Disciple First Pursue Joy | Chandreshan

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

We hope this message will light up your day.

Pursuing joy And what does pursuing joy over happening happiness

looks like? Okay, so disciple, first, pursue joy. Wow, look

at that girl so happy? Yeah? All right, okay, so joy.

This word joy that we heard, we know. I think

all of us know this word since we I don't

know when we were a kid or whatever. But joy,

right has always had different meanings or different definitions to it.

But if you open a dictionary and you flip and

try to find joy, the word joy and what is

the meaning of the word joy, it will always relate

back to happiness. If you look at the dictionary, you

will say joy is happiness.

That's what the tionary would say.

You know, it always has been mistaken for happiness in.

The modern world.

That we live in, the secular world that we live in.

It just means in in dictionary, this is what the

definition is. You can go through the next line. Oh

you're already there, well, very good, So yes, the definition

says that it is just a means of great pleasure

and happiness. That's what the world says about joy. It's

a very emotion focused. It just talks about your emotion.

But in the Bible, the definition of joy completely has

a different meaning. It is very different, and it's not

a lot. It got nothing to do or very little

to do with your emotions, but it has a lot

to do about.

You knowing and also being.

You know, if you have ever studied when you're in

uni research methodology, or if you ever know philosophy, there's

these two words that people will use, epistemology and also ontology. Yeah,

you know, you never heard of this word before, Okay,

So it.

Means it's just simple.

It's just a fancy word to say about everything in

the world. Is about knowing the meaning behind it, but

also the same time being it at the same time.

So joy is like that, it's knowing something and also

being something.

And what is that something? We will talk more.

Okay, So joy, if you can really look at the

next slide says that joy and New Testament. I mean

it's a bit small, but it's okay. I'll read it

out for you. There are a few different translations or

transliteration in New Testament. Most of it it sounds like

you know, it says the word kara means inner gladness,

delight or you know, delight that is rooted in spiritual reality,

or cairo it is to rejoy and be glad, or

a galliasis which is jumping for joy and being you know,

exalted in exaltation, or afro sign which means joyful celebration.

These are commonly words that are used in the New

Testament Bible to explain joy or whenever Paul or whoever

refers about joy, this is where they will This is

the words that they will most likely use, because it

speaks about something very different.

Okay, so let's.

Look at what does the Bible says about joy. Okay,

the Bible clearly says that joy is not emotion based,

but it is relationship base, meaning joy comes not from

your circumstances that you're in today, because maybe today everything

goes well in your life. You know, maybe you woke

up in the morning and you had your nice cup

of coffee, you had a nice breakfast, and everything seems

all right, and there like, wow, this is such a

good morning. Hence I am very joyful, you know you,

But that has nothing to do with joy.

That is, you know, where.

It's different because Bible says the joy is not about

your emotion, but it arises from your relationship relationship with

who with God. You know, your joy arises when you

are in God's presence, when you know Christ and you

belong to the kingdom. And that's knowing that and having

that relationship is what the Bible talks about joy. Second one,

it says about it is a moral and spiritual posture,

meaning joy is not an option.

It is not by choice.

Like today, I choose to be joyful because everything goes well.

Tomorrow everything doesn't go well, so you know, I choose

not to be joyful. You know, sometimes when we talk

to certain people, you know, you need to like gauge

them from far first, whether they house their mood, like

you know, this person today not so good. Maybe, you know,

it's like walking on you know, eggshells. You want to

watch out what you want to say, right Richard, Yeah, yeah.

Richard can relate.

You know.

Sometimes it's like that, you know.

But but people who are when we talk about biblic joy,

it is not like that. It is not an option,

it is not in choice, but it is a command

that is given to believers, a command.

That where we have a discipline to be joyful.

So regardless what is our circumstance, we still must be joyful.

It's it's it's that's what it says.

You know.

It's a discipline of faith.

And also it is an act that you are trusting

God's goodness over anything in your life. That's why, regardless

of what your current situation might look like, you still

must choose to be joyful because you are not trusting

in your current circumstances, but you're trusting in God with

is control of everything.

So that's that's the difference. Okay.

Third one, it is rooted in future hope and what

it means that whenever the Bible talks about joy it

doesn't just talk about what we are going through today.

