Skip to content Joy in the Journey: Embracing Life's Ups and Downs || Pastor Nathan Mesa Sep 29 · 44 min ...more
Joy in the Journey: Embracing Life's Ups and Downs || Pastor Nathan Mesa
September 29, 2024 · 44 min
Series Patria Sermons September 29, 2024 · 44 min · Patria Sermons
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Adam Mesa is Lead Pastor of Patria Church and speaks to a congregation of 12,000 about how the gospel of Jesus Christ brings purpose to every life. Patria
492K followers
The Joy of the Lord 0:42 This is so awesome. I love cinematic adventures. Look at all these people standing in line waiting to get their delicious treats. They love cinematic adventures0:54 as well. See, the movies aren't dead. People love getting out. I love that bag. I wonder where she got it. Hey. I love your bag. Gotta find that1:06 bag. Wow. It's so expensive. Oh, I don't think I can afford it. Nope. I'll be able to afford it 1 day. Save, save, save means have, have, have. You know, long1:18 lines aren't that bad. It gives me time to reflect. It teaches me patience. It teaches me to be kind. Ow. Oh, That kinda hurt. It's okay. She's probably just1:30 having a bad day. That's what it is. Poor girl. She didn't even say she was sorry. I'm just gonna send her some positive vibes. She deserves it. She needs it. In fact,1:41 we all we all need it. Oh, wait. I didn't catch your name. No worries. I'm sure I'll see you in the movie theater. Oh, I'm next.2:11 I love this part. Oh. It's perfect timing.2:30 This is my favorite part. Oh, look at this cute old tray. I love it. It goes there. Look at his back. Oh, I love her dress. You're2:41 so funny. It's the best thing I've ever seen in my life.2:55 Mhmm. Mhmm. Mhmm. Mhmm. That's what I said. Mhmm. Mhmm. She can dance. She can3:07 dance. How how is nobody here? This is such a great movie. This is my3:19 favorite part. Oh, no. This is my that's that's my favorite part. Oh, he's so handsome. I love these Skittles. Look at that. So beautiful.3:31 Oh. Yes. Don't you carry nothing that might be alone. Come on. He's on down.3:40 He's on down. He's on down.3:41 He's on down. Down the road.4:29 Let's5:32 This is Joy. With an unstoppable spirit and unbeatable energy, Joy brings a smile to your face and, girl, who cares? Let's party.5:50 Hi. Alright.5:51 Is seat taken?5:52 No. Please sit down. There's plenty of room. Make yourselves kaloos.5:56 Thank you.5:56 Do you want the popcorn?5:58 No. Thank you.5:58 Oh, wait. This is my favorite part.6:01 You know, there's something about joy where you just can't help but be around it. Nehemiah chapter 8 says, do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength. I love thinking about that6:13 because joy takes a little bit of work. There's a reason why Nehemiah is encouraged to say don't grieve, which we could find as an expression of 1 of the emotions. And usually when I come into this movie theater, I'm6:24 here cleaning up after many of the emotions. But joy is a lot less messy. There's great movies that we see today, whether it be the character joy, the main themed 1 in Inside Out6:36 1 and 2, or you see movies like La La Land or Greatest Showman, where joy is an expression through song and dance and merriment. There's a reason why happiness and6:48 joy are a little bit different. Happiness tends to be because of circumstance. But as we've seen today, joy has gone through some circumstance, whether it be in the movie theater or in the lobby of the movie6:59 theater. Joy faced many circumstances that easily could have caused anger, frustration, anxiety, sadness, But because joy is not connected to the environment or the circumstance,7:12 it's an expression of a deep contentment inside to really see the glass half full at all times. You know, joy is very easy to be around. All other emotions that we often find7:23 ourselves to be around are very hard or difficult. Whether we find ourselves in those emotions or not, joy is something that any of us should be happy to see expressed every single day. And the bible teaches7:35 us that contentment in God often leads to joy. So I encourage you not to focus on happiness, but allow the joy of God to overflow today. But I'm gonna be quiet so that we can7:47 finish this movie because joy is enjoyable.Abiding in Christ for True Joy 7:52 Oh, this is 1 of my favorite parts too. I'm so glad you joined me.8:03 I'm so happy to8:04 be here.8:06 You're the best.8:09 Alright. Go ahead.8:12 Well, good morning, family. Welcome to week 5 of at the movies. You've been with us the whole month. Congratulations. You made it to the end. And today, we get to8:24 talk about the finale of joy. So far, we have navigated through emotions of anxiety8:39 joy looks like within our life. Like pastor Adam shared, you know, oftentimes people think that joy and happiness are interchangeable or mean8:51 the same thing. But that's not true at all because happiness deals with what's going on on the outside. Surface needs. It's9:03 cosmetic. It's the results of conditions that are happening to us and around us. If I get a promotion, best believe I'm gonna be happy. If I get a new car, I'm gonna be9:15 happy. If I get a new job, I'm gonna be happy. For some of us, if we desire to get married, when we get married, I'm gonna be happy. For others, if you get a divorce, you may be happy. Don't look9:27 at your neighbor. