Latest / Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons / Access to the Kingdom of God pt 4

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Access to the Kingdom of God pt 4 · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is
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designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
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walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
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the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
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right in. Hey man, it's been a blessing to be
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here. I know that some people are trapped in
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the exams. You know, and the easiest thing that
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they can suspend in their life, the activity
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that they believe that they can pause for a while,
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probably is coming to church. So I trust that
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we'll reach this level where we know our priorities
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in life, we know what is more important for us.
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At every point in time, we understand, we know
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how to arrange our lives, we know how to organize
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our lives. And we're able to arrange everything
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according to priorities. Hallelujah. I'm going
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to be sharing with those an aspect of the believer's
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life that is very crucial in manifesting the
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kingdom of God. A very, very important aspect
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of what we have in the faith. You know, we've
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been discussing the access that we have into
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the kingdom of God. And we established different
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things about two times or three times ago. Amen.
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Matthew chapter 16. Matthew chapter 16. Matthew
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16 verse 19. And I will give you the keys of
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the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you bind
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on earth will be bound in heaven. And whatever
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you lose on earth will be lost in heaven. And
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also Romans chapter 14. Romans chapter 14, verse
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17, to be precise, verse 17. You know, we've
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established, we've agreed, or we've seen in Scripture
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that this kiss is the Holy Spirit, right? Romans
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14 verse 17 says, For the kingdom of God is not
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in what? Is not in eating and drinking, but in
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righteousness and peace and joy. In what? In
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the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah. Joy in the Holy
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Spirit. So what I will be talking about is the
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joy of the kingdom. The joy of the kingdom, because
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we have access to the kingdom of God. What we
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expect to experience in our life is the joy of
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the kingdom. In Romans 14, particularly verse
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17, talks about what is obtainable in the kingdom
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of God. And we've explained several times that
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all the resources that God has blessed us in
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the kingdom belongs to everyone that is part
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of the kingdom. And we ought to see ourselves
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manifesting. We ought to see ourselves enjoying
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the privileges and the resources we have as part
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of God's kingdom. And one other thing that is
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very important to be reflected in the life of
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a man or a woman that have access to the kingdom
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of God is joy. Hallelujah. What we ought to enjoy
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regularly in our lives, every day, per time,
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per season, is joy. Because this verse talks
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about what the kingdom of God is. It says, it
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is righteousness, it is peace, and what? And
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joy in the Holy Spirit. So, Matthew 16, 19 says,
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I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
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And we agree that this was a promise, and this
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promise was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit was
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given To believe us. Now the Holy Spirit. We
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said is the key that grant us. This access to
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the experiences. That we should have. In our
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relationship with God. It gives us access to
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experience. The power of God. It gives us access
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to experience. The presence of God. The presence
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of God. The power of God. And all the realities
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that are obtainable. In what Christ has done.
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For us. And in Acts chapter 1 verse 8, Jesus
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declared, he says, you shall receive power when
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the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you shall
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be witnesses. And we saw that the coming of the
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Holy Spirit was not just to make us look religious.
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We saw effectively in the life of the apostles.
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And we've prayed today, we've seen examples of
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how they vigorously, you know, exemplify the
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life that the Holy Spirit will demand of a believer.
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So the Holy Spirit is to make us living expressions,
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actually, of the kingdom of God on earth. So
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as we have the Spirit of God in our hearts, it's
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expected by the Spirit of God to walk through
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us, to make us, you know, an expression, the
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living expression of God's kingdom on earth.
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So we saw in scriptures of different people,
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men like us that were able to demonstrate what
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it means to have access to the kingdom of God
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through the power of the spirit of God. They
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heal the sick, they cast out devils, they preach
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with boldness. You know, the first circumstances,
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situations, persecutions. And we could see the
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boldness they have because the spirit of God
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was standing and walking in them. Now one...
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The thing that is very crucial that defines their
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life and their living and all the things they
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do while they are on earth is joy. Their lives
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were marked by joy. Now, when we study through
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scriptures, we see in everything they do, they
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may not necessarily have everything sorted out
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in their lives, but they have this deep sense
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of joy, this unshakable joy that flows out of
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their relationship with God. This joy is an expression
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as a result of their union with God. So whenever
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we see in scriptures, it's actually God's desire,
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it's God's plan for the believer of the day.
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You know, sometimes when we read through scriptures
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and we see stories, we see people's experiences,
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we think, ah, these people, they are not in our
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shoes, right? Or maybe you hear a brother give
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testimony of what God has done in his life, what
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God is doing in his or her life. And then it
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seems as though, you know, these experiences
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are not for us because we practicalize our experiences,
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the difficulties and the challenges we are facing.
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We practicalize and own the temptations and the
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trials we are passing through as though they
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are unique to us. But the Bible says that there's
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no temptation, there's no trial that will come
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to you, the believer, that is not common to all.
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Hallelujah. It's not new. It has happened to
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others. And it will still happen to people. Hallelujah.
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It will happen to people. You're not the first
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person to experience that. It may be a first
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experience for you. Amen. So we have a comfort
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and the comfort we have is the presence of God
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in us. Hallelujah. So the proof of the access
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we have. that we can see one of the proof of
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the access we have in the kingdom of God is joy
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in the Holy Ghost. Hallelujah. So Romans 14,
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17 reveals that the kingdom of God is not in
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outward observances. All right? It's not in eating.
