Dale Partridge - Perusing Christ： The Path to True Joy

00:00:00.000 Well, amen. Praise God for the liturgy that we have here at Kingsway and the ability to

00:00:11.900 worship together each and every Sunday. I wouldn't want to take a bet today about how

00:00:19.880 many times I'm going to say joy. If I had to give you a nickel for every time I'm going

00:00:23.880 to say it, I'd probably be broke by the end of this sermon. The title of our sermon this morning

00:00:31.300 is Pursuing Christ, the Path to True Joy.

00:00:39.440 This is a sermon that you're going to want to take notes. So if you're not normally a note-taker,

00:00:44.940 I encourage you, write on your liturgy, open up your phone, follow along, because there's going

00:00:52.240 to be a lot to write down. Today, we're discussing something that is vital in the Christian

00:01:02.000 life. We're discussing something that's essential for every single one of us as we walk with

00:01:10.120 Jesus. Today, we're discussing true and everlasting joy. But why talk about this right now?

00:01:25.780 Why do I think it's important for us at Kingsway to talk about joy this morning?

00:01:31.020 because the reality is that the joy that the bible describes is a type of joy that never leaves us

00:01:42.460 and yet i know for some of you because i feel the same way that joy doesn't always feel like it's

00:01:52.340 there. There are times where joy feels like it come and goes. Like it's here one day and gone the

00:02:02.160 next. But the type of joy that the scriptures describe is not that kind of joy. It's a joy

00:02:13.640 that remains, that sustains, that continues. But in our day, joy, true joy, is scarce.

00:02:31.440 Did you know that 56% of Generation Z and 49% of Millennials report experiencing anxiety,

00:02:41.760 depression, or joylessness.

00:02:46.300 Half of those generations say they don't feel joy.

00:02:54.220 And while that statistic is staggering,

00:02:56.780 it's not just reflective of what's going on outside the church.

00:03:01.460 There's also a problem within the church.

00:03:05.720 I know that our congregation isn't constantly overwhelmed with joylessness.

00:03:10.880 But I know without a doubt that you have experienced seasons of joylessness, because I have too.

00:03:23.700 I can remember a few years ago, I had a friend who was like a brother to me.

00:03:33.640 He was younger than me.

00:03:36.300 We grew up wrestling.

00:03:37.520 I would pick him up to make sure that he would actually make it to our wrestling meets

00:03:42.760 because he would constantly sleep in.

00:03:46.180 He was like a little brother.

00:03:48.380 As I got older, he played with my kids and worked on my farm.

00:03:54.380 He was a great, great man.

00:03:57.140 Loved the Lord.

00:03:59.580 He was a good friend.

00:04:02.380 My friend had a problem.

00:04:07.520 My friend was addicted to heroin.

00:04:11.920 And all of his life, he fought this battle.

00:04:15.740 He would have seasons where he was clean and then seasons where he wasn't.

00:04:22.720 And I thought for a while that it was getting better and better.

00:04:28.700 Until one day, he went to a friend's house and never left.

00:04:35.560 the heroin that he took that day

00:04:39.520 was laced with fentanyl.

00:04:44.800 And my brother

00:04:45.980 died.

00:04:51.880 In those days,

00:04:53.580 I didn't have joy.

00:05:00.000 The grief was suffocating.

00:05:01.840 The only thing that I felt was anger.

00:05:07.520 I wanted to get my hands on the people who had allowed him to take those drugs and die there in that house.

00:05:19.040 I couldn't see the light of the situation.

00:05:21.460 I thought that if I hung on to the anger, I could somehow make sense of what happened and gain control over the pain.

00:05:34.000 It didn't work.

00:05:37.220 All it did was push me farther away from the Lord and rob me of joy. 0.70

00:05:45.280 I had forgotten that believers are not called to ignore our grief or pretend like we aren't hurting.

00:05:56.260 But we are called to grieve with hope.

00:06:01.120 True joy and grief doesn't come from denying the pain, but from knowing that God is present within the pain.

00:06:11.840 I had forgotten Psalm 30, verse 5, which says,

00:06:15.280 Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

00:06:22.300 Joy and loss is not about feeling happy or unaffected by what has happened.

00:06:29.280 It's about finding comfort in Christ, even when your heart is breaking.

