that he has risen from the dead and that he is returning. Should give us hope in every situation. Stay connected. Stay grateful, stay hopeful. That's where joy is found. I want to give people a chance to receive that joy today. So if you could close your eyes and bow your heads for just a moment. And if you're here today, And you've never received Jesus into your life. But you're being moved by the spirit now, and you said, you know what, I wanna believe in him. I want to believe that Jesus is my Lord, and that he is my savior. I've never put my faith before in him, but I want to commit my life to Jesus today. If you want to receive Jesus in your life today, no one looking around, but I'm going to ask you to take a step of faith so I can pray for you. That if Eyes closed, heads bowed. If you want to receive Jesus Christ in your life today, right now in this moment, I want you to raise your hand. Amen Amen. Amen. For those that raise their hand or those who are thinking that and didn't even raise their hand, I want, but, but I want to make that commitment. Amen. I hear what I'm. I want you to pray with me right now. Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner. I know that I can't make it to heaven on my own. But Jesus, I believe that you are Lord and that you're savior. That you died on the cross as payment for my sins. And that she rose again to bring about new life. I have forgiveness of my sins. I commit my life to you. I believe that you were the only way to heaven. And that, God, you give me meaning in life now. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for loving me. I commit my life to you. We love you, Jesus. It's in your son's name we pray. Amen.