Effervescent Joy

As you sit here this afternoon in the presence of God and Christ and the Holy Angels, your brothers and sisters, are you filled with drive, energy, morale, enthusiasm, and the desire to achieve the kingdom of God? So let's define these words. Drive, the force to go on, to push forward. Energy, the force of expression, capacity for action or words. Effective power, morale, mental condition with respect to courage and confidence. Enthusiasm, intense and eager interest, filled with zeal, fervor, desire to earnestly long for with all one's might. There is a word that somewhat captures all five of these above words, and that word is ever-vescent. Ever-vescent is to be lively and high-spirited, to be vivacious and full of life. Also to be like a soda pop, bubble up. We might describe champagne or other drinks with this word of ever-vescent. There is a word that is used over and over again in the Bible that also captures the meaning of all six of these words. Drive, force to go on, energy, effective power, morale, your state of mind, enthusiasm, eagerness, interest, zeal, desire, ever-vescent. A word in the Bible that is used over and over that really captures the meaning of all six of these words that I've mentioned. This word describes a state of being, and if this state of mind and being is present, it will be translated into action. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God. If it is present in you, you will be filled with drive, energy, morale, enthusiasm, and desire, and you will be ever-vescent.

In Galatians 5.22, the fruits of the Holy Spirit are listed, so let's read that. And of course, that word will be in this list of words here in Galatians 5.22. Galatians 5.22, fruits of the Spirit are mentioned along with 23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy. Now, in this particular case, and oftentimes as it is in the Bible, and of course I can't turn to Scripture and prove this, but generally speaking, when things are listed in a sequence like this, they go from most important to least important. And you see here, the fruit of the Spirit is, the first one is love. And I'm reminded here of 1 Corinthians 13.13, which says, Now, by these three, faith, hope, charity, and acape love, and the greatest of these is love. So I am, from that, drawing a conclusion that they're listed in order of importance. And that may not be totally true, but they all go together. The Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such, there is no law. Love, joy. The word that captures all six of those, drive, energy, morale, enthusiasm, desire, and effervescent, would be joy. In fact, joy is listed as one of the elements of the kingdom of God. Could you turn to the Scripture? Let's go to Romans 14.17. That lists here the principal elements of the kingdom of God. This is the only place in the Bible that I know of that just directly defines the kingdom of God, where it says the kingdom of God is. In Romans 14 and verse 17, For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So, joy is one of the key elements of the kingdom of God.

The church of God is the kingdom of God in embryo. Are we, then, the people of the kingdom, filled with joy? In Deuteronomy 28, let's go there, Deuteronomy 28 and verse 45, Deuteronomy 28 we often times call the blessing one of the blessings and cursings chapters along with Leviticus 26. So, in Deuteronomy 28 and verse 45, notice what it says about joy here. Deuteronomy 28 and verse 45.

Moreover, all these curses shall come upon you and shall pursue you and overtake you till you be destroyed, because you hearken not unto the voice of the eternal your God to keep his commandments and his statues, which he commanded you, and they shall be upon you for a sign and for a wonder and upon your seed forever, because you serve not the eternal God with joyfulness. God doesn't want us to approach service to him as a Tennessee Ernie Ford song of, I loaded sixteen tons, picked up my shovel and walked to the mine, what did I get, another day older and deeper in debt, but serving with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things. Therefore shall you serve your enemies, which the Lord shall send against you, in hunger and thirst and nakedness, and in want of all things, and he shall put a yoke upon your neck until you have destroyed you. So the reason for going into captivity, one of the reasons for not serving God with joyfulness, a lack of joy results in a lack of drive, a lack of energy. I would say the principal complaint that I hear from almost every person is, I am so tired. I am so tired. And it seems that we live in a state of depleted energy, and we're tired, and therefore our joy seems to be lacking. So a lack of joy results in a lack of drive, a lack of energy, morale, enthusiasm and desire, and surely it is very difficult to be ever-vescent when those factors are lacking. So there are a lot of people who say that they are on the road to the kingdom, but it seems that not many are enjoying the trip. As long as the devil steals your joy, and my joy, we cannot defeat him, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The devil hates a joyful, cheerful, positive attitude. He would like to see you down in the dumps, as they say, more than any other disposition of mind, the one of what's the use anyhow. I think I Don't Careism is one of the great enemies of Christians, and one of the great things that Satan is using in this world today to get people to the point of nihilism, of nothing is going to work out right anyhow.

