The Joy that strengthens | Pastor Daniel Chong

You're listening to a message to go from aks church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

Knihe Maya, Chapter eight, verse ten, Do not sorrow, for

the joy of the Lord is your strength. Let's go

through a liberal context. What's happening over here? Do you

know that the book, in the Book of him Maya,

the people of Israel had just heard the word of

God like someone us here today. Yeah, you just heard

the word of God after years of exile, after years

of disobedience. Okay, Now, if you don't know the people

of Israel, right, they were in this cycle, right, disobey, obey, follow, disobey, sin, repent, disobey, obey,

repent sin, disobey, obey, repent sin.

That's just their cycle that they're going through.

But years of exile, years of disobedience, led to this.

And when Ezra read the law we talk care with

the law of Moses, right, they began to whip.

This was the context.

I don't know whether you have seen something hurt, something

from online. You know, your husband, your preacher, your pastor,

they say something and it caused you to be in sorrow.

You start to wait because you realize, you realize that

I should be doing that.

Thou shall love your neighbor, but yesterday I just hold

nicely at my and my neighbor. Get out the way

when the Bible tell you to do that.

We're supposed to end you on one another, were supposed

to love one another, but yet we didn't.

So can you imagine Ezra was reading.

The law and he goes like, thou shalt not this,

thou shalt not dead, Thou shalt not this, thou shalt

not dead.

And then the people of Issue were going like, uh,

that's me. That's me.

That's me again, that's me again. Like I'm hitting Jack

Potler everything you say, everything I do. Yeah, So they

were feeling such a sense of Remorsseler put it that way, Okay,

a feeling of conviction. I don't know how much you

can relate. You're feeling that. Okay, you're feeling like, okay, okay,

I get where you're going. You don't have to go

any further. Y. The first commandments are I broke ready. Yeah, So,

as I was reading the law right to the people

of Israel and they were hearing this, they're hearing this,

so they begin to whip because they were convicted right.

Some of them they were even broken and even aware

of how far they had fallen. Remember, they were just

coming back after years of exile, years of disobedience right

to God. But this is where it gets interesting. Yeah,

niemiad in Cordie say, yeah, sirf you right. Yes, that's

how you should feel feel bad about you. Don't feel bad,

be better. You know, they didn't say that. Nimi did

not say that. But let's let's let's see what happened

over here, says the Book of nim Maya, this day

is holy to our Lord. Do not mourn, nor we

do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is

your straight. The joy of the Law is your strength.

Can I have the next light x TV? There is

forty three slides, so you've got to follow me. I

met slight number four, God fly past two slightly, Okay. Holiness,

holiness was not found in their sorrow, but in their

returning to God. Yeah, that's why. That's why in the

scripture it says, this day is holy to the Lord.

Do not mourn, nor we do not sorrow, for the

joy of the Lord is your strength. Sometimes our first

reaction towards something that is uttered towards us, especially if

it's very convicting. Right from the Book of the Word,

from the from the Holy scriptures.

Convicts are hard.

The first thing we do sometimes if we go like yellow,

I'm undeserving. Yeah, I don't deserve this. I don't deserve

to be a believer. I don't deserve your love God. No,

Nima is saying, do not mourn, stop whipping, stop crying. Yeah,

but return return to God, because our holiness is not

defining our sorrow, but it's defined in our returning to

our creator. Amen is returning to the joy of the Lord,

because the joy of the Lord will continue to be strength.

The people of Israel thought that sorrow was the mark

of holiness. The more they sorrowed, the more holy they were.

That to be holy before God meant to stay broken,

stay broken, continue to whip, and continue to be low.

That's what they felt they were to do. So they

will continue. They were doing that, and I think they

were expressing that very very like in a way that

was expressed very la right, shouting, screaming, wailing. Yeah, but

scripture says that you got to stop dead, and sometimes

in our life we've got to stop dead as well.

Right when you're convicted. Because the world God, it's like

a double a just sort it convicts and encourages. But

especially when it convicts, do not stay in a place

of brokenness. Do not stay in a place of loneliness

and saying Okay, I'm not gonna do anything about it

because I don't deserve.

I do deserve.

The holiness is represented by what you do with the conviction.

Do you return to the Lord? Do you return to him?

Do you take upon his joy and allow it to

become your strength?

Amen?

So it's counterintuitive sometimes when in this earth today when

often we get scolded, often we tell the okay, you

better repent. Okay, repent by going to the naughty corner.

Stay there for three hours.

Yeah.

God doesn't operate the way. He doesn't function that way. Yeah,

he says, here's my joy. Take it and allow it

to strengthen you. Because it is not by your own

mc nor by your own power, but it's by my

spirit that you're able to repent. Because if you rely

your own strength, you're gonna continue to sin. But how

you have been doing all this world, people of Israel,

So why not do something a little bit different rather

than relying your own strength rather than being in sorrow. Right,

than continue to continue whip again and again, because this

is not the first time to be of Israel.

Whip.

Remember I told you it's like a cycle. Now he said,

wrong the whip xtal. We continue next night, follow follow

The tears were right, but staying there would have been wrong.

Because holiness is not about how sorry you feel. It's

about who you return to. Amen next.

Psalms one hundred and eighty four one hundred and forty

nine vers. Four. The Lord takes pleasure in his people.

He will beautify, He will beautify, beautify the humble wave salvation.

So when am I says the Lord, the joy of

the Lord is your strength, it means this.

It simply means this.

You draw strength not from your emotions, but from His delight.

Amen, you don't draw strength from how you feel.

You you draw strength from how God feels, from his delight.

You not go like, Okay, I'm just gonna reflect. I'm

going to stay in this place. I'm going to have

my uh ten weeks of reflection, and I'm going to

come out of this stronger. No, you can cry, you

can be in sorrow, but move on. Because you've got

to continue. You've gotta grabs onto the joy of the Lord.

Amen.

