Joy to the World
Download MP3Invite you to open your Bibles to, 2 texts this evening, or if you want, they're in our worship guide. 1st Peter chapter 1 and Luke chapter 2. 1st Peter 1 and Luke chapter 2, or once again, they are printed in your bulletin. 1st Peter 1, beginning in verse 8. Though you have not seen him, you love him.
Joel Brooks:Though you do not see him, now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. Obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Luke chapter 2 beginning in verse 8. And in the same region, there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shown around them, and they were filled with great fear.
Joel Brooks:And the angel said to them, fear not. For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.
Joel Brooks:And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts, praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those whom he is pleased. Pray with me. God, we pray that once again you would honor the reading of your word and that the truths which you were currently speaking to us would already begin sinking into our hearts. God, we need to hear from you tonight. We need your spirit to open up dull minds, crack open hardened hearts.
Joel Brooks:God, I pray you would have your way with us. Those who need to be healed, I pray they'll be healed. Those who need to be forgiven, forgiven. Those who need to be restored, may they be restored. God, I pray that my words would fall to the ground and blow away and not be remembered anymore.
Joel Brooks:But lord, may your words remain and may they change us. And I pray this in the strong name of Jesus. Amen. Just over 22 years ago, Lauren and I, we had our first date. It was actually my first date ever.
Joel Brooks:And, so I put a lot of thought into it. You know, your your your first date, and I kinda knew Lauren a little bit from the halls, you know, in the high school and, but never been on a date and never been on a date with her before. So I wanted to make a really good first date impression. So all of these questions flooded my mind as I was getting read ready for this, you know, do you, do I wear the leather jacket or not? You know, or, do I just go with a normal coat?
Joel Brooks:What kind of cologne do I wear? Do I go with Old Spice, or do I go with Brut? And I went with Brut. Should I wear one of my, my classic plaids? Or, or should I spice things up and wear something different?
Joel Brooks:What kind of car should I drive? At the time, I drove a 1968 Pontiac Tempest, which sounds really cool now, but it was not at all cool then. It was called the lead sled, the land yacht. It was, it was blue and it was huge. And when I would pull up in the high school, people would begin humming the Batman song.
Joel Brooks:They would all be going, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. I mean, it was, it was enormous. And so that was not an option. Plus every time I turned left, the car died and it was covered in mildew. And so I asked my dad if I could take out the Mercedes, which, you know, sounds a lot better.
Joel Brooks:It was it was like a 12 year old Mercedes with 300,000 miles, but it was better than the Pontiac. And, I can just remember putting so much thought into that first date and the, the impression I wanted to make. And Lauren said she was doing the same thing on her end. She's having the talk with her parents, warning them what they cannot say when I come over to pick her up. And she said she would even write down conversations, like in case there was an awkward pause in the evening, you know, she, she already had prepared conversation starters.
Joel Brooks:And so so she was thinking along these things too. Be because first impressions are huge. Lots of time, lots of thoughts going into making that first impression, especially if it's a date or, or if you're about to launch a new product or if you're about to start a, a new church. I know people for that poster that they're gonna put up just to make that first initial impression on people that they think is gonna communicate so much. When Jesus is born, what's the first impression?
Joel Brooks:I mean, obviously God put a whole lot of thoughts into how Jesus was going to be born. What's the first impression given? How is His birth announced? Well, we just read it. God sends an angel to a bunch of nobodies, to a bunch of shepherds.
Joel Brooks:And he pronounces, fear not for behold. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. I mean, that that one simple pronouncement says so much about the, the life and the ministry that is to come in Jesus. That first impression was huge. I don't think it would have surprised anybody at that time if if the angels were out I mean, the shepherds were out there and an angel appeared to them.
Joel Brooks:And instead of saying what we just read said, be greatly afraid. You should be scared because God knows what you do. He knows your thoughts. And he is sending his son to come and to reign and to judge. And you better go and grovel before him.