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It's not in drinking. Now, the context of Romans
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14, if we check in Romans 14 from the first verse,
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from verse 1, Romans 14. You see that Paul was
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dealing with an issue in that church. Sorry.
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Paul was dealing with an issue of ceremonial
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activities in the church where, you know, for
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example, let's read from verse 14 from verse
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1. He says, Receive one who is weak in the faith,
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but not to dispute over doubtful things because
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there were a lot of controversies. The church
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is a mixture of Jewish and then Gentiles. So
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the Jewish people were trying to enforce regulations,
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external activities, you know, on the non -Jewish
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people. That you have to do this and do that,
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do these activities. You know, verse 2. For one
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believes he may eat all things, but who is weak
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eats only vegetables. Let not he who eats the
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spicy who... does not eat and let not let not
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him who does not eat okay let me read verse 3
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he said let not him who eats despise him who
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does not eat and let not him who does not eat
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judge him who eats for God has received him who
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are you to judge another man's servant for his
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own master he stands or falls indeed he will
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be made to stand for God is able to make him
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stand all right One person assumes one day above
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another, another assumes every day alike. Let
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each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who
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observes the day, observes it to the Lord. And
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he who does not observe a day to the Lord, he
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does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the
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Lord, for he gives God thanks. And he who does
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not eat to the Lord, he does not eat and give
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God thanks. For none of us. lives to himself,
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and no one dies to himself. Or we live to the
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Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore,
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whether we live or die, we are the Lord. Then,
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jumping down to verse 17, and then we see him
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emphasizing, he says, for the kingdom of God,
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right, is not comprised of all those external
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things. Okay? The things that are done in the
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physical. are not the core or the most important.
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But he mentioned things that are very, very essential.
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He says the kingdom of God is seen in righteousness
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and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. And joy
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in the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit, you know,
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is the environment of the kingdom of God. And
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to have a spirit is to have, you know, access
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to all the realities that are in the kingdom
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of God. And one of the important things that
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we can see evidently is the joy that is coming
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from the presence of the Holy Spirit within the
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believer. Galatians 5 verse 22 talks about the
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fruits that the Holy Spirit produces in the believer.
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Galatians 5 verse 22 from the NLT from the NLT
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says, but the Holy Spirit produces This kind
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of fruit in our lives, which means that if you
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have the Holy Spirit in you, we should see this
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evidence in your life. We should see this evidence
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in your life. Love. Of course, we know it is
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love. Then joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
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faithfulness. So joy is one of the expressions
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of love that should be seen in the believer.
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Joy is not just mere happiness. Amen? Happiness,
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anybody can be happy. In fact, if you get tipsy
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with wine, you can be happy. You can listen to
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good music and you are happy. Okay? You can check
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your phone and you see an alert and you'll be
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happy. Happiness can come from anything external.
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But real joy, okay, real joy is actually The
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fruit of the spirit in the believer. So it therefore
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means that the daily experience of the believer
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should be that he experiences joy always. Because
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when we become born again, we receive a spirit
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and that spirit comes with joy in him, in us.
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Hallelujah. So our goal is that we will be able
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to know that, see, we have joy in us. And not
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only that we know that we have joy in us, that
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we are able to at all times express the joy that
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God has placed in our hearts. It is a spiritual
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signature, that is, joy is a spiritual signature
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that marks those who live under the rule of Christ.
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That is to say, if you have the Spirit of God
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living in you, what would you see significant
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about your life? is that you are living the life
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of joy. You know, oftentimes we think that Christianity
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is about being moody. We assume that when someone
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puts a straight face, there's nothing to be happy
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about in this life. There's nothing to be joyful
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about. We are about our Father's kingdom. We
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are so serious and so busy. And then we keep
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faces that doesn't represent what we have inside
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of us. Hallelujah. And some of us, it's because
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our day, we had bad days and then it influences
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every part of our life. The believer is not influenced
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from the outside. The believer is not influenced
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from the outside. The influence of the believer,
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the influence of the Christian is from within
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him. I'm not trying to write out the realities
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of the things we face every day. We're not writing
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off our daily living in the world. We live in
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a world that is full of challenges. We live in
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a world that is full of worries. We live in a
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world that is full of trials. We live in a world
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with practical problems. But we have the Spirit
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of God in us to do what? To uplift us, to strengthen
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us, to comfort us. And the joy of God has been
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placed in our hearts. Hallelujah. So when we
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have access to the kingdom, we have access to
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joy. Amen? Having access to the kingdom means
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having access to the Spirit of God. And having
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access to the Spirit of God simply means that
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we have access to the joy of God in us. And this
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joy is not dependent on our external circumstances.
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What happens in the external is that we are not
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saying they are not important. What we are saying
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is that beyond what happens in the external,
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there is something that regulates us from the
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inside, and it is the Spirit of God. And what
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we ought to do is to allow the Spirit of God
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To find expression in us. And one of the ways
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that we can allow the Spirit of God to find expression
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in us and through us is what is by expressing
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joy at all times. Hallelujah. That we allow joy
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to find expression from us at all times is a
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mark of a person that is living in the kingdom
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of God. It's a mark of the believer. So this
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joy is not dependent on the things that happen.
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Around and about us, it springs from within,
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from the indwelling presence of the Spirit in
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the believer. Hallelujah. So, it becomes tragic
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for the believer to say he's depressed. Alright?