So we ask, how can I have joy when I am deep in debt, when I am so tired, so discouraged, so burdened with the cares of this world? How can I be joyful in such a situation? Woe is me, pitiful, puny, pathetic, little o me. If you're a victim of the three Ps, then you need to, we all need to wake up. Puny, pitiful, pathetic, little o me. So let's notice some of the results of a lack of joy. Go to Proverbs 12, verse 25.

Proverbs 12, verse 25. Proverbs 25, But a good word makes it glad or joyful. So in many places it talks about we have the power within the tongue to create joy, to help create joy in the life of another person, simply by what we say. So we can ask ourselves, does my life represent an invitation to life, or does it represent an invitation to death and doom and gloom?

Which one is it? In Psalm 119, verse 28, we see something similar. In Psalm 119, with regard to heaviness of the heart. And I know we'll read later on about there's a season for every time and every purpose under heaven, and it's very difficult at times to be joyful when the trials and troubles are of such a serious nature, that it forces you to get on your knees and cry out to God. But even in that state of whatever God allows to come upon us, He never wants us to view it as hopeless. In Psalm 119, verse 28, My soul melts for heaviness, Strengthen you, me according, unto your word.

And of course, there is great strength in the Word of God. Several years ago, back when I was passing in this area in the late 70s and early 80s, there was a person who lived on Pearl Street who was dying of cancer, and his wife told me, she said, At times I will just read the book of Psalms to him, and it will give him strength. You can see him revived by the reading of the Word of God. Jesus Christ says, The words I speak, they are spirit, and they are life.

So lack of joy saps one of his capacity and desire to go forward. I know several times over the past years, and probably all of us have been there at one time or another, I find myself saying such things as, Well, I just don't have the psyche for it. I don't have the psyche to make a call to a relative, to a friend, to write a letter, ask people over to go out, even to pray or study.

I just feel whipped. And that's the last place that God wants us, the last state of mind he wants us to be in, but it is the state of mind that Satan would like for us to be in. Heaven is does indeed melt the heart. Have you ever said, I wonder if it's worth it? All the trials, struggles, and heaviness is the kingdom of God worth it? Then hopefully we will be reminded of 1 Corinthians 2.9, which says, which says, I mean, what lies before is so awesome we cannot even describe it in terms that really captures the total joy and the total state of being that we will exist in, in the kingdom of God.

So why aren't we joyful? Why have we lost dry, morale, energy, enthusiasm, and desire, if you've lost it? Or what is one of the main reasons why you notice examples in the Bible of why people have lost their joy and their energy? Let's look at Psalm 51. We're in the book of Psalms, I guess. Psalm 51, back a few pages there. And of course, here is David's prayer of repentance after Nathan the prophet comes to him.

And finally it dawns on David the gravity of the sins that he has committed. How could it not be otherwise? But apparently it wasn't his adultery with Bathsheba, his plotting of the death of Uriah the Hittite, in fact murder. Psalm 51, verse 1, And then done this evil in your sight. It is said that all sin is against God, and of course all sin is against Christ, because the only way that sin can be forgiven is through the faith and the sacrifice of Christ.

And all sin is against self. Why? Because the wages of sin is death. And so when we sin, we sin against God, we sin against Christ, we sin against ourselves, and of course we may be sinning against other people as well, because oftentimes our sins affect many other people. As in the case of David, when he numbered Israel, 70,000 people died as a result of David's disobedience.

Against you and you only have I sinned on this evil in your sight, that you may be justified when you speak and be clear when you judge, because I was shaping in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. So you desire truth in the inward parts and in the hidden part, you shall make me to no wisdom. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean, wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. So David finally came to heaviness of heart in realizing that he had sinned mightily. Sin, of course, brings on guilt, it brings on heaviness, and the way out is described here in the next two or three verses. Starting in verse 10, When we come up out of those baptismal waters, there seems to be a joy and a sense of relief that settles over us, that defies description. It is at that time in which we often times feel as if we could almost float on air, we feel clean, we feel that everything is right between us and God, between us and Christ, between us and the people of God, for that matter and the whole world. So that state of mind, that state of being, restore unto me the joy of my salvation. David had lost the joy of his salvation. Why? Because of sin. But then, upon the visit from Nathan the prophet, he came to himself and he repented. So joy, to some degree, is controlled by the laws of cause and effect. Because you do X, Y, or Z, it may rob you of joy. Since joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, you need the Holy Spirit to produce it and God gives his spirit to those who obey him. That's Acts 5.32. God gives his spirit to those who obey him. So sin, we can conclude, destroys joy. David had previously and grievously felt guilt, heaviness. His capacity for effective action had been crushed. So it would be with all of us until we really come to understand what we need to do before God. David did come to that point. Then look at verse 13, Psalm 51.13. Then, when I'm restored to the joy of salvation and upheld by your free spirit, then will I teach transgressors your ways, and sinners shall be converted unto you. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, you God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open your lips, and my mouth shall show forth your praise. For you desire, and this verse is so important, for you desire not sacrifice, else would I give it to you. You delight not in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. O God, you will not despise. The antidote for sin is repentance through faith and the sacrifice of Christ, and then obedience. Joy and sin cannot dwell together. Now look at Psalm 32. In Psalm 32, it's a very short psalm. We shall read the entire psalm here. Psalm 32.