00:06:37.700 That's what true Christian joy does. 0.78

00:06:41.260 that's not a joy that the world can give to you

00:06:46.680 i bet you have a story like that of your own

00:06:55.780 a time in your own life where you lost your joy

00:07:00.820 even as a christian you lost your joy

00:07:06.860 maybe it wasn't during a season of grief

00:07:10.860 but in a season of disappointment

00:07:12.960 or betrayal

00:07:14.500 do you remember the pain of that season

00:07:20.620 the hardship that you felt

00:07:24.560 do you remember feeling empty

00:07:28.080 and like you would never be the same

00:07:31.180 I do

00:07:33.740 here's the thing that season is going to come again

00:07:43.540 as long as we live in a broken world challenges and heartache will come

00:07:52.400 sin is everywhere and so long as sin is everywhere you will lose your joy if it's

00:08:03.240 not rooted in Christ. We're not called to have part-time joy as Christians. We're called to have

00:08:14.460 full-time joy. Joy that endures through every season, every trial, every heartbreak. Your joy

00:08:23.180 should remain because it's not a feeling it's not happiness

00:08:30.860 it's security and peace in christ

00:08:36.600 it's a peace that transcends your situation and is rooted in a heavenly truth

00:08:44.580 that no matter what happens in this life god is in control

00:08:51.000 we have joy because we don't trust in what we can see but what we cannot see

00:09:01.320 this morning i want to prepare you for the seasons that are coming

00:09:09.560 i want you to be equipped to fight against joylessness and hold on to the unshakable

00:09:18.300 promises that are yours in Christ.

00:09:23.400 You may be thinking of joy as a side issue.

00:09:27.840 You may be thinking of joy as an addition to the gospel.

00:09:33.340 It's not.

00:09:36.700 The truth is, joy is not a secondary issue in the Christian life.

00:09:42.620 Joy is central to the very nature of what it means to be a Christian.

00:09:48.300 It's a command, as Pastor Joseph said.

00:09:55.820 Rejoice in the Lord always.

00:09:59.600 Not rejoice when you feel like it.

00:10:04.000 Not rejoice when everything goes your way.

00:10:09.100 No.

00:10:10.860 Rejoice in the Lord always.

00:10:12.740 And to underline the point, Paul says, again I say, rejoice.

00:10:18.300 Joy is at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian.

00:10:29.300 And when we don't have it, something is seriously wrong with our soul.

00:10:41.940 So this morning, I want to equip you for the seasons that are coming.

00:10:48.300 And to do that, we are going to answer one question and one question only.

00:10:55.200 Why do we have conditional joy?

00:11:02.140 Why do we have conditional joy?

00:11:08.640 I ask the question that way because I don't think that we're always without joy.

00:11:13.900 I think we really are a joyful people at this church.

00:11:18.300 But if our joy ever leaves us, then it is a conditional joy.

00:11:27.300 It's conditional upon something that isn't Christ.

00:11:37.420 To do that, to answer this question,

00:11:42.260 I'm going to give three reasons for why I think we have conditional joy.

00:11:47.380 And you can write these down.

00:11:50.620 The first reason why we have conditional joy

00:11:53.700 is because we don't love Christ.

00:11:58.300 That's reason number one.

00:12:00.880 We have conditional joy because we don't love Christ.

00:12:05.260 Number two, we have conditional joy

00:12:09.320 because we don't hate the world.

00:12:12.520 And number three, we have conditional joy because we don't remember.

00:12:26.160 Let's look at reason number one.

00:12:30.960 I'll take a drink.

00:12:32.360 the main reason why we have

00:12:39.460 a joy that is conditional

00:12:41.140 is simply

00:12:43.520 because we don't have Christ

00:12:45.060 that's not a

00:12:47.460 profound statement

00:12:48.260 all of us know this

00:12:51.220 but it's easy

00:12:53.600 to forget this

00:12:54.980 many people including Christians

00:12:59.200 are trying to find

00:13:01.480 joy by chasing happiness, comfort, or worldly success. But joy is not something you get

00:13:10.600 by pursuing it directly. We can't run after joy and hope that we attain joy. It doesn't

00:13:19.540 work that way. The only way that you will actually get true joy is if you pursue Christ,

00:13:28.280 Not joy.

00:13:31.320 Only by pursuing Christ do you then get joy as the byproduct of who he is.

00:13:39.680 Psalm 16 verse 11 says,

00:13:42.880 You make known to me the path of life.

00:13:45.080 In your presence there is fullness of joy.