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We keep telling you this every day. To be depressed
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is not the believer's... Which word would I use?
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It shouldn't be. If you are depressed as a believer,
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then it means that an illegal activity is happening
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in you. Alright? Because God has given us an
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ability to withstand the external circumstances
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and experiences that will come from without.
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He has given us His Spirit, so we have to give
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expression to the Spirit of God that is within
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us. Now, I'm not saying that a believer cannot
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be depressed. Some of you will fight depression
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through with you, will walk through situations
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and circumstances with you. But it ought not
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to be so, that a believer is always a joyful
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person because he has the Spirit of God in him.
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Hallelujah. So we see Jesus Christ as the model
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of the kingdom joy in Luke chapter 10 verse 17.
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And we'll see what should be the result, what
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should stir up joy from within us. Luke chapter
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10, verse 17. Luke chapter 10, verse 17. Then
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the servant returned with joy, saying, Lord,
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even demons are subject to us in your name. And
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he said to them, I saw Satan. fall like lightning
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from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to
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trample on serpents and scorpions and over all
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the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by
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any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice
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in this, that the spirits are subject to you,
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but rather rejoice because your names are written
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where? Are written in heaven. They came back
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when they went out to preach the gospel. They
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came back rejoicing, you know, because they saw
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a lot of miraculous activities happening. They
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saw the blind see, they saw demons casted out,
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they saw miraculous healings happen, and they
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were full of joy because of those things. Then
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Jesus shifted their attention to something much
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more greater than that, beyond that. All right?
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What should stir up joy in you is actually that
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you are a child of God. Amen? What should stay
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joy in you is the fact that you have access to
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the kingdom of God. What should set up joy in
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you is something that is eternal, eternally worked
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in you, the believer. Amen? And we see Jesus
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himself in that hour, verse 21. Jesus what? He
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rejoiced in the Spirit. He rejoiced in the Spirit,
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Jesus himself. So Jesus was not rejoicing because,
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you know, he won a lottery. Okay? He was not
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rejoicing because, you know... There's something
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excellent that's happened. He's able to see what
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God is doing. He's able to see the salvation
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of humanity. And then that brought out joy from
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him. Hallelujah. At that time, Jesus rejoiced
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in the spirit and said, I thank you, Father.
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So Jesus is a model for us, all right, of rejoicing.
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His joy was anchored, first of all, in his union
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with the Father through the Spirit. And it's
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based on the kingdom reality of what God will
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do. Hallelujah. It's based on the reality of
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what he sees God is doing and God will do. And
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that becomes a source of his joy. So kingdom
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joy is spirit generated. It's not circumstance
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based. Alright? It's from our spirit, from our
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identity. In John chapter 15 verse 11 we see
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that The joy that we share is actually the joy
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of Jesus. John chapter 15, verse 11. It says,
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These things I have spoken to you that my joy
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may remain in you and that your joy may be full.
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These things I have spoken to you that my joy
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may remain in you and that your joy may be full.
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So Jesus shares his joy with all believers. All
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right? The joy we have is actually the joy of
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God, the joy of Jesus Christ, and by his spirit,
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we have that joy, that same joy in us. The joy
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of the kingdom is the joy of Christ, you know,
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that is reproduced in the believer. So Jesus
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Christ himself is a model for us that he lived
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a joyful life, and we can see clearly what is
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the source of his joy. The source of his joy
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is not from the external things, not even from
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the miraculous activities that he was doing,
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but from a certain fact about what God is doing
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or what God was to do in man. Hallelujah. Now,
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let's look at the life of the apostles as well.
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The apostles also were carriers of this Spirit
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of God in them, which means that they also expressed
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this joy in diverse ways. All right? Last and
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the previous times, we were looking at how they
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demonstrated their spirit in signs and wonders.
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And intentionally and deliberately, we jumped
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these specifics so that we'll come to this point
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and focus on it. Acts chapter 5. In Acts chapter
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5, we'll see an instance where the apostles expressed
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joy. Acts chapter 5, verse 40. Yes, that's after
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the apostles were arrested. And they were arrested
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not for stealing. They were arrested not for
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doing crime. But they were arrested for the sake
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of preaching the gospel. Verse 40. And they agreed
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with him. That is, the council agreed with Gamaliel.
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And they agreed with him. And when they had called
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for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded
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that they should not speak in the name of Jesus.
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And they let them go. So they departed from the
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presence of the council. How? They departed what?
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Rejoicing. They just gathered adults. Right?
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Have you ever seen them flogging an adult before?
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Yes. They just gathered adults and they flogged
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them, probably 40 minus one. Right? And these
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young men, of course they were young men, they
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were supposed to be grumbling and complaining.
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They were supposed to be, you know, agitating
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maybe for their human rights. How their human
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rights was violated. How they were treated unjustly.
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But from within them, beyond the external experience
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that they were having, you know, the Bible says
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that they went what? They went rejoicing. They
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were full of joy. This joy cannot be an external
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joy. Alright? This joy cannot be from any external
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experience. But a joy is that they were counted
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what? Worthy to do what? To suffer shame. They
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were worthy. They counted a privilege to do what?
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To suffer shame for the sake of God. So they
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were rejoicing for the fact that they were partakers
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of shame. Amen? I can imagine, you know, publicly
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disgracing and embarrassing them and flogging
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them. But they counted this experience as what?
