The Joyful Journey of 2025
🗣️ Speaker: Dr. James O. Davis
This week's message from Dr. James O. Davis is all about finding joy, peace, and purpose in our lives through our faith in Jesus. He draws from Philippians 4, reminding us that true joy comes from focusing on Jesus, others, and then ourselves. Dr. Davis encourages us to rejoice in the Lord, not just our circumstances, and to bring everything to God in prayer. When we do, God's peace, which is beyond understanding, will guard our hearts. He also talks about the difference between being a thermostat and a thermometer in our spiritual lives—being consistent in our joy despite circumstances. Ultimately, the key takeaway is to live joyfully in the Lord, allowing His presence to influence our actions and thoughts.
Additional Info
The info below was generated by an AI from the audio recording of the sermon.
Understanding Joy: The Joyful Journey
In today's discussion, we delve into the concept of joy as highlighted in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, which emphasizes joy as a fundamental aspect of the Christian experience. This journey of joy, defined by the acronym J.O.Y. - Jesus, Others, You, encapsulates the proper order and importance of joy in a believer's life.
Rejoicing in the Presence of the Lord
Paul begins Philippians 4 with the command to "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" Despite being imprisoned, Paul finds joy in the Lord rather than his circumstances. He expresses this joy as a conscious choice, encouraging believers to shift their focus from their surroundings to the presence of God, who remains with them in every situation.
Reliance on the Power of the Lord
In a world filled with uncertainties, Paul stresses the importance of relying on God through prayer. He advises believers to "be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." This reliance on God’s power can transform anxiety into peace, as believers recognize that God is in control.
Reflecting on the Provision of the Lord
Gratitude plays a crucial role in the journey of joy. As Paul advises bringing requests to God with thanksgiving, it’s vital to acknowledge and reflect on past provisions from the Lord. Writing down these instances of gratitude can reinforce one’s faith and appreciation for God’s continuous guidance. It underscores the idea that a thankful heart can lead to more blessings.
Resting in the Peace of God
Paul assures that when we bring our concerns to God, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds. This peace serves as a protective barrier against fear, anxiety, and doubt, allowing believers to navigate life’s challenges with a calm demeanor. Instead of being overwhelmed, those who rest in God's peace can maintain their joy regardless of external circumstances.
Renewing in the Purpose of God
Finally, Paul encourages a focused mindset on positive and honorable things. He outlines various tests for thoughts: truthfulness, honorable intent, righteousness, purity, loveliness, and good reputation. By concentrating on these principles, believers can cultivate an environment of joy and peace within themselves. Reclaiming this mindset aligns them more closely with God's purpose, ensuring that they experience joy on their spiritual journey
Conclusion: A Call to Joy
Through the lens of Philippians, we see that genuine joy is not contingent on life's ups and downs, but rather on an unwavering focus on Christ, a healthy relationship with others, and self-reflection. As followers of Christ, the invitation is clear: rejoice in the Lord always—no matter the circumstances, because true joy comes from Him alone.
In every trial, every uncertainty, or every prison of the mind, joy is found in the Lord. As believers, we are called to embody this joy in our lives, allowing it to reflect God’s love and peace to the world around us.
-
Use the questions listed below as a launching point to discuss the sermon points together as a family. These are great for dinner table discussions and small groups.
Small Group Discussion Guide: Joyful Living through Faith
Reflect on Philippians 4: How does focusing on joy, peace, and prayer as described in Philippians 4 affect your daily life?
Joy vs. Happiness: Share a moment when you experienced joy despite challenging circumstances. How does this differ from temporary happiness?
Thermostats and Thermometers: In what areas of your life can you strive to be more of a thermostat, setting a consistent tone rather than reacting to your environment?
The Prisons We Create: What are some "prisons" (fear, anxiety, expectations) you find yourself in? How can faith help unlock these?
Practicing Gratitude: How can expressing gratitude to God and others enhance your joy? Share practical ways to do this in everyday life.
-
Historical Context of Philippians 4
Philippians 4 is a scripture written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison in Rome, around A.D. 61. This epistle, or letter, is addressed to the Christian community in Philippi, Macedonia, which was the first church Paul established in Europe.
