What Is Joy? — Stephen Kaung

Joy in the Lord as Strength

Verse 10, the last sentence, for the joy of the Lord is your strength, the joy of the Lord is your strength. Psalm 16, verse 11, thou wilt make known to me the path of life, thy countenance is fullness of joy at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore,.

Hebrews chapter 12, verse 2, Hebrews chapter 12, verse 2 looking steadfastly on Jesus, the leader and completer of faith, who in view of the joy lying before him endured the cross, having despised the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

And finally, Philippians, Philippians chapter 2, verses 1 and 2, Philippians chapter 2, verses 1 and 2 if then there be any comfort in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit if any vows and compassions, fulfill my joy, that ye may think the same thing, having the same love.

Join in soul, thinking one thing, chapter 4, verses 4 and 5, rejoice in the Lord always again I will say rejoice, let your gentleness be known of all men. What is joy? Why is joy so essential to life?

Distinguishing Lasting Joy from Temporary Happiness

Where can we find joy? Is what we commonly call happiness, joy? Really we need to answer these questions, lest we seek the wrong thing temporarily. Enjoyment, delight and satisfaction are not joy. It is something that is sustained and lasting, something within us it is in the spirit, something that is not affected by outward circumstances.

Do we really know joy? Does it give us? Now brothers and sisters, we all know that we live in a very cruel world. All of men, all of forms, sorrow and pain are the norms of life. Because of this, men try to find something to alleviate their pains and sorrows.

They find it very interesting, the descendants of Cain to compensate this immaterial from the things physical and material find pleasure, give them joy, joy or not. The joy that the Bible talks about.

And you find immediately, they become sad, disappointed, frustrated, despair. This is what you find in this world. The Bible says, the joy of the Lord is your strength. The joy that comes from the Lord is real strength of the Lord.

The path of life, what is life? What is the way to life? How do we find life? Thy countenance is fullness of joy. In thy presence is fullness of joy. This is to say, if we can see God, see His face if we live in His presence, then we will have joy and we will be full of joy.

Conversely, if we do not see His face, if we do not live in His presence then there is nothing that will give us joy. In thy right hand are pleasures forevermore. Only when we see His hand, then we have pleasures forevermore.

It is not just a passing, transient, fading pleasure but it will be an everlasting pleasure when we see the hand of God moving. So brothers and sisters, joy is not in things. Joy is not in circumstance.

Joy is in God, it is in Christ if we really abide in Him. If we see His face continuously if we see His hands moving no matter what happens around us there is joy and the joy of the Lord is our strength.

Habakkuk’s Joy in the Midst of Loss

The prophet Habakkuk shall not blossom. Neither shall fruit be in the vines. The labor of the olive tree shall fail and the field shall yield no food. The flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls.

Now he is describing a scene which will give everyone despair and disappointment because the fig tree shall not blossom. You know in those days they depend on the fig tree on the vine, on the olive tree they depend on the field and depend on the herd in their stalls.

This is their very living. And yet the prophet if all these have failed yet I will rejoice in Jehovah. I will joy in the God of my salvation. Jehovah the Lord is my strength. So you can see very clearly that joy is not in things.

Joy is in the Lord. Once upon a time there was a great king his name was Solomon. And Solomon wrote in his old age in Ecclesiastes he said I the preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I apply my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the earth.

This grievous occupation had God given to the children of men to weary themselves therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the earth and behold all is vanity and pursuit of the wind. I said you my heart come now.

I will try thee with mirth. Therefore enjoy pleasure. But behold this also is vanity. I said of laughter madness and of mirth. What a validity. I made me great works. I builded me houses. I planted me vineyards.

I made me gardens and parks. I planted trees in them of every kind of fruit. I made me ponds of water to water therewith the wood where the trees are reared. I applied servants and maidens and as servants born in my house.

Also I had great possession of herds and flocks above all that had been in Jerusalem before me. I gathered me also silver and gold and the peculiar treasure of kings and of provinces. I got me men singers and women singers and the delights of the children of men a wife and concubines.

And I became great and increased more than all that had been before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. Often times when you have these things your wisdom is lost and whatsoever mine eyes desire I kept not from them.