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. So David came to his senses. He repented of his sins. A broken, contrite spirit you will not despise. Blessed is the man with whom the Lord imputes not iniquity. And of course, for that to happen, we have to confess our sins and exercise faith in the sacrifice of Christ, and whose spirit there is no guile, there is no ulterior motive, there is no pretense. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old, through my roaring all the day long, for day and night your hand was heavy upon me. My moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Of course, sometimes a feeling can come over you, and what you feel like you're just burning up, in which a certain issue or maybe something you have done or said, or anticipation of something is upon you, and it seems like you're on fire, much like the drought of summer. I acknowledge my sin unto you, and my iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my transgressions under the eternal, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. For this shall everyone that is godly pray unto you in a time when you may be found. Surely the floods of great waters, they shall not come nigh unto him. You art my hiding place. You shall preserve me from trouble. You shall compass me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will guide you in mine eye. Be not as a horse or as a mule, which has no understanding, whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto you. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked, but he that trusts in the Lord, Mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, you righteous, and shout for joy all you that are upright in heart. That is a very precious psalm with regard to the recipe. See, the anecdote for sin is given there, and also how then that the joy can be restored in a person. That psalm summarizes it very well. We bring joy to God and Christ and the holy angels when we repent. Let's look at Luke 15. In Luke 15 we see this, that there is joy in heaven when one lost sheep is found, in the physical sense, but then there is joy in heaven when one sinner turns or repents of his sins. In Luke 15, when she is found, that is when a person loses a precious piece of silver or jewelry or something like that, and they find it, and there is great rejoicing. Verse 10, likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents. Then he gives the example of the two sons.

Another cause of the lack of joy is broken relationships. One of the greatest causes of the lack of joy is broken relationships. If we will promptly deal with a cause, we can produce the fruit of joy and reflect one of the three main ingredients of the kingdom of God that we read from Romans 14-17. Other people can rob you of joy if you let them. Name one person that is exactly the way you want them to be. Can you name a single one other than yourself? Actually, I couldn't name myself.

One person that is exactly the way you want them to be. Trials tend to destroy joy. Let's look at 1 Peter 1.

Of course, we know that it says in Proverbs, there is a time for every person under time, for every thing under heaven, every purpose under heaven. It said 1 Peter 1, a time to laugh, a time to cry, a time to mourn. In 1 Peter 1, we'll start in verse 3. 1 Peter 1.3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when according to His abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Now God and Christ live in us through the Holy Spirit, John 14.23, we will both come and make our abode in Him, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith, faith under salvation, ready to be revealed at the last time. Worry in you greatly rejoice, though, now. See, there's the big picture. There's the big picture up front of what's in store. An inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, sealed by the Holy Spirit, kept by the power of God and Christ. It's a sure thing if you remain faithful. But now, verse 6, Worry in you greatly rejoice, though, now, for a season in need be, you are in heavenness through manifold trials, and everyone has trials.

That the trying of your faith, being much more precious than a goal that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. So keeping that big picture in mind of what's in store is so vital for maintaining the joy that is set before us, whom, having not seen, speaking of the last verse, the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom, having not seen, you love, and whom, though now we see Him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. We have joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the telos, the result, the outcome of your faith, even the salvation of your life essence. You can live forever. You can have eternal life. So the anecdote for destruction of joy, in this case, is to understand the big picture of what lies before the plan of salvation. You're going to be a glorious, radiant spirit being in the kingdom of God. You're going to be an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. Trials present us with an opportunity to reflect God in us. Look at James. Back a few pages there. We're in 1 Peter 1. Back to James 1. The general epistles are the meat of the Word. When you come to the state that is described here in the first few verses of James 1, then you know that you shall have arrived at spiritual maturity. Very few of us, I believe, ever reach this state.

