Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is
designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
right in. Hey man, it's been a blessing to be
here. I know that some people are trapped in
the exams. You know, and the easiest thing that
they can suspend in their life, the activity
that they believe that they can pause for a while,
probably is coming to church. So I trust that
we'll reach this level where we know our priorities
in life, we know what is more important for us.
At every point in time, we understand, we know
how to arrange our lives, we know how to organize
our lives. And we're able to arrange everything
according to priorities. Hallelujah. I'm going
to be sharing with those an aspect of the believer's
life that is very crucial in manifesting the
kingdom of God. A very, very important aspect
of what we have in the faith. You know, we've
been discussing the access that we have into
the kingdom of God. And we established different
things about two times or three times ago. Amen.
Matthew chapter 16. Matthew chapter 16. Matthew
16 verse 19. And I will give you the keys of
the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you bind
on earth will be bound in heaven. And whatever
you lose on earth will be lost in heaven. And
also Romans chapter 14. Romans chapter 14, verse
17, to be precise, verse 17. You know, we've
established, we've agreed, or we've seen in Scripture
that this kiss is the Holy Spirit, right? Romans
14 verse 17 says, For the kingdom of God is not
in what? Is not in eating and drinking, but in
righteousness and peace and joy. In what? In
the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah. Joy in the Holy
Spirit. So what I will be talking about is the
joy of the kingdom. The joy of the kingdom, because
we have access to the kingdom of God. What we
expect to experience in our life is the joy of
the kingdom. In Romans 14, particularly verse
17, talks about what is obtainable in the kingdom
of God. And we've explained several times that
all the resources that God has blessed us in
the kingdom belongs to everyone that is part
of the kingdom. And we ought to see ourselves
manifesting. We ought to see ourselves enjoying
the privileges and the resources we have as part
of God's kingdom. And one other thing that is
very important to be reflected in the life of
a man or a woman that have access to the kingdom
of God is joy. Hallelujah. What we ought to enjoy
regularly in our lives, every day, per time,
per season, is joy. Because this verse talks
about what the kingdom of God is. It says, it
is righteousness, it is peace, and what? And
joy in the Holy Spirit. So, Matthew 16, 19 says,
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
And we agree that this was a promise, and this
promise was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit was
given To believe us. Now the Holy Spirit. We
said is the key that grant us. This access to
the experiences. That we should have. In our
relationship with God. It gives us access to
experience. The power of God. It gives us access
to experience. The presence of God. The presence
of God. The power of God. And all the realities
that are obtainable. In what Christ has done.
For us. And in Acts chapter 1 verse 8, Jesus
declared, he says, you shall receive power when
the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you shall
be witnesses. And we saw that the coming of the
Holy Spirit was not just to make us look religious.
We saw effectively in the life of the apostles.
And we've prayed today, we've seen examples of
how they vigorously, you know, exemplify the
life that the Holy Spirit will demand of a believer.
So the Holy Spirit is to make us living expressions,
actually, of the kingdom of God on earth. So
as we have the Spirit of God in our hearts, it's
expected by the Spirit of God to walk through
us, to make us, you know, an expression, the
living expression of God's kingdom on earth.
So we saw in scriptures of different people,
men like us that were able to demonstrate what
it means to have access to the kingdom of God
through the power of the spirit of God. They
heal the sick, they cast out devils, they preach
with boldness. You know, the first circumstances,
situations, persecutions. And we could see the
boldness they have because the spirit of God
was standing and walking in them. Now one...
The thing that is very crucial that defines their
life and their living and all the things they
do while they are on earth is joy. Their lives
were marked by joy. Now, when we study through
scriptures, we see in everything they do, they
may not necessarily have everything sorted out
in their lives, but they have this deep sense
of joy, this unshakable joy that flows out of
their relationship with God. This joy is an expression
as a result of their union with God. So whenever
we see in scriptures, it's actually God's desire,
it's God's plan for the believer of the day.
You know, sometimes when we read through scriptures
and we see stories, we see people's experiences,
we think, ah, these people, they are not in our
shoes, right? Or maybe you hear a brother give
testimony of what God has done in his life, what
God is doing in his or her life. And then it
seems as though, you know, these experiences
are not for us because we practicalize our experiences,
the difficulties and the challenges we are facing.
We practicalize and own the temptations and the
trials we are passing through as though they
are unique to us. But the Bible says that there's
no temptation, there's no trial that will come
to you, the believer, that is not common to all.
Hallelujah. It's not new. It has happened to
others. And it will still happen to people. Hallelujah.