Joel Brooks:I don't think it would have surprised people at all if that had been the declaration. But it wasn't. The angel says, first saying, don't don't be There's no reason to be afraid. I have got amazing news of great joy for everyone. What a great and first impression.
Joel Brooks:The Christ child is going to come and bring joy. We, we also see, this kind of care and this thought on first impressions when Jesus launches His ministry, when He goes public with His ministry. Once again, I'm sure this didn't just happen haphazardly. Jesus is putting thoughts into this. How does he want to launch his public ministry?
Joel Brooks:Because when you launch a ministry, I remember when I launched University Christian Fellowship, about, I don't know, 15 years ago or so. I put so much thought into that because you're setting the tone for what people can expect this minister to be all about. So what is the tone that Jesus is going to set when he launches his public ministry. And we see him launching his ministry at a wedding in John chapter 2. It's a story that most of us are familiar with Jesus and his friends.
Joel Brooks:They're at a wedding and there's a, you know, a wedding catastrophe, I guess the wine ran out at the reception. And, and I mean, this is maybe just kind of a social faux pas. It's it's nothing huge here. Okay. So it's gonna put a damper on the wedding party that's happening.
Joel Brooks:But Jesus, he sees the situation and he decides, this is exactly how I want to launch my ministry right here. And so he he orders some servants. He says, I want you to go and I want you to fill up those 6 clay pots over there or stone pots over there. Fill them all up with water. That's gonna be, you know, about a 180 gallons of water.
Joel Brooks:And so they go fill it up, and then he gets the master of the ceremonies to come and he tastes it. And that water has turned into the best wine you could imagine. And so Jesus' first miracle is to turn water into wine to keep a party going. Think about that. That's, that's how he wants to launch his public ministry.
Joel Brooks:I mean, he could have said, alright, what's a good way to launch public ministry? You know what, I'm going to, I'm going to make a blind person see. Or I'm gonna heal I'm gonna heal the lame. Oh. I could raise the dead.
Joel Brooks:I mean, what? I'll raise a dead person up. Everybody will listen to me. They'll know what I'm about. Or he could have started by preaching, you know, maybe the sermon on the mount.
Joel Brooks:This amazing sermon, but instead he goes to a wedding and he sees that the wedding is starting to fizzle now because the wine is gone. He says, you know what? This is what I'm about. I'm the God who's going to come and bring joy to the party. I'm a God about joy.
Joel Brooks:Great joy for all the earth. I wonder if that's what non Christians think of when they think of Jesus. The one who came to keep a party going, to bring life to it. When Jesus launched his public ministry like that, all he's doing is fulfilling that pronouncement of the angel, that this is great joy coming. Joy is what defined the ministry of Jesus.
Joel Brooks:It is what should define Christians. The mark of the Christian life is joy. Hear me on this. Don't make the mistake of thinking that what it means to be a Christian, the mark of the Christian life is faith or belief. That's a common assumption.
Joel Brooks:You know, that that's what it means to be a Christian is we have to have belief. We have, we have to have faith. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God. We believe that Jesus died and He rose again for our sins. Therefore, we are a Christian.
Joel Brooks:That's what distinguishes us from the world. Don't make that mistake in thinking that's the mark of Christianity. Even Satan believes that. Even demons believe that. I mean, Satan knows Jesus is the Son of God.
Joel Brooks:Whenever Jesus would shout out, I know who you are. You were Jesus, son of the most high. I mean, the demons got it and the rest of the people were oblivious, but but they understood who Jesus was. Satan demons, they understand that when Jesus died and he rose from the dead that he conquered sin and death and that he can provide forgiveness. They understand that.
Joel Brooks:So it's not belief. Joyful belief is the mark that distinguishes us from the rest of the world. Joyful belief, or I would say a delight in that truth, a delight in that God. Because although Satan understands and he believes those things, there is no joy in them. So the mark of a Christian is a joyful belief.
Joel Brooks:And this Christmas story and the gospel, Joy is not an option for Christians. It's not an option. If you have been forgiven by Christ, if he has given you his Holy Spirit to dwell in you, then you will have joy. Period. I mean, let, let me put it even, even more plainly.
