WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Core Strength Workout - Joy Publishing Date: 2024-09-01T06:04:44-07:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/core-strength-workout-joy/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:18.040 All righty. One of the core strengths that we have to develop is joy. And so I want to 00:00:18.040 --> 00:00:26.360 talk about that today. That's as bland an introduction as I can give. So that's where 00:00:26.360 --> 00:00:36.600 we'll start. So the ultimate purpose, the ultimate purpose of God, the ultimate purpose of God, 00:00:36.600 --> 00:00:55.600 in everything he does, in everything he does, is threefold. First one is he makes his glory 00:00:55.760 --> 00:01:09.160 known or makes his splendor, his weight, his magnificence, his kindness, just everything 00:01:09.160 --> 00:01:14.720 together. He makes his glory known. That's one of the things you'll notice about anything he does. 00:01:14.720 --> 00:01:23.040 The ultimate purpose of God in all his works, you almost always contain these three things. First, 00:01:23.080 --> 00:01:46.600 he makes his glory known. Two, he wants it to be full of joy. And three, he makes all things new. 00:01:46.600 --> 00:01:59.760 These are three things you'll find in all his work, see? We don't think that, we don't think 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:05.240 much of joy because, partly because it's not so much a part of our human experience or Christian 00:02:05.240 --> 00:02:12.000 experience. But these are three things that God really focuses on. One, he makes his glory known. 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:20.840 In everything he does, he makes his glory known. Two, whatever he does is just gorged with joy, 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:29.000 filled with joy. Everything he does. And we'll talk about that. And third, he makes all things new. 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:36.920 The ultimate purpose of God in all his works will contain this. Everything he does will contain this. 00:02:36.920 --> 00:02:49.240 Any pushback on that? Any questions on that? In everything he does, these three will be there. 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:57.280 The question is, in everything I do, are these three things there? If I'm supposed to be an 00:02:57.280 --> 00:03:06.200 imitator of Christ, are these things there? He makes his glory known. He wants everything 00:03:06.200 --> 00:03:16.120 he does to be full of joy. He makes all things new. Eden was called Eden because it meant delight 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:29.320 or pleasure. Judgment is always towards maturity and correction so that we partake 00:03:29.320 --> 00:03:33.800 in his divine nature, part of which is this amazing thing called joy. 00:03:33.800 --> 00:03:54.120 Okay. So we'll focus on joy today because we've dealt with the other two in the past. So we don't 00:03:54.120 --> 00:04:01.360 realize that his kind of joy is infinite joy. So there's no limit to it. Infinite joy is a 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:21.080 characteristic of heaven and of God. Infinite joy. So this is why the idea of heaven is a place 00:04:21.080 --> 00:04:27.440 where there is no sorrow, there are no tears, there is no fear, there is no mourning. That was 00:04:27.440 --> 00:04:34.400 the intent in Eden and that is the intent that awaits us in heaven and earth recreated. It's a 00:04:34.400 --> 00:04:40.040 place of infinite joy. Now do you see why in Luke chapter 2, 14, what are the angels announced when 00:04:40.040 --> 00:04:50.280 Christ is born? I bring you tidings of great joy. I bring you tidings of great joy. It wasn't even 00:04:50.280 --> 00:04:56.640 some half-baked joy. I bring you tidings of great joy. With the coming of Christ is the 00:04:56.800 --> 00:05:05.040 reintroduction of this thing called joy, which surprisingly we don't have buckets of. It's not 00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:12.960 a practice for us humans, leave alone, I mean us Christians, leave alone us humans. Psalm 45, 00:05:12.960 --> 00:05:24.360 verse 7. So that's Luke 2, 14. Psalm 45, verse 7. I have anointed you. It talks about Jesus being 00:05:24.360 --> 00:05:32.200 anointed with the oil of joy and then he goes on and says in Isaiah 61 that I will give you the oil 00:05:32.200 --> 00:05:39.320 of joy instead of mourning. Isaiah 61, verse 3. And he suddenly realized that joy is something that 00:05:39.320 --> 00:05:46.480 is placed in us by the Holy Spirit because the word anointing and oil is often connected to the 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:53.640 Spirit of God and in Psalm 45, verse 7, God is saying, listen Jesus, I have anointed you with the 00:05:53.640 --> 00:06:02.120 oil of joy. Your gladness is beyond your companions. There's nobody like you. You are joyful and if 00:06:02.120 --> 00:06:06.840 Jesus was a visible image of the invisible God, then we need to realize that we are actually 00:06:06.840 --> 00:06:17.000 children of one who is the most irrepressible joyful being on earth. It's such a part of his 00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:27.000 nature that I feel bad that I don't reflect it. He's the most joyful being on earth, which is why 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:33.880 the face probably has more muscles than any other part of the body, but they are the most unused 00:06:33.880 --> 00:06:44.200 muscles in the body. Try this, huh? Try this. All of us. There you go. That's 18 muscles working there. 00:06:45.160 --> 00:06:46.440 Just in that one smile. 00:06:49.320 --> 00:06:56.920 Tony, just forward working there man. Go a little wider. There you go. So it's fascinating. Joy is 00:06:56.920 --> 00:07:03.240 not smiling by the way. So don't, let's not exchange it for a few ha ha ha's. Yeah, that's not what joy 00:07:03.240 --> 00:07:11.560 is. But at the end of the day, this is something that is so God that you can't understand why it's 00:07:11.640 --> 00:07:24.840 so not his children. Matthew 25-21. What's the reward of faithfulness? What's the reward for 00:07:24.840 --> 00:07:31.400 faithfulness? He says, well done good and faithful servant. Enter into what? Enter into the joy of 00:07:31.400 --> 00:07:39.080 your master. I mean, it's part of the reward man. Every time you're faithful, you enter into the 00:07:39.080 --> 00:07:49.400 joy of the master, not praise the Lord, the joy of the master. I mean, yeah, I think I told you that 00:07:49.400 --> 00:07:55.640 one, right? A worship leader who did a really good job and he was going back to his seat and there 00:07:55.640 --> 00:08:01.960 was this guest speaker and the guest speaker turned to the worship leader and said, that was amazing 00:08:01.960 --> 00:08:06.920 worship. And the worship leader said, praise the Lord, it was all God. So the guest speaker said, 00:08:06.920 --> 00:08:13.560 it wasn't that good. It takes a little time to settle in, but it's a pretty good one. Yeah. 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:23.960 It's just like the other one. They call 911 to, because someone died in the church and it took 00:08:23.960 --> 00:08:29.160 them 10 minutes to find the person. That's another, that kind of joke. It takes a little while to 00:08:29.160 --> 00:08:36.600 settle in. It's really good. I like both of them. May that never happen here. 00:08:40.360 --> 00:08:41.640 Romans 14 20. 