At the time, Rome occupied much of the known world, including Philippi. The Philippians were often faced with cultural pressures to adhere to Roman customs and gods. However, Paul encouraged them to find their joy in the Lord, regardless of their external circumstances.
His emphasis on joy is notable considering his environment—a Roman prison. The harsh conditions and uncertain future did not deter his faith. He exemplified how believers can maintain spiritual constancy even when physically confined, using the opportunity to write uplifting letters to his followers.
Philippi itself was a prosperous city, enjoying Roman citizenship privileges, which likely afforded the locals a sense of pride. Paul’s letter was both a spiritual guide and a reminder to remain steadfast in faith amidst societal temptations. It highlighted that joy and peace originate from God’s presence, not worldly status.
Understanding this historical context sheds light on the profound and steadfast faith Paul demonstrated and inspires believers today to find joy and peace through a deep relationship with God.
-
Objective
To teach kids about the importance of joy in their lives and how to focus on Jesus, others, and themselves, using the teachings from Philippians 4.
Key Verse
Philippians 4:4 - "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!"
Lesson Outline
Introduction
Discuss the meaning of joy and how it differs from happiness.
Explain that true joy comes from knowing Jesus and sharing that joy with others.
Object Lesson: The Thermostat vs. Thermometer
Materials Needed:
A thermometer and a thermostat (or pictures of each).
Activity:
Show the kids both objects. Explain that a thermometer reacts to the temperature around it, while a thermostat can change the environment.
Ask the kids how we can be like a thermostat by spreading joy, no matter what situations we face.
Game: "Joyful Journey Relay"
Objective: Encourage teamwork and fun while reinforcing the message of joy.
Materials Needed:
Cones or markers to set a relay course.
A small ball or balloon (representing joy).
Instructions:
Divide the kids into teams.
Set up a relay race course where each team must pass the ball (joy) to the next teammate without dropping it.
If the ball drops, the team must start over.
Each time a team successfully passes the ball, they shout a joy-filled word (like "Thankful!", "Happy!", "Blessed!") to emphasize joy in their journey.
Craft: "Joyful Heart Collage"
Objective: Create a visual reminder of joy.
Materials Needed:
Construction paper (red, yellow, blue, etc.)
Glue, scissors, magazines for cut-outs, markers.
Instructions:
Have the kids cut out heart shapes from the construction paper.
Encourage them to fill their hearts with pictures and words cut from magazines that remind them of joy (friends, family, happy moments).
Once completed, display the collages in the classroom to remind everyone to focus on joy.
Closing Prayer
Gather the kids for a closing prayer, where they can thank God for His joy and ask for help to spread it to others. Remind them that joy is about bringing happiness to Jesus, others, and themselves.
Take Home Activity
Encourage kids to write one thing they're thankful for every day for a week, focusing on how they can bring joy to Jesus, others, and themselves. They can share their experiences in the next class.
-
Would you stand with me in honor of God's word today? Philippians 4, Philippians 4. I'm grateful we began singing about joy today. You know, if you're a joyful Christian and you accidentally drop your Bible, it opens to Philippians 4. If you're not, it probably opens the Lamentations.
But I love what Paul says in Philippians 4. He says, Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice. Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there's any excellence, if there's anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things, the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. And may God add his blessings upon his word today.
You may be seated. I'm going to teach out of the latest book entitled the Joy Book. I recommend it to you. You will find it on the table in the lobby. I'm gradually riding through the entire New Testament, and we've done six books so far in the New Testament, but this is all on Philippians, and I'm going to teach from it today.
I know it will enrich your life. Now, you can find it on Amazon, but it's about 40% cheaper out there. Now, if you want to do the other, it's fine, go ahead and do that. We'll take your money that way, but I recommend that you do it out here. And it would be a joy to visit with you as well.
I know it will enrich your life. I was so grateful to be able to write through the entire book of Philippians, and it's 1 for 20 or 2 for 35. Hardback book. Get one for yourself and sow into someone else's life. And I know this will enrich you.
Pastor Tom, this is for you and your lovely wife. I wrote a note in there that I mean with every jot and tittle you love my brother and I just want you to know we are the summation of our experiences and what we choose to read our life. I want to talk about the joyful journey. Joy stands for Jesus, others, and you, in that order. In Philippians 1 and 2.
