The Promises of Christmas: Joy When You've Lost It

If you have your Bibles this morning, I’d like to invite you to read turn along with me to Luke chapter two. Luke chapter two. And while you’re turning there, I just have a quick win that I’m wanting to excited to share with you. If you know this, that we partner with a man named Jesse Harden and New Creation Albuquerque, an amazing man. He does incredible work in the international district. If you don’t know, we introduced you to him, I think was it earlier this year. Years are long, but it was earlier this year. And he’s an amazing story, but he he felt called to that area. It’s the roughest area in town, and so he moved him, his wife, his kids, they moved all into this neighborhood and they’ve given their lives to be Jesus, the hands and feet of Jesus to these people in very real situations.

And this past week they were able, so it’s the week before, not this past one, but the week before that, they were able to break ground on and renovate, beginning a renovation on a seven-unit apartment complex to provide affordable affordable housing to families. I think I’ve got some some pictures up. So cool. So what they’re doing is they’re renovating all of the apartment units, and they’re not raising the price at all for these people because that’s usually what happens. People will come in, renovate, price people out. And so they haven’t done that, and so we’re really grateful for that. And you might be thinking, are we paying for all that? Well, no, we’re chipping in in a small way, but the state actually committed to $600,000, even over to that project, and so we’re grateful. And so this is the impact that you play a part of when you give and when you pray. And we’re just a church. We want to say that we’re a church committed to making a difference in our city. Amen.

Okay, will you pray with me? Heavenly Father, we’re so grateful that you’re here with us today. Thank you for your church, thank you for your word. We ask that you would speak to us, speak to our hearts, and that you would give us the courage and the help to obey what you would teach us. It’s in your sins, let me pray. Everybody said, Amen.

The Promises of Christmas

Well, we were starting a series this morning called The Promises of Christmas. It’s our Advent series. And the basic idea of the series is this, you know, for a lot of people, myself included, Christmas is a celebration of all of the blessings we’ve been given. I’ve got a great family, I’ve got great friends, I’ve got like great joy. But we also know that for other people, the Christmas season is a reminder of all the things that they don’t have. But did you know that Christmas actually isn’t about you at all? Turns out. Turn well, apparently, Christmas is about Jesus. And the incarnation. What that means is it’s when when God Himself puts on flesh in the form of Jesus and lives amongst us to save us from the plans of the enemy and also to save us for our from ourselves. And the good news is this that the good news of Jesus is better than any bad news in our lives.

And so, and so for the next four weeks, what we’re wanting to do, we’re wanting it to be a positive, joyful season and series, is we’re going to be talking about four things that Jesus has come to bring. These are the promises of Christian Christmas, not from Santa, but from Jesus. And they’re the four weeks are going to be this joy, peace, favor, and good news. And so this week, what we’re wanting to talk about is joy. Well, you say that word with me. Joy.

I want to start off with what the angels say to the shepherds that first Christmas night. They say this, Luke chapter two, verse 10.

But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people.

Somebody say good news. Did you know that when Jesus came, that was good news? It was actually a positive for humanity that Jesus came. I bring you good news, and what’s the result of the good news? Listen, that will cause great joy for all people. So the angel says, Don’t be afraid, I bring you good news that will cause great joy.

Did you know that that phrase, don’t be afraid or fear not, it actually appears in the Bible 366 times. All of the old preachers would say one for every day of the year, plus a yeet leap year, they would say. But don’t be afraid. And I I think that’s a I think that’s a word for me right now. It’s a word for you right now. Don’t be afraid. Turn to your neighbor and say, Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid. Jesus comes to bring us good news that should cause in us great joy.

And this is this is what I think. I think if there’s anything that you believe about God that doesn’t lead to great joy, well, then you’ve got a wrong idea. Every facet of who God is should lead to great joy. You know, it says in scripture that there is no darkness in him. And does that mean he’s not righteous? Does that mean he’s not just no, no, but I’m saying everything that he does is out of love that should cause us great joy. And when I’m in relationship with God, that’s good news. Not that produces fear in me, but that produces great joy.