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:51.400 You know, any joke I crack today will fly because after what Brandon did, anything is better. 00:08:51.400 --> 00:08:52.680 Yeah. 00:08:54.280 --> 00:08:56.760 Romans 14 20. Kingdom living, 00:08:58.520 --> 00:09:09.400 kingdom living according to Romans 14 20 is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 00:09:09.960 --> 00:09:14.120 It's something that was supposed to be part and parcel of my present day living. 00:09:15.640 --> 00:09:16.680 Nehemiah 8 10. 00:09:17.080 --> 00:09:23.000 Nehemiah 8 10. It says, and here's the context. The word was being read out to the entire 00:09:23.000 --> 00:09:28.600 congregation while they're reading it out. People are convicted. People are convicted of how they've 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:34.120 walked, how they've sinned. And they begin to grieve and mourn. And when they're grieving and 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:41.000 mourning in the middle of it, Nehemiah says, listen, do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your 00:09:41.400 --> 00:09:51.320 strength. That's the context. It wasn't spoken to a people who were doing well. It was spoken to a 00:09:51.320 --> 00:09:56.840 people who were mourning and grieving because of the word being read to them and them being convicted 00:09:56.840 --> 00:10:02.920 of their sin. That's the context in which it is spoken. And yet what does God say to them? Hey, 00:10:02.920 --> 00:10:09.080 do not grieve. Today is a day of joy and the joy of the Lord is your strength. 00:10:09.960 --> 00:10:16.040 That in rejoicing in God lies your strength. It's supposed to be part and parcel of our lives, 00:10:16.040 --> 00:10:23.640 but like I keep repeating, it just doesn't seem so. Any questions? 00:10:23.640 --> 00:10:34.600 Why is there a book dedicated to lamentations? Because Jeremiah's heart breaks about the plight 00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:44.200 of Israel, a nation reduced to rubble as exiles in Babylon. And he just laments about it and says, 00:10:44.200 --> 00:10:50.920 oh God, when will you turn and relent? And so we'll find that when we talk about joy, 00:10:50.920 --> 00:10:57.400 there are times when joy is bringing back sheaves of harvest. There are other times when joy is 00:10:57.400 --> 00:11:06.360 grieving through the night. And in the midst of weeping, you begin to still know that come 00:11:06.360 --> 00:11:16.280 morning there will be joy because there is God. So that's why we shouldn't connect joy to the kind 00:11:16.280 --> 00:11:21.240 of joy that we expect with a few ha ha ha's. That isn't what it is. And we'll talk about that. 00:11:22.680 --> 00:11:30.680 I mean, you've heard of people who lost their dad and mom and yet have the ability to stand the next 00:11:30.680 --> 00:11:37.400 day and talk about how they maintain their joy in God, lost their children, maintain their joy in God. 00:11:37.400 --> 00:11:45.800 How is that even humanly possible? And so we'll talk about how we need to disconnect it from 00:11:45.800 --> 00:11:52.040 happiness and how it is connected to happiness and how there will be times when in the midst 00:11:52.040 --> 00:11:56.680 of grieving, I must maintain this amazing thing called joy. And how do we go about that? 00:11:57.640 --> 00:12:05.480 It's a core essential for Christians, core essential. Would you say we lack it? I would say I like it. 00:12:05.480 --> 00:12:16.200 You know, if you married someone who was just hilariously happy 00:12:17.720 --> 00:12:22.200 and you weren't, can you imagine how difficult a car ride to Kelowna would be? 00:12:24.600 --> 00:12:26.440 I'd just take short trips to the airport. 00:12:29.080 --> 00:12:34.920 That's how it is sometimes for God. Oh my God, he does sing goodness of God, but boy, 00:12:34.920 --> 00:12:38.360 on long trips, he can be the sourest Christian in the world. 00:12:41.240 --> 00:12:46.280 What does it mean to be joyful? How do we develop it? Any other questions before we move on? 00:12:49.800 --> 00:12:56.760 Okay, so how do we develop and walk in this core strength? Where do I start? 00:12:56.760 --> 00:13:03.480 Where do I start? Okay. Guys, this is something that we all have to kind of learn by heart. I exist 00:13:04.600 --> 00:13:12.520 for the glory of God. That's where we start. I exist for the glory of God. I exist. Brandon, 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:17.480 can you fix this? You fix other things. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. 00:13:17.480 --> 00:13:21.480 I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. 00:13:21.480 --> 00:13:26.840 I exist. Brandon, can you fix this? You fix other things. 00:13:34.600 --> 00:13:40.200 It's not writing. I exist for the glory of God. I exist for the glory of God. 00:13:41.960 --> 00:13:49.400 Or in other words, how I live makes God look great or not great. I exist for the glory of God. 00:13:49.400 --> 00:13:56.040 So how I live makes God look great or not great. You exist for the glory of God. 00:13:57.160 --> 00:14:03.000 How you live makes God look great or not great. I mean, when you die, okay, just remember this 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:07.320 when you die. When you're dying and you know you've got an hour or two left before you enter the 00:14:07.320 --> 00:14:13.480 presence of God, show them how much you look forward to heaven. Tell them, stop weeping. 00:14:13.560 --> 00:14:18.760 I'm going to this awesome place. You don't know how life-changing it is when people die, 00:14:18.760 --> 00:14:23.480 when people around them look at them and say, oh shucks, this guy really doesn't have a problem 00:14:23.480 --> 00:14:27.240 dying. Do you know how many people have a problem dying? I'm talking about Christians. 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:32.280 This is just death advice in advance. Yeah. 00:14:43.560 --> 00:14:50.840 I exist for the glory of God. And so how I live makes a big difference. This is why Jesus said 00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:58.280 in Matthew 5 16, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works 00:14:58.280 --> 00:15:04.520 and glorify the father. First Peter 2 12 says the same thing. First Peter 2 12. First Peter 2 12. 00:15:07.560 --> 00:15:08.760 First Peter 2 12. 00:15:13.480 --> 00:15:20.120 First Peter 2 12 says, live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing 00:15:20.120 --> 00:15:27.240 wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. So here's the thing 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:35.720 though, if you want to exist for the glory of God, then God will only look great. God will only look 00:15:36.680 --> 00:15:43.080 great if you enjoy him, 00:15:46.040 --> 00:15:48.440 if you are thrilled with him, 00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:57.640 if you are satisfied in him. 00:15:57.640 --> 00:16:00.120 Say la. 00:16:03.640 --> 00:16:10.440 It's very natural because all enjoyment spontaneously flows into some expression of praise. 