The Lord takes pleasure in his people. You're beautiful to

beautify the humble with salvation. Friends, when you have no

more joy of your own, lean into his joy because

he's not very very weary, nor his gladness ever diminish.

God's joy will never grow or it will continue to

be there no matter how long it takes for you

to get out of that pit. No matter how long

it takes for you to get out of that my weekly,

his joy is something that will continue to remain constant

in some of us. Right now, I pray that you

have not forgotten about the joy of salve Asian. You're

not forgotten about the joy that the Lord has brought

into your life. You know, the first time I became

a Christian, the first time I accepted Jesus to my heart,

I was so excited. I was filled with a never

say dietitude. Right, I will never give up because I

know God came true for me.

I am not a very very good student.

I didn't do so well in my studies, but came

a point in time where I was in Monash University

even though it was a miracle. Yeah, I was called

upon to go into a village in Mary And I

tell you, in that village I experiens got like no

other because I tell you what it's there were.

So many sandflies. I don't know.

May you have heard of this thing called sandfly and

have experienced this thing called a sandfly?

This sandfly is no joke, all right?

The moment it bites you, my goodness, Have you had

got chicken box in your life?

Yeah?

Sandfly bite is like a chicken box, but a mouse

sandflies over there is in the millions, in the thousands.

And I tell you what. Me and Rachelle, we've been there.

I think she is so something from it. We came

back and I tell you what. People look at this

and go like, oh my, Like the whole body was

like bin tee red all over and it was so itchy.

Our best friend, our best friend was that tiger bum.

One person can consume five bottles. I'm not kidding, right,

I think I was. I was applying it like as

if I was going for a shower every single day.

It was so needed. There was a mouse suffering.

Okay, Send flies number two, number two, no cell phone

no internet, no deta plan or flight all the way.

My pauner who needs to be charged. At that time

some song I don't know what phone are you was using.

It needs to be charged every single day, you know

you die. It lasted the entire days. Why because they

don't touch none know that. The plan Number three no faith.

I was.

I was a young believer. I went because I was falced.

Let me tell you the real reason why I go.

You will shock you because Rachelle went my wife away

right now, But that time wasn't my wife. That is

someone I like at the time. She didn't like me back.

She said, no, my diet. I also want to say that,

but she went, So I said, okay, let me go

and experience love. But when there I thought I had

experienced to get a nurse, they broke us into two teams.

One go to long the pun. One go to should

I say it then might it's all gone? Long time? Day?

One go to village A. One go to village B.

I was downstream. She was upstream. Every shower in the river,

all the things from up there come down. Yeah, all

the juiceler, all the milo all come down. I'm not joking.

You'll think I'm joking. I'm not joking. You showering the river,

they poop in the river. Everything there was my experience.

There was my experience when going to missions. Yeah, but

I remembered because I when I first received Jesus into

my life, he was twenty long ago. But in twenty thirteen,

I reddicted my life back to God. And when I

took it back and I was like, oh, okay, I'm

gonna go every every service, every worship service, I'm gonna

go every mission tree, I'm gonna try going. Even though

she was the side story Ela, right, but I believe

that God was one who dropped me into that mission trip.

Sorry, I went.

But the number fourth thing, which is the most important thing,

was I was so scared because if I'm not mistaken,

I don't Maybe I don't get the dates exactly right,

but it was I think. Let's just for example, first

to ten of December, my results came out on the

fifth of December, in the middle of the mission trip.

My results there were determined where that I passed or fail. Okay,

I was shaking like no business there. Everybody knew their results.

I think, including her, right, she doesn't want to know

her results. But nobody can find out their results until

we get out of the mission trip. So my mind

was just feeling so much of like questions, worry about.

God just spoke to me in that mission trip.

Young men right, young in faith, not even not even

like secured in my identity, still going to the mission

trip because of a girl like all of the wrong

reasons per Yet the Lord spoke to me.

Forget all of those.

Do not sorrow, do not whip, because the joy of

the Lord shall be your strength.

The joy of the Lord is my strength. Scratching all over,

the joy of the Lord is my strength. I'll tell

you what. It's such an experience.

And by the third fourth day, the tiger bomb not

need really because I don't know why all Itchen's just went,

even though we look like full on chicken box.

Oh, genus just went.

By the fifth day we were there, we started taking

out our phones anymore, nobody looking at the phone and

just enjoying the time, spending a lot together and enjoying

the time. Where we went into the village and immediately

one of our young people can say, I realized something

is off in this place. And indeed, when they opened

a drawer. There was an idol over there. There's been

contaminating this family for the longest time. I tell you what.

The spirits were there, and it was just just such

a strong sense. I entered the brace. I go like,

oh my goodness, what's going on here? So heavy? What's

going on? So I'm trying to hear it is in

an emergency, it's not okay, so so here.

So there was just the experience, right.

We began to rely more and more and more, and

we take more and more. So what happened from a

place of just despair. You know, I don't want to

be here. Where's my phone? My phone cannot charge? My

my girl that I like, it's all the way upstream.

So much going on to then reliance, reliance, reliance. We

forgot the day's faith. We forgot with me and my

friend who was there. So happened. I think he was

even in the same team as me. Was he in

the same thing as me? No, A few of us,

A few of us. Yeah, he was in the same

team as me. Shouldn't so, uh, We're like we forgot already.

Then we left. By the time we leave the mission trip,

our hearts full. Okay, sorry for an day the hearts

of field, because we saw miracles, we saw the sick

being healed. He's so young believers, you know, no past

us among us, no leaders, maybe maybe a few leaders.

I think then past Michelle was there. Whether she was

a personal as, I don't know. MI sure Steve Michelle.

At that time, I was just.

Filled with so much Yeah, I know you want to

go home again? The mic all gone there, okay.

