[SPEAKER_00]: Let's now turn to the book of Proverbs, chapter 15, verse 23, and that's Proverbs, chapter 15, verse 23, and once you find Proverbs 15, 23, if you can please stand to honor the reading of God's Word, and it's real short here, but I, of course, I always think it's a good one, and I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I go, I
[SPEAKER_00]: Proverbs chapter 15 verse 23 says, a man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is.
[SPEAKER_00]: God bless and ordering of his word and you may be seated.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy is a very important word, and I speak of joy almost every Christmas season, not every Christmas season, but almost every Christmas season, because joy is important.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's amazing how joy can come and go so quickly.
[SPEAKER_00]: We can speak to joy and they could just go away.
[SPEAKER_00]: And one year's time, we can almost forget about everything we're spoken about.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy is a very important word.
[SPEAKER_00]: In fact, it's important word in the Bible.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you know that in the King James Version, I'll share this sometimes, the King James Version of the Bible, that Joy is spoken about 165 times,
[SPEAKER_00]: You realize that the King James Bible shares the word joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: 165 times, and that is the least amount of times that has spoken in the version of the Bible.
[SPEAKER_00]: In other words, some other words that are in the King James Bible, whether it be happiness or other things, is mentioned as joy and other versions.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's okay, because I know that they had better definition sometimes for later on.
[SPEAKER_00]: But that being said, I chose the least amount of times King James.
[SPEAKER_00]: because I wanted you to know that joy is spoken of a lot in the Bible.
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot in the Bible.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy is the state of being that allows one to experience feelings of intense, and I want to say it again, feelings, feelings, not just emotions necessarily, but feelings, feelings of intense, long lasting
[SPEAKER_00]: and contentment of life.
[SPEAKER_00]: To be content, grateful, thankful in life.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's more than an emotion, more than a feeling, more than feeling happy.
[SPEAKER_00]: more of the feeling glad, and I like being happy, happy, happy, joy, joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: I enjoy being happy, I enjoy being glad, but those are emotions that can change very quickly.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've seen it happen in my own life.
[SPEAKER_00]: That can be really happy, and I can be really glad, no matter what it might be, maybe something you're watching, maybe something you're eating.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can't tell that by me, I'm sure.
[SPEAKER_00]: But maybe it's something that you're doing in your life.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then all of a sudden, the wind will change.
[SPEAKER_00]: The wind of your emotions will change.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe it's people in your life.
[SPEAKER_00]: People you have a relationship with.
[SPEAKER_00]: People of your family, people that you see in your workplace, people that you see on the road, that maybe they cut you off.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not just talking away, they drive it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the way that they're treating you.
[SPEAKER_00]: And all of a sudden, that happiness goes away like the wind.
[SPEAKER_00]: The gladness goes away.
[SPEAKER_00]: But joy is not like that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because joy goes deeper than that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy is not the same as being happy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I realize that sometimes people try to think that happiness and being glad is the same as joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is not.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because glad sometimes is a trash bag.
[SPEAKER_00]: Happiness is sometimes a meal for McDonald's.
[SPEAKER_00]: But let me tell you something.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy is something that is so deep.
[SPEAKER_00]: It cannot truly be taken away just by the change of the mood.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can't.
[SPEAKER_00]: In fact, joy keeps going even through when you're going through during difficulties your life, when you're going through difficulties, the joy is still there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy is a flag thrown high from the castle of my heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's right, from the castle of my heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: The castle of my heart is an old song used to sing here in the church, while it's a kid.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I happen to love that song because it's true.
[SPEAKER_00]: And nothing can remove it if you put your joy in the Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: happiness versus joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a different happiness versus joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: That can be a sermon itself.
[SPEAKER_00]: Things that make you happy, things that make you joyful.
[SPEAKER_00]: joy joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, what is the fact that's the song we sang as a choir before?
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy, joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: We've sung that before I like it.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the title of today's sermon is joy to the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm so glad she sang that song today.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure she saw this as I've got a singer.
[SPEAKER_00]: I had a sermon titled this, but that was eight years ago.
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't realize that that month's time had gone so quickly, so so quickly.
[SPEAKER_00]: but joy to the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy to the world, the Lord is come.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love that song.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's more than a song though.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a message.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I gotta stand up.