It will happen to people. You're not the first
person to experience that. It may be a first
experience for you. Amen. So we have a comfort
and the comfort we have is the presence of God
in us. Hallelujah. So the proof of the access
we have. that we can see one of the proof of
the access we have in the kingdom of God is joy
in the Holy Ghost. Hallelujah. So Romans 14,
17 reveals that the kingdom of God is not in
outward observances. All right? It's not in eating.
It's not in drinking. Now, the context of Romans
14, if we check in Romans 14 from the first verse,
from verse 1, Romans 14. You see that Paul was
dealing with an issue in that church. Sorry.
Paul was dealing with an issue of ceremonial
activities in the church where, you know, for
example, let's read from verse 14 from verse
1. He says, Receive one who is weak in the faith,
but not to dispute over doubtful things because
there were a lot of controversies. The church
is a mixture of Jewish and then Gentiles. So
the Jewish people were trying to enforce regulations,
external activities, you know, on the non -Jewish
people. That you have to do this and do that,
do these activities. You know, verse 2. For one
believes he may eat all things, but who is weak
eats only vegetables. Let not he who eats the
spicy who... does not eat and let not let not
him who does not eat okay let me read verse 3
he said let not him who eats despise him who
does not eat and let not him who does not eat
judge him who eats for God has received him who
are you to judge another man's servant for his
own master he stands or falls indeed he will
be made to stand for God is able to make him
stand all right One person assumes one day above
another, another assumes every day alike. Let
each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who
observes the day, observes it to the Lord. And
he who does not observe a day to the Lord, he
does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the
Lord, for he gives God thanks. And he who does
not eat to the Lord, he does not eat and give
God thanks. For none of us. lives to himself,
and no one dies to himself. Or we live to the
Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore,
whether we live or die, we are the Lord. Then,
jumping down to verse 17, and then we see him
emphasizing, he says, for the kingdom of God,
right, is not comprised of all those external
things. Okay? The things that are done in the
physical. are not the core or the most important.
But he mentioned things that are very, very essential.
He says the kingdom of God is seen in righteousness
and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. And joy
in the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit, you know,
is the environment of the kingdom of God. And
to have a spirit is to have, you know, access
to all the realities that are in the kingdom
of God. And one of the important things that
we can see evidently is the joy that is coming
from the presence of the Holy Spirit within the
believer. Galatians 5 verse 22 talks about the
fruits that the Holy Spirit produces in the believer.
Galatians 5 verse 22 from the NLT from the NLT
says, but the Holy Spirit produces This kind
of fruit in our lives, which means that if you
have the Holy Spirit in you, we should see this
evidence in your life. We should see this evidence
in your life. Love. Of course, we know it is
love. Then joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness. So joy is one of the expressions
of love that should be seen in the believer.
Joy is not just mere happiness. Amen? Happiness,
anybody can be happy. In fact, if you get tipsy
with wine, you can be happy. You can listen to
good music and you are happy. Okay? You can check
your phone and you see an alert and you'll be
happy. Happiness can come from anything external.
But real joy, okay, real joy is actually The
fruit of the spirit in the believer. So it therefore
means that the daily experience of the believer
should be that he experiences joy always. Because
when we become born again, we receive a spirit
and that spirit comes with joy in him, in us.
Hallelujah. So our goal is that we will be able
to know that, see, we have joy in us. And not
only that we know that we have joy in us, that
we are able to at all times express the joy that
God has placed in our hearts. It is a spiritual
signature, that is, joy is a spiritual signature
that marks those who live under the rule of Christ.
That is to say, if you have the Spirit of God
living in you, what would you see significant
about your life? is that you are living the life
of joy. You know, oftentimes we think that Christianity
is about being moody. We assume that when someone
puts a straight face, there's nothing to be happy
about in this life. There's nothing to be joyful
about. We are about our Father's kingdom. We
are so serious and so busy. And then we keep
faces that doesn't represent what we have inside
of us. Hallelujah. And some of us, it's because
our day, we had bad days and then it influences
every part of our life. The believer is not influenced
from the outside. The believer is not influenced
from the outside. The influence of the believer,
the influence of the Christian is from within
him. I'm not trying to write out the realities
of the things we face every day. We're not writing
off our daily living in the world. We live in
a world that is full of challenges. We live in
a world that is full of worries. We live in a
world that is full of trials. We live in a world
with practical problems. But we have the Spirit
of God in us to do what? To uplift us, to strengthen
us, to comfort us. And the joy of God has been
placed in our hearts. Hallelujah. So when we
have access to the kingdom, we have access to
joy. Amen? Having access to the kingdom means
having access to the Spirit of God. And having
access to the Spirit of God simply means that
we have access to the joy of God in us. And this
joy is not dependent on our external circumstances.