And I love that phrase. I love that phrase, great joy. I just love it. Great joy. Because it’s so opposite from what you see in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2025, November 30th, right? It’s just so different. Like when you drop when you drive on the freeway, you can tell what people do not have is great joy. Right? When you’re in Smith’s, what you know people are not experiencing is great joy. Did you know that? Did you know that researchers tell us that more people attempt and commit suicide between Thanksgiving and Christmas than the rest of the year combined? Think about that. Combined.

And so this is a season of great joy, but it’s also a season for a lot of people of great pain. And so on one hand, this whole season is a season of great light because we’re celebrating God coming to man. On the other hand, it’s a season of darkness where the enemy brings despair and hopelessness into people’s lives. And so it’s a season where God is active. But it’s also a season where the enemy is active. And so what you need to combat the work of the enemy is great joy. Great joy.

The master of misdirection

I’ve showed you this picture before, but this is a man named Tony Slidini. He’s a magician, famous. And he was known as the master of misdirection. Master of misdirection. And if you don’t know what misdirection is, misdirection is when when a magician through sly tricks, he takes your eye away from the action. So the magician helps you like focus on this hand while the deception is happening in this hand. It’s misdirect. You’re looking at the wrong thing.

And I would like to submit to you that one of the primary ways the enemy attacks Christians in 2025 is misdirection. Satan has been defeated on the cross. Did you know that? He has been defeated on the cross. And so he had to change methods. And so I think he’s become a master of misdirection. And while you’re looking here, he hits you with a sneak attack over here.

So let me tell you what I think about Santa. Are you ready? You want to roll? Alright. I like Santa. I think he’s cool. I like his hat. I like his beard. I like that he’s fat. I like this. The Santa at Cottonwood Mall is definitely the best Santa in the city. He’s the best. We go every year and we pay way too much money for like seven photos with my daughter Grace. She wants to meet Santa. I like Santa. Some people are like, oh I like that he was based off of Saint Nicholas, who was a bishop. He was a Christian. But I put Santa in the same category as I put presents, Christmas caroling, Christmas movies, eggnog. I like all of that. But if you’re not careful, it can act as a distraction. Right? Where you’re focused here, but the real action that the enemy wants you to not notice is over here. And so that’s not a knock on Santa. Just don’t get distracted. Don’t get distracted.

I don’t know if you know this. We’re talking about joy. The devil doesn’t care if you’re happy. He doesn’t care. You know, it isn’t mine. But but he does want you weak. And he knows that if you lose your joy, you lose your strength. Look at this. Nehemiah chapter 8, verse 10.

For the joy of the Lord is your strength.

And when you don’t have joy, you don’t have strength. And when you don’t have joy, you look weak. Because you are weak. Right? You know, this I meet some unhappy Christians. Some miserable, morose, pathetic looking. And it’s like, it’s like you look weak and you are weak. Because the joy of the Lord is our strength. And I want to declare this over our church today. Jesus has come to bring us great joy. Come on, somebody. Clap your hands. I’ll start preaching.

Joy is spiritual, not natural

I’ve got three things. It’s not going to be long. I’ve got three things I want you to write down about joy. Number one is this joy is spiritual, not natural. Joy is spiritual, not natural.

I want to talk about just briefly the difference between joy and happiness. I think sometimes when people do this joy versus happiness thing, they’re kind of like arguing over words. I never think arguing over words is a great idea. But I do think for the Christian, there’s a meaningful difference. Because happiness is temporary and joy is eternal. There’s a difference. Happiness, listen to me, requires the right happenings. But joy exists outside of circumstances. The things that happen.

And there’s nothing wrong with happiness. I love happiness. I like being happy. I like when things go my way. I like when I buy a new thing. I like when somebody tells me they like my jokes. I I like all of that. You know, like I like technology, I like I love all that. But it but if all you have is situational happiness, when the situation changes, so does your happiness. Look at look at how C.S. Lewis says it in the Mere Christianity. I know a lot of you have read it. He says this.