[SPEAKER_00]: Getting all pumped.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a message.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Lord has come.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whether it's receiving, let every heart repair room.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy to the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we're supposed to spread the good news of joy to everyone.
[SPEAKER_00]: Join to the world, spread the good news that the King is here, the King was born.
[SPEAKER_00]: And there were people who had to spread that good news, and those people were the shepherds.
[SPEAKER_00]: They had to spread the news, but before the shepherds, there were someone else.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Luke chapter 147, Mary.
[SPEAKER_00]: Mary found out that she was going to have birth, give birth, and have be a mother, and have the newborn baby be the king of kings.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so she said this as she was singing us all, she was singing us all.
[SPEAKER_00]: And she said this, Luke chapter 147, let's what it says here, Mary says, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior,
[SPEAKER_00]: and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.
[SPEAKER_00]: This was a song she sang to the Lord God, because she was so happy she had a spirit of joy to God, her Savior.
[SPEAKER_00]: She knew he was coming to be the Savior to us all.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now let's now turn to Luke, chapter two.
[SPEAKER_00]: Luke two.
[SPEAKER_00]: Verse 8 through 20.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it says, and in the same area, that we're gonna talk about the shepherds a little bit.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want you to think about the shepherds in their jobs.
[SPEAKER_00]: The shepherds didn't have the greatest job in the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I'm glad that they had a position, probably a family lifestyle, but they weren't thought of greatly.
[SPEAKER_00]: Have you ever had a job that people look down on you about?
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe have it, maybe have.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe people have teased you about it.
[SPEAKER_00]: My very first job was working McDonald's.
[SPEAKER_00]: And in fact, it was right over here in Claycomo.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was a different building, but it's still right there on that land.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I remember they had me doing all sorts of things.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I mean, there's times I had grease all over me.
[SPEAKER_00]: And there's times that I would just be nasty looking coming home.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I remember one time they had me go out and that cleaning out stuff in the garbage that I came out with frozen warms all over.
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember it was terrible.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it wasn't always that I was awful.
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing about it is, is people with teasing me about working at fast food, and I want to tell y'all things to say to me, but the point is this, I don't know if people look down on you about your job, but it's not your job.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're working hard so it's a good thing that you're given your best that you got no matter where you're at.
[SPEAKER_00]: You ought to be thankful that you have a position.
[SPEAKER_00]: And God's working here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, here's the thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: These men had a job that people looked down on.
[SPEAKER_00]: They thought shepherds were nothing.
[SPEAKER_00]: They thought they were going to be in scum.
[SPEAKER_00]: But think of this.
[SPEAKER_00]: God chose these men to be the ones, not only the ones to be where they were at.
[SPEAKER_00]: In the position they had, he chose them that other people looked lowly upon to think down upon them.
[SPEAKER_00]: He chose them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just like God chose you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, by the way, I'm not saying you're lowly.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not saying you're down.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're nothing.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not saying that.
[SPEAKER_00]: But there's time that you think you're nothing.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's time that you think you're lowly.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's time that you think that you are not good enough to be used of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's a lie.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's the devil.
[SPEAKER_00]: Take that to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: And listen to these shepherds right now up there, working all night.
[SPEAKER_00]: Next is a stinky smelly disgusting machine.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I know what you're doing and you're buying.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I love sheep.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's so cute listen.
[SPEAKER_00]: I understand.
[SPEAKER_00]: You seen stuff sheep.
[SPEAKER_00]: You seen sheep on cartoons and other things.
[SPEAKER_00]: They make the sheep look so cute.
[SPEAKER_00]: They stink.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're dumb.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're ignorant.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're obnoxious.
[SPEAKER_00]: They keep trying to walk off the mountain.
[SPEAKER_00]: They keep trying to get in trouble.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they have to keep bringing them back in.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're obnoxious little animals.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're really not that key.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love them.
[SPEAKER_00]: But they're annoying.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the thing is, that's how God, and when God says certain compares us to sheep, that's not necessarily a compliment.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want you to remember that.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's really not.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's calling you stinky smelly obnoxious little sheep.
[SPEAKER_00]: That he has to keep bringing back him when you keep trying to walk off the hill.
[SPEAKER_00]: Think of that for a minute.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you Lord, but it's true, it's true.
[SPEAKER_00]: We do keep trying to walk up the anyway.
[SPEAKER_00]: So here's the sheep out there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let me down take you to Versailles.