What happens in the external is that we are not
saying they are not important. What we are saying
is that beyond what happens in the external,
there is something that regulates us from the
inside, and it is the Spirit of God. And what
we ought to do is to allow the Spirit of God
To find expression in us. And one of the ways
that we can allow the Spirit of God to find expression
in us and through us is what is by expressing
joy at all times. Hallelujah. That we allow joy
to find expression from us at all times is a
mark of a person that is living in the kingdom
of God. It's a mark of the believer. So this
joy is not dependent on the things that happen.
Around and about us, it springs from within,
from the indwelling presence of the Spirit in
the believer. Hallelujah. So, it becomes tragic
for the believer to say he's depressed. Alright?
We keep telling you this every day. To be depressed
is not the believer's... Which word would I use?
It shouldn't be. If you are depressed as a believer,
then it means that an illegal activity is happening
in you. Alright? Because God has given us an
ability to withstand the external circumstances
and experiences that will come from without.
He has given us His Spirit, so we have to give
expression to the Spirit of God that is within
us. Now, I'm not saying that a believer cannot
be depressed. Some of you will fight depression
through with you, will walk through situations
and circumstances with you. But it ought not
to be so, that a believer is always a joyful
person because he has the Spirit of God in him.
Hallelujah. So we see Jesus Christ as the model
of the kingdom joy in Luke chapter 10 verse 17.
And we'll see what should be the result, what
should stir up joy from within us. Luke chapter
10, verse 17. Luke chapter 10, verse 17. Then
the servant returned with joy, saying, Lord,
even demons are subject to us in your name. And
he said to them, I saw Satan. fall like lightning
from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to
trample on serpents and scorpions and over all
the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by
any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice
in this, that the spirits are subject to you,
but rather rejoice because your names are written
where? Are written in heaven. They came back
when they went out to preach the gospel. They
came back rejoicing, you know, because they saw
a lot of miraculous activities happening. They
saw the blind see, they saw demons casted out,
they saw miraculous healings happen, and they
were full of joy because of those things. Then
Jesus shifted their attention to something much
more greater than that, beyond that. All right?
What should stir up joy in you is actually that
you are a child of God. Amen? What should stay
joy in you is the fact that you have access to
the kingdom of God. What should set up joy in
you is something that is eternal, eternally worked
in you, the believer. Amen? And we see Jesus
himself in that hour, verse 21. Jesus what? He
rejoiced in the Spirit. He rejoiced in the Spirit,
Jesus himself. So Jesus was not rejoicing because,
you know, he won a lottery. Okay? He was not
rejoicing because, you know... There's something
excellent that's happened. He's able to see what
God is doing. He's able to see the salvation
of humanity. And then that brought out joy from
him. Hallelujah. At that time, Jesus rejoiced
in the spirit and said, I thank you, Father.
So Jesus is a model for us, all right, of rejoicing.
His joy was anchored, first of all, in his union
with the Father through the Spirit. And it's
based on the kingdom reality of what God will
do. Hallelujah. It's based on the reality of
what he sees God is doing and God will do. And
that becomes a source of his joy. So kingdom
joy is spirit generated. It's not circumstance
based. Alright? It's from our spirit, from our
identity. In John chapter 15 verse 11 we see
that The joy that we share is actually the joy
of Jesus. John chapter 15, verse 11. It says,
These things I have spoken to you that my joy
may remain in you and that your joy may be full.
These things I have spoken to you that my joy
may remain in you and that your joy may be full.
So Jesus shares his joy with all believers. All
right? The joy we have is actually the joy of
God, the joy of Jesus Christ, and by his spirit,
we have that joy, that same joy in us. The joy
of the kingdom is the joy of Christ, you know,
that is reproduced in the believer. So Jesus
Christ himself is a model for us that he lived
a joyful life, and we can see clearly what is
the source of his joy. The source of his joy
is not from the external things, not even from
the miraculous activities that he was doing,
but from a certain fact about what God is doing
or what God was to do in man. Hallelujah. Now,
let's look at the life of the apostles as well.
The apostles also were carriers of this Spirit
of God in them, which means that they also expressed
this joy in diverse ways. All right? Last and
the previous times, we were looking at how they
demonstrated their spirit in signs and wonders.
And intentionally and deliberately, we jumped
these specifics so that we'll come to this point
and focus on it. Acts chapter 5. In Acts chapter
5, we'll see an instance where the apostles expressed
joy. Acts chapter 5, verse 40. Yes, that's after
the apostles were arrested. And they were arrested
not for stealing. They were arrested not for
doing crime. But they were arrested for the sake
of preaching the gospel. Verse 40. And they agreed
with him. That is, the council agreed with Gamaliel.
