What is joy?

What does it mean to have joy?

• “Joy is a more a state of mind than a state of elation.”

• “Joy is a perspective that you filter everything through.”

John 15:1-11 – What can we learn about joy? Joy comes from bearing fruit for God.

Luke 15:5-10 – The angels in heaven rejoice when more souls are headed their way. The angels in heaven are concerned about us!

John 16:19-22 – Just as the disciples had great joy when Jesus was resurrected, we should have great joy when we see Jesus by faith.

Acts 12:6-14

Romans 14:13-19 – The absence of joy can be a tool of the devil.

Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-19 – The conversion of Saul (Paul).

Paul was thankful for God’s grace!

• Romans 3:23-24; 5:1-2, 8 – We are all guilty of sin, but God has given us the gift of His grace.

• II Corinthians 12:7-9 – God’s grace was sufficient for Paul, despite his nagging “thorn in the flesh.”

• II Thessalonians 2:16-17

• I Timothy 1:12-16 – God’s grace as abundant in showing mercy to Paul.

• II Timothy 1:8-9

• Titus 3:5-7 – We are not saved base don deeds we do to earn salvation.

• Psalm 130:3-4

Paul had to correct the abuse of grace.

• Romans 5:20-21; 6:1-4, 22-23 – God’s grace is not a green light to sin. Don’t fall back into sin!

• Ephesians 1:7; 2:4-9 – This passage is often taken to mean that we don’t have to do anything to receive God’s grace. But that’s not what Paul taught the Ephesians in Acts!

• Acts 19:1-5; 20:24, 21, 29-32 – Paul was teaching the Ephesians to repent and be baptized! They had to be careful not to fall back into sin!

• If your grandmother told you she had a gift for you, but you had to go to the car to get it, your going to the car is not a “work” that earned you the gift. The gift was freely given, but there was a condition on you receiving the gift. God’s grace works in a similar way.

Paul used grace as a chance to turn his life around!

• Acts 9:20

• Romans 6:4

• Ephesians 2:10

• I Corinthians 15:8-10 – Paul used God’s grace to put away his old life of sin.

• Titus 2:11-14

• Psalm 130:3

Luke 9:23 – We must take up our cross and follow Jesus.

Luke 9:1-23 – Context surrounding Jesus’ admonition to take up our cross and follow Him.

The cross: meaning in context?

• Matthew 10:34-38 – duty

• Matthew 16:24 – duty

• Matthew 27:32, 39 – physical cross

• Mark 8:34 – duty

• Mark 10:20-21 – duty

• Mark 15:21, 29-32 – physical cross

• Luke 9:23 – duty

• Luke 14:27 – duty

• Luke 23:26 – physical cross

• John 19:17-19, 25, 31 – physical cross

• I Corinthians 1:17-18 – the entire concept of salvation

• Galatians 5:11 – plan of salvation

• Galatians 6:12-14 – plan of salvation

• Ephesians 2:16 – plan of salvation

• Philippians 2:8 – physical cross (specifically, Jesus’ death)

• Philippians 3:18 – concept of salvation

• Colossians 1:20 – concept of salvation

• Colossians 2:14 – Jesus’ physical death on the cross

• Hebrews 12:2 – physical cross

Psalm 51

Psalms 51:13

Psalms 51:10

• “Create in me a clean heart”

  • What was wrong with David’s heart?

  • This is David’s prayer of repentance after Nathan confronted him about his sin with Bathsheba.

  • David needed a clean heart. He had dirtied it with sin.

  • David needed a heart transplant in the spiritual sense.

  • The Bible heart:

    • Intellect

      • Thinks – Proverbs 23:7

      • Reasons – Mark 2:8

      • Believes – Romans 10:10

      • Understands – Matthew 13:15

    • Emotion

      • Loves – Matthew 22:37

    • Will

      • Obeys – Romans 6:17

    • Conscience

      • Approves or disapproves – I John 3:20-21

  • Psalms 73:1 – How can a man have his heart cleaned? By faith! Acts 15:9

    • Galatians 5:6; I Peter 1:22-23 – A faith that obeys.

  • II Corinthians 5:16 – We are new creatures in Christ – with a new heart.

• “renew a right spirit in me”

  • How can one have a right spirit (mindset)?
    • Colossians 3:17; II John 1:9; I Corinthians 9:27; II Corinthians 10:4-5
  • To get to heaven, this is what we must have!

Psalms 51:11

• We must all draw nigh to God and have a close relationship with Him.

• II John 1:9

• I Corinthians 9:27

Psalms 51:12

• David was not getting his joy from God when he lusted after Bathsheba and schemed to murder her husband.

• We should find joy in God and rejoice in God’s salvation.

• Philippians 3:3; Romans 12:10; I John 1:4; Psalms 5:11; I Peter 1:8; I Thessalonians 5:17 – Rejoice!

• If we don’t enjoy serving God, we are not rightly serving God.

Psalms 51:13

• When we get all these things right, they we will also be able to teach sinners God’s ways. We must learn and practice these things first lest we be seen as hypocrites.

What about my heart? Does it need cleaning?