The Promise of Adoption!

Romans 8:14-25 (NAS95)

Adoption is the Holy Spirit’s ministry of the Father’s grace towards His lost children. Allow me to share an illustration of what grace is; I’ve shared this with you before, but it has been years since I have:

If a young man is killed through some random act of violence, and his father tracks down the guilty person and kills him, we would call that vengeance. If, however, the father calls the police and the murderer is arrested, tried, convicted, and executed, we’d call that justice. If, at the trials, the father pleads for the guilty man’s life to be spared and the judge and jury consent, we’d call that mercy.  Now imagine this: in addition to pleading for the guilty one to be spared, the father appeals to the judge to release the offender into his custody and care.  Miraculously gaining approval, the father takes the young man into his heart and home, adopts him, and raises him and loves him as his own son…that would be grace! (DeMoss & Grissom, Seeking Him, 86) 

That is a beautiful image, but God’s grace goes one step further!

This adoption by the Father is made possible because God, our Heavenly Father, gave His only son Jesus Christ to take our death for us so that justice was satisfied through Jesus’ propitiation of God’s wrath. Jesus came so that all the sons and daughters could be bought back from the penalty of sin, for the wages of sin is death, and brought Home to God’s forever family through the shed blood of Jesus Christ!

This is a legal transaction! We move from alienation and estrangement from God to welcomed and cherished members of God’s large, forever family. Listen to John teach us this in 1 John 2:2, “[Jesus] Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the provision of the Father’s love that makes the Holy Spirit’s promise of adoption possible!

The Holy Spirit assures you of God’s grace in your life, forever. Because of the plan of the Father, the provision of the Son, and the promise of the Holy Spirit, you do not get what you deserve, but rather you receive grace upon grace through the ministry of adoption. Rather than being cast aside because of the sin that separates us from our heavenly Father, we are welcomed into a large, forever family. Adoption not only gives us a new heavenly Father, but it also gives us a large, forever family of brothers and sisters.

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Adoption is a part of God’s plan of salvation to redeem all things back to His rightful rule, what the Bible calls the Kingdom of God, which is often taught through the imagery of a family (“familial imagery”). While we are not yet in God’s eternal Kingdom, which will be in the New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21-22), we are in the age of God’s grace when it is through the promises of the Holy Spirit that the Church, the adopted people of God who have been grafted into Israel, to declare and make known the Kingdom of God through the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in word and deed.

Until the Lord returns, this is our purpose as the children of God—the sons and daughters of the King of kings—with rights of inheritance to His presence, His power, and His promises! Amen!

Therefore, there is no reason to fear because you are no longer a slave to fear, but a son of God; you are a child of God with legal rights of inheritance to Jesus’ Victory! Paul proclaims in Galatians 4:4-7,

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

You are legally and forever adopted as a member of God’s household because of the plan of the Father, the provision of the Son, and the promise of the Holy Spirit! You are secured by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God! God lives in you—He has sealed you for the day of redemption, He has anointed you as His chosen possession, and He has given you power from the heavenlies to be His witnesses to all the wayward children of the nations.

You can listen to the message here:

You can watch this message by clicking HERE.

FOOTNOTES:

The Promise of Power Through the Holy Spirit!

Acts 1:8; Zechariah 4:6

This Week’s Memory Verse:   Acts 1:8

Who wouldn’t like some more power?      

Power to get up and face the day (Show the Energizer Bunny)                    

The world defines power (according to Merriam-Webster)

“a source or means of supplying energy; the ability to act or produce an effect; possession of control, authority or influence over others.”

The biblical word used in this specific verse is “dunamis” (doo-ni-mas), which means:

“a description of strength of mind; moral qualities of a person; an inner strength that does not come from or depend on outer things. This is how they will be able to show God to others through their lives.”

Growing up, my parents raised my two sisters and me to be able to do things on our own, to take the initiative to get things done (which took a lot of prodding at first), and to help others when needed, which they led by example. They had us in church, surrounded by people who encouraged us in our walk with Jesus, and showed us that they were to be serving others in love, as the Holy Spirit gave them the power and the strength that they needed to get it done.