James 1.1. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. James, of course, is a half-brother of Jesus Christ. Notice this word, servant, is doulos, means a bond-servant, bought and paid for by a price. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are scattered abroad, greeting, my brother, and counted all joy when you fall into different trials. Count it all joy when you fall into different trials. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. The word patience, hoopomone, but let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect in entire, wanting nothing or lacking nothing. Now, how can that be so? I know we had a person on the council one time that continually said that patience might have its perfect work. What does that really mean? Let's read that verse again. But let patience have her perfect work, but let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect in entire, wanting nothing. How is this so? It's because, in the face of trials, knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. Knowing that, regardless of the trial, the situation, the circumstance, that God is going to deliver, and you remain faithful through it all, patience has its perfect work. And when you come to that state of being, you are whole wanting nothing, because you know and you know that you know. So to come to that state is quite the mature state. Look at Romans 5. Romans 5 gives a little, what I call, a recipe. And it's not the complete and total recipe, but Romans 5 verses 1 through 5, there is a progression of the perfection of faith. Like you heard in the sermonette, that through obedience, Abraham's faith was perfected. That time after time, he believed God, he did what he said. And as each step was taken, there was perfection going on, reaching a higher degree in that sense. In Romans 5 and verse 1, Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. That is, wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The only way you sins can be forgiven is faith in Him, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace divine favor wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. We are going to be glorious radiant spirit beings. Jesus Christ of resurrection, just before he was crucified in John 17 verses 3, 4, 5, he prayed, well, the whole 17 is a prayer, restoring to me the glory that I had with you before the world began. And upon resurrection, he returned to that glorified state that he had before he gave up that glory and was made flesh and dwelt among us. Not only so, but we glory in tribulation. Just like James writes, let's glory in our tribulations. We glory in tribulation knowing that tribulation works patience. Well, patience having its perfect work, and patience works dokeme. I don't know why the King James translated that as experience. The word is dokeme, and it means trial. It works dokeme.

And hope makes us not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which is given unto us. In other words, when the trial comes upon us, if we handle the trial as outlined in Scripture, hope makes us not ashamed. We know and know that we know because the love of God, the outcome will be the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which is given unto us. That is the result, the outcome of faith. God knows the refining process, the molding, the shaping, the cutting, the polishing, so you may be a jewel in His kingdom. Look at Malachi, where this term, the terminology of jewelry, is used with regard to those that God refines and polishes to His glory and to His kingdom.

In Malachi 3, verse 16, Then they that feared the Lord spoke often to one another, and the Lord hearkened and heard it. And a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared his name, that thought upon his name, and they shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my jewels. Those will be the saints that have been refined, perfected through this process. If you need be, you are in manifold trials now. It is more precious than gold because the result will be one of these jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son that serves him. It seems to me that it is saying this is an end-time kind of prophecy, that at the time people are saying, where is the God of judgment? There will be those who are saying, keep your eye on the gold, keep your eye on God and Christ. Keep your eye on the truth. Think upon his name what it means. You'll come out all right. Then shall you return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serves God and him that serves him not. Chasing is very similar to trials. If I had to make a distinction between chasing and trials, I would say that a trial is induced by external forces, not always, speaking general terms, and chastening is generally self-induced.

Whichever one it is, whether it is chastening of the Lord or a trial that comes upon us, that is induced externally, basically you have to deal with it in the same way. Look at Job 5, verse 17, and then Paul takes up on that thought in Hebrews 12, with regard to chastening. In Job 5, Job was chastened mightily. Job had all of his material possessions taken away from him. He had his family taken away from him, his sons and his daughters, all of his material possessions. He was smitten with some kind of disease from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. His wife said, curse God and die. But Job held on, even though he had a mighty lesson to learn, and that lesson was that God is to be justified and man is to be judged. Now, there are many nuggets of gold in the book of Job. Here we're going to read Job 5, verse 17. Behold, therefore despise not you the chastening of the Almighty. Now, Paul takes up on this in Hebrews 12, with regard to the chastening, because God chastens for a purpose. He allows trials, generally speaking, for a purpose. Of course, there's also a scripture in the book of Ecclesiastes that says, time and chance happens to them all. But regardless as to how time and chance self-induced, external force, whatever it is, basically the recipe for deliverance is the same. In Hebrews 12, verse 6, My son, despise not you the chastening of the Lord, and faint not when you get rebuked of him. Very similar to what we read from Job 5, 17. For whom the Lord loves, He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as a son. Well, what is... Well, which son is not in need of chastening? Everybody has sinned, and everybody is in need of it. And if you're without it, then you are illegitimate. Now going down to verse 10, speaking of using the analogy of physical fathers, For verily, for a few days, chasten after their own pleasure.