00:13:50.160 At your right hand are pleasures evermore.

00:13:53.660 notice what the verse tells us

00:13:58.940 in your presence

00:14:01.560 in the Lord's presence

00:14:04.200 there is a fullness

00:14:06.000 of joy

00:14:07.400 a joy that's not rooted in any circumstance

00:14:13.180 or achievement

00:14:15.540 or possession

00:14:17.160 it's found in the very presence

00:14:21.200 of the Lord

00:14:22.240 If true joy can only be found in God's presence, then it follows that it can only be found where he is.

00:14:37.240 This means that if we are not actively pursuing the presence of the Lord,

00:14:43.000 if we're not in a right relationship with God, then we cannot experience the fullness of joy.

00:14:52.240 no matter how hard we try to find it in any other place,

00:14:57.560 no matter where else you look, you will not find joy.

00:15:05.280 Imitations, for sure.

00:15:09.100 Fleeting feelings of it, absolutely.

00:15:13.920 But true and everlasting joy,

00:15:16.560 the type of joy that we're discussing this morning,

00:15:19.580 will not leave you if you are in the presence of the Lord.

00:15:28.200 When our joy is rooted in Christ,

00:15:31.680 it remains steadfast, immovable.

00:15:39.400 It doesn't change from day to day.

00:15:44.940 That's why Jesus said,

00:15:46.500 I am the vine and you are the branches.

00:15:48.140 Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, and apart from me you can do nothing.

00:15:57.980 To pursue joy apart from the vine is to sever ourselves from the source of joy.

00:16:06.480 Think of his analogy.

00:16:08.180 If he is the vine and we are the branches,

00:16:11.320 if we're not connected to that vine and trying to connect ourselves to something else,

00:16:16.100 we will not have joy but an imitation.

00:16:25.680 The critical point is you cannot have the fullness of true joy

00:16:31.000 unless you are in the presence of God.

00:16:35.840 And you cannot be in the presence of God

00:16:38.840 unless you are in Christ.

00:16:46.100 Sin separates us from God.

00:16:51.260 You cannot be in his presence while in sin.

00:16:57.220 Sin has no place with God and therefore it cannot be before him.

00:17:04.540 It takes repentance to get to joy.

00:17:08.780 It takes turning away from your life of sin and to Christ

00:17:17.060 in order to experience true and everlasting joy.

00:17:22.660 Without repentance, you will have no joy.

00:17:31.300 This is why Christ endured the cross, as Hebrews 12, 2 says,

00:17:36.320 For the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross.

00:17:46.060 He saw the joy of redeeming a people for himself,

00:17:50.320 of restoring broken sinners to fellowship with God the Father.

00:17:55.340 His suffering opened the way for us to experience the joy of being in God's presence forever.

00:18:01.740 Never. If you have never repented of your sins and trusted in Christ alone for your salvation, you are cut off from that kind of joy because you are still separated from God.

00:18:23.440 So, this morning, if that is you, repent.

00:18:39.740 If you are already in Christ, which thank God, I think that is most of us.

00:18:48.500 If you are already in Christ, you have access to this fullness of joy right now.

00:18:59.460 We have the opportunity to receive this fullness of joy today.

00:19:09.740 But it cannot happen as a goal, circumventing Christ.

00:19:15.040 What I mean is Christ will not be a means to gain joy.

00:19:22.380 He won't.

00:19:26.980 He will not be a means to any of our own ends, even good and holy ends.

00:19:34.600 Christ is an end in and of himself.

00:19:41.480 Paul says in Colossians 1.16,

00:19:45.040 All things were created through him and for him.

00:19:50.120 We exist for Christ, not the other way around.

00:19:57.320 Too often we hear that God is here to serve all of your needs.

00:20:05.180 To make sure that you feel or experience joy or happiness or peace.

00:20:15.040 Too often we hear a man-centered theology, rather than looking to God and recognizing that we were made for him.

00:20:26.740 You pursue joy only because you love Christ.

00:20:33.740 That's it.

00:20:38.920 John Piper really captures this truth when he says,

00:20:43.300 The key to Christian living is a thirst and a hunger for God. 0.97

00:20:53.300 And one of the main reasons why people do not understand or experience the sovereignty of grace

00:20:59.460 and the way it works through the awakening of sovereign joy

00:21:03.520 is that their hunger and thirst for God is so small.