[SPEAKER_00]: Here we are, Luke chapter two Versailles.
[SPEAKER_00]: And in the same area, there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over there, fought by night.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shown around them.
[SPEAKER_00]: and they were very afraid.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the angels said to them, listen, do not fear.
[SPEAKER_00]: For I bring you good tidings of great joy, which I'll be into all people, front of you is born this day in the city of David of Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this will be a sign of the year, you shall find the babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes.
[SPEAKER_00]: What does that mean?
[SPEAKER_00]: You mean strips of clothes, strips of cloth, and lying in the manger.
[SPEAKER_00]: and listen to this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now imagine you're already over taking by seeing this angel and then the angels not alone.
[SPEAKER_00]: Listen what happens here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Suddenly, suddenly there was with the angel, a company of heavenly hosts, praising God is saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace and good will toward men.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherd said to you,
[SPEAKER_00]: Think about how this must have happened.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know how many shepherds are wore.
[SPEAKER_00]: There could have been 15, could be a 50, could have been five.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have no idea how many of their wore.
[SPEAKER_00]: But like what they said, they said, let us now go to Bethlehem and see what was happening with the Lord has made known to us.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now think about that.
[SPEAKER_00]: God chose them specifically.
[SPEAKER_00]: Personally, he said, I'm choosing you.
[SPEAKER_00]: They were specifically chosen.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just like you've been chosen to be here today.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just like you're chosen to do the call as a guy's put up on your life.
[SPEAKER_00]: Have you accepted it?
[SPEAKER_00]: Have you become the chef or the guy wants you to be?
[SPEAKER_00]: Or are you running away?
[SPEAKER_00]: Say, no, no, no, no, no, no, I can't be a shepherd.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't be the one, and I'm telling you, whenever I first became, I got the month you do want to go, when I was thinking you for the card and I meant it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I also meant it when I said that at first,
[SPEAKER_00]: a pastor means be a shepherd and under shepherd.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I thought there's no way.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not done.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't do it.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, God called me to be a shepherd.
[SPEAKER_00]: He called you to be a shepherd of a different sort.
[SPEAKER_00]: He called you to be one who's a servant to be a servant to a God called you to be do what he told you to do.
[SPEAKER_00]: Listen now.
[SPEAKER_00]: So so they hurried here we go, verse 16.
[SPEAKER_00]: So they came
[SPEAKER_00]: and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when they had seen him, they made widely known the word, just my fair part, which was told to them concerning this child.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I love how the capitolize.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love how the capitolize.
[SPEAKER_00]: Everything about Jesus, the childless capitolize.
[SPEAKER_00]: And all those who heard it marveled,
[SPEAKER_00]: at what they shepherds told them.
[SPEAKER_00]: But Mary, listen to this, now, Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: The shepherds returned glorifying a praising God for all the things they had heard and seen as it had been told them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Think about that.
[SPEAKER_00]: They went around telling everybody, hey, hey, glory to God in the highest.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus has been born, hey, wake up.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they went around telling them, I don't know if they woke everyone up or not, but I know they told everybody they could.
[SPEAKER_00]: What a wonderful thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some people have a lot of bad habits, and I understand that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some people's bad habits are spread in rumors, you know?
[SPEAKER_00]: Not all rumors are bad.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, a rumor basically means that your spread is not true, but sometimes people tell the truth, and they don't know how to tell the whole truth, folks, if you're going to talk,
[SPEAKER_00]: Tell the truth and good truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't go and say, well, that fellow.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you see that gap in his teeth.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, now that's the truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is the truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think it's pretty.
[SPEAKER_00]: But no, anyway, the fact is this, go around and tell the whole truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: The real truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: The truth is that Jesus is Lord and Savior.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's the king of kings.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's here.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's why we celebrate this season.
[SPEAKER_00]: Make sure you tell the truth.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's here.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's come and angel told us.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is what they did.
[SPEAKER_00]: They went to spread the good news.
[SPEAKER_00]: But they weren't alone.
[SPEAKER_00]: The wisemen were excited.
[SPEAKER_00]: They were filled with joy too.
[SPEAKER_00]: It says a Matthew chapter two verse 10.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you all know this, I've told you before, when it comes to the gospels, there's two places you can find, the good news about the birth, only two of the gospels talk about it.
[SPEAKER_00]: One is in Luke and one is in Matthew, most in chapter two, by the way.