Joel Brooks:If, if you do not have joy in your life, you do not know Jesus because Jesus came to give joy. The Psalmist tells us this in Psalm 16:11, he says, in thy presence, there is fullness of joy in your right hand. There are pleasures forevermore. So in God's presence, there is fullness of joy. So when you become a Christian in God's presence, His Spirit comes in you to dwell.
Joel Brooks:There should be an explosion of joy. Jesus told His disciples in John 15, He says, I have spoken to you that your joy may be full. Perhaps this would be a good time to to clarify what I mean by joy. There can be some confusion. I think people kind of associate joy and happiness as the same thing, but they're not at all.
Joel Brooks:When when when I'm saying joy, I'm not talking about happiness. Happiness is based on circumstances. You know, your, your sports team wins. You're happy, you know, and immediately go to Facebook and tell everybody you're happy. If you get a haircut, people notice and they like it, you're happy.
Joel Brooks:Somebody gives you an unexpected gift that you like, you're happy. It's completely based on circumstances. Your happiness is. But joy is not like this. And we know this because throughout scripture, we find times where people can be both sorrowful and joyful at the same time.
Joel Brooks:Sorrowful and joyful. James 12 says, Count all joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds. So when you're going through that really hard time, that that trial that comes along your way says, hey, be joyful. Count it a joy. 2nd Corinthians 610 describes Christians as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.
Joel Brooks:Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. So, so we're filled with sorrow, real sorrow, real hurt. Yet, never do we stop being joyful. Because joy doesn't depend on that circumstance or that trial that we are going through. Happiness does depend on a circumstance.
Joel Brooks:You have to have a good circumstance in order to be happy, but not so with joy. The opposite of happiness, you know, is sadness. They're opposites. And so that's why it would not make any sense, you know, for for Paul is saying 2nd Corinthians, you know, he could not say, as sorrowful yet always happy. It doesn't make any sense.
Joel Brooks:He couldn't do that. You're you're filled with sorrow and you're happy. You're filled with sadness and you're happy. Those are opposites. But he can say you can be be filled with sorrow and be filled with joy.
Joel Brooks:Joy inexpressible. I love that, the text we read earlier from 1st Peter 8:9 it says, though you have not seen him, you love him, though you do not see him now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. It's when you look, when you read that verse, you have to just kind of realize that's strange that Peter is saying this. Why is he telling me what I already believe? Saying, hey, I know you don't see him, but you love him.
Joel Brooks:I know you do not now see him, but you believe in him and, and you rejoice with joy that is inexpressible. All he's doing is describing his church there. Why? Why is he describing his church? I think he's doing it because he he wants them to put a peg or he wants them to put a marker saying, this is the normal Christian life.
Joel Brooks:This is it. And this could apply to all of them because you have not seen him, but you love him. You've not seen him, but you believe in him and you're filled with an inexpressible joy. That's the normal Christian life. And so if you ever drift from it, I want you to be able to look back and see, this is what you're to be experiencing, inexpressible joy.
Joel Brooks:Now the opposite of joy is despair, not sadness. The opposite of joy is despair. And Christians should never despair because we are forever filled with hope. Turn to John 16. John 16, you're gonna hit a lot of red letters there.
Joel Brooks:This is when Jesus is in the upper room with his disciples. He's having a meal with them, the last supper, before he's about to be betrayed and killed. And then these last moments, it's interesting that he talks a lot about joy. So John 16, we'll begin reading a verse 16. A little while and you will see me no longer.
Joel Brooks:And again, a little while and you will see me. So some of his disciples said to one another, what is this that he is he says to us a little while and you will not see me and again a little while and you will see me? And because I am going to the Father. So they were saying, what does he mean by a little while? We do not know what he is talking about.
Joel Brooks:And Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him. So he said to them, is this what you are asking yourselves? What I mean by saying a little while and you will not see me and again a little while and you will see me? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.
Joel Brooks:When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come. But when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish. For joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me.