It talks about we can be joyful because we have

a future that is very very beautiful awaiting us. And

that future is we will be with Jesus.

That is our hope. That is our future.

And so every time when you read, I mean when

you read the Bible, and especially when you read Paul talking,

even though with all the things that he goes through,

he has such optimism. It's like the our full glass

kind of guy, you know, where it's always talking about, oh,

I have.

This hope, I have this future.

Because why his joy was not rooted on his circumstance,

but it was rooted in the future that he knows

so confidently that one day Jesus is coming back. One day,

I'm going to be with Jesus, and I got all

the reward they're awaiting for me, so I'm okay, I

will be all right.

So that is what biblical joy talks about.

So there's a lot of difference between what the Bible

talks about joy and also.

What the world talks about happiness.

I tell you, as as just human beings, right, we

are driven to be happy. We always try to find

way to be happy. When we are not happy, we

feel like something.

Is wrong in our lives.

Most of the time, we we did define our life

and define even sometimes how good God is over our

lives based on our happiness, based on where the if

everything we have today looks all right, I God, we

are blessed.

You know.

I get all this this there that whatever I asked for,

prayed for, wished for, I have it all. I'm happy

because and because I'm because I'm happy because I have

all this that so ends.

God is good over my life.

But what eve when we don't have all those things

and whatever we ask for we never attain.

Does that mean God is not good?

Or does that mean we are not having a good

life or we are not happy? We are not happy,

that's true, that's the only thing that is right. But

that has nothing to do with whether God is good

over our lives or not. But it's just because we

are so fickle minded that we always want to be happy.

That and and you know, we always and I think

that's why even when parents raise children, not all parents,

but some parents, I see if their children cry a

little bit, they will immediately go and try to you know,

comfort it, maybe carry him or do anything to make

the kid stop crying, you know, because we're trying to

settle that kid stop crying. But God is not like that.

He knows that we throw ten terms all the time.

He knows that we are always after comfort. And happiness

is always about comfort, you know. So let's look at

the difference next life. So happiness it is always about

a state of well being, like what are we? How

are we today? And it's what our pleasure? How are

we you know, comfortable today? And things like that. Whereas

joy it goes deeper. It is a deep sense of

delight and gladness that is rooted and grounded in something

way beyond jezz your today, way beyond just your current circumstances,

you know. And another thing is happiness is often about

what I feel or what I have and what I experience.

But joy is tied to what I know in Christ

and who I am in relationship with Christ. You see

the difference, you know. It's always about happiness. We are

so driven as human always to ask or look at

what we have, always to look at what we are

going through right now, and we relate that as whether

we are happy or not happy. But when someone is joyful,

not just talking about the worldly happiness, but being biblically joyful,

they are rooted knowing that no matter what happens, Christ

is with me, and I know Christ brings hope. You know.

Happiness is often about external.

Stuff or health, your success, your relationship, and all the

favorable circumstances in your life, you know. But whereas joy

is about your union with God, being in Christ, and

being with the.

Spirit, you know.

So so joy is being anchored in what you are

in Christ.

Not what you have. That's that's joy.

You know. Happiness is fleeting, you know, it's always contingent based,

meaning that it is always circumstantial based.

Today you're happy, my bank account full.

It's usually when you're in the salary, pay day, you're happy,

and at the end of the month you're not happy.

You know, because you know, we all know, yeah, why

you know so? But joy is not like that. It

is consistent and is enduring, is independent out of your circumstances, meaning,

regardless is pay day and the month, you're still joyful

because you trust the crisis, your provider, not your boss,

you know, just saying that, you know. And happiness is

always about It's very self oriented or meaning, it's all

about your self. Need you know, I feel good handso,

I'm happy, life is going well for me.

Handsome, I'm happy.

I've got a car, new car, handsome happy. It's all

about what we think about ourselves. Whereas joy is always

in the Lord. You know that we are joyful because

we have hope in the Lord. We are joyful because

I'm saved in the Lord. There's always external focus, always

about other people. It's never about your own just your

own desire. You know, and whenever you pursue happiness alone,

what will happen is that it will lead you to instability.

