"Who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."  1 Peter 1:5-9

"In accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed/happy God with which I have been entrusted." 1 Timothy 1:11 "14To keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed/happy and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords"  1 Timothy 6:14-15

Joy is the emotion/feeling in our being (heart) produced by the Holy Spirit, as He causes us to see and savor the beauty/treasure of Christ in creation and the Word.

1. Joy as feeling/emotion.

“Give what you command and command what you will.” Augustine, The Confessions 

The responsibility of the believer: to look to Christ, wait upon him, and ponder his greatness.

"Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long."  Psalms 25:5

"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"  Psalms 27:14

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;"  Psalms 130:5

"In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul."  Isaiah 26:8

"The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him."  Lamentations 3:25

“Protected by the power of God through faith...”

Growing faith: 

• That which is self-produced and maintained
• That which is the result of looking and pondering the greatness of Christ

“A sense of obligation and duty never stimulates such a desire within us. Only love for Christ does that. If we're going to persevere as committed disciples of Jesus Christ over the course of our lives we must always keep the gospel of God's forgiveness through Christ before us, therefore, we should preach the gospel to ourselves every day.”  Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace

2. We ponder/worship/wait and the Holy Spirit produces.

"He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:"  Luke 18:9 

“For before God shows us openly the inheritance of eternal glory, he wills by lesser proofs to show himself to be our benevolent Heavenly Father these are the benefits that are daily conferred on us by him. We begin in the present life, through various benefits, to taste the sweetness of the divine generosity in order to whet our hope and desire to seek after the full revelation of this.”  John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion 3-9-3

3. We remember and we rehearse; “in this you rejoice” (v. 6a).

The quote “in this you rejoice” refers to the living hope in Christ, our inheritance which is unfading and is reserved in heaven for us, and the protection that is given to us by faith.

Always remember the gospel of grace.

“When Christ is absent, it is night with the believer. He is the Sun; if his beams are eclipsed, if in his light they see no light, it is our darkness with them… the absence of Christ will indeed make it night, dark as darkness itself, in the midst of all other glowing consolations.”  John Owen, Communion with God, vol. 2, p. 12

4. “Even though now for a little while you have been grieved by various trials” (v. 6b).

"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,"  2 Corinthians 4:17

"As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything."  2 Corinthians 6:10

The life of faith does not keep us from groaning in our pain (Romans 8:23, 26) but the reality of a gracious God keeps our groaning from becoming bitterness and ultimate despair.