WEBVTT 00:00:01.220 --> 00:00:06.639 Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:09.660 designed to uplift and strengthen you in your 00:00:09.660 --> 00:00:13.939 walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until 00:00:13.939 --> 00:00:17.879 the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive 00:00:17.879 --> 00:00:24.719 right in. Hey man, it's been a blessing to be 00:00:24.719 --> 00:00:28.579 here. I know that some people are trapped in 00:00:28.579 --> 00:00:35.340 the exams. You know, and the easiest thing that 00:00:35.340 --> 00:00:40.500 they can suspend in their life, the activity 00:00:40.500 --> 00:00:42.399 that they believe that they can pause for a while, 00:00:42.460 --> 00:00:47.039 probably is coming to church. So I trust that 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:50.320 we'll reach this level where we know our priorities 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:52.520 in life, we know what is more important for us. 00:00:52.880 --> 00:00:56.299 At every point in time, we understand, we know 00:00:56.299 --> 00:00:59.380 how to arrange our lives, we know how to organize 00:00:59.380 --> 00:01:02.140 our lives. And we're able to arrange everything 00:01:02.140 --> 00:01:11.379 according to priorities. Hallelujah. I'm going 00:01:11.379 --> 00:01:15.120 to be sharing with those an aspect of the believer's 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:20.260 life that is very crucial in manifesting the 00:01:20.260 --> 00:01:25.120 kingdom of God. A very, very important aspect 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:31.510 of what we have in the faith. You know, we've 00:01:31.510 --> 00:01:36.129 been discussing the access that we have into 00:01:36.129 --> 00:01:39.930 the kingdom of God. And we established different 00:01:39.930 --> 00:01:53.129 things about two times or three times ago. Amen. 00:01:57.569 --> 00:02:11.360 Matthew chapter 16. Matthew chapter 16. Matthew 00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:22.159 16 verse 19. And I will give you the keys of 00:02:22.159 --> 00:02:26.219 the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you bind 00:02:26.219 --> 00:02:30.699 on earth will be bound in heaven. And whatever 00:02:30.699 --> 00:02:35.139 you lose on earth will be lost in heaven. And 00:02:35.139 --> 00:02:40.759 also Romans chapter 14. Romans chapter 14, verse 00:02:40.759 --> 00:02:47.039 17, to be precise, verse 17. You know, we've 00:02:47.039 --> 00:02:49.979 established, we've agreed, or we've seen in Scripture 00:02:49.979 --> 00:02:57.500 that this kiss is the Holy Spirit, right? Romans 00:02:57.500 --> 00:03:01.340 14 verse 17 says, For the kingdom of God is not 00:03:01.340 --> 00:03:07.840 in what? Is not in eating and drinking, but in 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:14.139 righteousness and peace and joy. In what? In 00:03:14.139 --> 00:03:19.340 the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah. Joy in the Holy 00:03:19.340 --> 00:03:21.199 Spirit. So what I will be talking about is the 00:03:21.199 --> 00:03:24.629 joy of the kingdom. The joy of the kingdom, because 00:03:24.629 --> 00:03:28.750 we have access to the kingdom of God. What we 00:03:28.750 --> 00:03:31.310 expect to experience in our life is the joy of 00:03:31.310 --> 00:03:37.129 the kingdom. In Romans 14, particularly verse 00:03:37.129 --> 00:03:40.030 17, talks about what is obtainable in the kingdom 00:03:40.030 --> 00:03:44.210 of God. And we've explained several times that 00:03:44.210 --> 00:03:46.689 all the resources that God has blessed us in 00:03:46.689 --> 00:03:49.310 the kingdom belongs to everyone that is part 00:03:49.310 --> 00:03:52.250 of the kingdom. And we ought to see ourselves 00:03:52.250 --> 00:03:54.949 manifesting. We ought to see ourselves enjoying 00:03:54.949 --> 00:03:58.449 the privileges and the resources we have as part 00:03:58.449 --> 00:04:02.189 of God's kingdom. And one other thing that is 00:04:02.189 --> 00:04:04.270 very important to be reflected in the life of 00:04:04.270 --> 00:04:08.949 a man or a woman that have access to the kingdom 00:04:08.949 --> 00:04:15.270 of God is joy. Hallelujah. What we ought to enjoy 00:04:15.270 --> 00:04:18.850 regularly in our lives, every day, per time, 00:04:18.889 --> 00:04:22.329 per season, is joy. Because this verse talks 00:04:22.329 --> 00:04:27.029 about what the kingdom of God is. It says, it 00:04:27.029 --> 00:04:31.589 is righteousness, it is peace, and what? And 00:04:31.589 --> 00:04:36.250 joy in the Holy Spirit. So, Matthew 16, 19 says, 00:04:36.449 --> 00:04:38.990 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. 00:04:39.970 --> 00:04:45.370 And we agree that this was a promise, and this 00:04:45.370 --> 00:04:48.850 promise was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit was 00:04:48.850 --> 00:04:53.420 given To believe us. Now the Holy Spirit. We 00:04:53.420 --> 00:04:56.660 said is the key that grant us. This access to 00:04:56.660 --> 00:04:59.779 the experiences. That we should have. In our 00:04:59.779 --> 00:05:02.759 relationship with God. It gives us access to 00:05:02.759 --> 00:05:05.740 experience. The power of God. It gives us access 00:05:05.740 --> 00:05:10.019 to experience. The presence of God. The presence 00:05:10.019 --> 00:05:12.980 of God. The power of God. And all the realities 00:05:12.980 --> 00:05:16.800 that are obtainable. In what Christ has done. 00:05:18.199 --> 00:05:21.720 For us. And in Acts chapter 1 verse 8, Jesus 00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:26.439 declared, he says, you shall receive power when 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:29.980 the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you shall 00:05:29.980 --> 00:05:33.420 be witnesses. And we saw that the coming of the 00:05:33.420 --> 00:05:37.980 Holy Spirit was not just to make us look religious. 00:05:38.420 --> 00:05:41.040 We saw effectively in the life of the apostles. 00:05:41.560 --> 00:05:44.420 And we've prayed today, we've seen examples of 00:05:44.420 --> 00:05:49.300 how they vigorously, you know, exemplify the 00:05:49.300 --> 00:05:52.079 life that the Holy Spirit will demand of a believer. 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:57.720 So the Holy Spirit is to make us living expressions, 00:05:57.939 --> 00:06:01.139 actually, of the kingdom of God on earth. So 00:06:01.139 --> 00:06:04.680 as we have the Spirit of God in our hearts, it's 00:06:04.680 --> 00:06:06.779 expected by the Spirit of God to walk through 00:06:06.779 --> 00:06:11.079 us, to make us, you know, an expression, the 00:06:11.079 --> 00:06:12.899 living expression of God's kingdom on earth. 00:06:17.769 --> 00:06:20.509 So we saw in scriptures of different people, 00:06:20.750 --> 00:06:25.529 men like us that were able to demonstrate what 00:06:25.529 --> 00:06:27.810 it means to have access to the kingdom of God 00:06:27.810 --> 00:06:30.069 through the power of the spirit of God. They 00:06:30.069 --> 00:06:32.310 heal the sick, they cast out devils, they preach 00:06:32.310 --> 00:06:36.089 with boldness. You know, the first circumstances, 00:06:36.350 --> 00:06:39.410 situations, persecutions. And we could see the 00:06:39.410 --> 00:06:41.209 boldness they have because the spirit of God 00:06:41.209 --> 00:06:44.370 was standing and walking in them. Now one... 00:06:44.699 --> 00:06:47.439 The thing that is very crucial that defines their 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:50.319 life and their living and all the things they 00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:54.459 do while they are on earth is joy. Their lives 00:06:54.459 --> 00:06:59.040 were marked by joy. Now, when we study through 00:06:59.040 --> 00:07:02.319 scriptures, we see in everything they do, they 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:05.560 may not necessarily have everything sorted out 00:07:05.560 --> 00:07:08.420 in their lives, but they have this deep sense 00:07:08.420 --> 00:07:12.740 of joy, this unshakable joy that flows out of 00:07:12.740 --> 00:07:17.019 their relationship with God. This joy is an expression 00:07:17.019 --> 00:07:22.560 as a result of their union with God. So whenever 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:26.220 we see in scriptures, it's actually God's desire, 00:07:26.399 --> 00:07:28.279 it's God's plan for the believer of the day. 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:30.560 You know, sometimes when we read through scriptures 00:07:30.560 --> 00:07:32.519 and we see stories, we see people's experiences, 00:07:32.759 --> 00:07:36.199 we think, ah, these people, they are not in our 00:07:36.199 --> 00:07:38.180 shoes, right? Or maybe you hear a brother give 00:07:38.180 --> 00:07:41.019 testimony of what God has done in his life, what 00:07:41.019 --> 00:07:43.870 God is doing in his or her life. And then it 00:07:43.870 --> 00:07:46.629 seems as though, you know, these experiences 00:07:46.629 --> 00:07:50.269 are not for us because we practicalize our experiences, 00:07:50.470 --> 00:07:52.269 the difficulties and the challenges we are facing. 