I know it was God’s power through the Holy Spirit that was helping them to do this because they could not have done it on their own. They demonstrated to us that they were studying the playbook. In this day and age, we could say that we have an app for that…downloading and plugging in to the right source! But where the problem lies is that, just like a gym membership, it doesn’t work unless we use it or put it to work. The power of the Holy Spirit is not something you use in the case of an emergency. NO! We are to be allowing it to flow in and through our lives each and every day.

I trust you have been listening to Pastor Jerry’s messages the last two weeks. They are key to understanding the differences between being sealed, being anointed, and having the power of the Holy Spirit. Somehow, there has been confusion in the church and many have come to think that these are interchangeable, and that is not the case! They are all part of what He does in our lives so we can carry out God’s plan for our lives. Let’s dig into the playbook (the Bible) and see how these all can work together in our lives.

Today, we will cover

No excuses about fasting. I know some can’t fast from food because of medical conditions. Then fast from Facebook, or television or games on our phone, iPad, or gaming system. Spend that time reading your Bible, praying and journaling. If you can only fast one meal, then take that time to go out to your car and spend that time with God. This is a great way to set a new habit or routine, as some of the other things we do are distracting us from what God is trying to say to us that He wants us to do as believers.

IV. How does He ultimately bring glory to God?

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

Colossians 3:17

The Holy Spirit was moving upon Paul as he emphasized an important message. In his letters to the Corinthians and to the Colossians, he uses almost the same words. Not just some things, but everything, knowing that we are representing Jesus and giving glory and thanks to God. This can only be accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Left up to us, trying to do it in our own strength and power, usually ends up a train wreck!

The Holy Spirit is at work in our lives, pointing us to the example of Jesus and helping us become more like Him. Jesus never took credit for the miracles and wonders that He did, but rather always pointed people to give praise to His Father, God. And God loved us so much, that He sent His one and only Son to live among us and give His life for us. Then when He rose again, He ascended to the right hand of the Father to intercede for us, and the Holy Spirit came to comfort and guide us….see the wonderful cycle of love!

This is how we should live our lives…in the fullness of power through the Holy Spirit. This can only be done when we stay in the Word, discipline and train our hearts and minds, listen to the voice of God as He speaks to our hearts and then work together to build His kingdom, all to His glory.

I want to pray this blessing over you as we close out this message:

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13

You can listen to the message here:

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

“The Promise of an Anointing!”

1 John 2:20 (NAS95)

Last week, we learned that when you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you are sealed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of promise. This promise of a seal secures you in two things: 1) your identity as a child of God, and 2) your eternal life with God.

We are signed, sealed, and delivered in the Trinitarian fellowship of God because God has called us to be a part of His team to go into the world and represent Him—we are Image Bearers, ambassadors of Jesus Christ, messengers of His Gospel, ministers of reconciliation. People see God’s love in and through us because it is the Holy Spirit who verifies us as God’s Image Bearers. We are authenticated by the Holy Spirit, sealed for this purpose and anointed to do this very work.

We are now a part of God’s rescue mission and this week’s promise is an essential part of God’s plan of salvation. The play of the week is “The Promise of an Anointing!” The memory verse for this promise is 1 John 2:20, “You have an anointing from the Holy One.”

Let’s look at this promise in the context of 1 John 2:20-27:

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

To summarize, when you are anointed it means you are consecrated or set apart (chosen) as a person for a special work of God. Literally, you are declared holy by God. The anointing means that you have the presence and power of the Holy Spirit “abiding” in you. According to Peter in 2 Peter 1:3, the anointing is “His divine power [that] has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness.”

“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”

And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

This is Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit is the One who sees to the fulfillment of Jesus’ promises for God’s glory. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he stated in Philippians 2:13-16,

It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.

“Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

Why are you anointed with the Holy Spirit?  TO MAKE YOU BECOME…  It is the anointing of the Holy Spirit that fulfills in and through us the promise of Jesus Christ to all who follow Him! God is the means by which we can partner with Him to do His will for His glory! All glory to God!

Church, the question is not whether or not you are anointed, because it is impossible for you to be His Church apart from this promise! As a member of the Body of Christ, you are His anointed! 

The question is whether or not you are walking in the anointing and experiencing the fullness of the Holy Spirit in you! 

You can listen to this message from Pastor Jerry here:

Or you can watch the video by clicking Here.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), Ex 30:25.

The Promise of a Seal!

