Part 4 in a book discussion series on the book "The Myth of Happiness". Use in a church homegroup, sunday school, or Bible study.

2. John 16:24 - your joy will be complete

3. John 17:13 - “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.

5. Tapping into that joy is a choice for every believer.

6. The amount of joy available to us is unlimited.

7. Joy is our spiritual lifeblood.

8. Joy is experienced with other believers.

9. Joy is rooted in eternity. (Nothing temporary about it.) Chapter 5 <br />“Jesus was a man of such joy, such merriment, such gladness of Spirit, such freedom and openness, that He was irresistible.” <br />– Sherwood Eliot Wirt <br />1. Read Hebrews 1:9. Why is this verse a key in understanding Jesus during his earthly ministry? <br />2. Did you ever really think of Jesus as a “man of joy” when reading the Gospels? Why or why not? <br />3. Read Isaiah’s prophetic description of the Messiah in Isaiah 53:2. How does this characterization compare to a popular understanding of who Jesus Christ was during his earthly ministry? <br />4. What are some of the things that drew people to Christ during his earthly ministry? <br />5. Read Hebrews 12:2. Was Jesus able to experience joy in the Garden of Gethsemane, trial, and crucifixion? Why or why not? <br />6. Can you think of difficult experienced you endured because of the joy you knew you would experience later? <br />Chapter 6 <br />What a lump of sunshine that man was!<br /> – C.H. Spurgeon <br />From his whole person, joy seemed to radiate. <br />– Les Miserables <br />1. C.H. Spurgeon once called a joyful man he knew a “lump of sunshine”. Why is this name such a descriptive term for a joy-filled person? <br />2. Can you think of any believers who have had a “Pleasantville Effect” on people with whom they came into contact? <br />3. How does outwardly expressed joy differ from charm or charisma? <br />4. Why is joy such an important characteristic for believers to exhibit in their lives? <br />5. Take a moment and think about your life – are you a lump of sunshine? On scale from 1-5: <br />Your coworkers or neighborsOther believers at churchYour spouse/familyYourself<br />How similar are they to each other? Do you project yourself differently to different groups? What is getting in the way of exhibiting true joy?<br />