P. Schaller

Ps. 16 don’t you love that worship. It’s amazing. We had a great services this morning and also at Fed Hill I heard. I’m sure P. Wright in Havre de Grace, too. I heard P. Shibley got to stand up today at the hospital. We visited him yesterday and he feels bad about what happened. Isn’t that normal for us. I did a stupid thing, you know what I mean. We said no, it’s the perfect will of God. I just want to believe that. It’s beautiful. God is in it. God is with you. Yes, we do stupid things. Anyone here ever done stupid things? Yes, I have and move on! God is good and he ordered the steps of a righteous man.

Joy is our thought for a few minutes. Joy.

Ps 16:11, Halleluiah, halleluiah. It’s good to pray with the psalms. You read them and say these prayers.

vs. 11. You will show me the path of life. In thy presence is fullness of joy. Well, we are in his presence. We are here in the presence of God. When you wake up tomorrow, you’re in God’s presence.

God is present with you in Ps 139. In his presence. We confess any known sin. We are washed by the blood and walk by faith. We are in God’s presence. In his presence is joy. Joy is the nature of God. This is his nature. In that nature, there is no condemnation. There is a perfect love that casts out fear. There is peace. There is quietness and confidence. And there is the assurance of our heavenly Father loving us.

2) Ps. 118 is a beautiful psalm. Read it tomorrow morning when you wake up and get quiet before God and pray it in your prayers.

vs. 5. Distress means a narrow place. Personally, I hate that and you do too. I have the distress of a narrow, – like drowning or struggling to breathe or fighting for space. I need space. A large place. In our distress, God gives us the finished work. It’s the message of God’s love for you and how he wants you to know the love, the assurance, and the security. In the large place, he says beautiful things like I will not fear.

vs. 6-7. This is how we lose our joy is when we put our confidence in man.

vs. 7-11.

Like bees in vs. 12. The struggle of life. We know this. Looking for God. Looking for the ministry of God. Looking for the way, the answer. There has to be the answer from God. Like Noah in the ark. There has to be. I don’t read it but I’m sure when there was the ark and all the animals, there was joy, – the deliverance, the freedom, the rejoicing, the nature of God, the deliverance of God, the peace of God. The finished work means for us we can always rejoice in God. He set us in a large room. He made us free. He sent Christ so we would have a bigger life. A life of freedom and knowing and recognizing his nature and character. We study the finished work. Meditate on it; realize what it means. We are owned by God. We belong to God. We are the children of God. When the disciples came back excited about the demons, he said don’t rejoice in that. That’s like small potatoes. In this your name is in the book of life. Halleluiah. We have the joy. This joy is related to the nature of God and the work of God. To be honest, I know we have it but I like to think we are able to stir ourselves up about it. Stir up the gift. Stir yourself up in the truth. Respond to it, embrace it, relate to it, confess it and say it in an atmosphere of oppression and intimidation. Don’t fear man but worship God in God consciousness and praise. Let God arise and his enemies be scattered. Maybe become more conscious of God in life than our trouble. Be more conscious of his grace and his Spirit and make the good confession.

2 Cor 7, where does our joy come from? This is the third point. 3) The coming of Titus in chapter 7 verse 13. In the civil war, photography was new. There were soldiers who had pictures of loved ones. On the battle field at times, there was a dead soldier and in his chest was a photo of his wife or child or both. A photo of the people I love. Where does our joy come from? From people we love. What refreshes us? Let me see my brother, my sister in Warsaw, Poland or Baltimore, MD or Ghana, Africa.

2 Cor 7: 13, the joy of Titus. Titus is a happy camper. Titus is coming. I can’t wait to see him. When Titus comes, he is bringing the joy. Some people won’t even walk across the street to see another person but when it comes to Titus, we’ll go across the world. The other one will go far and wide to be a helper of his joy. Not that we have dominion over your faith, but we are helpers of your joy. This is a fellowship of joy. When God is with his people, there is a fellowship of joy. When the people of God are walking in God, we are enjoying each other.

vs. 13 his spirit was refreshed by you all. Titus goes to the Corinthians, and they rejoice with Titus. Titus has joy and he comes to Paul with the joy and Paul meets Titus. It’s good news, Paul. The Corinthians, what God is doing with them. That’s what happens with us. Joy. Our tears. Paul said I remember your tears, Timothy. Sometimes tears touch our hearts very much. Could be tears of pain or joy. It’s so much fun. Even we could laugh so hard we could cry.

Back in Holland, we had so much fun. The laughter anointing. Our sides ached. We had so much fun that night. Those days are gone!!!

Last one is Rev. 21, the fourth thing about joy for us. Where does our joy come from? I want you to learn how to think about going to heaven. I want you to learn to think about it.

