The Church of Eleven22 - Wk 3: Great Joy

Episode Date: December 9, 2018

The pursuit of happiness is the insatiable attempt to control your circumstances because happiness is dependent on everchanging happenings. Joy is found in the everlasting Jesus.

Amen and amen. Hey, what an unbelievable testimony about joy being found, not in our current circumstances, but in something so much greater. That's what we're going to talk about today. We're going to talk about joy throughout this whole series. We've been walking through this one statement that was made by the angels at Christmas. It's very familiar to most people. It's found in Luke chapter 2. We'll pick it up in verse 8. We're just going to unpack one little part of what they talked about. It says this in Luke 2.8. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over the flock by night, and an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy.

That will be for all the people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you. you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host, praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest. And on earth, peace among those with whom he is pleased. So today we're going to talk about great joy. Hey, by show of hands, how many of you are done with your Christmas shopping?

You are all the way done. And that means you bought stuff, not you're done because you don't buy stuff. All right, there's three people in the front. All right, good. One more time, you're done with your, you know you're proud of it. of it if that's you anybody are like how many of you not even close haven't even started perfect all right that looks like 1122 to me i'll see you at walmart on christmas eve so how many of you the whole idea like buying presents and the shopping and the fact that i brought it up right now you're like

like it kind of brings some stress to you anybody gets stressed out in this season isn't it amazing that a part of what the angels said that they were bringing is peace on earth goodwill to men and here in this passage they say that that that i've got good news of great joy. And yet it seems like in this season, when it's supposed to be the season of joy, it seems like there's more anxiety, there's more stress, there's more freaking out than any other season. Why is that? You see, the reality is every single one of us are ultimately on a joy quest. This is how we were created. Blaise Pascal, maybe you know him, he's a French philosopher, theologian, and mathematician. He said that every single one of us are driven by our own pursuit

of our personal happiness, that everything we do is rooted in that. That men go to war, that men avoid war for the same reason, that we are in pursuit of our own pleasure. Dr. John Piper, one of my favorite preachers in the world, he labels himself as a Christian hedonist. Let that sink in. A Christian hedonism is just the pursuit of your own personal pleasure by any means necessary. And he labels himself as a Christian hedonus. He says that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Now, the problem is this, is that the Bible, the gospel, Jesus, the angels here, offer great joy.

And yet most of us, especially Americans, most of us settle for something far less than that. We've settled for this thing called the pursuit of happiness. I mean, it's baked in to our Declaration of Independence. We've been sold this Bill of Goods from the very beginning. Thomas Jefferson says that we have been given by our creator certain unalienable rights. Those are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Now, listen, I'm pro-America as much as anybody. I hope we went all the Olympics and I blow up stuff on the 4th of July.

I mean, I'm about as American as it gets. You understand? Four-wheel drive and fried chicken. The whole thing, I'm all in. And the pursuit of life, praise God. And liberty, praise God. And the pursuit of happiness, really? That's it?

You see, the problem with the pursuit of happiness is this. It's just so temporary. It's just based in happenings. And in fact, a lot of historians say that where Thomas Jefferson got this idea was from a guy named John Locke, who said that the role of the government is to protect life, liberty, and personal property. And so as Americans, man, there's been a whole lot of personal property in our definition. of happiness. It's kind of been baked in from the very beginning. And again, the problem,

look, I'm not anti-happy. I hope you're happy. But the problem with happiness is it's so temporary because it's based on happenings. And when the happenings change, then your happiness can change. But it is rooted in to what we think it means to be American. In fact, I read an article years ago where they interviewed mamas from different continents, cultures, and countries, and they asked, what do you want for your children? And Jewish Mamas in Israel said, I hope my kids are obedient. Asian Mamas said, I hope my children are successful. An American mama said, I hope my kids are happy, happy.

You see, again, I'm not anti-happy. I hope you're happy. The problem is, is when we root, like, the meaning of life in our happiness, it's so temporary because it's based on happenings. and what the scriptures have for us are so much more. The scriptures have for us, Jesus has for us, joy. That's what the angel said was going to show up. Now, what most of us do in our pursuit of happiness

is we tend to run after happiness in one of three areas. Self-improvement, we look for happiness in others, or we look for happiness in what this world has to offer. Okay? So self-improvement. A lot of us look for happiness with this kind of idea. if I could just change this about me, then I'd be happy. Look, we're a few weeks away from everybody thinking they're going to get back in shape, right?

And so what everybody thinks is, if I could just change me physically, then I would be happy. If I could just lose a few pounds, if I could just fit back into those jeans, if I could just see an ab again, I haven't seen one of those since the Reagan administration. But if I could just lose this kind of weight, if I could change physically, then I'd be so happy. Now, okay, first of all, let's say you pull it off. Let's say by the time we get to Beach baptism this year, you are just, I mean, you are shredded. You're looking great, man. You got abs for days and veins, and everybody's like, whoa, who is this?