And they agreed with him. And when they had called
for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded
that they should not speak in the name of Jesus.
And they let them go. So they departed from the
presence of the council. How? They departed what?
Rejoicing. They just gathered adults. Right?
Have you ever seen them flogging an adult before?
Yes. They just gathered adults and they flogged
them, probably 40 minus one. Right? And these
young men, of course they were young men, they
were supposed to be grumbling and complaining.
They were supposed to be, you know, agitating
maybe for their human rights. How their human
rights was violated. How they were treated unjustly.
But from within them, beyond the external experience
that they were having, you know, the Bible says
that they went what? They went rejoicing. They
were full of joy. This joy cannot be an external
joy. Alright? This joy cannot be from any external
experience. But a joy is that they were counted
what? Worthy to do what? To suffer shame. They
were worthy. They counted a privilege to do what?
To suffer shame for the sake of God. So they
were rejoicing for the fact that they were partakers
of shame. Amen? I can imagine, you know, publicly
disgracing and embarrassing them and flogging
them. But they counted this experience as what?
As a privilege, as an honor to be partakers of
this. And they were rejoicing. They were rejoicing
for his experience. After being beaten for preaching
Christ, they rejoiced that they were counted
worthy to suffer for his name. So as I said earlier
on, their joy was not motivated by anything material
or advantageous to them, but based on the kingdom
reality. Okay? And this joy cannot be understood
by the world. That is why the life of the believer
to the unbeliever is a mystery. This is a circumstance
that a normal man should moan about it, a human
being should complain about it. But we see in
their lives the expression of joy. And this joy
is a joy that cannot be explained to the man
that is not born again. And this same spirit
that produces this result of joy in these believers,
It's where? It's resident in you, the believer.
And when we begin to, you know, relate these
experiences with our own experiences, you know,
we begin to wonder the kind of spirit that is
in us. Alright? Your school fees is delayed and
then it ruins your entire week. Your prayer life
begin to have issues. Your relationship with
your housemates become, you know, toxic. In the
family, you become, you know, roots to people.
You become unbearable with people because the
external circumstance around you is not making
sense. Or maybe you're trusting God for something
and it's not happening. Then entirely, you begin
to ask some certain questions that as though
God has left you. Right? it ought not to be so.
That shouldn't be the experience of the believer
because the believer is not controlled from outside.
Are we together? Now, if you know this, let me
tell you, if you are able to establish this foundation
in your life right now as a young person, for
the rest of your life, you live now with ease
and peace. Amen? By the time you know the power
of God that is resident in you, that in all situations
you are calm, And you're full of joy. And you're
full of peace. And it makes you... That's an
age you have over the world. Hallelujah. When
the world are panicking. Right? When the world
are panicking about the economy. When the world
are panicking about earthquake. How many of us
experienced some shake -ups today? Somebody did
not even know that something happened to them.
He didn't know. Okay. But try and know what is
happening. Alright? And we are not panicking
because we know that God is in charge of every
circumstance. Amen? Whether we die with it, right?
To die is for what? It's for Christ. To live
is for Christ. So why are you scared of dying?
If you are living for Christ. If everything is
for Christ. Amen? So, our disposition should
be the disposition of joy at all times. Some
of you just went to write the exam and the question
was a little bit tricky. And then it came out
as though all of us wrote the exam for you. And
then you become angry with the teacher and everybody
around you. Amen. I was telling somebody, I said,
see, some people fail exams. Actually, they read,
though. Some people, it's not that they didn't
read, they read, but they were reading OP. We
call it off point. because they didn't prepare
well. Hallelujah. And then we share that experience
with everybody. We rub it up on people. You know,
we become unbearable. We become people that nobody
will want to be with because of what is happening
in our lives. So what we should see coming out
of every believer's life is a joyful life. When
people come around to you, always complaining,
you complain like a British person. Have you
been close to British people? British people
can complain about the weather, complain about
the sun is too hot, the weather is too, there's
no sun, the tea is too cold, the tea does not
have sugar, the sugar is too much. They complain
about everything. No. Our lips will be full of,
you know, an expression of joy at all times.