Ephesians 1:13c (NAS95)

Two weeks ago we celebrated Pentecost Sunday and the birth of the Church through the infilling of the Holy Spirit, which historically occurred fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection in order to further and more deeply imbed God’s salvific work through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit with God’s work through Israel. We discussed the ancient and biblical doctrine of salvation and the importance of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for eternal life. The Holy Spirit is an essential part of your salvation and today we are going to learn more.

The play of the week is “The Promise of a Seal!” The memory verse for this promise is Ephesians 1:13c, “You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.”

The sealing happens when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you have not yet received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are still dead in your sins and your spirit has not yet been quickened to life through this indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit in you. As Paul said in Romans 8:9-11,

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

To understand today’s memory verse, let’s study the context of Paul’s words from Ephesians 1:3-14,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

Amen! Let’s unpack this to reinforce the work of God in our salvation and what Paul is communicating to us about the partnership between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

What does it mean that the Holy Spirit seals us?

Here is a simple explanation of what a seal meant in Bible times. We all know that Jesus’ tomb was sealed. Matthew 27:66 describes, “And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.” The seal they set on the stone “refers to pressing wax or clay between the stone and the tomb entrance and then stamping it with an imperial insignia.”^[1] The seal on the tomb meant that if you rolled the stone away, you would incur the wrath of the Roman government. The stone blocked the way as it was heavy and cumbersome, but it was the power behind the seal that prevented people from removing the stone.

First, the promise of a seal secures our identity in Christ!

Think of all the software that’s out there that does facial recognition or thumbprint recognition. In the context of that image, it’s as if, when our identity is checked, the Holy Spirit’s presence in us allows us to be identified as Christ-like, and not as merely ourselves. We have the thumbprint of Christ in us because we have the Holy Spirit. Holiness is the Holy Spirit in you—God abiding in you—not that you are doing certain things, but that holy activities are flowing from God’s holy presence in you!

In 2 Corinthians 1:20-22

“For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”

The Holy Spirit in our lives is like the seal on milk or drinks, like the seal on medicine. You know it is what it is promised to be when it is sealed. If you find something not sealed, you question whether it is what it says it is or wonder whether it has been tampered with.

This is why we cannot live the Christian life apart from the seal of the Holy Spirit. Just as the gifts of the Spirit demonstrate our ministry, the fruit of the Spirit authenticates that we are in Christ Jesus.

Second, the promise of a seal secures your eternal life with God!

“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

When you think of the Holy Spirit, you can think of the mail or a carrier service you trust. We seal, address, and stamp a letter for the USPS expecting it to get to the address it was intended. It is a federal crime to tamper with the mail or impede its rightful delivery. A seal is a sign of both ownership and authorship! When something is sealed, you know who it came from and that they authored it.

The good news is that the Holy Spirit never misses a delivery! The seal of the Holy Spirit allows us to live with the security of God’s grace and love towards us in Christ Jesus! God is the author and finisher!  

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Our security in Christ is because of the promise of the seal, which happens at our conversion, when we enter into eternal life. We are safe in God! Not from bombs, gunmen, cancer, financial woes, family heartache, accidents, betrayals, or any other messes that occur by living in a broken world, but we are securely embraced by God through His redemption plan for His creation.

We are not only invited and welcomed into a relationship with the Triune God, but the triumphant work of the Holy Spirit is to authenticate God’s presence in our lives by putting His seal on us. We are now a part of God’s redemption plan and how we live our lives matters in God’s plan.

The blood of Jesus Christ has covered all of our sins for eternity (the payment is made!) and the Holy Spirit has sealed us for eternity (the guarantee is given!). It is done!

Why? Because the Holy Spirit as the seal of God’s promise proves we belong to God as His children and authenticates us as His approved representatives to the world. As Paul explained in 2 Corinthians 5:17-20,

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

The Holy Spirit is the visible sign that we belong to God. And we are sent by God to do His will; we are under His authority! The Holy Spirit is the sign—the seal—of the authority and power by which we are authorized, and through which we are empowered, to accomplish God’s will. We are bound together with God and with one another as the body of Christ through the seal of the Holy Spirit.