But he for our prophet, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness, unto them which are exercised thereby. Those that are exercised thereby. Those who understand that in time of trial and trouble, we should turn to God with all our heart, with all our mind, and all our being. For if we would judge ourselves, we emphasize this several times leading up to Passover, for if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged with the world.

Afterward, it reveals, it yields the peaceful fruits of righteousness.

I think the greatest joy comes from serving God, which is measured by serving others. And Christ set the example to others. We had an old marine sergeant who was our high school principal. That was one of his sayings. He said, The only last and good that you'll ever get out of life was what you do for others. He was quite a regimented kind of person. I mean, every day he came with spit, shine, and polish, suit, tie, white shirt, shoes, shining. To work, and you would think, well, he has no compassion or understanding, but indeed he did.

And that is one of the things that he emphasized, and that is one of the things that scripture emphasizes as well, is you serve others by serving God. Look at John 13.

With regard to giving up self, the number one problem that I see when it comes to failure for brethren to reconcile with one another, lies within this domain of giving up self. The number one problem that I see with regard to marital problems generally deals with the failure to give up self. Jesus Christ, in paying a price for us, gave everything he could give. You cannot give any more. In John 13 and verse 12, so after he had washed their feet and had taken his garments and was sat down, he said unto them, Do you know what I have done to you? You call me master and Lord, and you say, Well, for so I am. If I then be your Lord and master have washed your feet, so then you ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done unto you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord, neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. Now how great was this? Look at John 15 and verse 13. John 15 verse 13.

Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You see, once again, I bring to mind one of the great things that robs people of their joy is broken relationships. And broken relationships requires, whether it's in marriage or between brethren or the next door neighbor who's not in the church, oftentimes involves giving up self.

Now you look at Leviticus 19 and verse 15. And Leviticus 19 verse 15, how important is this? Well, we could read from Matthew chapter 5, which says, If you bring your gift to the altar, and today one of the main gifts that we bring are spiritual sacrifices, which is the fruit of our lips prayer, and realize that your brother has ought against you, go be reconciled to your brother, then bring your gift. Leviticus 19 and verse 15, you shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, you shall not respect the person of the poor nor honor the person of the mighty, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. Now some people want to quote Matthew 7, which says, judge not that you be not judge, oh you can't judge, yeah you have to judge, you have to make judgments. By their fruits you shall know them. You have to make judgments, but you get the beam out of your own eye before you try to get the moat out of their eye, and make sure that your heart is right. Yes, indeed, we are our brother's keeper, and when we fail to do this, some joy is taken out of our lives. You shall not go up and down as a tail-bearer among the people, neither shall you stand against the blood of your neighbor. I am the Eternal. You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall in any wise rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin for him. In other words, if you don't, then you are just as guilty as he is. This is one of the most difficult things there is to do. It requires giving up self, and it is in essence one of the things that is plagued by the Lord. The people of God from Cain and Abel to the present day, exercising judgment, mercy, and faith in our relationship. Now look at 1 John chapter 3, because 1 John chapter 3, in essence, is a follow-up on Leviticus 19.15-17 and John 3 and verse 12.

Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. You know, Cain's retort to God when he says, Where is your brother? He said, in essence, How do I know? Am I my brother's keeper? I can't keep up with him. And wherefore did he slay him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous marveled, Not my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loves not his brother abides in death. Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer. You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall any wise rebuke him, and not bear sin for him. If we have a person in need, say they need an automobile, say they need some help, they're out of work or whatever, We may be quick to help, and that's commendable. But when it gets down to the spiritual part of it, it is far more difficult for one to humble themselves and give up their pride than it is to say, Oh, I'll give $50 for over $5,000. Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer. We know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby we perceive we the love of God because he lay down his life for us. We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. Jesus Christ did it literally, but we have to do it as well. Look at Matthew 5.

Look at Matthew 5. Matthew 5. Verse 20, I say unto you, Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no wise enter in the kingdom of heaven. Well, what would the scribe Pharisees diligent to do? Well, you pay tithe to me and Anderson coming, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law of judgment, mercy, and faith.

