Sunday Evening Worship Service

aren't you glad to know Jesus tonight Hallelujah Hallelujah Lord bless you would you greet a couple of folks around you before you're seated hallelujah hallelujah Mr sound technician that's not your fault that Mike's trying everything that it can so I'm going to turn it off to make sure it doesn't do something we don't want to do and I'll use this this signal we greet you in the precious name of Jesus so good to see everybody here on this Christmas Eve and I'll say I believe I see I know her by her maiden name Shantel and her husband this was Shantel Waters we're honored to have you folks with us Isaiah was here this morning this is a graduate of apostolic Christian School I love you guys dearly from Birmingham Alabama honored to have y'all with us tonight Lord bless you it's always you know when family leaves during uh uh the Christmas time it's also good to have family home and I also want to say welcome tonight to uh some of the Dillard's uh family that's joining us uh Bransford Dean and his fiance Emily Anderson honored to have you folks worshiping with us could we give them a great big welcome as well thank you all for being in the house of the Lord with us yes I realize that tonight is Christmas Eve and there are folks that are that have family events scheduled folks are traveling but it's also good to be with family I feel like I'm with family tonight and uh I am uh uh mindful of your time but I want us to get into the word of the Lord what a marvelous word we heard today uh Pastor Whitley just did a an amazing job reminding us of the real reason for Christmas and I I'm thankful to know the revelation of who Jesus really is and I do honor him for that message I honor our Bishop and all of our ministers and Ministry but tonight I'm going to give you a title for a message here in a few few moments but before I do I do want to read from uh some of the classic word that we're used to hearing this time of year calling your attention to the Book of Matthew the 2 chapter The Book of Matthew the 2 chapter we'll begin reading at verse number one Matthew 2 beginning with verse number one now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king behold there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem saying where is he that is born King of the Jews for we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him when Herod the king had heard these things he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him verse 7 then Herod when he had privately called the wise men inquired of them them diligently what time the star appeared and he sent them to Bethlehem and said go search diligently for the young child when you found him bring me word again that I may come and worship him also when they had heard the king they departed and lo the star which they saw in the East went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was and please notice verse 10 you can quote it by heart when they saw the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy I would give my message two titles tonight one is do you still have joy and the other might be could we have just one last Christmas message do you still have joy let's let's pray savior we love you we're grateful to be in your house and we thank you for the privilege of being in your presence Lord I pray that your word would Minister to us Lord as we celebrate your coming to this earth I pray that we would never forget the meaning and keep the joy that your life and your coming brings to us Lord anoint my lips that I would speak as your mouthpiece this night for all this we're grateful and thankful in Jesus name we pray amen our text does indeed remind us again of the wise men who would seek to worship Jesus the king of the Jews indelibly etched in history is the their Quest and their reaction to finding Jesus scripture says they rejoiced with exceeding great joy you see it appears that nowadays rejoicing about Christmas is not a very popular thing to do it seems that it is being proclaimed louder and louder that Jesus is not real Christmas is simply a celebration for the weak and feeble-minded the Christmas story is a fairy tale just for children don't dare say Merry Christmas in many settings nowadays don't even think about putting a manger scene on public property even though we are public too no time for Christ just another holiday that maybe we can get a couple of days paid vacation consequently to many Christmas has become high stress depressing gloomy dismal disheartening or a dreaded time so many no longer have joy at this time of year there's too much noise about everything else it seems that the sounds of joy that was heard on that first Christmas are being drowned out by the voices and the opinions of the miserable miserly multitudes and sadly if we as the Believers who truly have the joy of the Lord in us if we aren't cautious we too will find our spiritual hearing impaired by the sounds of sin cynicism and disbelief so tonight on Christmas Eve 2023 let me ask you to ask yourself this question do you still have joy do you still have joy today can you still hear the sounds of joy in your life if you can't if Joy's been turn down allow me for just a little bit tonight to turn the volume up let me crank up your joy Volume tonight you see the psalmist said it this way and now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me therefore will I offer his in his Tabernacle sacrifices of Joy I will sing yay I will sing praises unto the Lord maybe the reason some have lost their Joy they've lost their song all right right man if you listen to the world songs they don't usually encourage you much they're telling you how bad it is how terrible everything is how their love life broke up how everything's bad I'm here to tell you the joy of the Lord is what we need to be singing about I want to have joy in my heart my songs need to exemplify the joy of the Lord it said it's the sacrifices of Joy now I would pause here to let you know all of us may not be microphone quality when we sing sometimes it's a real sacrifice to listen to myself singing but sometimes that song Got to Be in my Heart nevertheless to say I'm joyful about what God has done I'm joyful I want to sing songs of praise songs of worship you know you can come in this house not just on Christmas but any time of the year it doesn't matter what you've gone through during