We're going to be back in Galatians 5, verse 22. And we're going to be looking at joy and peace tonight. The fruit of the Spirit is joy and peace. And we looked a couple of weeks ago at how the conscience is related to this, and some of that will be some overlap, and I'll just refer back to the message that we preached two weeks ago on it. But I want us to think about joy and peace together. We're going to try to think through practically how to attain these things or how these things are cultivated in relation to the text. So title of the message is just simply the fruit of the Spirit is joy and peace. The fruit of the Spirit is joy and peace. And if we think about that in the context of backing all the way up to verse 16 and making our way down, then I just want to remind you, we've said this often, but it's just important to keep in mind that in the context of this passage, joy and peace are the result of the Spirit's work and the Christians walk. So the Spirit's work along with the Christians walk and this fruit is cultivated or produced in the life of the Christian. Now I will also say this as we're thinking about joy and peace and these kinds of things. If joy and peace are the result of the Spirit's work and the Christians walk, that is walking in the Spirit, and we think back in verse 17 where it talks about the flesh lusting against the spirit or opposing the spirit and the spirit opposing the flesh, then. There are times and sometimes the battle is harder than others, but joy and peace, at least the cultivating of it. is a result of war. I mean, you have to fight for joy and peace. There is this ongoing battle where the flesh is lusting against the spirit, the spirit against the flesh, and if you would walk in the spirit, and we'll talk more specifically about what we mean as it relates to these two, then you must war, you must do battle. And that's over and against the idea that the fruit of the spirit is somehow just passively cultivated, that it has everything to do with God zapping you with these things. you know, in regard to no effort on my part or on your part. That's that's not the tone of this passage. That's not the information really that's laid out in the passage. So it's two things going at once. We could never cultivate these by ourself, but the spirit will not cultivate these things outside of our walk. So those both those things are true. So, just want to look at a couple of aspects of it. Number one, just want to get a biblical description of joy and peace. A biblical description of joy and peace. And, you know, sometimes word studies get us a lot of mileage in trying to understand a biblical concept. These two things, that's not the case. It's kind of helpful, but you're not going to get a ton of information or new information here. So the word joy, Greek word that's translated joy. It's just an inner disposition of gladness or happiness or calm delight. So it's a really rejoicing in something. It's joy that is a response to something. And we'll talk about that something in just a minute. Now, what joy is not is it is not what we might call a personality type. It's not bubbly. It's not giddy. It's not chipper. That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about a inner rejoicing, an inner delighting in something. And then peace. We think about a biblical description of peace. Peace is just a state of freedom from anxiety or inner turmoil. It's also tranquility and peace of mind. So it would be the opposite of what you think about whenever you think about maybe a busy heart, an anxious heart, the opposite of worry. the opposite of what we think about when we think about feeling overwhelmed with stress, even frustration, those kinds of things. So a state of freedom from anxiety and inner turmoil. Now, it's helpful as we think about, again, the biblical descriptions of these two aspects of the fruit of the spirit to point out that both of these inner dispositions are not dependent on outward circumstances. These things are not in relation to or experienced in relation to our outward circumstances, but they are dependent on one's relationship with God in Christ. So what that means is that you could have a bad day and still experience joy and peace in your heart. Now, as we think about this, and we're going to talk about this a little bit more in a minute, but just so there's no misunderstanding, a life of joy and peace is not a life that's void of sadness. As a matter of fact, I think it's helpful. And just for time's sake, I'm only going to do one of these. But if you look in First Thessalonians chapter one, 1 Thessalonians 1. Paul talks about the Thessalonians and he talks about their response when they became followers, and in verse 6, 1 Thessalonians 1.6, he says, and you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost. So two things were going on at one time in the lives of the Thessalonians. Number one, they were experiencing much affliction. There's nothing romantic about that. Affliction's hard. Trials are difficult. Pressures are heavy. And that's what's being communicated here. You received the Word in much affliction, and at the same time, you received it with joy in the Holy Ghost. Now, remember what I said. The disposition's not dependent on your outward circumstance, but it is dependent on one's relationship with God in Christ and really how you're viewing that I'll talk about that maybe at the end here. The other thing I want to point out, we looked at this a couple of weeks ago, but look in Romans chapter 14. Romans chapter 14. It's in the same vein of what we just read in 1 Thessalonians. Different way of saying it. Romans 14, verse 17 says, For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost." So this idea, this biblical description of joy and peace that is a fruit of the Spirit is joy and peace that is in the Holy Ghost. That is, these are spiritual responses. you're responding to spiritual realities, or maybe we could also say it this way, you are anchored in spiritual realities, or we could say it this way, you're being strengthened by spiritual realities that are accompanying your outward circumstances that could, you know, be described