But it was filled with so much stories that if

I share, right, I can't share for forever. Seriously, try

to go for a mission trip right, But this was

the miracle story. As we began to let go of

all our waries, began to rely on his strength. I

was trying out right on the bumpy road or by

the way, the trip to go into the village took

four hours of non stop hate banging.

Okay, bang bang man, the hate bang, the hate band.

The word course was so bumpy.

I remember there was a river, there was a cross, right,

and then we've only had two sticks. And the follow

was like are you already yes, we are ready ready

for what? Just close you eye, hold the belt, go

past the tuesday. Oh my gosh, we could back then right,

But there was their daily apparently their daily occurrence when

they go into the village. So we were driving out,

we saw the sunset. There's the sun came out, the

light came out, and then suddenly that they talk came

in and then the result came in. All glory to God.

I scored four distinctions for distinctions a man that doesn't

want to study. I tell you what if Rachel scored

a four distinctions? Should be should be like listen, normal

and stuff like for her. But that time I can

break because even my results were on power with her,

I was like, wh I finally defeated the top student

in my life?

You know, she felt actually okay by the way she felt.

Story for anotherday. You can hear her story also.

Very amazing when so to study in reason you google

her name? Right, come on SPM top eight student, all right,

can I not? Let's move on before I get before

I don't have a debate tonight, okay?

Ah amen? So we got to colinue a draw strength

from his joy? Right?

Can you draw strength from his joy when you don't

have an enjoy of your own?

Leaning to his job?

Some of you here, you need to remember that moment

in which where that excitement come when you first accepted Christ?

What's not worse? Today?

We dread our feet to church like as if joy

represents Jesus owes you. Joy represents Jesus owes you. When

I come to church. Oh hey, Jesus you owe me this?

Say?

Where's this preay true? What you're talking about? Until today?

E won't come true? Huh my prayer for my dad?

How how come?

It's not that it's like we we we we act

and we.

Talk as if God owes us, you know not we

are indebted to him. It's like as if he is

indebted to us. That's how we dread along our stuff,

our burdens. Prayer, Deeemer, you haven't come true for me yet.

I'm not gonna come to church you didn't come true.

I'm not gonna I'm not gonna serve God. I'm not

gonna worship you. I leave up my hands for what

you don't hell come true? Unfortunately, sometimes you may always

so you may look at me and go like where God,

I never?

I never act? Like where I never?

Really, when you start throwing your toys out of the

brain in your adult style, you know.

All of us have experienced that before. And I tell

you what.

I want to encourage you to find back that joy.

Find back that joy. What caused you to be so excited?

What calls you to be so on fire?

For the Lord? Amen?

The source of true joy can have the next light.

The source of true joy is His joy in us.

You know, there's a vital distinction between two things. The

joy in the Lord, which is our response to him,

and the joy of the Lord, which is his nature

towards us.

It's two different things.

Yeah, it's two different things to have joy in the

Lord and to understand what is the joy of the Lord.

Our joy can fluctuate with the seasons true, sometimes high,

sometimes low. When things are going well, God is good.

When things are not going so well, where is God?

Yeah?

And that's normal because we are human and we are

trying try our best to always remain in a posture

surrendered to us God. But unfortunately that's just who we are.

We have sin in ess, that's who we are. But

His joy is rooted in his character, not in our circumstances.

That means when he says that the joy of the

Lord is our strength, it doesn't mean that only in

bad circumstances. His joy will be your strength. His joy

will be your strength because that is his character, that

is his nature. His joy is not rooted in our circumstances. Amen,

and thank God for that, because if his joy is

rooted in our circumstances, we shall have no joy. But

joy is rooted in his nature. It is who he is.

Let's let's go a little bit deeper. Next light, next

TV Zephaniah Tree seventeen. The Lord, your God is in

your midst The Mighty One will save. He will rejoice

over you with gladness. He'll quiet you with his love.

He will rejoice over you with singing.

Wow. I even put a d in the slight so

that actually you can know I'm going next light.

Wow, just wow. The God of Heaven sings over you.

Can you imagine that? Have you ever had someone sing

over you before? Dear Eden, come into my life. Eden's

your name is like the gardens full of grass and

you know flowers. What a lovely guy you are. Would

you want a girl to sing lad to you? Especially

the girl you like? Of course you will love it right.

The God of Heaven sing over you, friends, The Lord

of Hosts sings over you because he's so happy to

have you. He desires a relationship with each and every

one of us, and he sings over you even when

your heart is heavy.

Can you imagine, even.

When your heart is he That's why his joy is

not rooted in your circumstances. It's routed in his nature

that even when you're going through a very very horrendous,

terrible bad time, he continues to sing over you. Will

you look to him and go, like, God, aren't you

hearing me? I'm suffering over there? And there you are

singing Ellie's singing the key of a minor. Ellie's singing

a sad sorry said, soppy tone? Why are you singing

so happy and positively? Why are you singing over me?

And sometimes that feels that way because God answers our

prayer by giving us something that we didn't ask for.

Oh Lord, I am so in sorrow. Then the God

and Lord replies, you go and serve more.

Aren't you hearing me? You see? Even even she has

more joy?

Yeah, that's good, righty, well done. Sometimes our joy has

to become like the little children. Seriously right, all of

us so serious, folding our hands all sorry for those

four years. I'm not danging towards you. You can eye for

my hands though, I'm just saying that. You know, sometimes

we gotta find that joy back. Guys, when we come

to church, we got to happy, happy, smile everyone that

comes across you got to be happy, right. The joy

the Lord is standing inself of you. Wherever you go

into your workplace, you got to continue. Mbit, mb it,

You got to going to get it out of you,

and people will come and you will feel your joy

and they'll be encouraged by you.

That's why we are and that's who we are. Imen.

But God is singing over it and every one of us.

He's rejoicing over you because he knows, he knows, and

he knows that if you draw near to him, if

you allow him into your life, he knows that your

redemption is just around the corner.

Amen.

