Joy

Good morning, everyone.

It's getting a little bit cooler, which is nice, right?

Let's start with something very simple.

The person next to you, can you tell them what is your happy place?

Let's bring it back.

Let's bring it back.

What do we got?

What do we got?

What do we got?

I'm a...

Christina.

Hey.

Hey, baby.

What's Paul's happy place?

It's next to the Christmas tree.

Where's Paul imagined himself being the happiest place, Paul?

Watching the cricket.

Watching the cricket.

What's cricket?

Oh, dear.

Cricket is some sport that people play in cardigans, even in the summer.

That is what they do.

That's cricket.

Annabelle, what's your happy place?

I said here first.

Oh, cute.

Maybe some people know I'm a huge Disney fan.

You're a huge Disney fan.

My only happy place would be the happiest place.

Disney.

Wow.

You know what?

You know, we were just at Disneyland the other day because there's apparently there's a world of frozen Arendelle there that's super cool.

We went there.

And actually, as I was walking down Main Street, I'm not going to lie.

I think it probably is the happiest place on Earth.

Like, that's the advertisement.

And I genuinely think it is.

Actually, maybe that's a great way for me to jump in.

We're going to be talking about joy today.

But, of course, when we're talking about Disneyland, we're talking about the happiest place on Earth.

But that might not be the same as the most joyful place in the world.

Now, why is Disneyland the happiest place in the world?

I'll tell you why.

The Main Street, it's just decked out in lights, decorations.

You've got this beautiful castle that's in front of you.

And then there's Mickey running around in some place.

There's a huge Christmas tree in the middle roundabout there that just is glorious.

It really, truly is a happy place.

Because your surrounding, your circumstances are just beautiful.

That's what makes Disney Main Street the happiest place.

But happiness and joy are different, right?

Happiness is a reaction.

It's an emotion.

It's fleeting.

When I stand in the middle of Disney Main Street, especially when I'm sitting on that taxi thing that kind of just takes you down just that one road.

It's a pretty useless taxi, but it's great when it's really hot.

I'm just surrounded by a circumstance that allows me to be happy.

A happiness reacts, but joy transcends.

Joy is something different.

I'm a football fan, and the team that I support is Arsenal.

The last few years are a little bit better, I'm not going to lie.

But the years before, and actually something that I've found that's really a big problem of mine is when I wake up in the morning, I'll confess, it isn't the word of God that I open my eyes to.

It is the, especially on the weekend, it's the football scores.

I wake up, and you know what?

When I wake up, and I just open the app, and I look at the score, and Arsenal lost, or they did something stupid.

I'm like, oh.

And that sends me down at the beginning of the day, just being not really that happy.

And it's kind of like, actually, those of you who are really, really serious football fans, you know that that can take over your whole weekend if your team doesn't win.

But that's happiness.

Joy is different.

Technically, if we're to have the joy that the Bible talks about, we should be able to stomach any loss that your football team has, and still be filled with joy.

Joy.

You can go to work and go to a job that you don't really like, and yet still have joy.

You can have some problems in your family, and some arguments that are happening, but yet somehow deep-seated in there is a joy that transcends even the circumstances, even the relationships.

Do we have that kind of joy?

Do we know what that kind of joy even is?

Yes.

That's what we're going to really talk about today.

And I've told this story before, but some of the times that I've had the most joy was actually when Alicia was born.

She was in hospital for a whole month, and she had surgery at five days old.

She was in intensive care for the whole month.

By all standards, that's not a happy time.

And it wasn't.

It definitely wasn't a happy time seeing your daughter get kind of poked in all kind of places.

Vivian, our good friend from the UK, will probably remember the time that we went through.

But there's a joy that I learned to have during my time waiting for her at the hospital that kind of transcends the circumstances that I was in.

It wasn't happiness for sure, but there's a peace.

There's a joy that's like, man, we will get through this.

We will go to the end.

And when I was in hospital for a month, when I was younger, I had the same thing.

It sucked to be there.

It wasn't happy.

But I started to experience this joy that started to emerge through, maybe in week two or three, that I was like, oh, this is different.

Actually, this makes me feel the most human.

If you've been in a hospital before, you probably understand a little bit of that.

There's no other place in the world that helps you come face to face with your humanity and with your futility.

And it's in that moment you're like, oh, but there is some joy that happens there.

The Apostle Paul writes this letter.

He writes this letter to this church in Philippi.

And actually, this letter, which is what we refer to as Philippians, it's all about joy.

In fact, it's the epistle of joy is how someone talks about it.

But the interesting thing is, where does he write it?

Where does he write the book of Philippians?

Derek.

In jail.

In jail, in prison.

And yet, in this book, the four chapters, he references and talks about joy 16 times.

He's trapped.

It's completely out of his control.

Yet, somehow, he has joy.