Over the next two weeks, we are going to learn that the promise of the seal of God goes hand in hand with God’s promises of anointing and power in the Christian life. As we progress in the sanctification process, we have greater awareness and access to the Holy Spirit as He is activated within us, more and more.

While it is important that we feel secure in God’s love because of the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we must know that our security is so that we can go out into the world and shine God’s light and love with anointing and power as His ambassadors—we are His messengers, His image bearers!

You can listen to this message from Pastor Jerry here:

Or you can watch the video by clicking Here.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), Mt 27:66.

The Promise of Partnership

Exekiel 22:30

I. Introduction to Partnership with God

Parents must be modeling Christ at home for their kids, otherwise church has little chance of getting through to them.

II. Jody Maddy, FBC Children’s Director

Our MISSION is to partner with parents to build a strong Biblical foundation in every child.

Mark 10:13-16 (NLT)

¹³ They brought little children to Jesus that He might put His hand on them. The followers spoke sharp words to those who brought them. ¹⁴ Jesus saw this and was angry with the followers. He said, “Let the little children come to Me. Do not stop them. The holy nation of God is made up of ones like these. ¹⁵ For sure, I tell you, whoever does not receive the holy nation of God as a little child does not go into it.” ¹⁶ He took the children in His arms. He put His hands on them and prayed that good would come to them.

III. Kevin King, FBC Youth Director

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

¹² Don’t let anyone despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.

Jody comments on a recent DtL Café that Kevin held with a Sci-fi theme.

God wants to partner with us so that we can share in the joy of partnering with Him!

IV. In Conclusion

³⁰ I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one.

How does God want you to partner with Him to share the Gospel?

You can listen to this message from Kevin & Jody here:

Or you can watch the video by clicking Here.

The Promise of the Holy Spirit!

  John 14:26 (NAS95)

Reader: Acts 2:1-13.

It’s Pentecost Sunday and today we are going to learn about the importance of not only the historical event of Pentecost as just read in Acts 2, but also of the ongoing promise of the Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ gave us.

The play of the week is “The Promise of the Holy Spirit!” The memory verse for this promise is John 14:26,

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

I want you to listen to Jesus’ clear teaching on the Holy Spirit so that you can hear this promise in the fullness of Jesus’ teaching. From John 14:16-31 Jesus taught,

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.”

Jesus gave us this clear teaching, along with other teachings, on the Holy Spirit. From Acts 1:4-5, immediately before His ascension to the right hand of the Father (please listen to last week’s sermon if you have not yet listened to that important teaching on the Ascension of Jesus Christ), Jesus promised that His followers would be baptized in the Spirit:

“Gathering them together, [Jesus] commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ‘Which,’ He said, ‘you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’”

This is not the first time the followers of Jesus heard this invitation to be baptized in the Spirit because the baptism of the Spirit is not a secondary event to salvation itself, it is the very nature of salvation itself—the Spirit of God is our inheritance—the presence and power of God dwelling in us, the Giver of new life transforming us into a Temple of the Holy Spirit and inviting us into the eternal fellowship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by allowing us to participate in His divine nature. This is what it means to have salvation and it should never be reduced to some secondary work of sanctification in our lives. The Son removed our sins from us through His sacrificial death on the Cross so that God could live in us through His Spirit!

From the beginning of the New Testament, the baptism of the Holy Spirit was distinguished apart from the baptism of John. John the Baptist’s baptism was a means of preparation for the coming of the Lord, a purification of oneself in preparation for the coming of the Lord in Christ Jesus. Listen to John the Baptist make this distinction in Matthew 3:11,

“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (cf. Mark 1:7-8 & Luke 3:16).

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the baptism of Jesus, which is the only form of New Covenant baptism that Jesus commanded His disciples to conduct immediately before His ascension to the right hand of the Father when He gave us the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

This issue is often confused by people misapplying the early church history book of Acts. The early church leaders dealt with this confusion, making a distinction between the baptism of John and the baptism in Jesus’ name. Acts 11:15-18 is a powerful illustration of the importance of understanding how yoked our justification in Christ is with the baptism of the Spirit. Listen to Peter give a first-hand witness of the work of the Spirit after Pentecost and in the early church among non-Jewish people, called Gentiles:

“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”

Pentecost is both a one-time historical event recorded in Acts 2 and the beginning of the age of the Church—the promised fulfillment of Jesus Christ who fulfilled the Old and ushered in the New Covenant, to which the baptism of the Spirit is a fulfillment of God’s promise to His people from Joel 2:28-32:

It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as the Lord has said, Even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.