[SPEAKER_00]: Luke chapter two and Matthew two.
[SPEAKER_00]: Matthew two 10 says this.
[SPEAKER_00]: When they saw that being the wise men, when they are magic, I might say in your Bible and the same thing, when they saw the star, they rejoiced with great excitement.
[SPEAKER_00]: They rejoiced, same as joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: They rejoiced with great excitement when they saw that star.
[SPEAKER_00]: You didn't imagine that.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is not just a star sitting up there in the sky.
[SPEAKER_00]: As we see at night, this was a special star that was meant to show them, and they followed that star.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that star guided them.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're very spoiled, all of us.
[SPEAKER_00]: One of the things that we're spoiled, and you speak for yourself, Pastor, I was speaking for all of us.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I've shared this little spoiler or a treat with you.
[SPEAKER_00]: The point is that we all have something that we didn't have even 20 years ago.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is a GPS and things like that.
[SPEAKER_00]: We used to have to go and buy a map.
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember doing this back when years ago, 2008 had to go buy a map to find where I was going.
[SPEAKER_00]: I got lost in the,
[SPEAKER_00]: I got some losses from states in Illinois and other places and had a buy a map to tell me where I was going.
[SPEAKER_00]: I could hardly read it back, you know, I was going, we were getting lost very easily at the time.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I remember nowadays, all you got to do is go to him, now I will tell you one thing does you're taking about GPS, it'll take you the long route, have you ever done that?
[SPEAKER_00]: Take you the long route to get to somewhere, but you know what, God sometimes has stuff in the GPS, just like they did with that star and it took them, and it took them, that was the first GPS that star, took them right there, and they didn't have to go all over the place.
[SPEAKER_00]: and they were so happy, they're filled with joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: But let's not talk about joy for a second.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm spoken about this before.
[SPEAKER_00]: What is joy?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, joy is to be more than happy, but we're gonna have an acronym here of what joy means.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy to the Earth.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, in the second verse of that song, it says, it says, joy to the world, the Savior reigns.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let men their songs deploy.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it goes on to say, repeat the sound and joy, repeat the sound and joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it says that over and over again.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the acronym says this, Jesus, uh, there's you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I did not come up with this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I would love to take the credit for this wonderful acronym.
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't, someone else did.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know who it's been around for a while now.
[SPEAKER_00]: But Jesus said, there's a new.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that order, joy is to put Jesus first, Jesus first,
[SPEAKER_00]: Then others, then you, now that, I'm not talking about having insecurity in those self-esteem and thinking you're nothing.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not what I'm talking about, think others are better than you.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not what I mean.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean by serving Jesus, serving others and serving yourself.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what I mean.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to be miscended, but always put it in that order.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus, then others and you.
[SPEAKER_00]: don't take it out of order because if you do, it won't say joy anymore and it won't bring you joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: What would it say?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, we're going to do our best to pronounce this here.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to say, Yoge, Yoge, that's if you have you, then others, then Jesus, and a lot of people have Yoge all the time and Yoge and it does it work, I've got Yoge, but Yoge runs out and messes things up and then other people say, I've got OG, what's OG?
[SPEAKER_00]: That's when they put others first, then Jesus, then yourself, because those self-esteem insecurity, OG, okay, that doesn't work either.
[SPEAKER_00]: a lot of people do that with a have a girlfriend or a boyfriend or a wife and they say, I've got to put the wife before God.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've got to put them both before me and that doesn't work.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're not God.
[SPEAKER_00]: And their defense was beyond God.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Lord always comes first.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then other people have Yojo.
[SPEAKER_00]: You, Joe, you, Joe, no, they try to have that.
[SPEAKER_00]: They have Y, J, O, that's you, then Jesus, then others, never put yourself before the Lord God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Too many people walk around like they're God.
[SPEAKER_00]: These narcissistic jerks walking around.
[SPEAKER_00]: And man, have you noticed that there's more narcissists now than they've ever been before?
[SPEAKER_00]: It's because they're you, Joe.
[SPEAKER_00]: They go around with you, Joe's walking around everywhere.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm a you, Joe.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I could tell, you're yo jo.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you shouldn't have be a yo jo.
[SPEAKER_00]: You need to have joy, not yo jo.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not OG and not yours.
[SPEAKER_00]: You need to make sure you have joy all the time.