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Here's the thing though. When anything goes wrong on the other hand, guess what? That's when we see sadness, and anxiety,9:39 and fear begin to rise. Because all those things affected us just from the outside. And before we know it, we all can feel as if we have lost some joy9:51 within our life. Joy? Well, Pastor Adam briefly shared a little bit, is that joy, on the other hand, is the expression of a deep contentment from the10:03 inside. Joy depends fully on the Lord. Joy is rooted in character. It deals with our deepest needs. If you have your Bibles, I want you to turn with me to10:15 John 15. This is going to be our starting passage this morning. And as we turn to John 15, I'm gonna ask that you stand as we read the word of God together. We're gonna read a few verses, but I believe it's10:26 very important that we read the whole passage. As we get a greater understanding of what God desires10:34 joy to look like10:34 within our life. We're gonna like within our. We're going to begin reading in John 15 in verse 1. If you're with me, say amen.10:43 Amen.10:44 I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. And every branch that does bear fruit, he prune that it may be and10:56 bear more fruit. Already you are clear, clean, because of the word that I have spoken over you. Abide, say abide. Abide is to remain or stay or dwell.11:08 Keep that in your head as we read family. Abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine.11:23 Vine and you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that11:29 bears much fruit.11:30 For apart from me, you can do nothing. If any fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he was he's thrown away like a branch that withers and the branches are gathered and thrown into11:41 the fire and burned. But you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this, my father is glorified that you bear much11:53 fruit and so prove to be my disciples. Commandments, you will abide in my12:05 love just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. Here we go at the end. These things I have spoken to you that my joy, say joy, that my joy12:17 be in you and that your joy may be full. Say it with me, full. You may be seated. Your word today, Father. Help us, God,12:29 to understand what your joy looks like. May our joy overfill today by being in your presence. Father, may I just be a willing vessel and the Holy Spirit move today in your mighty12:41 name. We pray. Amen. Powerful words that we're gonna break down in a moment from Jesus. I love pastor Rick Warren's definition of joy. He says that12:53 joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life. That's how we can have joy today, no matter what may be going on in our13:04 life. It is the quiet confidence13:19 joy. Whether you are a Christian or a not, everyone wants some type of joy within their life. But people are looking for in all the wrong places. They don't know if13:31 joy is a result of money, if it's a result of a better friendship, if it's a result of a better career, if it's the result of a bigger house, if it's the result of a political candidate. Are you with me?13:42 Come on. Yes, sir.13:43 We don't know what joy is or looks like, but joy is not about any of that. All of those things that I listed are circumstantial. Joy, as we read, comes13:55 from abiding. Remember I listed off some other words that abiding means. Joy comes from dwelling with God. Joy comes from staying with God. Joy comes from connecting14:08 to God. That is where joy comes from. I love John 15 because as Jesus does, he gives us this beautiful metaphor before us.14:20 Divine dresser. The divine dresser is also a word like the gardener and vine dresser. He is the 1 with purpose and intention for our life. Yeah. And then we have Yeah. And then we have Yeah. And then we have Yeah. And14:30 then we have Yeah. And then we have Yeah. And then we And then we have Jesus. Jesus is the vine. Jesus is a result that comes from the father's intention. And the purpose of Jesus is to14:42 provide nourishment and resource for our life and brings life into the branch. And then we have the branch, and you