(Sermon Supplement) We Are 03: "We Are Saved With Joy"

Sunday Sermon: We Are Series Part 3:

"We Are Saved with Joy"

Part Three of our sermon series "We Are" was a message called "We Are Saved with Joy.” In this message we continue to take a deeper look at our identity through salvation. In particular we looked at the “joy of salvation” and the powerful role that joy has in our lives.

Joyless Christians

Too often we have joyless Christians in the church and this isn’t the way it was meant to be! The Bible says that God’s kingdom is “righteousness, peace and joy” in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17). We are also commanded to “rejoice always” (Phil 4:4). So what could be some of the reasons why some Christians lack the joy of their salvation in their lives?

Reasons Why We Lack Salvation Joy

There can be many, but in the message we shared some of these reasons. One of the reasons we shared was that some Christians don’t put enough importance and priority on their kingdom joy. We may put priority on “happiness” but that is not the same thing as “kingdom joy.” We make the mistake of thinking we have no joy because we don’t feel happy. But having kingdom joy is not the same thing as being happy!

The crazy thing is that we can not be happy but still be joyful! Why? Because being happy is based on feelings, but joy is based on faith. Being happy is based on situations and circumstances being happy, but our joy is based on God being good. Being happy is based on temporal things, but joy is based on internal things. Being happy is based on what you have, what you’ve done, and who you are. But being joyful is based on what Jesus has done, what Jesus has given, and who we are because of Him! Being happy might be based on people. How they treat us, care for us, love us, what they think of us. But kingdom joy is based solely on Jesus and how He treats us, how He cares for us, how He loves us, and only on what He thinks of us!

The difference between you being happy and you being joyful is your focus! You get to choose what to focus on and what to value more. Will it be the things of this world? Will it be the people are you, your family, friends, and church members? Or, will it only be Jesus?

Being Responsible for Our Own Joy

In gene