Sunday Worship

so This morning, we will wrap up the Advent series. It will kind of be have a put a punctuation on the end of it tomorrow night at our Christmas Eve service as we left the Christ Candle but it's it's been a fun series again. This will be a topical sermon going to be just jumping to a couple of different places and it should be quite simple and also always, you know, hope it'll be brief but we can sometimes you know that it's not but I'll but I think it's a ever a direct message this morning, but let's open with the word of prayer before we go to God's word father. We thank you Lord for the privilege of desires to know you and to be known by you got while we talk about these are simple but profound truths but God one that's that's so important is to know father. We can have a personal intimate relationship with your father and got to know that there's no firm ass, there's no hiding from you. God lord. We are always there before you How do you know where Hearts you know, her struggles the father because of who you are and what you have done father doesn't matter the struggles in the pain and the issues we Face Godfather. We know that we can have joy in a relationship with you god father. I pray what does we look to your word and we discuss these truths father the Lord for the Joy or that is available to us. God would be something I found that we would choose and father we would have banned and everything else and worship actually follow you got and I pray for those that are facing a difficult times of the year father different difficult transitions father times of morning Father Lord times of strife would I know that sometimes the Holiday Springs difficulty? I'm grabbing a life. That's ever the Lord. Let us look past. That is we look to your word and looked at who I Lord that I we have joy and father to a relationship with you you pray this in Christ's name. Amen. Am I thought? And with the dinner Deuce this topic of joy is how interesting it is that the holidays and Christmas can oftentimes bring other emotions and experiences that maybe we wouldn't necessarily wanted to find is joyful. You know, I me think of the adjectives to describe with the last, you know couple of weeks have been you know, you know, you know Pat's comment and prayer there about help us to keep it simple, you know Christmas because it has become Mini released in that my family anything but simple. Yay. I'm so excited just two days ago. I thought we had finished all the Christmas shopping. By the way. Is anybody not even started? I just curious if who other there's okay. That's good. That's good. How did you have a little bit more shopping to do okay without Heather. So there's another husband back to the hasn't got his wife anything yet. So, you know, but I was so excited to finally finished Christmas shopping. I'm home. And then to hear my wife say well, you know, Grandma is already got that exact same present and like I got to go back and do it again. But but sometimes it's it's stressful, right? We also know why it's difficult mentioned it before I've been praying for you. If you're dealing with you no sense of loss, you know, I mean, it gets a little bit less painful every year in the further we get from, you know, when a wasp grandparents or loved ones that I don't know of any circumstances will we have people that are facing difficult Health trials and then and all those things compound, especially if the holiday season but I just want to ask you today it is we look at this and I have title this message to choose Joy or talk about real Joy is to understand that you know, I believe there is definitely not always but there are definitely things working in this world. There there's an enemy we talked about him in a little bit of detail last week we talked about peace, but there is an enemy. It's in charge of this world and he's working overtime wanting to steal from us. What is freely given to us by God and if we specially talked about the joy we have in Christ to understand the reality of our circumstances and the reality of our circumstances that is just waiting to be given as a gift at Christmas two other people wanting the vanity wants to steal that away and in difficult circumstances that we Face sometimes in our flesh. Is it still sometimes connected to the things of this world allow that to happen, but I just want to encourage you today not allow that to happen to be full of joy because Joy we're going to talk to a few things about how the Bible describes it Joy is not an emotion. In fact, it's contrary to typical thought of Half of an emotion like happiness is an emotion. We couldn't