You're like, no, seriously, it's me, all right? Just a lesser version, but better. Here's the problem, even if you change everything externally that you want to, whether it's by exercise or surgery, whatever plan you're on. The problem is you're still just you, right? And can we be honest? Have you ever met one of these, like, health nut freaks? are they happy at all? They're the most miserable humans I've ever been around in my life.

I'm like, look, Skinny, will you just get over yourself, have a drink and have a donut? Give me a break. Quit judging me because I like to eat. It's just true, right? And the other thing about it, here's the problem with this kind of pursuit of happiness when we look to our physical bodies for our happiness. It's freaking exhausting. You work and work and work and work and you get right down to where you want to be.

And then Sinaitis comes out with a pumpkin donut and ruins everything. It's just true. And so some people are like, well, all right, I'm not doing the physical thing. So how about vocationally? You begin to think if I can improve myself vocationally, if I can just get the raise, if I can close the deal, if I can get the promotion, if I could just get this job, then I'd be fully and finally satisfied. And it never works, does it?

You realize most of the things that we complain about are things we prayed for sometime in the past? You realize that? Like, you can't stand your boss, but you beg God to give you this job? It's just true. And so, or sometimes we go to a hobby. We think, oh, if I can just lower my handicap, if I could just shoot a big buck, if I could catch a bigger fish, if I could catch that wave, if I could just, and the problem is the moment you achieve any of those things, it's not over because it is a pursuit for just

one more experience. And what some people will do for self-improvement is they'll go after religion. And isn't religion really just a self-improvement plan with a choir robe and a list of do's and don'ts? That's way different than a relationship with Jesus. And so a lot of us look to, hey, I'm not. just going to improve me, and if I can improve me, then I would be happy. And then some people go, you know what? Really, if I could just be in the right kind of relationship, then I would be happy. We have a lot of single people here at 1122, and I hear it all the time. If I could just get married,

then I'd be happy. That's the married people laughing right now. Oh, not you. No, I'm so happy. All right, maybe tomorrow. So, hey, married people, does marriage make you happy? Sometimes? Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it does. I mean, I'm telling you it's the wheel of fortune every day. Come on, happy. Every day. Now, sometimes it's not married. Sometimes it's people like, if I could just have kids, then I'd be happy. Do kids make you happy? Sometimes. Occasionally. All right? But here's the problem, man. When we look to other people, when we look to our relationships to fulfill us, the problem is, it's like we take their kids. keys to happiness and we hand them out to other wretched blackhearted sinners like us. And essentially what we say is when you all get your act together and when you all simultaneously treat me the way I want to be treated then and only then will I be happy. And the problem is they can't ever get their calendars right. You ever get this like your wife's having a good day but your boss isn't?

And you're like, could you just get on the same page? The problem here is we are looking for other people to do something in us that they were not created to do. It's the pursuit of happiness, okay? And so then some people turn to this world. And I mean, and some, it's like instant gratification, sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Sometimes we just look for these experiences. And I'm telling you, you can find happy.

It's just fleeting. Because when the experience changes, the happenings change, then the happiness goes out the door with it. Like the party's fun, the hangover ain't. The road to addiction, pretty sweet road. The end of that path? Brutal. Brutal. I mean, no matter what it is.

It could be a trip to the beach. Hey, listen, we live here at the beach, right? Let us testify for all the podcasters. We have literally millions of podcasters around the world. The beach ain't all that's cracked up to be, is it? Have you ever seen a happy family at the beach? No, they're screaming at each other. Or sometimes, occasionally it goes just right.

It's not too crowded, but there's enough people there to make you not feel like you're weird for sitting out there by yourself. It's not too hot. It's not too cold. all is well and then you're like oh this is so I'm so happy and then what happens some idiot from ohio shows up and goes let's feed the seagulls come in and the happiness goes away and leaves a deposit all right it's just true man it's just true you see the problem is is that when we stake our fulfillment our happiness our meaning on happenings your team can be winning for three and a half

up by two touchdowns, and you're so happy, and then the other guy comes in, and there goes happy again this year. It's exhausting. And so sometimes we turn to money and stuff. I mean, at the Christmas season, I'm telling you, we do. We begin to, even though I think there's not an 11-22 or at any of our locations that would say meaning and fulfillment come from the stuff of this world, and yet somehow we a some soul work to stuff. We do. Every single one of us do. And we began to think if I could just

have a new car, a new house, a new outfit, then somehow then I would be happy. And it is so fleeting. The answer is you're right. It's just so temporary. And the reason we lovingly call that the cul-de-sac of stupidity is not this stuff is stupid, but you're stupid. Me too. Because you begin to think that this stuff can do for you what the last stuff was unable to do. We all do it. Have you ever noticed how the stuff you have is fine until you decide you want some new stuff? And then your current stuff, you're like, this stuff is terrible. You ever do that? Like your car is fine. It's your car, man, no problem. Your truck is like your truck. You're like, cool, I like this truck. And then one day, in your mind, you make the decision, we're getting a new car. And the moment you do that, you look at