And then that famous Bible verse that Steph Curry made really famous,

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Paul managed to find the secret to joy, even though he was in prison, even though he was getting to the end of life.

He can say, I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Before that, he says, I have learned the secret.

In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

If you were in prison, or if you were trapped in the hospital, would you have joy?

That's a good question just for us to reflect on.

The likelihood is no.

But my guess is that if we were to really understand the heart of God,

if we would truly understand why we were here, it would take you a while,

but it won't take you too long before you realize that actually you are capable of joy,

even when you're in prison, even when you're in the hospital,

even when circumstances aren't going the way that you want them to.

You won't have happiness.

You're not happy about being there.

You're not happy about being in the job that you're in or the current life situation you're in,

but yet you will have joy.

Happiness reacts like you would on Disneyland Main Street, but joy transcends.

I want to open up the word and talk about two people who I think had that secret.

Had that secret.

Paul says,

I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

Two people that ties in with our Christmas theme is actually two pregnant ladies.

Two pregnant ladies, Elizabeth and Mary.

And I want to read it to you.

So if you can turn with me to Luke chapter 1.

Luke 1 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 1.

Luke 1 · chapter mention

We are right on topic here.

We're talking about the Christmas story about Mary and Elizabeth.

Chapter 1, verse 39.

Actually, we haven't done this for a while.

Can I invite us to stand for the word of the Lord?

Well done to the people who were on beanbags.

You made it.

Chapter 1, verse 39.

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country to a town in Judah.

And she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb.

And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

And she exclaimed with a loud cry,

Blessed are you among women.

And blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears,

the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.

And Mary said,

My soul magnifies the Lord.

And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

And for he has looked on the humblest estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.

For he who is mighty has done great things for me.

And holy is his name.

And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm.

He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the mighty from their thrones.

And exalted those of humble estate.

He has filled the hungry with good things.

And the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy.

As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.

This is the word of the Lord.

Take a seat.

And reading that passage just reminded me,

Ellie, your song choices were on point.

My goodness.

So, picture this.

Two pregnant ladies.

One whose husband meets an angel.

Completely silenced by it.

And tells, hey, you're going to have a baby boy.

It's going to be called John.

And so Elizabeth is pregnant.

But I want to tell you a little bit more about Elizabeth.

She was advanced in years.

So she was an old lady.

She tried long, many, many years.

And yet she still couldn't have a baby.

And in that society, at that point, children,

well, they still are deemed as blessings today.

Most of the time.

But children were a real blessing.

When you do something well and you get a child,

that's a huge blessing.

That's a gift.

So imagine Zechariah and Elizabeth all these years.

Actually, chapter 1, verse 6.

And they were both righteous before God,

walking blamelessly in all the commandments and the statutes of the Lord.

But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren,

and both were advanced in years.

Wow.

If I made it into the Bible and had that description,

and righteous before God,

walking blamelessly in all the commandments and the statutes of the Lord,

that would be pretty cool.

That's a good CV.

And so they've done everything right, yet they don't have a child.

And of course, the stigma that would come.

Can you imagine Christmas dinners?

Can you just like, oh, you're still waiting?

Are you guys going to have children?

Can you imagine the shame, the stigma that comes from getting that constantly,

every Christmas, every family meal?

I have reason to believe that the Jewish culture

was probably quite similar to the Chinese one.

Both love food, and both fellowship there,

and of course then just throw shade there across the dinner table constantly, right?

So that's the backdrop.

And finally, finally her husband goes to work,

meets an angel, comes back mute,

and she has a baby.

Like all her dreams, all in one Christmas.

And then, so she's pregnant, and she's like,

wow, this is a huge thing.

And then her relative Mary has a similar encounter,

and is also pregnant.

And both of them have joy.

I mean, as I just read that,

can you just imagine the interaction,

the encounter when they both met?

Ah, you're pregnant.

Ah, you're pregnant.

Ah!

So there's just constant joy that fills the room.

And this leads me to my first point.

In order to have joy, there's one thing that needs to happen.

You can't have jealousy.

With jealousy, there is no joy.

Can you just imagine again, just being in Elizabeth's shoes.

She's taken years,

you waited years and years and years

to get the social standing that she's really wanted,

to get the baby that she's really wanted,

to have the silent husband that she's always been waiting for.

And here we have,

and I've finally got the baby that I want.

And yet my relative, teenage Mary,

who's not even married yet,

has a baby too.

She knows nothing.

She knows nothing about what it means to wait.

Can you imagine the bitterness

that could have come from Elizabeth's heart?

And yet she doesn't.

She's just so excited.

She's filled with joy,

which tells me that with joy,

there has to be no jealousy.

What is jealousy?

Because jealousy is looking at what somebody else has

and really wanting that thing, right?

Because I look at Gabriel today,

and some of us, six of us,

have noticed that Gabriel has a new hairstyle.

Can you see?

Just incredible what a girlfriend does to you.