just be couldn't help but just be excited and stream out. Every time of a great play was made her one of the guys that I knew was in the game making a play. You just couldn't help that, you know, I remember a year ago whenever I don't remember it. I think it was the area finals whenever the girls want a big basketball game and I'm sitting next to Kelly and just like this this emotional outbursts came out of the end. You couldn't help that, you know, and I thought we're going to have to get some help for Kelly there for a moment. I was so intense, you know and hope we're going to do that again, right, but that that's an emotional response. But joy has motion to attach to it, but joy in love itself as we're going to see in just a moment is not an emotional response, you know, but we can be affected by our emotions as it has to do with joy you can pull us away from what God wants from us. I had thing read Luke Chapter 2 verses 1 to 20 because it talked about the joy that the shepherd's had in the field and I'm not going to exclusively talk about one particular narrative, but I do want to touch him at in a bit. But you know what your response to Christ will determine your future. I think that is of Paramount truth your response to Christ will determine you know, if you know Joy or not or your response to Christ will determine if you have fear in your life versus Joy the Bible describes joy in a lot of different ways. We see in the Book of Genesis. We see a description of the creation after God has a finished a different part of creation everyday you remember what it says and it was good and it was good. And then in the course after God created man, it says it was very good. But it's a description of something positive something that that that that that is. Joyful something this exciting. We should be excited about creation it Jeremiah chapter 33 describes the voice of a bride and a groom at their wedding. Remember your wedding member how excited you were the expectations you had that it just it was just a just a great moment and this great affection, you know, I mean, you know, if there's enjoy describing that also in in in the I believe in the Book of Proverbs and Proverbs 23, it describes the response that parents have to their children. Children should bring parents join now. I know it doesn't always bring joy, but by and large it's a joyful thing to have kids but these are good biblical. Of of the positive things that happen in our lives and it just it just we just had this emotional response and were affected in our countenance and how we we we see and how we experience this life. But also the other thing interesting about biblical Joy is some of these other descriptions of how people have had this emotional or not necessarily an emotional response. But a joyful response in difficult circumstances Joy is an attitude adopted by God's people because of his love and promise remember that and it is that Joy is an attitude a doctor, but God's people because of his love and promising and here's one of the reasons I say that the nation of Israel as they were free from bondage out of Egypt released first Egyptians is a God or leave these first Israelites as they got out of Egypt, you know, there wasn't me. It was great to not be a slave anymore of Egypt, but they face some very difficult trials ahead of them. You know, they were following Moses in this massive camp and then to the Wii Holderness Psalm 105 43 it says he brought his people out with rejoicing rejoicing his chosen ones with shouts of Joy though. They still faced so much hardship and so much angst and in difficult circumstances, but there's a description in the song of Joy Acts chapter 13, 48 to 50. It's a it's a description of some of the the early disciples are leaving you and these Apostles that are sharing their faith in you for responding to the gospel, but there is intense persecution. It's following them and in their being beaten in there being followed out by people in and they can't get away from persecution, but it says it's because of the joy that they had in their hearts because of price they would just shake the dust off their feet in these circumstances and move on to the next call the next station about joining. Joy isn't just an emotion think about this. I'm going to say a word and you say the opposite back to me. Okay, we don't always have this response of thing going to try something new. Okay something to say the word light. What's the opposite of light? No, it's not death Emily. It's dark. Okay, good. Good. Okay, you got it. Okay, okay. Alright. Okay 6s. Are you go? Okay, okay happiness. Okay, Joy.

