Good News of Great Joy

Listen to sermon here.

Sermon Outline

1. What is Joy?

• Joy is the steady, confident, gladness of heart that comes from possessing salvation
  in Christ, Living in the presence of Christ, and looking forward to the return of
  Christ.
• Joy IS a gift from God, but it is also our response to God (Rom. 15:13)
• Joy is NOT just a feeling although it often involves feeling
• Having joy does not mean we suppress grief and ignore sorrow (2 Cor. 6:10)

2. Where do we find joy?

• (Lk. 15, Rom. 15:13, 1 Pet. 1:8)
• Question: Have you ever repented of your sin and trusted in Christ for salvation?

3. How do we keep joy?

• Living in His presence (Ps. 16:8-11)
  
  • Question: Are you living in the presence of Christ today?
• So what do we do when our joy is leaking or gone?
  
  • Get close to the fire (Ps. 34:5)
  • Identify Joy Robbers
  • Ask God to restore in you the joy of his salvation (Ps. 51:12)

4. What is the anchor for our joy?

• The HOPE that we have in Christ (Phil. 4:4-5, Heb. 12:2)
• Biblical hope is a confident, eager anticipation that God is going to fulfill all his
  promises to us in Christ Jesus.