And I look and I see,

he's now going to be called Astro Boy from now.

But of course, there may be,

and those of you who hang around me long enough

will know that I'm quite sensitive,

or I'm quite alert and aware

to people's hairstyles and their hair choices,

for no reason, really.

But jealousy is me looking at Gabriel and going,

ah, I want that hair.

That's why hanging out with someone like Derek

makes me really happy.

All right?

Yeah?

No jealousy there.

In fact, stood next to Derek,

I am called Longhair.

And he is...

But in order to have joy,

you need to surrender jealousy.

Theodore Roosevelt said,

comparison is the thief of joy.

Comparison is the thief of joy.

So the reason why you are not joyful,

there may be something to do with the fact

that you are actually jealous.

You're like, oh, I'm not jealous.

Well, what is jealousy?

Jealousy is looking at someone

who has something that you want.

Actually, envy is closely tied to that.

Envy is looking at someone and going,

actually, not only do I want what you want,

I don't want you to have it.

That's envy.

The fact that you have hair makes me upset.

It offends me.

That's envy.

So jealousy and envy are both, actually,

big problems when it comes to joy.

And I totally agree with Roosevelt.

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Because you get jealous when you look at someone

and go, oh, well, I kind of want what they want.

I kind of want...

Why don't I have what they want?

They say that, actually,

children start comparing when they're seven years old.

That's when they start being aware

that they're different to other people.

We moved to Hong Kong five years ago.

And actually, what day is it today?

17th.

I think we arrived today, five years ago.

Yeah, I think we arrived today, five years ago.

Ruben was six.

And so he was just before that.

And I remember so clearly.

We were so, so blessed.

And we got into this school.

And it was just a wonderful time.

And then we would catch the MTR from TKO

to Kowloon Tong, where the school was at.

And I remember Ruben asking me,

shortly after he turned seven,

he's like, oh, Daddy, why don't we have a car?

Why don't we have a car?

I said, well, Ruben, we don't need a car in Hong Kong.

It's okay.

We had a car in the UK.

He's like, oh, but we didn't have the car

that all my friends have.

I'm like, what's the difference with our car

and your friend's car?

Well, their cars do this.

It opens up like this.

And it was like, oh, oh, that's interesting.

That's interesting that he starts to be aware

and alert what other people have.

And that really is the comparison

that really then leads to jealousy.

But then really, because I told him,

it doesn't matter.

We don't need this.

We have the big machine that does this on the MTR.

That's even better.

Our car could fit so many more people.

And it's not a subjective traffic jam.

So it's good.

Do you have comparison in your heart?

If you're not fully joyful,

and I think joy is a hard thing to come by.

To have real joy.

I mean, Grace, I think you exhibit joy to me

when I'm around you.

I'm like, oh, she's joyful.

It causes me to be joyful.

A couple of weeks ago when we had Watoto,

the kids were like, oh my goodness,

that joy is infectious.

Absolutely infectious, right?

And we had them over for our house for dinner.

And they were just like, they don't have much,

yet they have joy.

And I think the joy is the most invaluable thing

in the world.

I'd said before, last year when I was in Nairobi

and I was meeting kids,

and they had kids who were living in the slums

who don't have anything.

And I just saw this group of kids

just huddled around this one kid.

Why?

Because this one kid had a pair of rollerblades

just as a gift to him.

And of course, that pair of rollerblades

had probably been passed down six different owners.

And it was completely falling apart,

yet those kids had joy.

And I was like, man, that is priceless.

Not comparing anything.

And yet here we are,

they're just filled with joy.

Do you compare?

Do you look around and go,

well, people at my age,

all those people at my age

have this already, have that already.

They're doing this already.

That's the thing that stops us from having joy.

Because comparison then leads to jealousy,

which ultimately then leads to us

just completely feeling as though we have this void.

So in order to get to joy,

I think we have to surrender any jealousy we have.

Elizabeth here, just read,

just verse 41.

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary,

the baby leaped in her womb

and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit

and she exclaimed,

blessed are you among women

and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

I don't know if I would be saying that

if I was Elizabeth having waited years and years

and years for a baby

and now this teen mom relative that I have

comes in and just has a baby too.

It wouldn't be that.

I think I'd be just kind of holding my tongue.

Oh yeah, yeah.

We're the same.

We're the same.

We're not the same.

And yet Elizabeth here is empty

of all of that kind of jealousy.

She has no comparison.

She is just filled with joy.

Even before Mary arrives,

her baby in her womb is leaping with joy.

Comparison.

Surrender that comparison

if we want to have the joy

that actually we so deeply need.

Joy comes when there is no more jealousy.

The second thing I think is this.

We also need humility.

So first, surrender jealousy.

The second thing that we need is

we need to surrender humility.

If we look at that verse,

verse 42,

Blessed are you among women.

Blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And verse 43 says,

And why is this granted to me

that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

That is the humility that you'd need to have.

Man!

Elizabeth, respect.

She's like the mother of my Lord.

This humility that comes

is what allows her to have the joy

that she needs to have.

What is humility?

Of course, the opposite,

you could say, is pride.

Now, when you compare,

then you lead to jealousy.

What you're actually saying is,

actually, you're not happy

with what God has given you.

Okay?

So there is a discontent that you have.

What you're really saying

when you're comparing and looking

is that,

Huh, why do I get it?

But why do they get that?

There's an entitled aspect to this.

Because you're like,

Oh God,

you know what you're actually saying?

God, I don't think you're being fair.

I don't think you love me.

I don't think,

I don't think I can trust you.

That's what you're actually saying.

There's the pride that's coming there.

But when you have humility

and when you empty yourself of that,

you're happy.

You're happy.

I'm happy, therefore,

when I look at someone

with a head full of hair

who doesn't have their hair cut by God

into this look now.

And I'd be like,

I'm happy for you that you have hair.

I mean, of course,

that's just a hair thing.

Clearly, I'm over it.

I don't need,

I don't need,

yeah, we're good, right?

We're good, we're good.

We're totally good.

Humility.

If the comparison that leads to jealousy

really is a discontent with God,

humility is going,

actually, God,

I don't deserve anything.

I'm so grateful for whatever

you've given me.

That's a different kind of vibe.

That's the thing that leads to joy.

You see,

verse 44,

she doesn't only have it herself,

Elizabeth,

verse 44.

For behold,

when the sound of your greeting

came to my ears,

the baby in my womb

leaped for joy.

Who's the baby?

John the Baptist.

John the Baptist,

he comes,

and he's a miracle in himself.

And yet,

in the womb,

he is leaping for joy.

He has a humility

that actually is,

I think,

passed down from his mother.

And now,

we know that when

John the Baptist grows up,

he is an intense man.

He's living in the wilderness.

He's dressed in a really

interesting way.

And yet,

he is,

he is fully humble.

You see in John chapter 30,

John chapter 3,

John 3 · chapter mention

sorry,

verse 29 and 30,

finally,

John the Baptist grows up.

So this is the same baby

that jumped for joy in the womb.

And then verse 29,

he says this,

John chapter 3,

John 3:29

verse 29,

the one who has the bride

is the bridegroom.

The friend of the bridegroom

who stands and hears him

rejoices greatly

at the bridegroom's voice.

Therefore,

this joy of mine

is now complete.

This leaping for joy

at the beginning,

even when he was still

in the womb,

is now complete

because he gets to meet

his risen Lord.

Well,

he's not a risen Lord yet.

Not yet.

He meets his Lord.

The joy of mine

is now complete.

And then the famous verse

comes after that,

he must increase,

I must decrease.

That is humility.

If you want joy,

first,

you surrender jealousy.

Second,

you embrace humility.

You're like,

oh God,

I don't deserve anything at all.

And yet,

you would shower me

with all the blessings

that you've given me.

My joy is now complete.

Just like John the Baptist

has that kind of humility.

His joy is completed,

is peaking through the waiting,

through the anticipation.

He humbles himself

because actually,

what is pride?

Pride is saying,

I want this

and I want it now.

Right?

Humility is saying,

God,

whatever you want,

whenever you want to give it to me,

I'll take it then.

That is what we're looking for.

Of course,

C.S. Lewis says,

the famous quote about humility,

humility is not thinking

any less of yourself,

it's simply thinking

of yourself less.

I think a lot of us

struggle with joy

because we're thinking

of ourselves too much.

Because we're thinking

of ourselves too much.

And yes,

some of us think

a lot of ourselves too.

But when we're thinking

of ourselves too much,

when we're just consumed

of all our own thoughts,

then that's what

deprives us of joy.

So if we want joy,

then not only do we

surrender jealousy,

we embrace humility

and we just stop thinking

about ourselves.

Because here's the thing,

joy is actually selfless.

It's selfless.

When you look beyond yourself,

that is how you will

get the joy that you want.

And John the Baptist

has this,

I met Jesus,

I'm looking at him,

now my joy is complete.

He knows who he is.

Now he's a miracle in himself.

He has a whole band

of followers

that actually,

he had a lot of hype

and he had a lot of ability.

And yet now Jesus comes,

he's still filled

with joy at that moment.

Why?

Because he's like,

now my joy is complete.

Hey, I'm only the best man here.

So what is another part

of humility?

It's actually not only

thinking of yourself less,

it's simply knowing

the truth about yourself.

So actually,

the C.S. Lewis quote

is the one that has been

often used when describing humility.

It's not thinking

any less of yourself,

it's thinking of yourself less.

The one that I love the most

is humility is being

as close to the truth

as possible.

Humilitas es veritas

is what it is.