00:07:53.829 --> 00:07:56.730 We practicalize and own the temptations and the 00:07:56.730 --> 00:07:58.970 trials we are passing through as though they 00:07:58.970 --> 00:08:01.629 are unique to us. But the Bible says that there's 00:08:01.629 --> 00:08:04.089 no temptation, there's no trial that will come 00:08:04.089 --> 00:08:05.889 to you, the believer, that is not common to all. 00:08:06.430 --> 00:08:09.750 Hallelujah. It's not new. It has happened to 00:08:09.750 --> 00:08:14.699 others. And it will still happen to people. Hallelujah. 00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:18.740 It will happen to people. You're not the first 00:08:18.740 --> 00:08:21.899 person to experience that. It may be a first 00:08:21.899 --> 00:08:28.519 experience for you. Amen. So we have a comfort 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:30.620 and the comfort we have is the presence of God 00:08:30.620 --> 00:08:37.460 in us. Hallelujah. So the proof of the access 00:08:37.460 --> 00:08:40.460 we have. that we can see one of the proof of 00:08:40.460 --> 00:08:45.139 the access we have in the kingdom of God is joy 00:08:45.139 --> 00:08:48.139 in the Holy Ghost. Hallelujah. So Romans 14, 00:08:48.220 --> 00:08:51.860 17 reveals that the kingdom of God is not in 00:08:51.860 --> 00:08:55.679 outward observances. All right? It's not in eating. 00:08:56.419 --> 00:08:59.320 It's not in drinking. Now, the context of Romans 00:08:59.320 --> 00:09:03.600 14, if we check in Romans 14 from the first verse, 00:09:03.700 --> 00:09:10.820 from verse 1, Romans 14. You see that Paul was 00:09:10.820 --> 00:09:19.840 dealing with an issue in that church. Sorry. 00:09:20.840 --> 00:09:23.639 Paul was dealing with an issue of ceremonial 00:09:23.639 --> 00:09:28.240 activities in the church where, you know, for 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:32.039 example, let's read from verse 14 from verse 00:09:32.039 --> 00:09:34.759 1. He says, Receive one who is weak in the faith, 00:09:34.919 --> 00:09:38.549 but not to dispute over doubtful things because 00:09:38.549 --> 00:09:41.529 there were a lot of controversies. The church 00:09:41.529 --> 00:09:45.950 is a mixture of Jewish and then Gentiles. So 00:09:45.950 --> 00:09:47.850 the Jewish people were trying to enforce regulations, 00:09:48.210 --> 00:09:52.149 external activities, you know, on the non -Jewish 00:09:52.149 --> 00:09:53.830 people. That you have to do this and do that, 00:09:53.870 --> 00:09:56.509 do these activities. You know, verse 2. For one 00:09:56.509 --> 00:10:00.250 believes he may eat all things, but who is weak 00:10:00.250 --> 00:10:05.149 eats only vegetables. Let not he who eats the 00:10:05.149 --> 00:10:09.000 spicy who... does not eat and let not let not 00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:14.240 him who does not eat okay let me read verse 3 00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:16.279 he said let not him who eats despise him who 00:10:16.279 --> 00:10:19.179 does not eat and let not him who does not eat 00:10:19.179 --> 00:10:23.700 judge him who eats for God has received him who 00:10:23.700 --> 00:10:26.460 are you to judge another man's servant for his 00:10:26.460 --> 00:10:29.679 own master he stands or falls indeed he will 00:10:29.679 --> 00:10:33.639 be made to stand for God is able to make him 00:10:33.639 --> 00:10:37.320 stand all right One person assumes one day above 00:10:37.320 --> 00:10:42.840 another, another assumes every day alike. Let 00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:45.700 each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who 00:10:45.700 --> 00:10:48.720 observes the day, observes it to the Lord. And 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:50.860 he who does not observe a day to the Lord, he 00:10:50.860 --> 00:10:55.440 does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the 00:10:55.440 --> 00:10:57.740 Lord, for he gives God thanks. And he who does 00:10:57.740 --> 00:11:01.120 not eat to the Lord, he does not eat and give 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:05.100 God thanks. For none of us. lives to himself, 00:11:05.379 --> 00:11:09.960 and no one dies to himself. Or we live to the 00:11:09.960 --> 00:11:13.460 Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, 00:11:13.620 --> 00:11:18.779 whether we live or die, we are the Lord. Then, 00:11:18.860 --> 00:11:21.519 jumping down to verse 17, and then we see him 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:24.279 emphasizing, he says, for the kingdom of God, 00:11:24.340 --> 00:11:27.480 right, is not comprised of all those external 00:11:27.480 --> 00:11:30.700 things. Okay? The things that are done in the 00:11:30.700 --> 00:11:34.529 physical. are not the core or the most important. 00:11:34.990 --> 00:11:37.629 But he mentioned things that are very, very essential. 00:11:37.789 --> 00:11:42.370 He says the kingdom of God is seen in righteousness 00:11:42.370 --> 00:11:49.409 and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. And joy 00:11:49.409 --> 00:11:52.769 in the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit, you know, 00:11:52.769 --> 00:11:55.490 is the environment of the kingdom of God. And 00:11:55.490 --> 00:11:59.769 to have a spirit is to have, you know, access 00:11:59.769 --> 00:12:01.490 to all the realities that are in the kingdom 00:12:01.490 --> 00:12:04.330 of God. And one of the important things that 00:12:04.330 --> 00:12:10.350 we can see evidently is the joy that is coming 00:12:10.350 --> 00:12:12.889 from the presence of the Holy Spirit within the 00:12:12.889 --> 00:12:15.690 believer. Galatians 5 verse 22 talks about the 00:12:15.690 --> 00:12:19.370 fruits that the Holy Spirit produces in the believer. 00:12:20.970 --> 00:12:25.370 Galatians 5 verse 22 from the NLT from the NLT 00:12:25.370 --> 00:12:28.639 says, but the Holy Spirit produces This kind 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:32.379 of fruit in our lives, which means that if you 00:12:32.379 --> 00:12:35.480 have the Holy Spirit in you, we should see this 00:12:35.480 --> 00:12:39.460 evidence in your life. We should see this evidence 00:12:39.460 --> 00:12:46.139 in your life. Love. Of course, we know it is 00:12:46.139 --> 00:12:50.000 love. Then joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, 00:12:50.159 --> 00:12:52.919 faithfulness. So joy is one of the expressions 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:56.220 of love that should be seen in the believer. 00:12:58.259 --> 00:13:02.539 Joy is not just mere happiness. Amen? Happiness, 00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:04.899 anybody can be happy. In fact, if you get tipsy 00:13:04.899 --> 00:13:08.860 with wine, you can be happy. You can listen to 00:13:08.860 --> 00:13:15.000 good music and you are happy. Okay? You can check 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:16.639 your phone and you see an alert and you'll be 00:13:16.639 --> 00:13:20.940 happy. Happiness can come from anything external. 00:13:22.179 --> 00:13:27.980 But real joy, okay, real joy is actually The 00:13:27.980 --> 00:13:31.000 fruit of the spirit in the believer. So it therefore 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:34.120 means that the daily experience of the believer 00:13:34.120 --> 00:13:39.120 should be that he experiences joy always. Because 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:41.759 when we become born again, we receive a spirit 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:44.799 and that spirit comes with joy in him, in us. 00:13:46.679 --> 00:13:51.480 Hallelujah. So our goal is that we will be able 00:13:51.480 --> 00:13:56.759 to know that, see, we have joy in us. And not 00:13:56.759 --> 00:13:58.539 only that we know that we have joy in us, that 00:13:58.539 --> 00:14:02.720 we are able to at all times express the joy that 00:14:02.720 --> 00:14:09.639 God has placed in our hearts. It is a spiritual 00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:12.700 signature, that is, joy is a spiritual signature 00:14:12.700 --> 00:14:15.740 that marks those who live under the rule of Christ. 00:14:16.059 --> 00:14:19.100 That is to say, if you have the Spirit of God 00:14:19.100 --> 00:14:21.559 living in you, what would you see significant 00:14:21.559 --> 00:14:24.889 about your life? is that you are living the life 00:14:24.889 --> 00:14:26.929 of joy. You know, oftentimes we think that Christianity 00:14:26.929 --> 00:14:32.509 is about being moody. We assume that when someone 00:14:32.509 --> 00:14:36.649 puts a straight face, there's nothing to be happy 00:14:36.649 --> 00:14:38.789 about in this life. There's nothing to be joyful 00:14:38.789 --> 00:14:42.330 about. We are about our Father's kingdom. We 00:14:42.330 --> 00:14:47.710 are so serious and so busy. And then we keep 00:14:47.710 --> 00:14:50.570 faces that doesn't represent what we have inside 00:14:50.570 --> 00:14:54.470 of us. Hallelujah. And some of us, it's because 00:14:54.470 --> 00:14:57.190 our day, we had bad days and then it influences 00:14:57.190 --> 00:15:00.850 every part of our life. The believer is not influenced 00:15:00.850 --> 00:15:04.889 from the outside. The believer is not influenced 00:15:04.889 --> 00:15:07.610 from the outside. The influence of the believer, 00:15:07.690 --> 00:15:09.669 the influence of the Christian is from within 00:15:09.669 --> 00:15:14.610 him. I'm not trying to write out the realities 00:15:14.610 --> 00:15:17.409 of the things we face every day. We're not writing 00:15:17.409 --> 00:15:20.370 off our daily living in the world. We live in 00:15:20.370 --> 00:15:23.450 a world that is full of challenges. We live in 00:15:23.450 --> 00:15:25.710 a world that is full of worries. We live in a 00:15:25.710 --> 00:15:28.409 world that is full of trials. We live in a world 00:15:28.409 --> 00:15:34.210 with practical problems. But we have the Spirit 00:15:34.210 --> 00:15:38.509 of God in us to do what? To uplift us, to strengthen 00:15:38.509 --> 00:15:42.590 us, to comfort us. And the joy of God has been 00:15:42.590 --> 00:15:45.750 placed in our hearts. Hallelujah. So when we 00:15:45.750 --> 00:15:48.610 have access to the kingdom, we have access to 00:15:48.610 --> 00:15:53.049 joy. Amen? Having access to the kingdom means 00:15:53.049 --> 00:15:55.129 having access to the Spirit of God. And having 00:15:55.129 --> 00:15:56.750 access to the Spirit of God simply means that 00:15:56.750 --> 00:16:00.090 we have access to the joy of God in us. And this 00:16:00.090 --> 00:16:03.570 joy is not dependent on our external circumstances. 