Hallelujah. Because we are not externally controlled,
right? We're inspired and influenced by the presence
of the Spirit of God in us. That should be the
actual life of the believer. That is the life
of the believer. Okay? That whatever happens
without us does not influence the way we react,
we conduct ourselves among people. You know,
we demonstrate the stability and the work of
the Spirit of God in us. Hallelujah. And if all
things were full of joy, were joyful, Do you
know that if you're not joyful, it's difficult
to even preach the gospel? All right? It's difficult
to share your gospel. Which gospel are you going
to share to people that you are sad? You're going
to tell a good news with a sad face. It's a sad
news. Amen? It's a sad news. So we are... I don't
use the word marketing, right? But what we do
is that we demonstrate the kingdom of God. When
people see you, they should see the expression
of the kingdom of God. And one way that people
will know that, you know, you've experienced
the kingdom of God is joy. Because joy cannot
be what? Cannot be hidden. Hallelujah. So this
joy is from the work of the spirit of God in
the believer. And you have this spirit in you
that produces this joy. So when you are sad and
heavy, then it's time to look within. Are we
together? It's time to look within from what
God has put inside you and allowed it to manifest.
Alright? It simply means that it's time to do
what? To be in the closet. To be with God. Until
there's an expression of what He has deposited
in you. Hallelujah. Flip. In Acts chapter 8,
He not only demonstrated joy, but He brought
great joy to a city. Amen? So you believers,
you are not just to express joy. Some of us are
not even expressing joy. We are talking more
of bringing joy to cities. So you are not only
someone that experiences joy, you are not only
somebody that should exude joy, but you should
be able to bring joy to people. When people encounter
you, do they feel lifted? All right? Do they
always want to be around you because you carry
the Spirit of God with you, in you? Do they always
feel encouraged? Do they look forward to meeting
you? Or they change a lot when they see you?
Because the moment they come around you, you
ignite depression. You ignite, you know, heaviness
in their hearts. No, the spirit which we have,
right, and what we have in us is communicable,
all right? We're able to extend it to people
around us. In Acts 8, verse 6 to 8, we'll see
how, verse 6, it says, And the multitude with
one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip,
hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
For unclean spirits crying with a loud voice
came out of many who were possessed. And many
who were paralyzed and lame were healed. Verse
8. And there was what? Was a great joy. Which
means that people were rejoicing in the city.
Hallelujah. Who were celebrating and rejoicing
in the city? Because of who? Because of one man.
Because of one man. Hallelujah. Now may you be
the source of joy to your nation in Jesus' name.
That wherever you enter as a child of God, with
the Spirit of God in you, that you bring joy
to that place. That in that office, you become
the solution to the things that are going abnormal
in that place. Amen? That people will say, I
bless God that I come in contact with this person.
Ever since I met you, my life has never been
the same again. Whenever people are depressed,
they know the person to call. It happens, right?
Whenever I start feeling abnormal, I know who
to call. I know who to call. I know who will
cheer me up. And if you want to feel depressed,
there are some people that you call them and
they will help you very well to be depressed.
You are in trouble, you call them, they have
nothing to give. They complicate the issues.
Hey, yeah, like this. And, and, and, I mean,
some of them, that is a default setting. All
right? And then you finish talking with them
and you're, you're, why do I? No. Hallelujah.
That shouldn't be our, our reality as believers.
All right? We should be source of joy to people,
right? We should be solution to people's issues.
I'm not adding to the problems. People have a
lot of things they are passing through. Are we
together? A lot of people are depressed. In this
generation, when we're younger, depression is
strange. But nowadays, people easily get depressed.
All right? People easily get depressed. But we
have the Spirit of God in us. Not only that we
carry joy in us, we're able to impart joy to
people, bringing them to the truth of what Christ
has done and ensuring that we're filled with
the Spirit of God and are filled with the Spirit
of God. Hallelujah. So as he preached Christ
to that city, miracles happened, demons fled,
and the city was filled with great joy. The city
was filled with great joy. Now, wherever the
kingdom is manifested, what happens there? Joy
spreads. Amen? Whenever the gospel is preached
and people are born again, there is always joy.
If I give it to you, it was your experience when
you got born again. There was this sense of joy
that was rising from inside you. That joy is
not meant to be just that moment. Don't be like
David. Restore to me the joy of my salvation.
You all have not lost. Amen. You know that joy
you experienced when you got born again? It's
still in you. David can pray that prayer and
then sing that song. Alright? Because that is
his reality and he's honest about his reality.
But you, the believer of today, that joy is permanent
in you. Hallelujah. Not only that you have a
career of joy, but you are able to make people
joyful. So who will come to church here while
trying to mechanically instigate you to rejoice?
And it seems as if you are the savior of the
world with all the problems of the world on your
head. Amen? No. Hallelujah. A believer is joyful
at all times. Say, I'm full of joy. And the joy
of the Holy Spirit finds expressions in my life.
At all times, I am never depressed. I am full
of joy because I have the Spirit of God in me.