We will be in the age of Pentecost until we experience the fulfillment of God’s Word and the return of Jesus.

Until that Day, we are to walk in the Spirit. As we learned last week, the ministry of the ascended Lord Jesus Christ, right now, is to intercede for us at the right hand of the Father until He returns. Simultaneously, the Father and Son have baptized us with the Spirit so that our eternity would be secured and we would carry in our very person the same anointing that the Messiah Himself had: the Spirit of the Living God! The same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in you and me—the Resurrection power of God is in us!

Paul teaches us in Galatians 5:16-26 what it means to live our lives in the Spirit:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

When the power of the risen Christ comes upon the Church of Jesus Christ through the promised coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is keeping His promise to His followers that He will always be with us and that we will become like Him. Jesus’ ascension did not leave us alone in this world. He promised to not leave us as orphans and He kept His word!

God came upon His church at Pentecost in a new and different way than Jesus’ incarnation at Christmas. We don’t live in the age of Christmas where Jesus’ uniquely incarnated God’s Presence on earth; rather, we live in the age of Pentecost where God now incarnates in each of us through His Spirit living in us. Jesus has ascended and will come again, but until that time, the Spirit of the Living God indwells the Church of Jesus Christ in fulfillment of the words of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ and the earliest church teachings.

God is with us! We are not left as orphans! The promise of the Holy Spirit is ours in His fullness!

“This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.”

God is with us through His presence and power living in us! May God be exalted in and through His Church!

As we move to prepare ourselves to respond to this message and invite the Spirit of the Living God to move upon us and work in our hearts and minds, allow me to pray over you the ancient prayer of the Apostle Paul from Ephesians 3:14-21:

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

You can listen to this message from Pastor Jerry here:

Or you can watch the video by clicking Here.

The Promise of Intercession!

Romans 8:34b (NAS95)

Read: Acts 1:1-11.

Where is Jesus? Right now, where is Jesus and in what state does He exist and what is He doing? Has Jesus returned to a pre-incarnate Spirit-state? Does He live in your heart? For that matter, where and what is Heaven and what would it even mean if Jesus was there right now?

“Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”

In Tuesday’s daily devotional phone call based on Genesis 31 I asked if God still intervenes for His people today as we saw Him do over and over again in the Bible. The answer is a resounding yes—absolutely! The primary way God does it is through today’s promise: God’s intervention is through Jesus’ intercession and that is only possible because of the ascension!

Right now, Jesus is at the right hand of God, in the throne room of Heaven, praying for you! Ascension Day is the crowning event of the ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but is often hidden in the shadow of our proclamation of His crucifixion and resurrection.

We skip over the triumphant reality of Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of the Father, yet we declare His imminent return in the second coming of Jesus Christ. We leave the “where is He now” and “what is He doing in this present age” kind of unclear. Right now, at the right hand of God, Jesus is praying for you! Here is another way of talking about this: The Holy Spirit, who dwells in you, and Jesus, who is at the right of the Father in Heaven, are speaking with one another and with the Father about you. God exists in a perfect relationship with perfect communication for His glory and our good, for eternity.

Today, I want to teach you the importance of Jesus’ ascension so that you can live with even greater confidence in your daily prayer life and the promises of God for His intervention in your life.

“And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.”

“So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.”

“By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”

On the fortieth day after Easter, Jesus ascended (bodily rose, “taken up in glory”) to heaven before His disciples’ very eyes. Jesus did not leave behind his physical body, resurrected in the flesh, glorified in the Spirit, so that He could take His place at the right hand of the Father. No, very importantly, Jesus in His glorified and resurrected flesh, is now at the right hand of God, praying for us!

The ascension is filled with theological significance and practical implications for our faith and practice.

First, for our faith in Jesus and His Kingdom rule, Jesus’ ascension demonstrates the fulfillment of the messianic prophecy—Jesus’ rule will never end. Listen to the ancient prophecy of Daniel 7:13-14:

I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.