And most of the time we are people who are

very unstable. I mean not in a bad way, but

in our emotions because we fleet every day, our emotions

are fleeting, because we are human beings who are just

going based on our emotions, how we feel today and

things like that. But no, that's that's not what we're

supposed to because when we are so focused on just

how we feel, what is going to lead us to

It is going to lead us to bitterness. It is

going to lead us to dissatisfaction. We will never be

satisfied because we will be hoping that everyone else around

us will satisfy us so make us happy, that the

wall owe us to make us happy. And that's why

we find a lot of people in the world today

are carrying so much burden. They're they're they're they have

this bitterness in their heart, knowingly or unknowingly because they

are always pursuing happiness and they without realizing or even

when they realize that actually the world and the people

of the world will let us down. That's just just

the fact you know the world will let us down,

and we pursue the world, pursue happiness of this world,

it will let us down. But joy, if you pursue joy,

it leads you to a place of contentment that you'll

be able to be content. Then you have this unity

because unity in Christ. Because as a community, even as

a community, you're not just pursuing happiness so that every

your friend group will just be happy. So you do

things to keep everybody happy, and that's where it leads

to just destruction, backstabbing and all these things. But when

as a community, as a group of friends or family

or whatever, you pursue joy in Christ, you will know

that no matter this person might not be able to

satisfy me, I have joy in Christ.

You know.

I can still find fulfillment in Christ, you know.

And that's how marriage ore to work as well.

If the marriage is all about the happiness of two persons,

it is not going to last because you can't always

make that person happy and that person cannot always make

you happy.

But instead, if it is.

Rooted en joy in Christ, you know that at the

end of the day, no matter how much you fight,

at the end of the day, you can go back

and find Christ, and you can find hope and joy

in Christ. And that joy will then make you love

that person better again.

Amen.

So that's that's that's the difference between you know, happiness

and joy. So what is true joy then made of?

What is joy made of?

Number one?

Joy is made joy comes true joy comes from knowing Christ.

You know joy if.

You all read your Bible and you know through of

the Spirit, fruit of the Spirit. Yeah, and the fruit

of the spirit. Joy is one of the fruit of

the Spirit. And joy is a byproduct of knowing Christ

and being known by him. What is a fruit The

fruit of a tree is what is a byproduct of

the seed being sold a tree grow and then the

fruit comes and then you can eat the fruit.

You know, So the same thing.

Joy, true joy is a by product of knowing Christ

and being known by him.

It comes from.

This security of your salvation that Christ knows you and

you know Christ. That is where true joy comes from.

And you read the entire Book of Philippians, and the

Book of philippiins is called the Epistle of Joy because

Paul talks about how to be joyful in every situation.

And so in Philippines four was for he says, rejoice

in the Lord always. You know that's and again I

will say rejoice. It's just as simple as that. But

Paul's exhorting everyone that you find joy in who, in Who,

in Christ, in the Lord.

You find joy in the Lord.

He did not say, rejoice in your promotion today. He

did not say rejoice in your partner today, rejoice in

the good food you had today.

No, he says, rejoice in the Lord.

And again I will say rejoice in the Lord, because

that is the foundation, because you can find true joy

when you are in Christ, when you know Him, when

you abide in Him, you don't need another thing to

give you joy, meaning that your day can be the

worst day of your life and yet you can still

be joyful. You know, because when Paul wrote this Book

of Philippians, he was in prison. He was in prison,

and he was knowing that one day death is awaiting him,

and he was really being you know, if you ever

been to prison, is really not a pleasant place to

be at. I mean I've been to not not because

I was convicted, but more like because to do ministry

in the prison, and really the moment you walk in,

you know that there's just you know, first of all,

it's really not comfortable for you to for anyone to

be there, and for yet for someone to be in

prison and to be so hopeful, so joyful, to say

that rejoice everyone, he must rejoice.

And he's telling everyone else outside of.

The prison, whereas people outside the prison should be the

one telling the one in the prison, saying that, Okay,

hold honor, I think life would be good, just just

for a while, hold on. But it was the other

way around, this man in the prison telling the people

outside be joyful in the Lord, so meaning, you can see,

he knew that his joy was not dependent on where

he was even what was going to happen to him.

But his joy was so dependent in Christ.