Joel Brooks:Truly, truly I say to you, whatever you ask of the father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full. So Jesus, he gathers his disciples around in this intimate meal and he says, you're going to weep, You're going to lament. But when I come back, when I'm resurrected, you will be given a joy that no one, no one can ever take away.
Joel Brooks:He's probably looking around and he's thinking, it's like, your family is going to turn their backs and walk away from you. But that cannot take away the joy that will come to you. Some of you are going to be arrested. Some of you are going to be tortured by, by Roman officials. But you know what?
Joel Brooks:That will not take away the joy that is going to come upon you. Some of you are going to be killed, but you know death cannot take away the joy that is coming to you. Satan is gonna accuse a number of you. He's going to whisper in your ear all your sins and all your doubts and all your fears. But you know what?
Joel Brooks:Even that cannot take away the joy that I'm gonna give you. No one can take away that joy. No one. Christians are given a joy that no one can take away. But I want you to notice how Jesus describes this joy.
Joel Brooks:How it comes to us. He uses the example of a woman giving birth to teach us about joy. Look at verse 16, sorry, verse 20, Truly, truly I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You'll be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come.
Joel Brooks:But when she has delivered the baby, she remembers the anguish. She no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Now, as a father, I guess any father could tell you this, your wife, I gotta be careful with words here. Your wife goes through a transformation during birth. So something, something happens to your wife and, you're looking at your wife and, and she is saying things to you that, that, that you hope you never hear again, during that time.
Joel Brooks:And you begin wondering, is this really, is this really the person that I've married? What, what has happened? Because she is going through intense pain. I mean, you're looking at the little machine that monitors the contractions and it's cool to you. You're like, Oh, it's a huge one.
Joel Brooks:And she wants to kill you as, as you were saying that, because she feels that she doesn't need a machine to tell her the pain that she is feeling. Well, pain is a part of birth. Pain is part of a birth, actually, both for husband and wife. I can remember when one of our children was being born, Lauren, we're, we're, we're holding hands and it just sounds so beautiful and romantic. And she begins crushing my hand.
Joel Brooks:I mean, I was shaking hands with strong people, but I'm looking all blood gone. I'm hearing knuckles grind one another. I am in intense pain. When one of our, children, it was Caroline, when she was born, I'm holding her hand and she's, she's grinding my knuckles together. I mean, my, my hand is white as a sheet and Lauren is in the middle of the bed.
Joel Brooks:Or not, not in the middle. She's, she's actually slightly off center, which is, which is important to this story. Because as her husband, I'm holding her hand and I'm encouraging her, but since she's not in the middle, I'm having to lean over a little bit, which doesn't sound like a big deal. But when you're leaning over for awhile and it stretches out, and Lauren was very insensitive, she decided to go into labor for hours. And so I'm leaning over, and after a while, all I'm thinking about I'm not thinking about what a wonderful event this is.
Joel Brooks:All I'm thinking about is my back kills me. And and I'm just leaning over like this, I'm thinking, I just got to find the right opportunity to tell her like, in between pushes to push this way, like, it's like, just scoot over and the opportunity never came. And so, Lauren was medicated, I was not. And so I suffer terribly through that whole ordeal. But any woman could tell you who is born a child that there is pain involved.
Joel Brooks:And the men, there's pain as well. It's part of giving birth. But I want you to look carefully at the words of Jesus. Look carefully. He says that when the baby comes, the pain is remembered no more for the joy that the baby brings.
Joel Brooks:Notice something. He doesn't say the pain goes away. He doesn't say the pain leaves you when the baby comes. He doesn't say that. As any mother can tell you, pain is still there after you've had the child.
Joel Brooks:Your body has been through trauma. Pain is still very much a part of that. But when you're given your baby, you forget the pain. You forget it. It hasn't left you though.
Joel Brooks:You just forget about it in light of the joy that is before you. That baby brings a joy that no amount of pain can overcome. We don't remember the pain anymore. And I want you to remember that this Christmas. When we think of the Christ child being born, when we think of the birth of Jesus, it's not that when he was born, all of a sudden, all sorrow and sadness ended throughout the world.