He knows, he knows your future. He holds your future

in his hands. We sing this as little children, but

sometimes now we forget. You got the whole world in

in his hands. You got the whole world, he's singing,

He's got the whole world in his hands. It is

your future, Your destiny is all in his hands. But

sometimes as adults we forget to sing that anymore. Is

I've got the whole world in my hands. You got

nothing in your hands. She's confused ready. But God sings

over each and every one of us. He's joyful his joy.

That's why Sums is such a big book in the Bible,

because God, Look, do you believe it that heaven be

full of singing, full of praise, full of tunes. There's

some music is something that the Lord really has created

for eachanel us musical instruments. If you have talent, serf him,

serve him with all that you have. Just wow, Amen,

even when your heart is heavy, God's joy is not reactionary.

Yeah, God's joy is not reactionary.

He doesn't react to your situation, but it is foundational.

He doesn't start rejoicing after you have made it. He

rejoice even before you begun, even before you have breath

in your lungs. He's already rejoicing over you because he

has created you in his image.

Immen.

God has created us in his image, and if he's

it is something that whenever you look at him, you

are filled with joy. And therefore when people look at you,

they'll feel the same thing as well. That's why his

joy is not reactionary. It's foundational. Can have the next

like STV. What else will I have for you? That's

why his joy can be your.

Strength because it existed before your failure. Amen. That's why.

That's the reason why his joy can be your strength,

because it existed even before your sin. It existed, it

predated your sin, it predated your bad decisions.

It is in his nature.

When you touch his joy, when you even you touch

the garment of Jesus, chains will be broken, sicknesses will

flee in the name of Jesus. Amen, because of his nature,

because of who he is, or because of who we are.

Amen.

So no faith is too big for God, No failure

is too big for his joy. No type of characteristic

is too big for his joy.

What do I mean by that?

You know, I recently had an encounter with a guy

that I knew from Pickable and I tell you what,

He's one of those that you would say that, hey,

it's quite impossible to preach the gospel too, especially in Malaysia.

I hope you get what I mean.

It's quite hard, right, or some of us would label

it impossible, but I would say to those that are

labeling impossible, it is possible.

There is a way. Okay, it's not illegal, but you

need to be careful about it.

But I met this person and we had we said

so many conversations, and you're going back and forth, back

and forth with metaphor, and the one rude word that

keeps coming back was this.

Was joy.

It all came back to joy. It all came back

to happiness. Like why are you still here, Why are

you still doing what you're doing? Why are you still

serving in this university teaching as a bee teacher? Why

are you doing that? He said, because every time I

see the young children enjoying the sport, it brings joy

into my heart. And it's like because of that, I

keep serving as a bee teacher.

See, he found joy in what he did.

He found joy what he do even in pekaba or

he found happiness in in in in playing, and he

continued doing it. God, guys, you gotta find what makes

what brings you joy, not just happiness, but joy, because.

Joy is fulfillment.

Joy normally comes from the experiences of others. Happiness is

something that comes from your own person and encounter. Yeah,

but when you see your love ones prospering. It brings

another level of joy into your hearts.

And the same way when God.

Sees you experiencing your breakthrough, he is filled with joy,

and that joy will continue to be our strengthen the

joy that was set before him. What Jesus saw beyond

the cross?

Hebrews twelve too, who for the joy that was set.

Before him, and endured the cross, despising the shame, and

has sat down in the right hand of the throne

of God.

Now, friends, what was that joy? Was the joy? The pain?

It was on the nails. It was not the rejection,

but it was the redemption a man. It was the redemption.

Jesus saw you and me at the other side of

the cross. You know, when he was carrying across, When

he was carrying across on his back, when he was beaten,

he was full of he was bleeding out of his body,

and he looked around, and as he was carrying up

the cross, he saw the joy that was set before him.

Because of that joy, he endured the cross. Can you

imagine that it was because of the joy that he

had in our salvation, knowing that what he's about to

do will bring across our salvation.

He kept going, he kept persevering.

He saw you and me restored, forgiven and filled with

the spirit.

Amen.

And that's the joy that was set before him, the

redemption of man. John fifteen eleven says, I've told you

these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes,

your joy will overflow. Friends, Jesus wants to share his

joy with us, not just so that you can be

filled up, but to the extent where we are filled

up until we are overflowing. That's why scripture says that

our the abundance of the heart.

The mouth speaks.

But in that very scripture, the key point was about

if you fill your heart with evil, you will continue

to come out evil. But likewise, if you fill your

heart with joy, what comes out is also joy.

If you feel your heart to the extent.

Where it's full to the brim with joy, you can't

help but permeate and radiate joy. And so when John

fifteen eleven, it's not just feeling you up, but he

wants to feel you up until you overflow with his joy.

What does that mean? Friends?

It means that if the joy of the Lord is

your strength and his strength is in you, to the

extent where it's overflowing, you can lend your strength to

other people who is in need, because you will be

able to encourage another person who is in need. That

person may need to hear what you have and what

God has spoken to you. That person may be about

to give up, and you're going like, hey, take my hand,

come with me. And as I was reading this verse,

I also a very encouraged because all of us are

also believers, and all of us, for those of us

in this room who are believers, you take Jesus Christ

as your personal and savior. Did you know that it's

also a command of man day to pick up your

cross and follow after him?

Did you know that when I saw that, I was.

Brought across with this scripture where Jesus himself took up

his cross, and it was because of the joy that

was set before him he endured the cross. Many of

us pick up the cross and we put it down

because it gets heavy. By Jesus saying pick up your

cross and follow after me, perhaps the only way to

fully pick up our cross and to go to the

finish line is to follow what Jesus did. And the

only way Jesus ended to the very end was because

of the joy that was set before him. It was

joy that kept him going. Likewise, when we carry our cross,

we got to look around us. Oh it's tough being

the only Christian in my workplace. It's tough praying for

my boss when my boss just wants to destroy me.