I bring joy to nations. I bring joy to people's
life. Hallelujah. Be that kind of a man that
the moment you are out of the house and your
husband just heard your voice, they should thank
God that you've come home. Not the ones that
everybody was out locking his door. See that
something is wrong with your Christianity. Be
that father that when they hear ping -ping from
the gate, what happens? They will come in line
of daddy -daddy, but there are some families
that the moment they hear ping -ping, the line
of the tribe of Judah has arrived. Everybody
will disperse and look for a hiding place. Hallelujah.
Don't be that kind of a parent, all right? Because
you have a different kind of a spirit in you.
And the spirit you have is the spirit of God.
All right? You bring joy and blessings to people.
So we're not talking about things that are strange.
This is the believer's reality. All right? We
don't have to be so theological and so, I mean,
mysterious about speaking about the joy of Jesus.
It's practical. It's practical. Hallelujah. So
we spread joy wherever the kingdom is manifested.
By the preaching of the gospel, we see joy in
expression. And if your name is joy, you have
no reason not to be joyful. Amen. You're obligated
to be joyful. The gospel will keep calling you
joy. So we don't just experience joy in our lives.
We spread joy across nations as we manifest the
kingdom of God. So the same question I ask again,
why do many believers, or why do we often not
experience this joy, this joy that is supposed
to be experienced by the children of the kingdom
of God? Why do believers not walk in the kingdom
joy today? Even though we have access to the
same spirit of God as the apostles. See, there
are hundreds of examples I don't want to go into
because of time. To see, you know, how the believers
were living. They were full of joy. They shared
what they had in common. They were full of joy.
Alright? They would catch them, they would flog
them, they would go singing and thanking God.
There was an instance where they locked two in
the prison and they were what? They were singing
and giving glory to God. Not to talk about the
experience of Paul in prison. Alright? Where
he's supposed to be mourning and asking for help.
Looking for resources to get a good lawyer to
defend him. But she was in prison but exalting
those who are free to be joyful. Countless of
examples. And that is the work of the Spirit
in the life of a man. Hallelujah. And in all
things, in all situations, that we are joyful
and that joy is a joy of the Spirit of God. Amen.
So the reason because we are often, what? Carnally
minded. What consumes us is what? Is bread and
wine. Okay? What consumes our thinking are external
things. Now, those external things might not
necessarily be negative things. They may not
necessarily be sinful things. We are consumed
with the pursuit of the things of the world,
like your education is as good and as important.
All right? Your job is good and is important.
It's necessary that we work. When our lives are
consumed by external things, that we forget about
the things that defines who we are, our identity,
which is a spirit, it becomes difficult for us
to express the joy of the Holy Ghost. So we are
carnally minded often, living by feelings and
emotions and not by the spirit. You know, we
live in a generation where people are so peculiar
about how they feel. And people are so careful
not to hurt the feelings of people. You know?
So we are so emotional and so, you know, we're
not saying that we should suspend our humanity.
That's not what we're saying. But our humanity
should not detect how we live. Because we are
not carnal men. Are we together? We are spiritual
beings. First of all, our identity is that we
are spiritual. We have a spirit and then we live
in a physical body and we interact with our physical
world. So our source of influence should be from
our identity as spirituals. That is why we come
to church, to learn our identity every day. To
learn what God has done in us. And what I'm telling
us today is that... God has put an ability in
us to be joyful at all times. So when you come
to church, for some of you that are new in this
church, when we ask people to rejoice, all we're
trying to tell you to do is that you should manifest
the kingdom of God. When we say you should pray
in tongues, right? It's the same thing as we
tell you to rejoice. It's the same thing as saying,
as we tell you to lay hand on somebody to pray
for the person. This rejoicing is spiritual activity.
Hallelujah. If you cannot rejoice here, it shows
the rose that you are not even rejoicing in your
private life, your corners. So, Galatians chapter
5, verse 16 says, We shall walk in the Spirit,
and we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Romans 8, verse 6 says, To be carnally minded
is death. But to be spiritually minded is life
and what? And peace. When our focus is on our
identity, we enjoy the peace that comes from
our identity, which is the Spirit of God. Hallelujah.
We often focus on earthly things, earthly troubles,
rather than our heavenly realities. So our heavenly
realities may become... Things that are not,
they are no longer realities. They are expectations.
They become expectations. And what contributes
more to how we conduct ourselves as believers?
What contributes more? Oftentimes, it's the gospel
we heard when we were born again. And the messages
that come from our churches. Because oftentimes
the kind of gospel we receive and where we come
from is the gospel of coming to God and your
life will be okay. Alright? A gospel that is
materialistic. A gospel that is carnally minded.