00:16:10.440 --> 00:16:16.840 All enjoyment spontaneously flows into some expression of praise. C.S. Lewis put it this way, 00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:22.680 that lovers praise their love, readers praise their books, tourists praise their scenery, 00:16:22.680 --> 00:16:25.960 fans praise their favorite player. At the end of the day, 00:16:28.200 --> 00:16:34.840 anytime someone actually enjoys something, it spontaneously overflows into praise. So this, 00:16:36.040 --> 00:16:42.520 we need to park it for a couple of minutes. God will only look great. Your cat will only look 00:16:42.520 --> 00:16:48.600 great. Your house will only look great. Whatever you want to talk about, want to express, want to 00:16:48.600 --> 00:16:54.040 make look great, you have to have these three things happen. You have to enjoy God, you have 00:16:54.040 --> 00:16:59.240 to be thrilled with him, you have to be satisfied with him. As we put these sentences on the board, 00:16:59.240 --> 00:17:09.800 you realize that this may not be our condition. And now you realize why you can't seem to be 00:17:09.800 --> 00:17:17.160 able to participate or engage with God. And it's okay to realize that. Everything has to have a 00:17:17.160 --> 00:17:27.480 starting point. You need a fire only if you know you're cold. And so this is the place that I have 00:17:27.480 --> 00:17:34.120 to look at and say, ah shucks, yes there are times where I can weep, singing, goodness of God, 00:17:34.680 --> 00:17:41.640 in corporate times of worship. But father, is this true of me on a regular basis? Do I enjoy you? 00:17:42.600 --> 00:17:49.000 Not do I worship you, not do I serve you, not do I follow you, not do I obey you, but do I enjoy you? 00:17:50.360 --> 00:17:59.080 And the answer is not consciously, unless there's something Christian that triggers it. 00:18:03.320 --> 00:18:06.920 Am I thrilled with him when he answers my prayers? 00:18:06.920 --> 00:18:15.560 Am I satisfied in him? Not like a man who is in the desert who's satisfied with water. 00:18:18.840 --> 00:18:26.280 This is why both, this is why Jesus said it first. You should read John 17, 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:36.200 four. Try reading it from the, John 17, 13. Try reading it from the passion translation. 00:18:37.720 --> 00:18:43.000 John 17, 13. If you have that translation, try reading it from it, otherwise I'll read it up. 00:18:44.360 --> 00:18:45.800 John 17, 13. 00:18:52.280 --> 00:18:56.120 And this is what Jesus is saying. This is when he's praying that prayer before leaving the earth. 00:18:56.680 --> 00:19:01.800 He prays, and this is what he says, but now I'm returning to you. He's talking to the father, 00:19:01.800 --> 00:19:08.840 but now I'm returning to you. So father, I pray that they will experience and enter into my joyous 00:19:08.840 --> 00:19:14.920 delight in you so that it is fulfilled in them, and it overflows beautifully. But now I'm returning 00:19:14.920 --> 00:19:23.480 to you. So father, I pray that they, as in you and I, will experience and enter into my joyous delight 00:19:23.480 --> 00:19:32.280 in you so that it is fulfilled in them, and it overflows. It's this that A.W. Tozer took and then 00:19:33.560 --> 00:19:40.520 Piper took, and they coined this simple phrase which in the context makes a lot of sense. 00:19:41.080 --> 00:19:45.800 God is most glorified 00:19:49.160 --> 00:20:01.960 in me when I am most satisfied in him. 00:20:02.600 --> 00:20:09.080 God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in him. 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:16.360 That the more I am satisfied with something, the more I'll talk about it, the more it thrills me, 00:20:16.360 --> 00:20:23.800 the more I'll be caught up in it. And in the process, the more I'm satisfied with something, 00:20:23.800 --> 00:20:29.080 the more it will be magnified through me. The more I'm satisfied with something, the more 00:20:29.640 --> 00:20:39.080 I'll magnify it. You talk to Derek, you'll hear about Liverpool. You talk to Xavier, you won't 00:20:39.080 --> 00:20:47.080 hear about Manchester United. You'll hear about Volkswagen maybe. It depends who you talk to. 00:20:48.840 --> 00:20:52.280 You'll begin to hear what they are most satisfied with. 00:20:55.400 --> 00:20:56.280 Any questions on this? 00:20:59.800 --> 00:21:07.160 And this is where we find us, hey, George Ann, do you want a baby? Okay, let's just pray. 00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:14.840 Father, we just bring George and Ann to you right now, and we just ask for a baby for them. 00:21:16.680 --> 00:21:24.360 Yeah, you just prompted it, so we just want to ask boldly. We thank you because 00:21:25.080 --> 00:21:31.960 you want to make your glory known. You want to bring them joy. You want to make things new. 00:21:32.600 --> 00:21:38.840 So I speak newness upon their body. I pray that the joy of having a baby may be fulfilled, 00:21:38.840 --> 00:21:48.120 and I pray, Father, that your name be glorified as we one day soon watch this baby running around 00:21:48.120 --> 00:21:54.360 here and realize that our shucks, you prompted it and you made it happen. So we bless you, 00:21:54.360 --> 00:21:58.920 Father, as we bless Ann and George now, in Jesus' name. Amen. Cool. 00:22:01.080 --> 00:22:07.880 So yeah, any questions on this before we move on? 00:22:18.360 --> 00:22:27.320 Yeah. Yeah, I should be dissatisfied with the fact that I'm satisfied with where I'm at, 00:22:28.280 --> 00:22:32.920 and that dissatisfaction should drive me to the only one who can satisfy. 00:22:35.320 --> 00:22:39.480 Sometimes you know you're more capable than you presently are working at, 00:22:39.480 --> 00:22:46.040 and there's a dissatisfaction, and that then drives you towards finding satisfaction. And 00:22:46.040 --> 00:22:50.280 in our case, all that satisfaction is found in God, but it is impossible to be satisfied 00:22:50.840 --> 00:22:57.800 without enjoying God. The idea of enjoying God is so strange to us, man. 00:23:00.600 --> 00:23:01.560 Enjoying God. 00:23:04.760 --> 00:23:10.600 Some of us enjoy our spouses. Some of us enjoy our pets. Some of us enjoy our gardens. 00:23:11.480 --> 00:23:17.400 Some of us enjoy what we cook. And the moment you enjoy that, something changes. The way you 00:23:17.400 --> 00:23:22.760 interact, the way you talk about it, the pleasure you take in it. Oh my God, it is so different. 00:23:23.480 --> 00:23:30.200 God is saying, here I am. Actually, creation says that. The brook is bubbling. The trees are 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:38.440 clapping their hands. The mountains are singing out aloud. And this is fallen creation. And yet, 00:23:38.440 --> 00:23:44.040 it says in Psalm 96 that creatures are doing cartwheels. The mountains are singing. The 00:23:44.040 --> 00:23:50.120 brooks are babbling. The trees are clapping. Come, children of God, don't you want to join in that 00:23:50.120 --> 00:23:57.000 dance? That's the invitation. That's the invitation. That's the invitation that should cause people who 00:23:57.000 --> 00:24:03.640 live in beautiful British Columbia to suddenly burst into peals of laughter and joy. That, oh God, 00:24:04.120 --> 00:24:07.800 I don't marvel at the beauty. I marvel at the one who made this beauty. 00:24:09.800 --> 00:24:11.640 It's a practice. It's a discipline. 00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:29.240 Psalm 96. Let me read from the message. Psalm 96, verse 12 and 13. Psalm 96. 00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:36.520 Verse 12 and 13. 