00:16:05.070 --> 00:16:07.370 What happens in the external is that we are not 00:16:07.370 --> 00:16:10.330 saying they are not important. What we are saying 00:16:10.330 --> 00:16:12.090 is that beyond what happens in the external, 00:16:12.309 --> 00:16:14.669 there is something that regulates us from the 00:16:14.669 --> 00:16:17.210 inside, and it is the Spirit of God. And what 00:16:17.210 --> 00:16:20.090 we ought to do is to allow the Spirit of God 00:16:20.490 --> 00:16:23.269 To find expression in us. And one of the ways 00:16:23.269 --> 00:16:26.289 that we can allow the Spirit of God to find expression 00:16:26.289 --> 00:16:29.750 in us and through us is what is by expressing 00:16:29.750 --> 00:16:35.769 joy at all times. Hallelujah. That we allow joy 00:16:35.769 --> 00:16:39.529 to find expression from us at all times is a 00:16:39.529 --> 00:16:42.409 mark of a person that is living in the kingdom 00:16:42.409 --> 00:16:45.570 of God. It's a mark of the believer. So this 00:16:45.570 --> 00:16:48.389 joy is not dependent on the things that happen. 00:16:48.919 --> 00:16:51.940 Around and about us, it springs from within, 00:16:52.019 --> 00:16:55.840 from the indwelling presence of the Spirit in 00:16:55.840 --> 00:17:02.799 the believer. Hallelujah. So, it becomes tragic 00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:09.519 for the believer to say he's depressed. Alright? 00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:13.359 We keep telling you this every day. To be depressed 00:17:13.359 --> 00:17:18.680 is not the believer's... Which word would I use? 00:17:19.380 --> 00:17:22.660 It shouldn't be. If you are depressed as a believer, 00:17:22.819 --> 00:17:25.759 then it means that an illegal activity is happening 00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:30.720 in you. Alright? Because God has given us an 00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:34.799 ability to withstand the external circumstances 00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:37.799 and experiences that will come from without. 00:17:38.539 --> 00:17:41.559 He has given us His Spirit, so we have to give 00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:43.519 expression to the Spirit of God that is within 00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:46.599 us. Now, I'm not saying that a believer cannot 00:17:46.599 --> 00:17:51.019 be depressed. Some of you will fight depression 00:17:51.019 --> 00:17:54.660 through with you, will walk through situations 00:17:54.660 --> 00:17:58.319 and circumstances with you. But it ought not 00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:02.039 to be so, that a believer is always a joyful 00:18:02.039 --> 00:18:03.960 person because he has the Spirit of God in him. 00:18:05.160 --> 00:18:08.599 Hallelujah. So we see Jesus Christ as the model 00:18:08.599 --> 00:18:13.079 of the kingdom joy in Luke chapter 10 verse 17. 00:18:13.660 --> 00:18:16.480 And we'll see what should be the result, what 00:18:16.480 --> 00:18:20.259 should stir up joy from within us. Luke chapter 00:18:20.259 --> 00:18:30.579 10, verse 17. Luke chapter 10, verse 17. Then 00:18:30.579 --> 00:18:35.000 the servant returned with joy, saying, Lord, 00:18:35.180 --> 00:18:40.299 even demons are subject to us in your name. And 00:18:40.299 --> 00:18:43.490 he said to them, I saw Satan. fall like lightning 00:18:43.490 --> 00:18:47.170 from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to 00:18:47.170 --> 00:18:50.269 trample on serpents and scorpions and over all 00:18:50.269 --> 00:18:54.089 the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by 00:18:54.089 --> 00:18:59.910 any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice 00:18:59.910 --> 00:19:04.049 in this, that the spirits are subject to you, 00:19:04.190 --> 00:19:08.549 but rather rejoice because your names are written 00:19:08.549 --> 00:19:14.380 where? Are written in heaven. They came back 00:19:14.380 --> 00:19:16.599 when they went out to preach the gospel. They 00:19:16.599 --> 00:19:19.079 came back rejoicing, you know, because they saw 00:19:19.079 --> 00:19:21.819 a lot of miraculous activities happening. They 00:19:21.819 --> 00:19:24.200 saw the blind see, they saw demons casted out, 00:19:24.299 --> 00:19:26.740 they saw miraculous healings happen, and they 00:19:26.740 --> 00:19:29.559 were full of joy because of those things. Then 00:19:29.559 --> 00:19:31.440 Jesus shifted their attention to something much 00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:34.119 more greater than that, beyond that. All right? 00:19:34.640 --> 00:19:38.420 What should stir up joy in you is actually that 00:19:38.420 --> 00:19:43.539 you are a child of God. Amen? What should stay 00:19:43.539 --> 00:19:45.680 joy in you is the fact that you have access to 00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:48.220 the kingdom of God. What should set up joy in 00:19:48.220 --> 00:19:53.539 you is something that is eternal, eternally worked 00:19:53.539 --> 00:19:59.259 in you, the believer. Amen? And we see Jesus 00:19:59.259 --> 00:20:03.619 himself in that hour, verse 21. Jesus what? He 00:20:03.619 --> 00:20:09.440 rejoiced in the Spirit. He rejoiced in the Spirit, 00:20:09.539 --> 00:20:32.000 Jesus himself. So Jesus was not rejoicing because, 00:20:32.099 --> 00:20:37.180 you know, he won a lottery. Okay? He was not 00:20:37.180 --> 00:20:40.579 rejoicing because, you know... There's something 00:20:40.579 --> 00:20:44.000 excellent that's happened. He's able to see what 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:47.640 God is doing. He's able to see the salvation 00:20:47.640 --> 00:20:51.359 of humanity. And then that brought out joy from 00:20:51.359 --> 00:20:55.079 him. Hallelujah. At that time, Jesus rejoiced 00:20:55.079 --> 00:20:57.220 in the spirit and said, I thank you, Father. 00:20:57.660 --> 00:21:02.720 So Jesus is a model for us, all right, of rejoicing. 00:21:02.980 --> 00:21:06.119 His joy was anchored, first of all, in his union 00:21:06.119 --> 00:21:09.279 with the Father through the Spirit. And it's 00:21:09.279 --> 00:21:11.660 based on the kingdom reality of what God will 00:21:11.660 --> 00:21:16.019 do. Hallelujah. It's based on the reality of 00:21:16.019 --> 00:21:19.799 what he sees God is doing and God will do. And 00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:23.119 that becomes a source of his joy. So kingdom 00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:27.460 joy is spirit generated. It's not circumstance 00:21:27.460 --> 00:21:31.519 based. Alright? It's from our spirit, from our 00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:36.779 identity. In John chapter 15 verse 11 we see 00:21:36.779 --> 00:21:42.680 that The joy that we share is actually the joy 00:21:42.680 --> 00:21:49.539 of Jesus. John chapter 15, verse 11. It says, 00:21:49.619 --> 00:21:53.279 These things I have spoken to you that my joy 00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:58.700 may remain in you and that your joy may be full. 00:21:59.940 --> 00:22:02.759 These things I have spoken to you that my joy 00:22:02.759 --> 00:22:06.579 may remain in you and that your joy may be full. 00:22:07.180 --> 00:22:12.019 So Jesus shares his joy with all believers. All 00:22:12.019 --> 00:22:14.660 right? The joy we have is actually the joy of 00:22:14.660 --> 00:22:17.940 God, the joy of Jesus Christ, and by his spirit, 00:22:18.039 --> 00:22:21.640 we have that joy, that same joy in us. The joy 00:22:21.640 --> 00:22:24.920 of the kingdom is the joy of Christ, you know, 00:22:24.940 --> 00:22:29.339 that is reproduced in the believer. So Jesus 00:22:29.339 --> 00:22:32.420 Christ himself is a model for us that he lived 00:22:32.420 --> 00:22:34.920 a joyful life, and we can see clearly what is 00:22:34.920 --> 00:22:37.130 the source of his joy. The source of his joy 00:22:37.130 --> 00:22:40.430 is not from the external things, not even from 00:22:40.430 --> 00:22:42.109 the miraculous activities that he was doing, 00:22:42.210 --> 00:22:47.609 but from a certain fact about what God is doing 00:22:47.609 --> 00:22:51.210 or what God was to do in man. Hallelujah. Now, 00:22:51.230 --> 00:22:52.910 let's look at the life of the apostles as well. 00:22:53.849 --> 00:22:57.529 The apostles also were carriers of this Spirit 00:22:57.529 --> 00:23:01.450 of God in them, which means that they also expressed 00:23:01.450 --> 00:23:06.049 this joy in diverse ways. All right? Last and 00:23:06.049 --> 00:23:07.730 the previous times, we were looking at how they 00:23:07.730 --> 00:23:09.730 demonstrated their spirit in signs and wonders. 