Sermon Tone Analysis

THERE IS A PHRASE THAT WAS MADE POPULAR BY CONGRESSWOMAN MAXINE WATERS FROM CALIFORNIA DURING A CONGRESSIONAL HEARING.

IT WAS

DURING THAT HEARING THAT CONGRESSWOMAN WATERS ASKED A CONGRESSMAN TO ANSWER A QUESTION….AND AS THAT PERSON BEGAN TO

RESPOND….IT BECAME APPARENT AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES THAT HE WAS NOT REALLY ANSWERING THE QUESTION…..HE BEGAN TO RANT ABOUT

SOMETHING OFF TOPIC THAT WASN’T RELEVANT TO THE QUESTION THAT WAS ASKED.

WHAT WE MUST UNDERSTAND IS THAT DURING THESE HEARINGS THERE IS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME GIVEN TO EACH CONGRESS PERSON TO GET

THEIR QUESTIONS ANSWERED.

IF THEIR TIME IS USED UP AND THEY DON’T GET AN ANSWER TO THEIR QUESTION….THEN THAT’S IT, THEY DON’T GET

ADDITIONAL TIME….THEY DON’T GET BACK THE TIME THEY HAD…….SO TO PREVENT THE WASTE OF TIME…….CONGRESSWOMAN WATERS SAID….. “I’M

RECLAIMING MY TIME”.

IN OTHER WORDS, SHE WAS TAKING BACK WHAT BELONGED TO HER…..BECAUSE SHE KNEW IT BELONG TO HER AND SHE WASN’T

GOING TO ALLOW SOMEONE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT……OR ABUSE IT….. SHE KNEW THAT SHE HAD TO TAKE CHARGE ….

BE BOLD AND “RECLAIM HER

TIME”.

FROM OUR TEXT THIS MORNING……I WANT TO USE FOR A TOPIC…….

RECLAIMING YOUR JOY

ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE ARE FACED WITH TODAY IN THIS WORLD IS THE LACK OF JOY.

WHAT’S EVEN MORE TROUBLING IS THAT, THE LACK OF JOY IS COMING FROM CHRISTIANS.

ALTHOUGH WE KNOW THAT WE DON’T RECEIVE JOY FROM THIS WORLD, THERE ARE THINGS OF THIS WORLD THAT SEEM TO KIDNAP OUR JOY FROM US.

LET’S SEE IF I CAN MAKE THIS REAL……..DOES THIS SOUND LIKE YOU….

DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNINGS….GIVE A BIG SIGH ….AND THINK ABOUT YOUR TROUBLES OR PROBLEMS….INSTEAD OF WELCOMING THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD?

DO YOU RUSH AROUND ANXIOUSLY ….GOING ABOUT YOUR DAILY ROUTINE ….GRUMBLING AND COMPLAINING…..INSTEAD OF BEING THANKFUL FOR THE GOODNESS OF GOD?

DO YOU FOCUS ON THE NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE INSTEAD OF REMEMBERING THE GREATNESS OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER?

DID YOU COME INTO CHURCH THIS MORNING…..PUT ON YOUR HAPPY FACE….CLAIM THAT YOU ARE “BLESSED” TO THOSE WHO ASKED YOU HOW YOU WERE DOING….WHEN YOU REALLY DON’T FEEL LIKE YOU ARE “BLESSED”

IF ONE OR MORE OF THOSE DESCRIBE YOU MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS……I’M HERE TO ENCOURAGE YOU THIS MORNING……TO RECLAIM YOUR JOY.

YOU HAVE TO BE BOLD AND NOT ALLOW THE PROBLEMS AND TRIALS OF THIS WORLD TO TAKE YOUR JOY.......YOU HAVE TO RECLAIM YOUR JOY

NOW…..WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JOY AND HAPPINESS….

HAPPINESS COMES AND GOES.

HAPPINESS IS DEPENDENT ON OUR CIRCUMSTANCES.

HAPPINESS DOESN’T HELP US THROUGH THE DIFFICULT TIMES OF LIFE.

WE WILL ALWAYS FIND MOMENTS OF HAPPINESS DURING A TOUGH TIME, BUT THAT HAPPINESS WILL NOT LAST.

JOY IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

TRUE JOY IS A GIFT FROM GOD.

