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Biblical Joy

Part 1

Minister Brooke Gillum

September 22, 2026

Joy (in a biblical sense): is a deep, enduring gladness and confidence in God—rooted in

who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised—rather than in the

circumstances surrounding us.

Deep — this isn’t surface-level emotion.

Enduring — it has the ability to remain when circumstances change.

Confidence in God — biblical joy isn’t confidence that everything will go the way we

want; it’s confidence in Who God is.

Rooted — it has a source

Biblical joy ≠ simply being happy

Godly Joy= the inward peace that is not affected by outward circumstances

Joy in a believers heart is the assurance that it is well-because of God. Lasting joy is not

an experience that comes from favorable circumstances nor is it shaken by the

fluctuation of our emotions. It is a deep CONFIDENCE in God’s sovereign control,

character and His promises to us.

Joy is a Gift from God

JOHN 16:24 (ESV) “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will

receive, that your joy may be full.”

Joy is both a gift from God and a response to the gifts of God.

It is a gift from God because true biblical joy originates with Him. We don’t have to

force ourselves to feel it. The Holy Spirit produces joy in us

When we begin to recognize the grace of God—His goodness, His favor, His presence,

His salvation—joy becomes our response.

Who He is + What He has done → Gives me a reason to rejoice.

God is Our Source

Ecclesiastes 2: 1-11

The more you abide in God, the more you get to experience His joy

JOHN 15:11(NLT) “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy.

Yes, your joy will overflow!”

We cannot expect to produce lasting joy while disconnected from Christ.

Joy grows out of our connection with God

PSALM 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is

fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

God shows the PATH → the path leads to His PRESENCE → His presence

contains FULLNESS → that fullness lasts FOREVER.

There is a difference between something filling you for a moment and fullness of

joy. I can enjoy the gifts without expecting them to do what only the Giver can do.

Worldly pleasures: “what’s next?”

Godly pleasures: “my soul is satisfied in the Lord.”

God does hand out small portions; there is no shortage to God’s joy. He has so

much joy to give that it overflows

We don’t live off crumbs, we live off of abundance

Rooted in the Wrong Things

Where have I planted my joy?

God has to do work in us—uprooting what we’ve depended on, planting us more deeply

into a relationship with Him, watering us with His Word, and producing growth where we

are weak.

MATTHEW 13:20-21 (NLT) “The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the

message and immediately receive it with JOY. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots,

they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for

believing God’s word.

When you remember whose you are, you refuse to be uprooted.

Song-Firm Foundation:

Christ is my firm foundation

The Rock on which I stand

When everything around me is shaking

I’ve never been more glad

That I put my faith in Jesus

Cause He’s never let me down

He’s faithful through generations

So why would He fail now?

He won’t

I’ve still got joy in chaos

I’ve got peace that makes no sense

So I won’t be going under

I’m not held by my own strength

Cause I build my life on Jesus

He’s never let me down

He’s faithful in every season

Rain came and wind blew

But my house was built on You

I’m safe with You

I’m gonna make it through

MATTHEW 7:24 (ESV) “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them

will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the

floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, BUT it did not fall, because it

had been founded on the rock.”

COLOSSIANS 2:7 (NLT) “Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built

upon Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will

overflow with thankfulness.”

If your roots are not built upon, around or beside Christ- then you’re drawing your

strength from the wrong source.

PSALMS 1:1-3 (NLT) “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of

the Lord, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”

What you stay planted around will eventually shape what grows in you- for better

or for worse

You cannot continually plant yourself around mockers and drink from ungodly

counsel and expect lasting fruit

Joy in God’s Presence:

Joy in Dwelling

Dwell – to live, to be an inhabitant of, reside, settle in, stay.

PSALM 90:1 (NKJV) “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.”

PSALM 90:1 (NLT) “Lord, through all the generations You have been our home.”

Since God is our home, we don’t have to wander elsewhere to find joy. The fullness of

joy is found—in His presence.

PSALM 91:1 “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the

shadow of the Almighty.”

The secret place is a sanctuary for believers where we seek, rest and commune with

God and also receive his wisdom and love. Abiding under the shadow of the almighty is

finding shelter and covering under God-not trying figure things out ourselves.

God doesn’t just want to be our emergency contact—He wants to be our dwelling place, where even in the midst of chaos, we can remain near the Source of our joy.

Secret Place ∆ Dwelling Place ∆ Home = Intimate Setting

PSALM 27:4 (ESV) “One thing have I asked of the

Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the

house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon

the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.”

We can never overstay our welcome in God’s

presence.

PSALM 84:10-11 (ESV) “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I

would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of

wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor.

No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Dwelling is essential to receiving your lasting joy

Joy in Worship

Another way to receive biblical joy is through worshipping. Worship is not only subject to

a church setting. You don’t even need a choir or music to worship the Lord- but you do

need to worship Him in spirit and in truth like John 4:24 tells us-your heart must be open

to Him. Not only must your heart be open but your body as well.

JOHN 4:24 (ESV) “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and

truth.”

ROMANS 12:1 (NLT) “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your

bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy

sacrifice -the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.”

Worship is one of our responses to the joy we find in God. Especially when we

reflect on who He is-goodness, faithfulness, love, grace and mercy.

PSALM 43:4-5 (NLT) “There I will go to the altar of God, to God-the source of all my joy.

I will praise You with my harp, O God, my God!”

v. 5 (ESV) “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God

Joy in Salvation

You may not always find a reason to rejoice due to your circumstances, but you can

always find a reason to rejoice in your salvation

People, jobs, your money, your mood, your taste, relationships, health- those things are

subject to change. But the price Christ paid on the cross does

not change.

We can rejoice right now because of our salvation and we

can also rejoice because we have something to look

forward to.

LUKE 10:20 (NLT) “But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey

you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”

We rejoice in our salvation:

We are forgiven
Our souls are secured
Jesus paid off our debt, that we could never pay back
We were lost but now we are found
We are friends with the Creator of the Universe
We have been reconciled to God
We have eternal life
Our names are written in heaven

LUKE 15:7 (NLT) “In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner

who repents and returns to God than over the 99 others who are righteous and haven’t

strayed away.”

ACTS 15:3 (NKJV) “So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through

Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused

great joy to all the brethren

1 PETER 1:8-9 (NLT) “You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though

you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible

joy. 9 The reward for trusting in Him will be the salvation of your souls.”

The Fruit of the Spirit is JOY

Life produced by the flesh produces one kind of fruit:

GALATIANS 5:19-21 (NLT) “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the

results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery,

hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,

envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I

have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”

Life produced by the Spirit produces another

GALATIANS 5:22 (ESV) “But the fruit of the Sprit is love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, & self-control; against such things there

is no law.

Flesh: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures

Spirit: love, self-control

Flesh: dissension quarreling, division

Spirit: peace, gentleness

Flesh: envy, fits of anger, jealously

Spirit: joy

1 CORINTHIAN 6:11 (NLT) “Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed;

you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord

Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Joy is a vital aspect of the fruit of the Spirit because it shows the inner work of the Holy

Spirit. It reflects a life shaped by God rather than our circumstances, emotions, or flesh.

Biblical joy is a Spirit-produced gladness rooted in Christ and what He has done and

promised us. It remains even in difficult seasons which shows that our source in not in a

thing or situation but in God alone.

Part 1 Biblical Joy

Biblical Joy

Part 1

Part 5 The Whole Counsel Of God