Joel Brooks:So it's all of a sudden gone. That's that's not what happened. When he came though, we were given such a joy. We remember it no more. We remember no more pain, no more sorrow, and the birth of this Christ child.
Joel Brooks:And there is even a greater joy that has given to us after the resurrection. That's what John 16 was about. Yes. There is joy in his birth, but there is even greater joy in the resurrected Jesus. Paul has to remind himself of this over and over, and you catch a glimpse of this in his letters when he's always talking about the resurrection.
Joel Brooks:I'm not sure he ever talks about the birth, but he always talks about the resurrection of Jesus. There was one point that Paul, he hit, he hit the low point in his life. I mean, he he'd been afflicted beyond what any of us could ever bear. And the, the church, some of the churches were, we're kind of straying a little bit and it was being a burden to him. And so he wrote, in 1st Corinthians 1 or second Corinthians 1 says this, for we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.
Joel Brooks:Despair. Remember the opposite of joy? Despair. We despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, but that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead.
Joel Brooks:I love that. He delivered us from such a deadly peril and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope and he will deliver us again. And so Paul, he's like, he gets to this point where it's like, I am in despair, but Christians should not go into despair. I have hope Christ has risen from the dead.
Joel Brooks:He is assured that I will rise from the dead. And so his despair is like a death, and he knows that Christ can resurrect him from that, and he has given joy. So that's when Paul, when he's put in prison, he sings. You can't put him down. The result in Paul's life was that no matter what the circumstance was, he was filled with joy.
Joel Brooks:I mean, he had one of those crazy joys drive people. Can you imagine the jailer after you're beaten a guy you're locking them up and he's singing crazy joy. But we can read about people like Paul, and we can make a tragic mistake. And we can think that's abnormal. That's okay.
Joel Brooks:That's like super Christian, but know that joy and expressible is the norm for us. It's not unusual. The defining mark of a Christian is joy. Paul would even later command it to us. Actually, the command to rejoice is all throughout scripture.
Joel Brooks:Philippians 4 is one of the most famous, rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say, rejoice, have joy. Okay. And the Lord again, I'm going to tell you in case you missed it, because it seems unusual that you can actually command an emotion, but I'm gonna do it. Rejoice in the law Lord always.
Joel Brooks:Again, I say rejoice. It's a command. You have to rejoice. It's not an option. You can't go through your Christian life and just say, hey, I'm not really a joyful person, but that's okay.
Joel Brooks:No. You're commanded to have joy, which which is absurd. I mean, you can command people to have to do actions. I could command somebody, be merciful. Be kind, give money.
Joel Brooks:But how do you command somebody, have joy? I mean, you can wish it. I mean, I've heard several people say, you know, like to get an argument with their parents or something, they'll say, I wish you could just be happy for me. We can wish it, but you can't. I command you.
Joel Brooks:Be happy for It doesn't work like that. You can't just change a heart like that. But yet, God commands joy. And it is an impossible command. But you know what?
Joel Brooks:You must be born again is an impossible command. Rise from the dead is an impossible command. And like we just heard earlier in the Advent reading, with God, all things are possible. And so God does command impossible things when He says, you must have joy, but God can give the impossible. He can change your heart and He can grant you that joy.
Joel Brooks:St. Augustine, one of his most famous sayings, I love it. He says, God command what you will, but give what you command. And so if you're gonna command joy, give joy. And God gave him what he called sovereign joy.
Joel Brooks:Joy is a fruit of the spirit. And once again, a lot of the other fruits, you know, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, a lot of those things, you can just be good, be kind, but joyful, it's of the heart. But it is a fruit of the spirit, which means it is a mark of every Christian. They should be growing in joy. Well, let me let me ask a couple of questions, that you might be thinking of.
Joel Brooks:What do you do if you don't feel joy? What do you do if, if, you know, you come here on a Sunday night and you kind of feel like the Tin man. Like, I mean, I'm just kind of singing songs. I'm reading lyrics off a sheet, but I, I feel, I feel nothing. What do you do if that happens or, or, or when that happens?