00:24:41.320 --> 00:24:49.400 Let beautiful, verse 11 to 13. Get out the message. God rules. He put the world on a firm 00:24:49.400 --> 00:24:55.320 foundation. He treats everyone fair and square. Let's hear it from the sky. Yeah. With earth 00:24:55.320 --> 00:25:03.000 joining in. Yeah. And a huge round of applause from the sea. It doesn't come with sound effects, 00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:09.240 but let wilderness turn cartwheels. I won't attempt that. Animals come dance. Put every tree 00:25:09.240 --> 00:25:14.360 of the forest in the choir and extravaganza before God as he comes. As he comes to set 00:25:14.360 --> 00:25:22.360 everything right on earth, set everything right, treat everyone fair. This is how God sees every 00:25:22.360 --> 00:25:29.080 day, even though creation has fallen. This is how the earth was created. He, as he created the 00:25:29.080 --> 00:25:35.320 morning stars, sang. And they're inviting us again saying, hey, Chawa, want to join in? 00:25:37.320 --> 00:25:39.160 Just 40 seconds a day. 00:25:42.840 --> 00:25:46.360 I mean, it'll be good if you get up when the sun rises. That's about 545. Yeah. 00:25:50.840 --> 00:25:52.920 So I've heard that it rises at 545. 00:25:52.920 --> 00:26:06.760 So Matthew 6, 21 says, where your treasure is, where your treasure is, 00:26:09.240 --> 00:26:16.040 there your heart. And I would in extension say your passion, 00:26:16.040 --> 00:26:27.560 your joy, and your pleasure is true. Where your treasure is, there your heart, your passion, 00:26:27.560 --> 00:26:37.080 your pleasure, and your joys. How do you define pleasure? Pleasure is the joy. Pleasure is the 00:26:37.560 --> 00:26:52.680 pleasure. Pleasure is the joy we experience or you experience. Pleasure is the joy you experience 00:26:53.800 --> 00:27:01.640 over a treasure, over a treasure you love. 00:27:01.640 --> 00:27:11.480 Pleasure is the joy you experience over a treasure that you love. 00:27:11.480 --> 00:27:19.320 Beautiful, eh? 00:27:23.400 --> 00:27:31.880 Pleasure is the joy you experience over a treasure that you love, 00:27:31.880 --> 00:27:35.800 and it makes you willing to sell everything to get it. 00:27:36.440 --> 00:27:42.120 What is your pleasure? Pleasure is the joy. And for some reason, Christian Singh, 00:27:42.120 --> 00:27:47.320 the word pleasure is a dirty word. It's not. C.S. Lewis put it this way. You eat an apple, 00:27:47.320 --> 00:27:52.600 it's sweet, it's pleasurable. You steal that apple and eat it, it suddenly becomes an unlawful 00:27:53.160 --> 00:27:59.960 pleasure. But if you read 1 Timothy 6, it says God has given us so many things for us to enjoy. 00:28:00.040 --> 00:28:07.480 God has given us so many things for us to enjoy. Beautifully, He made things for us to enjoy. 00:28:10.680 --> 00:28:21.720 So, do I have pleasure in God? Psalm 16 verse 11 says that in your presence is fullness of joy 00:28:21.720 --> 00:28:27.080 and pleasures forevermore. It's not talking about heaven. It's talking about presence. 00:28:27.080 --> 00:28:34.760 Please, please make that distinction. We think when God says, in your presence is joy evermore, 00:28:34.760 --> 00:28:41.400 and pleasures forevermore, we think it's ah, one day when I get to heaven. Now, 00:28:41.400 --> 00:28:49.160 God is saying in my presence, as in now and then. Now, with difficulties, with misery, 00:28:49.160 --> 00:28:53.320 with sufferings and brokenness around us, then with none of that. 00:28:57.720 --> 00:29:05.720 So, do I take pleasure in God? And if I don't, I get to start today. 00:29:07.720 --> 00:29:13.560 The joy over a treasure that I love, that makes me willing to sell everything. Now, you can see 00:29:13.560 --> 00:29:19.480 how in the parable that Jesus speaks in Matthew 13, 44, where He says, a man found a treasure, 00:29:19.960 --> 00:29:28.360 and he sold everything. But it says, I don't know why I missed this. I've talked to you about this 00:29:28.360 --> 00:29:35.480 parable so many times, but it says, and once he found the treasure, with joy, he sold everything. 00:29:36.280 --> 00:29:41.880 I hadn't noticed with joy there. It is with joy that he sells everything. Saying, 00:29:42.360 --> 00:29:45.640 ah, take it all. I just want the treasure. 00:29:53.080 --> 00:29:59.080 Pleasure in God will make you someone else, man. Pleasure in God is enjoying God. 00:30:01.960 --> 00:30:03.240 It'll make you someone else. 00:30:03.240 --> 00:30:14.200 You'll sell everything easily. There is no sacrifice when there is pleasure. 00:30:15.880 --> 00:30:21.000 When you enjoy something so tremendously, there is no sacrifice. David Livingston, who went to 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:28.600 Africa and lived in great travail at times, said that till today, I have not sacrificed anything. 00:30:29.320 --> 00:30:35.000 That's what his statement was. Why? Because he did everything because he absolutely enjoyed the God 00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:41.560 he was doing it for. When you enjoy someone, that's why parents give away really juicy pieces 00:30:41.560 --> 00:30:46.200 of chicken and boiled eggs to their children, which under normal circumstances, they wouldn't 00:30:46.200 --> 00:30:53.560 share with their wife. 00:30:58.840 --> 00:31:03.560 Yeah, and as our pleasure increases, we become like Christ. We sell everything. 00:31:05.160 --> 00:31:12.520 The reason I cannot sell everything is because, yes, I treasure God, but it is not all consuming. 00:31:13.320 --> 00:31:19.560 I would do it for people I love. I have done it for people I love. I've given up almost every dollar 00:31:19.560 --> 00:31:28.360 in my bank. I've emptied my bank account for people I love. Everything. If I could do it, 00:31:28.360 --> 00:31:35.320 if I can do that for human people that are flawed, how much more for someone like God? 00:31:40.520 --> 00:31:46.040 It depends on where your treasure is, right? For the guy who wanted to serve God, it was money. 00:31:47.480 --> 00:31:54.040 Remember Jesus saying to him, that's where Matthew 6.21, the thing, sorry, with the rich man, 00:31:54.840 --> 00:31:58.920 the guy had his heart set on money. In your case, it might be something else. 00:32:03.880 --> 00:32:08.280 Yeah, count your blessings, renounce them one by one and follow the Lord your God. 00:32:08.280 --> 00:32:13.960 Count your blessings, enjoy them. Father, I want them. Oh, I got them. Beautiful. And then lay it 00:32:13.960 --> 00:32:20.120 all down and walk on. This is how Abraham lived, day. He would have things, he would give them up, 00:32:20.120 --> 00:32:23.960 he would have things, he would give them up, he would have things, he would give them up, 00:32:23.960 --> 00:32:26.840 and he was called God's friend and the father of faith. 00:32:29.000 --> 00:32:34.280 That's what Abraham did. And the reason you and I cannot do it yet is because yes, our hearts 00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:38.920 really want to follow God. Yes, there's nobody in this room who doesn't want to. 00:32:38.920 --> 00:32:42.920 But one of the things we want to do every Sunday is father, want to become like your son. 00:32:44.120 --> 00:32:48.760 At the end of the day, if the son lives in me, I can be like the son, at least one day before I die. 00:32:51.080 --> 00:32:57.720 We are always aiming at this amazing bar that's been set for us, Christ. And the reason it is 00:32:57.720 --> 00:33:02.760 possible is because Christ lives in you. Therefore, it is possible. 