00:23:10.170 --> 00:23:12.569 And intentionally and deliberately, we jumped 00:23:12.569 --> 00:23:15.289 these specifics so that we'll come to this point 00:23:15.289 --> 00:23:21.009 and focus on it. Acts chapter 5. In Acts chapter 00:23:21.009 --> 00:23:30.690 5, we'll see an instance where the apostles expressed 00:23:30.690 --> 00:23:45.000 joy. Acts chapter 5, verse 40. Yes, that's after 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:48.220 the apostles were arrested. And they were arrested 00:23:48.220 --> 00:23:51.019 not for stealing. They were arrested not for 00:23:51.019 --> 00:23:53.539 doing crime. But they were arrested for the sake 00:23:53.539 --> 00:23:56.859 of preaching the gospel. Verse 40. And they agreed 00:23:56.859 --> 00:24:00.200 with him. That is, the council agreed with Gamaliel. 00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:03.490 And they agreed with him. And when they had called 00:24:03.490 --> 00:24:07.970 for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded 00:24:07.970 --> 00:24:11.190 that they should not speak in the name of Jesus. 00:24:12.730 --> 00:24:17.549 And they let them go. So they departed from the 00:24:17.549 --> 00:24:21.609 presence of the council. How? They departed what? 00:24:23.049 --> 00:24:27.809 Rejoicing. They just gathered adults. Right? 00:24:27.890 --> 00:24:29.470 Have you ever seen them flogging an adult before? 00:24:31.789 --> 00:24:37.109 Yes. They just gathered adults and they flogged 00:24:37.109 --> 00:24:43.549 them, probably 40 minus one. Right? And these 00:24:43.549 --> 00:24:46.549 young men, of course they were young men, they 00:24:46.549 --> 00:24:48.089 were supposed to be grumbling and complaining. 00:24:49.089 --> 00:24:51.509 They were supposed to be, you know, agitating 00:24:51.509 --> 00:24:54.890 maybe for their human rights. How their human 00:24:54.890 --> 00:25:00.990 rights was violated. How they were treated unjustly. 00:25:02.990 --> 00:25:05.970 But from within them, beyond the external experience 00:25:05.970 --> 00:25:09.910 that they were having, you know, the Bible says 00:25:09.910 --> 00:25:14.369 that they went what? They went rejoicing. They 00:25:14.369 --> 00:25:17.769 were full of joy. This joy cannot be an external 00:25:17.769 --> 00:25:23.250 joy. Alright? This joy cannot be from any external 00:25:23.250 --> 00:25:26.190 experience. But a joy is that they were counted 00:25:26.190 --> 00:25:31.690 what? Worthy to do what? To suffer shame. They 00:25:31.690 --> 00:25:36.029 were worthy. They counted a privilege to do what? 00:25:36.349 --> 00:25:41.009 To suffer shame for the sake of God. So they 00:25:41.009 --> 00:25:43.049 were rejoicing for the fact that they were partakers 00:25:43.049 --> 00:25:49.769 of shame. Amen? I can imagine, you know, publicly 00:25:49.769 --> 00:25:53.150 disgracing and embarrassing them and flogging 00:25:53.150 --> 00:25:56.509 them. But they counted this experience as what? 00:25:57.329 --> 00:26:01.130 As a privilege, as an honor to be partakers of 00:26:01.130 --> 00:26:04.210 this. And they were rejoicing. They were rejoicing 00:26:04.210 --> 00:26:10.690 for his experience. After being beaten for preaching 00:26:10.690 --> 00:26:13.390 Christ, they rejoiced that they were counted 00:26:13.390 --> 00:26:16.809 worthy to suffer for his name. So as I said earlier 00:26:16.809 --> 00:26:19.210 on, their joy was not motivated by anything material 00:26:19.210 --> 00:26:23.970 or advantageous to them, but based on the kingdom 00:26:23.970 --> 00:26:28.289 reality. Okay? And this joy cannot be understood 00:26:28.289 --> 00:26:33.059 by the world. That is why the life of the believer 00:26:33.059 --> 00:26:37.119 to the unbeliever is a mystery. This is a circumstance 00:26:37.119 --> 00:26:42.339 that a normal man should moan about it, a human 00:26:42.339 --> 00:26:44.859 being should complain about it. But we see in 00:26:44.859 --> 00:26:47.640 their lives the expression of joy. And this joy 00:26:47.640 --> 00:26:51.119 is a joy that cannot be explained to the man 00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:56.180 that is not born again. And this same spirit 00:26:56.180 --> 00:26:59.660 that produces this result of joy in these believers, 00:27:00.349 --> 00:27:02.970 It's where? It's resident in you, the believer. 00:27:05.950 --> 00:27:07.990 And when we begin to, you know, relate these 00:27:07.990 --> 00:27:11.750 experiences with our own experiences, you know, 00:27:11.750 --> 00:27:13.569 we begin to wonder the kind of spirit that is 00:27:13.569 --> 00:27:19.269 in us. Alright? Your school fees is delayed and 00:27:19.269 --> 00:27:23.450 then it ruins your entire week. Your prayer life 00:27:23.450 --> 00:27:27.730 begin to have issues. Your relationship with 00:27:27.730 --> 00:27:35.390 your housemates become, you know, toxic. In the 00:27:35.390 --> 00:27:37.710 family, you become, you know, roots to people. 00:27:38.789 --> 00:27:42.589 You become unbearable with people because the 00:27:42.589 --> 00:27:45.589 external circumstance around you is not making 00:27:45.589 --> 00:27:49.349 sense. Or maybe you're trusting God for something 00:27:49.349 --> 00:27:51.950 and it's not happening. Then entirely, you begin 00:27:51.950 --> 00:27:54.849 to ask some certain questions that as though 00:27:54.849 --> 00:27:59.640 God has left you. Right? it ought not to be so. 00:27:59.700 --> 00:28:01.220 That shouldn't be the experience of the believer 00:28:01.220 --> 00:28:04.359 because the believer is not controlled from outside. 00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:09.140 Are we together? Now, if you know this, let me 00:28:09.140 --> 00:28:11.759 tell you, if you are able to establish this foundation 00:28:11.759 --> 00:28:13.920 in your life right now as a young person, for 00:28:13.920 --> 00:28:15.839 the rest of your life, you live now with ease 00:28:15.839 --> 00:28:22.339 and peace. Amen? By the time you know the power 00:28:22.339 --> 00:28:25.480 of God that is resident in you, that in all situations 00:28:25.480 --> 00:28:29.180 you are calm, And you're full of joy. And you're 00:28:29.180 --> 00:28:33.180 full of peace. And it makes you... That's an 00:28:33.180 --> 00:28:37.400 age you have over the world. Hallelujah. When 00:28:37.400 --> 00:28:40.819 the world are panicking. Right? When the world 00:28:40.819 --> 00:28:43.500 are panicking about the economy. When the world 00:28:43.500 --> 00:28:45.839 are panicking about earthquake. How many of us 00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:49.680 experienced some shake -ups today? Somebody did 00:28:49.680 --> 00:28:50.980 not even know that something happened to them. 00:28:53.400 --> 00:28:58.259 He didn't know. Okay. But try and know what is 00:28:58.259 --> 00:29:03.059 happening. Alright? And we are not panicking 00:29:03.059 --> 00:29:04.960 because we know that God is in charge of every 00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:08.660 circumstance. Amen? Whether we die with it, right? 00:29:08.680 --> 00:29:11.779 To die is for what? It's for Christ. To live 00:29:11.779 --> 00:29:13.859 is for Christ. So why are you scared of dying? 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:17.039 If you are living for Christ. If everything is 00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:23.900 for Christ. Amen? So, our disposition should 00:29:23.900 --> 00:29:27.039 be the disposition of joy at all times. Some 00:29:27.039 --> 00:29:28.859 of you just went to write the exam and the question 00:29:28.859 --> 00:29:31.099 was a little bit tricky. And then it came out 00:29:31.099 --> 00:29:37.079 as though all of us wrote the exam for you. And 00:29:37.079 --> 00:29:38.720 then you become angry with the teacher and everybody 00:29:38.720 --> 00:29:44.720 around you. Amen. I was telling somebody, I said, 00:29:44.759 --> 00:29:47.940 see, some people fail exams. Actually, they read, 00:29:47.960 --> 00:29:50.880 though. Some people, it's not that they didn't 00:29:50.880 --> 00:29:52.579 read, they read, but they were reading OP. We 00:29:52.579 --> 00:29:58.460 call it off point. because they didn't prepare 00:29:58.460 --> 00:30:03.339 well. Hallelujah. And then we share that experience 00:30:03.339 --> 00:30:07.039 with everybody. We rub it up on people. You know, 00:30:07.099 --> 00:30:12.759 we become unbearable. We become people that nobody 00:30:12.759 --> 00:30:14.539 will want to be with because of what is happening 00:30:14.539 --> 00:30:18.220 in our lives. So what we should see coming out 00:30:18.220 --> 00:30:21.920 of every believer's life is a joyful life. When 00:30:21.920 --> 00:30:24.099 people come around to you, always complaining, 00:30:24.259 --> 00:30:28.940 you complain like a British person. Have you 00:30:28.940 --> 00:30:31.559 been close to British people? British people 00:30:31.559 --> 00:30:34.180 can complain about the weather, complain about 00:30:34.180 --> 00:30:36.440 the sun is too hot, the weather is too, there's 00:30:36.440 --> 00:30:39.559 no sun, the tea is too cold, the tea does not 00:30:39.559 --> 00:30:41.359 have sugar, the sugar is too much. They complain 00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:47.980 about everything. No. Our lips will be full of, 00:30:47.980 --> 00:30:50.000 you know, an expression of joy at all times. 