The Nine · Galatians 5:22 · Week 2
In week two of The Nine: What Everyone Wants, Pastor Mark English of Christian Life Church in Bensalem, PA, looks at the second fruit of the Spirit: joy. Everyone wants joy, but the world offers a counterfeit that depends on circumstances. The joy God gives lasts, because it’s rooted in Him.
Key Highlights
What to Remember
The world offers joy based on circumstances. Jesus offers joy that lasts.
Joy grows when you stop watching your circumstances and start watching God move.
Joy isn’t pretending the pain isn’t real. It’s knowing the pain isn’t pointless.
The joy of the Lord is your strength.
Galatians 5:19–23
The Counterfeit of Joy
Everyone bears fruit. A bitter person produces bitterness. A harsh person produces harshness. But as we walk with Jesus, the Holy Spirit produces a different kind of fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And whatever Jesus offers, the enemy, the deceiver, offers a counterfeit.
Last week we saw that the counterfeit of love says, “I’ll love you only if you love me back.” Biblical love gives even when nothing comes back, because while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- Birthdays and your favorite birthday dinner
- A new baby, or being the first grandchild
- A first car or a first home
These are good moments, but they all depend on circumstances. When the new-car smell fades, so does that joy.
That’s why people move from relationship to relationship, chasing in people what only God can give.
“Joy is the serious business of Heaven.”
C.S. Lewis
Luke 15
Joy Begins with Following Jesus
Real joy doesn’t start in a relationship or even by walking into church. It starts when we turn from our own way and follow Jesus. Salvation is saying, “I’m not Lord. You are.” The thief on the cross said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom,” and Jesus answered, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42–43).
In Luke 15, tax collectors and sinners came to hear Jesus while religious leaders complained. So Jesus told three stories about joy.
- The lost sheep: the shepherd leaves the 99 to find the one
- The lost coin: a woman sweeps the house until she finds it
- The lost son: the father welcomes him home with a robe, a ring, and sandals
Something lost, searched for, valued, found, and celebrated. That’s how heaven feels when we come home.
Remember hiding something from your parents as a kid and finally being found out? There was discipline, but also freedom. When our sin is forgiven, our identity is restored, and we are brought into God’s family, joy is the natural result.
Acts 15:3
Joy Grows When We See God at Work
Just as love takes our eyes off ourselves, joy grows when we fix our eyes on what God is doing. The team from our church that serves in Kensington comes back full of joy, because they’re seeing lives transformed.
“They told them — much to everyone’s joy — that the Gentiles, too, were being converted.”
Acts 15:3
The early believers rejoiced when they realized the gospel was for everyone. When you focus on God’s kingdom instead of your own, joy fills your heart, because His kingdom lasts.
Want to know real joy?
Lead someone to Jesus. There’s nothing like it.
Acts 2:42–47
Joy Is Produced by the Holy Spirit
If we’re honest, there are moments when we don’t feel joyful and our circumstances don’t support it. You can’t manufacture joy through effort alone. It is fruit the Holy Spirit produces in us.
- They sold possessions to help others
- No one among them was in need
- They met together and shared meals daily
- Signs and wonders took place
- The Lord added to their number daily
That isn’t the work of the flesh. It’s the work of the Spirit.
Those believers “shared their meals with great joy and generosity” (Acts 2:46). God loves a cheerful giver, not a fearful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10), and He takes care of those who honor His kingdom.
Show me a person who is generous,
and I’ll show you a person full of God’s joy.
Joy is evidence that Jesus is ruling in your heart through the Holy Spirit.
James 1:2–3 · Romans 5:3–5
Joy Remains in Hard Seasons
Have you noticed people walking through painful seasons who still show up, still lift their hands, still sing? They understand their pain isn’t in vain. Think about getting up early for the gym. It’s hard, and no one is there to applaud you. You do it because you know it’s producing something in you.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”
James 1:2–3
Suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces a hope that does not disappoint (Romans 5:3–5). Suffering isn’t easy, but it isn’t meaningless.
Joy isn’t pretending the pain isn’t real. It’s knowing the pain isn’t pointless.
Joy isn’t the absence of suffering. It’s the presence of God’s purpose at work in our lives.
Matthew 5:12 · John 14:1–3 · Nehemiah 8:10
Joy Is Rooted in Our Future Hope
This world is not the end. Beyond all the suffering and chaos is heaven. Jesus said, “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:12). Not here, but in heaven. Heaven is taking note of your faithfulness when you keep showing up and keep lifting your hands.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. … I am going there to prepare a place for you.”
John 14:1–2
We should be a light in the world and pray for peace. But no law or politician can save this world. Jesus is still the only hope. If our eyes are fixed on anything else, we’ll always struggle with chaos. We don’t need better circumstances. We need a deeper connection with Jesus.
“The Christian owes it to the world to be supernaturally joyful.”
A.W. Tozer
In Nehemiah 8, when Ezra read God’s law to the returning exiles, the people wept as they realized how far they had drifted. Nehemiah told them:
“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10
Restoration with God brings joy, and that joy is a refuge, a stability, a sustaining strength.
Before going into ministry, Pastor Mark worked at a funeral home. He could tell who had Jesus and who didn’t. They faced the same loss, but some had hope.
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). Heaven is our home.
If you’re carrying the weight of your choices, don’t grieve any longer. The joy you’re looking for is found only in the Lord, and today you can choose to follow Him.
Questions About This Message
Biblical Joy Explained
What is the difference between joy and happiness?
Happiness depends on circumstances like birthdays, a new car, or a good day. Biblical joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22) that is rooted in Jesus, so it can remain even when circumstances are hard.
What does “the joy of the Lord is your strength” mean?
In Nehemiah 8:10, the people wept when they heard God’s law and realized how far they had drifted. Nehemiah told them not to grieve, because restoration with God brings a joy that becomes a refuge, stability, and sustaining strength.
How can Christians have joy in suffering?
James 1:2–3 says to consider trials pure joy because testing develops perseverance. Joy isn’t pretending pain isn’t real; it’s knowing the pain isn’t pointless, because God is producing perseverance, character, and hope (Romans 5:3–5).
Where does real joy come from?
Real joy begins when we follow Jesus as Lord, grows as we watch God at work in people’s lives, and is produced in us by the Holy Spirit. It can’t be manufactured by effort alone.
What do the parables in Luke 15 teach about joy?
The lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son each show something valuable that was lost, searched for, found, and celebrated. They picture the joy in heaven when a person turns to God.
Follow Jesus.
Watch God move.
Hold on to hope.
The joy of the Lord is your strength.
Life Group Discussion
Reflect and Respond
Use these questions to continue the conversation, reflect honestly, and let the message move beyond information into transformation.
We don’t need better circumstances.
We need a deeper connection with Jesus.