as afflictions, they could be described in various ways. But the reality is, is that this fruit of the Spirit is anchored in the Spirit. So we think about these biblical descriptions. I think it's helpful to think about them that way. Interdispositions, they are rooted in the spirit and in the spiritual realm. Now, secondly, the question and we've already kind of answered it, but who, if it's not relying on our outward circumstances, then who or what is the source of our joy and peace? This was, this is an important one to think about because so often when we aren't experiencing joy and peace, we're looking for that joy and peace in our outward circumstances and wondering why we can't have it. And the truth is, your outward circumstances were never supposed to be your source of joy and peace. Most marriage problems occur when one spouse is looking to another spouse for their source of joy and peace. How come you can't do everything I want you to do when I want you to do it, how I want you to do it, and on my timeline kind of thing. That also happens with parents and children. that also happens among all kinds of other circumstances. Why aren't things going my way? Well, the source of joy and peace. Again, is in the person of God and the character of God and in the blessings that God has given to his people. So look, look in a few passages here. Let's just think about joy for a minute. In Psalm 16. Psalm 16. And again, as we're thinking about this. These kinds of emotions typically don't come one at a time, so it's not that you go from one to the other. You can again experience joy and sadness simultaneously. You can be rejoicing in the Lord while you are sad over your circumstance. Those things can happen at the same time. Psalm 1611, though, tells us this. You will show me the path of life in thy presence is fullness of joy at thy right hand. There are pleasures forevermore. Where is the source of the psalmist's joy? Where does the psalmist see Who does he see? Where does he see the fountain of joy? Joy in its fullness is in the presence of the Lord. It's where God is. Also, in Luke 10, in Psalm 16, God is the source of joy. It's in His presence. It's just like what John Newton says in the hymn, How Tedious and Tasteless the Hours, prisons would palaces prove if Jesus would dwell with me there. It's the same kind of idea. But then in Luke 10, in verse 20, this is where the disciples figured out that they were able to go out command the spirits to depart, and they would listen. Jesus says this in Luke 10, verse 20. Notwithstanding, this is after He said, I've given you power to tread on serpents, scorpions, over the power of the enemy, Nothing will hurt you. And he says in verse 20, "...notwithstanding, in this rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." What's the source of joy here? It's the fact that I have been redeemed. Now, we're adding some language here, but it's the same thing. I've been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. My name is written in heaven. I've been reconciled to God. I've been brought into relationship with Him. My sins have been covered, and I have been united to the one where the fullness of joy dwells. So I have a relationship with Him, a relationship that's characterized by peace, a relationship that's characterized by blessing, a relationship that's characterized by love. So here's what I would say as it relates to joy. And this is not just a blanket statement, but if. If you're wanting to cultivate joy in your heart. You can't do much better than taking the time to meditate on the realities of the salvation that you've received in Christ. I mean, you were you were dead in your sins. You were headed for an eternal hell. Separated from God. You had no reason to think that you would receive anything good. You had no merit to claim that you should receive anything good and God in His mercies. Saved you. Gave you an awareness of what it is that you've been saved from and what you've been saved to. He's joined you to a body. He's joined you to himself. And he continues. To bless you. With a foretaste of your inheritance day by day by day by day by day. So again, if if joy and peace. Our spiritual blessings and their spiritual matters, right? They're disconnected from your circumstances. Then rearranging your circumstances, hoping to find that joy and peace will never work. but flooding your heart with the source of joy and peace will work every time. Now, it may take a little bit to get there, but that's the source. That's the well of living water. So that's joy. What about peace? Of course, you know it already because I've been saying it, but think about in Isaiah 9, verse 6, Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. Prince of Peace. Romans 15, verse 33, where God, and He's called this in a lot of different passages, where God is referred to as the God of peace. Anytime God is referred to as the God of anything, it's talking about the fact that He is the source of that. So 2 Corinthians 1, He's called the God of all comfort. What does that mean? That means the spiritual comfort that we receive comes from God. He's the source of that. And outside of Him, we have no comfort. nothing to sustain us. So the God of peace means that this tranquility. This freedom from inner turmoil, this peace of mind. It comes from God. So we've said this already, but I'll just say it a little clearer here. When we're thinking about what is the root of this joy and peace? The root source of joy and peace in the life of the Christian is the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's the root source. Because outside of the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ and Him atoning for your sin and Him reconciling you back to God and Him clothing you with His righteousness, you have no access to the presence of God where the fullness of joy is. You have no access to the peace that comes from the God of peace. But now that you've been washed, now that you've been adopted into the family of God, now that you've been made heirs and joint heirs with Christ, you have full access to the God who is the source of joy and peace as it relates to the fruit