00:30:50.119 --> 00:30:53.579 Hallelujah. Because we are not externally controlled, 00:30:53.799 --> 00:30:57.809 right? We're inspired and influenced by the presence 00:30:57.809 --> 00:31:00.390 of the Spirit of God in us. That should be the 00:31:00.390 --> 00:31:02.769 actual life of the believer. That is the life 00:31:02.769 --> 00:31:08.369 of the believer. Okay? That whatever happens 00:31:08.369 --> 00:31:12.970 without us does not influence the way we react, 00:31:13.150 --> 00:31:16.430 we conduct ourselves among people. You know, 00:31:16.450 --> 00:31:19.150 we demonstrate the stability and the work of 00:31:19.150 --> 00:31:22.470 the Spirit of God in us. Hallelujah. And if all 00:31:22.470 --> 00:31:25.670 things were full of joy, were joyful, Do you 00:31:25.670 --> 00:31:27.210 know that if you're not joyful, it's difficult 00:31:27.210 --> 00:31:31.849 to even preach the gospel? All right? It's difficult 00:31:31.849 --> 00:31:33.869 to share your gospel. Which gospel are you going 00:31:33.869 --> 00:31:37.430 to share to people that you are sad? You're going 00:31:37.430 --> 00:31:43.410 to tell a good news with a sad face. It's a sad 00:31:43.410 --> 00:31:53.960 news. Amen? It's a sad news. So we are... I don't 00:31:53.960 --> 00:31:57.259 use the word marketing, right? But what we do 00:31:57.259 --> 00:31:59.059 is that we demonstrate the kingdom of God. When 00:31:59.059 --> 00:32:00.799 people see you, they should see the expression 00:32:00.799 --> 00:32:03.099 of the kingdom of God. And one way that people 00:32:03.099 --> 00:32:04.960 will know that, you know, you've experienced 00:32:04.960 --> 00:32:07.920 the kingdom of God is joy. Because joy cannot 00:32:07.920 --> 00:32:14.339 be what? Cannot be hidden. Hallelujah. So this 00:32:14.339 --> 00:32:16.579 joy is from the work of the spirit of God in 00:32:16.579 --> 00:32:20.539 the believer. And you have this spirit in you 00:32:20.539 --> 00:32:23.670 that produces this joy. So when you are sad and 00:32:23.670 --> 00:32:28.230 heavy, then it's time to look within. Are we 00:32:28.230 --> 00:32:30.710 together? It's time to look within from what 00:32:30.710 --> 00:32:33.690 God has put inside you and allowed it to manifest. 00:32:34.549 --> 00:32:37.069 Alright? It simply means that it's time to do 00:32:37.069 --> 00:32:43.269 what? To be in the closet. To be with God. Until 00:32:43.269 --> 00:32:45.029 there's an expression of what He has deposited 00:32:45.029 --> 00:32:52.619 in you. Hallelujah. Flip. In Acts chapter 8, 00:32:52.819 --> 00:32:57.420 He not only demonstrated joy, but He brought 00:32:57.420 --> 00:33:01.500 great joy to a city. Amen? So you believers, 00:33:01.660 --> 00:33:03.380 you are not just to express joy. Some of us are 00:33:03.380 --> 00:33:04.799 not even expressing joy. We are talking more 00:33:04.799 --> 00:33:10.299 of bringing joy to cities. So you are not only 00:33:10.299 --> 00:33:13.160 someone that experiences joy, you are not only 00:33:13.160 --> 00:33:17.119 somebody that should exude joy, but you should 00:33:17.119 --> 00:33:21.539 be able to bring joy to people. When people encounter 00:33:21.539 --> 00:33:25.980 you, do they feel lifted? All right? Do they 00:33:25.980 --> 00:33:27.759 always want to be around you because you carry 00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:31.359 the Spirit of God with you, in you? Do they always 00:33:31.359 --> 00:33:34.019 feel encouraged? Do they look forward to meeting 00:33:34.019 --> 00:33:38.099 you? Or they change a lot when they see you? 00:33:40.119 --> 00:33:42.420 Because the moment they come around you, you 00:33:42.420 --> 00:33:47.500 ignite depression. You ignite, you know, heaviness 00:33:47.500 --> 00:33:50.859 in their hearts. No, the spirit which we have, 00:33:50.980 --> 00:33:54.299 right, and what we have in us is communicable, 00:33:54.319 --> 00:33:57.180 all right? We're able to extend it to people 00:33:57.180 --> 00:34:01.119 around us. In Acts 8, verse 6 to 8, we'll see 00:34:01.119 --> 00:34:06.460 how, verse 6, it says, And the multitude with 00:34:06.460 --> 00:34:11.280 one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, 00:34:11.420 --> 00:34:14.380 hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 00:34:15.400 --> 00:34:18.320 For unclean spirits crying with a loud voice 00:34:18.320 --> 00:34:22.340 came out of many who were possessed. And many 00:34:22.340 --> 00:34:27.559 who were paralyzed and lame were healed. Verse 00:34:27.559 --> 00:34:32.639 8. And there was what? Was a great joy. Which 00:34:32.639 --> 00:34:34.500 means that people were rejoicing in the city. 00:34:35.699 --> 00:34:38.880 Hallelujah. Who were celebrating and rejoicing 00:34:38.880 --> 00:34:41.380 in the city? Because of who? Because of one man. 00:34:42.300 --> 00:34:47.980 Because of one man. Hallelujah. Now may you be 00:34:47.980 --> 00:34:50.000 the source of joy to your nation in Jesus' name. 00:34:50.840 --> 00:34:53.739 That wherever you enter as a child of God, with 00:34:53.739 --> 00:34:55.539 the Spirit of God in you, that you bring joy 00:34:55.539 --> 00:34:59.599 to that place. That in that office, you become 00:34:59.599 --> 00:35:01.639 the solution to the things that are going abnormal 00:35:01.639 --> 00:35:05.599 in that place. Amen? That people will say, I 00:35:05.599 --> 00:35:07.820 bless God that I come in contact with this person. 00:35:08.579 --> 00:35:11.000 Ever since I met you, my life has never been 00:35:11.000 --> 00:35:14.840 the same again. Whenever people are depressed, 00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:19.579 they know the person to call. It happens, right? 00:35:20.340 --> 00:35:22.400 Whenever I start feeling abnormal, I know who 00:35:22.400 --> 00:35:25.699 to call. I know who to call. I know who will 00:35:25.699 --> 00:35:29.579 cheer me up. And if you want to feel depressed, 00:35:29.860 --> 00:35:35.260 there are some people that you call them and 00:35:35.260 --> 00:35:37.820 they will help you very well to be depressed. 00:35:39.019 --> 00:35:40.739 You are in trouble, you call them, they have 00:35:40.739 --> 00:35:43.519 nothing to give. They complicate the issues. 00:35:46.800 --> 00:35:53.480 Hey, yeah, like this. And, and, and, I mean, 00:35:53.500 --> 00:35:57.000 some of them, that is a default setting. All 00:35:57.000 --> 00:35:59.260 right? And then you finish talking with them 00:35:59.260 --> 00:36:05.179 and you're, you're, why do I? No. Hallelujah. 00:36:06.039 --> 00:36:09.500 That shouldn't be our, our reality as believers. 00:36:09.699 --> 00:36:12.900 All right? We should be source of joy to people, 00:36:13.039 --> 00:36:16.460 right? We should be solution to people's issues. 00:36:16.880 --> 00:36:20.659 I'm not adding to the problems. People have a 00:36:20.659 --> 00:36:23.920 lot of things they are passing through. Are we 00:36:23.920 --> 00:36:28.000 together? A lot of people are depressed. In this 00:36:28.000 --> 00:36:30.940 generation, when we're younger, depression is 00:36:30.940 --> 00:36:36.739 strange. But nowadays, people easily get depressed. 00:36:37.699 --> 00:36:42.489 All right? People easily get depressed. But we 00:36:42.489 --> 00:36:45.949 have the Spirit of God in us. Not only that we 00:36:45.949 --> 00:36:51.090 carry joy in us, we're able to impart joy to 00:36:51.090 --> 00:36:53.710 people, bringing them to the truth of what Christ 00:36:53.710 --> 00:36:56.889 has done and ensuring that we're filled with 00:36:56.889 --> 00:36:58.489 the Spirit of God and are filled with the Spirit 00:36:58.489 --> 00:37:01.230 of God. Hallelujah. So as he preached Christ 00:37:01.230 --> 00:37:03.550 to that city, miracles happened, demons fled, 00:37:03.710 --> 00:37:06.929 and the city was filled with great joy. The city 00:37:06.929 --> 00:37:10.389 was filled with great joy. Now, wherever the 00:37:10.389 --> 00:37:13.150 kingdom is manifested, what happens there? Joy 00:37:13.150 --> 00:37:16.789 spreads. Amen? Whenever the gospel is preached 00:37:16.789 --> 00:37:20.570 and people are born again, there is always joy. 00:37:21.489 --> 00:37:23.889 If I give it to you, it was your experience when 00:37:23.889 --> 00:37:26.829 you got born again. There was this sense of joy 00:37:26.829 --> 00:37:31.250 that was rising from inside you. That joy is 00:37:31.250 --> 00:37:35.469 not meant to be just that moment. Don't be like 00:37:35.469 --> 00:37:40.139 David. Restore to me the joy of my salvation. 00:37:40.239 --> 00:37:43.820 You all have not lost. Amen. You know that joy 00:37:43.820 --> 00:37:47.159 you experienced when you got born again? It's 00:37:47.159 --> 00:37:50.559 still in you. David can pray that prayer and 00:37:50.559 --> 00:37:53.380 then sing that song. Alright? Because that is 00:37:53.380 --> 00:37:55.019 his reality and he's honest about his reality. 