It's all about Jesus. It's about the greatness of who he is and how he could come down the starry spangled skies of glory and be born in Bethlehem, manger with absolute inheritance, humility and is the God man. It's all about Jesus. And chapter three is about others. He mentions a papaditis and he says, honor those who risk their lives for the Gospel.
It's about others. Then it's about you. It's about how you take care of your brother and sister in Church. Verses 1, 2 and 3. It's about you and how you rejoice.
It's about you and how you pray. It's about you and the peace that passes understanding. It's about you and how you think. It's about you knowing that God knows how to supply your needs according to your riches and glory. It's about you and learning the spirit of contentment.
And then he wraps it all up about his friends. He never forgets about his friends. Joy is about Jesus, others, and you. I don't know how many nights I have stayed in a hotel room exactly, but I do know it's been more than 12 years of nights. I do know that.
And then sometimes people say to me, I travel a lot. And I said, really? Okay, good. I'm glad you do. But one of the first things I do is I'm going to adjust the thermostat.
Because how I adjust the thermostat is going to reflect the temperature the thermometer in that room. I'm going to want to regulate the temperature in that room. And God has called all of us as believers be thermostats, not thermometers. A lot of Christians are thermometers. When their hap is up, their happiness is up.
When their hap is down, their happiness is down. They're up and down like a thermometer. But God didn't call us to live that way. God called us to be a thermostat. Joy is constant.
Happiness comes and goes. Happiness is up and down. Joy is constant. Nehemiah could write it and he could say, the joy of the Lord is my strength. And it's so important in a day in which we live, that the body of Christ, and Christians in particular, to be joyful, not just in just words, but the way we go about our life.
And that's what I want to talk about. I want to talk about this joyful journey that God wants each of us to have. Oxford assembly can be known for a lot of things when people drive by, but one thing we need to be known for, those people are filled with the joy that is found in Jesus Christ. And when you get around them, oh, you better watch out. Because it's more than just happiness with them is joy.
First of all, Paul wants us to understand we are to rejoice in the presence of the Lord. Now listen to what he says. He says, rejoice in the Lord. And again I say, rejoice. Paul is in the Mamertine prison in Rome.
If you ever get a chance to go to Rome, go to the Mamertine prison first. If you don't go first, you won't go. I'm always amazed Christians want to go to the Coliseum. I've been to the Coliseum, but they used to take Christians, throw them to the lions there. I don't know why people get so excited about going there.
And a lot of Christians want to go to the Pantheon, the Pantheon of gods. I don't understand why a lot of Christians want to go to the Pantheon. I've been. And you take everything else in. But if you don't go to the Mametine prison first, you just won't go.
The Coliseum is on one side, you got the Forum in the middle. And on the other side of the. Of the city is the Mametine prison. It's where Paul would write Philippians, it is there where he'd write Ephesians, it is there what he would write first and second Timothy. And when you go to the Mamertine prison, don't be like a tourist.
Dart in and dart out. Don't do that. Go in like a prisoner. Stay for a while. I'm serious.
Put your hands on the wall, sit on the floor, breathe in the air and listen to the words of Paul. Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice. Notice what he didn't say? He didn't say, rejoice in the prison always.
And again I say rejoice. That's not what he said. He said, rejoice in the Lord. He understands he's in the Lord. And then in the prison, sometimes people say, well, I'm to rejoice in all my circumstances.
That's not what Paul was saying. Paul wasn't dancing inside saying, sure, I'm happy. The food is bad. I'm so thrilled that they're going to cut my head off any moment. No, he was rejoicing in the Lord.
And he says, and again I say, rejoice. Then he says, for the Lord is near. Wow. He realizes he's not in that prison by himself. Not only is he in the Lord, but the Lord is in the prison.
And there's all kinds of prisons today. Some people live their life in a prison of fear and worry and dread and doubt. Some people live their life in a prison of what others may think about them or not think about them. Oh, my goodness, that can just wear you out. Some people live in different kinds of prisons today.
And Paul is saying, rejoice in the Lord. Again I say, rejoice. Rejoice is not just an internal thing. It's a verbal thing. I believe that you went by Paul's prison where he was.
