Sac Joy in your heart

Well Let’s get two really Strong guys up here.

Nice to meet you

Can you blow up a balloon

Can you blow up a balloon

Try this blow up this balloon in this water bottle

Ok now your turn

Why can’t he do it. Because there is something in bottle there is air in the bottle that couldn’t be blown up You have things inside of you. And I want you to be filled with something that won’t allow depression despair anxiety to get in. I want you to have the joy of heaven

Let’s start this morning thinking about heaven,

Close your eyes I know that’s what you do at the end of the sermon but bare with me.

Close em right now no peaking no falling asleep Tom! and Picture heaven

Let these words sink in

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Life’s trial will seem so small when we see Christ, one glimpse of his dear face all sorrow will erase so bravely run the race till we see Christ.

Start your day with preventative care.

1 Peter 5:7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Do that literally. Take your problems your anxieties and your cares and give them to Jesus.

I want to be your spiritual leader. Anxiety is real. A lot of people deal with anxiety and depression. My wife says that every six months I have a day where I go deep into woe is me mode. So I am working on it just like you. Some of you have anxiety depression that is debilitating. You see a doctor for it. I view the medical field as this. Hear me out, don’t just hear part of what I say and forget the rest. You need a dual diagnosis. You need health care and sick care. God is the great physician and he has allowed doctors to have the wisdom to help you with chemical side of this battle. There are times you need both.

Just like a doctor needs to tell you take a blood pressure medicine but you also need to change your diet, both are important. So my prescription for you all of you this is preventitive care. Start your morning in prayer and God’s word through the window shades open and get some sunshine. Remember this verse

Think on good things.

Lamentations 3:21–24 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”

sing that little chorus and actually give your daily burdens over to the LORD. That the LORD first with the combined advice of wise counsel is the best advice I can give you. Lamentations 3 focuses on the greatness of our God. THE LORD is my portion. It is all about Him.

You are my joy and crown.

Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.

Paul says Christian brothers and sisters you are my joy and crown. That’s the way it should be. The people of your church family are your joy, your crown. The Bible says that we should be laying up treasures in heaven. We should find purpose in our Christian family. Heavenly treasures are all around you. There’s a crown over there. There is the person who brings you joy right there. There jewels of heaven all around everywhere, they surround us all the time. CROWN THERE CROWN THERE CROWN THERE.

Some people have this attitude in Christian circles. Junk, Garbage, no good. That’s not how Christ sees you and that isn’t how Paul sees you. When you leave today walk up to someone and say you are my joy my crown of rejoicing.

Paul had to repair a couple of crowns.

Philippians 4:2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.

Paul needed to polish resize solder a couple of damaged crowns. You get the idea that Paul handled this the best way possible. Paul doesn’t tell us the problem between these two ladies, but he sandwiches them with grace. In school we have to sandwich students for parent teacher conference. Tell the parents something good, tell them where the repairs need to take place and finish with words of encouragement. Paul says to the church you are my crown. But here is a problem, two ladies who have an issue. Problems between Christians is nothing new. The had to have the same mind in the LORD. The idea there is to live in harmony in Jesus Christ. Repaired, soldered, resized, and polished crowns. Are you are crown who needs a little polishing. Maybe you have thought ug that Christian I really don’t like them. Just forgive and learn to live in harmony.

Church, help the tarnished crowns.

Philippians 4:3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

The key person in this verse is the true companion of Paul. No one knows who that is for sure. There are some possibilities. Silas Timothy, Epaphroditus or Barnabas. They all could fit the mold but I don’t like those options. I could be wrong, but I like to think of this as a woman and Lydia in Philippi could be the person here but I don’t think Paul would use that phrase True Companion of her. It is too intimate. It is the person you carry the yoke with YOKEFELLOW use the preposition WITH. You want to know the person I carry the YOKE with. It’s my WIFE. We don’t know anything about Paul’s wife and I am not saying that this is Paul’s wife. I will tell you this his religious position when he was Saul may indicate that he was married but when he says in 1 Corinthians 7 I wish you could remain unmarried like me it leads to conflicting reports. But this is the only time this word is used in the Bible and it is the closest thing I can find to Paul have a life partner. It probably isn’t, but maybe Paul left his wife in Philippi and spent the reset of his life in prison a bachelor. I doubt it, but it is a theory. To maybe Paul is talking about the church, or Paul is talking about Jesus. Is this a prayer, Jesus My true companion help these ladies. After all their names are written in lamb’s book of life. I think that every one of these people could help the lady in my opinion each progressively better at doing the job.

Tarnished crowns need the yokefellow.

Matthew 11:28–30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

If your name is written in the lamb’s book of life, then Christ is your yoke fellow, your true companion. The one who carries the Load when you can’t. The one who restores broken relationships. The one who takes your burdens. The one who will help you get through the day. Remember how we started today. That song. It will be worth it all when we see Jesus, cast all your cares on him. Preventative Care. Let Jesus be your yoke fellow.

REJOICE!