You see this term

in a lot of places

because it's humility

is truth.

It's knowing exactly

who you are

and who you're not.

And in that humility,

you will have joy

because you know

exactly what you're made for.

And so you don't need

to look to the person

next to you and go,

well, why aren't I like them?

Well, you don't need

to be them

because you are you.

Right?

So this is the path,

this is the journey to joy.

How do we surrender

the jealousy?

How do we surrender

the comparison?

And how do we embrace

this humility?

God, you have made me,

you fearfully,

wonderfully made me

into this,

whatever I am.

It is unique

and I am happy with it

and I am content

because you are my God

and I am your child.

That's what we should

try and be going for.

Truth allows you

to be truly humble

and it's true humility

that gives you joy.

Truth allows you

to be humble

and it's that truth

that allows you

to be truly filled

with joy.

Have you ever noticed

that people who are proud,

have a think now,

someone who's really proud

in your eyes,

do they ever seem

joyful to you?

No, just someone

who's really proud

just doesn't seem

to be filled with joy

because they're consumed

with thinking

about themselves.

It's interesting,

isn't it?

And yet those who don't

think about themselves

anymore,

they start to be

more filled with joy.

Can we surrender that?

And that carries on

into that link

between humility and joy

passes on to Mary as well.

So they have their

little screaming session

because they're super excited

seeing each other

and then Elizabeth

says what she says

and then Mary

jumps into this song.

Her response is

this song of praise,

the Magnificat,

and Mary says,

my soul magnifies the Lord

and my spirit rejoices

in God my Savior.

That is the humility

that you see in Mary

that allows her

to be filled

with this joy.

This baby in her womb,

she refers to

as my Savior.

my soul magnifies,

I've got this baby,

actually it's a miracle

in itself,

yet actually my soul

magnifies the Lord.

Again,

it's that humility

that you see

that allows both

of these women

to have the joy

that we so crave.

If only we would

just let go of ourselves,

if only we would

just let go of what

we are seeing

in other people.

Filled with humility,

she sings this song,

my God,

my Savior.

Her humility is knowing

that she needs saving.

This is interesting

because again,

earlier in Luke chapter 1,

Luke 1 · chapter mention

when angel Gabriel appears,

the angel says,

greetings,

oh favored one,

the Lord is with you.

She's favored.

She's a good person

and yet still

she needs saving.

I think so many of us,

we don't have joy

because we actually forget

that we need saving.

Because if we were saved,

if we truly understood

of our need to be rescued,

our need for a savior,

we would be filled with joy

when that savior comes.

Because when we don't know

that we're drowning,

then we're like,

oh, this sucks.

But when you're drowning

and someone comes to save you,

you're suddenly filled

with gratitude.

You're like,

whoa,

if it wasn't for you,

I would be dead.

That's the same humility

that met my savior.

The baby in her womb,

she knows is going to be

her savior.

Here's the thing.

How many of us

really truly understand

our need for a savior?

Christmas might not

fill us with joy

because I think sometimes

we don't really think

we need a savior.

We're like,

well, I'm doing fine.

I'm doing okay.

I'm treading water.

But you don't know

the joy that comes

with being lifted out

of the water

so you don't have

to tread water anymore.

When you're trying

to strain and strive

and not drown,

you don't know

the gratitude

that we all need

in order to have this joy.

She carries on.

Verse 47,

my spirit rejoices

in God my savior

for he has looked

on the humble estate

of his servant.

For behold,

from now on

all generations

will call me blessed.

This is Mother Mary

going,

he looked on me,

the humble estate.

Why don't we have joy

sometimes?

Because we're like,

God,

why don't you use me?

I have so much

going for me.

I have so many gifts.

I'm not being utilized.

I'm not being maximized

for the kingdom.

We don't refer to ourselves

as the humble estate.

Don't we have that?

And then we're like,

oh, you know,

the stuff that I'm doing

is not enough.

I should be doing

more for God.

I should be doing

all these crazy things

because of my mind.

I've got such

an intellectual mind.

I should be gifting people

with this mind.

And that's when

you don't have joy.

I'm so talented.

I'm not saying this

about me, by the way.

I'm so talented

musically.

Why isn't God

using me more?

Why isn't the church

asking me to do more?

Mary looks on herself

as a humble estate.

Pride is the thing

that robs us of joy.

Comparison is the thing

that robs us of joy.

And it's in this society.

I was just talking

to Aaron the other day

because it's hard

doing ministry in Hong Kong

because comparison

is everywhere.

Even when you're not

with people.

Even when you're just

walking through the MTR.

You're looking at

all these posters

that tell you

all the things

that you don't have.

And you're like,

oh, well,

you don't have this.

Your teeth aren't

as white as this guy's.

You don't have this

kind of family.

You don't have this.

And so you're just like,

oh, oh,

I don't have,

I don't have,

I don't have.

And then you meet people.