Read Rev. 21 and 22 and think about it. We are going to heaven. It’s going to be amazing. It’s going to be sweet, precious, and glorious, above and beyond. Magnificent. Incredible. We will be amazed by it. One of the characteristics we see in 21:4 God shall wipe away all tears. No more death. Halleluiah. No more death. Neither shall there be any more Tylenol. No more phone calls with the bad news from the state policeman or hospital. No more phone calls from the police. No more prisons, shock trauma units, doctors. No more of that where we are going. No more goodbyes or sad funerals or cemeteries or tomb stones. Halleluiah. You can get going on that and think about it. Joy is the nature of the believer. We are not denying the reality of life we have here. You can’t live in it as much as some of you and I do. We might live in too much sorrow and too much skepticism and pessimism and the reality of it.

Okay I know about it but Hab. 3, do you know what it means in context? The Babylonians are going to come and destroy the nation. Yes, they are a wicked, evil army. They are the net, a military force. They have the sun and moon gods and are going to strip Israel. Strip the fields, the temple, the gold and the silver. They are serious, savage people.

vs. 17. Sounds devastating. That’s reality. No food, no flocks, no meat, nothing there. Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. I don’t know what to say to you about this. I cannot explain it but I want to say there is the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit is love and joy and peace. You might say pastor, the pain is so great. The devastation is so great. I know. Be careful with that. Our God is a living God. In his presence is joy and comfort and peace. The believer is called to joy and think in terms of truth. Realize our life is here for a moment. We are a vapor. We should be making a big deal out of our God. We should be magnifying him and the reality. The anointing will honor my faith. The Spirit of God will change my way. I will realize God is here and not fear what man will do to me. I don’t have any confidence in princes. The source of my life is not in a human level but in faith. We go from faith to faith. So we don’t walk around complaining and moaning about the silliest things. You know what I mean. I got a sandwich and there wasn’t enough mayonnaise on it! You know what I mean. I went to the bus and I missed it. And on and on. The joy of God is our strength. The Spirit of God is a Spirit of joy. The life of faith and making the right calculations about things.

Hab. 3:19 make my feet like hinds feet. Wait a minute. You are talking about losing the fig tree and the meat and everything. Yeah, but my feet. Look at my feet. They are like hinds feet on the high mountains. God will change things for me. I got elevation. God is my joy and my life. He has made a way for me. Wouldn’t he bring me out of Egypt to bring me into the Promised Land? Why would he bring me into trouble and forsake me? Wouldn’t he lead and guide me in it.

That’s it. Amen.

P. Scibelli

Php. 4, I got overjoyed at the message. I’m going to talk about joy. I forgot everything I was going to preach. I can have great joy over that, too.

Php. 4, I was thinking of this when sitting here. Why do the nations rage and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth are waring and going against each other. He who sits in heaven laughs. God is behind the screen laughing. What they think they are doing and trying to accomplish God laughs.

Php. 4:4 in case I didn’t get it the first time, again I say rejoice. I love this portion of Scripture. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. The church in Philippi was experiencing tremendous warfare. Two women in battle trying to gain power and recognition in the church. The Roman government colony, so strong an arm of the Roman government, wisdom and philosophy and psychology of the Greek system. They had the dogs of the concisions. Legalistic Jews everywhere. Think about it. The pastor is sick and dying. Their apostle is in prison. What a mess. 21 or 22 times he uses the word “joy” to this church. They are under tremendous assault and just like many things can take place in our life. We don’t make light of it; we just make heavy the joy part. The joy of the Lord will strengthen me. Rather than succumbing or submitting to the atmosphere or the osn initiation to get me to respond to situations and circumstances and so called reality, God says receive the joy of the Lord and be your strength.

Wumbrandt was arrested and they put him in a car and he had a 30 to 40 minute laughing fit. They said do you know you’re going to jail for 17 to 20 years for preaching the gospel for going over 30 people in your church? He was laughing all the way. They said, why are you laughing? He said today is the day. Well there are 365 days in a year and 366 “fear nots” for every day and one leap year. I have a lot of joy because God tells me not to fear. They beat a woman in the cell next to him and told him she was his wife. They tried to break him mentally and he said the joy of God sustained him.

Is P. Sturge here? I want to illustrate Hab 3. He gives you six things there and then says I will rejoice in the Lord and joy in the God of my salvation. The first word for joy is jumping up and down and the second word is jumping and spinning. Wow! Can you do that? Can you do that one more time without getting sick? Do they still call them curbs? Those things can kill you, too. The word “joy” is he is jumping and spinning for joy. It’s out of control. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.

P. Steve Morello is here and we got arrested in Jordan. It wasn’t our fault. It was someone else’s…the police said they let these guys go and said you are the ringleader so you stay. P. Steve is reading a comic book! They are serious and this is a 7 year offense for giving Bibles and literature out. He was reading Joe DiMaggio sports page! This is a serious situation.

