Joy of the world

 "And the angel said unto them,Fear not:for,behold,I bring you good tidings of great joy,which shall be to all people.For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,which is christ the Lord."       Luke 2:10-11(KJV)

The word gospel is derived from the Greek word"Evangelion,"meaning Good News!Joy is something that causes delight,brings excitement and deep emotion of pleasure.

To every believer in Christ Jesus,the gospel and joy are inseperable(Acts 8:8).The gospel brings great joy and pleasure foreveemore(Psalms 16:11),because the personality of God the Son is involved (Luke 2:10-11).

Hence, the Lord Jesus Christ is the joy of the gospel.May the Holy Spirit quicken His Word in you as you read and make you a channel of the joy of the gospel in Jesus' Name.

TO KNOW LASTING JOY,WE MUST GET TO KNOW JESUS

To know joy is good,but to experience it,it is better to know the Owner.The Lord Jesus Christ is the Owner or Source of joy according to John 15:11,which says:

"These things have I spoken unto you,that my joy might remain in you,and that your joy might be full"(KJV)

Money can never guarantee joy;educational attainment can never procure joy for you neither friends...Only the Lord Jesus Christ can give and sustain everlasting joy.

Knowing Him who is the joy of the gospel brings salvation to the sinner.The Bible says that The Lord Jesus Christ was born to save sinners(Matthew 1:21).He among other things that words cannot describe does the following:

-deliverance to the captive...Mark 5:1-20

-peace to the troubled soul...Romans 5:1;Ephesians 2:14

-healing to the sick...1Peter 2:24;Luke 4:40-41

-provision to the needy...Philippians 4:19

-strength to the week...Isaiah 40;29;Philippians 4:13

-wealth to the poor...2Corithians 8:9;3John 2

-food to the hungry...Matthew 14:18-21

-fruitfulness to the barren...John 15:5

-and much more...

TO RETAIN THIS JOY,SHARE IT WITH OTHERS

The Dead sea is so called because it does not give out.Jonah almost lost his joy for refusal to share it with people of Nineveh as recorded in Jonah 1:14-17.

As christians we have been commanded to share this joy with others(Mark 16:15),by following the example of the Joy of the gospel -the Lord Jesus Christ(Matthew 4:17).He never kept this joy to Himself but went about doing good with it(Acts 10:38,John 4:1-39).

The Belivers of old were not ashamed of this Joy(Romans 1:16).Apostle Peter shared this Joy with a crippled man at the gate called beautiful (Acts 3:1-10)

The city of Samaria experienced so great a joy because Philip shared this Joy with them (Acts 8:5-8).

A prison officer and his family experienced this Joy because Paul and Silas share this Joy despite their suffering;the punishment they recieved for preaching the gospel could not dampened their joy (Acts 16:25-34).

An important and great officer in Ethopia never knew this Joy until Philip shared with him (Acts 8:35-39).

Like others before us,let us act quickly and share this joy with all men and women whether poor or rich,illiterate or literate,young or old,no matter the tribe,skin colour or creed BECAUSE THE JOY THE GOSPEL-THE LORD JESUS CHRIST-IS FOR THE WHOLE WORLD! (John 3:16;Titus 2:11)

Conclusion:The Lord Jesus Christ is the Joy of the gospel.For there to be joy in our lives and the world at large,we must preach the gospel with urgency and renewed vigour 2Corithians 5:11a),for the King's job required haste.