00:21:13.300 Our hunger and our thirst for God is too small.

00:21:22.220 And so we don't have joy.

00:21:29.380 St. Augustine also picked up on this truth.

00:21:33.320 He writes, quote,

00:21:34.640 The true objects of enjoyment, then, are the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

00:21:40.340 who are at the same time common to all who enjoy him.

00:21:50.480 We must keep in the front of our minds

00:21:53.360 that the pursuit of joy can only happen through the love of God and our love for God.

00:22:03.440 Not because we want something from him.

00:22:08.400 No.

00:22:09.000 because we wholeheartedly want God and God himself.

00:22:17.480 The problem isn't that joy is unavailable to you.

00:22:22.180 It's that our hunger and thirst for the Lord is way too small.

00:22:32.840 Reason two, why we have conditional joy.

00:22:39.000 is because we do not hate the world.

00:22:46.040 We have conditional joy because we do not hate the world.

00:22:51.180 One of the biggest reasons why we lack joy

00:22:53.660 is because of our lack of hatred for the world.

00:22:59.440 Instead of fixing our eyes on Christ like we just discussed,

00:23:03.000 we've become consumed with our daily noise,

00:23:06.720 busyness, and constant pull of worldly desires and pleasures.

00:23:13.000 We live in a world that constantly is vying for your attention.

00:23:17.920 Social media, entertainment, career ambitions, material possessions,

00:23:24.660 all want your eyes and your time.

00:23:28.580 And while none of these things are inherently sinful in and of themselves,

00:23:32.460 when they're in their proper place they are not sinful

00:23:36.900 but when they pull our eyes away from Christ they are dangerous

00:23:43.900 when career success becomes your primary pursuit rather than faithfulness to God

00:23:53.540 the joy of the Lord slowly gets squeezed out of you

00:23:58.320 when we constantly chase entertainment to fill our boredom and emptiness

00:24:06.780 we become numb to the deeper joy that's found in worship and scripture

00:24:12.080 even in family life as precious as your family is

00:24:19.660 Your family can become an idol

00:24:23.940 When you place them above your love for God

00:24:28.380 And when your joy hinges on your child's achievements

00:24:33.900 It will pass away

00:24:37.480 The problem is not that these things are inherently wrong

00:24:46.000 I'm not telling you, don't get a better job

00:24:50.480 Don't love your family.

00:24:54.200 What I'm telling you is that they can easily become a substitute

00:24:57.780 for the thing that you are to be focused on.

00:25:04.280 We look to them for satisfaction or for fulfillment.

00:25:08.740 But in doing so, we miss the true source of our joy,

00:25:13.820 Jesus Christ himself.

00:25:15.080 you will never be more successful in your career

00:25:20.360 when you are actively pursuing Christ

00:25:23.000 you will never be able to love your family

00:25:28.420 the way that you ought to

00:25:29.500 if you are not actively pursuing Christ

00:25:32.260 scripture warns us of this danger

00:25:38.880 it says in 1 John 2 15-17

00:25:42.840 do not love the world

00:25:44.840 or the things in the world.

00:25:48.380 For all that is in the world,

00:25:50.600 the desires of the flesh

00:25:52.140 and the desires of the eyes

00:25:54.080 and the pride of life

00:25:55.820 is not from the Father,

00:25:58.680 but from the world.

00:26:03.660 The more we attach our hearts to the world,

00:26:07.100 the more we sever our connection

00:26:10.460 of the joy that comes from Jesus Christ.

00:26:14.840 But there is another passage that will illustrate this better.

00:26:23.380 Many of us are serving, Bible-believing, gospel-loving Christians.

00:26:31.680 And so we need to understand a deeper truth here.

00:26:37.460 There's a truth that's found in the story of Mary and Martha.

00:26:40.840 When Jesus visited their home, Martha busied herself with serving and preparations,

00:26:49.920 while Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet and listen to his teaching.

00:26:55.280 Martha wasn't doing something sinful.

00:26:58.540 Hospitality and serving are very good, and even commanded in the scriptures.

00:27:03.740 So what was Martha's problem? 0.94

00:27:05.620 Her problem was of misplaced priorities. 0.98

00:27:15.300 This is where every Christian should be paying attention,

00:27:19.700 because we often misplace our priorities.

00:27:25.780 Martha was focused on her service

00:27:28.140 more than she was focused on the one she was supposed to be serving.