But it's for the joy that was set before me,

the salvation of my love one, the salvation of my boss,

the salvation of my colleague, the salvation of the young people,

for them to draw near the God.

I got to continue to endure.

My cross and bring it all the way up and

crucify my flesh to the cross. Maybe that's the only way,

the only way we can pick up our cross. Because

when you read that scriptor you go like, pick up

my cross and follow you, it sounds like it's a.

Very easy thing to do.

But maybe it's easy because someone of us is not

even carrying it. No more burden on our backs. It

gets heavy. When when it gets heavy, that's when you

know you're on the right path. But the only way

to con team moving on is so that the joy

of the Lord will lift you up. It's no longer

you who lives, but Christ who lives and you.

Amen.

It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives

in me. And that's why we can carry that cross,

that's why we can continue to press on Immen. Amen, friends,

are you're catching something?

Yeah? Yeah. Jesus's joy was to share his joy with us.

That is his joy, and likewise I pray it is

our joy to share our joy with others as well.

Scripture also says that it's more blessed to give than

to receive. All right, So stop holding up your joy.

Stop holding it up, because one day, if we continue

to hold up that joy, that joy will turned into

sentus share share the joy with artists. Let me give

you another revelation that I caught from the Lord. As

we share the joy that is within our hearts with others,

it begin to come out of us. And therefore we

need more of Him to come back into us. If

you keep keeping what God has given to us when

he wants to give you his joy, there is no

more room for his raredma word to come in. There's

no more room for daily fresh revelation to come in.

You are just going back to that story again and

again and again and again and again and again and again,

because that's all you have. Because from that day when

you first encounter the Lord your full of joy, until today,

you have not released that joy to anyone.

And that's why there's no fresh testing money.

But as you can deal live life, experiencing the joy

and giving the joy, God can continue pouring new and

fresh encounters in your heart. And that's when you can

continue to live and glorify, and glorify and glorify and

endure and endure and indeal. Scripture says, do not look

to the left to the right, but look forward towards

the author and perfector of our faith. How do we

do that? How we continue to run this race with

endure rents? Because you and dure the cross. Therefore you

can endure this race. The only way you can endure

this race is by looking around us for the joy

that was said before him, for the joy that was

said before us. The same joy is now living in us.

The cross was not endured for joy. Jesus did not

endure the cross for joy. Okay, it was endured true joy.

So picture this every step I take, every move I make,

every step he take. Rachelle Daniel Rogers, Clarissa, your niece

and Eden, And I'm just mentioning names. I know, Joanna. Yeah,

every every step he's taking is your names rooted. It's

because of this person. It's because of this person. It's

because of that person. Israel the Jews. Every step until

he finished his work here on earth, until he said

that it is finished, he was endured true joy. It

was not endured for joy. Many of us endured the

cross for joy because we endure it. And then we

go to God. God wess my reward, But God says,

your reward is in heaven. I don't have gold and

the civil for you, but what I have for you

no man can ever give to you. It was end

your true joy. Friends, do not give up. Continue to

endure this of life next Like STV.

The power to end your pain comes from a vision

of future joy. Amen.

His promises are yes, and Amen. He shall never leave

us nor forsake us. And because he shall never leave us,

nor for sake us, I know that God, in his

nature will never leave us nor for sake us. The

only way he leaves us is when we leave him.

And in that, even in that, even in that moment,

he does not leave us. He is like the father

waiting for the prodigal's son to return.

The father never left the house.

Guys, he was a son who left the house, but

the father remained step first, waiting for the son to return.

To the power to end your pain comes from a

vision of future joy, claim his promises, which are yes

an amen, the promises written in the Holy Scripture. I

know and I know that God will never leave me,

he will never forsake me. So in this moment of suffering,

in this moment of pain, I know it's just temporary

because he is God and he is true to his word.

So I'm just gonna endure this because I know that

the future joy is coming my way. My future breakthrough

is coming my way as long as I continue to endure.

You know Scripture as who says that he will make

you walk through fire. He didn't say that he will

pick you up and take you away from the fire. No,

he said he will walk with you through the fire.

That means your.

Feet is gonna get burned, your feet is gonna get hurt.

It's gonna be pain.

Because those who desire to live a godly Christian life

will endure, will have to go through persecution, ended endurance

have a vision of what the future joy is all about.

And the only way you will know that is by

reading the Holy scriptures Amen, imbuing into your hearts. Even

if you can't memorize a few verses, have a few verses.

For God so love the world. You got to remember this,

even already know this. Yeah, For God's so love the

world that he gave his one and only begden son,

that whosoever believed in him shall not perish but have

everlasting life. Guys, friends, do not undermine the value of

putting scriptures into your heart. Do not undermine that. Because

when Paul and Silas were in the prison, all they

had were things in their heart. They were chained by

their hands. By yet they sing. They were chaining their

hands by yet they proclaim. The only way you can

proclaim is by having in your heart. Now, I believe

that God has created men with the ability to memorize.

Y'all believe me because I don't see any problem for

the older ones singing billy jeans. I don't see any

problem with that. You'll remember it, right, I can't remember

working of the billy jeans. Actually, I don't see any

problem with the younger ones remembering the song from Demon Hunters.

We're going up up up whatever whatever, up up up.

You know, even the young ones you can sing.

I heard the other day I went for a funeral

and then the young one, the little boy four years old,

was singing that song and the Koreans start coming out.

I'm like this guy, the Korean real one, actually actually

real one.

You know why he managed to remember it because he

watched it over and over and over and over and

over again. I once remember my entire Sjara textbo from two.

I had in my memory so much so that I

got nineteen nine. And then one question that I got wrong?

What's correct? But I gotta argue.

With the teacher. I said, teacher this, you give me wrong? Right?

Textbooks say that I can pay blacking away from textbok,

you give me wrong. Then she looked at me like

him high really. I told her textbook, nah.

See correct my mess up?