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As a privilege, as an honor to be partakers of
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this. And they were rejoicing. They were rejoicing
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for his experience. After being beaten for preaching
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Christ, they rejoiced that they were counted
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worthy to suffer for his name. So as I said earlier
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on, their joy was not motivated by anything material
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or advantageous to them, but based on the kingdom
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reality. Okay? And this joy cannot be understood
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by the world. That is why the life of the believer
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to the unbeliever is a mystery. This is a circumstance
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that a normal man should moan about it, a human
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being should complain about it. But we see in
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their lives the expression of joy. And this joy
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is a joy that cannot be explained to the man
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that is not born again. And this same spirit
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that produces this result of joy in these believers,
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It's where? It's resident in you, the believer.
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And when we begin to, you know, relate these
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experiences with our own experiences, you know,
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we begin to wonder the kind of spirit that is
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in us. Alright? Your school fees is delayed and
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then it ruins your entire week. Your prayer life
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begin to have issues. Your relationship with
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your housemates become, you know, toxic. In the
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family, you become, you know, roots to people.
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You become unbearable with people because the
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external circumstance around you is not making
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sense. Or maybe you're trusting God for something
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and it's not happening. Then entirely, you begin
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to ask some certain questions that as though
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God has left you. Right? it ought not to be so.
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That shouldn't be the experience of the believer
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because the believer is not controlled from outside.
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Are we together? Now, if you know this, let me
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tell you, if you are able to establish this foundation
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in your life right now as a young person, for
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the rest of your life, you live now with ease
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and peace. Amen? By the time you know the power
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of God that is resident in you, that in all situations
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you are calm, And you're full of joy. And you're
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full of peace. And it makes you... That's an
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age you have over the world. Hallelujah. When
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the world are panicking. Right? When the world
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are panicking about the economy. When the world
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are panicking about earthquake. How many of us
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experienced some shake -ups today? Somebody did
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not even know that something happened to them.
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He didn't know. Okay. But try and know what is
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happening. Alright? And we are not panicking
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because we know that God is in charge of every
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circumstance. Amen? Whether we die with it, right?
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To die is for what? It's for Christ. To live
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is for Christ. So why are you scared of dying?
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If you are living for Christ. If everything is
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for Christ. Amen? So, our disposition should
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be the disposition of joy at all times. Some
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of you just went to write the exam and the question
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was a little bit tricky. And then it came out
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as though all of us wrote the exam for you. And
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then you become angry with the teacher and everybody
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around you. Amen. I was telling somebody, I said,
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see, some people fail exams. Actually, they read,
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though. Some people, it's not that they didn't
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read, they read, but they were reading OP. We
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call it off point. because they didn't prepare
29:58
well. Hallelujah. And then we share that experience
30:03
with everybody. We rub it up on people. You know,
30:07
we become unbearable. We become people that nobody
30:12
will want to be with because of what is happening
30:14
in our lives. So what we should see coming out
30:18
of every believer's life is a joyful life. When
30:21
people come around to you, always complaining,
30:24
you complain like a British person. Have you
30:28
been close to British people? British people
30:31
can complain about the weather, complain about
30:34
the sun is too hot, the weather is too, there's
30:36
no sun, the tea is too cold, the tea does not
30:39
have sugar, the sugar is too much. They complain
30:41
about everything. No. Our lips will be full of,
30:47
you know, an expression of joy at all times.
30:50
Hallelujah. Because we are not externally controlled,
30:53
right? We're inspired and influenced by the presence
30:57
of the Spirit of God in us. That should be the
31:00
actual life of the believer. That is the life
31:02
of the believer. Okay? That whatever happens
31:08
without us does not influence the way we react,
31:13
we conduct ourselves among people. You know,
31:16
we demonstrate the stability and the work of
31:19
the Spirit of God in us. Hallelujah. And if all
31:22
things were full of joy, were joyful, Do you
31:25
know that if you're not joyful, it's difficult
31:27
to even preach the gospel? All right? It's difficult
31:31
to share your gospel. Which gospel are you going
31:33
to share to people that you are sad? You're going
31:37
to tell a good news with a sad face. It's a sad
31:43
news. Amen? It's a sad news. So we are... I don't
31:53
use the word marketing, right? But what we do
31:57
is that we demonstrate the kingdom of God. When
31:59
people see you, they should see the expression
32:00
of the kingdom of God. And one way that people
32:03
will know that, you know, you've experienced
32:04
the kingdom of God is joy. Because joy cannot
32:07
be what? Cannot be hidden. Hallelujah. So this
32:14
joy is from the work of the spirit of God in
32:16
the believer. And you have this spirit in you
32:20
that produces this joy. So when you are sad and
32:23
heavy, then it's time to look within. Are we
32:28
together? It's time to look within from what
32:30
God has put inside you and allowed it to manifest.
32:34
Alright? It simply means that it's time to do
32:37
what? To be in the closet. To be with God. Until
32:43
there's an expression of what He has deposited
32:45
in you. Hallelujah. Flip. In Acts chapter 8,
32:52
He not only demonstrated joy, but He brought
32:57
great joy to a city. Amen? So you believers,
33:01
you are not just to express joy. Some of us are
33:03
not even expressing joy. We are talking more
33:04
of bringing joy to cities. So you are not only
33:10
someone that experiences joy, you are not only
33:13
somebody that should exude joy, but you should
33:17
be able to bring joy to people. When people encounter
33:21
you, do they feel lifted? All right? Do they
33:25
always want to be around you because you carry
33:27
the Spirit of God with you, in you? Do they always
33:31
feel encouraged? Do they look forward to meeting
33:34
you? Or they change a lot when they see you?