00:27:32.300 Jesus addressed this with her head on

00:27:36.520 in Luke 10, 41-42

00:27:40.060 He said,

00:27:42.640 Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things

00:27:47.380 but one thing is necessary

00:27:50.180 Mary has chosen the good portion

00:27:53.400 which will not be taken from her

00:27:56.560 Notice that Jesus didn't criticize her desire to serve

00:28:01.960 or how she had been serving.

00:28:05.820 He merely pointed out that her heart was anxious and troubled

00:28:10.900 because her focus was misplaced.

00:28:16.540 Martha's distraction wasn't from something inherently wrong.

00:28:20.920 It was from something that was good, but was a misplaced priority.

00:28:25.820 In the same way, our own good pursuits, our work, our family, responsibilities, even ministry, can crowd out the joy of pursuing Christ and Christ alone.

00:28:48.940 It's possible to be busy in the name of Jesus without being close to Jesus.

00:28:55.820 we often think that doing more will bring fulfillment

00:29:01.700 but the story of Mary and Martha teaches

00:29:04.380 that true joy is not found in productivity

00:29:07.660 but in proximity to Jesus

00:29:11.060 let me say that again

00:29:13.380 true joy is not found in productivity

00:29:18.640 but in proximity to Jesus

00:29:22.700 this is why we need to ask ourselves today

00:29:28.300 are we allowing to

00:29:31.320 let good things

00:29:33.840 things that are good in your life

00:29:37.500 are you allowing those things to replace the best thing

00:29:40.920 in your life which is Christ

00:29:43.700 this means that

00:29:49.760 we have to make a conscious effort

00:29:52.000 We have to balance our service and time spent with God.

00:30:01.700 True joy doesn't come from our efforts or achievements.

00:30:09.460 True joy comes from a heart that remains rooted in the vine.

00:30:15.300 If we choose the better portion, like Mary did,

00:30:18.720 We will find that no one can take our joy from us.

00:30:28.940 Reason three, why we do not have condition or why we have conditional joy.

00:30:37.440 We have conditional joy because we don't remember.

00:30:44.440 We are a people that forget.

00:30:48.720 We forget minor things as well as major things.

00:30:54.800 The human tendency is often to forget.

00:30:58.840 We all know this. We've all forgotten something.

00:31:02.680 Sometimes we forget what we forgot.

00:31:06.260 God's people are a forgetful people at times.

00:31:12.080 And the scriptures point this out in several places.

00:31:15.980 Psalm 106 verse 7 says,

00:31:18.720 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works.

00:31:23.260 They did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love.

00:31:28.900 Deuteronomy 6.12 says,

00:31:30.440 Take care lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

00:31:38.740 We forget easily that we are able to access a joy that is abundant.

00:31:48.720 Paul would not have commanded us to rejoice always unless that joy was available to us always, in every circumstance.

00:32:04.600 The problem isn't that your joy is out of reach.

00:32:08.460 It's that you're prone to forget that it's ours and Christ all the time.

00:32:15.040 what we need are ways to remember

00:32:20.580 we need practical tangible ways

00:32:25.260 to keep our hearts anchored in the joy of the Lord

00:32:29.120 so how do we remember the joy of the Lord

00:32:33.640 how do we keep Christ fixated in our minds

00:32:38.300 as the main thing

00:32:39.680 God and his wisdom and grace

00:32:44.220 has given us ways to remember,

00:32:49.440 practices that keep us connected to him in joy.

00:32:54.800 These are what theologians often call the normal means of grace

00:33:00.900 or the normative means of grace.

00:33:04.760 These are the God-ordained ways in which he nurtures, sustains, and revives our joy.

00:33:14.220 The normal means of grace are these, and you can write these down.

00:33:20.760 Prayer, worship, the sacraments, fellowship, instruction in the word.

00:33:33.940 I'll say it again for those of you who are writing it down.

00:33:35.840 Prayer, worship, the sacraments, fellowship, instruction in the Word.

00:33:52.000 God has given us good ways to remember.

00:33:57.040 But the problem is, too often we neglect these means of grace.

00:34:01.940 we know that they're important but we let our busyness or distraction push them aside

00:34:09.800 we forget that these practices are not just religious duties

00:34:14.840 they are lifelines that keep us connected to true and everlasting joy

00:34:25.060 the means of grace are like road signs on a narrow path

00:34:29.200 They're constantly reminding you which way you ought to go.