I withheld not my heart from any joy for my heart rejoiced in all my labor and this was my portion from all my labor. Then I look on all the works that my hands had wrought and on the labor that it had cost me to do them.

And behold all was vanity and pursuit of the wind and there was no profit under the sun. Brothers and sisters what a contrast. If we try to find joy in the things of this world it may give you a temporary pleasure but then it will give you a lasting regret because joy cannot be found in things in laughter.

Worldly Happiness Cannot Produce True Joy

Now sometimes I think the people in this world know more how to enjoy themselves than Christians. Sometimes I even find that the people of this world seem to be very happy. They joke they laugh they seem to be happy.

But is that joy? Once a man came to a medical doctor to be examined and the doctor found that there was nothing wrong with that man. And yet that man was depressed unhappy not able to live. The doctor suggested is to go to the theater watch the clown.

You will forget all your sorrows and you will be very happy. That man shook his head and said it won't work. Why? Because he said I'm the clown. I make people laugh but I cannot laugh. You cannot find joy in things nor in your circumstances.

The only place where you can find joy is in God. The joy of the Lord is your strength. Look at our Lord Jesus when he came into this world. The angel told the shepherds the good news of great joy because in the city of David a child is born who is the savior.

You know we often think that when Christ came he has brought peace into this world. Now that's true peace on earth and good will towards man. But we forget that he came into this world. He not only brings peace into this world he brings joy into this world.

He knows how unhappy men are. That's the reason why he comes to bring joy to the life of our Lord Jesus. As his life was concerned. His life was hard was difficult. He was born in a manger. There was no place for him no home not even a hotel.

He was real in Nazareth that out of the way he lived place a Nazarene a Galilee have home the birds have nest. But the son of man has no place to rest. He was often misunderstood. More misunderstood than understood.

He was misunderstood even by his brethren in the flesh. He was misunderstood even by his own disciples. He was misunderstood of course by the people at that time. He was misunderstood by his enemies how he loved and yet they repay him with hatred.

They rejected him how he toiled and labored and they did not believe in him. Anyone who is in that kind of circumstances and being deprived of all the earthly things that make up pleasure so called will be depressed beyond measure but not our Lord.

Christ’s Joy in Doing the Father’s Will

At the depths of chapter 10 he lifted up his hand. Thank you father. I praise you father this is thy. Will thou dost reveal these things to the babes not to the wise and the prudent. At the depths of disappointment he was filled with joy on the night of his betrayal.

Disciples knew something was going to happen. They did not really understand but they sensed something was going to happen. The master was leading them. They were sorrowful grieved. And yet if you read John chapter 14 to chapter 16 you'll find that our Lord Jesus even at that moment knowing what exactly what happened to him.

Knowing that one of his disciples will betray him one of his closest will deny him and all of his disciples will be scattered and he will be alone. And yet when he talked with his disciples he said I say these things to you that I may give my joy to you and that your joy may be full.

He had joy. Nothing could take away his joy. My joy to spare in part to distribute. He told his disciples for time being you will be grieved. But and when I come your grief will be turned to joy. And the joy that no one can take away.

No one can take away. Dear brothers and sisters often times what we consider as joy can easily be taken away. Anybody can take it away. Not only your enemies can take it away. Your friends can take it away.

Your husband can take it away. Your wife can take it away. Your children can take it away. No something can take it away. But the Lord said when I come again and remember this does not refer to his second coming.

This refer to his resurrection. In that day when he shall come to his people in the Holy Spirit and he will dwell in them and they shall see him every moment. And that's the reason why no one can take that joy away.

And he said in that day whatsoever you shall ask it shall be done to you that your joy may be full. What is the joy? Surely the joy of the Lord is not in things. The joy of the Lord is not in circumstances.

It is the joy of our Lord. Why is it that he has so much joy? It does not depend upon what happens because our Lord Jesus took his father. The joy of the Lord is not in things. It is in a person. It is in a person of the Heavenly Father.

The joy of the Lord is in the person of the Heavenly Father. When he sees the face of the Father he is full. While he was crucified on the cross suddenly the sun was covered with darkness. My God, my God why has thou forsaken?

He lost. He was fulfilling his father's will as he fulfilled his father's will. His joy. What is the joy of our Lord? For the joy that is set before him he endured the cross and despised. It is the joy of doing the father's will.