Hebrews 1:1-4 affirms Jesus’ fulfillment of this prophecy:

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

What does it mean that Jesus “sat down at the right hand”? It means that Jesus has the respect and authority of the Sovereign! To be at the right hand is to be the trusted agent of the will of the King. Heaven is the control room of creation from which the Sovereign Creator rules over all things in heaven and earth. Do you know the awesome news? God’s control room is one day coming to earth in the New Heaven & Earth.

Jesus has the authority of Heaven in earthly and heavenly affairs. From 1 Peter 3:22, Peter declares that Jesus “is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him” (cf. Ephesians 1:18-23; Philippians 2:9-11).

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Our relationship with God and our work for Jesus in His Church rest in His rightful authority, not in the authority of any man or denomination. Living and working under rightful authority (headship) is an essential reality and one that God cares very deeply about—not just for His Son, but for all of His children and all of creation, for all time.

Are you living under the authority of Jesus Christ? How far reaching are the implications to your answer?

Second, Jesus’s ascension to the right hand of God is a guarantee of our own bodily resurrection. Our hope is not simply in this life, but for eternal life; Jesus’ resurrection and ascension are essential to our hope and critical to our understanding of this body and its future, along with all creation, in the New Heaven & Earth.

All who are in Christ Jesus are promised participants in His ascension. Paul states this in Ephesians 2:4-7,

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”

We are no longer bound to this earth, our place in Heaven is already being prepared for us. Speaking of His own future ascension in John 14:1-3, Jesus taught us how this is important for all those who follow Him:

Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 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.

These are the comforting words of Jesus Christ, made possible through His ascension. We can share these words with others because we know Jesus is alive, ascended to the right hand of God, in a place of authority.

Third, Jesus’ ascension means that the One who rules with such great authority from Heaven, prays for us based on His firsthand human experience of temptation and suffering upon the earth.

We don’t have a distant God, but a personal One. The Bible teaches us this in Hebrews 4:14-16,

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus prays for us continually and His prayers are effective, not only because of Jesus’ authority, but also because of the intimate knowledge of Jesus’ experiences as a person who walked on the earth!

So don’t feel guilty and heavy-burdened if your prayer life is lacking, just remember to never stop starting in your conversation with Jesus, who is already praying for you. What a powerful truth that fuels my prayer life with desire to be with this God who loves me and gave Himself for me. In fact, our very prayer lives are empowered by the presence of God in us, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We are joining in the conversation between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Prayer is sharing in God’s eternal community.

“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

In conclusion and in preparation for next Sunday’s celebration of Pentecost Sunday, with the ascension of Jesus Christ, the stage is set for the miracle of Pentecost, when the power of the risen Christ comes upon the Church of Jesus Christ through the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is keeping His promise to His followers that He will always be with us. Jesus’ ascension does not leave us alone in this world.

“This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.”

God is with us through His presence and power living in us! May God be exalted in and through His Church!

You can listen to the message here:

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

The Promise of Comfort!

Isaiah 66:13a (NAS95)

In this sermon series, we are learning how to live like a champion by learning how to live according to the victory of the promises of God. Our guiding image for this series is being a member of an NFL team who wins the Superbowl. We live like champions so that others will come to know the One who gave us His Victory—Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and coming again!

“As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you.”

To comfort means to alleviate sorrow; to relieve distress; to give emotional strength to. To comfort someone is an activity of love from one person to another. I want you to hang on to this definition and understanding of comfort because while this is a divine promise of God, it is one that God incarnates to us and then between us, from one person to another!

A prime example of this is found in motherhood! The love of a mother is great and we celebrate such a love on this day—Mother’s Day! A special, heart-felt blessing over all of our moms.

PRAY OVER AND BLESS ALL THE MOMS, COMFORT THOSE WHO WANTED TO BE MOMS AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE TRYING, CALL FORTH SPIRITUAL MOTHERHOOD THROUGH MENTORSHIP/ADOPTION/FOSTER CARE, AND GRIEVE FOR THOSE MOMS WHO ARE NO LONGER WITH US OR WHO WERE ABSENT.

While we could spend this entire service testifying to the great comfort and sacrificial love of many women as moms, I want to return our eyes to God, the author of all comfort, who loves us with a perfect love.  

In Isaiah 49:15-16a, God says His love is more powerful than even that of a mother’s love for her children: “Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands…”

Can you imagine that? What love! What compassion!