00:34:32.280 Don't turn left, turn right.

00:34:34.060 Stay straight.

00:34:35.440 Slow down.

00:34:36.160 Stop.

00:34:36.900 Go forward.

00:34:39.260 The means of grace reminds you of the way of the Lord.

00:34:45.200 These are not optional in your life as a Christian.

00:34:49.920 They're essential.

00:34:51.160 but it's not enough to know about the means of grace we have to actively pursue them

00:35:01.860 we have to integrate them into our lives with purpose and consistency

00:35:07.220 pastor dale has often said that we must have a liturgical life and having a liturgical life

00:35:14.920 helps you to remember.

00:35:18.100 Remember the joy of the Lord.

00:35:22.340 Remember your salvation.

00:35:25.240 Not just on Sunday,

00:35:27.640 but every day of the week.

00:35:31.220 Do not forget the joy that is yours in Jesus.

00:35:36.280 To do that, you must have a life of liturgy.

00:35:40.580 We don't always call it this way,

00:35:42.900 or this name,

00:35:44.160 But every time that you wake up early to do your devotions, you are having a liturgical life.

00:35:52.720 Every time you pray with your family and family worship, you are having a liturgical life.

00:35:58.860 You don't always call it that, but that's what it is.

00:36:02.920 You're making a regular practice day in and day out to hear from the Lord

00:36:09.640 and to be reminded of the joy that is yours.

00:36:14.160 this morning I want to give us seven practical ways

00:36:21.140 to be reminded constantly of this joy

00:36:25.120 these seven ways are how we are going to close out this sermon

00:36:30.120 this is the application of everything that I have said thus far

00:36:35.320 I don't want these things to just be religious checkboxes for you

00:36:42.140 they're not about just going through a list

00:36:47.560 they're about

00:36:51.040 remaining in Christ

00:36:53.200 they're about the active pursuit of your Lord

00:36:57.600 they're about finding the joy that never leaves

00:37:01.840 so there are seven ways

00:37:06.940 to remember the joy and to pursue Christ

00:37:11.480 they are these number one prayer you thought i was going to say something more profound

00:37:21.140 prayer it draws you to god daily

00:37:27.680 the scriptures tell you to pray without ceasing prayer is a way to remember the joy

00:37:35.260 Number two, corporate worship.

00:37:40.860 What we're doing right now, gathered as the saints in order to worship God,

00:37:46.840 is a way to remind you of the Lord and of the joy of the Lord.

00:37:52.040 The scriptures forbid you from leaving the gathering of the saints.

00:37:56.520 You have to participate in it every week.

00:37:59.100 corporate worship is a great way

00:38:02.960 to remember the joy of the Lord.

00:38:08.500 Number three, the sacraments.

00:38:15.460 I'm sure some of you didn't think that the sacraments would be on there, but it is the

00:38:19.180 sacraments. The sacraments are given in order

00:38:23.200 to remember something. In the Lord's Supper

00:38:27.160 every Sunday when we read 1 Corinthians 11.

00:38:31.620 It says that we are to do this

00:38:34.040 in remembrance of me.

00:38:39.300 The sacraments remind us of Jesus Christ,

00:38:43.640 of his finished work.

00:38:46.760 Every time you see a baptism,

00:38:49.460 you should think of new life,

00:38:51.860 of covenant blessing,

00:38:53.820 of the joy of the Lord that he is your God.

00:38:57.160 Every time you take the Lord's Supper, you should be reminded that you are no longer in your sins, but are free from your sins and alive in Jesus Christ.

00:39:07.980 They are reminders for your joy.

00:39:12.880 Number four, fellowship.

00:39:16.900 Fellowship.

00:39:18.860 We must cultivate godly relationships in the church.

00:39:22.620 We ought to be having dinners in one another's homes

00:39:27.380 Loving one another

00:39:29.920 Bearing one another's burdens and love

00:39:32.760 To do this, we have to know one another

00:39:37.400 Fellowship is a great way

00:39:41.200 To be reminded of the joy of the Lord

00:39:44.340 And by the way, it is also a great way

00:39:47.120 For you to be sustained through difficult times

00:39:49.840 If you are not known in the church, if you are not known by other believers in the church going over to their house, having them over to your house, can I just encourage you today, please repent of that.

00:40:08.400 Change that in your life.

00:40:11.360 Have people over for dinner.