And that joy enables him to endure the cross and to despise. Therefore the joy of the Lord is his strength. That is his strength. That is the reason why he overcomes. Because he always set the father before.

And even when the father's face is hit from him he has the knowledge the assurance that he is doing the father's will. Dear brothers and sisters what is our joy? Can we find joy? The only place where we can really find joy is in Christ as our Lord Jesus takes the father as his joy.

So today we take the Lord Jesus really take him as our joy. If we really see his face. If we really will to do his will. And if we know that we are doing his will then dear brothers and sisters nothing can take away our joy.

Joy in Christ and the Holy Spirit

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever. And because he is the same. Therefore if we take him as our joy our joy never changes. It is permanent. It is always the same. Circumstances may change and they always change.

May come and go. And that always the case. Sometimes you are in abundance. Sometimes you are in lack. But thank God if we really take Christ as our joy. If we really take the will of God as our joy then nothing our joy.

Can we find our joy. You remember in Romans chapter 14, 17. For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Joy is in the Holy Spirit. We who believe in the Lord Jesus we have the Holy Spirit dwell in us.

And the Holy Spirit in us is to give us joy. Make us joyful. Joy is not just an emotional uplift or release. Joy is deeper than emotion. Joy is a character a nature, a character of God. The gift of the Holy Spirit is love.

Joy peace and joy is the gift of the Holy Spirit. It represents the very nature and the character of God. It does not depend upon outward circumstances. It is rooted in God Himself. In the Holy Spirit we have fullness of joy.

You know the Holy Spirit dwells in each one of us dwells in our very spirit. Our spirit is the sanctuary the Holy of Holies. Where the Holy Spirit dwells we can grieve Him. And how often we do. We grieve Him because we do not listen to Him.

We grieve Him because we do not obey Him. We grieve Him because we do not do what He wants us to do. And we do what He doesn't want us to do. We grieve Him, do you think we will have joy? If we grieve the Holy Spirit we are grieved no matter what pleasures you are enjoying.

You are grieved. You don't feel happy. We may quench the Holy Spirit when the Holy Spirit prompts us when He constrains us or He restrains us. We may quench it. But when we quench the Holy Spirit are we full of joy?

No, we are sad. It is only when we listen to the Holy Spirit when we obey the teaching of the anointing. It is at that moment that joy really fills our heart. Sometimes you may be crying through tears.

You feel deep down in your heart. The kingdom of God is not in eating and drinking. In this world. People try to find their joy and happiness in eating and drinking. Because this is the nature of the kingdom of this world.

If you don't enjoy yourself in eating and drinking what more do you have? Just like I remember a sister whose husband is not a believer. And that sister is so worried about her husband. So one day she talked to a servant of the Lord and she said now what should I do?

I pray for my husband and I press him. I push him. I pull him. I try to force him but he wouldn't believe. Now what can I do? And the servant of the Lord said one thing you can do that is you cook the very best meal for him.

Treat him like a king. Do everything you can to make him comfortable and enjoyable. So this sister listened to the advice of that servant of the Lord and began to cook the food that the husband liked to eat and serve him like a king.

And after a few days the husband began to wonder why. So one day the husband asked her why do you treat me like this? And the wife said you have only this world to enjoy. So I want you to have everything that you have because after this you will have nothing.

And you know that converse the husband eating and drinking is the very token of this world. This is the kingdom of this world eating and drinking. But the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking. The kingdom of God is righteous and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Christian Fellowship as a Source of Joy

If we really rejoice in the joy in the Holy Spirit we are in the kingdom. Where do we find joy? And have our joyful in Christian fellowship. John chapter 1 verses 3 and 4. That which we have seen and heard we report to you that ye also may have fellowship with us.

And our fellowship is indeed with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we to you that your joy may be full. Dear brothers and sisters what give us great joy on earth? Aside from our Lord Jesus is our brothers and sisters what we have in common.

And what do we have in common? There is one thing that we have in common. We may not be having things in common so far as material things are concerned. Some people are richer. Some people are poorer.

Let not the rich be proud nor the poor be envious. If the Lord wants you to be rich thank God for it. If the Lord wants you to be poor thank God for it. We do not have in common in our background in our education and in our positions in this world.