00:37:55.539 --> 00:37:58.900 But you, the believer of today, that joy is permanent 00:37:58.900 --> 00:38:02.619 in you. Hallelujah. Not only that you have a 00:38:02.619 --> 00:38:04.900 career of joy, but you are able to make people 00:38:04.900 --> 00:38:07.929 joyful. So who will come to church here while 00:38:07.929 --> 00:38:10.630 trying to mechanically instigate you to rejoice? 00:38:11.610 --> 00:38:13.750 And it seems as if you are the savior of the 00:38:13.750 --> 00:38:16.389 world with all the problems of the world on your 00:38:16.389 --> 00:38:23.769 head. Amen? No. Hallelujah. A believer is joyful 00:38:23.769 --> 00:38:27.590 at all times. Say, I'm full of joy. And the joy 00:38:27.590 --> 00:38:30.829 of the Holy Spirit finds expressions in my life. 00:38:31.289 --> 00:38:35.849 At all times, I am never depressed. I am full 00:38:35.849 --> 00:38:38.929 of joy because I have the Spirit of God in me. 00:38:39.349 --> 00:38:43.250 I bring joy to nations. I bring joy to people's 00:38:43.250 --> 00:38:49.489 life. Hallelujah. Be that kind of a man that 00:38:49.489 --> 00:38:51.809 the moment you are out of the house and your 00:38:51.809 --> 00:38:53.869 husband just heard your voice, they should thank 00:38:53.869 --> 00:38:57.510 God that you've come home. Not the ones that 00:38:57.510 --> 00:39:01.130 everybody was out locking his door. See that 00:39:01.130 --> 00:39:04.670 something is wrong with your Christianity. Be 00:39:04.670 --> 00:39:07.969 that father that when they hear ping -ping from 00:39:07.969 --> 00:39:12.510 the gate, what happens? They will come in line 00:39:12.510 --> 00:39:14.349 of daddy -daddy, but there are some families 00:39:14.349 --> 00:39:17.889 that the moment they hear ping -ping, the line 00:39:17.889 --> 00:39:21.190 of the tribe of Judah has arrived. Everybody 00:39:21.190 --> 00:39:27.489 will disperse and look for a hiding place. Hallelujah. 00:39:28.550 --> 00:39:31.809 Don't be that kind of a parent, all right? Because 00:39:31.809 --> 00:39:33.889 you have a different kind of a spirit in you. 00:39:34.230 --> 00:39:36.010 And the spirit you have is the spirit of God. 00:39:36.250 --> 00:39:39.349 All right? You bring joy and blessings to people. 00:39:41.289 --> 00:39:43.429 So we're not talking about things that are strange. 00:39:44.170 --> 00:39:50.130 This is the believer's reality. All right? We 00:39:50.130 --> 00:39:52.929 don't have to be so theological and so, I mean, 00:39:52.969 --> 00:39:55.469 mysterious about speaking about the joy of Jesus. 00:39:55.510 --> 00:40:03.309 It's practical. It's practical. Hallelujah. So 00:40:03.309 --> 00:40:05.789 we spread joy wherever the kingdom is manifested. 00:40:05.889 --> 00:40:08.969 By the preaching of the gospel, we see joy in 00:40:08.969 --> 00:40:13.570 expression. And if your name is joy, you have 00:40:13.570 --> 00:40:19.929 no reason not to be joyful. Amen. You're obligated 00:40:19.929 --> 00:40:23.050 to be joyful. The gospel will keep calling you 00:40:23.050 --> 00:40:27.050 joy. So we don't just experience joy in our lives. 00:40:27.110 --> 00:40:30.650 We spread joy across nations as we manifest the 00:40:30.650 --> 00:40:34.519 kingdom of God. So the same question I ask again, 00:40:34.619 --> 00:40:40.579 why do many believers, or why do we often not 00:40:40.579 --> 00:40:44.500 experience this joy, this joy that is supposed 00:40:44.500 --> 00:40:46.780 to be experienced by the children of the kingdom 00:40:46.780 --> 00:40:53.840 of God? Why do believers not walk in the kingdom 00:40:53.840 --> 00:40:58.139 joy today? Even though we have access to the 00:40:58.139 --> 00:41:02.230 same spirit of God as the apostles. See, there 00:41:02.230 --> 00:41:04.469 are hundreds of examples I don't want to go into 00:41:04.469 --> 00:41:08.750 because of time. To see, you know, how the believers 00:41:08.750 --> 00:41:13.510 were living. They were full of joy. They shared 00:41:13.510 --> 00:41:15.690 what they had in common. They were full of joy. 00:41:16.650 --> 00:41:20.289 Alright? They would catch them, they would flog 00:41:20.289 --> 00:41:21.809 them, they would go singing and thanking God. 00:41:22.389 --> 00:41:24.250 There was an instance where they locked two in 00:41:24.250 --> 00:41:26.429 the prison and they were what? They were singing 00:41:26.429 --> 00:41:29.969 and giving glory to God. Not to talk about the 00:41:29.969 --> 00:41:34.510 experience of Paul in prison. Alright? Where 00:41:34.510 --> 00:41:36.369 he's supposed to be mourning and asking for help. 00:41:39.809 --> 00:41:42.309 Looking for resources to get a good lawyer to 00:41:42.309 --> 00:41:47.329 defend him. But she was in prison but exalting 00:41:47.329 --> 00:41:53.130 those who are free to be joyful. Countless of 00:41:53.130 --> 00:41:57.130 examples. And that is the work of the Spirit 00:41:57.130 --> 00:42:00.809 in the life of a man. Hallelujah. And in all 00:42:00.809 --> 00:42:04.730 things, in all situations, that we are joyful 00:42:04.730 --> 00:42:08.650 and that joy is a joy of the Spirit of God. Amen. 00:42:09.409 --> 00:42:13.489 So the reason because we are often, what? Carnally 00:42:13.489 --> 00:42:20.769 minded. What consumes us is what? Is bread and 00:42:20.769 --> 00:42:25.230 wine. Okay? What consumes our thinking are external 00:42:25.230 --> 00:42:27.409 things. Now, those external things might not 00:42:27.409 --> 00:42:30.329 necessarily be negative things. They may not 00:42:30.329 --> 00:42:33.849 necessarily be sinful things. We are consumed 00:42:33.849 --> 00:42:35.769 with the pursuit of the things of the world, 00:42:35.829 --> 00:42:39.989 like your education is as good and as important. 00:42:41.530 --> 00:42:46.849 All right? Your job is good and is important. 00:42:46.909 --> 00:42:50.889 It's necessary that we work. When our lives are 00:42:50.889 --> 00:42:55.559 consumed by external things, that we forget about 00:42:55.559 --> 00:42:58.739 the things that defines who we are, our identity, 00:42:58.800 --> 00:43:02.139 which is a spirit, it becomes difficult for us 00:43:02.139 --> 00:43:09.039 to express the joy of the Holy Ghost. So we are 00:43:09.039 --> 00:43:12.679 carnally minded often, living by feelings and 00:43:12.679 --> 00:43:18.280 emotions and not by the spirit. You know, we 00:43:18.280 --> 00:43:22.300 live in a generation where people are so peculiar 00:43:22.300 --> 00:43:27.329 about how they feel. And people are so careful 00:43:27.329 --> 00:43:33.130 not to hurt the feelings of people. You know? 00:43:34.690 --> 00:43:38.929 So we are so emotional and so, you know, we're 00:43:38.929 --> 00:43:41.670 not saying that we should suspend our humanity. 00:43:41.730 --> 00:43:44.110 That's not what we're saying. But our humanity 00:43:44.110 --> 00:43:49.170 should not detect how we live. Because we are 00:43:49.170 --> 00:43:52.869 not carnal men. Are we together? We are spiritual 00:43:52.869 --> 00:43:55.210 beings. First of all, our identity is that we 00:43:55.210 --> 00:43:59.670 are spiritual. We have a spirit and then we live 00:43:59.670 --> 00:44:02.670 in a physical body and we interact with our physical 00:44:02.670 --> 00:44:06.829 world. So our source of influence should be from 00:44:06.829 --> 00:44:12.050 our identity as spirituals. That is why we come 00:44:12.050 --> 00:44:15.190 to church, to learn our identity every day. To 00:44:15.190 --> 00:44:17.650 learn what God has done in us. And what I'm telling 00:44:17.650 --> 00:44:20.400 us today is that... God has put an ability in 00:44:20.400 --> 00:44:23.239 us to be joyful at all times. So when you come 00:44:23.239 --> 00:44:24.860 to church, for some of you that are new in this 00:44:24.860 --> 00:44:27.679 church, when we ask people to rejoice, all we're 00:44:27.679 --> 00:44:29.599 trying to tell you to do is that you should manifest 00:44:29.599 --> 00:44:31.800 the kingdom of God. When we say you should pray 00:44:31.800 --> 00:44:34.719 in tongues, right? It's the same thing as we 00:44:34.719 --> 00:44:38.440 tell you to rejoice. It's the same thing as saying, 00:44:38.500 --> 00:44:40.340 as we tell you to lay hand on somebody to pray 00:44:40.340 --> 00:44:43.679 for the person. This rejoicing is spiritual activity. 00:44:46.920 --> 00:44:50.880 Hallelujah. If you cannot rejoice here, it shows 00:44:50.880 --> 00:44:53.539 the rose that you are not even rejoicing in your 00:44:53.539 --> 00:45:04.179 private life, your corners. So, Galatians chapter 00:45:04.179 --> 00:45:06.780 5, verse 16 says, We shall walk in the Spirit, 00:45:06.980 --> 00:45:09.960 and we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 00:45:11.800 --> 00:45:14.239 Romans 8, verse 6 says, To be carnally minded 00:45:14.239 --> 00:45:18.159 is death. But to be spiritually minded is life 00:45:18.159 --> 00:45:24.039 and what? And peace. When our focus is on our 00:45:24.039 --> 00:45:27.739 identity, we enjoy the peace that comes from 00:45:27.739 --> 00:45:30.960 our identity, which is the Spirit of God. Hallelujah. 00:45:31.920 --> 00:45:35.840 We often focus on earthly things, earthly troubles, 00:45:36.099 --> 00:45:41.639 rather than our heavenly realities. So our heavenly 00:45:41.639 --> 00:45:45.920 realities may become... Things that are not, 00:45:45.920 --> 00:45:47.980 they are no longer realities. They are expectations. 00:45:48.420 --> 00:45:56.019 They become expectations. And what contributes 00:45:56.019 --> 00:45:59.539 more to how we conduct ourselves as believers? 