This study was taught at our Sunday evening service by Sim Forder, one of our pastors, on the 20th September 2020. You can listen to the audio on this web page or save it for later listening.

This is the third study in our series on the Fruit of the Spirit, something that should be evident in the life of every Christian, and found in the Bible in Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

As taught in our introduction to this series, we should keep in mind the following foundational items;

• Grace, not works (We don’t show the fruit of the Spirit in order to be saved, but rather we grow fruit because we have been saved – see Ephesians 2:8-9)
• Fruit, not fruits (Unlike the gifts of the Spirit where different ones are given to different people, we should each demonstrate all the qualities of the fruit of the Spirit – see 2 Peter 1:5-9).
• Abiding, not striving (We are to abide in Christ. If the branches are not connected, they will not bear fruit. Likewise we must spend time in the Word, and in prayer, or we will not bear fruit – John 15:4).

In this study we specifically looked at joy, considering 3 problems we have;

• We have a wrong understanding of what joy is
• We seek joy from the wrong things
• We don’t seek joy from the right things 

So first, as Christians, it is not about being happy because of our circumstances, but despite them.  Spurgeon puts it like this:

Believers are not dependent upon circumstances. Their joy comes not from what they have, but from what they are; not from where they are, but from whose they are; not from what they enjoy, but from that which was suffered for them by their Lord.

Charles Spurgeon

Second, we find ourselves seeking joy from the wrong things – sometimes good things (such as family, relationships, career, finances, food, sex, music, arts, entertainment, comedy) and sometimes sinful things (see the list in Galatians 5:19-21).

And thirdly, we fail to seek joy in the right things – the things of God. During the study we looked at four areas the Bible instructs us on:

• Joy in God’s presence (see Psalm 16:11)
• Joy in God’s nature (see Psalm 67:4)
• Joy at God’s kindness (see 1 Peter 1:8-9, Luke 10:17-20, Psalm 30:4-5, Luke 15:10, Acts 15:3)
• Joy in our obedience (see Proverbs 15:23, Proverbs 12:20, Proverbs 21:15, John 15:9-11)

In conclusion; if you feel lacking in Joy today, don’t look for it in your situation. And don’t look for it in other temporary things – even if they are good things. Don’t look for it in sinful things – for they can never provide lasting joy. But instead, look for Joy in the things of God. Spend time in His presence. Consider His unchanging, incredibly loving nature. Meditate – that is think – on his kindness, that Jesus died for you! And seek joy by obeying Him in all that you do, keeping His commandments – not to earn your salvation, but because He has saved you.

Throughout this 10-week series we will study one quality of the Fruit of the Spirit each week, with studies available on our website (usually) the same day they are taught. Separately, it is worth listening to our previous study on this chapter here.