your current car with such disdain. You're like, I can't even believe I get in you. You never, noticed the French fry that was there since last July before. And the one you want is that every stoplight just calling your name. You ever noticed that? This year for Christmas, I'm asking Gretchen. Gretchen, what do you want for Christmas? And she said, I think we should get new furniture. Like, new furniture. Why would we, we just got a new, we just got a new, we just got new furniture like 14 years ago. I don't understand where I'm from, you just get furniture once. And like, that's your cat. How many with me? Like, you parents just had a cat. couch and that was the couch that was it so if you got something weird you got a weird couch for the rest of

your life and so there we are sitting on our furniture which i think it's fine i'm like why in the world look it is doing it is working we're all sitting here we're off the floor i don't understand why you would want this why can't you just be content with what we have and she goes well listen it's so dated it's like from the 90s i'm like well you like friends it's like throwback okay it's cool she's like well listen when i sit on it i i smell people People. Me and Reagan and JP were like, we're a bit offended. We're the people, okay? It's not just random people sitting on our couch. This is us. Sure enough, after I heard her spiel about new furniture, I came in a few days later, and I'm like, you know, I begin to sit down.

The moment I sat down, I'm a, oh my goodness, I smell humans. This is not, this is not okay. And immediately, you begin to look at this stuff with disdain. Then she says, what do you want for Christmas? I said, well, Matthews came out with a new bow. She said, well, what's wrong with your old bow? I said, well, it's not wrong with it. It's just this new one. It's called a vertex, and it shoots an arrow at 343 feet per second.

You should be writing this down. This is impressive. She goes, well, what's wrong with your old? I said, my old one only shoots it at 330 feet per second. She's like, well, what's the difference? I was like, that's 13 feet per second. You know how fast that is? She goes, no, I don't either.

But it seems significant. And the moment I began to think about this new one, I looked at my old one and I was like, ah, this one's just old. In fact, I preached about it Thursday, talked myself into it. I went and bought it Friday. Okay, Merry Christmas to me. So, and the reason I did is because one of our staff heard me on Thursday and said, I'll buy your old one because it would be new to him.

I'm telling you, something's wrong with us. Me too. You see, it's the pursuit of happiness. Rich Mullins, this Christian artist has passed away. He said this. his songs. He says, the stuff of earth competes for the allegiance that we owe only to the giver of all good things.

Isn't it true? You see, the problem with the pursuit of happiness, whether you're pursuing a better you, whether you're pursuing a certain type of relationship, or whether you're pursuing the stuff of this earth, the problem with it is it is so temporary. It is

so fickle. It's just based on your happenings. And when the happenings change, the happiness changes. And what that leads to, listen, church is utter exhaustion. Because in order for you to really rule this pursuit of happiness, it is all about the control of the circumstances. And as long as all the circumstances are under your control, then you can work it so that

you can get everything that you want. And then you can be happy. And the myth is that you're in control. I mean, think about it. You've got to control your emotions. You've got to control your family's emotions. You've got to control the economy. You've got to control your finances.

You've got to control the weather. got to control all of these things and these things are exhausting. And again, there's no problem being happy. The problem is that we are looking for these things to do something that they just can't do. That the created things of this world cannot fully and finally satisfy what only the creator can. They were not meant to. And this leads to stress. And this leads to anxiety.

And out the door goes peace and joy. You see, the truth of the gospel. Here's what the angels were saying. Hey, shepherds, when you lean your head in that manger and you find Jesus, you also find joy. I bring you good news of great joy. You see, because Jesus in and of himself, he fulfills all that we're actually looking for in these things. I mean, you're looking for self-improvement by improving yourself physically? Can I tell you some good news here?

Did you know that in Christ one day, you and I will receive a resurrected, glorified body? Can I get an amen? Yeah, the 40 and up crowd is with me on this one, okay? Yeah, all you 20-year-olds, God bless your flexible ministry, okay? Enjoy it now. It is fleeting. You better take a picture of that ab, all right? So it's just true, but when you're in Christ, man, it ain't all about what you look like here.

Because here's just a minute. And there is forever. You know, if you're in Christ, you don't have to define yourself by your vocation and making the next deal and getting that promotion. Because if you are in Christ, he has given you certain spiritual gifts and he has placed you in the body of Christ. And the only annual evaluation that matters is what he says. And he looks at his followers and says, well done, good and faithful servant. You see, that is good news. And in Christ, you don't have to put, you don't have to hang your happiness on the applause of man.

because you have the applause of heaven in Christ that Jesus is the greatest friend you will ever have because he loves you unconditionally and he will never leave you and he will never forsake you. And in Christ you don't have to look for the stuff of this world to satisfy. Why? Because if you're in Christ, you're going to have an inheritance that everything that is his will one day be yours. You need a little cash in the bank. You know there's so much gold in heaven they use it as pavement. Nobody's homeless. Nobody's hungry. All that he has will be ours. Also, did you know that if you're in Christ, then there should be no such thing as the midlife crisis for the Christian? Because we live forever. So that means you don't have to get worried about getting a Corvette when you're 45. You look weird driving one. You're too old for that anyway, but that's a different message. Why? Because one day we will stand in the glory of God that Jesus is more than enough. And here's the crazy thing, man. Here's the thing that doesn't make sense when you first think about it.