33:40
Because the moment they come around you, you
33:42
ignite depression. You ignite, you know, heaviness
33:47
in their hearts. No, the spirit which we have,
33:50
right, and what we have in us is communicable,
33:54
all right? We're able to extend it to people
33:57
around us. In Acts 8, verse 6 to 8, we'll see
34:01
how, verse 6, it says, And the multitude with
34:06
one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip,
34:11
hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
34:15
For unclean spirits crying with a loud voice
34:18
came out of many who were possessed. And many
34:22
who were paralyzed and lame were healed. Verse
34:27
8. And there was what? Was a great joy. Which
34:32
means that people were rejoicing in the city.
34:35
Hallelujah. Who were celebrating and rejoicing
34:38
in the city? Because of who? Because of one man.
34:42
Because of one man. Hallelujah. Now may you be
34:47
the source of joy to your nation in Jesus' name.
34:50
That wherever you enter as a child of God, with
34:53
the Spirit of God in you, that you bring joy
34:55
to that place. That in that office, you become
34:59
the solution to the things that are going abnormal
35:01
in that place. Amen? That people will say, I
35:05
bless God that I come in contact with this person.
35:08
Ever since I met you, my life has never been
35:11
the same again. Whenever people are depressed,
35:15
they know the person to call. It happens, right?
35:20
Whenever I start feeling abnormal, I know who
35:22
to call. I know who to call. I know who will
35:25
cheer me up. And if you want to feel depressed,
35:29
there are some people that you call them and
35:35
they will help you very well to be depressed.
35:39
You are in trouble, you call them, they have
35:40
nothing to give. They complicate the issues.
35:46
Hey, yeah, like this. And, and, and, I mean,
35:53
some of them, that is a default setting. All
35:57
right? And then you finish talking with them
35:59
and you're, you're, why do I? No. Hallelujah.
36:06
That shouldn't be our, our reality as believers.
36:09
All right? We should be source of joy to people,
36:13
right? We should be solution to people's issues.
36:16
I'm not adding to the problems. People have a
36:20
lot of things they are passing through. Are we
36:23
together? A lot of people are depressed. In this
36:28
generation, when we're younger, depression is
36:30
strange. But nowadays, people easily get depressed.
36:37
All right? People easily get depressed. But we
36:42
have the Spirit of God in us. Not only that we
36:45
carry joy in us, we're able to impart joy to
36:51
people, bringing them to the truth of what Christ
36:53
has done and ensuring that we're filled with
36:56
the Spirit of God and are filled with the Spirit
36:58
of God. Hallelujah. So as he preached Christ
37:01
to that city, miracles happened, demons fled,
37:03
and the city was filled with great joy. The city
37:06
was filled with great joy. Now, wherever the
37:10
kingdom is manifested, what happens there? Joy
37:13
spreads. Amen? Whenever the gospel is preached
37:16
and people are born again, there is always joy.
37:21
If I give it to you, it was your experience when
37:23
you got born again. There was this sense of joy
37:26
that was rising from inside you. That joy is
37:31
not meant to be just that moment. Don't be like
37:35
David. Restore to me the joy of my salvation.
37:40
You all have not lost. Amen. You know that joy
37:43
you experienced when you got born again? It's
37:47
still in you. David can pray that prayer and
37:50
then sing that song. Alright? Because that is
37:53
his reality and he's honest about his reality.
37:55
But you, the believer of today, that joy is permanent
37:58
in you. Hallelujah. Not only that you have a
38:02
career of joy, but you are able to make people
38:04
joyful. So who will come to church here while
38:07
trying to mechanically instigate you to rejoice?
38:11
And it seems as if you are the savior of the
38:13
world with all the problems of the world on your
38:16
head. Amen? No. Hallelujah. A believer is joyful
38:23
at all times. Say, I'm full of joy. And the joy
38:27
of the Holy Spirit finds expressions in my life.
38:31
At all times, I am never depressed. I am full
38:35
of joy because I have the Spirit of God in me.
38:39
I bring joy to nations. I bring joy to people's
38:43
life. Hallelujah. Be that kind of a man that
38:49
the moment you are out of the house and your
38:51
husband just heard your voice, they should thank
38:53
God that you've come home. Not the ones that
38:57
everybody was out locking his door. See that
39:01
something is wrong with your Christianity. Be
39:04
that father that when they hear ping -ping from
39:07
the gate, what happens? They will come in line
39:12
of daddy -daddy, but there are some families
39:14
that the moment they hear ping -ping, the line
39:17
of the tribe of Judah has arrived. Everybody
39:21
will disperse and look for a hiding place. Hallelujah.
39:28
Don't be that kind of a parent, all right? Because
39:31
you have a different kind of a spirit in you.
39:34
And the spirit you have is the spirit of God.
39:36
All right? You bring joy and blessings to people.
39:41
So we're not talking about things that are strange.
39:44
This is the believer's reality. All right? We
39:50
don't have to be so theological and so, I mean,
39:52
mysterious about speaking about the joy of Jesus.