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

It is easy to fall in the pit of despair. I tend to either view despair as a trap hiding that you fall into that is like quicksand or a malevelont presence lurking behind you in the shadows. It is the kind of thing that can infect the church with two bickering ladies. Or a grumbly old man or a teenager who comes in and sits in a pew with a scowl. Paul combats that with a strong command he is going back to the theme of the book JOY! Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. Sometimes try to hit people with a shot of joy and they don’t want to hear it. Think of all the good things that God has for you. They just are staying in that pit of despair. Preventative care, Rejoice Always. Pray Always. From the time you get up to the time you go home. I view despair, depression as traps, a sickness, sometimes sinful. Preventative care is this verse REJOICE! Paul is hitting the church with the best part of the sandwich,.

The joy of the Lord is protein powder for the soul.

Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Think about that teenage kid who is trying to get fit. Protein powder at the end of a long run I eat a protein bar. A lot of people when their health is weak and failing, protein shake. It is good way to go about healthy living. At the start of the day, I believe that is where healthy habits are formed. I am not here to tell you what vitamins fruits and vegatables to take but the spiritual health of your soul. The joy of the LORD is protein for the soul.

Be gentle to all men.

Philippians 4:5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be gentle to all of them. Not just those you like all of them. Be gentle. This is different than meekness but it is close having an iron fist with a velvet glove. To everyone. That includes the waitress today. That includes your wife your kids, your husband, everyone. Treat them gentle I didn’t say weakly I said gently. Treat people with the same care as you would a nuclear reactor core. If held in correctly it could go critical and cause disaster, if handled properly it could power a town. WHY? Because the LORD is at hand.

What dies that mean The Lord is at hand the answer is two fold

#1 The Lord is at hand.

Jeremiah 23:23 “Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord, “And not a God afar off?”

God is right there just a reach out. Picture Peter in the water’s of Galillee.

Are you hurting? The LORD is near.

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

I have been talking about having joy in your life when anxiety piles on when it crushes your heart physically and spiritually. Good preventative health care for your soul is found in Philippians.

Charles Mayo of the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minnesota said “Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, the while nervous system , and profoundly affects the health.” WOW you will go through times of despair, he the malevolent being lurking in the shadows wants to kill you and your health. These preventative health care measures can help you and get your joy back., but you have to do it. ‘

#2 The Lord is at hand.

Revelation 22:12 And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

Jesus could return at any moment. Paul thought it, I think it, if he waits people will be thinking it 100 years from now. He could come at any moment and we don’t know when that will be therefore be kind. Jesus no matter which way you slice it is at hand. Right there in both space and time he is the author of space time and bends it to his will.

Prayer is preventative care.

Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

I hope you see that I am trying to prove my premise. Start off your day with it will be worth it all… If you don’t like that one how about this one. Turn your eyes upon Jesus look full in His wonderful grace and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.

You can tackle this world with your yokefellow. All you anxieties all your care bring to the mercy seat leave them there. Bring them straight to the throne of grace and leave them there. I will tell you this is a good plan. But you have to do it. You have to be consistant. Despair He works over time. He is similar to a stroke or a heart attack waiting to happen only he may be worse to handle. It will destroy you. How do you fight those things. You get up in the morning and instead of eating sausage and cinaminon rolls you go for the banana and the oatmeal. The same is said of anxiety instead of turning on the news and worrying about things that haven’t happened yet you determine in your mind that you will take your anxieties to the throne of grace. Now let me say something. Can you do everything healthy in your life and still have a heart attack. Sure! you could eat healthy food every day and still face health crisis the same can be said of despair. That doesn’t mean that the healthy choices weren’t good for you.

Worry accomplishing nothing, but prayer is powerful.

James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Jesus warned against being anxious.

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Jesus, the great physician, gave us a prescription.

Matthew 6:33–34 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Jesus said exactly what I have been saying since the beginning, first thing in the morning Lamentations 3 Turn your eyes on jesus dwell on the good right from the beginning. Work at being joyful.

Let the peace of God guard your heart and mind.

Philippians 4:7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The peace of God is healthy spiritual living.

You want to know what peace of God is in the old Testament it is Shaloam the jewish concept completeness wholeness, living well and healthy. For the Christian it is even more than that. It is peace of God and with God purchased on Calvary we were enemies know we are near close friends at peace.

Despair wants to destroy your heart and mind. He is lurking out there to get you. You need some guard dogs. The scary time. If there is something that despair is afraid of it’s the peace of God. Devil you can’t get me Jesus resides here.

Let the peace of God rule your heart.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

You need a sign on your heart beware of peace instead of beware of dog, you ever seen a dog that rules the home. You know the kind you pull in the driveway and they are in the window. Tongue wagging drool down there chin. That is what despair needs to see when he comes to the door it is good medicine.

Take your spiritual vitamins every morning.

Philippians 4:8–9 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”

This is a very imperative statement by Paul that means, this is an order from the physician. Do this!

Take your spiritual vitamins

We can let our anxities rule the day. From the moment you wake up until the time you go to bed or you can purpose to dwell on good things. This takes work, thesse things are your spiritual vitamins. they are good for you. Focus on praises in the morning. Look out the window, Hey God there is a blue jay and a cardinal. I saw that recently. God I have some great kids. Heaven is real and I am going there. Focus on the truth. Close your eyes again. Listen to these verses

Focus on the truth!

John 14:1–6 Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus look full in His wonderful face and the things of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace!

This is all well and good but it does nothing if you enjoy it hear and forget it tomorrow. This week focus on God’s preventative health care against that gnasty guy despair that wants to steal your joy. Determine each morning to cast all your cares on him and live Lamentations 3