You're like,

oh, yeah, yeah,

I'm doing this.

I'm going to Naseko

with my friends

this weekend.

I'm doing this.

I'm doing that.

I'm doing that.

And you're just like,

oh, oh.

Yeah, yeah.

And then you're suddenly like,

oh, I'm not happy.

I'm not filled with joy

because I'm constantly comparing.

I'm constantly trying

to think about myself.

Elizabeth for Mary.

Elizabeth for Mary.

No jealousy or humility.

And then her song,

which I won't have time

to break down today,

the final point is this.

In order for us to have joy,

we have to show gratitude.

In order for us to have joy,

we have to show gratitude.

This song that Mary sings

that just breaks out

into freestyle rap,

at least that's how

I like to think it is.

Because I can just imagine

Elizabeth just starts beatboxing

and then Mary starts

to wrap this song out.

She's saying,

actually,

God, my Savior,

he's done so many great things.

He has done so,

if you are lacking joy right now,

maybe the first thing

that you need to do

is stop and go,

actually,

what are the blessings

that he's given me?

Actually,

what do I already have?

Wait,

I am sat here in church

on a Sunday morning

breathing

without any pain

in my body,

or maybe there is some,

but without excessive pain

in my body.

And sorry,

just to kind of

be patronizing,

and I can hear,

and I can see,

and I can speak,

and I can eat food

without,

there are so many things

to be thankful for.

For he who is mighty

has done great things.

What is she thanking?

What is the holistic gratitude?

It's not even really

just about her,

what the things

the Lord has given to her.

She's just giving thanks

for who he is.

If you look,

verse 49,

for he who is mighty,

verse 50,

and his mercy,

verse 51,

and his strength,

and verse 52,

and brought down the mighty

from their thrones,

for he,

verse 53,

and he is filled with hungry

with good things.

She's giving thanks for him.

That's what leads to the joy.

That's the gratitude

that we all need to have.

She is focused completely

away from herself

onto him.

How much do we do that?

A couple years ago,

I was finding myself

being a bit of a grumpy man.

Of course,

during the whole COVID,

I think it was probably

towards the end of 2020,

and I was just like,

everything sucks.

Life sucks,

and it really doesn't,

but we think it does.

Maybe my harshest moment

is for me,

when the Lord

kind of just gave me

a little gentle

or quite hard slap

around the face,

was when I was talking

to some of my colleagues

in Ukraine,

and I started first

in the sharing,

in the little group sharing.

How's things in Hong Kong?

I was like,

man,

things are rough.

The restaurants

are closing at six.

I can only sit

on a table of two.

We can't even,

we can't even,

not allowed to go

to Disneyland.

Disneyland's closed.

The happiest place

in the world is closed,

so I'm not happy.

And then they're like,

oh, yeah,

that's a,

yeah,

yeah.

Oh, James,

sucks to be you.

Yeah.

And then it was

the Ukraine guys

time,

oh,

also,

sorry, James,

I've got to go.

There's a bomb

that's just gone off

right next to my house.

And I was just like,

okay, James,

okay, James,

you need to get a grip.

You need to get a grip.

Man.

And so what I did,

actually,

Christine and I,

we did this,

and those of you

who've come to our house

and had dinner with us,

you'll know what we do.

We do something called

a gratitude journal.

Every night,

every night,

we'll sit around the table,

actually,

we'll just,

before we go to sleep,

and we'll write down

something that we're

thankful for.

Every night,

just like clockwork,

we just have to do it.

And there'll be days

where it's kind of like,

I mean,

especially Alicia,

she'll be like,

oh,

I don't know what

I'm thankful for.

Like,

we all have that moment,

right?

And I'm like,

there's always something.

The fact that we had

dinner tonight,

why don't we just

put that in?

The fact that you have

a duvet,

why don't we put that in?

The fact that you have

an incredible,

awesome dad,

why don't you put that in?

In fact,

I'll write it for you.

There's always something

to be thankful for.

If you don't do that,

and you're lacking in joy,

maybe that's the first tip.

Just start a journal.

Just go to Muji,

that's what we do,

buy a $10 little book,

and every day,

just write one thing.

I think gratitude

needs to be practiced.

I think so often,

we don't practice it.

And so just force yourself.

And of course,

as adults,

we don't just go

for the low,

let's really think about it.

What are the things

that we're actually thankful for?

What are the things

that we see

that God is doing?

Because it's about

not looking at ourselves,

right?

What are the things

that God is doing

that you're like,

you know what?

I am so thankful for that.

I'm so thankful

for a church community

that likes to do this

or that,

or just the city

that I'm in

that I get to jump on an MTR

that's clean,

that has good signage.

Have you been to London

and New York?

Sorry, New York,

but clearly the New Yorker

is also okay

me saying that.

I mean,

the subway in New York

is just disgusting.

It smells.

It smells of something

very interesting.