You hear him rejoicing out loud in the Lord. And the Lord was near to him. He was so near that he could feel the Lord's breath on his shoulder. And the Lord wants to be that near to you in 2025 and beyond. I do not know how much of the Lord you have, but you have as much as you want.
And if you want him nearer in 2025, the Bible says, draw near to him, and he will draw near to you. He says, rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice, for the Lord is near. And I don't know what you're walking through, but the Lord is walking there with you through it. You are not alone.
You are not a wandering generality. God knows exact every aspect of your life. And he says we are to rejoice in the presence of the Lord. Secondly, he says, we are to rely on the power of the Lord. Now listen to what he says.
He says, worry about nothing. Pray about everything. Another translation says, be anxious for nothing. Pray about everything. When I think about 2024 and now we're already can't believe the second month of 2025.
When I think about last year, I can't say to you today that I never got anxious for anything in 2024. There were times I got anxious. How about you? Confession is okay. It's okay.
Sometimes I've gotten anxious. But what does Paul say? Be anxious for nothing. Pray about everything. Ladies and gentlemen, if it's big enough to disturb our sleep, it is big enough to take it to God.
Sometimes people say, well I don't want to bring the little things to God. Well I've got news for you, it's all little.
The Holy Trinity never gets together and go, oh that's big. Oh what are we going to do about that? Oh, we didn't see that coming. Oh my goodness, there's a crisis in heaven. Oh what are we going to do?
There are no problems in heaven, only plans for our lives.
Worry about nothing. Pray about everything. I remember like it was yesterday. Two years ago this coming June, we were getting ready for the Finnish European summit that you saw on the screen and we were working really hard to get ready for it. And so we were coming into the third week of June and we were working to have key people from every nation in the room and by invitation and we had about 50 or 60 signed up at that point and we were just over two months out.
And not only that, when you're doing a summit like this it costs a lot of money. And, and it began to dawn on me that we are behind the curve and we, we're going to have to have somebody help us to part the Red Sea. And so I pulled some friends nearby to me. We began to have some serious conversations about what we should do. God sized vision, bite sized pieces.
Learn to break it apart. And we brought wise men and wise women around us to work the problem and to pray into it. And I'm grateful to tell you God helped us. You saw what he did. But there was a season.
I thought what are we going to do? And then we began to pray into it and began to ask God to show us the solution to the problem. Worry about nothing. Pray about everything. God can do more in a split second than you can in your whole life.
God can do more in a moment than an army can. We need to understand. We bring our prayers to the Lord. We rely on him. We worry about nothing.
We pray about everything. Paul didn't know how much longer he had to live. He didn't know when beheading was going to take place. But he began to take everything to to the Lord. And as we walk out this year, we bring it all to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Worry is worthless. It doesn't add any value to your life. It's like sand to an engine. Worry is wasteful. Instead of focusing on solutions, all you're doing is focusing on problems.
Worry is wicked. Paul Christ would refer to the Pharisees and how they are anxious and he was saying and God is not the center of their life. You know, when we get so wrapped up in worry and anxiety, you know, it's a small form of atheism.
We know. We, you know, we just don't. We just don't believe that God can do it. And yet God says he can and he will give it to the Lord. We rely on the power of the Lord.
Third, we reflect on the provision of the Lord. Notice what he says. He says with Thanksgiving, he says, bring all your requests to God. Then he says with Thanksgiving. You know, I want to encourage you to do during February we call the Love Month.
I want to encourage you to spend some time writing to the Lord how thankful you are for all the answered prayers he's given to you. Yeah, get out a piece of paper, ink pen. That's right. They work and start writing. Lord, thank you for how you took care of that Bill.
Thank you for how you provided in that job. Thank you for the creativity and insight you gave me in that issue. Begin to write down. And not only do that, begin writing people and expressing Thanksgiving.
I remember a handful of years ago, one time in the mail, I got this thank you card, handwritten card, from Tommy Barnett in Arizona. He wrote, dear James, and he was writing these, this note, love, Tommy Barnett. And I laid it there and I thought he meant every word of it. You could feel it in the words. And I thought, tommy has time to write me a thank you.
No, because he's thankful. He convicted me. And I don't know how many thank you notes I've sent over the last five or six years. Not just when I'm in America, just expressing thank you. You say, well, I sent a text.
