ATTAINING JOY

I.       Definition of Joy vs. Happiness

	Joy                vs.                    Happiness
Source	Internal/from God	External/from the world
Time frame	Lasting	Temporal
Depth	Deep	Superficial
Circumstance	Despite of	Dependent of

 

II.    Joy in a Christian’s Life—why is it important? What difference does it make?

Nehemiah 8:10	The joy of the Lord is our strength
James 1:2-4	Because we will be perfect through the testing of our faith
Philippians 4:4-7, 13	We will attain peace through Jesus

 

III. Sources of Joy

1.       Joy comes from being in God’s presence (Ps 16:1-11; Jn 16:22)

2.       Joy comes from having the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:16-26; Rom 14:17)

3.       Joy comes from the words of God (Jer 15:16; Ps119:47)

4.       Joy comes from true understanding of God’s will (Hab 3:17-18; Heb 10:34; 1Pet 4:13)

5.       Joy comes from doing God’s will/keeping His commandments (Ac 5:41; Ps 126:5; Jn 15:10-11)

IV.  How to Attain Joy? (Give at least five ways from what you’ve just learned above)

V.     How to Maintain Joy in the Lord in My Daily Life?

VI.  Case Study:

Victor was baptized when he was an infant. Coming to church was part of his growing-up. He has made many friends at church and he hangs out with quite a few of them whenever he has time. However, through the years, going to church and prayers have all become more of a duty and habit than a sincere desire. If he misses church for some reason, he would feel guilty. But JOY? He can’t honestly tell you that he feels joyful in his personal relationship with the Lord. He does remember the inexplicable joy he had experienced when he received the Holy Spirit when he was in fifth grade. But, that joy just kind of faded slowly with passing years. What can Victor do to regain and maintain his joy in the Lord?