the day it doesn't matter how difficult the week has been suddenly the praise team they'll get together and they'll start singing songs of Joy songs of excitement songs that uh before long I forgot about my troubles and joy starts springing up in my heart I want to have the sacrifices of Joy tonight let's ask ourselves have we stopped giving the sacrifices of Joy after all it's easier to be a grumbling Grinch than to be joyful hey all you miserly scrooges all you complaining crabs all you irritable ingr it's time to have joy in your life it's time to be excited that Jesus came to this earth it's time to have songs of Joy can you hear it yet listen a little closer can you hear Joy you know what else brings Joy being a commandment keeper John 15:10 said if you keep my Commandments ye shall abide in my love even as I have kept my father's Commandments and abide in his love these things have I spoken unto you that my joy whose Joy his joy that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you if you want to have joy we got to love each other we've got to put aside Petty differences we've got to love lay aside prejudices that this world has and we got to love one another and say let the love of the Holy Ghost permeate through everything that I do oh Hallelujah I I want to be a commandment keeper not a commandment breaker right there is special joy that comes in obedience let me tell you that again there is special joy that comes in obedience could I give you just a a fleshly earthy example have you been ever been out on the interstate here in the state of Tennessee and you've got your cruise control set on 68 in a 70 and you top the hill and there's one of those cream and black SUVs that says State Police on the side of it man that is such a good feeling to be driving 68 in a 70 I'm a commandment keeper I don't wave at him but I would like to nod as I go by but have you ever been a commandment breaker guilty I'm confessing I've also topped the hill a few times doing 74 in a 70 all right breaks breaks breaks and then you spend the next mile and a half looking in your rearview mirror and say please don't pull out oh God please don't let him pull out Lord blind his eyes turn his radar off for just a little while I know I'm the only person ever done that let me tell you there is joy that comes with being a commandment keeper there is Joy there is a satisfaction that comes with following what God's word has told you to do when I follow the Plan of Salvation that Pastor Whitley so beautifully preached about today there's a good feeling when Trouble Comes I know I've got joy I know my salvation is sure and I can't imagine what it's like to walk around in this world with a disobedient attitude to what God's called me to do the anxiety that would go with it obedience to God's Commandments brings Joy loud and clear songs of Happiness well maybe we're not hearing joy in our lives because our ears have been stopped and we're needing a healing of our spirit ual hearing the psalmist said make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which thou Hast broken May Rejoice Lord give me joy even though I've suffered injury the psalmist in Psalm 51:12 says restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit if we aren't careful we will have salvation and lose the joy that that goes along with it we will take for granted the Beauty and the miraculous thing that takes place when we're saved by the grace of God when we've been obedient to him and he's miraculously saved us and delivered us we followed his word we've repented we've been baptized in his name we've been filled with his Spirit oh but preacher I've been in the way 40 years I don't have to have joy maybe that's a problem you've been in the way maybe you ought to get out of the way and let your joy be restored find that rejoicing when you first found the power of the holy ghost moving in your life that freedom that felt you felt when the Holy Ghost fell on you for the very first time if we can give the sacrifices of Praise maybe we can find some other facets of Our Lives to again hear the sounds of joy do you still have joy in your marriage can you still hear the joy of your family can you hear the joy of having a good job don't take for granted the blessings God has given you let me pause and say that again don't take for granted the blessings that God has provided for you the job that you have before you curse it too much do without it and go hungry for a while see I've quit preaching started meddling even on Christmas Eve do you hear the joy of obedient blessings that come with putting your finances under the authority of the word of God the sacrifices and obedience will turn the volume up on Joy sometimes you just got to get up in the morning and turn all the noise off turn Sports Talk radio off turn off the all News Channel put your newspaper away close your Google search don't get on Instagram instead get up and have a direct line with Jesus and say Lord I just want to thank you this morning for waking me up and starting me on my way thank you for my spouse thank you for my children thank you for my job thank you for my help and all of a sudden let the joy of the Lord start going back through you again I want to have joy do you still have joy tonight praise team start getting ready I'm going to take us home you see we ought to find the most Joy when we hear about heaven brother Mula I haven't got a lot to be joyful for this year it's been a difficult year Jesus said in Luke 6 verse 20 said and he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said blessed be ye poor that doesn't sound like anything to be joyful about for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven blessed are ye that hunger now for ye shall be filled blessed are ye that weep now for ye shall laugh sometimes this holiday season memories of the past sometimes make folks a little sad and meloncholy let me tell you the way to avoid never being sad is to never love and that's not living if you never love then you can avoid hurt but the truth is he said that we're supposed to love one another suddenly loss will hurt but it's not a loss because the Bible tells us not to sorrow not as them that have no hope we have the Hope in Christ even in this time if some of those sad feelings start coming up I'm talking to somebody tonight I'm telling somebody even out there online some of that stuff