00:33:05.080 --> 00:33:07.560 Therefore, today I may not be able to, but how about tomorrow? 00:33:14.120 --> 00:33:18.360 This man in the parable sold everything for the sake of the kingdom. 00:33:20.120 --> 00:33:29.080 Here are some of the things that are hard to sell. Reputation, security, ego, future, 00:33:31.160 --> 00:33:34.040 what people think of you, wealth, 00:33:38.760 --> 00:33:41.880 ambition, applause, 00:33:44.680 --> 00:33:47.000 loyalty, allegiances, 00:33:50.680 --> 00:33:55.480 cultural backgrounds. Very hard to sell, guys. 00:34:02.440 --> 00:34:04.760 Money might be the easiest thing to sell out of the whole thing. 00:34:04.760 --> 00:34:22.440 So guys, joy is a gift. Joy is a gift given to us. It says so in Acts 13, 52, where they were 00:34:22.440 --> 00:34:29.560 filled with the Holy Spirit and with joy. In 1 Peter 1, 8, where the Holy Spirit is one who gives 00:34:29.560 --> 00:34:40.040 us joy. In Romans 15, 13, where again it's God who gives us joy. Joy is a gift, but it is my responsibility 00:34:44.520 --> 00:34:48.360 to fight to walk in it. 00:34:51.720 --> 00:34:55.880 It's my responsibility to fight to walk in it, and God's grace 00:34:56.680 --> 00:34:58.680 will help, will enable me. 00:35:07.800 --> 00:35:09.800 When you are joyful, 00:35:12.920 --> 00:35:17.800 the source is made visible. Anyone who is joyful, the source will be made visible. 00:35:17.800 --> 00:35:21.800 Whenever you meet someone who is joyful and you ask them why you are joyful, they don't say, 00:35:21.800 --> 00:35:26.200 don't want to say, just want to keep it to myself. No, it is so blooming contagious, 00:35:26.200 --> 00:35:35.720 and like Anna would say, it bubbles over. So it's this idea of joy always makes the source visible. 00:35:36.280 --> 00:35:42.760 Always makes the source visible. Whatever you're joyful about, you can always try to make it 00:35:42.760 --> 00:35:51.160 visible. Whatever you're joyful about, you can always trace the source that someone is joyful for. 00:35:52.280 --> 00:35:59.560 And so when we partake in this core characteristic of God, it makes him visible. 00:36:03.960 --> 00:36:05.000 It makes him visible. 00:36:05.080 --> 00:36:10.520 It also makes him invisible, or people don't want to look if it's not all that joyful. 00:36:12.040 --> 00:36:16.840 God is most glorified on a Sunday when our singing, our praying, our responding 00:36:17.320 --> 00:36:22.520 reflects our satisfaction in him. God is most glorified on a Sunday when our singing, 00:36:22.520 --> 00:36:29.960 our praising, our responding, our praying reflects our satisfaction in him. In corporate worship, 00:36:30.280 --> 00:36:37.320 or personal worship, emotion is not optional. It is essential. Emotion is not optional. It is 00:36:37.320 --> 00:36:45.320 essential. In any form of worship, emotion is not optional. It is essential. Doesn't matter 00:36:45.320 --> 00:36:49.320 whether you're British or Canadian, it is still essential. It is not optional. 00:37:00.840 --> 00:37:09.720 Does God have a brain? Does God have a physical body? Yet he is emotional. We don't need to be 00:37:09.720 --> 00:37:14.920 wired a certain way to be emotional. We can't say my brain's not wired that way. 00:37:15.160 --> 00:37:18.680 Pushing back against it is pointless, so I won't even ask you to because I can give you too many 00:37:18.680 --> 00:37:26.680 scriptures that show that worship is always physical, emotional, mental. It's all, and 00:37:26.680 --> 00:37:28.280 spiritual, all things put together. 00:37:29.480 --> 00:37:37.080 So, I don't think that worship is always physical, emotional, mental. It's all spiritual. 00:37:37.080 --> 00:37:43.160 It's all spiritual. It's all spiritual. It's all spiritual. It's all spiritual. It's all spiritual. 00:37:43.960 --> 00:37:43.980 Ha! 00:37:54.440 --> 00:37:54.600 Any questions? 00:38:05.640 --> 00:38:09.160 Here are some reasons. One, I'm battling 00:38:13.160 --> 00:38:40.160 Many, fours, worry, fear, doubt, grief, tiredness, evil. 00:38:43.160 --> 00:38:52.160 Legalism or perfectionism. So many of these things I have to battle against every day. 00:38:52.160 --> 00:39:02.160 And so enjoying Jesus is no longer my highest priority. Why is it that I find it difficult to enjoy Jesus? 00:39:02.160 --> 00:39:10.160 One, because I'm battling many fours. I'm battling worry, I'm battling fear, I'm battling doubt, I'm battling grief, I'm battling tiredness, 00:39:10.160 --> 00:39:22.160 I'm battling evil, I'm battling perfectionism. Perfectionism always chips away at joy because it's a constant striving to prove myself and it always chips away at joy. 00:39:22.160 --> 00:39:31.160 Second, and this reason really bothers me, one of the reasons I don't enjoy Jesus is because I'm not thirsty. 00:39:31.160 --> 00:39:49.160 Because I'm not thirsty. One has to have a thirst for, thirst provokes drinking. I'm not thirsty enough. 00:39:50.160 --> 00:39:59.160 I would suggest to you that for many of us it's the same thing that you're battling as I am. I'm not thirsty enough. 00:39:59.160 --> 00:40:10.160 If you're not thirsty enough, why would you drink more? What we have is enough, right? 00:40:10.160 --> 00:40:19.160 You know Jeremiah 2.13 says, my people have committed two evils. Jeremiah 2.13, my people have committed two evils. 00:40:19.160 --> 00:40:26.160 Then God goes on to describe what the two evils are. The first evil is they have abandoned the fountain of living water. 00:40:26.160 --> 00:40:34.160 The second evil is they have decided to drink out of broken cisterns. 00:40:34.160 --> 00:40:39.160 And sometimes that's where we end up. There's no thirst. 00:40:39.160 --> 00:40:50.160 Yeah. Does joy have to look a certain way? No. Joy doesn't have to look a certain way. 00:40:50.160 --> 00:40:55.160 Because how does joy look when you've just lost someone close to you? 00:40:55.160 --> 00:41:02.160 How does joy look when a whirlwind took your homes away like it did Job? 00:41:02.160 --> 00:41:11.160 How does joy look when your property was confiscated as it says in 1 Peter for the sake of Christianity? 00:41:11.160 --> 00:41:15.160 How does joy look in these circumstances? How does joy look when you get a promotion? 00:41:15.160 --> 00:41:20.160 How does joy look when you get married? How does joy look when a baby is born? 00:41:20.160 --> 00:41:26.160 Each expression of joy will differ under different circumstances. And it can't be common. 00:41:26.160 --> 00:41:34.160 Thirst, guys. Thirst is something. Go ahead, Betty. 00:41:34.160 --> 00:41:41.160 I can't hear you because of the fans. 00:41:41.160 --> 00:41:55.160 Yeah. How would we display joy if it's not a common expression? 00:41:55.160 --> 00:41:58.160 If there's no standard expression? I'd put it this way. 00:41:58.160 --> 00:42:06.160 Have you ever met a person who is joyful that you did not recognize that the person is joyful? 00:42:06.160 --> 00:42:17.160 A person who is joyful, you sit with them. Five minutes is enough to realize this person is living a life at a level that is very different. 