Joy

Joy is a necessary component of Christian life

Create space in your life for celebration, and draw on the joy of the Holy Spirit

14 And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zachariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; 15 and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. 16 And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this House of God with joy. 17 They offered at the dedication of this House of God 100 bulls, 200 Rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel 12 male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18 and they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their divisions, for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses. 19 On the fourteenth day of the month, the returned exiles kept the Passover. 20 For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves. 21 It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and also by everyone who had joined them and separated himself from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. 22 and they kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the House of God, the God of Israel.

Ezra 6:14

13 you shall keep the feast of booths 7 days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your wine press. 14 you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. 15 for seven days you shall keep the feast to the Lord your God at the place that the Lord will choose, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

Deuteronomy 16:13-15

God built celebration into the cycle of human work

Joy and celebration are a part of what it means to follow Yahweh

As they celebrate, watch what they do first:

16 And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this House of God with joy. 17 They offered at the dedication of this House of God 100 bulls, 200 Rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel 12 male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

They start by acknowledging Yahweh

Start by acknowledging Yahweh

Develop a vocabulary of praise

Then they offered a sin offering

Marriage and friendship is deepened with real forgiveness

Even though their faithlessness brought them into exile, his faithfulness still rescued them

Celebrating his mercy

The Greater my folly the deeper his mercy

19 On the fourteenth day of the month, the returned exiles kept the Passover. 20 For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves. 21 It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and also by everyone who had joined them and separated himself from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the Lord, the God of Israel.

The completion of the Temple fell around Passover

Passover story

Two-fold celebration

· Passover and Communion

· Joy is an integral part of the Christian life

Fruit of the Spirit

If you’re not experiencing it, maybe you’re not making room for it