00:45:59.639 --> 00:46:03.300 What contributes more? Oftentimes, it's the gospel 00:46:03.300 --> 00:46:07.820 we heard when we were born again. And the messages 00:46:07.820 --> 00:46:10.590 that come from our churches. Because oftentimes 00:46:10.590 --> 00:46:12.469 the kind of gospel we receive and where we come 00:46:12.469 --> 00:46:14.889 from is the gospel of coming to God and your 00:46:14.889 --> 00:46:22.409 life will be okay. Alright? A gospel that is 00:46:22.409 --> 00:46:27.070 materialistic. A gospel that is carnally minded. 00:46:28.750 --> 00:46:31.489 A gospel that focuses on your external needs 00:46:31.489 --> 00:46:38.579 more. You pray for one hour and... 50 minutes 00:46:38.579 --> 00:46:40.500 of what you are praying for is for house, is 00:46:40.500 --> 00:46:44.059 for clothes, is for the next promotion, is for 00:46:44.059 --> 00:46:47.599 everything. We cannot pray for material things, 00:46:47.760 --> 00:46:51.559 alright? But if that is the focus of the life 00:46:51.559 --> 00:46:54.019 of a Christian, I can assure you that depression 00:46:54.019 --> 00:47:01.840 will be your resting place. But the believer 00:47:01.840 --> 00:47:06.329 should focus more on his identity. There's no 00:47:06.329 --> 00:47:08.090 place in Scripture where we're not promised that 00:47:08.090 --> 00:47:12.030 things will be fine. How do we know that? John 00:47:12.030 --> 00:47:16.150 chapter 16, verse 33. Jesus never promised us 00:47:16.150 --> 00:47:24.190 a life without troubles. Okay? Jesus never promised 00:47:24.190 --> 00:47:27.349 a life without trouble. Because if there was 00:47:27.349 --> 00:47:28.869 a life without trouble, we would see it first 00:47:28.869 --> 00:47:34.429 of all in his own life. Listen, I've spoken to 00:47:34.429 --> 00:47:38.250 you. That in me you may have what? You may have 00:47:38.250 --> 00:47:42.769 peace. That in the world you will do what? You 00:47:42.769 --> 00:47:46.170 will have tribulations. Alright? So tribulations 00:47:46.170 --> 00:47:52.570 is a constant term in the equation of life. It's 00:47:52.570 --> 00:47:55.550 spice of life. It's part of your life. It's part 00:47:55.550 --> 00:47:59.309 of our lives. We experience tribulation. Okay? 00:47:59.469 --> 00:48:02.309 We experience trials and temptations. So it's 00:48:02.309 --> 00:48:06.179 not new. Alright? You are not the first to fail 00:48:06.179 --> 00:48:11.420 exams. Amen? You are not the first to miss a 00:48:11.420 --> 00:48:15.219 semester. Alright? And you will not be the last. 00:48:16.860 --> 00:48:20.019 That is not the good news. The good news is that 00:48:20.019 --> 00:48:21.619 you have the Spirit of God to help you to work 00:48:21.619 --> 00:48:25.119 through it. Hallelujah. That is where the good 00:48:25.119 --> 00:48:28.320 news is. In the world you will have tribulations. 00:48:28.920 --> 00:48:32.380 But be what? Be of good cheer. Be joyful. Be 00:48:32.380 --> 00:48:36.010 of good cheer. I have overcome the world. All 00:48:36.010 --> 00:48:40.690 right? And he has put that spirit of his in us. 00:48:41.010 --> 00:48:43.150 That we're able to navigate through the challenges 00:48:43.150 --> 00:48:46.869 of life and still be what? Be joyful and be cheerful. 00:48:48.650 --> 00:48:51.389 Hallelujah. So we are not looking down on your 00:48:51.389 --> 00:48:55.429 experience. Okay? We are not annulling what you 00:48:55.429 --> 00:48:57.250 are passing through as an individual or a person 00:48:57.250 --> 00:48:59.909 who does not understand. Actually, I may not 00:48:59.909 --> 00:49:03.340 really understand. But I know that the Spirit 00:49:03.340 --> 00:49:07.000 of God understands. Are we together? And if the 00:49:07.000 --> 00:49:10.219 Spirit of God inspires in the Word of God that 00:49:10.219 --> 00:49:11.860 we should not worry about what to eat or what 00:49:11.860 --> 00:49:14.780 to drink, then I will side with the Spirit of 00:49:14.780 --> 00:49:19.059 God. Okay? I'll align myself to the Word of God. 00:49:19.900 --> 00:49:22.659 I'll be loyal to the Word of God and tell you 00:49:22.659 --> 00:49:26.360 what the Word of God says. Alright? Above your 00:49:26.360 --> 00:49:30.599 experience is the truth of God's Word. Alright? 00:49:31.159 --> 00:49:35.820 Above the facts before you is a truth of God's 00:49:35.820 --> 00:49:39.719 word concerning that circumstance. Hallelujah. 00:49:40.659 --> 00:49:47.320 So beyond that, we have a reality. And that reality 00:49:47.320 --> 00:49:50.900 is spiritual. And then we leverage on the works 00:49:50.900 --> 00:49:54.159 of the spirit in us. So we focus on earthly troubles 00:49:54.159 --> 00:49:56.519 and heavenly realities. Therefore, we are always 00:49:56.519 --> 00:50:01.739 depressed. You know. Some of us think that if 00:50:01.739 --> 00:50:04.719 you can just make a million dollars, then all 00:50:04.719 --> 00:50:08.460 your problems in this life will be solved. If 00:50:08.460 --> 00:50:10.360 you can just make 10 million, then all the problems 00:50:10.360 --> 00:50:15.119 in this life will be solved. Go and ask rich, 00:50:15.280 --> 00:50:17.360 if you have rich people around you, ask them 00:50:17.360 --> 00:50:18.840 whether their problems will be solved in this 00:50:18.840 --> 00:50:25.000 life. Some people think that if I just graduate 00:50:25.000 --> 00:50:29.159 this school, my life will be... When you graduate... 00:50:30.250 --> 00:50:34.809 Another level of talent is waiting for you. Amen? 00:50:35.369 --> 00:50:37.650 Every stage comes with its difficulties and challenges. 00:50:43.369 --> 00:50:45.289 Some rich people don't enjoy the kind of peace 00:50:45.289 --> 00:50:47.789 we enjoy. I'm not speaking from the point of 00:50:47.789 --> 00:51:02.159 poverty. Somebody will say it's because you don't 00:51:02.159 --> 00:51:09.780 have money. And some people will foolishly say 00:51:09.780 --> 00:51:14.300 that it's better to cry in a Royce voice, right? 00:51:15.360 --> 00:51:25.860 Ah. Pastor Carson will say, small boy, we will 00:51:25.860 --> 00:51:32.250 suffer. Let me tell you, right? What you have 00:51:32.250 --> 00:51:38.210 in you, no amount of money can buy. The fact 00:51:38.210 --> 00:51:40.650 that you can sleep with your eyes closed and 00:51:40.650 --> 00:51:42.030 you're not scared that somebody will come and 00:51:42.030 --> 00:51:46.550 knock on your door and steal your life. And still, 00:51:46.670 --> 00:51:48.210 of course, in some part of the world, we know 00:51:48.210 --> 00:51:51.690 what that is, okay? For the peace that you have 00:51:51.690 --> 00:51:54.269 is of the Spirit of God. It's something to be 00:51:54.269 --> 00:51:57.719 joyful for. For the health that you have and 00:51:57.719 --> 00:51:59.500 you enjoy is something to be joyful and grateful 00:51:59.500 --> 00:52:02.320 to God for. For the food you have to eat and 00:52:02.320 --> 00:52:05.159 the shelter you have above your head is something 00:52:05.159 --> 00:52:08.659 to be grateful to God for. Some of us, do you 00:52:08.659 --> 00:52:10.699 know why we are always worrying? It's because 00:52:10.699 --> 00:52:13.199 our eyes are on things that we cannot afford. 00:52:16.219 --> 00:52:20.099 Right? You begin to see a rich watch and then 00:52:20.099 --> 00:52:26.230 you desire it. You are not even an income earner. 00:52:26.250 --> 00:52:32.849 You are a dependent. Your parents are your source 00:52:32.849 --> 00:52:37.730 of income. But you want to look lavished. You 00:52:37.730 --> 00:52:43.369 want to look fancy. You want to look fashionable. 00:52:43.369 --> 00:52:46.030 You want to follow trends. There's nothing your 00:52:46.030 --> 00:52:50.840 eyes sees that does not want. And some of you, 00:52:50.860 --> 00:52:53.039 you begin to manipulate, lie your way through 00:52:53.039 --> 00:52:57.820 to your parents because you want to obtain and 00:52:57.820 --> 00:53:03.239 enjoy what you see somewhere. But godliness, 00:53:03.480 --> 00:53:04.860 what does the Bible talk about godliness and 00:53:04.860 --> 00:53:08.320 contentment? The Bible says great gain. You see, 00:53:08.340 --> 00:53:12.039 that contentment, right? Contentment is a gift. 00:53:15.610 --> 00:53:17.570 It's the workings of the Spirit of God in the 00:53:17.570 --> 00:53:20.969 life of man to be contented warriors. And you 00:53:20.969 --> 00:53:26.170 have the ability to be contented. Hallelujah. 00:53:27.050 --> 00:53:29.550 By then we'll begin to diagnose your source of 00:53:29.550 --> 00:53:34.670 sadness. Right? It cannot be because of the burden 00:53:34.670 --> 00:53:39.210 for souls that are perishing. It cannot be because 00:53:39.210 --> 00:53:41.909 people are dying in Africa. They want to go and 00:53:41.909 --> 00:53:48.550 preach Christ to them. It's what? Maybe it's 00:53:48.550 --> 00:53:56.750 food. Maybe it's house rent. Maybe it's, I mean, 00:53:56.769 --> 00:54:00.670 material and physical things. Because you know 00:54:00.670 --> 00:54:03.010 what? That is what consumes our mindset and our 00:54:03.010 --> 00:54:08.349 activities. Hallelujah. Of course, we can mingle 00:54:08.349 --> 00:54:11.250 with people in the world. People can get us offended. 00:54:13.329 --> 00:54:15.699 You know? Especially in this environment, somebody 00:54:15.699 --> 00:54:19.840 can just start fighting you for no reason. People 00:54:19.840 --> 00:54:25.019 are possessed, so how do you know? Just if suddenly 00:54:25.019 --> 00:54:27.579 somebody just starts fighting you, you didn't 00:54:27.579 --> 00:54:30.480 say a word, you didn't do anything, it happens. 