When we get off the merry-go-round of the pursuit of happiness and we find our joy in Jesus, then and only then can we truly enjoy the gifts that he gives us here on this earth. I'm telling you, if you're looking for ultimate satisfaction in dinner, then all it can give you is what that stake can give you. But when a Christian understands that their joy is in Jesus, then the way they eat a steak is just different. The best a pagan can do is eat a steak and go good steak. When a Christian cuts into that medium rare bone in ribba,

by the way, if you cook it any different than medium rare, we need to have a church discipline talk, but that's a different sermon too. And you bite into it and you think, how good is our God that he invented the cow so that we could do this? Now, you pita freaks. He didn't invent it for you to go pet it, all right?

then you say bless the Lord oh my soul all that is within me bless his holy name because you're not just worshipping the steak you're worshipping the giver of the steak you see that's different than just pursuing the things of this world our problem our problem is that in this pursuit of happiness in order in order for the happenings to always line up the way you need them to you have to be in control of all the circumstances. And anybody that's lived a minute understands this. This world is out of control. And when you, when you begin to feel this world being out of control, I'm telling you, even if everything's going awesome right now, even if physically you're in perfect shape and relationally, everything's going great, and you got money in the bank and all of those things,

if that is where you are looking for your satisfaction, you understand this. It's an exhausting place to be. Because right when you've got it all right, you know, if I let my hands off the wheel, man, This thing is not going to lead towards joy and contentment. This thing always swerves to the ditch of chaos. And it's exhausting. You see, C.S. Lewis, I think it's in his book, The Weight of Glory. He says, our problem is not that we want too much. He says, our problem is that we're satisfied with so little.

That you and I are like poor children making mud pies in the slums when the offer of a beach vacation is right around the corner. He goes on to say, what if, what if the reality that there's nothing in this world that will fully and finally satisfy is actually evidence that you and I were made for another world. You see, this is what the angels offer. They say, fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy. Church, I want you to make a trade today. I want you to make a trade.

I want you to trade this pursuit of happiness, these temporary things that we go out. I want you to trade that for this everlasting, eternal, great, immovable joy in Jesus Christ. Paul talks about it in Philippians chapter 4. So if you'll go there, Philippians chapter 4 beginning in verse 4, Paul says this. Now, you need to know this, is that Paul, everything circumstantially about Paul's life right now, it ain't happy. He is in prison. And from prison, he's going to talk about joy more than any other book in the Bible.

The words rejoice and joy show up over and over. and over and over in the book of Philippians, and Paul writes this from a jail sale. And he says this, rejoice in the Lord always. We can spend our whole time right here just on these words. Rejoice. The word rejoice is just the activity of joy. The word rejoice is this is what you do. When Jesus moves inside of you, joy moved in with him. And the activity of people that know Jesus us is to rejoice. When, Paul, when should we rejoice? He says, rejoice in the Lord. Notice he doesn't say rejoice in your circumstances. Rejoice in the score. Rejoice in the bank account. Rejoice in your marital status. He says this, rejoice in the Lord always, always. And then it says, again,

I say rejoice. Now, I think we look at that and we're like, Paul, what do you mean? I mean, when my circumstances are out of control, how in the world can, do you say, have joy? Angels, how can you promise great joy when everything around me is not going the way I wanted it to go? And what he's saying here is this, the reason that you can rejoice in the Lord, listen to me, church, is because only the Lord has the last word in your life. Your circumstances do not have the last word in your life. Here's what I mean. Cancer does not have the last word in your life. The doctors do not have last word in your life. Your marital status does not have the last word in your life. Your bank account does not have the last word in your life. The lawyers don't have the last word in your life. The judge

does not have the last word in your life. Your boss or manager or employment status does not have the last word in your life. Even if all of your circumstances are horrible, Jesus, the sovereign king of the universe, he has the last word in your life. And here's what he says. And here's what he says to his followers, well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master. You see, that's how you rejoice. That's how you rejoice. Not because of what's happening right now,

but because of who still has the whole world in his hands. You know what one of my favorite things to do is, for entertainment purposes? I record every Georgia football game throughout the year. I delete the losses as if they've never happened. So there's two games I'll never watch ever again this year. But the others, I watch them over and over and over. I just don't have enough time to get involved with a show with like a point.

Okay, so I just watch Georgia wins, and I love it, because I know who's going to win, and it's just stress-free entertainment for me. I love it. My kids don't always know, like, what's live and what's recorded, especially Reagan. She's nine, and she will come, and she would sit on the couch of me, and we'll be watching a game together, like the Florida game.