And whatever it may be. But there is one thing that we all have in common. Fellowship means having things in common. And that is we have Christ. That is fellowship and fellowship give us the greatest joy we have on earth.

Brothers and sisters it is much better than going to theater. You know sometimes people say well you people you people do not know how to enjoy yourself. There are lots of places you don't do. You don't go.

Lots of things you don't do. Now you must be a very sad people. But they do not know that in Christian fellowship we have the fullness of joy. Oh how we enjoy one another. Because we enjoy Christ in one another.

That is fellowship. Fellowship is different from social. You know it is different because when you are having social it is just well what are you exchanging. Changing what you are and what you have in the world is sharing Christ.

Sharing Christ. The Christ that you know you share with me to enrich me. And the Christ that I know I share with you to enrich you. And what riches it is heaven. Brothers and sisters how we need to treasure Christian.

Joy in Serving God and Bearing Fruit

We treasure our communion with God. And we treasure our fellowship with the saints. That makes our joyful. What makes our joyful. The joy in serving God in doing his work. Interested in his interest. In Psalm 126 verse 5 it said you sow in tears but you reap with joy.

It is true if you are really serving him. If you are really interested in his interest if you are really doing his work you may have to sow in tears. Sometimes we think what a joy it is to serve God. Try it.

There are lots of tears. You will reap with rejoicing when you bring in the shame. All in Philippines said to the Philippine believers you are my joy my crown. If you stand fast in the Lord for the joy that lies before him our Lord Jesus despise the shame and endure the cross.

There is joy. There is joy in heaven when one sinner. There is joy in the family of God. When one soul is restored. There is joy when there are fruits to be brought in and offer to God. I cannot forget by the grace of God.

When one of my classmates came to the Lord my joy was bursting of the work of God all the tears all the toils. If we suffer I rejoice in sufferings for you. And I feel of that which is behind of the tribulation of Christ in my flesh for his body which is the church.

Paul said I rejoice in sufferings for you. And in 1st Peter chapter 4 verse 13. But as you have sheer in the sufferings of Christ rejoice that in the revelation of his glory. Also ye may rejoice with exultation.

Joy Through Sharing in Christ’s Sufferings

Now if we suffer because we have done something wrong there is no joy in it. There is sorrow in it and we need to repent. But if we sheer in the sufferings of Christ. And brothers and sisters you know that the sufferings of Christ is a mystery.

On the one hand there is the suffering Christ that we cannot sheer. It is the atoning suffering. He had to bare the cross the atoning sacrifice. He was alone. He sheered his blood for the remission of our sins.

We cannot sheer in that suffering. But there is the other side of his sufferings that he call us to fellowship with his sufferings. That is if we suffer for his name sake. If we suffer as Christians if we suffer for the sake of righteousness if we suffer for our conscience sake.

If we suffer for the body's sake that is for the building up of the body of Christ. Just like Paul said suffering is painful even in pain. Let us rejoice. Why? Because we know at the revelation of Jesus Christ and of his glory we shall rejoice in exultation.

If you read church history you'll find that during persecutions when the dear saints of God suffer immensely beyond human endurance. And yet you'll find when they were suffering for the name of Christ deep down within their spirit they are full of joy.

You say how can it be? But this is what it is. One brother asked a question how do we differentiate between joy and what the world think of happiness. Or I don't know the word the hilarious. How do you distinguish?

People may be very excited very hilarious and excited and seem to be bubbling with joy. Now how do you know that this is real joy? How do you find out? At that moment the answer was you find out in sufferings you suffer and all these things gone.

You know that is just awkward emotion. But when you suffer and deep down within you there is hilarious joy. You know that's the real thing. Where can you find fullness of joy? In discipline we may think that in discipline.

No no child will find it is a pleasure to be disciplined. Come to the parents and please please apply the rod. No. And even in Hebrew chapter 12 it is said that during the time of discipline of chastening it is painful but it will produce the peaceful fruit.

It will bring in great joy. Afterwards a child that is not disciplined will bring great sorrow not only to his parents but to himself. But one who is disciplined will bring great joy to his parents and also to himself.

