Joy of the Holy Spirit

Advent of Hope • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

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The Holy Spirit brings joy to believers, giving them an inner contentment and happiness which is not dependent upon external circumstances.

Notes

Transcript

I’ll Fly Away - Hymn #255

Joy To The World - Hymn #80

What Child Is This #77

Oh Come All Ye Faithful #78

Joy Of The Holy Spirit

Me (Intro)

Barry - This is the third Sunday in Advent, Advent is a time for us to prepare our hearts for coming of the Christ child.

Last week we had lit the first and second candle of Advent, the purple candles of Hope and Love. This week we will light another candle. The pink candle of Joy, this candle and todays message is a reminder to us that Jesus came to earth to show and tell us about the Joy of knowing Christ.

Barry - Light Candle of Hope and Love

Amanda - Reading

Someone - Luke 1:46-47

Someone -

Barry - When we look upon the third candle we rejoice because our Lord and Saviour, Jesus was born.

Barry - When we look upon the second candle we are reminded of God’s Loving Actions

Opening Prayer

What about you?

If you have your Bibles with you today, please turn to

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a] 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

Transition -

We (Questions)

Would you say that you are poor in Spirit?

When was the last time you saw the power of the Holy Spirit manifested in the life of another or your own?

How many times a day do you read your Bible or seek God in prayer? once? twice? three times? none?

Ever feel like there is something more in life but you just cant quite put your finger on what it is?

question for the seeker

Do you feel like there is more to life but cant see past whats for supper tonight?

Would you say that you brokenhearted?

How

when was the last time you saw the power of the Holy Spirit manifested in the life of another or your own?

When was the last time you felt the power of the Holy Spirit within you?

Would you say that you brokenhearted?

I trust God but I cant help but think sometimes He forgot me.

I am depressed and don’t know what I can do about it?

how many of you can say “I don’t know why but my heart aches”

Every time I head down town I meet up with someone and they ask me “how is it going” and I put on a fake smile and tell them that I am fine. yet deep within me I know that I am not fine. It just a greeting but its not the truth and I don’t know why.

every time I head down town I meet up with someone and they ask me “how is it going” and I put on a fake smile and tell them that I am fine. yet deep within me I know that I am not fine. It just a greeting but its not the truth.

Would you say that you are trapped?

I know I am a Christian but I feel like I’m stuck behind prison walls.

I use to be happy but know I don’t know any more.

No matter what I do I can never break free from this guilt I feel.

Im stuck a dead end job without any hope of a future

I use to be happy but know I dont know any more.

Would you say that you are blind?

I cant remember the last time God answered my prayers.

I use to pray all the time, but it seems like God didn't answer me so don’t pray as often.

I try to do things but every time I try to make a move it seems like It was the bad choice.

prayer? what a silly thing to do, its like talking to an imaginary friend.

Are you depressed?

Do you lack comfort and are in a constant state of morning?

Does your spirit have constant doubt? or in a constant state of despair?

Are you depressed?

Are you worried?

Are you angry?

Are you frustrated?

Are you fed up and ready to just scream!

How many of you here can say that you are ready for change?

How many of you are ready to have Joy that no one will ever take away from you.

Transition - How many of you are ready to have Joy that no one will ever take away from you?

Isaiah 61:1-3

If you have your Bibles with you today, please turn to

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a] 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

Transition - Are you ready to let go of external circumstances that give you fake joy?

The Holy Spirit brings joy to believers, not external circumstances.

If you have your Bibles with you today, please turn to

Transition -

The Holy Spirit brings joy to believers not external circumstances.

No matter how hard you try to find joy in life, if you are trying to do it by will power alone or by works it will never bring you a lasting joy.

ohh poor martha…

- 38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

How many of you can say that you have “Martha syndrome”?

are you working so hard to make things “right” but you forgot that the only one thing that matters is Christ?

Transition - But here is the truth of the Gospel message:

The Holy Spirit brings Joy by “Proclaim good news to the poor”

How many have ever watched the TV program, wheel of fortune? as you watch the game you see the folks do their best to spin the wheel of fortune and have to come up with a phrase to win the game. When they spin that wheel but hit that bankrupt slide. it makes that noise “beeewuuu” and everyone goes “awwww”

being spiritual bankrupt is very much the same only its not an “awww” from the crowd its very much a cold feeling, hopeless feeling, that I don’t know what to do in life. it can come in the form of waking up every day to face the world but you just don’t know why you do it. You have no reason behind it. Some people even think that we were evolved from monkeys or lower forms of life.

tell me then what reason is there to live life if its only to satisfy the needs of right now?

why put all your effort into building something on earth if, in a few short years you wont even care about it.

and your legacy will be forgotten in a few years. your name will simply be that… a name.

how can you find joy in knowing that right now what you do is meaningless because you are an advanced form of a complex parasite, just a virus.

maybe you are a christian and you said a prayer one time at a tent meeting and gave your life to Christ.

but you never shook that feeling of hopelessness from yourself, or you never did get that “Joy unspeakable” feeling.

you can hardly have the motivation to read your bible or God forbid pray once a day.

folks thats called being spiritually bankrupt.