I hope it is not lost on you that Isaiah, the prophet who was used by God to clearly communicate the coming Messiah, was also the prophet who spoke so convincingly of God’s comfort. Listen to two samples:

“But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.”

This is the gospel ministry of Jesus Christ through men and women, alike. We are to extend to one another the same nurture and love, the same compassion and mercy, the same gentleness and grace as a mother to her child.

We are to do for others what the three persons of the Triune God has done for us!

This is the love that God first gave us and this is the love that will transform the world.

You can listen to the message here:

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

The Promise of Being Discipled

Mark 1:17 (NAS95)

In this sermon series, we are learning how to live like a champion by learning how to live according to the victory of the promises of God. Our guiding image for this series is being a member of an NFL team who wins the Superbowl. We live like champions so that others will come to know the One who gave us His Victory—Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and coming again!

“And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’”

You are invited!

Everything pertaining to life and godliness, to wholeness and holiness, comes down to hearing this invitation. Not just a once-upon-a-time invitation commonly called justification or being saved, but the every-day-every-moment invitations which are the call of the Spirit for our sanctification.

Our responsibility is to listen for the call of Jesus to “Follow Me” and then respond with integrity.  

The promise of being discipled is a promise that you never again have to do life by yourself. Jesus is inviting you to do life with Him, for eternity, which, oh by the way, includes every day of this life.

You are invited!

The life of a Christian is a lifestyle defined and determined by the response to this invitation—an invitation that is ongoing in the Christian’s life. Salvation is an all-encompassing reality—it may begin with your initial acceptance of this invitation and end with the fulfillment of it, but it also shapes your daily life.

Are you hearing God’s invitations in your everyday life to follow Him and become like Him in everything you do?

“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

That is a promise! Salvation is an ongoing work and your part is to respond to the invitation to follow Jesus and trust that He will keep His promises. This is the life of believing God!

“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.”

You are to learn all that Jesus Christ wants you to learn because we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2)!

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.”

You are to do all that Jesus wants you to do because as a fisher of people you are taking on Jesus’ mission to make disciples of all nations—His ambassador; His witness; His light in the darkness!

The promise of being discipled is the promise of becoming like Jesus Christ in your very character—gentle and humble in heart—and conformed to His Image as God intended you from the beginning. Paul said in Romans 8:29-30, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

You are to become all Jesus wants you to be! You are a redeemed Image Bearer of God!

The promise of being discipled is the promise of the Holy Spirit producing fruit on your branch and demonstrating to the world that you are His and represent Him. Jesus said in John 15:8-11,

My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 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. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

You are the dwelling place of God on this earth—a temple of the Holy Spirit—and a holy priesthood mediating God’s presence. Until He makes all things new, you are His new creation upon this earth.

All of these are the promises of being discipled—the work of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

With all of these promises of God, you only have one calling—one praxis that you are responsible for in this great exchange! We call it living by faith!

“His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence”

Now that you know what God has promised to do with you and in you and for you, let’s now focus on the invitation of this promise: You are invited to trust God by following Jesus!

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

Jesus’ invitations to “Follow Me” and to “Come to Me” are the same call with the same promise of God. The Greek word δεῦτε is a translation of the important Hebrew word הלך (hālakh). For the Jewish people, this Hebrew word took on the meaning of habitually practicing or walking in a certain lifestyle as the way of fulfilling God’s invitation of covenant relationship.

Listen to how this concept is built into the covenant call of Isaiah 2:1-5:

The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths’ [italics added]. For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war. Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the Lord [italics added].

Based on Jesus’ word choice, this invitation to “Follow” or “Come” is not a one-time action, but an ongoing journey of following Jesus through the “habitual practice” of His way of life. This is a word the Jewish rabbis used when inviting students to learn their teaching of Torah and walk in their way of fulfilling the Mosaic Law. Jesus was being very intentional in His invitation; He was essentially saying—I am the way!

This was unmistakable to His original audience, which is why Jesus was so controversial! But such nuances are easily missed by us today: Jesus was directly aligning Himself to the ancient promises of Yahweh’s redeemed rule over all nations and the Messiah’s eternal reign over all of God’s creation.

“All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

You are invited! Yes, this is an invitation that each of must decide how we will respond once and for all, but it also an invitation for each and every moment of our everyday lives. This is the way!