00:42:17.160 --> 00:42:21.160 It doesn't even have to be because they cracked a joke. 00:42:21.160 --> 00:42:29.160 It's just because sitting with them you realize that this person actually loves life. 00:42:29.160 --> 00:42:35.160 One of the expressions of joy is loving life. Not because life is rich or life is poor. 00:42:35.160 --> 00:42:41.160 Loving life because you see the one who's provided and you're continuously connected to. 00:42:41.160 --> 00:42:47.160 I've never met someone who is joyful and not gone away. I'm not even talking about believers. I'm talking about non-Christians. 00:42:47.160 --> 00:42:55.160 You can sometimes sit with a non-Christian who doesn't say one vulgar joke and yet you go with him, oh my God, that was fun. 00:42:55.160 --> 00:43:02.160 That guy lives life. He enjoys life. It's always evident. 00:43:02.160 --> 00:43:07.160 Joy is not, joy is always spontaneous, guys. You cannot plan it. 00:43:07.160 --> 00:43:13.160 It is something that exists since, especially when it's put there by God, it is spontaneous. 00:43:13.160 --> 00:43:20.160 You can't plan it. But if I sit with you, will I come away thinking, or if you sit with me, will you come away thinking, 00:43:20.160 --> 00:43:29.160 boy, that guy really worked hard at his jokes, or will you think, boy, that guy knows how to live life even though he doesn't have a penny in his pocket? 00:43:29.160 --> 00:43:34.160 Yeah. 00:43:34.160 --> 00:43:39.160 Yeah. 00:43:39.160 --> 00:43:44.160 Yeah. 00:43:44.160 --> 00:43:49.160 Yeah. 00:43:49.160 --> 00:43:57.160 So, Jeremiah 2.13, why is it that we go to drink from broken cisterns when we have the fountain of living water? 00:43:57.160 --> 00:44:09.160 First, you can't get thirsty unless you work and get hot and sweaty and parched. 00:44:09.160 --> 00:44:17.160 You will find out that the more you work with God, the more thirsty you are for him. 00:44:17.160 --> 00:44:27.160 The more we sit like fat cats, I'm sorry, that was just, that was no insult to cats. That's just a phrase that I've heard. 00:44:27.160 --> 00:44:39.160 The more you and I sit like fat cats, the more likely it is that you will never thirst, because unless there is an output, there is no need of an input. 00:44:39.160 --> 00:44:48.160 When you begin to work with God, when you begin to work for God, you will find that it'll be a hot summer day where you feel drained, hot, and sweaty, 00:44:48.160 --> 00:44:56.160 and there is nothing as refreshing as just a cold glass of crystal clear water. 00:44:56.160 --> 00:45:03.160 That's the first reason. People don't thirst because they haven't emptied themselves, so why thirst? That's the first reason. 00:45:03.160 --> 00:45:13.160 Second, when you thirst, there are so many other options that come from broken cisterns. Like what? Like, let's have a time of worship. 00:45:13.160 --> 00:45:23.160 Like, let's go read the Bible. Like, let's go read Psalm 117. Like, let's go watch Elevation play music on September 25th. 00:45:23.160 --> 00:45:31.160 These are not wrong. These are very good things, but they are broken cisterns. The one we have to go to is him. 00:45:31.160 --> 00:45:39.160 You abandon the source of living water and you drink out of broken cisterns. Sometimes we eat dirt and we think dirt is good, 00:45:39.160 --> 00:45:52.160 and that is when Satan supplies substitutes. I mean, when I feel thirsty, I reach for a coke. I have heard it's not good. 00:45:53.160 --> 00:46:03.160 So sometimes it's evil that provides us the substitutes, where we go for things that satisfy the soul but leave you craving still for more. 00:46:03.160 --> 00:46:10.160 This is what happened to Israel. Of Israel, it was said in the desert, they lusted exceedingly and God gave them what they wanted, 00:46:10.160 --> 00:46:17.160 but sent leanness to their souls. Listen to that scripture. They lusted exceedingly, as in they craved exceedingly, 00:46:17.160 --> 00:46:22.160 saying, give us water, give us water, give us water, give us bread, give us bread, give us meat, give us meat. 00:46:22.160 --> 00:46:30.160 And God gave them what they wanted. He gave them their craving, but sent leanness to their souls. 00:46:30.160 --> 00:46:35.160 That's drinking out of broken cistern. Who did they go and ask? God. Who was the one who provided? God. 00:46:35.160 --> 00:46:42.160 And yet they were not drinking living water. The living water came later when Moses struck the rock and out of the rock came water. 00:46:42.160 --> 00:46:48.160 That was living water. But they didn't want that. They wanted what the other nations had. 00:46:48.160 --> 00:46:55.160 Give us a king like the other nations. Sometimes in our craving, we go for broken cisterns. 00:46:55.160 --> 00:47:01.160 I'm saying, can we return to enjoying God? Enjoying God. 00:47:01.160 --> 00:47:11.160 Pleasure is the joy that I have over a treasure that I love, which will then cause me to sell everything because I want to possess it. 00:47:11.160 --> 00:47:14.160 Do I have pleasure in God? 00:47:31.160 --> 00:47:39.160 When worship or the word becomes a substitute for God, and it can, then we are in trouble. 00:47:41.160 --> 00:47:52.160 The scribes knew the word well. Yeah, didn't do them any good. 00:47:58.160 --> 00:48:05.160 I'm not thirsty. One of the things I was asking God for today this afternoon was, oh God, give me back thirst. 00:48:05.160 --> 00:48:13.160 Give me back thirst. Make me like a little child. Hey, who tells a baby to be thirsty? Why does a baby grab the mom's breast to drink? 00:48:13.160 --> 00:48:20.160 Who made the child thirsty? God gave the child an appetite. The moment the child is born, the child has an appetite. 00:48:20.160 --> 00:48:25.160 Give me back my appetite, oh God. Give me back an appetite so that I'm thirsty. 00:48:25.160 --> 00:48:30.160 And when I drink, I will be satisfied. And after I am satisfied, I'll come back to you again and again. 00:48:30.160 --> 00:48:35.160 Because once you are satisfied, where else can you go? But it is time for some of us to remember that. 00:48:35.160 --> 00:48:43.160 One of the things that's amazing about David is Psalm 63, Oh Lord, you are my God. Early will I seek you. 00:48:43.160 --> 00:48:53.160 My soul thirsts for you. My body longs for you. Like a dry and thirsty land without any water. 00:48:54.160 --> 00:49:01.160 How does this man have physical feelings about God? And he's in the Old Testament. 00:49:01.160 --> 00:49:07.160 When was the last time you started going through cold turkey because you hadn't had a face to face with God? 00:49:07.160 --> 00:49:15.160 When was the last time, Church? Why is it that a man in the Old Testament is better than me? 00:49:16.160 --> 00:49:24.160 Why doesn't my physical body long for him? Why can't I write, Oh God, you are my God. Early will I seek you. 00:49:24.160 --> 00:49:32.160 My soul longs for you. My body longs for you. Like a dry and weary land where there is no water. 00:49:32.160 --> 00:49:41.160 Why can't I say this? I have seen you in the sanctuary. I've seen you in your power and glory. 00:49:41.160 --> 00:49:47.160 He reminds himself of what he is missing so that he can long for it again. 00:49:47.160 --> 00:49:52.160 What about you and I? What can we remind ourselves of? 00:49:52.160 --> 00:49:56.160 Saying, Oh God, remember two years ago? I want that. 00:49:56.160 --> 00:50:02.160 Some of us may have memories like this. Well then, call them back. 00:50:02.160 --> 00:50:07.160 And some of us may not have memories like that, which means we need at least a starting point. 00:50:07.160 --> 00:50:15.160 As a deer pants for water, so my soul longs for you, Oh God. I have cried both day and night. 