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

He’s saying, he’s saying that cars and watches and living in the right zip code, right? And having all the right zeros and all the right places, like steak dinners, fancy shoes. They all promise something they can never deliver. And not because they’re bad, but because the but because they bring you happiness and not joy.

That’s the the entire book of Ecclesiastes is about precisely this. It’s the richest man in the entire world, right? He’s the richest man, and he he he writes an entire book that basically says, like, hey, I’m at the top of the hill, and I just wanted you to know there’s nothing up here. I’ve spent my entire life climbing this hill, and there’s nothing good. There’s nothing there’s nothing good up there. He says it’s just just nothing. He says it’s meaningless.

So am I saying you can’t have a nice car? No. Am I saying you can’t have nice things? No. But I am saying that those things are separate from joy. And I I I don’t I don’t know why even Christians get so confused about it. You know, there’s like people who say that they’ve given their entire life to following Jesus and they think getting a promotion is going to make them somehow full of joy. It’s not. It will make you happy for a short time, but joy is something different. Joy is something that joy is something that stays with you even when circumstances change.

And I I would say I would say this I think joy is most profoundly expressed in seasons of pain. Right? Because when you’re on that first day, it’s easy. Everyone’s smiling when things are going good. But the people who are smiling when things are going hard, those are people that have spiritual joy. And happiness can’t replace it because if you don’t have real joy, you will never have enough money. Never. I like money. I try to earn as much money. Like I like money, right? But but but if you don’t have joy, you’ll never have enough money. If you don’t have real joy, your car will never be fast enough. If you don’t have real joy, your house will never be big enough. Is it wrong to have nice things? No, but you just gotta make sure those things don’t have you. And there’s a difference.

How do I know if they have me? Because because you tell yourself, if I just had a little bit more, then I’d be happy. There’s people in here that are making 40k and they’re thinking, man, if I could just make 60,000 a year, then I’d be happy. There’s people in here making a hundred thousand a year, and they’re thinking, man, if I could just make two hundred thousand a year, then I’d be happy. But it it it you can climb that mountain your entire life, and Solomon says, There’s nothing up there. We can say confidently, there’s John Rockefeller, you know him, he’s a man exceptionally wealthy, and when he was asked, how much money is enough? Y’all remember what he says? Just a little bit more. And that’s always the case. There’s people that think, man, if I could earn a million dollars like that, but you know, it’s like, oh, a million ain’t what it used to be. But there’s people no, and we and we all feel so bad for you. But if if if what you’re chasing is something that provides happiness, then you’ll be happy for a while. The point is, joy from temporary things doesn’t work. You get happiness from temporary things, but you get joy, eternal joy, from being connected to the Father.

Look at look at this, Ephesians chapter 5, verse 18, it says this

do not get drunk on wine, which which leads to debauchery, instead be filled with the Holy Spirit.

So, what’s he talking about? He well, he’s talking about substituting something spiritual with something natural. He says, Be filled with don’t don’t replace being filled with the spirit by being drunk on wine. I’m gonna take it a step further. Don’t be drunk on money. Don’t get drunk on popularity, don’t get drunk on success. Because you’re trying it because you’re trying to satisfy something eternal with something that expires. So rather than being drunk, what does he say? Instead of being drunk with wine, be filled with the Holy Spirit. He’s saying that void on the inside of you can’t be filled with wine. That void on the inside of you can only be filled with the Holy Spirit. So maybe, I don’t know who I’m talking to. Maybe what you need is not another drink. Maybe what you need is not another car. Maybe what you need is not another race. Maybe what you need is not natural, it’s spiritual.