[SPEAKER_00]: That is put in Jesus' first.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then others, they view.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you'll have true joy all the time.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy to the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I've got scriptures.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've got scriptures to go with it.
[SPEAKER_00]: When you put Jesus' first, turn to Hebrews, chapter 12 verse 2.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can write it down, this is Jesus' verse.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus' 122, Hebrews 122, Jesus, Hebrews 122.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let us look to Jesus, the author and finish your of our faith.
[SPEAKER_00]: Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
[SPEAKER_00]: Putting others before you, listen to this now, others.
[SPEAKER_00]: Romans 12, 15, rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is why we need to be with followers.
[SPEAKER_00]: Be with those who put God first.
[SPEAKER_00]: This doesn't mean you don't love the people of the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: You should.
[SPEAKER_00]: You should bring joy to the people of the world by letting the joy of Jesus shine through you.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you are around the people of the world, they will bring you down, if you allow them to guide you and not to join Jesus Christ, and then you putting you behind all them, this is how you have joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and everything give thanks.
[SPEAKER_00]: For this is the will of God and Christ Jesus concerning you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love that.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I love that.
[SPEAKER_00]: That can be used all year long, all day long, no matter what.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll say it again.
[SPEAKER_00]: Rejoice always pray without ceasing, continue to pray.
[SPEAKER_00]: And everything gives things.
[SPEAKER_00]: The pastor, what if everything's going back?
[SPEAKER_00]: Still give things that God's with you through those hard times.
[SPEAKER_00]: Pray with us, say, and give things for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you do those things, Jesus others you, you will have joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy that cannot be taken from you, I promise it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then even in dark times, even in dark times, and difficult times, and hard times, and depressing times.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's always hard.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know there are dark times before Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are very dark times before Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: There were dark times with Jesus when he was alive and on this earth.
[SPEAKER_00]: By the way, he's alive now.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's at heaven.
[SPEAKER_00]: So after Jesus ascended, there were dark times too.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that's what they had the dark times.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, the medieval ages and all that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dark times.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dark times come.
[SPEAKER_00]: And they'll be here.
[SPEAKER_00]: So when you go through those things, you're either going to be the kind of Christian that goes around saying,
[SPEAKER_00]: You're either going to be the humble Christian, what I've talked about before.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're going to be the humble Christian fool of frustration with the world and showing no joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Or you're going to be a joyful Christian, a joy-bug Christian.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even during the hard times, during the difficult times, during those dark times.
[SPEAKER_00]: And let me tell you about joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ready, realize it or not, it's infectious.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy is infectious.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I've heard a lot of people say, well, someone's so happy they're annoying.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, that might be true.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're a humbugger, if you're a humbugger and you're out there, mad, the whole world and you want everyone else to be mad too and I'm known to humbuggers, man, there was one humbugger that I knew that I was with all the time.
[SPEAKER_00]: And let me tell you, that humbugger was obnoxious but they wanted you to be upset constantly.
[SPEAKER_00]: And here's what you have to do.
[SPEAKER_00]: You eventually have to go,
[SPEAKER_00]: this be happy anyway because greater is he who's in me than who's of the world you know I said all the time for a song for four if you know if you let the humbug bring you down and don't let the joybug of Christ come out and be infectious to the people around you folks you're going to be brought down by Satan continuously and you are never going to be used of God to let joy come through you
[SPEAKER_00]: Folks, you've got to get up and shake off all the horrible darkness of the world and let the joy of Christ be seen in you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Feel that joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now I'm not saying you're gonna have your days or you don't feel good, of course you are.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're not, of course you're gonna have your days where things aren't going right, but that joy can't be taken because the joy is deep down in your heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: Where?
[SPEAKER_00]: Say where?
[SPEAKER_00]: I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: Down in my heart to stay, oh, I'm so happy.
[SPEAKER_00]: So very happy.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've found the double Jesus in my heart down in my heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I'm so happy, so very happy.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've found the love of Jesus in my heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I've got to tell you, if the devil doesn't like it, he can set all on a tech.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's right, set all on a tech.
[SPEAKER_00]: Settle on that packet and if the devil doesn't like it, he can settle on that packet.
[SPEAKER_00]: Settle on that packet and stay.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's right, and I got a whole lot of the person, but I won't both do right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't mean to turn that into a musical, but we did anyway.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are so many other scriptures to go along with this.