00:50:15.160 --> 00:50:23.160 Psalm 42 verse 1. Where is the physical longing? How come we don't have it? 00:50:23.160 --> 00:50:31.160 And can God give it to us today? This is why emotions are not optional. 00:50:31.160 --> 00:50:36.160 It has never been optional. Any questions? 00:50:47.160 --> 00:50:57.160 Another reason we don't enjoy God is just plain sin. Sin gets in the way. 00:50:57.160 --> 00:51:03.160 Sin gets in the way. Twisted pleasures get in the way. 00:51:06.160 --> 00:51:12.160 This is part of the broken system where evil provides me the promise of pleasure. 00:51:12.160 --> 00:51:21.160 And I go after it and I'm satisfied with it till one day God says, Aren't you done? Aren't you bankrupt? 00:51:22.160 --> 00:51:32.160 Another reason we sometimes don't enjoy God is because we connect happiness with joy. 00:51:37.160 --> 00:51:47.160 There's nothing wrong with connecting happiness and joy, but happiness usually is the result of circumstances. 00:51:47.160 --> 00:51:56.160 And so when my circumstances are bad, when my answers are not provided, when things are not working, 00:51:56.160 --> 00:52:04.160 then usually if happiness and joy are conjoined or Siamese twins, if happiness and joy are twins, 00:52:04.160 --> 00:52:11.160 then it becomes very hard to maintain joy because now every time my happiness is affected, joy goes out of the window. 00:52:11.160 --> 00:52:17.160 And I confess that this has happened to me so many times, so many times. 00:52:17.160 --> 00:52:21.160 There's something I'm trusting for, something I'm waiting for hasn't come to pass. 00:52:21.160 --> 00:52:26.160 And with that, out goes my joy because I'm not happy anymore. 00:52:26.160 --> 00:52:32.160 And when I'm unhappy, suddenly God ain't who he normally is. 00:52:35.160 --> 00:52:39.160 Any questions? I'll wrap up. 00:52:41.160 --> 00:52:43.160 Thank you. 00:52:50.160 --> 00:52:53.160 Guys, remember that sin is a tangible pleasure, eh? 00:52:53.160 --> 00:53:00.160 Sin is a tangible pleasure. Sin is a tangible pleasure. 00:53:00.160 --> 00:53:12.160 Sin is a tangible pleasure. And so is longing, joy and pleasure of presence of God. 00:53:13.160 --> 00:53:19.160 For most of us, this is not real. This is real for everybody. 00:53:19.160 --> 00:53:22.160 But for most of us, this is not real. 00:53:23.160 --> 00:53:27.160 For most of us, this is not real. This is real for everybody. 00:53:27.160 --> 00:53:30.160 But for most of us, this is not real. 00:53:41.160 --> 00:53:45.160 Corporate times of worship are a great place to start this, 00:53:45.160 --> 00:53:51.160 to begin to feel what is present in the room. 00:53:51.160 --> 00:53:54.160 What is present in the room? It's both what and who. 00:53:54.160 --> 00:53:57.160 God is present. What is present? 00:53:57.160 --> 00:54:01.160 People that are beginning to recognize it. What is present? 00:54:01.160 --> 00:54:07.160 People around you that can help you, like a coal put in a fireplace. 00:54:07.160 --> 00:54:13.160 And when we come for a corporate gathering and we don't take advantage of it 00:54:13.160 --> 00:54:20.160 and stand, like I said, in a way that would cause the ambulance to take 10 minutes to find you, 00:54:20.160 --> 00:54:26.160 then you know that this is going to be very difficult for you in the future. 00:54:26.160 --> 00:54:33.160 And it doesn't matter whether you're Caucasian, Asian, Canadian, Indian, Afghani, whatever nationality, 00:54:33.160 --> 00:54:35.160 you are blooming born again. 00:54:41.160 --> 00:54:42.160 Any questions? 00:54:42.160 --> 00:54:43.160 Any questions? 00:54:46.160 --> 00:54:50.160 Please, like I said to Betty, this is not some common expression. 00:54:50.160 --> 00:54:54.160 I'm just saying, dive into it however and whoever you are. 00:54:54.160 --> 00:54:57.160 Because there's nothing like a coal. 00:54:57.160 --> 00:55:02.160 A coal that's turning dark can be set aflame when thrown into a fireplace. 00:55:08.160 --> 00:55:11.160 Hey James, your sister's asking a lot of questions, man. 00:55:11.160 --> 00:55:12.160 Okay, go ahead. 00:55:20.160 --> 00:55:22.160 Makes a... yeah. 00:55:28.160 --> 00:55:30.160 Yeah. Yeah. 00:55:33.160 --> 00:55:39.160 Yeah. You can use it, but there it's actually talking about things that you have desired 00:55:39.160 --> 00:55:41.160 and ask God for that are taking time. 00:55:41.160 --> 00:55:44.160 So on one hand, you have that scripture, hope deferred makes the heart sick. 00:55:44.160 --> 00:55:51.160 And then you go to James chapter four, verse two, and it says, count it all joy, brothers, 00:55:51.160 --> 00:55:53.160 as you go through trying times. 00:55:53.160 --> 00:55:55.160 Because let patience have its finished work. 00:55:55.160 --> 00:55:59.160 Because once patience has its finished work, you will end up being mature. 00:55:59.160 --> 00:56:02.160 So on one hand, yes, hope deferred makes the heart sick. 00:56:02.160 --> 00:56:06.160 When something you're waiting for doesn't happen, it makes your heart unhappy. 00:56:06.160 --> 00:56:10.160 When you are unhappy, immediately switch over to this thing called joy. 00:56:12.160 --> 00:56:14.160 Happiness and joy can live happily together. 00:56:14.160 --> 00:56:16.160 Unhappiness and joy cannot live together. 00:56:17.160 --> 00:56:22.160 The moment unhappiness hits, find a way to move to joy. 00:56:22.160 --> 00:56:25.160 How do you move from unhappiness to joy? 00:56:25.160 --> 00:56:28.160 Use words. Use words. 00:56:28.160 --> 00:56:31.160 Always use words to move from one position to the other. 00:56:32.160 --> 00:56:33.160 Unhappiness. 00:56:33.160 --> 00:56:35.160 I'm unhappy that the trees haven't borne fruit. 00:56:35.160 --> 00:56:37.160 I'm unhappy that the herds have no cattle. 00:56:37.160 --> 00:56:40.160 I'm unhappy that the fig tree hasn't blossomed. 00:56:40.160 --> 00:56:42.160 Well then, now what do you do? 00:56:42.160 --> 00:56:43.160 How do you move to joy? 00:56:43.160 --> 00:56:45.160 But I will praise God. 00:56:45.160 --> 00:56:48.160 I will begin to say that God is my refuge and my strength. 00:56:48.160 --> 00:56:50.160 He will cause this tree to prosper. 00:56:50.160 --> 00:56:52.160 He will cause this tree to bear fruit. 00:56:52.160 --> 00:56:54.160 I am going to start doing cartwheels of joy. 00:56:54.160 --> 00:56:56.160 My feet will be like the hind feet of the deer. 00:56:56.160 --> 00:56:57.160 I'll scale mountains. 00:56:57.160 --> 00:56:59.160 I will see what God is going to do. 00:56:59.160 --> 00:57:01.160 And you move from unhappiness to joy. 00:57:01.160 --> 00:57:06.160 Joy is a prophetic end that you can reach. 00:57:06.160 --> 00:57:08.160 Always remember that. 00:57:08.160 --> 00:57:13.160 Joy is prophetic in the sense, before it happens, you begin to rejoice. 00:57:13.160 --> 00:57:18.160 Joy is always prophetic because you begin to rejoice before it happens. 00:57:20.160 --> 00:57:22.160 You see the outcome and you begin to rejoice. 00:57:22.160 --> 00:57:25.160 In that sense, joy is prophetic. 00:57:25.160 --> 00:57:27.160 Joy is prophetic. 00:57:27.160 --> 00:57:29.160 You see the outcome and you begin to rejoice. 00:57:29.160 --> 00:57:31.160 In that sense, joy is prophetic. 00:57:34.160 --> 00:57:36.160 Happiness is not prophetic. 00:57:36.160 --> 00:57:39.160 Happiness is present moment things. 00:57:58.160 --> 00:58:02.160 So, last sentence. 00:58:02.160 --> 00:58:29.160 How can I sustain or maintain this amazing characteristic of the King and of Heaven? 