The Fruit of the Spirit is Joy. Katie and I can’t imagine a more joyful day than when we welcomed Grace into the world. There was incredible pain that day. The kind of pain that in any other situation would cause you to wonder if God is even present, or if he cares about the suffering of my wife on the surgeon’s table. But that’s because joy is something far different from agreeable conditions or the absence of pain and sorrow. It’s something deeper, more powerful, more sustaining, and bubbles up in the midst of the pains of the world, then transforms into a gushing river that overwhelms us, and defines the moment. So much so, that when we look at a picture from that day, the pain is never even mentioned. Whatever that is—this thing called Joy—I want more of it. Don’t you?

What Paul is talking about in Galatians 5 is not a joy that comes naturally because of our circumstances; it’s a sustained sense of abundance, goodness, and love, hope and promise in the midst of the most difficult circumstances. 

For you and me, on our own, we might experience something like that a handful of times in our life. But God’s joy—not ours—the kind given by the Holy Spirit, is not momentary, but everlasting. Like love, this is not a human-will-power-produced kind of joy; it’s God’s joy given to us. 

The sermon today is titled "Joy." It is the second installment in our "Fruit of the Spirit" Series. The Scripture reading is from Galatians 5:22. Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on July 17, 2022. These lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under Grow: Spiritual Formation.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Links and Resources:

• Sam Wells, "The Discipline of Joy." Sermon preached at Duke University Chapel (4/4/10).
• Sam Wells. "Fear and Joy." Sermon preached at Duke University Chapel (4/8/07).

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