You know, if you go to the book of Genesis, it’s the first book in your Bible. The first chapter, it’s interesting that God, you know, because we know that God made the dirt, we know that. But actually, if you read it, it’s pretty interesting. Is that God commands the dirt to make plants? That’s in your Bible. He he says, let the earth produce plants. And so plants were made from the dirt. And so if you pull, like if you you take a flower and you pull it out of the dirt, well, then death begins. The moment you pull it out of its source, and you might be thinking you might cut it and you give it to someone, and it’s like, oh, that’s so beautiful. Yeah, it’s beautiful, but it’s dead. Maybe you put them in a vase and you, you know, put the little packet in there or whatever to try to make it last like a whole four days. And then afterwards you’re like, oh, my flowers died. They’ve been dead the entire time. You were given a flower corpse. Unless it was in dirt, right? It’s been dead the entire time.

Same with water. Did you know that God comm He comes and He commands the water to make fish? So he goes, he says, Let the water produce fish. And so if you pull out a fish from the water, well, it’ll live for a couple minutes, but the dying process has already started. Why? Because you’ve removed it from its source. So plants need the dirt. Right? Fish need the water. But did you know that when God created mankind, he didn’t talk to the dirt. He didn’t talk to the water. He didn’t even talk to the air. Because you know, it’s kind of like the environment that we need is air. He didn’t talk to the air. When God created me and you, he talked to himself. Isn’t that interesting?

And so the way that I like to say it is this God is the atmosphere that we’re designed to live in. And outside of that environment, we the dying process begins. And so it’s like a like for a plant to say, like, I don’t, I don’t need the dirt. What I need is a nice car. It’s ridiculous. Because it doesn’t have its source. Or like a fish to say, like, I don’t need water, I need a nice house. It’s ridiculous. It’s it’s just as ridiculous than a person saying, I don’t need God, I need popularity and success. It’s ridiculous. Simple point is this that joy comes from something other than earthly pleasures. You can get temporary happiness from earthly things, but you cannot get real joy. True joy comes from being connected with the source, and that’s your relationship with God Himself. Number one is this joy is spiritual, not natural.

Joy is strength, not a feeling

Number two is this joy is strength, not a feeling. Joy is strength, not a feeling. I’m gonna read it one more time. Nehemiah chapter 8, verse 10.

For the joy of the Lord is your strength.

So let me ask you a question. How are you strong when you have joy? Well, when you have joy, temptation doesn’t have any power over you. Because you’re not trying to fill something. I say this all the time. I’ve said this for years. Desperate people don’t make good decisions. Like that’s Esau in the Bible. He sells his birthright for a cup of stew because he was hangry. If y’all don’t know hangry, it’s hungry and angry. My daughter, she doesn’t get hungry. She gets angry. So without the contentment that comes from spiritual joy, then we’re just wandering around, trying to fill that void with whatever you see. And so a joyless Christian is a tempted Christian. Because when you don’t have joy, you’re looking. You’re looking for something that’s going to fill that thing on the inside of you, and so you’re weak. But a joyful Christian is a strong Christian.

Look at this. Proverbs chapter 27, verse 7.

One who is full loathes honey from the comb, but to the hungry, even what is bitter tastes sweet.

Isn’t that an interesting verse? When you’re full, like even good food doesn’t sound good. But like when you’re hungry, even what’s bitter tastes sweet. Did you know that you can be attracted to what’s unhealthy for you when you’re hungry? And I just I don’t I don’t mean just like physical hunger, spiritual hunger, emotional hunger. That you can be attracted to things that you know are unhealthy for you because you’re hungry.

We watch my wife and I we watch this show alone. Anybody? Okay, it’s like a survival show. It’s kind of brutal. They they kill animals and stuff. We just fast forward that part. AJ was like, well, you probably fast forward the entire show. No, only half. We watch we watch the talking parts. But these people, they’re they’re like thrown into these desolate environments and they and they’re just trying to survive. And so they don’t have any food. They they get like seven things, so like they get a little flint and just a couple little things. And so they’re out there trying to survive. So they gotta build shelter, they gotta get food, and so they’ll you know make their little fishing poles out of like line and a little twig and stuff. And sometimes the fish are biting and life is good, but sometimes the fish aren’t biting and they’re like super hungry. And so you you you you know, you don’t eat anything but leaves for like 12 days, and some of these people they’ll they’ll like come across a like a bird carcass, you know, with like no head, and they say like yum. They think it looks great, and so and some of them eat it, and then they get salmonella, and they’ve got to like get medvaced out of the show so they don’t die.

