Sermon Note
Pastor Lawrence
Here on earth is meant to be enjoyed not to endure. God wants us to enjoy the good life. Jesus came.
John 10:11
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
He is the good shepherd and He gave His life for us so that we can enjoy the good life on earth.
God is a good God
Matthew 7:11
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
A christian joy is found in the Lord
Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
Our rejoicing is found in Him and not in our circumstances
Acts 16:25
The Philippian Jailer Saved
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
You can praise the Lord n choose to praise the Lord now.
Start looking to Jesus. You praise the Lord because He is good
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Philippians 3:13-14
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Forgot those hurts that are behind
Forget the pain of the injustice you have experienced
Even your own past failures
Forget the things that are behind
Reach forward to the things that are ahead
Romans 10:15
And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
Let go of your past and don’t look to circumstances in your life
We need to be thankful
Do all things without complaining
Philippians 2:14
Do all things without complaining and disputing,
Lets not live life complaining
Start to believe and see by faith you have a cup that is overflowing
My cup overflows
Always see the best in every situation
Live life expecting the best to happen!
The best is yet to be all because of Christ
Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
God wants your life to be filled with hope
God wants you to know your life will only get better
You may abound in hope by the power of your Holy Spirit
God of hope fill you with all joy
As you are believing God, don’t be despair. Your Father is a Father of Hope
Start living life and be excited
Always expect great things from God
Live life filled with hope
Our Hope is a Person
1 Timothy 1:1
Greeting
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,
Philippians 3:1
All for Christ
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.
Joy is something you need to cultivate in our hearts
The link between health and happiness
Happy people tend to live longer
Your subjective well-being feeling positive about your life
Laughters have been shown to benefit the immune system
Lower the stress level
Laughters will benefit us and keep us young
Proverbs 17:22
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:
but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
Let your rejoicing be found in the Lord
Change your perspective
Start to see good in the midst of bad
James 1:2-4
Profiting from Trials
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Your rejoicing is found in the Lord
It is not a “christian duty” to be joyful
Our rejoicing stands from understanding His ℓσνє for us.
John 15:9-11
Love and Joy Perfected
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
John 15:12
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
We can only ℓσνє one another when we know and believe Jesus loves us
When we understand the Father’s ℓσνє for us, there will be a supernatural joy that comes from the Lord Himself. It will come to our hearts. Our joy will also be full.
It all tied up to know our Father loves us.
We rejoice because we know we are loved by Him
Romans 4:5-8
David Celebrates the Same Truth
But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.”
Paul was quoting from Psalm 32
Psalms 32:1-2
The Joy of Forgiveness
A Psalm of David. A Contemplation.
Blessed (esher) is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Blessed here is esher
Psalm 32:1-2 YLT
O the happiness of him whose transgression [is] forgiven, Whose sin is covered.
O the happiness of a man, To whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
We can rejoice in the Lord always!
Praise the Lord!
Grace – charis (Greek)
Rejoice – chairo (Greek)
Faith and grace together – Issac (laughters)
Faith in His grace and we have laughters in our lives
Take time to laugh
God wants us to sow in laughing
Cheerful giver. Give knowing we have even more given to us.
When you sow a seed you get a tree !
Laugh when you give
Laugh when you live your lives
Your rejoicing is always found in the Lord
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Don’t meditate things that are negative
You can do your best not to be angry but instead of that, focus on positive thoughts
Focus on good points
Start celebrating the differences you see in your spouse
You complete each other.
Whatever things that are true noble just, think and meditate on these things
Take your time to remember Him in the holy communion
Meditate on Him
Jesus on the cross He became a Man of sorrow
Isaiah 53:2-3
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
On the cross He who was most happy Man became a Man of sorrow at the cross. He took the anguish and bitterness upon Himself at the cross so that we can rejoice always.
He has taken the worse so that we can enjoy the best!
As a child of God, the Lord is with you
Psalms 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
His Holy Spirit and His Word will comfort you
Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In the darkest moment of your life, in those moments, Jesus is carrying you
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beachwith the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For eachscene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging tohim and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back atthe footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it. “LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.”
The LORD replied, “My precious, precious child, I love you and I wouldnever leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when yousee only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