and I are the branch. And you and I14:54 have an important job as we are just to stay connected to the vine. And as we stay connected to Jesus, what begins to happen is in our life is that we are able to begin to15:06 bear fruit, family. That's a result. Fruit only comes from Jesus and staying connected to him. So what is this fruit? Well, I'm glad you asked. Joy is a15:18 fruit of the spirit among others. Joy is a result of the holy spirit moving within our life that you and I could have today when we are connected to Jesus.15:29 But there is no short There is no easy way. There is no magic pill to obtain joy in our life outside of Jesus. You can be happy by15:41 something, but you will never have fulfillment of joy unless you know Jesus. Pastor Francis Chan gives a great thought to this. You know, I have a vine15:53 here, and this is a real live beautiful vine from our gardens here at Patriot. And on this vine, it's already producing some beautiful fruit. But I wanna ask you a16:04 question. Do you think if all of us came together laid hands on this vine, and we covered it in anointing oil, do16:16 you think that we could create more fruit on this vine together? Know. Maybe? Maybe not? Well well, let's let's try it this morning. Alright? Here. I'm gonna try. Here16:28 we go. Ready? No. Nothing nothing yet. Nothing yet. Just this side. Okay. I'm a try it again. Alright? Here we go. I'm a do it again.16:40 Here we go. Help me out. Come on. Man. Nothing. Still the same fruit. I didn't get16:52 nothing else out of it. And I know you're looking at me crazy up here thinking, Pastor Nathan, what the heck are you doing up there? But here's the thing family, I believe that's what Jesus does to us in our17:04 life. Do you know how crazy you look when you are not abiding in me? Do you know how crazy you look, my son, my daughter, when you are trying to make joy happen17:16 on your own, when you do that and try to obtain that, all you are doing is you are working in vain. You will never see fruit and joy in your life unless you are17:28 abiding in me. You're connected to me. You stay attached to the vine. Family, we have to stop chasing joy17:39 and everything that comes with it and we need to chase Jesus. Because as we chase Jesus,17:55 Disney movie, Inside Out. And if you've been with us this month, as I said, you know that we have navigated through these emotions within our life. And the main character is a young girl named Riley, and18:07 her dominant emotion is joy. And joy did not like sadness and anger to have any role in Riley's life. Joy desired to suppress all those negative18:19 emotions and only wanted Riley to be joy and be happy all the time. But here's the thing family, God uses all of our emotions to shape who18:31 we are. And it centers around the fullness of joy that only Jesus can provide. I want to help some of us out today. I want you to think back, back in the day when you used to go18:43 to the club. Around you. You know, before you go into the club, you were met with someone at the door. And that was the18:55 what? The bouncer. You say, hey, how did you know that? How did you know that? I told you, don't look at your neighbor. You see, the role of the bouncer and the purpose of the19:06 bouncer was to make sure that what? The right people get into the club. It was their job to make sure that it was the right age, the prettiest girls, the dudes with the best swag. It was19:18 their job to help regulate the environment and the atmosphere of that dance club. I want to help us out today. That often people view joy as the bouncer against life's19:30 trials and emotions. Trying to push negative emotions out the way. That I can't be a Christian with joy and be angry. That I can't be a Christian with joy and have sadness.19:42 But the joy of the Lord family is not meant to exclude emotions like anger and sadness or anxiety. Instead, what joy does through the help of the Holy spirit allows us to19:54 bring these feelings towards God together, trusting that it is his joy that is going to help us process and bring us through. It is not the absence20:05 of suffering or pain in any kind, but it is abiding in the presence of God that carries us through those moments and trials within our life.20:18 With the short time we have, I want us to take a look more specifically at what joy looks like within our life. If you turn with me now to a familiar story20:30 maybe to some of you.20:42 And joy When you get to Acts 16, I'm gonna just give some brief context. At this point, Paul and Silas are continuing their journey20:54 in ministry, and they're bringing so many families together to know Jesus in Philippi, and the early church is growing. And 1 day, while they were in the town center, they encountered21:06 a demon possessed