39:55
It's practical. It's practical. Hallelujah. So
40:03
we spread joy wherever the kingdom is manifested.
40:05
By the preaching of the gospel, we see joy in
40:08
expression. And if your name is joy, you have
40:13
no reason not to be joyful. Amen. You're obligated
40:19
to be joyful. The gospel will keep calling you
40:23
joy. So we don't just experience joy in our lives.
40:27
We spread joy across nations as we manifest the
40:30
kingdom of God. So the same question I ask again,
40:34
why do many believers, or why do we often not
40:40
experience this joy, this joy that is supposed
40:44
to be experienced by the children of the kingdom
40:46
of God? Why do believers not walk in the kingdom
40:53
joy today? Even though we have access to the
40:58
same spirit of God as the apostles. See, there
41:02
are hundreds of examples I don't want to go into
41:04
because of time. To see, you know, how the believers
41:08
were living. They were full of joy. They shared
41:13
what they had in common. They were full of joy.
41:16
Alright? They would catch them, they would flog
41:20
them, they would go singing and thanking God.
41:22
There was an instance where they locked two in
41:24
the prison and they were what? They were singing
41:26
and giving glory to God. Not to talk about the
41:29
experience of Paul in prison. Alright? Where
41:34
he's supposed to be mourning and asking for help.
41:39
Looking for resources to get a good lawyer to
41:42
defend him. But she was in prison but exalting
41:47
those who are free to be joyful. Countless of
41:53
examples. And that is the work of the Spirit
41:57
in the life of a man. Hallelujah. And in all
42:00
things, in all situations, that we are joyful
42:04
and that joy is a joy of the Spirit of God. Amen.
42:09
So the reason because we are often, what? Carnally
42:13
minded. What consumes us is what? Is bread and
42:20
wine. Okay? What consumes our thinking are external
42:25
things. Now, those external things might not
42:27
necessarily be negative things. They may not
42:30
necessarily be sinful things. We are consumed
42:33
with the pursuit of the things of the world,
42:35
like your education is as good and as important.
42:41
All right? Your job is good and is important.
42:46
It's necessary that we work. When our lives are
42:50
consumed by external things, that we forget about
42:55
the things that defines who we are, our identity,
42:58
which is a spirit, it becomes difficult for us
43:02
to express the joy of the Holy Ghost. So we are
43:09
carnally minded often, living by feelings and
43:12
emotions and not by the spirit. You know, we
43:18
live in a generation where people are so peculiar
43:22
about how they feel. And people are so careful
43:27
not to hurt the feelings of people. You know?
43:34
So we are so emotional and so, you know, we're
43:38
not saying that we should suspend our humanity.
43:41
That's not what we're saying. But our humanity
43:44
should not detect how we live. Because we are
43:49
not carnal men. Are we together? We are spiritual
43:52
beings. First of all, our identity is that we
43:55
are spiritual. We have a spirit and then we live
43:59
in a physical body and we interact with our physical
44:02
world. So our source of influence should be from
44:06
our identity as spirituals. That is why we come
44:12
to church, to learn our identity every day. To
44:15
learn what God has done in us. And what I'm telling
44:17
us today is that... God has put an ability in
44:20
us to be joyful at all times. So when you come
44:23
to church, for some of you that are new in this
44:24
church, when we ask people to rejoice, all we're
44:27
trying to tell you to do is that you should manifest
44:29
the kingdom of God. When we say you should pray
44:31
in tongues, right? It's the same thing as we
44:34
tell you to rejoice. It's the same thing as saying,
44:38
as we tell you to lay hand on somebody to pray
44:40
for the person. This rejoicing is spiritual activity.
44:46
Hallelujah. If you cannot rejoice here, it shows
44:50
the rose that you are not even rejoicing in your
44:53
private life, your corners. So, Galatians chapter
45:04
5, verse 16 says, We shall walk in the Spirit,
45:06
and we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
45:11
Romans 8, verse 6 says, To be carnally minded
45:14
is death. But to be spiritually minded is life
45:18
and what? And peace. When our focus is on our
45:24
identity, we enjoy the peace that comes from
45:27
our identity, which is the Spirit of God. Hallelujah.
45:31
We often focus on earthly things, earthly troubles,
45:36
rather than our heavenly realities. So our heavenly
45:41
realities may become... Things that are not,
45:45
they are no longer realities. They are expectations.
45:48
They become expectations. And what contributes
45:56
more to how we conduct ourselves as believers?
45:59
What contributes more? Oftentimes, it's the gospel
46:03
we heard when we were born again. And the messages
46:07
that come from our churches. Because oftentimes
46:10
the kind of gospel we receive and where we come
46:12
from is the gospel of coming to God and your
46:14
life will be okay. Alright? A gospel that is
46:22
materialistic. A gospel that is carnally minded.
46:28
A gospel that focuses on your external needs
46:31
more. You pray for one hour and... 50 minutes
46:38
of what you are praying for is for house, is
46:40
for clothes, is for the next promotion, is for
46:44
everything. We cannot pray for material things,
46:47
alright? But if that is the focus of the life
46:51
of a Christian, I can assure you that depression
46:54
will be your resting place. But the believer
47:01
should focus more on his identity. There's no
47:06
place in Scripture where we're not promised that
47:08
things will be fine. How do we know that? John
47:12
chapter 16, verse 33. Jesus never promised us
47:16
a life without troubles. Okay? Jesus never promised
47:24
a life without trouble. Because if there was
47:27
a life without trouble, we would see it first
47:28
of all in his own life. Listen, I've spoken to
47:34
you. That in me you may have what? You may have
47:38
peace. That in the world you will do what? You
47:42
will have tribulations. Alright? So tribulations
47:46
is a constant term in the equation of life. It's
47:52
spice of life. It's part of your life. It's part
47:55
of our lives. We experience tribulation. Okay?