We're doing good. then the third quarter comes out and y'all score Felipe Franks, which y'all need a new quarterback, something fierce, by the way, but I hope you stick with him. And so he throws a touchdown and Reagan looks at me and she's like, oh, no, daddy. And I go, fear not my child. The pain may come in the third quarter, but in the fourth quarter, glory, glory to old Georgia, all right?

Why? Because I know how it's going to end. I know how it's going to end. See, I've read to the end of the book, folks. if you are in Christ, I'm telling you, I am not trying to belittle your pain. In fact, the greater the pain you're experiencing, the bigger the hope you have in glory. Because Paul says that the pain that you are experiencing pales in comparison to the glory that one day he has for you. So this is how we can rejoice in the Lord always.

And again, I say rejoice. And you say, okay, Paul, talk to me about that. He keeps going. Verse 5, let your reasonableness be known to everyone. This just means that's Greek for don't freak out. I know everybody looks at your circumstances and be like, if I was going through what you were going through, I would freak out. And Paul was like, no, no, no, no.

People should look at you and go, how are you not freaking out? And you go, I have a reason. And it's because though my world looks like it's out of control, my God is still in control. I may not understand what he's doing right now, but I understand that God works in all things for the good of those that love him and are called according to his purpose. And even though I don't understand his hands, because of the cross of Jesus Christ, I can trust his heart. He says, so let your reasonableness, be a hard word to say for me at least. Be known to everyone.

The Lord is at hand. In other words, God's got this. And then he says this, verse 6, this kind of makes me laugh. Do not be anxious about anything. Imagine if Paul was your counselor. And you're like, I am struggling with anxiety. And Paul's like, sure, come on, have a seat on the couch. So tell me.

And you're like, oh, man, my finances, my relationships. I mean, this is going on with my kids. I got this health concern. And I'm just really anxious about this. And Paul would be like, cool, okay, here's what you do. Ready? Don't. All right, anything else?

Have you ever noticed, do you know people that worry a lot? Have you ever noticed if you say don't worry? It usually elevates the worry. It's like this. Have you ever tried this? I would highly encourage you not to, but you'll know what I'm talking about. Has your wife ever overreacted to a thing? Just imagine. And you said, hey, baby, you used to need to calm down. And she went, you know what, I think you're right? I just, I appreciate your headship. Thank you for leading me in a godly way. And just went.

Does that ever happen? No, okay. Not once ever, ever, ever. and yet Paul looks at people that are anxious, which is all of us, and he goes, don't be anxious about anything. Okay, Paul, how do we do that? But in everything by prayer and supplication. So here's what Paul is doing here. Paul is saying, okay, take the thing that you're freaking out about, okay, take the thing, the circumstance that you're trying to be of control over in your pursuit of happiness.

Take that thing, finance, relational, spiritual, whatever it is. Take that thing. and you've got one or two options with that. You can either put that in the worry bucket or you can put that in the prayer bucket. That's what you should do. And with everything, you don't put anything in the anxious bucket, but you put everything and you put it in the prayer bucket. You guys have any people in your life, and you know if you give them an assignment,

you've got to go back around and check a couple of times. You know these people? I know there's nobody here, but, you know, they all didn't come to church today because it was raining. Those people? Okay. You know why you have to check on them? Because you don't trust them, right? I mean, fundamentally, maybe they're not trustworthy, but essentially you don't trust them.

Do you have other people in your life that you work with or in your family? And you know if you give them a thing, you never have to worry about that thing again, because actually they're going to make it better than what you gave them. You know those kind of people too? Maybe you work with them. I hope so. I work with a lot of those people. Do you know why you can do that?

Because you trust them. Paul essentially is saying this. If you pray, why worry? and if you're going to worry about it, why pray? You take that thing, and no matter what it is, no matter what that thing is, you put none of these things in the worry anxiety bucket. Why? Because the Lord is at hand. Don't be anxious about anything. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, prayer is just this general kind of talk to God. Supplication is like specific about what this thing is in your life.

And then it goes on to say, and with Thanksgiving, by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving. Did you know every single one of us live on this continuum between entitlement and gratitude? Entitlement and gratitude. And I'm telling you, a guaranteed way to worry in your life, to be anxious in your life, to be stressed out in your life, to stomp out all of the joy in your life, it's been all of your time, effort, and energy focusing on what you don't have. And a way to build gratitude in your life is to be thankful and focus on the places where God has all. already blessed you. I hope you've done this thing that I ask you to do two or three times a year.