It’s amazing how joy can break the atmosphere. There is this joy. I’m not talking about contrived joy or forcing it. I’m overjoyed that I am born again that I am going to heaven. The joy of having salvation.

Is 12:3, I was thinking of the joy of having a church. How many Christians don’t have the opportunity to have a church and meet together and fellowship? Don’t you have great joy because you have a church? We are in a church. People around the world can’t get together because if they did. Great joy. We can come to church. Not just Sunday morning but Wed. night and for Grace Hour and lunch raps and outreach and what a joy to have a church. It’s awesome.

I got saved and didn’t know what I’m doing. I met P. Tom Stewart. I met him at the fairgrounds in West Springfield, Massachusetts he was evangelizing. The gospel is good news to cheer the hearer. Hello? We have good news to cheer the hearer. Some have been hearing a lot of bad news. “You got to get baptized you know.” “You got to be baptized to be saved.” I had a glass of water and baptized him and started laughing. He wasn’t really happy. I wiped him off to make him better. “You got to be baptized, speak in tongues.” No, we got salvation.

They came back and said the devils are subject to us. Rejoice not but that your name is written in heaven. We have a finished work. My name is written in heaven. The joy of salvation. The joy of the finished work.

I don’t have to walk around mopey dopey all day long. How’s it going? Great. You look like you’re going to die. God give me the joy of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy. A Spirit filled person I desire to have the joy of God. I’m not talking about something external. I’m talking about a joy unspeakable and full of glory. Maybe there are difficulties and trials and tests. I’m not saying joy will end it but I can have victory in it by having the joy of the Lord. Raising children is a joy. Teaching in a Christian school is a joy. A principal in a Christian school is what?

Forget about the problems. There will always be the world, the flesh, and the devil. That’s not going away. I don’t want those things to rob my joy. Satan wants to kill, steal, and destroy. I’m going to live in my salvation with no joy and no oil on the wheels and it is difficult to drive and no joy and before you know it, everything I’m doing in the plan of God becomes dry and difficult to handle at any point anymore. The enemy took the joy.

Hyles once said Satan sees you doing the work of God with the life of God. He would steal the life of God and do the work of God and eventually stop doing the work of God because it’s difficult to do without God’s life.

Doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing your sheaves with them. I want to experience the joy of the Lord. I know what is going on and taking place. Counseling people for years. Places that are very difficult on this planet. Tragedy, revolutions, upheavals in government and only we have the message to cheer the hearer. They hear and rejoicing. How can these men be lying in a prison cell on their backs after being whipped and singing and praising the Lord? Isn’t that extreme? Isn’t it? They were singing praise to God. They had joy with God. Key doctrine and truth. God, fill me with your joy.

Jn 16:11, 24 if you have my joy, not based on everything going well. Joy is based on the ministry of Jesus Christ himself. He gives us incredible joy that comes from his life.

Heb 12:1-2 joy set before him he enjoyed the cross. What was the joy? You and me, salvation. The cross wasn’t a joy experience but what he saw was that victory at the cross would secure victory for us and salvation and great joy knowing it would set us free forever.

As we go forward in life, don’t let the enemy, circumstances, problems, tests and trials, relationship difficulties, – don’t allow the past, anxiety and fear to rob your joy. I’m going to rejoice in the Lord often. And again I say rejoice 19 times in this epistle. Joy comes from the word for “grace.” CHARIO comes from the word CHARIS. We can receive the joy that comes from God through the ministry of Jesus Christ in our lives. I want to experience your joy in the midst of it. I experience the victory given me.

I bet a lot of health problems are solved with joy. Ps 51 doesn’t it do something to the bones? A lot of health issues could be resolved by receiving the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the joy of the Lord and it would set them free. A lot of illnesses start in the mind and it affects everything in our lives. Our countenance, the bones.

Everything. God, give us your joy that your joy would be full in us. When you have my joy, your joy is full. No matter what comes our way, I’m not going to let it rob my joy. That news may come but I have good news when any news comes. I got a message to cheer the hearers. I can smile once in a while. Hello? Some people would do good to smile once in a while. Some never practice smiling in years.

I’m so thankful and joyous I’m born again and have brothers and sisters and the gospel, heaven as my home, the finished work, and the word of God. I found your word and did eat it and it brings joy. The Bible, the purpose of God brings joy. Halleluiah for joy.

Please enjoy these sermon notes from the messages preached at Greater Grace Church in Baltimore. These notes are provided to aid in your study and understanding of the Word. Note that these notes do not represent complete, word-for-word transcriptions. Also, they may contain omissions as well as some errors in spelling and structure, etc., as we attempt to provide them as soon as possible. Our hope is that these notes serve as a way to help you search and connect with messages on related subjects and passages. Thank you for your interest in the ministry of Greater Grace.