And because you know that Christ and He and Christ

at this relationship, they were so intimate that no thing,

not even the prison, can shake that, not even the

bad circumstances can shake that. And that is what kept

him going. And number two, joy comes from learning to live.

Learning to live, I d this statement. People will tell

some people he learned to live a little lot, you know,

And usually people will tell this statement to those who

are too serious. They always want work, work, work, They

always want responsibilities. You know, they don't take vacations, they

don't take off days.

They're always working hard. And then people will.

Be like, hey, can you learn to live a little?

People always say that you know and and but Paul,

in the Book of Philippians, he teaches the right meaning

to learn to live Impliments four was eleven to thirteen.

He says, yeah, not that I speak in regard to need,

For I have learned, in whatever state I am.

To be content.

I know how to be a best I know how

to be a bound everywhere and in all things. I

have learned both to be full and to be hungry,

both to abound and to suffer need. I can do

all things to Christ, who strengthens me.

Amen. So Paul writes this.

You know that what is he saying that, regardless of

what his life looks like, the good, the bad, the ugly,

whatever it is, he has learned the secret to live

with joy. What's the secret? It is to be content

and to know that Christ is enough. That is what

kept Paul going that he know today I might be

having a feast, Tomorrow I might only eat one Maggie cup.

Today I have a nice place to stay. Tomorrow I

might get kicked out of this place, but it doesn't

matter no matter what. I am content because Christ is

the provider. Christ is the one that rewards. Christ is

the one that is sufficient. Christ is one that is

enough for me. That is what He was not looking

to be self sufficient, because a man who wants to

be self sufficient cannot be joyful. And he was not

also giving himself over the pleasures of the world. He

was not Cha chasing after the pleasures of the world.

He was not after Micah just because I felt to

be fol I want to be full every day, or

he was not like just because I felt being in

this nice house today and people bless me so much,

so so I should have the same blessing every day.

I deserve the same blessing every day.

You know. Sometimes that's where we go to a place

where we think, just because God blesses one time in

a particular situation, that we deserve to be blessed every

single day in our life, and it leads us to

be in a place where we are not joyful because

we are just after one thing after another. Today, God

gives us this not enough, can give more? Not God,

I give you a toyota cannot Tesla, Lord, you know.

Not enough.

Lord, Please Tesla better than Toyota, you know so so.

So it is that is where Paul did not go.

But he know that all these things of life is

just seasonal and it's but the best thing to do

is just to acknowledge that Christ is enough, and Christ

is the only thing constant, and Christ is the only

thing that you can remain content in. That was very

clear for Paul, and that's what kept him joyful. You know,

he was not shaken, He was not shaken or wavered

because you know who Christ is to him.

You should know who Christ is to you.

Is he just a god above and you just wish

through wishes to him, or you know that He is

your provider, that He is enough for everything, over everything

in your life to you. Because Paul was very clear,

and that was the secret that he was able to

live joyfully. Third, one true joy comes from hope. Philippians one,

verse six says, being confident of this very thing that

He has begun a good work in you will complete

it until the day of Jesus Christ. Paul knew and

he was very assured that we can trust God's faithfulness

over our lives.

There was this hope.

It was not just a hope about today, but it

was an eternal hope. And what is this eternal hope

that our true joy comes from, is that one day

we will meet Jesus face to face, this faithful God

who loves us. We will see him face to face

in all our tears will be wiped away, because Revelations

twenty one was four says, and God will wipe away

every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death,

no more sorrow, no more crying. There shall be no

more pain, for the former things have passed away. Revelations

twenty one was four. This is what it says. And

Paul knew that, and he knew that this is where

his true joy comes from. Because you know that no

matter what situation you are in today, one day there

is a Jesus. There's this Jesus who died on the

cross for you, and you're gonna see him face to

face again, and he will wipe every tear of your eyes.

There will be no more pain, there will be no

more sickness, There'll be no more cancer, there will be

no more weakness, there will be no more temptations, none

of it will be there. That is the problem in Revelation.

The God will wipe every tear personally of every eyes

because there'll be no more sorrow. And Paul knew that

no matter how much sorrow I go through today, I

can still be hopeful, I can still be joyful because

Christ is coming back. Christ is coming back. And he

was very certain of that and that kept him going

no matter what he went through the worst times, the

worst times in his life. He was confident because he

believed and he was he had an intimate relationship with

Jesus that he can he can trust in that.

