The document discusses the many reasons Christians can feel joy. It begins by explaining the joy that comes from accepting Jesus Christ and being freed from sin. It then discusses the joy of new life through the Holy Spirit and promises of God for the future. The document provides many biblical references to support the idea that Christians have joy through their faith in Jesus Christ as their savior from the moment of his birth announcement. It concludes that reading the Bible gives understanding and comfort, and that the good news of salvation Jesus brought teaches us how to live joyfully.

1. The Christian Joy -23th
February 2016
“Rejoicein theLord always. I will say it again:Rejoice! (Philippians4:4).
The Christian has much in which to rejoice joyfully when Gods presence is with us that help us
to change from the Past, live a good life in the Present, and be assured of our Future. This joy is
felt first when a person comes to realize one’s sinfulness and that he or she is offered a way out
of this quagmire, through faith in Jesus Christ. We need to seek his forgiveness and receive
salvation that makes us free from the shackles of sin and evil. It is the knowledge of one’s past
and the freedom that he or she experiences by coming to God, and that is the beginning of Joy.
After one accepts Jesus Christ as the saviour, there is a new beginning… a new person in you
through the provision of the Holy Spirit. This helps us to change and experience a whole new
world and a Joy that one never had due to being ensnared in sin. This new experience further
enhances our Joy as we continue in our life’s new journey.
We also have Joy for our future through many promises of God that we learn through the
gospels. We are promised that God will never forsake us. We can learn this in Hebrews 13:5, “
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God
has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” This Joy for the future will stem from
the knowledge that we can derive through Gods promises. Therefore we need to encourage
others by outlining why the Christian has much to share and rejoice.
Paul was in a jail cell. And this is not the first time. We can learn he was put in Jail for
proclaiming Jesus Christ. But yet he wrote to rejoice always. We can learn through the gospels
that on one instance Paul was singing of Gods praises while being in a Ronan jail. “About
midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were
listening to them’(Acts 16:25).. Similarly Christians can do this in any situation if we focus upon
ones identity in Christ.
The Christian has much in which to rejoice because of our faith in Jesus Christ as our lord and
saviour. At the very inception when Jesus Christ was born an angel brought the first message
and stated that he brought a wonderful message that would bring great Joy to all the people.
We can read in Luke 2:10, “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news
that will cause great joy for all the people..”. We can also learn when Jesus’ disciples were
rejoicing of the many mighty works that they had seen. We can learn this in Luke 19:37-38,
“When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole
crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Peace in heaven and glory in the
highest!”
We can also learn that our actions here on earth have a bearing of joy in heaven. When a lost
sheep or sinners are found, rejuvenated in Christ and seek repentance, there is great Joy in
heaven: We can read in 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

2. need to repent”. On a similar token we can learn when Jesus said in Luke 15:10, “In the same
way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who
repents.”. No Christian can rejoice through another’s sorrow. But as stated by Paul, he would
rejoice because one’s sorrow may lead to repentance and thus be saved.
As Christians we cannot repent unless we feel sorry or “feel bad about” the sin and sinfulness
that we have within us. We can learn from 2 Corinthians 7:9, “…yet now I am happy, not
because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.”Through
repentance we can seek Salvation and thereby a readiness for the day of reckoning. We are
joyful because we are ready to be in the presence of God. It is only through the atoning sacrifice
that Jesus made for the sake of our sin that we have this possibility. “And not only so, but we
also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”
(Romans 5:11).
When we read the bible we learn deeper truth and this understanding gives us great comfort
and Joy because it tells us the way to reach heaven. It is the Joy that Jesus refers to as a
treasure hidden in a field. When we find the path it gives us so much Joy that makes everything
else pale in comparison. We can learn in Matthew 13:44, “The kingdom of heaven is like
treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and
sold all he had and bought that field".
Jesus came to us to save us from eternal destruction. He brought us the Good news of our
salvation that we can read in the New Testament. We know that Good news always makes us
happy while bad news works the other way around. The Good news of our salvation that Jesus
brought teaches us how to move away from sin and evil and teaches us the way to live a life
filled with great Joy. We can learn what Jesus said in John 15:11, “I have told you this so that my
joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” We can get a great understanding for
those who know and trust Him in Psalm9:10, “Those who know your name trust in you, for
you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you”.

3. The Christian Joy
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:
Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4).