The Spirit and Your Joy
August 13, 2015 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement | Tags: joy, sin, suffering, fruit of the Spirit
Life in the Spirit, Part 10
This summer in these Touchpoint articles I have been exploring the various aspects of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. On Sunday mornings we have been studying the Scriptural call for joy. Is there any connection between the Holy Spirit and joy? Absolutely!
1. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. Paul says in Galatians 5:22 that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. When Paul speaks about “fruit” he is talking about production. The Spirit produces joy in the life of believers. What God commands of his people (all of the fruit of the Spirit is commanded of believers in some manner in the New Testament) the Holy Spirit empowers to come about. How does the Spirit produce joy in the life of the believer? Through his various ministries that exalt the goodness of Christ and awaken our delight in Christ.
2. Sin kills joy. The Spirit kills sin. Therefore, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, joy is multiplied. Contrary to popular opinion, sin does not increase joy. Sin may produce temporary pleasure, but it always leads to death. David testifies to the destruction caused by sin in Psalm 51 and the hope of joy that is connected with the Spirit. “Take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation.” Paul says that it is only through the power of the Spirit that we overcome sin and temptation (Rom. 8:13). How does the Spirit sanctify and so multiply our joy? Through his ministry of the Word in our lives, convicting of sin and enabling greater delight in Christ.
3. The Spirit helps us endure suffering. In his commendation of the church at Thessalonica, Paul states, “you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Thes. 1:6). Becoming a Christian in the 1st century was not comfortable. The Roman empire opposed the spread of Christianity. The Jews opposed Christianity. The cultural environment was decidedly anti-Christian. There was affliction in becoming a Christian. And yet the Thessalonians had joy. How? Paul attributes the joy to the Holy Spirit. It is only by the Spirit that we can maintain a perspective on the eternal and not lose heart (see 2 Cor. 4:16-18). This is the only means for joy to be sustained when circumstances of life overwhelm you.
May you learn to walk by the Spirit and see the fruit of the Spirit abound in your life!