Oh, okay. Good. You're learning you're coming along here. You know, you know in this right somebody was in Sunday school paying attention in the youth room. They said fear, you know, think about what is the opposite of joy. Is there an opposite of joy, you know, you know, if you're a Christian and you have Jesus and you going to have him does that mean you are going to have Perpetual Joy all pace? Well, it should Emily. It should it should know who said. Oh you said yes, that's good. It should leave that. That's a good answer but I think the reality is we don't always have that type of response and in the circumstances in the narrative that the thing read earlier there's there's a set. My favorite part of the Christmas story is the is the interaction with the shepherds in the field. I could spend a lot of time talking about these guests of the Heather the announcement first where the shepherds in the field. They were the lowest in the society. They they were the outcasts and that and I love the picture that they get to have the good news first and they're the ones that respond the right way to begin with but their response whenever the Angels she were in the sky and and they in in the first the one angel that made the pro. Animation in the in the whole Sky filled with the rest of the angels singing But the angel said don't be afraid for look I Proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people there at their first response was to be scared there their they're there and then we in the in the in our Sunday school there youth. One of the students said instead of fear. They said the spare and I think that's a great word to describe that but the angel said don't be afraid but have joy and whenever you look at that if it if if that verse me that that's described in the opposite response and they need to have to this good news that end, but I think that is a very excellent description of what our response should be as a Christian to know that we have this relationship with Christ. In fact, I was doing devotion A couple weeks ago and I came across this description of what Joy is and I'm going to borrow it. It's not my own but it's it's pretty good. It's says joy is a profound decision a Faith and Hope in the power of Jesus is life and love and then also as I was thinking about that Joy is a profound decision of Faith and Hope in the power of Jesus's wife in love and knowing that that Joy is what secures a future for us no matter the circumstance that we Face here something that I that I want you to think about your right response to Jesus will always supplant the fear in the Dred in your life with joy in your right response to Christ. Think about that for a second. Think about one of the things in your life that give you anxiety. What are the things in your life that causes you concern that causes you dread if you look to Jesus and what he has done for us what he has promised to us in our life and following him. He is able to always supplant that with joy, I think fear candy and should be completely annihilated in our relationship with Christ if we have that right response, cuz I I do believe that we can have the wrong response to Jesus. Okay, I'll talk about what it means to have the wrong response to Jesus as a Christian and just a bit but something has happened to me before in the past that just just kind of kind of shook me a little bit when I thought about it, you know, it's a minister. I enjoy all types of a services that I To do something. I've talked to a lot of preachers that don't like to do weddings cuz I think they're just so time-consuming and there's so much into it. I love doing weddings. I really did. I wish I did more weddings and I do funerals but I also do a lot of funerals and you know that the topic of joy is is is always high on my list and I'm thinking about a funeral because people are facing the spare books are facing difficult circumstances and in morning, but especially if I've had an opportunity to discuss salvation with a person that's dying before they pass away and to know you going to a funeral service and that person has the Hope in Christ the hope of Eternity in any evidence of the fruit of the spirit of God within them, I mean, It's an awesome opportunity to have the service, you know, and I often will use the same phrase over and over him and I need to get some more material now, but I talked about how you know death for a Christian is the greatest day of their life. Don't you think about that if for everybody else in the room you're thinking it's the worst day thank you for you could be facing and for those mourning that's true. It is tough to lose someone but for the Christian that's passed away. It is the greatest day of their life. It's it's a great reward. It's a it's an answer. I took too long and suffering on this Earth. But I had I gave those words that have service and in almost everybody attending the service had the hope and that ended the top of Joy. I was talking because I had a relationship with Christ. But there was somebody at the service they didn't have the same response to Jesus that I did. They didn't have the same response to Jesus that the person that passed away did and they were really upset about it and they were really mad at me because I talked about salvation not talked about the greatest day of that person's life was the day that they died and I and I empathize with that pain in and it maybe is a minister. I need to grow in helping to be able to touch people minister to people in those times, but it's the reality of our faith and you're wrong response to Jesus definitely will affect the joy that you do or don't have because of Joy isn't just an emotion if Joy is a decision rooted in the reality of your circumstance. I don't really know if it's possible to have this really understood this understanding of Joy. Even if I could describe it in the send some secular terms. I don't think it's possible for anybody that doesn't have a relationship with Christ in other than their eternity is secure their eternity is Promised. The gift of the spirit is available choose Joy even in the difficult circumstances of life.