of the Spirit. Now, it's important for us to to recognize that, because if we don't, then we'll just try to think in practical, pragmatic kind of ways about this thing. Find something that makes you happy. Well, if you're not careful, you'll find an idol. Find something that, as far as peace goes, find something that will Kind of numb the stress. Well, if you're not careful, you'll find yourself an idol. OK. So if this is the fruit of the spirit, then we have to look to the spirit to figure out where is the source of this. And this goes back to and I said this earlier when we first started the fruit of the spirit, there are. There are some who just have a complete misunderstanding of the fruit of the Spirit that say anybody that you ever meet that exhibits love or joy or peace must be born again because you can't love or have any kind of peace or have any kind of joy if you're not. No, that's not what the passage is saying. What the passage is saying is You cannot exhibit a 1 Corinthians 13 love and the power of the Spirit without the Spirit of God dwelling in you. You're not going to find joy in spiritual realities outside of the Spirit working in you and you walking in Him. You're not going to find peace in the Spirit's provisions outside of the Spirit working in you and you walking in Him. So this is a lot more, I don't want to say complex, but it's a lot more involved than just I happen to be joyful one day. This is, I'm fighting to maintain joy in what the source of all spiritual joy has done for me, and I'm seeking to delight in that, find peace in that. And so now the question is, as we're thinking about the root source, again, the gospel of Jesus Christ, then I think it's helpful Clarify this. The basis of our ability to experience the joy and peace of God. Is rooted in the fact that through Christ we are at peace with God. You can never experience the peace of God until you are at peace with God. And so that's that gospel rooting that we're talking about. So now the question is, how do we access this joy and peace? How do we access this joy and peace? Well, a couple of ways. Number one, and I'm going to start with this one because it's a little shorter because we hit it in our last message a lot more. But number one, you're going to access this joy and peace by walking in the spirit. OK, so that's a general general way of saying it, but number one, it's in obedience, responding to God and to neighbor out of a first Corinthians 13 kind of love. So as you face your circumstances and as you face different people in your life, how are you going to maintain or cultivate joy and peace? By obeying what God has told you to do and by obeying how God has told you to respond, that's just synonymous for walking in the Spirit, keeping in step with the Spirit, what the Spirit would have you to do. So again, we talked about this a couple of weeks ago. I will briefly hit it and move on. But back to the Proverbs 13, 12. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. We talked about that as being just a neutral response. We have neutral responses in life. Disappointment, sadness, embarrassment, frustrations, those can all be neutral responses. But we never stay in neutral. Eventually, we begin to respond either in a loving way to our disappointment or an unloving way to our disappointment, whether that be in the way that we're responding in our thoughts and attitudes and words and actions toward God or our thoughts, attitudes, words and actions toward people. So we can either obey or disobey. And as we said last time, disobedience is always going to load the conscience with guilt and shame. And guilt and shame are not compatible with peace and joy. You cannot have a heart that's full of guilt and shame and peace and joy at the same time. It just won't work. And so, that goes back to that conscience. sorrow or that matter of the conscience that we talked about last time. And I would just point you back to that message for time's sake. I'm not going to go back over that. So obedience is one way that we can experience peace and joy. And then secondly, faith. Faith. As a matter of fact, we get more explicit verses on this than we do the other. So look in Romans chapter 15. Romans 15. I think maybe we referenced this last time. In Romans 15. Verse 13. Romans 15. Verse 13. Paul says, Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing. that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost." So the question is out of this passage, how is it that Paul foresees that the God of all hope is going to fill you and fill me with joy and peace? In believing. That's how. In believing the promises of God. In believing the provisions of God. Really, as we think about this as far as how do we access it, You know, it's as basic as trust and obey. Right. But there is no joy in God where there is no faith in God. There is no peace in God where there is no faith in God. And really what I mean by that is where we are not exercising faith in God. Philippians chapter one would would hit the same thing. Philippians chapter one. would say it a little bit differently. Philippians 1.25, Paul says, "...and having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith." I'm going to abide with you for your furtherance and your joy of faith." What is that? It's just your joy produced by faith or your joy that is a consequence of your faith. And then, of course, you're familiar with Isaiah 26.3. that will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed upon thee." Why? Because he trusts in thee. So peace is connected to trust or faith. Joy in Philippians 1.25 is connected to faith. Joy and peace in Romans 15.13 produced by faith. Or it's a result of believing, embracing, So now the question is, what exactly are we believing? What are we believing? Well, number one, we're believing God's Word. We're believing God's Word. We've said this before, but it's important to understand God's Word has to be that which informs your faith. You can't just believe something because you want to believe it and think that that's going to bring about joy and peace. It's in believing what the Lord has said. The statutes of the Lord rejoice the