Christ our Foundation III

Joy That Rises

Joy that Rises

This is the third Sunday of advent.

During this time of the year, we are preparing ourselves to celebrate the birth of our Lord and savior, and to remind ourselves that He is coming again.

The word advent in the Latin means “coming”

Christians around the world use the four Sundays and weeks of Advent to prepare and remember the real meaning of Christmas.

Luk 1:39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,

Luk 1:40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

Luk 1:41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,

Luk 1:42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

Luk 1:43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

Luk 1:44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

Luk 1:45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Mary responds with a song

Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat

Luk 1:46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,

Luk 1:47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

Luk 1:48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

Luk 1:49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

Luk 1:50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

Luk 1:51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

Luk 1:52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;

Luk 1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

Luk 1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,

Luk 1:55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Luk 1:56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

Mary believed on what God said, and he filled her with Joy.

Lets talk this morning about this deep Joy the rises in us, when we see God’s promises fulfilled, or when we find ourselves in the presence God.

 King David prophetically wrote about the coming Messiah, Jesus,

Psa 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence isfullness of joy; At Your right hand arepleasures forevermore.

Jesus offers this same relationship to us.

Joy is defined

a : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune. Getting what we want. delight,

The Joy (Chara) take us much deeper, we go from experiencing moments of joy, to fulness (satisfying) joy. A joy that only God can give us.

We are created for Joy.

Joy is about a life filled with excitement and passion, a satisfying life.

God’s desire is that we will enter in the fullness of his joy.

Three things we need to keep in mind. If we want to move from momentary happiness to this supernatural Joy that rises.

1 He will show us the way, 2 Joy comes by being in His presence, 3 At His right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Let’s pray

1 He will show us the way

Jesus said

Joh 15:10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

Joh 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Joh 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Joh 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

“Joy or chara is a deep and abiding inner rejoicing which was promised to those who abide in Christ and obey his commandments. It does not depend on circumstances because it rests in God’s sovereign control of all things.”

Joy is the outcome of our obedience

Ti 3:1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

2Ti 3:2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

2Ti 3:3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,

2Ti 3:4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

We are in the last days, people are lover of themselves lovers of money, ungrateful and arrogant, no generation before us were so entitled, and have so many rights.  

2Ti 4:3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

2Ti 4:4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

Today when people listen to a teaching that is not pleasing to them teaching that does not accommodate their sin, they just change churches, they can always find a PHD who will support them in their sin, if you want to hear that is ok to keep your money and spend all on yourself, someone will teach you that, if you want to abort your child you will find someone who will tell you that this is ok, you want to marry people of the same sex, you can find a pastor and a church that will teach you that. 

These are things that those who allow themselves to be deceive are doing as for you men and women of God do what you know is right.

2Ti 3:14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it

2Ti 3:15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

You men and women of God hold on to what is true, to the teachings and commandments of Jesus.

we will have fulness of joy, when you obey Jesus and his commandments. Let Him show you the path.

2 Joy comes when we are in His presence.

1Pe 1:8 Though 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,

1Pe 1:9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Faith is what brings me into the reality of God’s presence

God is everywhere, he is not everything, His desire is to have a relationship with us, that’s why he sent His only Son Jesus to receive the punishment that you and me deserve.

When by faith I welcome His word, His reality, then I know without a doubt in my heart that God is present with me everywhere I go.

Jesus is our example, of a man walking in a close relationship with God, the same relationship He prayed that we would have with Him and the Father.

Joh 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

The Holy Spirit, the one who is in perfect communion with Jesus and the Father, is the one who dwells in us, when we welcome Him, when we ask for Him.

The Holy Spirit of God is the one that will take us right into his presence, and yes he is holy, so we need to walk in holiness, and be careful to not grieve Him.

So Wherever you do, Always have him in mind, 

3 Pleasures for ever more

Psa 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence isfullness of joy; At Your right hand arepleasures forevermore.

At His right hand there are Pleasures for evermore,

I believe our Heavenly Father is always looking for ways to bless us, to shower us with good and sweet things.

Has the Lord being good to you?

I believe He has, all you need to do is to acknowledge, what He does for you.

For just one moment think about one thing God did for you in 2025

He provided for me and my family, he gave us health, he gave me many good things throughout the year.

For our church, we finished 6 years of preservation, and are debit free, we went from a endangered building to a solid construction

He answered my prayers, delivered from my enemies, blessed me with a house to live a car or two to drive, food to eat.

If you are breathing the lord has being good to you.

Pleasures for evermore, we have a good, good, Father who loves us.

Don’t take things for granted, be grateful

Luk 17:11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.

Luk 17:12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance

Luk 17:13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

Luk 17:14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.

Luk 17:15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice;

Luk 17:16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.

Luk 17:17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?

Luk 17:18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

Luk 17:19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

This is the story of one thankful leper

There was no cure for Leprosy in the first century AD,

Effective treatment for leprosy appeared in the late 1930s. If you had leprosy you had to be removed to a colony of lepers. It was a horrible disease, an infectious skin disease, which would attack your nose mouth and eyes, soft tissue and nerves first, what, will cause some paralysis and deformities, in more advance stages would affect your bones. Until you finally die.

Jesus miraculously heals 10 lepers, a good thing from God to them.

Jesus made a point about the only man who returns to thank Him, because by being thankful, he acknowledged the giver and the gift.

Luk 2:8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Luk 2:9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.

Luk 2:10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Luk 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Luk 2:12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Luk 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

Luk 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

To Receive this Joy that rises, we need to make Jesus the Lord of our lives.

   Have you ask Jesus to be your lord and Savior?

If not I want to give you the opportunity.

  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

 Joh 3:16 

To receive Jesus, we need to accept Him as God’s son, repent from our sins and a life of selfishness, and ask Him to be your Lord and savior, not that you deserve it, but is a gift from God. 

If this is your desire today, please repeat this prayer after me?

 Heavenly Father I’m a sinner,

 I’m sorry for my sins,

 I’m willing to turn away from my sins.

 I receive Christ as my savior,

 I confess him as Lord

 from this moment on I want to follow and serve him,

in the fellowship of his church,

 In Jesus name. Amen!

Amen!

1Co 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;

1Co 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke itand said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

1Co 11:25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

1Co 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.

1Co 11:27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks thiscup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

 Heb 9:14 dead works, acts, sins

E mau aku ka loko maika’i o ka Haku, Iesu Kristo; me ke aloha a ke Akua, a me ka launa pu ‘ana mai o ka Uhane Hemolele ia ‘olua, a me makou apau.  Amene.