You have heard that it was said in time of old, You shall not kill, and whosoever shall kill be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment, and whosoever shall say to his brother Recha, that is, that is, Recha shall be in danger of the counsel, but whosoever shall say you fool shall be in danger of Gethathire. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and remember that your brother has ought against you, leave your gift before the altar, go be reconciled to your brother, then offer your gift. See, the offering of the wicked is an abomination unto God. Brother, I did not write this material, and I believe that this is one of the main things that we need to seriously consider worldwide with regard to the Church of God and what we're going to do, because in the days that lie ahead, this being together and unified in mind and spirit and willingness to lay down our lives from one another will be critical. See, there's a coming of time in which people will be pressured to turn testimony against their neighbor, because the iniquities shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

So, we need to thank God for the opportunity to produce joy in our own lives. God gives everyone equal opportunity to keep the spirit of the law. Simeon rejoiced when he saw the Messiah and Joseph and Mary came to offer the gifts of purification. Anna, the prophet, is rejoiced. And God is looking for the proper response from us if we respond properly, which includes facing whatever the trial or the situation is. Then the perpetrators are turned over to God. Those who persecuted the apostles in the early days of the church. Of course, we had, as an example, the sermonette, one Pharisee that even stood up and defended the apostles at that time. If this work be not of God, then it will come to nothing.

God is the ultimate source of joy. The manifestation of the joy of God gives strength, gives energy to ourselves and others. It changes our outlook. I believe it is the second greatest motivating force in the universe. So let's go to God and ask God for joy. Look at Ecclesiastes 2, verse 26. There is a reciprocal kind of relationship, like with faith. Faith is the fruit of the Spirit and it is the gift of the Spirit. To some degree, joy is the same way. That is, that God gives joy to those who oppose the Lord. That God gives joy to those who approach Him and ask for it. It is more like God gives joy to the joyful, instead of the down and outers, the gloom and doom crowd. In Ecclesiastes 2, verse 26, For God gives to a man that is good in his sight wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He gives travail together and to heap up, that He may give to him that is good before God. Also in Psalm 30, verse 4.

A few admonitions here as we close of what we need to do, along with all the other things we have said. In Psalm 30, verse 4, Sing unto the Lord, O you saints of His, and give thanks at His remembrance of His holiness. For His anger endures but a moment, in His favor is life, weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. There is nothing like good news in the morning. As you can readily see, we think what we think is one of the great keys for being filled with joy. I'm quoting now, Proverbs 4, 23, which says, Keep your heart without diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life. A man who controls his spirit is mightier than he who takes a city. We're the ones that govern how we think, what we think about, and what we think on. We've read Malachi 3, 16, which says, And those that feared the eternal thought spoke often one to another, those that thought on his name spoke often to one another, and a book of remembrance was made. If we deal with the causes that rob us of joy, and do the things that we have mentioned here today that we need to do as an antidote against that which would rob us of joy, God will restore unto us the joy of his salvation, just as David prayed. In Psalm 50, verses 10 through 12. If we do all these things, remember joy or the lack thereof is the result of cause and effect. So if we eliminate the cause, deal with that. We can be filled with desire, with drive, with energy, with morale, with enthusiasm. We can be ever-vescent. We can be joyful. We can be like the song we sang at the regional weekend, the rainbow stew. We'll all be drinking that free bubble up and eating that rainbow stew. That is where God wants to take us to. Eye is not seen, ears not heard. Neither has it entered in the hearts of man what God has prepared for those who love him. Now look at Philippians 4. Philippians 4. In Philippians 4, we're given, this is a commandment. Philippians 4. Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved, and long for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved, I beseech your deers and beseech Centicachi that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And I entreat you also, true yoke fellows, help those women, which labored with me in the Gospel, with Clement also, and with other fellow laborers, whose names are in the Book of Life, rejoice in the Lord always, and again, I say, rejoice. Now quickly to Psalm 16, verse 8. Psalm 16, verse 8. Here's where we want to wind up. Jesus Christ has now been seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us, where Jesus Christ is at the right hand of the Father, there is joy evermore. We want to be there. We want to be with them in the kingdom of God. He has made us kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. Psalm 16, verse 8. I have set the Lord always before me, because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices, my flesh also shall rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in the grave, neither will you suffer your holy one to see corruption. You will show the path of life, and your presence is fullness of joy at your right hand, their pleasures forevermore. Let's be joyful.