You remember David after he was disciplined or while he was being disciplined he wrote a psalm 151. And he said in verse 12. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. And let a willing spirit. It is through discipline that the joy of the salvation of the Lord is restored.

That's where the joy is restored. You know when a brother or a sister a believer when a believer has gone off the track and the Lord disciplines him. This is the way to restore the joy of the Lord. And in another psalm Psalm 30 verse 5 for a moment is past in his anger a life in his favor.

Christ as the Believer’s Unshakable Joy

At eve at even weeping cometh for the night and at morn there is rejoicing. Finally I would like to leave with this thought our Lord Jesus as our joy. We make the will of God as our joy. And if we really look to his face really fulfill his will then we find that nothing on this earth nothing external can take away our joy.

We will rejoice always in the Lord. Let us remember that not only we should take the Lord as our joy but the Lord actually has taken us as his joy. In the Psalm 16 that we read in the beginning verse 2 you know this is a Psalm of David which is a messianic psalm.

It prophesies of the Messiah of our Lord. Thou my soul has said to Jehovah thou other Lord my goodness extendeth not to thee. In other words here you find the Messiah is expressing his thought and he says you are the Lord my goodness extendeth not to thee.

In other words in you I find my delight. In other words he makes God his joy. Our Lord Jesus always makes God his joy. And then verse 3 to the saints that are on the earth and to the excellent thou hast said in them is all my delight.

Our Lord Jesus not only takes God his Father as his joy but he takes his saints as his delight. He considers us as his joy. Then in Proverbs chapter 8 in here you find it is spoken of our Lord as written here chapter 8 when God prepared the heaven verse 27 when he prepared the heaven I was there.

When he ordained the circle upon the face of the deep. When he established the skies above when the fountains of the deep became strong. When he imposed on the sea his decree that the water shall not pass his commandment when he appointed the foundations of the earth verse 30 then I was by him his nursery and I was daily his delight rejoicing always before him rejoicing in the habitable part of the earth and my delights were with the sons.

Here you'll find how our Lord Jesus as the son is the delight of the Father and how he delights the Father. And then further than that he said he rejoiced in the habitable part of the earth that is his delight is with the sons of man.

So you'll find that our Lord Jesus takes us as his joy as his delight. And because of this no one can hurt him more. The angels cannot hurt him more than what we can hurt him if our Lord Jesus really takes us as his joy.

And he does if we do not love him if we do not obey him if we go against him. Remember there is nothing that can hurt our God our Lord more than human beings. We who are redeemed by the blood and that's the reason why you'll find in Philippines Paul said fulfill my joy.

In other words you'll find in the church in Philippi they have exhortation, they have fellowship, they have compassion, they are divided and because they are divided Paul's joy cries out to them and said fulfill my joy make my joy full.

Yes I rejoice in you because you are the Lord. I rejoice with you because you preach the gospel. I rejoice with you because you have fellowship because there is compassion among you. But I want you to be of one mind of one thought.

Think the same thing love the same love have the mind of Christ be one and then my joy will be full. Now Paul here is representing it is as if Christ is crying out to his church. I do rejoice in you all I do see there are lots of good things going on if we may say this but so long as you do not have one mind think the same thing my joy will never be full essential.

It is therefore for God's people to be really one because this is the heart desire of our Lord even before his crucifixion that was his prayer that they may be one as I. So dear brothers and sisters as we are thinking of this matter of joy remember we take Christ has taken us.

Prayer for Fullness of Joy

We certainly want him to rejoice as we rejoice may the Lord bless us our Heavenly Father. We do praise and thank thee because God has given us a joy that nothing can takes away. We do praise and thank thee that the joy of our heart is a person is not a thing.

We do praise and thank thee that our joy does not rely upon awkward circumstances because our joy is rooted in Christ. Thou art our oh how. We praise and thank thee because our joy never changes and our joy increases as the days go by.

So we do want to worship thee. We ask thee oh Lord that thou will enable us to fix our eyes upon thee not on things not on ourselves but Lord. We ask that thou will enable us to forget ourselves and just concentrate on thee that our joy may be full.

And Lord we pray that we may truly rejoice thy heart that we may be children of thine whom thou canst said thou art thou art delighted. We ask in the name of our Lord Jesus.