47:59
We experience trials and temptations. So it's
48:02
not new. Alright? You are not the first to fail
48:06
exams. Amen? You are not the first to miss a
48:11
semester. Alright? And you will not be the last.
48:16
That is not the good news. The good news is that
48:20
you have the Spirit of God to help you to work
48:21
through it. Hallelujah. That is where the good
48:25
news is. In the world you will have tribulations.
48:28
But be what? Be of good cheer. Be joyful. Be
48:32
of good cheer. I have overcome the world. All
48:36
right? And he has put that spirit of his in us.
48:41
That we're able to navigate through the challenges
48:43
of life and still be what? Be joyful and be cheerful.
48:48
Hallelujah. So we are not looking down on your
48:51
experience. Okay? We are not annulling what you
48:55
are passing through as an individual or a person
48:57
who does not understand. Actually, I may not
48:59
really understand. But I know that the Spirit
49:03
of God understands. Are we together? And if the
49:07
Spirit of God inspires in the Word of God that
49:10
we should not worry about what to eat or what
49:11
to drink, then I will side with the Spirit of
49:14
God. Okay? I'll align myself to the Word of God.
49:19
I'll be loyal to the Word of God and tell you
49:22
what the Word of God says. Alright? Above your
49:26
experience is the truth of God's Word. Alright?
49:31
Above the facts before you is a truth of God's
49:35
word concerning that circumstance. Hallelujah.
49:40
So beyond that, we have a reality. And that reality
49:47
is spiritual. And then we leverage on the works
49:50
of the spirit in us. So we focus on earthly troubles
49:54
and heavenly realities. Therefore, we are always
49:56
depressed. You know. Some of us think that if
50:01
you can just make a million dollars, then all
50:04
your problems in this life will be solved. If
50:08
you can just make 10 million, then all the problems
50:10
in this life will be solved. Go and ask rich,
50:15
if you have rich people around you, ask them
50:17
whether their problems will be solved in this
50:18
life. Some people think that if I just graduate
50:25
this school, my life will be... When you graduate...
50:30
Another level of talent is waiting for you. Amen?
50:35
Every stage comes with its difficulties and challenges.
50:43
Some rich people don't enjoy the kind of peace
50:45
we enjoy. I'm not speaking from the point of
50:47
poverty. Somebody will say it's because you don't
51:02
have money. And some people will foolishly say
51:09
that it's better to cry in a Royce voice, right?
51:15
Ah. Pastor Carson will say, small boy, we will
51:25
suffer. Let me tell you, right? What you have
51:32
in you, no amount of money can buy. The fact
51:38
that you can sleep with your eyes closed and
51:40
you're not scared that somebody will come and
51:42
knock on your door and steal your life. And still,
51:46
of course, in some part of the world, we know
51:48
what that is, okay? For the peace that you have
51:51
is of the Spirit of God. It's something to be
51:54
joyful for. For the health that you have and
51:57
you enjoy is something to be joyful and grateful
51:59
to God for. For the food you have to eat and
52:02
the shelter you have above your head is something
52:05
to be grateful to God for. Some of us, do you
52:08
know why we are always worrying? It's because
52:10
our eyes are on things that we cannot afford.
52:16
Right? You begin to see a rich watch and then
52:20
you desire it. You are not even an income earner.
52:26
You are a dependent. Your parents are your source
52:32
of income. But you want to look lavished. You
52:37
want to look fancy. You want to look fashionable.
52:43
You want to follow trends. There's nothing your
52:46
eyes sees that does not want. And some of you,
52:50
you begin to manipulate, lie your way through
52:53
to your parents because you want to obtain and
52:57
enjoy what you see somewhere. But godliness,
53:03
what does the Bible talk about godliness and
53:04
contentment? The Bible says great gain. You see,
53:08
that contentment, right? Contentment is a gift.
53:15
It's the workings of the Spirit of God in the
53:17
life of man to be contented warriors. And you
53:20
have the ability to be contented. Hallelujah.
53:27
By then we'll begin to diagnose your source of
53:29
sadness. Right? It cannot be because of the burden
53:34
for souls that are perishing. It cannot be because
53:39
people are dying in Africa. They want to go and
53:41
preach Christ to them. It's what? Maybe it's
53:48
food. Maybe it's house rent. Maybe it's, I mean,
53:56
material and physical things. Because you know
54:00
what? That is what consumes our mindset and our
54:03
activities. Hallelujah. Of course, we can mingle
54:08
with people in the world. People can get us offended.
54:13
You know? Especially in this environment, somebody
54:15
can just start fighting you for no reason. People
54:19
are possessed, so how do you know? Just if suddenly
54:25
somebody just starts fighting you, you didn't
54:27
say a word, you didn't do anything, it happens.
54:33
So what I'm trying to say is that there's a reason
54:36
to be angry, there's a reason to be sad, there's
54:38
a reason externally, right? Just turn your TV.