slave girl. And the demon possessed slave girl was torturing Paul and Silas. You see, this young girl made money by telling fortunes21:18 through the through the demon. And so, as this demon was torturing Paul and Silas, 1 day Paul had enough And he commanded the demon to flee the girl, and the demon left.21:30 Well, the owners of this girl did not like that at all because now you affected what? Their pocketbook. And so, they were livid. And they brought Paul and Silas before the21:42 authorities to be held accountable. And as they did, they stripped them, they beat them, and they threw them into jail. I want to break down that in the scripture it says21:54 that they beat them with stripes. The Greek word here means play gay, which means that they were violently beaten. They were wounded upon wounded and received22:05 violent blows. These men were not just couple little sucker punched. They were most likely beaten unrecognizable before they were thrown into jail. And now we're22:17 gonna pick up in verse 25.22:31 Right after I just described what had happened to them. And the prisoners were listening to them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so the foundations of the prison were shaken. And22:43 immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's bond was unfastened. And when the jailer woke, he saw the prison doors were open and he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,22:55 supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul said with a loud voice, do not harm yourself for we all are here. There's no doubt that Paul and23:07 Silas were human just like us. Paul and Silas, I believe, would have navigated fear in that moment. They probably navigated anxiety in that moment.23:19 They definitely experienced a physical pain in that moment. Yet in all of this, the bible says that they had the courage to pray and sing in23:31 the midst. And here we are, and someone talks behind our back, and we think our world is crashing down. Are they more special than us? Are they more Christian23:43 than us? Are they stronger than us? I don't think so. What I do believe though is I believe that they lived and believed in Nehemiah 8 10. That the23:55 joy of the Lord is their strength. Without joy, I don't have strength.24:09 Some kids Bible song that we sing in Bible school. It's not just reading the scripture, but it's in applying the scripture within our life. The joy of the Lord is glorifying24:21 God on a daily basis in our interactions and spending time with the Lord and telling others of God's faithfulness within our life family. John Piper says that24:33 their bodies were beaten and their feet were in stocks, and still they say. The kind of joy that filled Paul and Silas was not rooted in comfort and ease, but24:45 it was rooted in the unshakable reality of Christ presence with him. 1 of my favorite verses is Psalm 16 11, that in the presence of24:57 God, there is a fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. You and I might not be able to alter our experience25:08 that comes into our life, but we are absolutely able attitude by being in the presence of God family. Paul and Silas' attitude did not match the experience25:21 that was happening around them. You see, their experience said Their experience said hurt. Their experience said anxiety. But their attitude said joy.25:33 Their attitude said peace. Their attitude said praise in the midst of it all. It is in the eternal presence of the spirit of God in our25:45 life where we discover that joy can endure when we stay connected to Jesus. Person who isJoy in Trials: The Story of Paul and Silas 25:57 always on a level 10 joy. Is anybody with me? I mean, from smiling to encouraging to in your face, You you they're they're just like, you're like, woah. Like you're just a little too26:09 much sometimes. Like are you always are you always like this? Like I I've never seen you discouraged. I've never seen you upset. Like this is you all the26:20 time. Are you ever angry? Does anybody have someone like that in their life? There's some people that come to mind here at Patriot that I wanna share with you. The first is Diana26:32 Matisse. If you know Diana, then I guarantee you have received a voice memo from her at some point in a text. And Diana sends these amazing encouraging26:43 words and voice mails to help uplift you. She is here serving at almost every event and every service. It's almost as if you've never seen Deanna not26:55 happy. The other individual that you will be familiar with is mister Curtis Rowe, who's on our elder and deacon. I have never seen that man not smile.27:07 Whether it be in growth track or up here at the front praying. He is gonna greet you with the biggest bear hug. He is gonna shake your hand and he is