I hope you've come up with your gratitude list. Here at 1122, we ask every single person to make a gratitude list. However old you are, that's how many entries into the gratitude list you should have. I got 45 on my list. And the moments, I feel like the stress and the anxiety begin to rise up in me because I'm trying to control situations that are out of control, then one of the things that I will do, I keep it on my phone so I can just pull out that gratitude list and be reminded. minded of God's faithfulness at least 45 times in my life over and over and over and over. And so Paul says, don't be anxious about anything. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with Thanksgiving, he says, let your request be made

known to God. Think about this. How good is our Heavenly Father that he would say, hey, are you worried about something? Won't you just bring it to me? In fact, when Jesus teaches his own prayer, he says that when we pray, we should never stop praying, that we should ask, that we should seek, and that we should knock. And in the Greek, the verb tense of those verbs mean this, that you should ask and ask and ask and ask again and keep on asking. And seek and seek and seek again and keep on seeking. And knock and knock and knock

and knock again and keep on knocking. Think about that. You worried about something? God says, come on, bring that to me. Come on. Ask me again. Ask me again. He's a good dad that loves to give good gifts to his kids. Think about how patient our father is with us. because I don't know about you, but I tend to worry about the same things over and over and over, do you? It's not like brand new things that pop up in my life. It's pretty much the same things. And God says about that in our prayer life, come on, let's just ask me again. Listen, in my house, if the words ask me again come out of my mouth, that is not a happy day.

It's not like, oh, ask me again. It's more like, ask me again. That's usually how that goes. And God says, if you're stressed out, then come on, bring it to me. Ask me again, ask me again. ask me again, let your request be made known to God. Did you know that the good news is that God always answers prayer? Sometimes he says yes, and a whole bunch of times he goes, I love you, no. Why? Because there's no good parent that always says yes, they're their kids. You've met some of those

kids. They're not awesome people. In fact, when I was a kid, I think I was about six or seven years old, I asked for a horse and a 30-a-6. For Christmas, my dad gave me a beagle and a red rider BB gun. You know why? He said, I love you. That way. No way, no way. And so often, and here's what we know in prayer, that God is at work in all things for the good of those that love him and are called according to his purpose. So he says, instead of freaking out about it, why don't you pray about it? Bring it to me. Let your request be made known to God. Verse 7 and the peace of God. which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. This is what joy is. That the peace, not a peace of God, but the same peace that God has. Think about how much peace God has. You know why you don't have peace?

Because you're not in control. God's in control of everything. That's why his ultimate peace. He says, and when we draw near to him, we get him. And along with him, we get peace. And then look what God does on our behalf. It says, in the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding. I memorized it in the NIV 100 years ago, and I memorized which transcends all understanding.

In other words, folks like J.T. on that video, you look at that video and you think, if I had his diagnosis, I think I would lose my mind. And he says, my joy is not found in my circumstances or my scans. My joy is found in Jesus. And you're like, that doesn't even make sense. And you're like, right. because the peace of God transcends understanding. How God. Because God promises to at least two things.

He says, I'll guard your heart. I'll guard your heart. Here's what this means, is that you will begin to understand that your emotions serve you, that you don't serve your emotions. Emotions are a gift from God, a gift from God, but they are not our Lord.

Jesus is our Lord. In Ecclesiastes chapter 3, there's a list of all kinds of emotions. There's a time to laugh, there's a time to cry, There's a time to mourn. There's a time to rejoice. There's a time for singing.

There's a time for weeping. And the crazy thing is, some dummy a long time ago, it's probably a preacher, equated with holding emotions to strength. That is so anti-biblical. I can't even describe it. You see, when Jesus was sad, Jesus wept, and he's the strongest man to ever live. But what it means that God will guard our heart is that our emotions are not our Lord. That Jesus is our Lord. So do you get angry?

Of course you, if you're a Christian, you get frustrated. But it's the same thing. And the Bible says, be angry, just don't sin. Do you get sad? No problem. Just don't give up your hope. You see, Jesus will guard our emotions, will guard our heart and mind, and mine. Because I'm telling you, when circumstances get out of control, particularly if you were on the pursuit of happiness, it is fertile soil.

It is prime real estate for the father of life. to begin to whisper his lies into your mind. Like when things feel like they're falling apart in your world, then you begin to hear these whispers. See, God doesn't love you. It could not be further from the truth. Or the enemy will begin to whisper into your mind. The reason this has happened into you is because it's your fault.

You are condemned. And God says, hey, when you bring that stuff to me, I'll guard your mind. I'll remind you of Romans 8, chapter 8, verse 1, that therefore now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. When the enemy begins to whispers, God is so disappointed in you. That's why it's not going your way. Then God, who guards your mind, will remind you of what 1st John says that this is love. Not that we love God, but he loved us first.

And sin his son is a propitiation for our sin. And propitiation means a payment that satisfies. That means if Jesus is the payment that fully satisfies the perfection, the law, the wrath of God, then he cannot be dissatisfied in you. Because what Jesus did was complete on the cross. You see, in essence, what we do is this, is when we begin to get anxious, when our joy is fleeting, when we're trying to control all the circumstances in order for us to have happiness, essentially what we have done is we have taken our trust, we have taken our faith, and we have placed them in our circumstances. And it's exhausting. And what the gospel is asking us to do is to snatch back our trust and faith and bring them to the sovereign king of the universe.

and say, Father, here you go. I trust you with my life, not my circumstances. Paul says, finally. This is how you know he's a good preacher because he says finally, and then he keeps going for like a whole other chapter. He says, finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable.

