Sermon Notes
We have canceled services through March and will re-evaluate toward the end of the month as we head into April.
Cabin fever refers to the distressing claustrophobic irritability or restlessness experienced when a person, or group, is stuck at an isolated location or in confined quarters for an extended period of time.
Will what is happening today, lead me to where I want to be tomorrow?
Does God provide joy in unprecedented times?
Psalm 126 (NLT) 1 When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! 2 We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”
Joy is not a requirement of the “with God” life, it is a consequence.
3 Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!
Present joy has a past and a future.
Isaiah 52:7–8 (NLT) 7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! 8 The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for before their very eyes they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.
Joy is the verified, repeated experience of those involved in what God is doing.
4 Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert. 5 Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. 6 They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.
If the joy-producing acts of God are characteristic of our past, we can safely believe the joy-producing acts of God will be characteristic of our future.
Joy Journal