But if we choose Christ we know that he will always supplant that fear with his Joy, but what about the wrong response? What about the wrong worth response? And you're wrong response to Jesus, you will suffer the effects of the condemnation and Punishment of sin now, I think this is a truthful statement whenever we think about somebody, you know, never confessing Christ. Okay, and then we're going to continue to be an enemy of God and and that's not really a a politically correct thing to say. I mean a lot of people want to believe in the world that God loves everybody no matter what and everything is going to be roses and cupcakes for all eternity. No matter what and I do believe that God is love and I do believe God loves his creation for the word of God says that the wrath of God is turned against the ungodly if you don't have a relationship with Christ, that's you. Okay, but but we're preaching this morning in the church and in the other warship in the proclamation of his word in the in the Gathering of God's people are for the Believers and I hope that's the whole audience I had this morning. Give an invitation each and every week. Thank you. There might be one here that does not know Christ and I want you to know Christ. I want you to know this Joy. So hopefully you haven't but how about as a Christian? Can you still even in your faith make the wrong response to Jesus that will rob you of joy and and I think that that is something that we can do and I want to encourage you not to do that when we fail to obey the Divine directives of scripture and we yield to the voices the world in our dead flesh that still cries out. What we want is is is our way and not God's way we don't want to grab a hold of the truth of what Jesus came to lay down before so we want to continue to to look right here instead of looking up there and living for his glory instead of waiting for us where we live for her own if we want a week sometimes can still do that. And that's whenever we have our joy taken away from us, but listen to the to the words of the year of the Apostle Paul here and 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 because it here here's one of the greatest promises about our relationship with Christ as it has to do with joy and I really want you to hear this message this morning it if you're thinking okay preacher, I'm trying really stinking hard to respond rightly to Jesus and I'm still having a really hard time. You know, how can I how can I get it the right way listen to to what with Paul says this is just Paul's response to these Corinthians these hard-headed Corinthians. I think they they were from Mason sometimes or pretty hard-headed folks are running a few hard heads around here putting myself, but he's talking to these fellows about his ministry and they continue to fall away. But listen and verse 3 Paul says we are not Giving anyone an occasion for a fence so that the ministry will not be blamed instead of God's ministers. We commend ourselves and everything by grade Endurance by afflictions by hardships by difficulties by beating by imprisonments by Riot by Labour's by sleepless nights by times of hunger by Purity by now. It's by Patience by kindness by the Holy Spirit by sincere love for the word of Truth by the power of God through weapons of righteousness. And for the the right hand in the left you glory and dishonor who slander and good report regarding are deceivers yet true as unknown yet recognized as dying yet. See we live as being disciplined yet not killed as grieving yet always rejoicing as pure yet and Richie mini as having nothing yet possessing everything we have Spa Open lady you Corinthians. Our hearts have been open why you're not withholding our affections from you. But you were withholding yours from us. I speak as to my children as a proper response open your hearts to is Paul. There is pleading with the Corinthians to understand how much they're laying everything down for them. No matter what but in this I love how it talks about all of these descriptions of of the the trials they're facing in this world, especially inverse tennises as grieving yet always rejoicing the picture here. Is it as you follow Christ there is nothing that you will face that you can almond and hear me out. If if if if the boys would have lost Thursday. Okay, wait, we would have we would have been crying instead of streaming on our feet. That's the emotional response and Paul same here though, but there's these emotional responses the circumstances they facing. I'm sure every time you faced the beating he wasn't like yes, I get to get stoned again. I get to be. Okay one more time bring out the Cattail this time I get excited about that. It would be insane. You know Papa wasn't like that at all dreaded living through the circumstances. We know it's true because Jesus did Jesus didn't want to face the cross. He asked the father if he would take it away, please do. The Paul is saying here is that we embrace the challenges we embrace the suffering we injure all these things because Paul had a mission Paul was living his life for a purpose for the glory of God Paul knew that he can Embrace anything any tragedy any pain any suffering because he knew why he was on the earth. He knew what he was doing with the resources got a given him. It wasn't just for his own satisfaction. It was for the glory of the father and he can enjoy your everything. So, you know, whatever you say Spain you face struggles. You don't you don't have to become cold and unresponsive mean you should just cry you should you should have race those emotions. Okay, it's a part of God's plan to walk through that but you don't want to take you somewhere that you're not designed to be