What is the difference between happiness and joy—and where does lasting joy come from?
In this message, God of Joy, Pastor Kevin Butler continues the Behold Our God series at First Baptist Church, inviting us to see that biblical joy is not rooted in circumstances, performance, or emotions, but in a living relationship with God. While happiness rises and falls with life’s events, joy flows from God’s presence, His promises, and His purposes.
Drawing from Isaiah 61, Luke 2, Hebrews 12, and John 17, we see how this joy sustained Jesus through the cross and how the same joy is offered to us today. Jesus endured suffering “for the joy set before Him,” and through His sacrifice, we are invited into a relationship with the Father that produces joy no circumstance can steal.
Whether you are walking through celebration or suffering, this message points us to the only source of indestructible joy—the God who gives beauty for ashes and joy instead of mourning.