And actually,

I would say the London subway

is,

the tube is not

that much better.

And so when I came back

to Hong Kong,

I was like,

oh.

Aaron and I,

we were walking together

one day in the Hong Kong MTR

and there was one moment

where we were looking

for a sign

to go to one line.

I was like,

we couldn't see it.

And I was like,

mildly outraged.

I was like,

this rarely happens.

Because in Hong Kong,

wherever you stand,

I've got a feeling

there's a staff,

full-time staff

dedicated to this.

Wherever you stand

in the station,

you should be able

to see a sign

to the exit,

to the next line,

or something

because the signs

are just so good.

Right?

But there was this moment

where both him and I

were just lost.

We're like,

we can't see where we're going.

Whereas in London,

that's every station.

Like,

that's everywhere you go.

You don't know

where you're going.

When you're struggling

for joy,

maybe the next thing

to do

is a small step.

It's just to think

about the things

that you are thankful for.

Why does Paul,

whilst in prison,

knowing that this might be

getting close

to the end of his life,

why does he keep

talking about joy?

Philippians 4,

when he says,

rejoice in the Lord always.

Again,

I will say,

rejoice.

Let your reasonableness

be known to everyone.

Why?

Because the Lord is at hand.

That's what we talked

about last week, right?

And so,

do not be anxious

about anything,

but in everything

by prayer and supplication

with what?

Thanksgiving.

God,

thanksgiving.

Let your requests

be made known to God

and the peace of God

which surpasses understanding

will guard your hearts

and your minds

in Christ Jesus.

He's rejoicing

because he's keeping his mind

on the things that are good

and he tells you

the secret afterwards.

after that passage,

he says,

finally,

brothers,

rejoice in the Lord,

whatever is true,

whatever is honorable,

whatever is just,

whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely,

whatever is commendable,

if there is anything

of excellence,

if there is anything

worthy of praise,

think about these things.

So,

he's saying,

he's telling you

the secret to joy.

Think about the things

that you have.

Think about the things

that are true.

Think about the things

that are honorable.

Think about things

that are just and pure

and lovely and commendable

and anything if it's of excellence,

anything worthy of praise,

anything to be thankful for,

think about those things.

I have authority over this

because I'm lying in prison

and I just got out

of a beating session

and I'm lying on the floor

and my face is bloodied

and yet I am thinking

about the things

that will give me joy.

Do we have that?

Show gratitude.

Write gratitude.

Think about it.

Think about the things.

Fill your mind

with these things

and that's why

I always come across

as being a hater

for social media,

which I am not.

I do like it.

I think there are

good things about it

but actually social media,

Instagram stops me at least

from thinking about things

that I need to think about

and it forces me

to always be comparing.

Seriously, always.

Every time I scroll

I'm like I'm comparing.

I'm like oh man.

What a great life they're living.

What a great latte they're having.

Oh I mean their barrister

is so cool.

Why is my barrister

not like that?

Whatever is true

and honorable

and just and pure.

Think about those things.

Let us show gratitude.

Why does Paul have this?

Why does Elizabeth have this?

Why does Mary have this?

Why does John the Baptist

have this?

Why does John the Baptist say

as soon as he sees Jesus

and goes

therefore now my joy

is complete.

I leapt for joy

in the womb

when I couldn't even see him

but now I am complete

because I'm staring

at my savior.

because I'm staring at him

and he's the one

who's going to bring

all of this

to completion.

It's funny actually

both Elizabeth and Mary

they say this

just before

just the final bit.

Verse 45 for Elizabeth

and blessed is she

who believed

that there would be

a fulfillment

of what was spoken

to her from the Lord.

And then verse 35

Mary's closing line is

for he has helped

his servant Israel

in remembrance of his mercy

as he spoke to our fathers

to Abraham

and to his offspring forever.

What are both of these people

having in common

when they're talking about joy?

Why are they so happy?

Why are they so filled with joy?

Because they said

God is good for his word.

God fulfills his promises.

They know what God has said.

They know what God has promised them

and they say

hey this Jesus

is the way

that God is going to

fulfill his promise.

What they're doing is

why are they filled with joy?

Because they can see

the end of the story.

They can see

the end of the film

where actually

there is someone

who comes to rescue.

That's what fills them

with joy.

Do you believe that?

That God is truly good

and that's why that song

was so good

Sovereign Over Us.

Do you believe that God

is ultimately in control?

Because when you believe

that God is ultimately

in control

then you will have joy.

Because joy

transcends everything

that's happening right now.

Why does John the Baptist

have this joy

that is complete?

He's staring at his

Savior in the eye

and he knows

what is going to happen.

Jesus

just before he leaves

John 15

he says

I've told you

all these things

that you may have joy.

John 16

he says

and I've come

to turn sorrow

into joy.

Jesus

is invested

in your joy.