You know that God will make it all good.

In his time. Let me share it with your story.

I recently read about this about North Korea. You know,

North Korea has Christians. We always talk about South Korea

having Christians, but even North Korea had and has Christians.

Of course, when back they were Korea together, they were

a majority Christian nation and a lot of those who

were nor were Christians. Then they had that split, they

all escaped and came to South Korea. That's why majority

of the Christians are in South Korea. But still yet

till today they are Christians who are secretly in North Korea.

But what happens if the government, the regime finds out

they are Christians, they will capture them, they will bring

them into a concentration camp and they will be tortured.

And there is this if you have heard of different

networks that talks about, you know, persecution openly. I mean

they bring these stories and you can find it online

and stuff like that, you know, voices of martyr and

stuff like that. So they have said that there is

this story of this woman where she was tortured and

she was raped and then they took the baby out

of her and they killed that baby in front of

her because that she did not want to let go

of a faith and a lot many many people. There's

no proper numbers, but from the year of two thousand

and nine, there are accounts of many Christians being killed

in North Korea, and it's one of the most persecuted

country in the world according to stats, you know, and

in other countries, even in Nigeria even right now, I'm

sure many of you might have heard that they are

killing Christians, but yet in any none of these countries,

you know, Christianity is actually growing most in all these

countries and The fastest growing church right now in the

world is not career is in Iran, not anywhere in

the Western not anywhere in the non persecuted countries, but

it is in these countries. And why why Because when

you have nothing in your life except to hold on

to Jesus, hold on to the Word of God. Because

they were and for them, Bible is like a treasure

because they can't if you've seen caught with it, you

are going to be in prison and and and for them.

This is treasure, this is joy.

And whenever they look at this, they know that I

could carry on regardless what persecution I face, regardless of

what torture I go to, I can still carry on

because I can find joy in Christ. I can find

hope in Christ. You know, It's it's not just being

We always think it's like being optimistic that God will

somehow come through in one day, But it is being

having a grounded knowledge in who God is. Say, if

you want to find true joy, you must read your

Bible so that you know who.

God truly is in your life. And when you know

who God.

Truly is, you is not just an optimistic wish that

I think God will take care of it. But no,

you will, for the fact know that God will take

care of it. For the fact that you will know

that God has everything in control, no matter what the

circumstance of your life might look like right.

Now today, that is true joy.

So how now, how can we find this true joy

in our lives? Number?

One?

You find it by proclaiming the gospel. Philippians one eighteen

says what then, only then, in every way, whether in

pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and in this

iren joys, and yes I will rejoice. A lot of

times we struggle being joyful at all circumstances because maybe

we are not so clear what is our mission on earth?

What on earth are we on earth?

For? You know, they're not very clear. We are chasing

many things, sometimes good things, but maybe it's not our

mission to chase those things. Maybe it's not our mission

to chase after our own desires or personal recognition and

many other things.

For Paul it was very clear.

And as he was writing this letter, like I said,

just now, he was writing it. You know, if you

study English, there's present dans past dance.

But there's more than that.

You know, there's present participle dance present whatever tans. So

there's this thing called present active tense. So when he

was writing this, they say that he wrote it in

a present active sense, meaning he was joyful when that

moment he was writing I rejoice he was.

I don't know how he was. Probably were smiling or whatever.

He was not in despair, you know, because his joy

came from the fact that even though he was in prison,

he was able to share powerful testimony of how the

Lord is good over his life, even though he.

Was in prison.

Even though he was in prison, the gospel was being

preached that gave him joy above anything at all. It

did not come from comfort, It did not come from

a personal recognition, but it came from the fact that

him being in prison was a platform of evangelism. And

I tell you, in that time, in that era, Christianity

grew the most when poor was in prison, not when

he was outside, because people were able to see and

even think, how could a man be so joyful when

he was in prison. There must be something so true

and so powerful of a God that he believes in

that even in prison he can still remain joyful.

And that was the reason Christianity grew.

