Following the Flow of Joy
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Following the flow of joy from the Father through the Son and Spirit to believers, who experience that joy by abiding in Christ.
Text: Zeph. 3:17; Phil 4:4; John 5:11
Date: 12/14/2025, the Combined service.
Occasion: Advent
Description:
As our Advent season continues, we come to the celebration of the JOY we have in Christ. And those are the operative words: "In Christ". In this message we will turn once again to Scripture to help us understand the nature of true Christian joy and why more Christians are not "joyful". Towards that end we will use three verses to help us follow the flow of Joy. Starting with God, we will learn of His joy as expressed in the prophecy of Zephaniah. We will discover what brings God joy and how His joy is manifest in the perfect obedience of His Son Jesus Christ. We will then turn to Paul's letter to the Philippians to learn that God's joy is a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit and therefore our rejoicing must be "in the Lord". Finally we will turn to the Gospel of John where Jesus emphasizes the only way to experience God's joy is to "abide in Him". Through these verses we will follow the flow of Joy from the Father, through the Son and the Spirit to the church. Ultimately, we will realize the straight-forward principle that the more we live for and in Christ, the greater joy we will experience.
View:
Options:
I. Introduction, 1Pet. 1:3-4.
II. Exposition of the text, Zeph. 3:17; Phil 4:4; John 5:11.
A. Context
1. The ministry and times of Zephaniah, Zeph. 1:12, 3:14-15.
2. The immeasurable love of God.
B. The Flow of God's Joy.
1. Focusing on God's joy, Zeph. 3:17.
a. When God rejoices.
i. The intertwining of God's love and joy.
1) God's joy is not a magnification of human joy.
2) God's joy is not grounded in the emotions.
3) God's joy is in His elect.
4) God's joy is self-contained.
5) God's joy is superlative.
6) The fullness of God's joy, 1John 1:5.
7) God's joy is unconditional.
ii. An extraordinary joy.
1) The meaning of "rejoice".
2) The meaning of "gladness".
3) The meaning of "exult".
4) The meaning of "loud singing", Isa. 12:6.
iii. God's joy in His sovereign will, Deut. 28:63; Isa. 53:10; Ezek. 33:11; Prov. 3:12.
b. Probing the nature of God's joy.
i. Things that don't bring the Lord joy, Psa. 5:4, 147:10, 51:16; Prov. 11:20, 12:22; Isa. 1:11, 65:12.
ii. Things that do bring the Lord joy, Prov. 11:20, 12:22; Psa. 37:23, 51:6, 147:11.
2. The manifestation of God's joy, John 14:9, 15:11, 17:13; Isa. 53:3; Col. 1:19; Heb. 12:2; Luke 10:21.
3. Christian joy is a gift of God, Phil 4:4.
a. The gift of the Holy Spirit, Gal. 5:22.
b. Joy is supernatural.
4. Dwelling in the midst of joy, John 15:11.
a. Another analogy.
b. Abiding in Christ, John 15:11.
i. The analogy of the Vine and the branches, John 15:1-11.
ii. There is JOY in the Vine.
1) True joy can only be found "in Christ".
2) The joy of discipline, James 1:2-4.
3) The joy of bearing fruit.
4) Joy is found in obedience, Deut. 6:5; John 15:10.
III. Conclusion, Phil. 1:21; Matt. 6:33.