heart. You know what that's like. If you've been walking with the Lord very long. and you've been in the Word, and you might not even have been looking for it. Maybe God just opened up a passage to you in a way that it had never been opened up before, and you were able to rejoice in that. It really reminds us of Psalm 119 when the psalmist says, Lord, revive me according to Your Word. That is just renew my heart. Cause me to rejoice in Your Word. Also in John 15. John 15. This is what Jesus says to His disciples about what He had just got finished saying to them and about His Word. John 15.11. He says, these things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full. What does he say here? He's saying I've spoken these things to you so that my joy might remain in you and also that your joy might be full. Might be full because of what? Because of the words that Christ had spoken. That's what. And so God's Word gives us reason for joy and for peace in two big areas. And we could get to a lot of specifics, but we're not going to do that tonight just because of the time. But there are two realities that you can anchor your joy and you can anchor your peace in that we get from Scripture. And the two realities are this. Number one, God is with me. Number two, God is for me. Those two things. These are big umbrellas. You can fit a lot under those two things. Number one, God is with me. What does that mean? How is it that it's possible that God is with me? Well, because Jesus Christ has ransomed me from the slave market of sin. You see, reconciliation cannot take place outside of the Father giving His Son for me. And if He would give His Son for me, what would He withhold? He's with me. He sent His Spirit to come and to dwell in me. I've been reconciled. I stand in perfect righteousness. And God loves me to the extent that nothing could ever separate me from His love. He's with me. in my good days, in my bad days, when things are going well, when things are not going well, God's with me. He has not left me to myself. There's joy that accompanies that reality once it's massaged into our hearts, okay? It's something that has to be meditated on, passages to be thought through. But there's also peace to be taken from that reality. There is never a time when I'm alone. Never a time when I'm alone. There's never a time where I'm just left to myself. And we could apply this in all kinds of different ways. And then secondly, God is not only with me, God is for me. Now think about Romans 8 31. If God be for us, who can be against us? If God be for us, who can be against us? In other words, who can prevail? Can anybody overpower God's will for us or God's intervening on our behalf? If God's for us, who can stop that? Well, nobody. That's a fountain of joy if we think about it. That's a fountain of peace. Again, if we can massage that into our hearts through meditation, A couple of things that go along with that. Number one, Romans 8.28, God is currently working all things together for my ultimate good and His ultimate glory. He's for me. It doesn't always seem that way, but it is that way. He's for me. Because of this reality, we read 1 Thessalonians 1.6, because of this reality, I can have joy and affliction. The joy is not over the affliction. The joy is over God's faithfulness to me in the affliction. The joy is in God's character, in God's blessings, and what God is producing through the affliction. It's not because it's hurting. It's because He's overriding and He's forming. Third, because God's forming, I can count it all joy when I face various trials. James chapter 1 verse 2. Count it all joy. This is a reckoning kind of thing. That means we're putting it under the column of joy. It doesn't mean that you're bubbly. It doesn't mean that you're chipper. It doesn't mean that you're happy that you're going through this trial. It means, in my mind, I can put that where it belongs. I don't see it right now. I may not feel it right now, but I can count it joy because God's for me. I know that much. Because God is for me, Philippians 4, verse 4, I can experience the peace of God that passes understanding. How does that happen? Well, he goes down, really happens through trusting and obeying, but he goes down right after that and says, think on these things. Think on these things. How is it that we? Can experience this peace of God that passes understanding? Well, it's not through two minutes of thinking on something. It's through repeatedly saturating your heart and your mind in the Word of God by thinking on things that are true and just and so forth and so on. But if it weren't for the fact that God was for me, there is no peace. And then last, because of this reality that God is for me, I can trust Psalm 30 verse 5b, that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. This is a spiritual reality. Because God is unfolding a plan that I have not seen yet. I have no idea where things are headed, but I do know this. He's working. And He's working for my good. And that means the end destination in this thing is joy. It's peace. And it's not because I can understand it all. It's not because I can see it all. is because I'm viewing this trial through God's character and through His promises. And so, joy and peace. The fruit of the Spirit is joy and peace. And that is joy and peace that is brought about through the Spirit's work in your life and your walk in the Spirit as you seek to cultivate these through a spiritual means. So, joy and peace. I hope that's been helpful. Let's pray. Father, we're thankful for the work of your Spirit in our lives, and we're thankful, Father, that we do have access to this joy and peace that sustains us, this joy and this peace that carries us through. And the fact that you In Your Word, You communicate these things in such a way that it resonates with our lives, Father. The fact that we experience these things alongside of sorrow and affliction and difficulties. And so I pray, Lord, that You would bless us to seek our joy and our peace in you. The fountain of living water is that we would not run to counterfeits and that we would not run to idols. I pray these things in Jesus name, Amen.