54:43
And it's enough for you to be depressed. Just
54:46
go on. Have you noticed that whenever you score
54:48
so much on social media, you become sad? Because
54:54
what sells in the media is bad news. Good news
55:01
don't sell as much as bad news. It will give
55:05
you five bad news, one good news. Ten bad news,
55:09
one good news. Because they want you to be greed
55:12
is addictive. But we have the Spirit of God in
55:18
us. Hallelujah. We are full of joy at all times.
55:26
So we must change our focus. Colossians 3 verse
55:29
1. We must change our focus and major our focus
55:35
on our heavenly reality. Amen. If then you were
55:42
raised with Christ, seek those things which are
55:46
what? Which are above, which are heavenly. Where
55:51
Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
55:55
Set your mind on what? On the things that are
55:59
above and not on the things that are on the earth.
56:04
So that must be our focus. Where we neglect fellowship
56:12
with the Spirit of God in prayer and in the Word
56:14
and obedience, then we don't experience the joy
56:20
of the Holy Ghost. Because that is where our
56:23
mind is renewed, right? That's where our mind
56:26
is renewed by the Word and by prayer and by fellowship.
56:32
The carnal mind shuts the door to the manifestation
56:34
of the Kingdom of God. But the Spirit -filled
56:37
life opens the door to joy, peace, and divine
56:40
power. Alright? That is where we experience joy
56:46
unspeakable. Joy that words cannot express. That
56:50
when you look at your life and you look at what
56:52
you are walking through or you are passing through,
56:54
you know that it is actually God that is walking
56:56
through with you. Because you are leveraging
56:59
on the power of God that is in you. Alright?
57:04
If you preach the gospel, my brother and sister,
57:06
you will be persecuted. Alright? For those who
57:11
have decided to live for God, what does the Bible
57:14
say will happen to them? They will suffer persecution.
57:17
For he who has made up his mind to live a godly
57:19
life will be persecuted. So if you continue to
57:22
live a godly life, then you need the strength
57:25
of the Spirit of God to continue to live the
57:27
godly life. All right? And all of us, God has
57:32
blessed us with His presence, with His Spirit
57:35
in us, to live and enjoy. The leadership of the
57:39
Spirit, the power of the Spirit in us. Because
57:42
we have access to the kingdom of God. We have
57:44
access to the Spirit of God. Therefore, we can
57:47
experience joy at all times. Hallelujah. So,
57:51
give yourself continually to the Word. And stay
57:55
focused on Christ. Because the Word transforms
57:59
your mind. We are not going to give you another
58:03
step to living a joyful life. There are no steps.
58:07
It's the same thing we've been telling you. I
58:09
will not stop telling you the same thing. If
58:11
you close your Bible, it's a matter of time,
58:14
depression will kill you. If you discover you
58:20
are being depressed, it's a symptom. You are
58:22
getting so, you are just sad and moody. Just
58:26
know that it's a symptom, sign and symptom, right?
58:31
For a disease. Right? And the cure, is the word
58:37
of God and prayer and fellowship. Lock yourself
58:40
and spend time with God and pray. Speak in tongues.
58:49
You must keep yourself kingdom conscious. Maintain
58:56
fellowship through prayer and worship. Jude 1
58:58
.20, building yourself up in the most holy faith,
59:02
praying the Holy Ghost. Prayer renews joy in
59:05
us. Hallelujah. If you read through Scripture,
59:08
you see those apostles, they pray and boldness
59:10
came and with joy. Alright? When they pray, there's
59:16
a renewal of strength within them. So, this is
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the formula. There's no new formula to living
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a joyful life. And when you master it, when you
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master this art, it's a science to read. It's
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something that can be repeated. When you master
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the act of overcoming sadness and depression,
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you know you become sensitive more to the things
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of the Spirit. So even if there's a temptation
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to get you sad, you know that it is a moment
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to leverage on the Spirit of God and experience
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joy and peace of God. So prayer renews joy in
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us. Worship stays the Spirit within us. Alright?
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The scripture says in 1 Thessalonians 5 verse
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16 I think this should be the second to the last
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scripture. 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 16 quickly.
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1 Thessalonians 5 verse 16 to 19. It says what?
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Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything
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give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ
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Jesus for you. Do not quench the spirit. And
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one of the ways we quench the spirit is to neglect
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allowing joy to find expression in us. It's not
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only manifesting gifts of healing and speaking
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in tongues. You quench the spirit when you allow
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sadness to rule over your heart. You are quenching
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the spirit. You are not allowing the spirit to
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express himself through you in joy. Hallelujah.
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So, in subsequent teachings, we will teach practically
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how to rejoice. When we say rejoice, what it
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means by calling, what it means to rejoice. We're
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going to do that. We'll do that often. But in
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Romans 15, verse 13, it says, Now the God of
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hope fills you with all joy and peace. And that's
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my prayer for you, right? That the God of hope
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fills you with joy and peace in believing that
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you may abound in hope through the power of the
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Holy Spirit that works in you. Hallelujah. I
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want you to just pray for yourself. As we close,
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let's pray for yourself. Say, Father, thank you
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for giving me the access to your Spirit. We appreciate
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you being here today. We hope you carry this
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word with you throughout your week. Don't forget
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to check the show notes for additional insights.
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Stay connected with us through our website or
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follow us on social media. If you are encouraged,
1:02:00
share this message with someone you care about.
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Until next time, stay blessed.