Jesus

wants you

to be filled

with joy

because he wants

you to know

exactly who you are

how loved you are.

He says

I have said

all these things

that you may have joy.

Let me see.

John 15

John 15:11

verse 11

These things

I have spoken to you

that my joy

may be in you

and that your joy

may be full.

Jesus

tells us these things.

What does he tell us?

He tells us

that you are loved.

Abide in him.

Be with me.

Stick close to me

and you will have joy.

So you can have my joy

and then you will have

joy to the full.

Who put your hand up

if you want joy to the full?

Yes.

The real answer is everyone.

We want this joy to the full

and it has nothing to do

with circumstances

because you cannot

you cannot stay in

Disneyland

Main Street

24-7.

Trust me.

They close

and they usher you out

and there's a whole

march of people

that just pushes you out

after the fireworks show.

You cannot stay there.

But you have joy

because you know

where you're heading to.

Not the Disneyland car park.

You know

that you're heading

to a place

where you'll be filled

with this joy.

What is this joy?

He says my joy.

These things I have spoken to you

that my joy

may be in you.

What is that joy?

That is the joy

of being

in union with God.

since the Garden of Eden

where we turned

our back on him.

Jesus comes to bring joy

that can only come

through being with him.

In the Psalms it says

in your presence

there is fullness

of joy.

In your presence

there is fullness

of joy.

That is what

he's wanting to give us.

And I don't know

where your life

is right now.

You may be saying

well James

you don't know

why I don't have joy

because I have

all this stuff

happening in my life.

Jesus covers that too

I'm afraid.

Because in Hebrews

it says

for the joy

that was set before him

he went to endure

the cross.

So therefore

because he went

to endure the cross

and died the death

that you and I

should have died

because of the joy

that was set before him

that presence

that he's aiming

for all of us to have

to break down

that dividing wall

of hostility

that talks about

in Ephesians 2

because of that joy

that was set before him

he says

if I do this

all my children

will be united

with their father again.

That was the joy

that was set before him

he went to the death.

He went to death

even death

on the cross.

So therefore

and this is my final conclusion

so therefore

whether you are walking

down Disneyland

Main Street

or whether you are walking

in the valley

of the shadow of death

you will still have joy

because he walked

the road to Calvary

because he walked

the road to the cross

and died the death

that we should have died

so we would have joy.

That's how the story ends.

In that act

on the cross

he reunites

all of us

back with our father.

Will you accept that?

Will you embrace

what he did?

There may still be

very many reasons

why you're not happy.

there will still be

tons of things

that give you

sadness

and grief

when we lose

loved ones

or when

colleagues are just

annoying

or when exams

are happening.

These things

we can be sad

and filled with joy

because of Jesus.

So will you stop

comparing?

Will you stop

looking at other people

and going

oh

they're so much

further than I

in the life plan?

Do you realize

that God has a plan

for you?

And so whether you

are in Disney

or whether you are

in the Valley of Dry Bones

it doesn't matter.

So

practical hold on points.

Stop comparing.

Think about others more.

Stop comparing.

Think about

if you catch yourself

just thinking about yourself

think about

that's why we scatter.

We gather

and then we scatter.

Why?

Well not just

for our own joy

but we scatter

because we actually

in the act

the blessing of scattering

is that in the act

of looking at other people

you will then be

filled with joy

because that's exactly

what our Lord did

as he looked upon us.

Would you stay humble

and think of yourself less?

And finally

would you start

a gratitude journal

and just thank him more?

Just remind yourself

to thank him every day.

there's something

there's something

to be thankful for.

The moment he walked

that road

the moment he went

to the hill

and went onto that cross

the earth shook.

He tore the veil

and that simply means

that you will then

not be shaken

by any circumstances

that you can have

a joy that is complete

because of him.

We've got some final things

that I want to do

as we finish here

but why don't we

just spend a moment now

just to reflect.

Just to reflect

which is the thing

that I have to surrender?

Is it the comparison?

Is it the jealousy?

Is it a humility

that I need to

lean more into?

And what do I have

to be thankful for?

Can we just spend

a moment now

and we'll respond

and worship

in silence.

And maybe Ellie

prepared a song

maybe Ellie can come

and sing that song

over us

as we reflect

and respond.

Jesus says

You will be sorrowful

but your sorrow

will turn into joy.

When a woman

is giving birth

she has sorrow

because her hour

has come

but when she has

delivered the baby

she no longer

remembers the anguish

for joy

that a human being

has been born

into the world.

So also you

have sorrow now

but I will see you again

and your hearts

will rejoice

and no one

will take your joy

from you.

In that day

you will ask

nothing of me.

Truly, truly

I say to you

whatever you ask

of the Father

in my name

he will give it to you.

Until now

you have asked

nothing in my name.

Ask and you will receive

that your joy

may be full.

We're going to finish

the service

with something special

actually because

there is a