But I bet but I bet if you would honestly assess your life, I bet you would admit that some of the worst decisions you’ve ever made in your life is when you were hungry. That’s right. Right, and not just not just food, emotionally hungry, professionally hungry, relationally hungry. And you can be hungry in a good way, but you can also be hungry in a bad way. And when you stop following and allowing the joy of the Lord to sustain you, you open yourself up to temptation. Now all of a sudden like cheating on your spouse sounds pretty good.

You know yesterday my daughter Grace and I, she’s eight. We went to Clark’s pet store to look around and we ended up leaving the store with four shrimp, two snails and a frog. So now we’ve got two dogs, two guinea pigs, four shrimp, two snails, a frog, three fish, oh three fish. So anyways, so we come home, surprise mom. Guess what we got you? A shrimp. You know, but but so so we all the three of us though we spend like the next hour just trying to integrate these animals into this into this tank. There’s three fish in there and so we’re like put the put the you know put the bags in there and then like you know put them in and try to introduce them to the fish and make sure the fish aren’t gonna attack the blah blah but we’re just three of us we’re just gathered around this little fish tank in my daughter’s room and I’m just thinking I’m just thinking man this is the best it’s just me with my girls. I love it. That’s how I spend a Saturday night. Perfect.

But and I contrast that with someone like some, you know, like let’s imagine I’m some scumbag who’s like out there cheating on my wife and oh, sorry, sweetheart, I got to work. You know what I mean? And like all the regret and all the, and it’s just like it’s not even appealing to me. Because I have the joy of the Lord, I’m content with the life that He’s given me. Right? But but when but when you don’t have that joy, all of a sudden things that you know are bad sound good. It’s not because you’ve got a sin issue so much as you’ve got a joy issue. When the joy of the Lord is so strong in you, then you can say no. Because you’re not hungry, you’re full. I don’t need that. The life that God has given me is plenty. And so when you have joy, you can say no to what you know is not good for you.

Here’s something you won’t probably hear a pastor say very often. Sin can make you happy. For a little while. But it’s it’s just it’s just that joy is so much better. It’s like it’s just like the light, there’s just there’s just something about like being where you know that God has called you to be. And so you’re not out there searching. And so it’s just like I’m content. Paul says, I have found in whatever circumstance I find myself in to be content. Like that’s what I want. I want to, I want to be content with the life God has given me.

Here’s a a quick definition. I’ve given it to you before. Joy is this. Here’s a definition. The buoyancy that comes from the revelation of who we are in God. And you might be thinking, what? What’s buoyancy? Well, buoyancy is when something floats. So some examples of that. So an iceberg sits on top of the ocean because it’s buoyant. A person with a life vest, thankfully, floats to the top of the water because the life vest is buoyant. Styrofoam floats to the top of the water because it’s buoyant. And so when there’s a shipwreck, all the stuff on the ship and the ship itself goes one of two places, depending what it if it’s if it’s buoyant, it s goes, rises to the surface. If it’s not buoyant, it sinks to the bottom. So Titanic. Life has a way of pushing you down, but when you’re buoyant, you keep rising to the top. A storm can push buoyant things underwater, but they float to the top. So having joy doesn’t mean you won’t endure storms, you won’t endure shipwrecks. It doesn’t mean that you won’t ever, ever get pushed under, but it does mean that you won’t sink. Earthly happiness can’t endure pain. But spiritual joy endures through the pain.