Joel Brooks:Don't don't think that, okay, I just need to bow up. I just need to sing out of duty. I just need I just need to be obedient, you know, and I just need to be a good dutiful servant, and I just need to sing, and I just need to put on a brave face, and I need to do these things. Don't ever do that because that is not worship. Okay?
Joel Brooks:If you sing out of duty, do you know who you are worshiping? Yourself. Because who gets glory for duty? I don't want to do this, but I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it.
Joel Brooks:God does not get glory if you worship Him out of duty. But if you worship out of joy, I cannot help but do this. It's my joy to do so. Who gets the glory? Not you.
Joel Brooks:Christ does. So we have to have joyful worship, not dutiful worship.
Jeffrey Heine:So so so what do you
Joel Brooks:do though if that's not there? And I know I'm supposed to worship, but I have to have joyful worship. I mean, do what do I do? Let me give you just a few things. First, repent.
Joel Brooks:Now don't say that lightly. If joy isn't a defining mark in your life, if it's not a defining part of your worship, repent. Just acknowledge before God, you've commanded that our worship with a joyful heart. Them always to rejoice, and I feel nothing. So I repent of that.
Joel Brooks:Also, repent of the the things that you might be doing that rob you of joy. I think we go to so many little minute happinesses. It's like junk food. We we we feast on the junk food of the world all the time, and then God prepares a feast of joy and we're like, I'm full. I'm full because, you know, I've, I have found my happiness, you know, in this sports team, I have found my, my happiness in this.
Joel Brooks:I've, and we're just eating, nibbling, and all these little things. And then we no longer have an appetite for God. Ask God to reveal to you the junk food you're eating. So you can feast on him. Repent.
Joel Brooks:2nd, acknowledge that you cannot change your heart. God, you've commanded to have joy, but I can't change my heart. I repent of it. God, change my heart. 3rd, obey with the hope and the expectation of joy.
Joel Brooks:This is different than hypocrisy. Okay? This is different than let's say, you know, you're you're worshiping here some night and you're raising your hand. You feel nothing. Because like, god, I know that you're you deserve worship.
Joel Brooks:I'm gonna raise I I feel nothing, and I really could care less about, you know, what's going on. And that's hypocrisy. But but if you worship and you say, god, I repent. I don't have joy, but I know you've commanded me to worship. And so I'm asking you to change my heart as I am singing to you.
Joel Brooks:God can turn that into joy. That's not hypocrisy, that's just being honest before the Lord and doing what you're commanded to do. So you obey with this hope and this expectation that God will change your heart as you come before him. The the Christian life is is not a life that we so think is so so taxing, so dutiful. God came to give us life and life to the full.
Joel Brooks:He said, I speak to you that your your joy may be full. And so I pray as Christians, that would be the norm. What he commanded of us would be the norm in our life. Pray with me. God, I know there's many people here who need to repent.
Joel Brooks:Feel so strange repenting over an emotion instead of an action. But God, you're after our hearts. And so we do repent of our lack of joy. God, right now in this moment, I pray you would reveal to us maybe the things that are quenching your spirit. Maybe the junk food that we are eating of this world so that when we come to your table, we're no longer hungry.
Joel Brooks:And we no longer want to eat of your good things and of your joy. God revealed those to us We repent of those things. God, I pray this week that in in all things as we're preparing for Christmas, as we're just going throughout our day, you would reveal to us all the many ways that we're nibbling on the world instead of feasting on you. And God, I pray through your spirit, you would give our church here such inexpressible joy. It's why we sing actually because really words alone can't express.
Joel Brooks:We we need more. We need poetry. We need music. We we need to shout. It it's hard to express the joy that you have given us.
Joel Brooks:I pray that would be true in our church. May we never worship you out of duty because it's just worship of ourselves. So God, we acknowledge not just that we believe in you, but that we joyfully believe in you. We confess you are the delight of our hearts. And we pray this in the strong name of Jesus.
Joel Brooks:Amen.