JOY COMES WHEN WE ARE AWARE OF GOD’S GRACE AND PRESENCE, WHEN WE KNOW WE’VE EXPERIENCED GOD’S LOVE AND FORGIVENESS IN OUR LIVES.

JOYS COMES WHEN WE HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

AND IT’S AVAILABLE TO EVERY PERSON WHO PROCLAIMS FAITH IN JESUS AS LORD AND SAVIOR.

THINK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JOY AND HAPPINESS.

HAPPINESS IS A STATE OF MIND.

JOY IS A MIND-SET / OR YOU CAN SAY CONDITION OF YOUR HEART.

HAPPINESS IS TEMPORARY.

JOY IN THE LORD IS A CONSTANT.

HAPPINESS IS DEPENDENT ON WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW.

JOY IS NOT DEPENDENT ON CIRCUMSTANCES.

WE CAN BE JOYFUL REGARDLESS OF CIRCUMSTANCES.

WE KNOW THAT EVERYDAY WON’T BE SUNNY….AND SOMETIMES THE RAIN COMES OUR WAY……

I WANT TO REMIND YOU TODAY MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS THAT IN ORDER FOR US TO GROW…..EVERY NOW AND THEN……THERE NEEDS TO BE A LITTLE RAIN THAT COMES YOUR WAY.

BUT EVEN DURING THE RAIN…..I’M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN STILL EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF THE LORD.

JAMES TELLS US “CONSIDER IT PURE JOY, MY BROTHERS WHENEVER YOU FACE TRIALS OF MANY KINDS…BECAUSE YOU KNOW THE TESTING OF YOUR FAITH DEVELOPS PERSEVERANCE…”

THERE ARE THINGS OF THIS WORLD THAT WILL TRY TO HIJACK US…… OF THE JOY THAT GOD DESIRES FOR US TO HAVE.

I CALL THEM JOY JACKERS… THINGS THAT HIJACK YOU OF THE JOY IN YOUR LIFE…..

YOU MAY KNOW THEM AS WORRYING…….CONFLICT……..FEAR……DISSATISFACTION…….LIVING IN THE PAST…..NEGATIVE PEOPLE……AND SIN……..JUST TO NAME A FEW.

BUT I’M HERE THIS MORNING TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO…..RECLAIM YOUR JOY.

YES MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS…..THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HIJACK US OF THE JOY GOD WANTS US TO EXPERIENCE IN OUR LIVES.

I’M HERE TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO RECLAIM YOUR JOY.

WHY DO I SAY RECLAIM YOUR JOY? WELL I’M GLAD YOU ASKED……..BECAUSE THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS…….

AS A CHILD OF GOD……THAT HAS THE HOLY SPIRIT INDWELLING INSIDE YOU….

YOU HAVE THE JOY OF THE LORD INSIDE OF YOU…….BUT YOU HAVE ALLOWED THE JOY JACKERS……TO KIDNAP…..TAKE HOSTAGE…….AND STEAL THE JOY YOU ALREADY HAD……

BUT I’M HERE TO PROCLAIM TO YOU …… YOU NEED TO RECLAIM YOUR JOY……

HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN THOSE WEBSITES WHERE YOU CAN GO TO AND RECLAIM LOST PROPERTY OR MONEY THAT MAY BE OWED TO YOU…… YOU

SEE…..IT WAS ALWAYS YOURS…....THE PROPERTY WAS ALREADY YOURS…….THAT MONEY BELONGED TO YOU……YOU JUST HAD TO THE

WEBSITE…..PUT IN YOUR INFORMATION…….SHOW PROOF THAT IT BELONGS TO YOU……GET A NOTARY….TO VERIFY THAT IT’S YOUR

SIGNATURE……..AND THEN SUBMIT….YOUR CLAIM…….TO RECLAIM…..WHAT ALREADY BELONGED TO YOU……

AND JUST LIKE YOU CAN RECLAIM THAT PROPERTY OR MONEY……..

I’M HERE AT 201 WAYNE STREET TO SOUND THE ALARM…….AND TELL YOU……RECLAIM YOUR JOY….

BUT THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS……THE JOY……THAT ALREADY BELONGS TO YOU…….YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO TO A WEBSITE AND PUT IN YOUR INFORMATION….

YOU SIMPLY NEED TO ASK…….