At that time. You know, sometimes in our lives we

we face struggles, we face challenges, but we overlook beyond it,

you know, overlook the opportunity, and we see beyond our

circumstances because we are so consumed by our our sorrows

our worry, and we're so worried about the problem, we

are so afraid, we even get so anxious about it,

and and and.

We and it causes us to lose our joy.

But what if we looked at that problem, at that circumstance,

beyond just that.

What if.

We can see that every test as a testimony, every

mess that we go through as a message, and every

pain that we go through as a purpose. What if

whatever that kills our joy is the very thing that

becomes our mission to advance the gospel. What if if

we can look at the circumstances of our life differently,

then we are able to experience true joy that is

missional and sacrificial.

And that was what paused thrue.

Joy was like, even though it cost him personally, he

knew that this is a testimony that will carry on.

You know, I've gone through you know, Fabric, and I

think I've shared a couple of times when I came

here in life, and I know that every time we

go through struggle, no matter who we are, what we

are going through, when we are able to see that

that one day this is a testimony in the making,

This is a testimony in the making that God will

come true. And I can be so sure of that.

I tell you it changes our perspective towards every situation

and we look at it like that that this that

this struggle that I'm going through right now, one day

will become a testimony that I can then tell how

God had worked in my life.

If we can look at.

Every challenge we face in our life in that manner,

I tell you, we will be joyful in every situation

and we will have so many testimonies every time, you know,

in homes when you gather and the homes leader asks

anyone got any testimony, to share any any anything that

you're thankful for, and then everybody is like nothing, nothing much, yeah,

yeah right right sheerlyn yeah shaking here, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's because why we but we are actually going through something,

but we have not learned to actually look beyond just

that problem, look beyond just that situation, but to look

at it as a testimony in the making. Look at

it as that, Yes, right now I am going through

where I have no job at all, I'm struggling to

meet ends month to month, but I believe God will

come true. You know, you instaid, I was getting so

frustrated about the situation. But if we learn to look

at the times where God has provided, provided and provided,

I tell you, we will realize that. Then Wow, this

is a testimony and we're able to share it in

front of people to people do not know Christ yet,

to people who need more hope than us. That's the difference,

you know, And that's what Paul was doing. Second, you

find joy to unity, humility, and sacrifice. Phibians too was

to the forces fulfill my joy by being like minded,

having the same love, being of one accord of one mind.

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but

in loneliness of mind. Let each esteem each other's better

than himself. Let each of you look out not only

for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

So Paul was urging people here to find joy in

living in unity and making sacrifice for one another. Because

he's saying this that because true joy cannot exists in

selfish people. Selfish people might be happy because they are

after their own pleasures and desires, but it will be unstable.

But joy, like I mentioned the meaning of joy just now,

it can only exist in people who live communally, live

sacrificially giving to one another, you know, because.

They are the ones that know that.

That's how.

It works.

That's how Christ we're willing to do, you know, because

when Christ what he did, he went on the cross,

He died on the cross selflessly. So that is what

for us, the source of our joy that Christ has

saved us because what he did on the cross, So

the same thing we are to do for others when

we are Christ in our mind, which is to find

joy by serving one another. You serve one another, you

find true joy. You know, when you only want to

receive and receive but you don't want to serve. You

might be happy for a moment, but you won't be joyful.

It might be you know, happy and everything is wow

so nice. You know they made this cake for me

in espresso, and then you know every day you just

go and eat that food and then express will be

like can you stop coming? No?

No just joking, you know.

Can you can you not take all the food for

the newcomer?

Know?

But but what if you are in a place where

you are serving yourself one another, then you find true

joy of even living as a community together, you know,

because despite our differences, we can find joy in being

united in Christ when we have a common goal, which

is to serve Him, you know, and that will keep

us focus on the right thing. When you choose to

serve one another, your mind won't fleet about what you want,

like your own desires and your personal selfish ambitions, when

you serve one another, because you will learn to be

content as well when you learn to serve one another,

when you give a little bit to the poor, or

when you go for missions. That's why we always tell

people to go for missions. When you go out and

you go and see the living condition of an around

as Lei community, maybe far out in Parah or in

Saraha or wherever it.

Is, you will be a little grateful.

Over your life that you have a nice bait to

go and sleep on, You got a nice heater in

your shower room, and you got a nice aircorn. When

the night is so hot, you can turn on and

sleep on and you will be grateful of those things.