[SPEAKER_00]: There really are.
[SPEAKER_00]: It says in James 1, 2, my brothers, James 1, 2, my brothers,
[SPEAKER_00]: Then what does that mean?
[SPEAKER_00]: You're supposed to be happy when you're tempted to do bad?
[SPEAKER_00]: No, no, no, no, no.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kind of joy, because through those temptations, you will be built up to build up Christ to the other people around you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Romans 12, 12.
[SPEAKER_00]: rejoice in hope, be patient and suffering, persevere in prayer.
[SPEAKER_00]: persevere in prayer.
[SPEAKER_00]: For the begins for four, for the begins for four.
[SPEAKER_00]: rejoice in the little hurt all ways again.
[SPEAKER_00]: I say rejoice, here you are.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, there are dark times of the world, but you know what God used people, his followers, to shine through.
[SPEAKER_00]: Those who put him first, he used them to shine through the dark times.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to name a few of them for you.
[SPEAKER_00]: David, David was a man that allowed God to shine through him through dark times.
[SPEAKER_00]: In fact, I'm going to quote David for you.
[SPEAKER_00]: David said, as Psalm 21 verse 6, David said this, and I'm going to just tell you, David went through some very dark times.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes he failed.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just like you might.
[SPEAKER_00]: In fact, I'm sure you do.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just like I have.
[SPEAKER_00]: But that doesn't mean the light gets taken out.
[SPEAKER_00]: That doesn't mean that your joy is taken away.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you feel the happiness goes away for a moment, that doesn't mean your joy has gone.
[SPEAKER_00]: That just means you need to give it up again.
[SPEAKER_00]: Look towards your joy and keep following it.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is what David said in Psalm 21 verse 6, for you may come most blessed forever.
[SPEAKER_00]: You may come glad with the joy of your presence.
[SPEAKER_00]: Psalm 47 verse 1, clap your hands, all ye people, shut to the guy with a joyful triumph, access a joyful voice, but same thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm going to the song here.
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't realize I'm going to be such a musical man today.
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like the music man.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then Psalm 51 verse 12, Psalm 51 verse 12, restore it to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with your willing spirit.
[SPEAKER_00]: Isaiah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Isaiah was also one who was used in a very dark time, all sorts of things were happening in Israel wasn't being used of God because they had walked away from him, but Isaiah was the one that God used in a hard time to bring joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't Isaiah bringing a joy but God threw him and so what happened?
[SPEAKER_00]: That's when Isaiah said Isaiah chapter 12 verse 3.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jeremiah, Jeremiah 1516, Jeremiah 1516, he says, your wars were found and I ate them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your war became to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.
[SPEAKER_00]: For I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.
[SPEAKER_00]: Folks, that's what we need to do when we're down and we're in the dark.
[SPEAKER_00]: We feel like we have no joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Go to his word.
[SPEAKER_00]: Eat it up.
[SPEAKER_00]: make it part of you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let that joy become a part of you.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are so many other people who are used in the Old Testament.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let me go through a few of them for you.
[SPEAKER_00]: They brought joy, they spoke and brought joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: People could see the joy of God through them through the dark times.
[SPEAKER_00]: Daniel, Ezekiel, Hosea, Jonah, Elijah, Elijah in the New Testament.
[SPEAKER_00]: People like John the
[SPEAKER_00]: Then later on, years and years later, he had Martin Luther, St. Nicholas, you had St. Patrick, you had Dr. Cyrus Gofield, you had D. L. Moody, Charles H. Spurgeon, Smith Wigglesworth, you've had people like John Calvin, are John Wesley, Billy Graham, Charles Stanley,
[SPEAKER_00]: Adrian Rogers.
[SPEAKER_00]: All these people that I've just mentioned you have been passed away.
[SPEAKER_00]: This year we lost three others, who I'll mention, one with Austin July, John MacArthur, one with Austin August, James Dobson, and one of September, Charlie Kirk.
[SPEAKER_00]: And there are many, many, many, many, many
[SPEAKER_00]: They look to God for joy, even in the darkest times, the hardest times.
[SPEAKER_00]: The times that it looks like death is coming upon them.