And like I said, I think that joy expresses itself most profoundly when pain shows itself. You know, we we have an amazing vantage point here as pastors of this church is that we see a lot of people in really high points in life, you know, where we’re there on the best day of your life, you know. Oh, congratulations on the baby. You know, we’re kissing babies, we’re happy. Oh, we love your name. Never know these these names anymore, but you know, we’re there on the bed wedding, oh, it’s incredible. Congratulations. Oh, it’s your 50 year anniversary. Oh, God, it’s so good. Like, we’re there for all of that. We’re also there on people’s worst days. And I never know exactly what day I’m gonna have. Pastor Shirley, like we don’t know what a day is gonna be like. And so I have to be ready at any point to celebrate with people. And I have to be ready 30 minutes later to grieve with people. Not because something’s happening in my life, but because I’m entering in. And so we we we get the privilege to be there, and there’s no judgment, but we can tell when when bad things happen, it doesn’t take more than a few minutes to tell what is at the core bedrock of this person. Because people who have been filled with the joy of the Lord, even when they’re going, even when they’re crying, even when they’re going through hard things, there’s still just this thing that is not attached to the circumstance that helps them rise back up to the top. But it doesn’t mean you won’t endure pain. You will. But it rises you to the top.

You know, I have a pretty high pain tolerance. I like to think, I don’t know if I do or not, but I I I think that I can endure pretty pretty extreme pain if, listen to me, the duration is short. Then I’m alright. Show of hands. I’m curious. Who in here has given birth? Oh, a lot of you. If there’s any boys raising your hand, put that down. How many of you have ever had a kidney stone or gout or UTI? How many of you have ever gotten one or more tattoos? Oh, a lot of you do. Well, everyone’s looking around. What? Physical pain. It’s something we all endure. But did you know that there’s something even worse than physical pain, and that’s emotional pain. Pain that comes from tragedy. Pain that comes from trauma. Pain that comes from loss, losing a loved one.

And John Jesus says something super interesting in John chapter 16. Look at this. I love this verse. This is Jesus. He says this.

A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come. But when her baby is born, she forgets the anguish because of her joy. That the child is born into the world.

She forgets the anguish because of her joy. So Jesus says, when a woman is giving birth, she’s in pain. I can’t personally identify with it, but I understand the mechanics, and so it does seem uncomfortable. I’ll give you that. I don’t like the sound of it. So he said he says when a woman is giving birth, it’s painful. But but but when the baby comes, listen to this. He does not say the pain is over. He says she forgets her pain. Forgets her pain. He doesn’t say the pain is over. He says she forgets her pain. So the pain and the joy overlap. They’re happening at the same time. But the joy is so great at that moment that she forgets the pain.

And I just want you to know like I gotta be honest with you, that’s what we’re presented with as believers. Because we will certainly endure pain. Any preacher that tells you you will never endure pain is selling you something. You will certainly endure pain. But it’s just that the joy set before us is like so much greater. That by comparison, it’s like not that bad. Paul says this, Romans chapter 8, verse 18. He says,

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

So he says, he says, he says, yeah, there’s there’s pain, but there’s also joy, and the joy is so much greater than the pain. He says it’s not even worth comparing them. This is like a different category. And so I want you to, and that’s not that’s not only joy that is coming, that’s joy that’s available to you right now as a believer. And so, and so what I’m not saying is that when you have joy, you won’t have pain. You can have pain and joy at the same time. But but when you have joy, it lifts you back up. Joy is strength to endure pain. And joy is strength to endure temptation. Number one, joy is spiritual. Number two, joy is strength.

Joy is possible, not automatic

Number three, and I’m done, joy is possible, not automatic. Joy is possible, not automatic. And this is me trying to be real practical. So if up to this point it’s been like, that’s kind of theoretical, but but I’m I’m with you. This is me trying to be practical. In Isaiah chapter 61, it’s a book in your in your old testament. It shows us something really important, and it kind of shows us this process of joy. And I’ve got it down to three steps. This is like these are subpoints under point number three.

Number one, I’d like you to write this down is this mourn in the right place. Mourn in the right place. Look at this, Isaiah 61, verse 3. This is what God is saying that He’s coming to do. And He says this, amongst other reasons,

to console those who mourn in Zion.