And even when you are so upset that life is

not going your own way, to spend one day in missions,

you realize that I can be very grateful with what

I have today, you know, with what we have today.

So I think that happens only when you learn to

serve others. That's why you find joy in serving one another.

And that's why Paul was encouraging the people of Philippine,

which is the Philippians, to serve one another. And you

will remain faithful, and you will find joy, and it'll

keep you focused on the right thing. You'll keep you

focused in God when you serve one another. So you know,

serve one another. So every opportunity you get, serve people

in every situation, and I tell you you will find joy.

It might be tiring, but I tell you you will

be joyful. It might be physically tiring, it might be

sometimes mentally stressful to work with certain group of people,

but I tell you, at the end of it, you

will still find joy. It won't kill you, it won't

make you feel like I'm done. That's it might you

be able to be joyful.

Amen.

Third one, how do you find joy? Find joy by

putting Christ above all else? Phibian Stream was seventy nine says,

but what things were gained to me? These?

I have counted laws for Christ?

Yet indeed I also count all things laws for the

excellence of the knowledge of Christ, Jesus my Lord, for

whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and

count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and

be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which

is from the law, but which is to faith in Christ,

the righteousness which is from God by faith. So when

you read this worse, when you read this worse, it

shows you, yeah, that you know Paul was telling the

people there, the believers there, that your joy does not

come from your works, Like what do you do? I

told you that you're serving just now, right, But I

asked you to serve, But it's not.

Your joy comes from the works that you do.

You know. It is, Yes, when you serve people, you

find joy, But you cannot finding joy boasting that you see,

I have helped so many people, and then you feel

so joyful about it. Now it doesn't work like that, okay,

And it doesn't come from your heritage.

It's not about who you are.

Your background and where you were born, what credentials you have.

You know, you're a doctor, you're a CEO, or whatever

it is.

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't come from those things because Forward was telling

them false.

Teachers will urge.

People to believe that this is where your joy comes from.

This is where you know you find righteousness in Christ,

but saying that no righteousness or more important in joy

comes from a lifelong pursuit of Christ.

It comes from pursuing Christ.

He even Paul saying that he no longer cares about

his external credentials that he had because he was like,

if you want to talk about he's like Phdew Jewish

theology kind of person. It was one of the most

important scholars at that time. We learned from a more,

very very important scholar.

At that time.

But he said that I consider all these things rubbish,

that all these things doesn't matter if I compared to

me knowing Christ. The same for us to we should

also find joy and find satisfaction in Christ more than

in our achievements, more than in our comfort, more than

in the things that we consider create about our lives.

It's not wrong to achieve things you know. It's not

wrong to even earn well, but when that becomes the

source where we are looking for satisfaction and joy, that

is wrong, because then Christ is something else ready. But

what Paul is saying here is that reorder your priorities

Kingdom first. Find your joy in Kingdom, not in your achievement,

not in your credentials, not in what you earn, not

in what you make, not in all these things of

the world, but in Christ first. And when we are

able to do that, then we can be in this

true joy. And how you do that it is to

evaluate everything that you have and determine whether this thing, word,

or this thing surpasses the world of knowing Christ.

If you have a.

Tesla, ask yourself, is this tesla worths more than knowing Christ?

Worth more than what Christ did on the cross for you?

If you are going after a particular achievement, or a

career goal, or an ambition part or whatever it is,

ask yourself, is this goal worth more than knowing Christ?

When you are too obsessed about something I don't know,

demon unter, escape up whatever you know, ask yourself, is

this thing worth more than knowing Christ? If you can

do that on your daily life. Evaluate your daily life

and every choice that you make, every career choice that

you make, everything that you go after, every education choice,

whatever it is. Then you can read or or the

priority of your life. Then you can find true joy

because knowing Christ comes first in your life above anything else.

You know, we say that joy is a food of

spirit and knowing and when we can only receive the

fouit of the spirit when we empty ourselves and we

are glorified under Christ. So to find joy, you have

to let go of your true word. You're you know what?

In Malaysia, you you you are a single citizenship nation.

You can only hold one citizenship. You cannot have you

know what, I meaning, you cannot hold another country citizenship.

