The passage discusses joy as a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It defines joy as the natural reaction to God's work, whether promised or fulfilled. Joy is not just an emotional feeling, but a yearning for the moment when faith becomes sight. True joy comes from spiritual maturity as the Holy Spirit bears fruit in believers and draws them to God's presence. Possessing joy is a choice to believe in God's promises, presence, and work through faith. The Holy Spirit fills believers with inexpressible joy as they trust in God.

1. What is Joy… in the Fruit of the Holy Spirit - 10thth March 2016 -
“I have toldyou thisso that my joy may be inyou and that your joymay be complete”(John15:11),
Literally, the "fruit of the Spirit" is what happens when the Holy Spirit indwells a believer. The
"fruit" is the product of the Holy Spirit's cultivation of character in a heart. Galatians 5:22-23
describes what that fruit looks like; the second characteristic listed is joy. The Greek word for
joy is Chara. Joy is the natural reaction to the work of God, whether promised or fulfilled. Joy is
a fruit of the Holy Spirit, second on the list behind love. We are told to count it all joy when we
encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance. Joy was
welded to the disciples' character when they saw the resurrected Christ and no one could ever
take it from them. Our joy is made full when our prayers are answered. Jesus Christ desires that
we too have the same Joy that he experiences as we can read in John 15:11, “I have told you
this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete”,
Is joy a emotional feeling? Yes Joy can make one feel good - but the emotion that joy may
produce is not joy itself. There is an element in joy that is a yearning or longing. Joy is a word
used to attempt to describe a powerful working of the human heart. We will have joy because
we have in our heart a certain knowledge that we are living out our part in the Master's plan.
Joy is the yearning for that moment when our faith will be “sight”. This yearning, fueled by the
Holy Spirit of God, leaves no room for doubt or the possibility of disappointment. Joy stakes
everything on the truth that death could not hold Jesus Christ in death. Any circumstance, past
present or future, cannot alter that. In fact, joy's arena is the heart that embraces all
circumstance in the sure knowledge that we are moving toward a reunion that is beyond our
comprehension. We can learn from Hebrews 12:2, ”… fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and
perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat
down at the right hand of the throne of God”. Joy expresses God's kingdom—His influence on
earth, We can learn further in Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating
and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,.
The Spirit’s production of joy can manifest in several different ways: First we can learn of the
Joy of deliverance: When God sets someone free from the shackles of sin, rejoicing for this
salvation is in order. The joy of salvation is our greatest reason to be joyful is that God wants to
save us and spend eternity with us. Nothing can be better than this. We can learn from Luke
15:7, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner
who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent”.
We can also have the Joy of spiritual maturity. As the Holy Spirit works in us to bear more fruit,
we become confident in God's promises and rejoice in our walk with Him and with other
believers. When we come to understand that through the Holy spirit working within our hearts,
we are able to receive Gods promises, because the fullness of joy comes to those who continue
in the love of Christ and obey Him. This understanding is spiritual maturity. The apostle Paul
knew joy as the churches gave evidence of the Holy Spirit working among them when he said:.
“For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord

2. Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? 20 Indeed, you are our glory and joy” (1 Thessalonians
2:19-20). Again writing to the Philippians he says: “…then make my joy complete by being like-
minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind’ (Philippians 2:2).
We receive great joy of God's presence: The Holy Spirit draws us to God, in whose presence we
can know true joy. Without the Holy Spirit, no one would seek God. We can learn more about
Joy through Psalm16:11: “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in
your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand..” We have joy because of God's grace.
The next step in the progression is to allow our joy to become an action as we express it,
although sometimes joy can be so great it is inexpressible. This is explained when Peter says:
“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you
believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8).
Possessing joy is a choice. We choose whether to believe in faith and value God's presence,
promises, and work in our lives. When we yield to the Spirit, He opens our eyes to God's grace
that enables spiritual maturity and fills us with joy with this understanding. We can read In
Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that
you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. True Joy is not to be found in
today’s world; it is only fellowship with God that can make our joy complete. We can learn
when John explains on the reason for speaking so much about Joy when we read 1 John 1:4,
“We write this to make our joy complete”. Similarly when we have Joy through the Holy Spirit
working within us, we too can share this Joy with others by bringing as many others to God.

3. “I have toldyou thisso that my joy may be inyou and
that your joy maybe complete”(John15:11),