Just I don't know, just working in correct, mas my

mess And then she looks, oh yeah. Then she gave

me a hundred Uh. I remember my entire textbook from two.

So what's so hard about remembering this? You know why

we can't remember this? You know why you can't remember

this talking to myself now is because you don't really enough.

Why I can't remember every single Liverpool player, including their numbers,

including including their wife's name. Why the word of God

is like a double just thought. If you convix you, you

convix you. You got to have some of this in

our hearts. Some of you may go like, but the

thief and the cross how never baptize, no scripture, no Bible. Yeah,

that's because he knew Jesus. He knew Jesus and a

stray Way diary. Are you all dead? None of you

are dead. You all have life breath in your lungs.

So therefore memorize a few scriptures put in your heart

some to any three. Yeah, have a few sums in

your heart. I'm taking a little bit longer on this

because I really feel convicted. I really feel that in

order for Jesus to not look at us and say, oh,

faithless and perverse generation because of your unbelief, we got

to start believing that we can. We've got to start

believing and have some of these scriptures in my heart,

in your hearts. One of the reasons why I really, really,

really and this one is not saying out of a

place of just you know, putting her on the spot.

But my wife has this ability to memorize versus and

something I really learned from her, and I really encourage

by her sometimes in my own time, in my own

quiet time, and I can hear her singing, no Bible

in her hand.

No scripture.

And again, you know, she can either be proud from

this or she go like, yeah, I claim it because

she believes in it. Okay, here's adding. Can hear verses

coming out. I encouraged by it. I want to encourage

us to have this. You know hearts Amen say okay,

is that too much to ask? Yeah, in your own time,

in your own season. Okay, let's move on. Next light,

were close very soon Next light xtiv. Second Corinthians for

seventeen for a light affliction, which is but for a

moment's working for us a far more exceeding an eternal.

Weight of glory.

Joy comes when your eyes lift from what's happening to

you to what's happening in you. That's when joy comes.

When you transfer your focus away from what's happening to

you to what's happening in you, that's when joy comes.

Oh, I'm going through this spain. Why oh, I.

Feel so much hurt outside this heart can't take it anymore.

But then you look inwards and you go like, my

spirit is being filled, my spirit is being trained. I'm

like a seat thrown down to die. But if I

do not die, I will not grow. That's something that's happening.

The next time Bustard tells me to serve, I'm gonna

say yes. The next time someone tells me to give

my best for church, for God, I'm want to say yes.

The next time someone tells me that I can I

can minister the young people, even though I don't know

how to speak their language, I'm gonna say yes.

I'm gonna go all out.

I want to say yes first, help me God later,

because a willing heart, that's all it takes. Amen next night,

next TV. Strength in weakness. Strength in weakness is found

when His joy holds you. You know, some of you

may say, but I feel too weak to rejoice, I

feel too weak to praise. You know, that's exactly when

His joy must take over. When you're too weak to rejoice,

That's when his joy will take over. Some seventy tree

was when he sticks my heart and my flesh, my heart.

My flesh and my heart may feel, but God is

the strength of my heart and my portion forever. God

is the strength of my heart. God is the strength

of my heart. God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever. God has put a new song

into your mouth. Sometimes songs helps you to memorize the

word of God. God's strength doesn't come when you feel strong.

It comes when you admit your weaknesses. Sometimes his strength

does not come upon you because you still feel that

you can do this by your own strength. So God

is saying, Kila, continue trying. You really can only can

find me.

Try.

I know you're gonna fail, but it's okay. Go bang

a wall. But when you bang that wall, I'm going

to be there. But I pray this is where humor

comes into a little bit of seriousness. I pray that

that banging of the wall wouldn't be our last action

before you leave this world. Because guys, we never know

why it's going to happen. We never know where this

heart is going to stop beating. Because this heart is

one of the most undescribable things that scientists can't even

explain why it's beating. There's no signs behind why the

heart is beating. You know that, no signs. Why is

it beating?

Actually?

Why is it like these brain cell these these No,

there's no signs, there's no one plus one. It goes

to nothing. The heart just starts beating because there is life.

When he stops beating, only God knows. So in all seriousness,

live every day like it's your last. Give every day

like it's your loss, because you never know when the

time will come.

Only the Father in heaven knows. Amen.

But until that day comes, rejoice because his grace is

sufficient for us.

Amen.

My strength is made perfect in witness Second Corinthians twelve,

verse nine. So when Hi Maya says the joy of

the Lord is your strength, he is actually really saying

that if you don't catch anything at all, friends, today,

it's important to catch this. His joy completes your weakness.

His joy completes your weakness. When you are weak, he

is strong because the joy of the Lord is your strength.

His joy completes your weakness. When you have no strength

left to smile, His joy becomes the anchor that holds

your soul steady. You know, like how a ship in

the middle of the sea. The reason why it doesn't

move because it's anchored to the ground. If you remove

the anchor, you will sway from left to right. But

his joy is like that anchor, keeps you steady, It

keeps you rooted. Amen, can I have the next light?

Joy is not the absence of pain. So it was

thing that when we are happy, pain goes. But joy

is not the absence of pain. You know that until

this very day, I may not express it much, but

I'm still grieving from the loss of my father. I

don't know whether I honestly don't know whether they will

ever come a day where I will stop grieving. Maybe

it will get better, you know, maybe I will shaft

my focus here in there. But there are days where

it's hard. The day is where it's difficult. Yesterday I pray.

I saw a young girl praying for the young people

he was. She was, in fact, she was even prophesying,

and I was so touched. But then her father came

across and put his hand around her shoulder. And when

I saw that image, all I could remember was my

dad's last words towards me, and my that's last words

towards me was very reminiscent or very similar of familiar

with what God would tell each and everyone of us.

You know, well done, my good and faithful servant. You

know that's what you hope to hear. But my father's

final words to me were was thank you, thank you,

my son.

He acknowledged me as his son.

