A.      In praise to God, the psalmist David declared to Him, "You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Ps. 16:11).

B.      This concept of the "fullness of joy” shall be the basis of this series of lessons.

                                                             1.      The first objective in this series is to understand and embrace the Biblical concept of true joy while casting aside the world’s definitions.

                                                             2.      The second objective is to obtain that full, Biblical joy on "the path of life” and maintain it throughout every circumstance and every season of life.

II.      YOUR JOY MAY BE MADE FULL

A.      As we saw in our keynote passage (Ps. 16:11), the fullness of joy is found in the presence of God.

                                                             1.      The complete experience of this joy will be known when time has ended and "the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Rev. 21:3-4).

                                                             2.      Until then, the joy we can have on earth comes from anticipation and the hope of that final, eternal state in the presence of God.  Consider these words of blessing from Romans 15:13 – "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

B.      God sent His Son into our presence so that we could come into His presence and obtain the eternal fullness of joy.

                                                             1.      If Jesus had not come into the world, then the fullness of joy would be impossible for us because our iniquities made a separation between us and our God (Isa. 59:2).  Without a relationship with God, we could have no lasting joy.

                                                             2.      However, when Jesus reconciled to God us by His death on the cross, a new relationship with God became available through faith in Christ (Eph. 2:4-22).  The gospel of Christ is "the ministry of reconciliation” (2Cor. 5:18-21) that tells us of the opportunity for this new relationship with God.

                                                             3.      This new relationship is called "fellowship” with the Father, and the message of this fellowship brings us fullness of joy.  Notice 1John 1:1-4

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life – and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us – what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.  These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

                                                             4.      Whether this message is written or spoken, it brings joy to those who hear it and believe in Christ.

a.       The apostle John wrote of the joy that comes by the gospel message, saying, "Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made full” (2John 12).

b.       Three times on the night of His betrayal, Jesus spoke of the fullness of His disciples’ joy.

i.         He told His disciples, "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” (John 15:11).

ii.        He made a promise, saying, "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full” (John 16:24).

iii.      In His prayer for His disciples, He said to the Father, "But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves” (John 17:13).

c.        This fullness of joy comes to those who surrender their lives to God through faithful obedience to the gospel of Christ, such as the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:36-39.

III.   FULLNESS OF JOY NO MATTER WHAT COMES

A.      Worldly wisdom teaches us that joy is almost exclusively a product of circumstances, which causes many people to be unhappy.

                                                             1.      Men often seek happiness in health, wealth, possessions, pleasure, power, social status, etc.  If they cannot have these things, then they are likely unhappy.

                                                             2.      Even spiritually minded Christians can make the mistake of establishing their happiness primarily on the basis of relationships with fellow Christians, family, friends, and neighbors.  If these relationships are damaged or lost, then their joy is lost also.

                                                             3.      Such circumstances are always changing.  If we base our happiness on these shifting conditions, then our happiness will always be temporary, and we will constantly be chasing new sources of joy.

B.      The Bible teaches us that true joy in Christ is not dependent on the worldly conditions in which we live.

                                                             1.      In Philippians 4:4, the apostle Paul wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”  The only condition he placed on this joy was that it must be "in the Lord.”

                                                             2.      Like, in 1Thessalonians 5:16, Paul wrote, "Rejoice always.”  He did not make any exceptions or permit a time when our joy should cease.

C.      Consider the example of Paul, who suffered much for Christ, but rejoiced through it all.

                                                             1.      In 2Corinthians 11:23-28, Paul wrote an extensive record of his suffering for the sake of Christ.  Nevertheless, his difficult circumstances did not lead him to depression, anxiety, and sorrow.  Instead, he said, "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2Cor. 4:8-9).

                                                             2.      In Colossians 1:24, Paul told the church, "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake…”

                                                             3.      When Paul wrote to the Philippians and commanded them to "rejoice in the Lord always” (4:4), he was imprisoned in Rome.  Even so, his joy in Christ abounded.

a.       When he wrote of his imprisonment in Philippians 1:18, he said, "What then?  Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice.”

b.       Concerning his suffering, he wrote, "But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.  You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me” (Phil. 2:17-18).

c.        Notice that his joy was not based on his circumstances, but it was founded in the cause of Christ.  In Philippians 2:2, he asked the church to "make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.”

D.      In the likeness of Paul, all Christians should face the difficult circumstances of life with the faith that brings them fullness of joy.

                                                             1.      Paul is a good example, for he said, "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1Cor. 11:1).

                                                             2.      If we suffer for Christ, then we surely have reason to rejoice as the following passages indicate:

a.       James 1:2-3 – Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

b.       1Peter 1:6, 8-9 – In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials…and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

c.        1Peter 4:13 – But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

                                                             3.      Even when we face the difficult circumstances that are common to all men – sickness, injury, hardship, loss of loved ones, etc. – our joy in Christ will abound and overcome any grief, pain, and anguish we experience.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      Our joy in Jesus Christ does not preclude sorrow, mourning, grief, and pain that come as a result of worldly circumstances.  Indeed, the Scriptures acknowledge that even Christians will experience all of these things (Matt. 5:4; John 11:33-35; Acts 20:37-38; Rom. 12:15; 1Thess. 4:13).

B.      However, our joy in Christ transcends all of these temporary conditions and keeps us steady on the righteous path of life that God has made known.  No matter what comes, let us continually say to God, "You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Ps. 16:11).