A gospel that focuses on your external needs
more. You pray for one hour and... 50 minutes
of what you are praying for is for house, is
for clothes, is for the next promotion, is for
everything. We cannot pray for material things,
alright? But if that is the focus of the life
of a Christian, I can assure you that depression
will be your resting place. But the believer
should focus more on his identity. There's no
place in Scripture where we're not promised that
things will be fine. How do we know that? John
chapter 16, verse 33. Jesus never promised us
a life without troubles. Okay? Jesus never promised
a life without trouble. Because if there was
a life without trouble, we would see it first
of all in his own life. Listen, I've spoken to
you. That in me you may have what? You may have
peace. That in the world you will do what? You
will have tribulations. Alright? So tribulations
is a constant term in the equation of life. It's
spice of life. It's part of your life. It's part
of our lives. We experience tribulation. Okay?
We experience trials and temptations. So it's
not new. Alright? You are not the first to fail
exams. Amen? You are not the first to miss a
semester. Alright? And you will not be the last.
That is not the good news. The good news is that
you have the Spirit of God to help you to work
through it. Hallelujah. That is where the good
news is. In the world you will have tribulations.
But be what? Be of good cheer. Be joyful. Be
of good cheer. I have overcome the world. All
right? And he has put that spirit of his in us.
That we're able to navigate through the challenges
of life and still be what? Be joyful and be cheerful.
Hallelujah. So we are not looking down on your
experience. Okay? We are not annulling what you
are passing through as an individual or a person
who does not understand. Actually, I may not
really understand. But I know that the Spirit
of God understands. Are we together? And if the
Spirit of God inspires in the Word of God that
we should not worry about what to eat or what
to drink, then I will side with the Spirit of
God. Okay? I'll align myself to the Word of God.
I'll be loyal to the Word of God and tell you
what the Word of God says. Alright? Above your
experience is the truth of God's Word. Alright?
Above the facts before you is a truth of God's
word concerning that circumstance. Hallelujah.
So beyond that, we have a reality. And that reality
is spiritual. And then we leverage on the works
of the spirit in us. So we focus on earthly troubles
and heavenly realities. Therefore, we are always
depressed. You know. Some of us think that if
you can just make a million dollars, then all
your problems in this life will be solved. If
you can just make 10 million, then all the problems
in this life will be solved. Go and ask rich,
if you have rich people around you, ask them
whether their problems will be solved in this
life. Some people think that if I just graduate
this school, my life will be... When you graduate...
Another level of talent is waiting for you. Amen?
Every stage comes with its difficulties and challenges.
Some rich people don't enjoy the kind of peace
we enjoy. I'm not speaking from the point of
poverty. Somebody will say it's because you don't
have money. And some people will foolishly say
that it's better to cry in a Royce voice, right?
Ah. Pastor Carson will say, small boy, we will
suffer. Let me tell you, right? What you have
in you, no amount of money can buy. The fact
that you can sleep with your eyes closed and
you're not scared that somebody will come and
knock on your door and steal your life. And still,
of course, in some part of the world, we know
what that is, okay? For the peace that you have
is of the Spirit of God. It's something to be
joyful for. For the health that you have and
you enjoy is something to be joyful and grateful
to God for. For the food you have to eat and
the shelter you have above your head is something
to be grateful to God for. Some of us, do you
know why we are always worrying? It's because
our eyes are on things that we cannot afford.
Right? You begin to see a rich watch and then
you desire it. You are not even an income earner.
You are a dependent. Your parents are your source
of income. But you want to look lavished. You
want to look fancy. You want to look fashionable.
You want to follow trends. There's nothing your
eyes sees that does not want. And some of you,
you begin to manipulate, lie your way through
to your parents because you want to obtain and
enjoy what you see somewhere. But godliness,
what does the Bible talk about godliness and
contentment? The Bible says great gain. You see,
that contentment, right? Contentment is a gift.
It's the workings of the Spirit of God in the
life of man to be contented warriors. And you
have the ability to be contented. Hallelujah.
By then we'll begin to diagnose your source of
sadness. Right? It cannot be because of the burden
for souls that are perishing. It cannot be because
people are dying in Africa. They want to go and
preach Christ to them. It's what? Maybe it's
food. Maybe it's house rent. Maybe it's, I mean,
material and physical things. Because you know
what? That is what consumes our mindset and our
activities. Hallelujah. Of course, we can mingle
with people in the world. People can get us offended.
You know? Especially in this environment, somebody
can just start fighting you for no reason. People
are possessed, so how do you know? Just if suddenly
somebody just starts fighting you, you didn't
say a word, you didn't do anything, it happens.