00:40:14.220 Get known by other believers.

00:40:19.840 Number five, obedience.

00:40:24.180 These are all really basic stuff here.

00:40:27.360 Obedience.

00:40:30.420 Obedience allows us to follow God's commands out of love and gratitude,

00:40:34.820 not out of slavishness.

00:40:38.200 Jesus says in John 15, 10 through 11,

00:40:42.240 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love,

00:40:46.040 just as I kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

00:40:49.840 These things, what things?

00:40:52.340 These things I just said,

00:40:53.460 I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you

00:40:58.160 and your joy may be full.

00:41:02.800 Obedience leads to joy.

00:41:06.000 Sin leads to joylessness.

00:41:09.520 Six, evangelism.

00:41:13.920 Share your faith, Christian.

00:41:16.460 when you share your faith you're reminded of the joy that you had at the beginning

00:41:22.260 that honeymoon phase with god it's a great way to remember the joy that you had

00:41:30.580 at the start and to keep it always throughout your christian life share your faith and number seven

00:41:40.700 Family worship.

00:41:44.400 Family worship reminds everyone in your home of the joy of the Lord.

00:41:51.200 Fathers, you are to lead your homes and remind your children and your wives of the joy of the Lord.

00:41:58.560 Wives, you are to be an example of the joy of the Lord in your home,

00:42:03.340 the fruitful vine on which everything else is growing in that home.

00:42:07.560 family worship is a great way to cultivate the soil of your home

00:42:13.500 a home that's rich in joy and in love

00:42:17.740 family worship

00:42:20.760 today we've seen that true and everlasting joy

00:42:29.220 is ours that it doesn't pass away moment by moment

00:42:36.180 It's something we receive when we pursue Christ and Christ alone

00:42:42.200 We've seen that we live in a day

00:42:46.420 Where half of our generation is experiencing joylessness

00:42:52.280 And that it's not a problem just out there in the world

00:42:57.220 But something that's relevant to the church today

00:43:00.340 I've shared with you how I faced my own season

00:43:05.840 of joylessness

00:43:06.700 times where grief and anger

00:43:09.960 threatened to consume me

00:43:11.300 and I ask that

00:43:15.220 you examine your own seasons

00:43:17.500 of joylessness

00:43:18.360 today we have seen much in the way of joy

00:43:26.100 but we know that it is not

00:43:29.540 fragile. The joy of the Lord is not fragile. Because it's not rooted in something that's

00:43:40.740 fragile. It's rooted in the finished work of Jesus Christ. And therefore, your joy is

00:43:48.860 not passing away, but steadfast and eternal. It's a joy that remains no matter what comes.

00:43:57.880 and I encourage you today to take the things that I've said

00:44:02.580 and apply them to your life

00:44:04.940 so that you will not have a fleeting joy

00:44:08.460 but a joy that is contagious

00:44:10.500 a joy that the world will see and be attracted to

00:44:15.040 a joy that your children will pick up on

00:44:18.900 and carry throughout their generations

00:44:20.940 a joy that remains

00:44:24.540 that's the joy that's yours

00:44:27.820 in Jesus Christ. Amen?

00:44:32.240 Pray with me, please, if you would.

00:44:37.780 Father in heaven,

00:44:39.240 Lord, we come to you this morning thankful.

00:44:46.100 We're thankful for this reminder this morning

00:44:48.440 that the joy of the Lord is our strength.

00:44:54.380 We're thankful that you've given us

00:44:56.400 every opportunity to be joyful in this life.

00:45:03.680 Lord, I ask that you would help us

00:45:05.720 to take the things that we've heard here

00:45:08.560 and that they would not stay in our ears

00:45:12.420 but would come out in faithful lives.

00:45:17.420 Lives that are bent on pursuing Christ

00:45:20.440 and receiving his joy.

00:45:23.160 God, I ask for each one of us

00:45:27.020 that our hearts would be convicted of sin

00:45:30.400 that we may be obedient

00:45:33.140 and have the true joy of the Lord in our lives

00:45:37.600 Lord, thank you for this blessing

00:45:42.120 and every gift that is ours

00:45:45.280 in Christ Jesus

00:45:46.600 in his name we pray

00:45:48.560 Amen

00:45:49.800 Amen

00:45:53.160 Thank you.

Dale Partridge - May 19, 2025

Perusing Christ： The Path to True Joy

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