To console those who mourn in Zion. So I regret to inform you, faith is not a supernatural shield that causes you to never mourn. You will still mourn. You will still grieve, like the death of a loved one, the death of a dream. It could be a thousand different things. God says there is moments when you will mourn, but it’s important where you mourn. It’s important, I don’t know if you know this, but it’s important where you cry. It matters. God says He’s come to console those who mourn in Zion. What does that mean? Zion is the mountain of God, it’s the presence of God. And so God said, God says, when you mourn, mourn in Zion. So what is that? Be practical, David. Okay, mourn in church. Mourn in community. Mourn with prayer warriors. Mourn, mourn in the presence of God. Mourn in Zion. Not at a bar. Not with your bonehead, spaz friends from work who are just going to tell you the wrong thing. Like, that’s not where you that’s not where you mourn. You know what I mean? That’s that’s where you witness. That’s where you’re on mission. That’s not where you mourn. You know, you’re you’re not mourning in isolation. You’re not mourning as you scroll at 2 a.m. like on Facebook. Mourn in Zion. In the presence of God. Invite him in and surround yourself with people who are pointing you to him.

So I remember I remember Pastor Shirley, her husband Larry died. One of the strongest people I know. But she it’s been a long time. I think I can share this, hopefully. But she said there was someone, maybe they’re in here, I don’t know. But they they were sending her stuff like on Facebook that was they were like, oh, you know, it’s so sad to just feel you know, alone, you know, the the you know, the the emptiness in the bed, and it’s just all this like sad stuff. And she’s like, you can’t send me that right now. Because she but she was mourning, but she was mourning in the presence of God. Grief is super, it’s totally natural. Grief can be healthy, but grief is not a lifestyle, and it’s certainly not an identity. It’s a it’s a season that you pass through. So that’s number one.

Put on the garment

Number two is this put on the garment. Put on the garment. Let’s keep reading that same verse, Isaiah chapter 61, verse 3. It says this

to give them beauty for ashes. This is what God’s coming to do. The oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

It doesn’t matter if God hands you the garment, you still have to put it on. Why? Well, because there’s a natural protocol. That we have to cover up. You know, you can’t just let, you know, I don’t know. I wasn’t inspired. I wasn’t led today. It’s like you’re going to jail. When scripture talks about joy, it talks about putting on the garment of praise. Putting on the garment of praise. And when I put that on, the spirit of heaviness, I’m just feeling that the spirit of heaviness leaves.

It’s amazing that neuroscientists tell us that we can’t focus on two emotions at the same time. And so that’s like that’s like a that’s a blessing because it makes it impossible for us to be anxious and grateful at the same time. You can switch 48 times in one minute, and I often do. But but that’s a that’s a power that you have, right? That you can choose gratitude, you can choose praise, you can choose worship over despair and sorrow, and oh, I’m just feeling frustrated. Because this isn’t just about people who’ve lost people. All of us who need joy, like you can choose to put on the garment of praise, whatever is praiseworthy, think about that stuff. There’s lots of stuff that’s not praiseworthy. I know. But think about the stuff that is praiseworthy. Put on put on the garment of praise. That’s what neuroscientists saw. And did you know that you know Paul wasn’t a neuroscientist, but the Holy Spirit is a genius. And the Holy Spirit instructs Paul to tell the church in Philippi, be anxious for nothing but in everything with praise. With praise. And when you put on the garment of praise, what you’re doing is you’re displacing anxiety. And you’re you’re pushing out heaviness. Joy doesn’t create gratitude. But gratitude does create joy.

Guard your inputs

And the step number three is this guard your inputs. Trying to teach you how to have joy. This is a big one. Me and my wife, we were talking about this this past weekend. Like, you gotta pay attention. If you want to have joy, you gotta pay attention to what you’re letting in. Right? What’s your input? Input is your senses, what you see, what you hear, what you consume. And many Christians lose their joy because they’re careless with what they let in. Right? The thing taking your joy is not gonna give it back to you. There’s only one thing that’s gonna give you your joy, and that’s God Himself.