Transition - Jesus said “God blesses those who are poor in spirit and realize their need for Him, for the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

The Holy Spirit brings Joy by “Binding up the brokenhearted”

Bind up the brokenhearted

There are many forms of brokenness that plague our lives. most of the time they come in a few recognizable forms.

Shock - when I was out west I recall getting a phone call about Thomas Duncan and Rickki. They were killed in a car accident and threw Amanda and I into a state of shock. our hearts were broken our joy was gone.

Rejection - for years amanda was bullied at school to the point of vandalism. Rejection comes in all forms and effects all of us, when you are rejected by your peers it sucks, your heart is broken and steals your joy.

Guilt - oh the guilty conscience can trigger a spiral of emotions that make you feel like you were the cause of an accident or misfortune to another person. that “I should have done something more or different”

Anger - ohhh that stupid slow driver! if they only knew what kind of a rush I am in!! curse them, why are the driving so slow. get out of the way! hey buddy quit honking at me! its this idiot in front of me that is going so slow. Anger might not seem to fit in the category of brokenness but it makes you bitter and full of rage.

Shame - you might have problems that you don’t want others to know about and you would be ashamed if they found out the kind of things you have done.

Fear - that leads to fear! what are they going to say if they found out what kind of problems I have???

Sadness - all this comes to a head when your joy falls to the ground and you are in the pit of sadness.

all of this comes together and your heart is broken, you will look for ways to heal the heart by drugs, drinking, smoking, swearing, slots, being a bully yourself, TV, movies, phones, the list goes on… you try so hard to fill the void and to ease the pain of the broken heart.

Transition - But the Holy Spirit brings Joy. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

The Holy Spirit brings Joy by “Proclaiming freedom for the captives”

Proclaim freedom for the captives

thousands of years ago when a city was put under siege the armies would come out of the cities and face the opposing army that was trying to take the city.

most of the men would come out that were able.

Depending on the size of the army they would even gather the elders and young boys who were able to hold a weapon.

If they lost, the army that had won would take captives. very rarely would they leave men alive so the women and children would be taken and sold off as slaves.

The life of a slave was not good, it was full of brutal work conditions, they were mutilated, treated like animals, unpaid, back breaking work. Hopeless and destined to be driven like an animal for the rest of their lives.

no matter how hard they worked they could never please their masters to the point of freedom. Children were born into captivity, they lost the former life they knew and all they ever knew was a life of pain and suffering. never able to break free. death was the only option. no joy, just suffering.

Transition - Jesus said “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”

The Holy Spirit brings Joy by a “Release from darkness for the prisoners”

what does this last one mean? how many of you didn't know that (slow down) “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the good news of the glory of Christ?”

I’m talking about the god in your pocket, the god on your shelf, the god in the parking lot, the god on capital hill, the god in the big-way food store, the god in the jewelry box, the god of slot machine. The cigarette god, the weed god, the beer god...

the list goes on and on the god of this world is not Jesus its one who tries to take His place he is our enemy, none other than Satan. He hooks you on all kinds of gods all kinds of fake teaching about the real God.

when you stand in darkness so long your eyes adjust to no light, if you are in the darkness long enough you will go blind. your eyes will be come useless and will never work again.

If you see light before you go fully blind it hurts, its fuzzy, its hard to know what is going on but the longer you stay in the light the more you can see around you and know your surroundings. or you can go back into the darkness to avoid the temporary pain that comes with seeing for the first time in a long time.

Transition - “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shone.”

What Do We Do?

Only The Holy Spirit brings joy to believers, not external circumstances.

“Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.”

Are you Spiritually Bankrupt?

Then Brothers and Sisters KNOW that you need Christ. do not wait for the right feelings to come around, Choose Christ because He chose you first, then be filled with the Holy Spirit and never be poor in spirit again.

Is your Heart broken?

Shock, Rejection, Guilt, Anger, Shame, Fear, and Sadness stolen your joy? Have you believed the lies of the enemy? Has the hardness of this world made you look away from God? Give your shock, rejection, guilt, anger, shame, fear, and sadness to God and in return take the Holy Spirit who will mend your broken heart.

Are you a prisoner of this world?

Do you hear that voice? That voice that says “You can’t give up your addiction to: food, TV, Movies, Cars, cigarettes, Pot, Beer, Lust, gambling…” that’s the enemy talking. You can break free from this when you CHOOSE to trust God. When you allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in you. You can be delivered from your pain, suffering, addictions, heart break.

Are you Spiritually blind?

Does this message sting you? Does it hurt to hear the words I speak today? Are you seeing the light for the first time or for the first time in a long time? Are you disoriented from momentary blindness? Has the darkness held you so long that you cant see the light? Are you ready to be free and see the world for what it really is? Then Choose Christ who can heal the sick and open the eyes of the blind. It might hurt for a moment but after that moment you will start to see the glory of God and that He really does love you.

Do you feel a sincere regret or remorse in your heart right now?

Come up to the front I will pray with you and you will be delivered from your bondage by the blood of Christ.

if you do come up to the front I will pray with you to and you will be delivered from your bondage by the blood of Christ.

Do not let fear, or anger, or shame stop you from coming up for prayer God is more powerful than your fear, anger or shame. Freedom is here do not let these emotions stop you from being set free.

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