You must let go of that country citizenship if you

want to be a citizen in Malaysia. And I believe

it's the same thing in heaven. Also, we have to

know that we are citizens of heaven. So we have

to let go of being a citizen of the world

and hold on to that citizenship and make decisions according

to the ways of the heaven, ways of God instead

of the ways of the will. Then we can know

that this is true joy because we are not we are.

True joy is being a citizen of heaven, meaning we

have eternal life, not about being what we are today

just today. You know last one he says, yeah, you

find joy true discipline because I mentioned just now. Plebin's says, there,

rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say again, I

will say rejoice. It's not an encouragement, it was in command.

Paul was encouraging everyone to continue to rejoice diligently trust

in God's provision over your life. You know, it's challenging

to be joyful when we cannot see God's hand working

in our lives, when we cannot see His provision over

our lives. But yet we need to be disciplined in

being joyful still in Christ. Make it our second nature

to be joyful in Christ. Like I mentioned this now,

we have this perception if life is all good, God

is with us. But when things don't seem right in

our life, we almost immediately think that God has forsaken us.

But this is not true.

I tell you, even in the most hardest time, I

believe that God is more present in your life in

your hardest time compared to the happier time that you have.

And Paul know that.

So that's why he was He was strongly holding on

to that joy, and it was like a discipline for him.

It was like a workout for him. You do it

even it was hard. You know, when you work out,

even it's hard, you exercise right same thing.

You be joyful even if it's so hard.

Because you know Christ is coming back one day, you know.

So that's how we do it.

And when you have this true joy, you will be

able to God your peace no matter what the circumstance

is in your life, no matter how uncertain life might be,

you be still able to God your peace when you

know the true joy comes from knowing God.

So how do we get there?

I'm going to close already, you know, how do we

get there? Electionians five twenty two says but the spirit.

But the foud of the spirit is love, joy, peace,

and all the other fruits, says your joy. So we

know that it's not an emotion. It is a spiritual

fruit in your life. You know, a product of the

presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.

So if you read the whole.

Book of Philippins, which I encourage you to, it's a

short book.

Can you read it?

On your own. It talks not about just optimistic that

Paul is being very optimist, but talks about how he

was spirit led to endure every situation, and he's telling

everyone to endure every situation through the spirit because philippiins

one nineteen says, for I know that this will turn

out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply

of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. So Paul is saying

that what is the source of his joy the supply

of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Without the Holy Spirit,

I think Paul would not be able to be joyful evening.

When he's in prison or when he's being tortured.

So you, you know, when you choose to experience joy

that comes from Christ rather than that happiness that comes

from your status, your career, personal recognition. All these things

are challenging the world, you will want to we will

want to go after those things, and we will find

that it is nice to be happy in those things

compared to finding joy purely just in Christ.

But how do we do it? It is only true

the Holy Spirit.

To be and because without the Holy Spirit in our lives,

we will become attached to the things of the world.

Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot rejoice thrue anxiety. We

cannot rejoice thrue conflict. We cannot rejoice through fear. We

cannot rejoice throue hardship. It is almost impossible to do

it without the Holy Spirit. And that's why Paul says

it prevents four thirty. I can do all things to Christ,

who strengthens me. He's saying that, regardless of what the

situation is, Christ is sufficient for me. I can hold

on because my strength comes from Christ. Amen, Can I

get the band? So we need the Holy Spirit. That's

that's my encouragement or even my challenge to your church.

You want to be joyful, you want to find joy

in Christ.

You need the Holy Spirit.

Because everything that Paul goes through and for him to

remain joyful, it's almost illogical. It's almost irrational for someone

to be joyful in prison. It's almost irrational for someone

to say that I can be joyful even when I'm homeless.

It is you might find it very illogical, irrational. Maybe

you might even think that person, that homeless man, is

crazy because it seems more happier than us, and it

seems like he's laughing more than us.

Is something like that.

You can only do that when there's this, when you

are able to hold on to the Holy Spirit, not

your true self, not our own self, because our self,

our selfish beings naturally will go after the world, We'll

go after comfort. So what how do we then still

persevere is when we find the Holy Spirit and the

joy that comes from the Holy Spirit.

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

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

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this week is going to be a good week. I

hit for you. God bless