Introduction: In Paul Tillich’s New Beginning, he ponders “Is our lack of joy due to the fact we are Christians, or to the fact that we aren’t Christian enough? Is not the decision to be a Christian, a decision for the joy in God instead of the happiness of the world”?
Transition: A relationship of love with God leads to a life of joy in God through Jesus Christ. When Christ is at the center of our lives, joy becomes ripe.
Exposition:
–Joy is rooted in relationship
Reference Hebrews 13:8
–Joy does not require the absence of trouble
Reference Acts 16, Philippians 4:4
–Joy grows through obedient abiding
–Joy is designed to overflow
Conclusion: Christianity properly understood and applied, is not simply a life of obligation. It is life with Jesus, which produces pure joy.
