Sunday, 10/5/2025

Good News for Your Relationships 

 The Fruit of Joy

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Galatians 5:19–23 (NLT)When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 

²² But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 

Joy is not just a fleeting emotion or a smile on your face—it’s a deep, spiritual gift from God that anchors us in every season of life. 

Joy, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, rooted in our faith, brings relief from despair and breathes life into our connections with others.

The qualities of Spiritual fruit produced by the Holy Spirit, transform our lives and relationships when we remain connected to Christ, the true Vine as Jesus taught in John 15:1–5. 

Be connected to the Vine 

We must receive what we need to grow from the Vine 

We must remain in the Vine 

Accept pruning to allow God to refine us, to produce more fruit 

We must bear fruit as evidence to prove to be true disciples 

We must bring glory to God pointing others to the Father and understand that when we disconnect through disobedience, we wither.

Happiness is external to people;   joy, however, is internal 

Happiness is based on circumstances and when they change you're not happy anymore; joy is based on and in Christ 

SELFISHNESS

James 4:1–2 (NLT) “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? ² You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.”

To solve the relational problems we're in right now, the simple solution is: grow up. 

Philippians 2:4 (ESV) “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”  

James 3:16 "Wherever there is jealousy or selfish ambition, there will be disorder and every other kind of evil. 

RESENTMENT

Hebrews 12:15 "Watch out that no bitterness takes root among you, for as it springs up it causes deep trouble, hurting many in their spiritual lives."

Proverbs 11:29 "The fool who provokes his family to anger and resentment will finally have nothing worthwhile left." 

FEAR

Proverbs 12:25a "An anxious heart weighs a man down." 

Fear causes us to build walls between us instead of bridges. 

Fear makes me defensive.  

Fear makes me distant. 

Fear makes me demanding. 

The key to joy is perspective. 

Perspective makes all the difference whether you're going to be joyful or miserable; it's what you focus on.  

Focus on Giving Rather Than Receiving 

Acts 20:35 "There is more happiness in giving than in receiving." 

The first key to joy in a relationship is you've got to focus on somebody else rather than on yourself. 

Focus on Healing Rather Than Hurting

Colossians 3:13 "Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." 

Focus on God’s Power Rather Than My Problems.

Psalms 62:8  "Trust in God at all times; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." 

God is in control. He can repair the unrepairable. He can control the uncontrollable.  

Phil 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice."  

I can be joyful in spite of my circumstances, because God is with me. 

Isaiah 43:2 says, "When you pass through deep waters I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through the fire, you will not be burned, the hard trials that come will not hurt you. For I am the Lord your God!" 

I can be joyful because God has a life purpose for me.  

I can rejoice because God will help me.