God still want you to be rejoicing and if he still wants you to be looking to him the other thing to do about pain and and not responding the wrong way but responding the right way is that whenever we go through difficult trials and we go through these difficult circumstances of Life. What what should it causes to do? What's the right response? It shouldn't cause us the recoil from Joy. It should make us respond even more to the joy and the promises in the love of Christ. It is should you know that that's what that's what the enemy wants to do. He wants you to face these trials he wants you to trace Experience these painful sinful things. Maybe you do yourself or maybe you're experiencing the effects of sin on the earth and he wants he wants you to run as far and as hard way from goddess as you can but the opposite is what we've been able to do responding to pain father. I trust you no matter how hard it hurts father. Don't no matter how alone I feel this moment. I know I'm not alone. Would you give me your presents what you show yourself to me? That's why it's so important Church be a part of a Covenant Community in the church cuz we're a tangible example of that presents. But there's never a reason to be alone to be afraid to be without Joy but also know this Joy is never forced upon you by God if I could do it. I would you know, you know like the Care Bear, you know, I thought about that. I know John knows that I could do if I could I would That's why I think Joy is a choice that you make a choices and believing. Jesus is on the throne the living he is who he says that he was and who he is and who will always be trusting the promises and his word and experiencing the promises first-hand but in your in your in your faithful prayer life and your faithful commitment to studying in living in this word in a your faithful commitment to living in community's other people you will see that Joy is a decision you make but if you choose not to participate you choose not to take part of what God's given you. Yeah, there's a lot of despair. But I want you to choose Joy choose Joy when you choose to abandon your will and your heart to Jesus. I'm going to ask you do three things and we're going to be done. First off we all know people that don't have any join their life, you know, I was just stub struck by that recently as I mentioned the circumstance I experienced than in a funeral.

But I had to make a decision. How am I going to respond to people in my life? That don't have that same joy that don't have that same present, but they don't have that same hope first off. I pity them City people that don't have a relationship with Christ. I pity people that know Christ but are far away from him and I want to pray for them and I want to love them and show them the joy crosses put in the it's just as effectively as in in in his and is profoundly is I can think about the people in your life right now. They're like that. Will you have that same response? next I want you to tell people where your joy comes from you no telling people about Christ telling people about why we have a smile on her face. It's something that we is Baptist and hope weak Christians are very proud of doing but when's the last time you told somebody really why you have hope when's the last time you told somebody about what Joy was for you even in your darkest moments, in fact, what an opportunity to share Christ whatever you have. No reason to be happy. You have no reason to have anything good to say. But all is well with my soul. Is that your response?

The last thing I'm going to read some scripture to you in Psalm chapter 16. Did you think about those that you're praying for is you putting them? Cuz they don't have joy you're thinking about those that you can tell here's one last thing that you can tell them why you have joy Psalm chapter 16, it's it's so I'm going to read the whole chapter. It says protect me God for I take refuge in you I said to the Lord you are my Lord. I have nothing good beside you ask for the holy people who are in the land. They are the noble ones. All my delight is in them. The Sorrows of those who take another God for themselves will multiply I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood. I will not speak their names with my lips more you or my portion in my cup of blessing you hold my future the boundary lines have fallen for me in Pleasant places indeed. I have a beautiful inheritance. I Will Bless The Lord who conceals me even at night when my thoughts trouble me. I always let the Lord guide me because he is at my right hand. I will not be shaken there for my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices my body also recette securely for you will not abandon me to see old. You will not follow or loud. You're faithful want to see the K you reveal the path of life to me in your presence is abundant Joy at your right hand or Eternal Pleasures. I love that song. Cuz it I think it's a beautiful description of everything that I'm talking about this morning. There are people that do not have a relationship with Christ. There are people that live far from God and it's a burden to us and we should pity them we should pray for them and reach out to them. But then we should embrace the provision in the power in the promises of God in our life. But the very last thing it says there in verse 11, it says you reveal the path of life to me and your presence is abundant Joy. The only reason that we have joy in our life is the only reason we are gathered here this morning celebrating Advent the special arrival. I have the personal privilege and personal relationship with God that all that so many people in this world needs. I have the presence of God in my life.