And if some of you may not know the context,

my dad suffered from a very very very severe case

of dementia. At that time when he had dementia, all

the doctors were just saying this, this one just dementia case,

and no need to stay in hospital, and you know,

he could go on for another.

Two years, three years.

In fact, my grandmother also has dementia, and she was

she's now dan years in and she's still alive well,

but she just can't remember anyone at all. But in

my case, I also thought away because I heard the

doctor say, oh, you're going to continue on for like

years and years. There were no signs, there were no sicknesses,

there were no like pain, you know, there was nothing.

It was just I don't know, there was nothing, and

none of us could ever predicate. But yet one man,

exactly after the doctor told us that, he went and

because he was having dementia. He couldn't recognize people around him.

He thought his wife, my mother was his sister or sorry,

he's not sister, his daughter. Because every time we go around, right, uh,

the doctors of people around us always ask my mother, Hey,

this one your father.

He thought she's the oldest sister.

I'm the younger brother, right because my mom just looked

a little bit young.

So he doesn't recognize me. Uh. And but yet I

didn't know that that would be his final words to me.

After he said there to me, I still went off

to go and play pickaball a lama.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, right.

I imagine if if I knew, I would have stayed on.

But on the main point.

The main point is that he acknowledged me as his son,

and he said, thank you.

I pray. I pray that all of you.

The joy that you will have, even though even though

you're going through a terrible time, is that God acknowledges

you as his son, his sons, and his daughters. The

Holy Spirit inter seeds on behalf of each and every

one of you. Can you imagine the Holy Spirit We've

got the Father having a conversation you know the cries

of a broken and contract heart from this individual. This

person is going through so much, Father, have mercy on him.

And God the Father says, my grace is sufficient, and

the Holy Spirit takes that word comes into your heart

and you begin to feel such a peace that surpasses

all understanding. Is suddenly out of a place of pain

and anguish. You're still hurting, You're still wondering when their

breakshees will come. But a peace that supposes all understanding

comes and rests upon your soul because God's words says,

my grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made

perfect in your weakness. And in that moment you receive

a supernatural strength to stand up, take your dad into

the car and bring him to the hospital. Again and

again and again. Friend's hospital visus is not fun, not fun,

so tiring day and night. Sometimes getting a call in

the middle of the night from the nurse saying that

your dad just fell down.

Come now. Another call was your dad is missing. Come now.

We're like, wait in the world, you went away, you

disappear to way.

I can't even find you. Find him.

Another banding is getting a call he's saying you're dead,

You're dead. My sister to me cannot find that God

reallyve in the house, don't open ought to get open, found.

Him in the train.

But despite all of that, my grace is sufficient for you.

My strength is made perfect in your weakness. What does

that mean? My strength is my joy. And you've got

to continue to cling onto the joy of the Lord.

Sometimes things goes past our understanding, because it is beyond

our understanding. But yet we've got to continue to look

past what we understand and look towards the autor imperfect

of our faith in men, it is the presence of

purpose and the awareness of God's pleasure. What does he

delight in? What does God delight in? He delights in

the praises of his He delights in it. Come, let's

go on to the next line and moving on when

you remember that God delights in you even your darkest moments,

and ignites strength no sorrow can destroy.

Remember.

Remember, remember, friends, Remember that God delights in you. Remember

that for the joy that was set before him, he

and neured the cross. Remember, guys, every time you think that,

oh I'm a lost cause, or that person is a

lost cause, Oh my friend is a lost cause, or

that situation is a lost cause. Remember, Remember the thing

that causes Jesus to endure all the with the cross

is your salvation, is your break truth, is the joy

of each and everyone of us receiving our salvation. If

that is the one that dries Jesus to the cross,

then why can't it deliver us from our.

Our sorrow?

Why can't he deliver us? I'll break through? Amen, hey man,

the next light Joy in the midst of tears, Next light,

Psalm twenty six, verse five. Those who sow in tears

shall rejoy, Those who sow in tears shall web enjoy.

I remember the story of a mother of a saint,

and she was just sowing in so much prayer and

so much tears that I remember reading or you know,

doing a research somewhere that it says that.

What does it say, Rassia, Can you remind me again?

This person will not fail because the amount of tears

that you have sought, Saint Augustine. Yeah, a son of

such tears will not perish. Wow, can you imagine amount

of tears that you're sewing because of this? Those so

in tears shall rip in joy. I believe the mother

of Saint Augustine knew about this, and she was sowing it.

Not just because all the Bible says, I'm not so

in tears, therefore I will rip joy. No, she sold

out a place of a broken contrite heart, and her

prayer was hurt by the Lord next light. Your tears

are not wasted. Guys, Sometimes we feel like tough men

cannot cry.

Yeah, tough men can a sow in tears. It's okay.

I'm not just talking about your physical tears. Okay.

Sometimes it's the tears and the cries of your heart

as well. You can't sow because they are seeds. And

the thing about seats is this that it will grow.

It will grow. God transforms every drop of pain into

a hourst of joy. I chose to believe that next night,

but I have next. Joy is not the denial of suffering.

It's a divine defiance that says, this pain will not

have the final word.

Amen, this pain.

Will not have the final word, because God has delivered

me from sin. And he said, Jesus said, across it

is finished. He had the final word.

Amen. He had the final word over sin. If anyone

has the final word, it is him, not us, and

not pain. Amen. He endured the pain. He defeated pain.

Do you know that? Do you know that Jesus defeated pain?

Do you know that?

Actually, it wasn't the pain that took the life of Jesus.

It wasn't because he was in such pain and agony

that he died. No, he decided to take his own

breath away, go and read scripture. He was him who

decided to brief his last because he knew that his

job is done, it is finished, and therefore he briefed

his last. How many of us here can control when

to be brief our lost.

Jesus took his.

Own life h in the sense of like he ended

his bread, because he's done, He's finished. His pain will

not have the final word. He finished his book on

the cross. Next light, and this is the last point,

the fullness of joy and the connection of the word presence.