gonna encourage you all the way. And27:19 here's the thing. You think and you're like, gosh, do they ever have a bad day? It doesn't mean that they don't because they do. I know their stories.27:30 I know their testimonies. I know seasons of their life that have been hard. But with each of those individuals, what I know is that joy endures because they have tapped into a27:42 joy of the Lord that gives them strength. And they are no different or special than you and I. We can find that strength today, family. So how do we have a27:54 joy that endures? I want to share a few things with you. The first is we need to stay in the presence of God. We have to stay connected to the vine. The next is don't attach28:06 joy to circumstances. Stop attaching joy to a man, a woman, a job, a dollar, a position. Those things are all fleeting.28:19 Lean on community. Paul and Silas had each other through it all. Paul and Silas were able to lean on each other. When I read this word, Pastor Kenny, I28:30 almost envision them back to back in that jail cell, or arm to arm because they were going through this together. Their joy was together. Next, we have to learn from28:42 adversity. We have to get back up again. And lastly, we have to stop focusing on what you cannot change. When we focus on things that we cannot change,28:54 that is where all the other negative emotions begin to foster within our life. As we continue on, I want to bring our attention back to verse 25. In29:06 verse 25,29:07 it says, About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing29:07 hymns to God, which we discovered praying and singing hymns to God, which we discovered. And the prisoners were listening. Turn to a neighbor and say listening.29:20 People were listening around them. What comes out of your mouth, people are listening. Especially if you say, I'm a Christian, and I'm a Christ follower.29:32 You better believe they are listening to every word and every action of our life great earthquake, and after God29:44 displayed his amazing power, we pick up in verse 29. And I want us to read. And the jailer called for the lights and rushed in. And he trembled with fear and fell down29:56 before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, believe in the Lord Jesus and30:08 you will be saved. Both you and what? Your household. And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and all who was in their house. And he took them from30:20 the same hour of the night, washed their wounds, and he was baptized at once. Here it is again. He and all his family. I don't30:32 know what all his family looked like, but that could have been his mama, his grandma, his cousin, his auntie, his nieces, his nephews. Here's the thing I want us to understand in the last few minutes.30:44 Scripture tells us that the jailers were actively listening to Paul and Silas. The Greek word here would mean that they were listening with pleasure. Come on. Tell me you don't30:55 love that. They were listening with pleasure. The praise and the prayer coming out of their mouth, the joy that was exuding from them was pleasurable to everyone31:07 around them. Is your song pleasurable today? Is your voice pleasurable to those that you work with? Is your song your lifestyle pleasurable to your31:19 neighbors and those that you interact with? I'm stepping on my toes just as much as you family, as I was in the word of God. Here's the thing, as we take a look at this, what started off with31:31 a few fellow jailers who are probably thinking, sound? These men were just beaten. How in the world are they now singing and31:43 praising to God in the most worst physical, place that they could be, but also mental, there was this joy that was exuding from them. I could only31:55 imagine what the other jailers thought and how they could be thinking. They are shackled, but yet their joy is being released in the midst of it all. These men probably heard32:06 never never heard anything like that before. And even in the midnight hour, when God set Paul and Silas free, their joy and the obedience like we read would32:18 lead to the jailer or the guard wanting to know who is this God that you serve and how do I get saved? How? He asked.32:30 He desired to know how to be saved. What we need to understand, family, is the joy that we receive from Jesus is not just meant for us. Joy has the32:42 ability to multiply within our life when we stay connected to the vine. You know, in 2016, I was perusing Instagram like many of us do, and thisShow more In this video 0:00 The Joy of the Lord7:51 Abiding in Christ for True Joy25:51 Joy in Trials: The Story of Paul and Silas32:50 Sharing the Joy of the LordComments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
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