So what I'm trying to say is that there's a reason
to be angry, there's a reason to be sad, there's
a reason externally, right? Just turn your TV.
And it's enough for you to be depressed. Just
go on. Have you noticed that whenever you score
so much on social media, you become sad? Because
what sells in the media is bad news. Good news
don't sell as much as bad news. It will give
you five bad news, one good news. Ten bad news,
one good news. Because they want you to be greed
is addictive. But we have the Spirit of God in
us. Hallelujah. We are full of joy at all times.
So we must change our focus. Colossians 3 verse
1. We must change our focus and major our focus
on our heavenly reality. Amen. If then you were
raised with Christ, seek those things which are
what? Which are above, which are heavenly. Where
Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on what? On the things that are
above and not on the things that are on the earth.
So that must be our focus. Where we neglect fellowship
with the Spirit of God in prayer and in the Word
and obedience, then we don't experience the joy
of the Holy Ghost. Because that is where our
mind is renewed, right? That's where our mind
is renewed by the Word and by prayer and by fellowship.
The carnal mind shuts the door to the manifestation
of the Kingdom of God. But the Spirit -filled
life opens the door to joy, peace, and divine
power. Alright? That is where we experience joy
unspeakable. Joy that words cannot express. That
when you look at your life and you look at what
you are walking through or you are passing through,
you know that it is actually God that is walking
through with you. Because you are leveraging
on the power of God that is in you. Alright?
If you preach the gospel, my brother and sister,
you will be persecuted. Alright? For those who
have decided to live for God, what does the Bible
say will happen to them? They will suffer persecution.
For he who has made up his mind to live a godly
life will be persecuted. So if you continue to
live a godly life, then you need the strength
of the Spirit of God to continue to live the
godly life. All right? And all of us, God has
blessed us with His presence, with His Spirit
in us, to live and enjoy. The leadership of the
Spirit, the power of the Spirit in us. Because
we have access to the kingdom of God. We have
access to the Spirit of God. Therefore, we can
experience joy at all times. Hallelujah. So,
give yourself continually to the Word. And stay
focused on Christ. Because the Word transforms
your mind. We are not going to give you another
step to living a joyful life. There are no steps.
It's the same thing we've been telling you. I
will not stop telling you the same thing. If
you close your Bible, it's a matter of time,
depression will kill you. If you discover you
are being depressed, it's a symptom. You are
getting so, you are just sad and moody. Just
know that it's a symptom, sign and symptom, right?
For a disease. Right? And the cure, is the word
of God and prayer and fellowship. Lock yourself
and spend time with God and pray. Speak in tongues.
You must keep yourself kingdom conscious. Maintain
fellowship through prayer and worship. Jude 1
.20, building yourself up in the most holy faith,
praying the Holy Ghost. Prayer renews joy in
us. Hallelujah. If you read through Scripture,
you see those apostles, they pray and boldness
came and with joy. Alright? When they pray, there's
a renewal of strength within them. So, this is
the formula. There's no new formula to living
a joyful life. And when you master it, when you
master this art, it's a science to read. It's
something that can be repeated. When you master
the act of overcoming sadness and depression,
you know you become sensitive more to the things
of the Spirit. So even if there's a temptation
to get you sad, you know that it is a moment
to leverage on the Spirit of God and experience
joy and peace of God. So prayer renews joy in
us. Worship stays the Spirit within us. Alright?
The scripture says in 1 Thessalonians 5 verse
16 I think this should be the second to the last
scripture. 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 16 quickly.
1 Thessalonians 5 verse 16 to 19. It says what?
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything
give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus for you. Do not quench the spirit. And
one of the ways we quench the spirit is to neglect
allowing joy to find expression in us. It's not
only manifesting gifts of healing and speaking
in tongues. You quench the spirit when you allow
sadness to rule over your heart. You are quenching
the spirit. You are not allowing the spirit to
express himself through you in joy. Hallelujah.
So, in subsequent teachings, we will teach practically
how to rejoice. When we say rejoice, what it
means by calling, what it means to rejoice. We're
going to do that. We'll do that often. But in
Romans 15, verse 13, it says, Now the God of
hope fills you with all joy and peace. And that's
my prayer for you, right? That the God of hope
fills you with joy and peace in believing that
you may abound in hope through the power of the
Holy Spirit that works in you. Hallelujah. I
want you to just pray for yourself. As we close,
let's pray for yourself. Say, Father, thank you
for giving me the access to your Spirit. We appreciate
you being here today. We hope you carry this
word with you throughout your week. Don't forget
to check the show notes for additional insights.
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Until next time, stay blessed.