[SPEAKER_00]: We must keep on keeping on for Christ.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even when it looks like everything is taken from us, we must find joy, joy, and priesthood, a word of God to all so that they can see the joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: The joy of Jesus Christ through you, no matter what.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's enjoy of God,
[SPEAKER_00]: the joy of Jesus Christ be seeing.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, God, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, let them all be seen through you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let shine bright and sincere.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not your emotion, the emotion of happiness and gladness when you feel good.
[SPEAKER_00]: Because there's no other time you don't feel good.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's times I don't feel good.
[SPEAKER_00]: To be honest with you, it's times I feel so, where to be physically or emotionally or whatever, I don't really feel good.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't know if I can come up here and whatever.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I go into the office, or I say to home, or I say it on the way here or whatever, and I say, Lord God, I don't wanna talk.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want you to talk.
[SPEAKER_00]: Shipped my beautiful mouth of the Gap and the teeth, and I want you to be the one that does the speak, and you know what he does.
[SPEAKER_00]: Many of the things I said today who aren't even written down, it's the Lord God who took over and that's exactly what needs to be.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let the Lord be the one, let His joy be heard.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let the joy of God, the Holy Spirit, shine bright and sincere through you.
[SPEAKER_00]: and says in Romans 1513, now I made the God of hope, feel you all, feel you, excuse me, feel you with all joy and peace in believing.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that you may be bound and hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, yes, yes.
[SPEAKER_00]: In first, as Selonians, one, six, you became followers of us and the Lord having received the word and much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Holy Spirit helps us in a time that we need it.
[SPEAKER_00]: When we don't think we can go on, oh, the Holy Spirit helps us.
[SPEAKER_00]: In Proverbs, chapter 17, verse 22, Proverbs 17.2, listen what this says.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I know you know it.
[SPEAKER_00]: A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure right now there are many people who have a broken spirit.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are people who don't have a lot of money.
[SPEAKER_00]: There are people who just don't see the answers.
[SPEAKER_00]: How are we going to make it?
[SPEAKER_00]: How are we going to make it through all this?
[SPEAKER_00]: Where can I find happiness?
[SPEAKER_00]: Hope.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: What about the people on the street?
[SPEAKER_00]: The people on the street right now who don't have a home, how can they find joy or focus?
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm here to tell you something.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot of people who may not have money like you have.
[SPEAKER_00]: They may not have a job like you have, a family like you have.
[SPEAKER_00]: But the hope of salvation through Jesus Christ, that joy may still be with them right now and it cannot be taken from them.
[SPEAKER_00]: from this hour to that hour, it is eternal.
[SPEAKER_00]: And yes, they go through emotions just like you do.
[SPEAKER_00]: But that is a joy that cannot be taken.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's more than emotion as an eternal thing that goes forever and ever, to an eternal treasure that God has given us.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when Satan tries to take it from you, you remember he cannot take it from you.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're the only one who can hide it from yourself and don't let it happen.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus Christ said this in Luke chapter 15 verse seven and you're gonna like this.
[SPEAKER_00]: He says this in a few things.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus says, likewise, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous men who need no repentance, the day that you called out to Christ.
[SPEAKER_00]: all sorts of folks up in heaven were praising the Lord God because you came forward the next time you say that you're not worth it.
[SPEAKER_00]: The next time you think you're so forthless remember all those people in heaven who are praising the Lord God when you came forward.
[SPEAKER_00]: He then went on to say, in Luke 15, 10 through 11, likewise, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
[SPEAKER_00]: This one he says, verse 11, I have spoken these things to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll say it again.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus said this, I have spoken these things to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full.
[SPEAKER_00]: That your joy may be full, amen.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is my commandment, that's your love one another, that your joy may be full.
[SPEAKER_00]: Keep in mind that Jesus wants you to be filled with joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not just hope, he is your hope.
[SPEAKER_00]: He is to be your joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Luke 2452, it says this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, once you know what this is, this is the disciples that people that were with Jesus Christ, after heroes and he went up to the top of the mountain and ascended into heaven.
[SPEAKER_00]: It says this, then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: They had already ascended from the Mount of Allas, and they were with great joy, imagine all the people who had seen them come back down, fill with joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Imagine the people right now who see you fill with joy, even when you're emotionally going through a lot, even when you're physically going through a lot.
[SPEAKER_00]: Pastor, but I have a lot of physical problems.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know, I don't mean to say this as if anybody else is worse off than yours
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll be honest with you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't like when people say you're not as bad as so and so, you're not as bad as this and that listen.