00:58:32.160 --> 00:58:34.160 How? 00:58:45.160 --> 00:58:47.160 By seeing him daily. 00:58:47.160 --> 00:58:49.160 By seeing him. 00:58:49.160 --> 00:58:54.160 George Muller, the guy who started the orphanage in Bristol, 00:58:54.160 --> 00:58:59.160 he's today the first order of business every day, 00:58:59.160 --> 00:59:01.160 regardless of whether there was food for the orphans or not, 00:59:01.160 --> 00:59:03.160 regardless of whether there was money to provide shelter for them. 00:59:03.160 --> 00:59:09.160 The first order of the day every day was to make sure that my soul was happy in the Lord. 00:59:09.160 --> 00:59:12.160 That's how he used to start his day. 00:59:12.160 --> 00:59:15.160 And after that, the rest would follow. 00:59:15.160 --> 00:59:20.160 So, in the midst of your trouble, in the midst of children screaming, 00:59:20.160 --> 00:59:27.160 in the midst of someone that is sick, in the midst of misery and brokenness around you, 00:59:27.160 --> 00:59:31.160 in the midst of that, instead of getting numb to it or blinding yourself to it, 00:59:31.160 --> 00:59:36.160 my thing is if this is important to me, if thirst is important to me, 00:59:36.160 --> 00:59:42.160 if the pleasure of God is important to me, if I want to say with David, 00:59:42.160 --> 00:59:47.160 my soul longs for you, my body longs for you, like a dry and weary land without water, 00:59:47.160 --> 00:59:52.160 if this is important to you, then you must see him. 00:59:52.160 --> 00:59:54.160 How do you see him? 00:59:54.160 --> 01:00:00.160 You must see him by hearing what the Word says about him and what the Spirit of God says about him. 01:00:00.160 --> 01:00:03.160 You must see him by hearing him. 01:00:03.160 --> 01:00:08.160 And you hear him by hearing the Word and hearing the Spirit. 01:00:08.160 --> 01:00:13.160 I must see him. I must take pleasure in him. 01:00:13.160 --> 01:00:18.160 I must not leave till I find that pleasure in him. 01:00:18.160 --> 01:00:23.160 I must arrange my schedule so that I find pleasure in him. 01:00:23.160 --> 01:00:25.160 Sin will provide pleasure. 01:00:25.160 --> 01:00:34.160 I must find someone superior who provides me a superior pleasure so that sin is no longer attractive. 01:00:34.160 --> 01:00:38.160 I must see him. 01:00:38.160 --> 01:00:41.160 After I wrote this message, what did I spend time on? 01:00:41.160 --> 01:00:44.160 I spent time on seeing him. 01:00:44.160 --> 01:00:47.160 I want to see you, O God. I don't want to preach something that I want to use tomorrow. 01:00:47.160 --> 01:00:52.160 I want to see you now so that I can take pleasure in you. 01:00:52.160 --> 01:00:55.160 When you see him, how do you see him? You see him by hearing him. 01:00:55.160 --> 01:00:58.160 What do you hear? Something from the Word or something from the Spirit. 01:00:58.160 --> 01:01:01.160 What did you hear, Jacob? Very simple. 01:01:01.160 --> 01:01:04.160 He said, can you be my son like my son was? 01:01:04.160 --> 01:01:06.160 Can you be my son like my son was? 01:01:06.160 --> 01:01:09.160 Can you be the root my right hand has planted? 01:01:09.160 --> 01:01:12.160 Can you be the son I'm raising for myself? 01:01:12.160 --> 01:01:16.160 Can you enter into intimacy, affection and trust with me? 01:01:16.160 --> 01:01:19.160 Can you, if you do that, you'll begin to enjoy me. 01:01:19.160 --> 01:01:22.160 You want to do that desperately, O God. 01:01:22.160 --> 01:01:25.160 Desperately. I want to beat David. 01:01:25.160 --> 01:01:28.160 He doesn't have that right. I have that right. 01:01:28.160 --> 01:01:30.160 I have you living in me. 01:01:30.160 --> 01:01:34.160 How can someone from the Old Testament get to a place where he longs and I don't? 01:01:34.160 --> 01:01:37.160 When you live in me. 01:01:40.160 --> 01:01:43.160 What will it sound like to you when you see him and you hear him? 01:01:49.160 --> 01:02:00.160 Now you understand why some of these old songs, though slow and long and thou and that, are rich, man. 01:02:00.160 --> 01:02:03.160 To me, learn them. 01:02:03.160 --> 01:02:08.160 Turn your eyes upon Jesus. 01:02:08.160 --> 01:02:11.160 Look full at his wonderful face. 01:02:11.160 --> 01:02:15.160 And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim. 01:02:15.160 --> 01:02:18.160 In the light of his glory and grace. 01:02:21.160 --> 01:02:24.160 Let's pray. 01:02:32.160 --> 01:02:37.160 Father, where can we go for thirst except you? 01:02:37.160 --> 01:02:39.160 In Isaiah 61 you said, 01:02:40.160 --> 01:02:43.160 Where can we go for thirst except you? 01:02:43.160 --> 01:02:46.160 In Isaiah 61 you said, 01:02:46.160 --> 01:02:53.160 You give us joy, the oil of joy, instead of the spirit of mourning. 01:02:53.160 --> 01:02:57.160 In Isaiah, in Psalm 51 verse 12, 01:02:57.160 --> 01:03:03.160 David said, Restore to me the joy of your salvation. 01:03:04.160 --> 01:03:07.160 In Acts 13, 52 it says, 01:03:07.160 --> 01:03:12.160 And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with joy. 01:03:14.160 --> 01:03:18.160 Hey Father, we've got nowhere else to turn to. 01:03:20.160 --> 01:03:24.160 In this aspect of life, in this aspect of joy, 01:03:27.160 --> 01:03:28.160 We approach you. 01:03:28.160 --> 01:03:30.160 I approach you. 01:03:31.160 --> 01:03:34.160 I approach you on behalf of all of us, 01:03:35.160 --> 01:03:40.160 As if we were brand new babies, newborn babies. 01:03:46.160 --> 01:03:48.160 Give us an appetite. 01:03:48.160 --> 01:03:52.160 Give us a thirst for joy. 01:04:00.160 --> 01:04:04.160 This week could you remind us to take pleasure in you? 01:04:10.160 --> 01:04:12.160 Take pleasure in you. 01:04:12.160 --> 01:04:15.160 As the bridegroom takes pleasure in his bride, 01:04:15.160 --> 01:04:18.160 Allow us to take pleasure in you. 01:04:18.160 --> 01:04:23.160 I don't know how to end, I don't know how to make this happen. 01:04:37.160 --> 01:04:42.160 I don't know how to end, I don't know how to make this happen. 01:04:48.160 --> 01:04:58.080 All I know is the song won't cut it. 01:05:18.160 --> 01:05:33.160 Come and join me. 01:05:33.160 --> 01:05:34.160 Come and join me. 01:05:34.160 --> 01:05:35.160 Come and join me. 01:05:35.160 --> 01:05:36.160 Come and join me. 01:05:36.160 --> 01:05:37.160 Come and join me. 01:05:37.160 --> 01:05:38.160 Come and join me. 01:05:38.160 --> 01:05:42.160 You don't even know how, don't know where to begin. 01:05:42.160 --> 01:05:47.160 I beg you Father, begging you out of desperation, not because you need to be begged. 01:05:47.160 --> 01:05:48.160 I beg you out of desperation. 01:05:48.160 --> 01:05:52.160 Please let this church taste what it is to enjoy. 01:05:52.160 --> 01:05:58.160 Let this church know why you said, why David said, come taste and see. 01:05:58.160 --> 01:06:08.160 Oh God, I need to taste again what and who you are so that I begin to take pleasure that I find it difficult to live without you. 01:06:08.160 --> 01:06:12.160 So that my songs become sounds like David wrote. 01:06:12.160 --> 01:06:13.160 Please Lord, please. 01:06:13.160 --> 01:06:21.160 If I'm crying for myself and I'm crying for anybody else here who is not crying for it, I cry for them too. 01:06:43.160 --> 01:06:52.160 Yeah, we'll end there Father. 01:06:52.160 --> 01:06:56.160 I so want to sing a song, but I won't in Jesus' name. 01:06:56.160 --> 01:06:57.160 Amen. 01:07:13.160 --> 01:07:18.160 Amen.