It's not the same. It's not the same. You say, well, it's a small Investment, James. It's 63 cents a stamp. I know, but it's worth the investment using an ink pen.
Now, you can write in blood if you want to, but you don't have to. I just use an ink pen if I shoe. Isn't it amazing that Paul, when he was writing his letters, would thank people? Isn't it interesting he would thank Philippi, the Philippian church. Even in Philippians 4, he's thanking them for how they stood with him when no one else did.
Ladies and gentlemen, why should the Lord answer my next prayer if I haven't thanked him adequately for the last one? When you're raising your children, you teach your children say thank you because you want them to understand it didn't just happen, somebody made it happen. And when they express real Thanksgiving, you're more inclined to do it even more. So the next time I want to say to us, as we want this joyful journey, let's learn to thank the Lord for all that he has done. Thank him for your salvation.
Thank him for the blood that was applied to your sin. Thank you for your brothers and your sisters. Thank him for an incredible church like Oxford assembly of God. Thank him for this and for that. And I promise you, your prayers will get answered a lot more when you thank him for all that he's already done.
Amen. It's true. It's true. He says, reflect on the provision. Then he says, number four, rest in the peace of God.
Rest in the peace of God. He says, you have this joy, you give it all to God in prayer. You begin to thank him. And then he says, the peace of God that passes all understanding, then he says, will guard your heart and mind.
There's guards outside of this prison where Paul is. But what he's saying is, I've got a guard that protects me, my heart, my mind, from all of them. I've got a guard that protects me from fear and worry and anxiety. I've got a guard that they do not know of that protects my mind and my heart. And that guard is called peace.
Peace. You know, you've never looked up into the air or the sky and saw one winged bird flying. You've never looked up, said, that's a strange bird. How'd they get off the ground like that? It takes two wings to fly.
Paul's not saying for us just to have joy. He's saying, we have peace as well. It takes two wings to soar when you're in a prison. It takes joy and it takes peace. And he says, the peace can be yours, you know, when you have it, you know when you don't.
And it's really hard to describe it because Paul says it's incomprehensible and God wants us to have this peace.
Some years ago, my wife and I were flying out of Detroit, Michigan. We were going to land in Memphis and then go on to Springfield, Missouri, where we lived at the time. And so we've been traveling a lot. We're both tired and plane got up, we're about 35,000ft or so. I remember it was a blue sky.
I remember looking out and I noticed the plane was kind of like swerving back and forth. And I thought to myself, man, really, this is what went through my mind. Is the guy awake?
And finally the pilot came on and he said, now maybe you've noticed that we've been having a problem managing okay? And he goes, we believe there's ice on the hydraulics and that's freezing the equipment. And he said, so what we need to do is we need to go to a lower altitude where the air is warmer. And we believe that as we get lower, it will melt the ice off of all the hydraulics. But we're taking every precaution necessary.
So when we come into Memphis, we. We want you to be aware of what you're going to see. He says, when we come into Memphis, you're going to see a row of fire truck.
I thought to myself, fire trucks, really? And then he said, and you're going to see a row of ambulances. I thought, ambulances, fire trucks. This is not very encouraging. It's literally what's going through my mind.
And he said, but don't be alarmed.
So I woke up my wife, and I woke my wife up, and she was out. I mean, she was out. And I woke her up and I said, cherry. I said, I gotta wait. Yes.
What's wrong? So, well, we've been flying. Yeah, I know that we've been flying. And there's ice on hydraulics, okay? And I said, they're gonna go to lower altitude.
The pilot just said, we get the lower altitude, warmer air should melt the ice off the hydraulics, okay? And I said, but they're going to take every precaution necessary. And I said, we're coming into Memphis. And I said, there's going to be fire trucks, okay? Then I said, there's going to be a row of ambulances.
She says, okay. And I said, I'm concerned. She looks at me and she said, honey, I am so tired, I could care less. That's literally what she said. And she put her head back, literally.
I looked over at it and I thought, I wish I had that right now, that moment, that snapshot is there. The peace of God that says, I know there's fire trucks. I know there's ambulances. I'm going to enjoy my nap.
We landed safely. There were fire trucks, there were ambulances. I got off the plane, I literally kissed the ground.
The peace of God.
