THE JOY OF BELIEVING (1 OF 3)
by Jeff Schreve
Scripture: Luke 1:26-56
This content is part of a series.
The Joy of Believing (1 of 3)
The Joy of Christmas
Jeff Schreve
Luke 1:26-56
If you have your Bible, please turn to Luke, chapter 1. We are officially in the Christmas season, as this is the beginning of December. December and Christmastime fell really close to Thanksgiving and so, not to squeeze out Thanksgiving, but we're already into the Christmas season, and the church is so beautifully decorated. I praise God for the people who did such a great work to get our grounds looking so good.
We are starting a new series today called The Joy of Christmas, because Christmas is a time of joy. You know that we talk about the Christmas spirit and the Christmas spirit is one of giving and it's one of joy. When the angel came to the shepherds in Luke, chapter 2, the angel said, "Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people, for today in the city of David a Savior has been born for you who is Christ the Lord." Christmas is a joyous time. It's a time to rejoice and a time to celebrate.
Now, the question is very simple and very straightforward: Do you have joy? I'm not talking about happiness. I'm talking about joy. You know, there's a difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is external. Happiness depends on what is happening to you. And if you're happenstances are good, you're happy, and if your happenstances are bad, you're unhappy. But joy is not based on circumstances. Joy is something that is deeper. As someone once said, "Happiness is like a thermometer; it registers conditions. But joy is like a thermostat, and it regulates conditions." Joy comes from God. It's one of those things that's part of the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. It comes from God, true joy. You can't have true joy apart from God because it's part of God's things. And you enter into joy when you believe the Lord, when you believe the message that He gives in His Word, ...
The Joy of Christmas
Jeff Schreve
Luke 1:26-56
If you have your Bible, please turn to Luke, chapter 1. We are officially in the Christmas season, as this is the beginning of December. December and Christmastime fell really close to Thanksgiving and so, not to squeeze out Thanksgiving, but we're already into the Christmas season, and the church is so beautifully decorated. I praise God for the people who did such a great work to get our grounds looking so good.
We are starting a new series today called The Joy of Christmas, because Christmas is a time of joy. You know that we talk about the Christmas spirit and the Christmas spirit is one of giving and it's one of joy. When the angel came to the shepherds in Luke, chapter 2, the angel said, "Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people, for today in the city of David a Savior has been born for you who is Christ the Lord." Christmas is a joyous time. It's a time to rejoice and a time to celebrate.
Now, the question is very simple and very straightforward: Do you have joy? I'm not talking about happiness. I'm talking about joy. You know, there's a difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is external. Happiness depends on what is happening to you. And if you're happenstances are good, you're happy, and if your happenstances are bad, you're unhappy. But joy is not based on circumstances. Joy is something that is deeper. As someone once said, "Happiness is like a thermometer; it registers conditions. But joy is like a thermostat, and it regulates conditions." Joy comes from God. It's one of those things that's part of the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. It comes from God, true joy. You can't have true joy apart from God because it's part of God's things. And you enter into joy when you believe the Lord, when you believe the message that He gives in His Word, ...
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