So if the news is making you angry and hopeless. Look, take a break. I’m not saying you gotta be dumb forever, but just take a break. Right? Put it put on the garment of praise. Instead, if that podcast is giving you anxiety, turn it off. If you if scrolling through social media is stealing your joy, stop it. It’s so big. Like, and and you know, we we were even talking, like, it’s hard because there’s people who like post stuff that’s not helpful, but you feel like, well, I used to be friends with them, so I don’t want to follow them, blah, blah, blah, blah. This is a practical advice. Did you know that you can also mute people? That’s it. You could, I’m still following, but I never see your stuff. Right? So you you can’t control what other people post. But if you’re but if your feed is stealing your joy, that’s on you. So you can curate it, right? Because what I what I want to see when I when I when I look on my phone, I want my faith to be filled up. I want my joy to be filled up. I don’t want to just like first thing in the morning, I wake up and then start sapping my strength just out of curiosity.

So so swap swap it out if you need to. Like if you’re like, Pastor David, I need joy. Like, like make some swaps. Swap the podcast out for worship music. Do it. I double dog there. There’s incredible worship now. 20 years ago, I don’t know, you know what I mean? Maybe a school for the time. Now they’ve got great worship. You’ve got hip hop, you’ve got like rock, whatever you like. You know what I mean? But like, but replace things that are stealing your joy with something that’s bringing you joy. Filtering the inputs, stop, replace the scrolling with a song. Stop the complaining and replace it with a confession of faith. Instead of, oh, you see, you say something like, Man, I’m so grateful. I’m so grateful that God has provided for me. He watches out for me, things aren’t perfect. I’m so grateful. I’m glad that God has a plan for this city, even when it seems really weird and crazy and chaotic. I’m just grateful that God’s on the move. See, what am I doing? I’m replacing things that steal my joy with things that bring me joy. Don’t let anything steal your joy. Protect your joy. Guard your joy. Replace what’s stealing your joy.

And so I want to challenge somebody in here. I don’t know, I don’t know who it is. It’s not everybody. But it’s somebody. I want you to spend the month of December praising God. If you’re like, man, I you’re like, I always I hate December. I’ve never I’ve never liked December. It always reminds me of what I don’t have. Spend the month praising God. Do it. You know what I mean? So, like and swap out the podcast for worship. Stop, replace the scrolling with the Bible app, you know what I mean? And like all the different things that that can steal your joy, replace it with things that bring you joy and faith, believing in God. So like swapping out T Swift. I like T Swift, you know, but for the month, for the month, we’re not worrying about T Swift. We’re not rocking bad bunny. Ariana Grande, Kanye. I I literally Googled what kids listen to these days because I had no idea. Right? I’m sure it’s all cool, but like replace it with something that brings you joy.

And it’s like, God, I believe that I believe that you have something for me, a contentment for me, like a joy, something on the inside of me that’s not situational, that’s not circumstantial. And so, God, for the month, I’m like giving myself to that. And so, like when you’re driving in your car, have worship playing. When you’re at your house, have worship playing. Like get that song rising up in your heart because it’s changing you. And what happens when you worship, when you praise is that heaviness keeps lifting off you, lifting, lifting, lifting, and you get lighter and lighter and lighter. And so if you want to turn that around, you’ve got to guard your inputs. Garbage in, garbage out. Praise in, praise out. Negativity in, negativity out. Faith in, faith out.

Here’s my closing statement. Number one is this joy is spiritual, not natural. Happiness requires the right happenings, but real joy comes from being connected to the source. Two, joy is strength, not a feeling. The joy Jesus brings provides the buoyancy to keep you from sinking during storms and falling during trials. Three, joy is possible, not automatic. Mourn in the right place, put on the garment of praise and guard your inputs. Joy doesn’t mean you won’t get pushed under, but it does mean you won’t stay there.