The literal person of Jesus and his son in the Son of God as the Son of God and God the Father giving to me his holy spirit to reside in the I had his presence in my life. I follow him I speak to him. I asked him to reveal himself and he does it all the time. That's why we have joy. Do you have that presence in your life? Do you have a reason to be? Joyful? Because you have Jesus? Would you pray with me father? We're God. I know all that you have done to take away fear in my life. I know all that you've done father to take away the spare. Father's because you completely and wholly given yourself up. Convent the Prince of Peace Lord, the hope of glory father the one that the one the only one that can give us. Your own presents got that we might have Joy by the Lord you've done so much God that we might know you and have this response by the to know we're God that it doesn't matter the circumstances. We face face father got it doesn't matter Lord the emotional responses Lord that then their present their lives got to know if we have you in our lives Godfather Lord Oh Lord. Our eternity is secure father our life father Living For Your Glory and not our own personal success, but living for your success through our lives Godfather. How do you just level everything for me? No more dread no more to spare no matter what happens. Because I have a relationship bother. I just want to invite you Lord to work to speak to the hearts of our people this morning. If they're facing the trial God would just allow them or the right response that its use Joy father. There's anyone here today father that they has despair God because I've never come to the point of truly yielding their life to you and say and I I am no longer going to live my life for myself, and I want to I'm going to live my life for you guys. I want to accept the free gift of Salvation to trust Jesus as my savior father. Maybe it's a first-time profession of faith and tell the world. I'm following Jesus know maybe you need to talk about that. Lord God made you call someone here this morning Father just a mile or just to come back and ask for help Father did their they're experiencing the reaction the emotion of Sorrow, because of the time of the year in mmmm everything. It rings with that time at Christmas. The father of Prague of the world even in their sorrow is the Apostle Paul says God they can step out and choose Joy father. We need your assistance to do all these things got so I'm going to ask you to do it now or would you call out to his Wonder respond Church of God first called you to respond to any particular the baby you really need to come and talk and you need to come down front to talk about a decision. Maybe someone's feeling called to join the church or or or just just to get their heart, right? Or maybe it's for the first time. To give their hearts to Jesus. I just pray God you call Folks at church. I want you to stand on your feet. Let stand up now God's called you to respond somehow this morning.

You haven't you have a challenge to choose Joy. The latest in the invitation of gods called you respond. Anyway, take the opportunity. I'd rather be average into

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Father God I just want to come to the Lord all of my my my church family here my brothers and sisters in Christ. Father. We thank you for the joy. What you've given us father also want to pray Lord for those your God that the Lord because of the circumstances are facing father Lord. Joy seems far off God. Would you bring it close today in Lord of the in the end in your Holy Spirit father Lord. Would you bring joy close to a father or through the responses of the rest of us father is his friends and brothers and sisters to love and to support in to help god father. I asked God that you would mobilizes to be those people father not in our as we leave father for the entire holiday season. Let us be a crutch for one. Another father is you are a crutch for us is God real lame and broken the being healed by you and I thank you for our church. And in order for what it means to so many good Lord, let it be even more we love him for this in Christ's name. Amen. I want to say one last thing and then we'll just miss being a member of the First Baptist Church of Mason. There's no good reason for you to be alone at Christmas time. Okay, if anybody is going to be alone at Christmas and you would like to have a place to be to be with other church family just to have a presence would you would you say something would you grab me by the arm or grab one of our deacons? We want to make sure that everybody is loved and taken care of it this time of year. And so so if you don't want to be alone and you need help, we won't make a big deal about it. But also if you're a family or think, you know, what we're going to be in town. We got an extra seat at our table and we would like to have it filled by somebody from our church family. Would you let me or one of the deacons know we want to make sure nobody is alone this time. You're what a tangible response that we can give a Christmas to show people Joyce. Okay, so would you do that for me? Hanging out in the back, but brother Eddie latest now.

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