In Christ’s mind, the mind of God, your invitation to salvation, “Follow Me,” comes with everything you need for life and godliness, wholeness and holiness. It includes your call to not only becoming like Him, but to also partner with Him in the mission of Jesus Christ. Because there is only one invitation, one calling, and it is for each of us to answer. It is the invitation to faith, trusting that He will do the rest so that you can find rest for your soul.

You can listen to the message here:

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

“The Promise of Joy”

John 15:9-17 (NLT)

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.

This Week’s Memory verse: John 15:11:

INTRODUCTION:

Minister and author Samuel D. Gordon says joy is defined as:

“distinctly a Christian word and a Christian thing. It is the reverse of happiness. Happiness is the result of what happens of an agreeable sort. Joy has its springs deep down inside. And that spring never runs dry, to matter what happens. Only Jesus gives that joy. He had joy, singing its music within, even under the shadow of the cross.” (from his ‘Quiet Talks’ series of books)

I. I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy Joy Down in My Heart!

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (ESV)

^“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”

~Be Alert

~Be faithful

~Be a mature adult

~Be strong

~Be loving (do all in love…EVERYTHING)

Motivational speaker and author Jim Rohn made this statement regarding love and joy and how they work together:

“Nothing can bring more joy to life than beautifully fulfilling relationships.”

II. The Joy Source

John 15:11

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

But also demonstrates who is our source.

“The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.”

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon

WHY? So it would be a testimony to others who are watching!

III. Is Joy conditional?

“ Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”

(ESV) says to “count it all joy…when trials come~grumblings, murmuring, sarcasm?

Shannon, Kenny & Kenton Rose. One of my ‘kids’ in youth group and close with whole family. (Easter 2021)

Her momma wrote: Don’t think for one second that because she is sweet and compassionate that she is weak. Oh No! This girl can break a horse, train a dog, drive a boat, pull a four horse trailer and back it up wherever it needs to go. She can load and unload 50 bales of hay without complaint….She is strong and she is a fighter… She recently received a diagnosis of metastatic cancer in her breast, ovary, and a 5.9cm tumor in the bone of her shoulder. She is currently having a bone scan to see if the cancer has “camped” anywhere else. During this most devastating news, she has maintained her resolve to do whatever it takes to be victorious in this journey.

She has not let this diagnosis steal her joy. She was asked to be a part of a clinical trial study at Duke Cancer Institute that is showing great promise.

Quote from Kenny when I told him our church would be praying: Ken, Thank you buddy! We are giving this to God daily and trusting in him for healing! Thank you for the prayers! I’m believing that this will become a beautiful story to help someone down the road!

They are facing this trial knowing that through it all, God will be glorified.

“And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

Nehemiah was there to encourage the people.

Not to be a ‘Debbie Downer’ or a ‘Negative Nancy’

Recently while listening to KLOVE radio, the hosts of the afternoon show were talking about having a good time, laughing and enjoying time together when someone came in and they were in a bad mood. They had a choice to let that person influence them, or they could try to encourage and boost the spirits of that person.

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

CONCLUSION:

God’s Word tells us in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can separate us from His love, but He still gives us the choice in what we are going to do with it. What are you going to choose to do with it?

We are told that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45), so are your words reflecting His love for Him and for others?

Child’s song: Jesus and Others and You

In this self-centered, me first, and what’s in it for me world we live in, it is our job to shine the light of God’s love and joy. They have to see the hope, the grace and the mercy that flows out of God’s love. And it must be shown in the way we live our lives. We can say it all we want, but unless we show it in our actions, all we are is noise makers.

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

So as the worship team comes, we are going to open up the altars.

• Maybe you have lost your joy. Jesus wants to meet you here and restore the joy of your salvation (process we have to work on daily…justification, sanctification, glorification)
• Maybe you are feeling weak from all the things the world has been throwing at you lately. Jesus wants to meet you here and let you know that His Joy will be your strength as you cast all your cares on Him.
• Maybe the devil has put a cork in your fountain of joy by filling your mind with distractions and lies. Jesus wants you to let go and let God do the work in you!

“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”

He is calling forth a team to go out and share this message of joy that this world so desperately needs!

You can listen to the message here:

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.