If there is anything excellent, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. By the way, the only thing that can live up to that definition is the person of Jesus Christ himself. And you see, what he's saying here is, where do you focus your attention? Because your life will follow your focus of attention. It just will.

And if you focus on your circumstances alone, you're going to be a wreck and you're going to be exhausted. And so snatch back your focus from your temporary circumstances. Bring those things to me and put your focus and attention on the person of Jesus, on the gospel, that he's still got the whole world in his hands. That's what he promises. And then look what happens as a result.

He says, what you've learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things. Let me just say this. For a lot of us, this does not come naturally. A lot of you are by nature, warriors and pessimists. And so sometimes you've got to fake it until you make it. You've got to watch the words that come out of your mouth. You've got to watch what you're putting in your mind. You might need to quit half the Netflix stuff you watch because it is not honorable.

It is not just. It is not pure. it is just causing you to go deeper and deeper and deeper into the exhaustion of controlling your circumstances. And he says, practice focusing on me. The way he'll say it in Colossus chapter 3 is this. He says, fix your attention on things above and not on the things of this earth. And then what happens, Paul? What if we do that? And the God of peace will be with you. You see, and the first cousin of peace is joy. It's a fruit of the spirit. Man, look what he says. He does not say, if you do these three steps, then you will receive peace.

He says this, when you lean into God, God scoops you up into his arms, and when you lean into him, you get him. And there's some stuff that comes along with him. It's called the fruit of the spirit, like love and joy, peace and patience, and kindness, and goodness, and gentleness, and self-control. and the God of peace shows up with you. Listen, it's called the fruit of the spirit, not the root of the spirit. The fruit of the spirit. This means when you get God, these other things come along like joy, peace, patience, love. The fruit of the pursuit of happiness is anxiety and exhaustion.

Because it's just, I'm telling you, it's exhausting to always try to be in control of all your circumstances. verse 10 he says I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me you were indeed concerned for me but you had no opportunity this means they were going to support his ministry verse 11 not that I am speaking of being in need for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content I memorized it in the NIV a long time ago and I memorized it this way Paul says this I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation Imagine that for a second. Imagine if from today on, like you walk out of church today,

and for the rest of your life, you rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I'll say it rejoice. That you were anxious about nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication and with Thanksgiving, you made your request known to God. And the God of peace that transcends understanding, guarded your heart and guarded your mind in Christ, Jesus. and from this day forward, you learn to be content, no matter what.

Like you won the lottery and you were content. Now that's how I hope the Lord teaches me in this discipleship. I'll have to buy a ticket, but whatever. Or you lose it all in your content. Because you realize that riches nor poverty define you. But Jesus does. that your marital status doesn't define you. Jesus does.

That your kid's behavior doesn't define you. Jesus does. And so from prison, Paul says, hey, Philippa, come here. Don't tell anybody. I got a secret. I got a secret to being content in every situation. Can you imagine that? Because that's ultimately the pursuit we're after.

Like down at the soul level, to be able to look around at our circumstances and say, hey, this is not okay. It is not okay. And I have a whole lot of emotion that is connected to the circumstances that are not okay. And yet deep down here at the soul level, I know it's going to be okay. And Paul says, I've learned the secret of being content in every situation. Well, it turns out it's not a big secret anymore. The secret is Jesus. That in Jesus, we have joy. not just temporary happiness that changes when the happenings change, but we have joy that will never, ever, ever change. He says, I know how to be brought low, I know how to abound, and in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

In other words, my circumstance is no longer defined me, but the sovereign king of the universe tells me who I am. And then a very famous verse that has nothing to do with scoring touchdowns. He says, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. That's right. That when Christ is my joy, I can do anything. I can face promotion and I can face cancer. I can face divorce and I can face deep abiding relationships.

I can face parenthood and I can face huge disappointments in relationships. That with Christ as my joy, I can do all things. I can walk through anything this world has for me. I can do all things through him who strengthens. than me. Here's the point. The pursuit of happiness is the insatiable attempt to control your circumstances because happiness is dependent on ever-changing happenings. Joy is found in the everlasting Jesus. So man, Christmas time brings it up like no other time, right? Which is crazy because it's supposed to be peace on earth, goodwill to men. Great joy. And yet oftentimes there's

greater anxiety, greater stress, greater. greater exhaustion. So let me ask you, are you tired? I mean, are you tired? Let's be honest, it just got started too. The kids are still in school. Good gracious, when they get out, give me a break. Are you anxious?

I mean, are you stressed out? Like some family members are coming in, and you know your mother-in-law never likes the way you do the casserole because you don't do it like her great-grandma from like, you know, back in the 1800s or whatever it was. Are you stressed out because you don't know what to get everybody? Or maybe sin has ravaged your family like mine and every Christmas. You've got four places that you're supposed to be.