Let's go to the next light. We shall give you

the verse in the presence.

In your presence is fullness of joy, and your right

hand are pleasures forever more. In your presence is fullness

of joy. You want to experience God's fullness of joy.

You want to experience his fullness of joy. You've got

to come into his presence. There's no other way. There's

no other way. You gotta pray, you gotta fast, you

gotta walk with him, you gotta be with him. You

got to invite his presence into into your surrounding. You

got to draw nearer to him and he will draw

nearer to you. You gotta make the You got to

take the first step. You've got to con he knew

to press on towards the higher calling, which is in

Christ next night. Strength of joy comes not from trying

to be cheerful. I don't know how many of you

walk around trying to be cheerful, trying to put a

smile in your face. It doesn't come from there, because

you know, you know, and you know, if you're trying

to be cheerful, when everything else goes away, when it

was just you and your husband, or you and your wife,

then the real you will come out.

Right. You know sometimes that I come to church and

I'm just so sad.

Right, But because Pasta and because you know leader, right,

I need to smile at each and every one of you, you.

Know how trying to fake the smiler.

Hi, good morning, guys, well done. Wow, it looks so

lovely today. But when I go home, right, all all

the real thing all come out rasia see or the grumpy.

You know.

So it was it was so difficult to smile at

you when my dad just passed on your so so difficult,

but I tried my very best. I don't know how

many of you can see me as say this follow

is failing. It's actually quite sad, but it's difficult. But

the strength of joy does not come from trying to

be cheerful. It comes from abiding in his presence. The

joy that I can smile you today because I know

that my dad is in a better place. And I

know that Dad is in a better place because I

abide in his presence, and I know that my Dad

is abiding in his presence as well, And therefore no

longer any more sadness come my baby. Occasional missing maybe yeah, right,

the occasional you know, reflecting, maybe yes, But I know

that I know the bottom my heart, he is in

a better place, and therefore I am filled with joy

because I abide in his presence and him in me.

What do I have for you next? I think your

famous slices and your clothes. Your soul feels empty, don't

chase feelings. Yeah, don't chase feelings, but sue his face.

The joy of the Lord is found in the Lord.

This is this the Last Light XTV.

You'll show me the way of life, granting me the

joy of your presence and the pleasures, pleasures of living

with you forever. Palm sixteen eleven, last tight.

Right, Tremo.

Joy is not what you feel after the battle. Joy

is the weapon during the battle. Once you have finished

the battle, there's no longer any need for joy, because

you are in eternal joy already. There's no longer any need.

But while you're here on this earth, you're enduring the cross.

You're on the road to Calvary.

Right.

Just imagine each and each and everyone of us, that's

our road, that's our road. We're bringing this cross, we're

dragging it along. So all ivy lifting in our shoulders,

have one stick on the floor, the rest on our shoulders,

and we're bringing in and we're suffering. But the weapon

that you need to fight off any discouragement from the devil,

just jumbler, just jump from this mountain. No angel is

gonna catch you anyways. Just Jumbler, just bend down your knee.

You play pick aball. You bend down your knee so

many times. Anyways, just bend again one more time, No,

no problem, Just bend now and worship me and all

of these will be yours. You're lugging along that cross

and you're receiving all of these lines, which are actually

even scriptures that the devil knows.

At the bottom of his heart. He's like using scriptures.

Out of context, and he's going like, whoa, we see

you see there he goes again, and you need the sword.

And what is thet The sort is the Holy Spirit,

the word of God. You're taking that sort out and

joy becomes a weapon. It is no matter what you

say to me, I don't care, because God is feeling

me with his strength, with his joy. I'm going to

fan of any work of the enemy. I'm going to

resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Scriptures Wo says that.

The only way the devil will flee from us is

why we resist him. If you allow him into our lives,

he's going to work. He's cunning and sly ways, and

he's good at it. Trust me, you don't want you

don't want to give him any room, because if he

does take control over your life. The only way out

is by God's grace and his mercy. And I pray

if any one of you is struggling from death today,

you're being bounded by the works of the enemy. I know,

I know, I know. None of us will put our

hands and actually that's me. The devil is in my heart,

my life. Now No, by pray that God will set

you free, will break that chain. Last two slices, we

will wrap you up to this assurance that God is good,

still sovereign. Amn, Is God still sovereign? Is God still

good in your life? And you look internally inwardly? Is

God still good despite everything that you're going through?

Yeah?

And this one thing maybe you don't know, but let

me tell Youola, He's still rejoicing over you. How can

God rejoice over these broken person that he is? He

is He's singing over you. He's singing over you even

when he doesn't make sense, even when your life doesn't

make sense, even when you're so far away from him.

Did you think that the father of the Podigal's son,

while in the house did not long for the sun's return?

Did you think he did not long If he did

not long for the sun to return. He wouldn't have saw,

said the sun coming from such a distance away, and

he wouldn't have picked up his sight. And when running

all the way to the sun, God desires you. And

as you take a step towards him, he will come

towards you. James four, Chapter Chapter four, verse eight six.

Even when it doesn't make sense, he rejoics over you. Thanks,

next light, last light. The same joy they sustained Jesus

through the Cross now sustains you through the storm. Amen,

the same joy, the same joy that sustained Jesus through

the Cross is sustaining you now through the storm.

Amen.

When Jesus is in your boat, you're gonna be okay. Yeah,

when Jesus is in your boat, you're gonna be okay.

And even if he's not in your boat currently, he

is watching from afar.

Yeah, he's watching from a.

Sometimes what happened is we see him and we go like, oh, goss, Yeah,

we don't even recognize him anymore.

But he is watching. He's keeping an eye. He will

never leave you nor forsake you. Amen.

That is his promises, and his promises are yes and amen.

Amen.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit as church do org.

We are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing

that this week is going to be a good week

ahead for you. God bless