God wants us to have peace when the bills are high and when the bills are low. God wants us to have peace when the report from the doctor is good and when it's not good, he wants us to have peace regardless of what is going on in the world, because this peace comes from God. He says, rest in the peace of God and quickly and last we renew in the purpose of God. Now we're coming in for a landing. There won't be any fire trucks, ambulances.
It's gonna be all right. Paul says, think on these things.
You want joy? You want peace? Paul says, think on these things. And then he says, if you do, in verse nine, he says, the God of peace will be with you. It's one thing for you to have the peace of God.
Oh, that's good. But don't you want the God of peace with you? I do. It's like two bookends of the library of my thoughts. I want the peace of God on one bookend, but I sure want the God of peace on the other.
And Paul says, if we think on these things, we will have this in our life. So he tells us, is it true? The reliance test. Is it true? The world says, does it work?
God says, is it true? The world says, does it make money? God says, is it true? Can you rely on it? Are your thoughts like the North Star?
Constant and consistent. Reliance test. Is it true? Is it honorable? The respect test.
Are your thoughts honoring whatever is in the well of the heart will come out of the bucket of speech. Just listen to what people talk about. You'll know what's in their heart. Just give it time. Are your thoughts honorable?
If you have any ill will in your heart towards somebody else, go clean it up. Go clean it up. You say, well, I don't like them. That's another issue. Go clean it up.
Don't be able to go to bed at night harboring ill will in your heart. All you're doing is making your heart hard. Somebody said, amen. Oh, he said, respect test. Is it honorable?
Is it right? The right test. And where he's using the word right there, he's using the word straight. Our thinking is to be straight, not crooked. Some people have crooked thinking.
Some people have crooked thinking in business, crooked thinking in their relationships. They manipulate for gain. That's. Paul said, that's not the way we are to think in our life. He.
He says we're to do this in a right way, straight way. Is it pure? This. This is the reverence test. When Paul uses the word pure there, he's using the same symbol for a perfect sacrificial lamb.
He's saying, our thoughts are to be worshipful. We should be able to take our thoughts and lay them on the altar and say, God, here's a summation of my worship to you. He's saying, the way we live our life, the way we think about Life and our. Our expression to people should have the touch of worship upon it. Is it lovely?
The relationship test. He's not saying that you should just love, love, love. He's saying you should love in a way that builds relationships, because relationship currency is the greatest currency in all of the world. Paul says our demeanor, who we are, should continuously build these kind of lovely relationships. And then he says, good repute.
Does it sound right? It's the word for sound. You know, sometimes people say the right words, but the tone, the tone. Many times when I'm on a conference call and let's say I'm in parking lot, I'll have my eyes closed. I've literally had people knock on the window and say, you okay?
I'm okay because I'm listening to the tone. He said, yes, but that tone, that. That doesn't sound right when I. When I around. So I want somebody to say, mmm.
When you're with James, it just sounds right. Paul says, if you will think on these things, he says, the God of peace will be yours. You'll know joy unspeakable and full of glory. You'll be able to rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say, rejoice, no matter what prison you're in and no matter if Nero reigning Nero was the emperor of Rome when Paul was in prison.
Don't miss this. Nero was a demonized man. Nero was a wicked, terrible tyrant. For sport, ladies and gentlemen. He liked to gather up Christians, throw them on crosses, baptize them in kerosene, and light them on fire to light the streets of Rome at night.
That's Nero.
He liked to gather up people like Paul and throw them in prison. And it would be underneath the tyranny of Nero that Paul would be beheaded and killed. You want to know why? There are the catacombs in Rome now you know. But you had to communicate somehow.
On the mark, in the street, somehow you had to be able to let someone else know that you were a Christ follower. So I want you to do something with me. Cross your fingers with me in this building. Just cross your fingers. Today we cross our fingers and say, cross your fingers and wish you good luck.
Sometimes people cross their fingers because they're going to deceive you. They want you to think they're telling you the truth because they're crossing their fingers behind the back. Some people cross their fingers. They cross your fingers, hope you have good luck. Some put their finger behind the back and cross it because they're going to deceive you.
But if you were a Christian, you would shake the hand of another brother or sister with crossed fingers. And if I was to shake my hand with you, my fingers were crossed, you would know that in your hand is a Christ follower who believes in the cross.
