WALKING JOY - Part 2

Sunday Teaching

Mar 9

The full video of this teaching is available at the bottom of this post and this link.

12-ITEM EXPRESS LANE

I call them Drama Collectors. You know the type. Not a day goes by without them having some kind of crisis to report. They do not just go through life; they react through life—big sighs, eye rolls, telling anyone who will listen about the absolute disaster that was their day.

The driver ranting at work about the lunatic who changed lanes without a blinker and almost killed them. The student who is literally dying because they have two tests this week. The shopper losing their mind because someone dared to have 16 items in the 12-item express lane. The parent at the game treating a missed call like a national injustice.

To Drama Collectors, their day was a battle. To us, it was a Tuesday.

Thankfully, if you’re not overly dramatic, most of your life is not spent in crisis or trials. It is lived in the ordinary rhythms of work, school, errands, and conversations. So, as followers of Jesus, we get to be Walking Joy in the middle of ordinary weeks.

ALREADY AND FUTURE

Last week, we explored two big truths from 1 Peter 1:8-9 that hit right where we live. First, faith and love are not dependent on sight. The early believers never saw Jesus, never heard His voice, never watched Him heal with a touch—but they knew Him. And they loved Him. That is the kind of faith we walk into—not built on what we see, but on Who we know.

Second, salvation is both present and future. We are not just waiting for someday—followers of Jesus are living in salvation right now. Even in our broken world, we are already walking in redemption, already tasting restoration, already carrying the joy of knowing that God’s kingdom is breaking in. This is not just some far-off hope. We get to be Walking Joy in the routines of life.

GUT-PUNCH

It is one thing to be Walking Joy when life is predictable. But what happens when life punches you in the gut and does not let you catch your breath? You know, like the first-century Christians hearing this letter read, hiding from persecution, in fear of the knock at the door that could change everything. Their lives were in danger—jobs lost, established communities left behind. And yet, Peter commended them for rejoicing with a glorious, inexpressible joy. Not because their circumstances were good but because God was. They were Walking Joy even in the suffering.

That’s what we are going to explore today.

JOY IN SUFFERING

Six weeks ago, I read a Facebook post from Morgan that was a true blessing to me. I called her and asked if she would share it with us in this sermon, and she said yes.

Just like last week’s video of soldiers returning home to their dogs helped us explore our Greek word study, this week, Morgan’s post and my interview with her will help us explore and apply James 1:2-3, Psalm 34:18, Nehemiah 8:10 and unpack the third truth in 1 Peter 1:8-9—for the Christian, joy and suffering coexist.

That is what makes Christian joy so different. It does not wait for life to be easy. It does not disappear when the storm rolls in. It stays. Because believers see life through the lens of salvation.

MORGAN’S POST

(Copied and unedited from her Facebook post)

“James 1: 2-3 " My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up in you the power of endurance."

It is no doubt that I am walking in the most difficult season of my life! In a season it feels like my whole life has kinda exploded, I lean on to this scripture, which honestly, is one that I wrestle with because im just like really an opportunity to experience the "greatest joy"???? In a season of such uncertainty, questioning, heartbreak, and anger I'm supposed to experience the greatest joy? It's hard to wrap my mind around it, how is it possible?

In this life we may have excellent ending or unresolved endings and navigating trials and hardships knowing that we may not always get the ending we were hoping for. However, when i accepted Jesus into my life, I accepted to have Joy as a posture of my heart. This is a joy that is not reliant on my life circumstances but by the grace, love, and salvation that I have found in Jesus Christ. It is something that the world did not give me and it's a joy that the world cannot take away from me.

Nehemiah 8:10 " The joy of the Lord is my strength" and man is that so true in my life right now. That the Joy that I have experienced from a loving relationship with Jesus is the Joy the lifts me up every morning. It is the strength that powers me to continue on everyday. It doesn't mean that I do not still feel pain, sorrow, anger, and heartache, but it means that my life is anchored to something that will outlast the pain and heartache.

So, slowly I am understanding what it means to experience the "greatest Joy". There are moments that I happen to feel the farthest thing from joy, but then I am reminded that I have a God who is standing right beside me in the storm, that he is my strong hold, my shelter, my anchor. Psalm 34: 18 "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted" and let me tell you God is so near to me in season of life. Even in the wondering, the questioning, the anger, the pain. He is so near.

My church has done a series called excellent endings, This one is called unresolved endings and Ill link one in the comments called the ultimate ending where we will dive deep into how to navigate endings we dont understand.

haha im not very good with words so I hope that I did justice to the impact that this sermon series has made on me.”

MORGAN’S Interview (Starts at 9 Minutes into the video)

CLOSING THOUGHT

Joy is not about waiting for life to get better. It is about carrying something deeper even when life falls apart. Suffering does not get the final word—God’s salvation does. And even in the hardest seasons, you are never alone, because God is near. Your trial is not wasted. It is full of chances to reflect God’s joy in ways that stand out and draw people to life in Christ.

GREG’S SCRIPTURE NOTES From Morgan’s Testimony

As I mentioned during the teaching, I wanted to take a minute to break down the three scriptures Morgan shared—just a few notes to dig a little deeper.

James 1:2-3 – "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow."

Written to Jewish Christians scattered by persecution, James reminds them that trials are not good, but God uses them for good. Joy and suffering are not opposites—trials deepen faith, shaping endurance that lasts.

Nehemiah 8:10 – "Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!"

The Israelites had just heard the Law read for the first time in generations. Their response? Weeping—convicted by how far they had drifted from God. But Nehemiah and Ezra tell them not to mourn, but to rejoice—because God's faithfulness, not their failures, defines them.

Joy here is not about feelings. It is God-given strength, not tied to circumstances. It does not mean forcing happiness, but knowing God's joy holds you up, even in the hard times.

Psalm 34:18 – "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed."

Brokenhearted does not mean mildly disappointed—it is deep sorrow, real grief. And God? He is near. This verse does not promise pain will disappear, but that God steps into it with us.

Rescue does not always mean escape, but it does mean presence, comfort, and deliverance that goes deeper than circumstances.

Greg McNichols