[SPEAKER_00]: That might be true in a physical situation, perhaps, but we're not to compare this man with that girl or that girl with this guy or this woman with this little girl.
[SPEAKER_00]: Everybody has problems.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're just different.
[SPEAKER_00]: And what we do know is that God loves them all equally.
[SPEAKER_00]: But still comparing our problems, let's just look to the one who wants to fill with joy during those problems.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can still be full of joy even when it looks like all joy has been taken from you, because this kind of joy will not be.
[SPEAKER_00]: John 1511.
[SPEAKER_00]: We already said what I'll go, but I have spoken these things to you that my joy will remain in you and that your joy may be full.
[SPEAKER_00]: God wants to be full of joy at all times.
[SPEAKER_00]: So be full of joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not just the emotional gladness and happiness, but ever a lasting joy at how do we do that?
[SPEAKER_00]: Putting Jesus first.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then others, then you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Spread it to the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Spread it to the whole world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Spread it to the lost world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Spread it to the people in your life that God has blessed you to know.
[SPEAKER_00]: And folks, even the people that it doesn't seem like a blessing to, to know I mean, I mean, I know there are people in your life that may come off as a headache.
[SPEAKER_00]: If we're honest, there might be people that we love them in a sense that we have to, but we may not like them.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I understand that, but let them see the joy too.
[SPEAKER_00]: As a member, it's to be infectious.
[SPEAKER_00]: and God wants them to come to heaven too.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let them see that, let them see Jesus through you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Spread it to the whole world.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even when you can't find something to be happy about, you do have the one true joy to be joyful about.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's the Lord Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're very, very only saying happy birthday too, while ago, we want his joy to be seen, heard and felt through us.
[SPEAKER_00]: and I'll close with John chapter 16, verse 22 through 24.
[SPEAKER_00]: John 16, 22 through 24 says, therefore this is Jesus speaking, therefore, and as I finish reading this, I want you to realize you're speaking this to the disciples.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's saying this to them, right before he hauled out to his father in a very beautiful prayer.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was preparing them for what he was about to go through.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, he was about to go through, he was to die.
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, three days later, he would arise, but he did all this to bring us joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Everlasting joy, joy that he never be taken away.
[SPEAKER_00]: But at that moment, when he would die, those people he's speaking to in this moment, were going to go through horrible pain, horrible sorrow.
[SPEAKER_00]: probably the worst sorrow in their life.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think about that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes you have to go through pain before you can receive the great joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: So right now you may feel like you're going through pain that will never go away, but that joy is the thing that's never going to go away.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's gonna stay with you forever.
[SPEAKER_00]: Remember that.
[SPEAKER_00]: John 16th, 22 through 24 says, therefore you now have sorrow, but I will see you again.
[SPEAKER_00]: and your heart will rejoice.
[SPEAKER_00]: And no one will take your joy from you.
[SPEAKER_00]: On that day, you will ask me nothing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Until now, you have asked nothing in my name.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full.
[SPEAKER_00]: So many times people say, if you pray, you gotta give it to you, you just have to ask.
[SPEAKER_00]: Really what he's saying is, pray that my will be done and your joy will be full.
[SPEAKER_00]: Remember that this thing, if you follow God with all your heart and all your soul, you'll be more joyful than anyone that he would possibly make you on this earth.
[SPEAKER_00]: Continue to do that, you'll have so much joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Joy that, as Jesus Christ said Himself, no one can take it away.
[SPEAKER_00]: No one at all.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's about prayer.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dear precious Heavenly Father, who are God, we thank you for the joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: We thank you for the joy that you brought to this world.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we pray for the world as self-delossed.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we pray that they will receive that joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: They will call out today.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray right now for the very ones.
[SPEAKER_00]: who feel is that there's something they're missing.
[SPEAKER_00]: We know they are.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray right now that they will feel the Holy Spirit calling to them and that they will answer.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray to our love ones and our friends.
[SPEAKER_00]: The very people who are God who have turned away from you,
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray Lord God they will turn around and accept you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Accept your joy.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray Lord God, we will feel your joy today and continue to feel forever and ever.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I pray Lord God that we will remember the difference between happiness, gladocent, everlasting joy that you wanna give to us right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray Lord God that we will listen to the Holy Spirit that we will obey you Father and be guided by you, Lord God Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pray this in your Holy Christian name, amen.