Nero is a tyrant. But I hold your hand and I communicate to you. It's because of Jesus Christ that we are brothers. It is because of Jesus Christ we're a brother and a sister, our sister and a sister. It's because of what he did on Golgotha that we are born again.
And we our allegiance is to the King of kings and to the Lord of lords. And we knew that Christ sits on the throne of our heart. And that Christ rules an eternal domain beyond the tyranny of a Nero. And I'm here to tell you today, my dear brother and my sister, it is because of the cross of Jesus Christ that we have this glorious redemption. It is because of what he did on Calvary's hill that we have this joy, unspeakable and full of glory.
It is because of what he did that we can have the peace of God that passes all understanding. It didn't come from the world. The world can't take it away. And I challenge every one of us in this day, let's become a joyful believer like we've never been before. Let us be thermostats that set spiritual temperature everywhere we go.
And that people will know there is a difference between just being happy and being joyful. The Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Oh, my friend, that's true for you and it's true for me. Many of you know that my wife and I, we buried two children in the 1990s, one in 91 and one in 98.
And then we adopted our two lovely daughters, Olivia and Priscilla. And I'm telling you, as your brother, it can rain and it can rain hard. It can be dark and it can be darker still. They can be clamoring for your head on a platter. But there is something greater than all of that.
And it's found in Jesus Christ and him alone. And no matter where you are, God wants you to have that joy. And he says, rejoice, Lord, always. And again I say, rejoice. Would you please stand with me in this sacred gathering, in this service today as they play softly a chorus as our eyes are closed, as we say, I left nothing on the table today.
I don't know where you are on this journey. I don't know. But I'm saying to you, as your brother Paul says, rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice. He didn't say, if you feel like it, rejoice.
As your brother, I've learned I can act my way into a feeling a lot easier than I can feel my way into an action. And God wants every one of us to have this joy that's beyond comprehension and imagination. Only he can give it. And with it is peace priceless.
God wants us to have it. And, brother and sister, in his eyes, you are a saint. Not just a brother and a sister. You are a saint. Saint Mary, Saint Linda, Saint John, Saint Tom, you are a saint.
And as a saint of God, he wants you to have all that he's promised you. In a minute, I'm going to count the three. And if you can say with integrity, lord, in this year, Lord, I want to live this out. I don't just want to have it in my head, Lord, I want it in my heart.
I want this joy. I want this. I want this peace like he said I could have it. When I count the three of that shoe, I'm going to ask you to lift your hand. And my hand will be the first one that would go up today saying, lord, just baptize me in this joy and this peace.
One, two, three. If that's you, just lift your hand. Just keep it up. There are no big shots here. Dear Heavenly Father, you see the hands that are lifted in this service today?
Lord, we just take our hand as a child and put it in your hand. Please, Lord, take us by the hand. And, Lord, help us to walk it out each day and every day. Help us to walk it out, Lord. Do this divine work in a sovereign way only as you can.
And, Lord, we'll be careful to give you praise for it. Lord, we're going to get out a piece of paper. We're going to write down thank yous, Lord, that you've done in our hearts, in our lives. Lord, we know we're going to run out of ink, but, Lord, we just want to express our thanksgiving to you. How you have so boldly met our needs so many times.
And, Lord, we give you praise and glory for it. In the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. Now, can we just take 30 seconds to praise Him? Would you praise him today? Lord, we praise you.
We praise you. We glorify you, Lord, we lift your name on high. We lift your name on high. We praise you. We give you glory.
We give you honor. Oh, God, we love you today. We praise you today. Thank you, God, for your goodness and your mercy. Thank you, Lord.
In a moment, Pastor Tom's going to come, and I just want you to know, please remember us in prayer. Next Sunday night, I leave for Athens. I leave for Athens and I land in Amsterdam. Make a quick connection call, go straight to Athens. Out of Amsterdam, I'll be meeting with leaders throughout Greece.
Then I'm flying very quickly to Albania. I'm meeting with leaders from Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia and Kosovo. I'll be there less than 24 hours, make my way to Amsterdam, be back home, God willing, by Friday. We'll do all that in five days. So please remember us in prayer and thank you for your generosity over the years and thank you for helping us with Jerusalem Council 2.
Brother Tom. We love you, brother. Thank you.