THE WORD OF GOD TELLS US…….IN JOHN 16:24…… ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE, AND YOUR JOY WILL BE COMPLETE.

AND YOU DON’T NEED TO SHOW ANY PROOF…..THAT YOU ARE WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE……AS A CHILD OF GOD…..

BECAUSE MY BIBLE TELLS ME….IN ROMANS 8 AND 16….. THE SPIRIT HIMSELF BEARS WITNESS WITH OUR SPIRIT THAT WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD

NO NEED TO GO TO A NOTARY AND SIGN……FOR THE WORD SAYS…..REJOICE THAT YOUR NAME IS WRITTEN IN HEAVEN.

SO YOU NEED TO STAND UP……REBUKE THE JOY JACKERS…….TELL SATAN TO GET BEHIND THEE…….AND TAKE BACK WHAT ALREADY BELONGS TO YOU!!

RECLAIM YOUR JOY…….

IF WE LOOK AT OUR TEXT IN JOHN 15 THIS AFTERNOON WE SEE THAT JOY IS WONDERFUL AND PERFECT FREE GIFT THAT THE LORD WANTS US TO NOT ONLY HAVE…..BUT IT IS A CONDITION OR A STATE OF EXISTENCE THAT THE LORD WANTS US TO EXPERIENCE.

LOOK WHAT HE SAYS…….THESE THING’S I HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU, THAT MY JOY MAY REMAIN IN YOU, AND THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL.

IN THE A CLAUSE OF THIS TEXT…..JESUS LET’S US KNOW….THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS HE TOLD HIS DISCIPLES THAT THEY ARE TO DO…… HE SAID…..”THESE THINGS…” JUST WHAT ARE THE “THESE THINGS..” THAT JESUS IS TALKING ABOUT……

WELL….IN THE PREVIOUS VERSUS…..JESUS TELLS HIS DISCIPLES…..THAT THEY ARE TO ABIDE IN HIM…..AND ABIDE IN HIS LOVE.

AS JESUS SAID, IF WE DON’T ABIDE IN HIM, WHICH MEANS, WE ARE DWELLING, REMAINING, OR CONNECTED TO HIM, THEN WE ARE WORTHLESS.

WE ARE THROWN INTO THE FIRE.

ISN’T THAT WHAT YOU DO WITH BRANCHES THAT ARE NOT GROWING.

WE TAKE THOSE DEAD BRANCHES AND USE THEM TO START A FIRE.

YOU SEE, WHEN JESUS TELLS US HE HAS SAID THESE THINGS TO US SO

THAT HIS JOY MAY BE IN YOU AND OUR JOY WOULD BE FULL . . .

FIRST …….AND WE OFTEN MISS THIS.

WE TRY TO FIND JOY AND HAPPINESS ON OUR OWN TERMS.

WE TRY TO FILL OURSELVES IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE . . .

THAT WE CAN THINK OF.

THE ENEMY KNOWS WE’RE WEAK.

THAT’S WHY HE MAKES SIN ENTICING.

WE THINK IF WE FULFILL SINFUL DESIRES WE WILL FINALLY BE HAPPY.

SO WE BUY TOO MUCH ON CREDIT, THINKING A NEW TOY ….CAR, ELECTRONIC, JEWELRY, CLOTHING, PHONE WILL MAKE US REALLY HAPPY.

WE QUICKLY LEARN IT DIDN’T WORK.

NOW WE HAVE DEBT.

WE LOOK FOR LOVE OUTSIDE OF OUR MARRIAGES OR RELATIONSHIPS.

WE THINK A LITTLE EXCITEMENT WILL MAKE US HAPPY, AND WE END UP FILLED WITH GUILT.

WE FOCUS ON PLEASING OURSELVES INSTEAD OF SERVING OTHERS.

WE ARE LED BY SATAN TO MAKE LIFE ALL ABOUT US.

HE WANTS US TO DO ANYTHING OUTSIDE GOD’S DESIGN FOR US SO THAT WE END UP LOST…

BUT GOD’S DESIGN FOR US IS JOY.

SO, THE FIRST POINT, IS THAT OUR JOY DOESN’T COME FROM THE WORLD, BUT OUR JOY COMES FROM CHRIST!

LOOK AGAIN, HE SAID MY JOY WOULD BE IN YOU!!