And you're thinking, I didn't make this decision as a child, and yet I've got to figure out the repercussions of it. Or maybe you're stressed out because you want to give your kids everything that you never got and you just don't have enough money to do it. And you don't want anybody to know that. Or maybe it's your schedule. You're supposed to go to all these Christmas parties that are supposed to be fun, and they're kind of fun, but every night of the week, over and over and over and over. Or every day you open the mailbox, and there's another Christmas card of this perfect family.

And yours isn't perfect. Or like maybe this Christmas is the first year since the divorce went through, and you're trying to navigate the kids. Or maybe this is the first Christmas of your life you wake up without them. And you're freaking out. Or maybe you're going to be with some family members, and you've got some, like, legit, unresolved stuff. You know that at reunion, you're going to be face-to-face with that uncle, and you're still not reconciled. And the stress level is just through the roof. Or maybe it's spiritual.

Maybe you feel like you're a million miles away from God. Maybe that's why you showed up to church today. You go, oh, I know. If I start acting right again, then maybe he'll kind of receive me back. And you're really just pursuing religion. Well, with that in mind, by the way, all of those things is just trying to pursue happiness, trying to be in control of your circumstances that because we live in a broken and sinful world, our circumstances are out of control.

And let's be honest, it is exhausting. It is absolutely exhausting. And yet Jesus offers something different. Jesus offers joy. with that in mind, with these verses in mind, listen to the invitation of our Lord and Savior. In Matthew chapter 11, Jesus says it this way. Jesus says, come to me all who labor and are heavy laden. Let me take some liberality there based on what we've been talking about.

What if Jesus says to us, come to me all you who have been on this rat race of the pursuit of happiness? come to me all you who have been looking for the things of this world to do in you what they were not meant to do come to me all of you who are absolutely exhausted by being in total control of all the circumstances to try to get what you want and you realize today this Christmas it is just out of your control and you're tired and you don't know if you can keep doing it anymore and Jesus says well I have good news you don't have to he says come to me all who lay and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. He says, take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your soul.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. That's what joy is. Joy is when you have that rest for your soul, because you realize you don't have to be in control of everything, because he is, and he is for you. He is not against you. And so, for all who are tired and stress and anxious and disappointed, for all who aren't sure how the next couple of weeks are going to go, and you for sure aren't into the way the last few weeks have gone.

Jesus says, won't you come to me? And what you get is you get me. You get Jesus. And a byproduct of Jesus is that you get rest for your soul. The way Peter is going to say it in verse Peter 5, 7, he says, says cast all your cares upon him because he cares for you cast all your cares upon him this word cast it I mean just like one of the there's a Christian phrase that says you just got to lay that at the altar you just got to lay that at the feet of Jesus you know what church people are really good at

especially a church like ours is that we take our anxiety we take the things that we're worried about we take our circumstances and we come down to the altar and we go there you go Jesus I'm going put it at your feet and we pray about it and then we pick it up and we care it back out with us. Or we cast our cares upon him like you cast a rod and reel. Like you throw it out there, but as a moment you throw it out to him, you start reeling it back into yourself, seeing worry about it. He goes, no, not like that. Why don't you throw all of your anxieties, your worries, your cares, your controlling of your circumstances? Would you just throw that on me?

come to me all who are weary and heavy burden come to me all who are exhausted this christian christmas and i will give you rest for your soul something i find so interesting is when the angels show up to the shepherds and say behold we bring good news of great joy i wonder what the shepherds were expecting to find they've heard of the messiah they've heard of the christ i bet when they show up in bethlehem they think they're going to meet a king and a queen and a little baby king on a throne. And yet, here's the thing about shepherds in the first century, man, they were vagrants, they were nobodies. Their testimony was not admissible in a court of law. They were a half a click away from homeless. They were known as thieves and nobodies and poor, poor, poor people.

And I wonder if they're mine, they thought, well, if we're going to get joy, if we get great joy, that must mean everything is changing for us. And yet nothing about their circumstances has changed. But when they made their way to Bethlehem and they looked in that little feeding trough, they met Jesus. And in that, they met joy. And the Bible says, and the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them. Even though nothing in their circumstances had changed, they traded in their sorrows for joy because they met Jesus. So what about you? Are you hurting, are you stressed, are you freaking out?

Don't be anxious about anything. But by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, make your request known to God. In just a second, when we close, I want to invite you. I want you to come. I want you to kneel before your king, your sovereign, your maker, your heavenly father. Who says, bring it to me. Bring it to me. And I can give you a peace that transcends understanding.

I can guard your heart, I can guard your mind. Jesus says, I can give you rest for your soul. Would you please stand? Let me pray for you. Our good and gracious Heavenly Father, God, we love you more than anything. Father, we pray, Lord, that the peace of Christ that transcends understanding would guard our hearts and minds in you. Holy Spirit, I pray that you would do what only you can do. God, that you would comfort the afflicted.

and that, God, you would stir up in us those that have gotten way too comfortable. God, may we as Jesus' followers put our trust in you. God, may you give us the power to snatch back our fate from our circumstances and once again cast all of our cares upon you because you care for us. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.