that's been taking you B down you need to call on the joy of the Lord and say this is for a season but I know Joy is coming what did scripture say weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning blessed are ye when men shall hate you and when they shall separate you from their company I feel all alone nobody likes me everybody hates me well scripture said Jesus said you're blessed and shall reproach you and cast out your name as evil for the son of man's sake now let me pause if folks ostracize you because you're a Christian you're blessed now if they ostracize you because you're a jerk that's your problem but you know what verse 23 said Rejoice ye in that day and leap through for Joy H have you seen some of these little ones around here something can happen that they get excited about getting loud isn't good enough we start loading up the bus to go on one of these school trips and you watch some of those those little ones uh they're so excited they're so joyful it's not just their voices they can't stand still some of them just be jumping they're excited we're going someplace I got news for you I'm going someplace I leap for Joy sometimes I get excited about the joy of the Lord Lord I wish somebody' Clap Your Hands In Joy right now I wish somebody would get excited about the joy of the Lord stand with me Rejoice ye in that day leap for Joy behold your reward is great in heaven man that's something to be joyful about for in the like manner did the fathers under the prophets you know what else we need to have Joy about we need to have Joy about a repenting sinner Luke 15 15:10 said likewise I say unto you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth church if we ever find ourselves laxidasical if we ever find ourselves apathetic and uncaring about a s sinner who repents will lose our joy we need to get excited every time a sinner comes forward and says Lord forgive me of my sins why because the Angels Rejoice about [Music] such but the only way you can have full Joy is to be in the presence of the Lord the psalmist said it this way for thou Willl not leave leave my soul in Hell neither will thou suffer thy Holy One to seek corruption for thou will show me the path of life in thy presence is fullness of joy you see the world don't even know what full Joy is like yes we serve a God who is everywhere but he does not manifest himself everywhere he does not manifest himself in the worldly activity and the ugliness of sin but in his presence when we come into His presence worshiping and praising suddenly there's fullness of joy at thy right hand there are Pleasures forever more I would give you this as an aside as we close in Luke 1:38 this is now going back in time we read that the child was born but this is before the child was born now this is when news had first come to Mary and she had had conversation with the angel we talked about this last week and the challenge of her circumstances but scripture said in Luke 1:38 and Mary said behold the handmade of the Lord be it unto me according to Thy word and the angel departed from her and Mary arose in those days and went into the Hill Country with haste into the city city of Judah and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elizabeth now stay with me a minute cuz we're still talking about joy and it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary the baby leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost now get the picture I'll paraphrase without reading it all to you Elizabeth and Zarias were already expecting a baby scripture lets us know that she was about 6 months with child and when the salutation came from Mary to Elizabeth that she was also with child the Bible tells us that the baby leaped in her womb and she spake out with a loud voice and said blessed art thou among women blessed is the fruit of thy womb and whence is this to me and the mother of my Lord should come to me and notice verse 44 it says this for lo as soon as the voice of salutation sounded in mine ears The Babe leap in my womb for Joy could I pause and give you a social aside here for all those folks that feel like a fetus is not a child yet do you realize the first one that leaped with joy was a six-month old fetus before it was even born don't you tell me that there's not Joy there's joy there's joy in the presence of the Lord the Holy Ghost fell and the baby leaped in her womb the Bible said I want my joy on this Christmas Eve night I want to hear the real Joy of Christmas Eve first Peter called it joy unspeakable the psalmist said in the presence is fullness of joy Jude said it this way now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding Joy that's where exceeding Joy is in his presence tonight I would ask everybody in the house for just a season for just a few moments I would ask you to come and stand around the altar praise team is going to sing us a song about joy and let's thank the Lord for his Joy let's thank for the Deep joy that we feel down in our soul on this Christmas Eve could we celebrate together Our Savior who came to this Earth for us all broken I've got true love instead of pain there Freedom though you captured me I've got joy in I've got joy inste of oh for you give me joy down deep in my soul down deep in my soul down deep in my soul yes you give me joy down deep in my soul down deep in my soul down deep in my soul lord you give me joy down deep in my soul down deep in my soul down deep in my soul yes you give me joy down deep in my soul down deep in my soul down deep in my soul I've never been so free C in your love for me he loves me I've never been more secure knowing your heart lordes never been so free call in your love for me he loves never been more secure knowing your heart never been so free calling your love he loves me thank [Music] for love me never been more sec never been so free so free calling your love he loves me love [Music] [Applause] [Music] so down deep in my soul down deep in my soul down deep in my soul you give me joy down deep in Soul deep Soul deep in Hallelujah would you greet all of your church family as we're dismissed tonight would you love them would you thank the Lord for the joy if there's a guest nearby you welcome them please remember we'll have W worshiping the word Wednesday night next Sunday will be New Year's Eve celebration you're dismissed in jesus' name Shake Hands and be friendly