00:54:33.920 --> 00:54:36.079 So what I'm trying to say is that there's a reason 00:54:36.079 --> 00:54:38.860 to be angry, there's a reason to be sad, there's 00:54:38.860 --> 00:54:41.719 a reason externally, right? Just turn your TV. 00:54:43.269 --> 00:54:46.250 And it's enough for you to be depressed. Just 00:54:46.250 --> 00:54:48.309 go on. Have you noticed that whenever you score 00:54:48.309 --> 00:54:54.070 so much on social media, you become sad? Because 00:54:54.070 --> 00:55:01.469 what sells in the media is bad news. Good news 00:55:01.469 --> 00:55:05.489 don't sell as much as bad news. It will give 00:55:05.489 --> 00:55:09.750 you five bad news, one good news. Ten bad news, 00:55:09.829 --> 00:55:12.519 one good news. Because they want you to be greed 00:55:12.519 --> 00:55:18.960 is addictive. But we have the Spirit of God in 00:55:18.960 --> 00:55:21.880 us. Hallelujah. We are full of joy at all times. 00:55:26.599 --> 00:55:29.679 So we must change our focus. Colossians 3 verse 00:55:29.679 --> 00:55:35.360 1. We must change our focus and major our focus 00:55:35.360 --> 00:55:42.920 on our heavenly reality. Amen. If then you were 00:55:42.920 --> 00:55:46.639 raised with Christ, seek those things which are 00:55:46.639 --> 00:55:51.860 what? Which are above, which are heavenly. Where 00:55:51.860 --> 00:55:54.880 Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 00:55:55.840 --> 00:55:59.159 Set your mind on what? On the things that are 00:55:59.159 --> 00:56:02.460 above and not on the things that are on the earth. 00:56:04.519 --> 00:56:12.500 So that must be our focus. Where we neglect fellowship 00:56:12.500 --> 00:56:14.920 with the Spirit of God in prayer and in the Word 00:56:14.920 --> 00:56:20.360 and obedience, then we don't experience the joy 00:56:20.360 --> 00:56:23.559 of the Holy Ghost. Because that is where our 00:56:23.559 --> 00:56:26.179 mind is renewed, right? That's where our mind 00:56:26.179 --> 00:56:28.019 is renewed by the Word and by prayer and by fellowship. 00:56:32.000 --> 00:56:34.800 The carnal mind shuts the door to the manifestation 00:56:34.800 --> 00:56:37.940 of the Kingdom of God. But the Spirit -filled 00:56:37.940 --> 00:56:40.239 life opens the door to joy, peace, and divine 00:56:40.239 --> 00:56:46.269 power. Alright? That is where we experience joy 00:56:46.269 --> 00:56:50.809 unspeakable. Joy that words cannot express. That 00:56:50.809 --> 00:56:52.449 when you look at your life and you look at what 00:56:52.449 --> 00:56:54.449 you are walking through or you are passing through, 00:56:54.590 --> 00:56:56.889 you know that it is actually God that is walking 00:56:56.889 --> 00:56:59.070 through with you. Because you are leveraging 00:56:59.070 --> 00:57:03.150 on the power of God that is in you. Alright? 00:57:04.130 --> 00:57:06.190 If you preach the gospel, my brother and sister, 00:57:06.429 --> 00:57:11.840 you will be persecuted. Alright? For those who 00:57:11.840 --> 00:57:14.159 have decided to live for God, what does the Bible 00:57:14.159 --> 00:57:16.440 say will happen to them? They will suffer persecution. 00:57:17.420 --> 00:57:19.559 For he who has made up his mind to live a godly 00:57:19.559 --> 00:57:22.920 life will be persecuted. So if you continue to 00:57:22.920 --> 00:57:25.300 live a godly life, then you need the strength 00:57:25.300 --> 00:57:27.239 of the Spirit of God to continue to live the 00:57:27.239 --> 00:57:32.880 godly life. All right? And all of us, God has 00:57:32.880 --> 00:57:35.000 blessed us with His presence, with His Spirit 00:57:35.000 --> 00:57:39.829 in us, to live and enjoy. The leadership of the 00:57:39.829 --> 00:57:42.130 Spirit, the power of the Spirit in us. Because 00:57:42.130 --> 00:57:44.409 we have access to the kingdom of God. We have 00:57:44.409 --> 00:57:47.110 access to the Spirit of God. Therefore, we can 00:57:47.110 --> 00:57:51.869 experience joy at all times. Hallelujah. So, 00:57:51.929 --> 00:57:55.909 give yourself continually to the Word. And stay 00:57:55.909 --> 00:57:59.610 focused on Christ. Because the Word transforms 00:57:59.610 --> 00:58:03.449 your mind. We are not going to give you another 00:58:03.449 --> 00:58:06.809 step to living a joyful life. There are no steps. 00:58:07.440 --> 00:58:09.739 It's the same thing we've been telling you. I 00:58:09.739 --> 00:58:11.960 will not stop telling you the same thing. If 00:58:11.960 --> 00:58:14.519 you close your Bible, it's a matter of time, 00:58:14.539 --> 00:58:20.139 depression will kill you. If you discover you 00:58:20.139 --> 00:58:22.619 are being depressed, it's a symptom. You are 00:58:22.619 --> 00:58:26.960 getting so, you are just sad and moody. Just 00:58:26.960 --> 00:58:30.860 know that it's a symptom, sign and symptom, right? 00:58:31.420 --> 00:58:37.360 For a disease. Right? And the cure, is the word 00:58:37.360 --> 00:58:40.679 of God and prayer and fellowship. Lock yourself 00:58:40.679 --> 00:58:45.219 and spend time with God and pray. Speak in tongues. 00:58:49.400 --> 00:58:56.079 You must keep yourself kingdom conscious. Maintain 00:58:56.079 --> 00:58:58.900 fellowship through prayer and worship. Jude 1 00:58:58.900 --> 00:59:02.079 .20, building yourself up in the most holy faith, 00:59:02.119 --> 00:59:05.750 praying the Holy Ghost. Prayer renews joy in 00:59:05.750 --> 00:59:08.010 us. Hallelujah. If you read through Scripture, 00:59:08.090 --> 00:59:10.849 you see those apostles, they pray and boldness 00:59:10.849 --> 00:59:16.409 came and with joy. Alright? When they pray, there's 00:59:16.409 --> 00:59:22.650 a renewal of strength within them. So, this is 00:59:22.650 --> 00:59:24.690 the formula. There's no new formula to living 00:59:24.690 --> 00:59:29.889 a joyful life. And when you master it, when you 00:59:29.889 --> 00:59:34.300 master this art, it's a science to read. It's 00:59:34.300 --> 00:59:37.440 something that can be repeated. When you master 00:59:37.440 --> 00:59:40.119 the act of overcoming sadness and depression, 00:59:40.260 --> 00:59:43.980 you know you become sensitive more to the things 00:59:43.980 --> 00:59:47.119 of the Spirit. So even if there's a temptation 00:59:47.119 --> 00:59:50.340 to get you sad, you know that it is a moment 00:59:50.340 --> 00:59:52.340 to leverage on the Spirit of God and experience 00:59:52.340 --> 00:59:58.860 joy and peace of God. So prayer renews joy in 00:59:58.860 --> 01:00:03.190 us. Worship stays the Spirit within us. Alright? 01:00:03.570 --> 01:00:09.289 The scripture says in 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 01:00:09.289 --> 01:00:14.250 16 I think this should be the second to the last 01:00:14.250 --> 01:00:15.909 scripture. 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 16 quickly. 01:00:16.289 --> 01:00:20.030 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 16 to 19. It says what? 01:00:21.150 --> 01:00:26.929 Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything 01:00:26.929 --> 01:00:30.429 give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ 01:00:30.429 --> 01:00:35.110 Jesus for you. Do not quench the spirit. And 01:00:35.110 --> 01:00:38.909 one of the ways we quench the spirit is to neglect 01:00:38.909 --> 01:00:43.889 allowing joy to find expression in us. It's not 01:00:43.889 --> 01:00:45.789 only manifesting gifts of healing and speaking 01:00:45.789 --> 01:00:47.690 in tongues. You quench the spirit when you allow 01:00:47.690 --> 01:00:49.469 sadness to rule over your heart. You are quenching 01:00:49.469 --> 01:00:51.369 the spirit. You are not allowing the spirit to 01:00:51.369 --> 01:00:54.630 express himself through you in joy. Hallelujah. 01:00:55.750 --> 01:01:01.070 So, in subsequent teachings, we will teach practically 01:01:01.070 --> 01:01:04.219 how to rejoice. When we say rejoice, what it 01:01:04.219 --> 01:01:06.820 means by calling, what it means to rejoice. We're 01:01:06.820 --> 01:01:08.880 going to do that. We'll do that often. But in 01:01:08.880 --> 01:01:11.980 Romans 15, verse 13, it says, Now the God of 01:01:11.980 --> 01:01:16.619 hope fills you with all joy and peace. And that's 01:01:16.619 --> 01:01:19.719 my prayer for you, right? That the God of hope 01:01:19.719 --> 01:01:23.420 fills you with joy and peace in believing that 01:01:23.420 --> 01:01:26.920 you may abound in hope through the power of the 01:01:26.920 --> 01:01:29.880 Holy Spirit that works in you. Hallelujah. I 01:01:29.880 --> 01:01:34.550 want you to just pray for yourself. As we close, 01:01:34.570 --> 01:01:38.070 let's pray for yourself. Say, Father, thank you 01:01:38.070 --> 01:01:45.610 for giving me the access to your Spirit. We appreciate 01:01:45.610 --> 01:01:48.289 you being here today. We hope you carry this 01:01:48.289 --> 01:01:51.349 word with you throughout your week. Don't forget 01:01:51.349 --> 01:01:53.369 to check the show notes for additional insights. 01:01:53.929 --> 01:01:56.750 Stay connected with us through our website or 01:01:56.750 --> 01:02:00.190 follow us on social media. If you are encouraged, 01:02:00.429 --> 01:02:02.610 share this message with someone you care about. 01:02:03.340 --> 01:02:05.440 Until next time, stay blessed.