The Seventy Return

I have decided to follow Jesus. We trust that that is you today. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you, Lord, once again for the wonderful, glorious opportunity we have to study the scriptures. We are truly a blessed people to come together and gather in this facility, Lord, to focus in on Jesus Christ, our Lord. And we pray that you'd help us understand the essence of true joy this morning, Lord, as we look at these 70 disciples who returned with joy.

We pray in Jesus name. Amen. For those of you who have been with us over the years, it is no secret that the Christmas season is the greatest time of the year for me and for my family as we focus in on the greatness of Christ, his coming to earth, and what that means for us. And I love the Christmas season. And the songs we sing during this season focus in on the joy of the arrival of the Messiah. We sing joy to the world. We sing songs like joyful, joyful, we adore thee. We even sing songs like I had the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.

And people respond, where? Down in my heart. Why? Because Jesus lives in my heart. And Christmas is to be a time of great joy, of great jubilation over the arrival of the coming King, the Messiah himself. And yet, during the season, you will note that very few people ever experience that joy. In fact, throughout the year, most people have no idea of what that joy is all about. I'm reminded of the incident in Scripture in Matthew chapter 4, when our Lord was going from house to house and from city to city and from village to village, healing those who were sick.

I mean, you can imagine what it must have been like to have the Messiah come to your town. And you were sick. You were blind. You were diseased. And the Messiah would come and touch you, and you'd be healed. And how marvelous that must be for you, maybe who were blind for years, and now you can see, or unable to walk for years, and now can walk. Everything changes. And Christ saw the impact of his Messianic ministry in the lives of people. And the crowds, of course, would begin to follow the Messiah everywhere, it says at the end of Matthew chapter 4.

The Bible says in Matthew chapter 5 that as Jesus saw the crowds gathering, they were getting bigger and bigger and bigger, he sat down.

He sat down and began to teach them. He taught them about true joy. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. It's almost as if he says, you know, I see how your circumstances have changed, and I see that for the most part, you're happy, but you're not going to have joy unless you understand who I am, and what I require of those who follow me. He used the word makarioi, which is the word that speaks of inner contentment in the soul. The joy that comes because of the presence of God in the heart of a man.

Because he knew that their happiness would come and go. But joy truly depended upon his relationship with them and theirs with him. And so he spoke about that great sermon on the Beatitudes, about what true blessing really, really is, because he wanted them to experience the trueness of joy. Most never experience that. And yet, it becomes the theme of our topic this morning. It was the Apostle Paul who had one main objective in his ministry. And it's this, Acts 20 verse number 24. He says, I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course and the ministry which I receive from the Lord Jesus to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

He wanted to finish his course. And he wanted to finish his course with joy. That's it. I just want to finish the course that my Lord God has given to me. And with the joy that he had in his heart, he would serve his God. He would honor his God. He would glorify the name of Jesus Christ. I wonder for you, if you've experienced the greatness of joy, let me help you understand what the Bible says about that.

The Bible says that the angels are the ones who pronounced joy. Remember back in Luke chapter two, they told the shepherds, do not be afraid. We bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. The news that we bring is the greatest of all news, because it revolutionizes the heart of man to give him true joy. So the angels pronounced joy. And it's Christ himself who provides that joy. Christ is the one who provides that joy. It says in Psalm four, verse number seven, these words, thou has put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and new wine abound in peace.

I will both lie down and sleep for thou alone, O Lord, does make me dwell in safety. It's you, God, who has put gladness, who has put joy in my heart. Over in John chapter 15, verse number 11, it says, these things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full. So it's Christ himself who provides joy. It's his joy. And he wants that joy in you to be made full, to abound. So the angels pronounced joy. It's Christ who provides joy. And it's the kingdom of God that promises joy.

The Bible says in Romans 14, 17, that the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

It's the kingdom that promises joy. You see, the only way you get into the kingdom is because of the righteousness of Christ. That righteousness puts you at peace with God that you might experience the joys of the kingdom. So the angels pronounced joy. It's Christ who provides joy. It's the kingdom that promises joy. And it's the spirit that produces joy. The spirit of God is that which produces joy. Galatians 5, verse number 22, but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace. In the kingdom, which is made up of righteousness, peace, and joy in the spirit, it's the spirit that produces joy in the lives of the people, the children of God.

Next, number five, the truth promotes joy. The truth of God promotes joy in the life of people. If the angels pronounced joy, and Christ provides joy, and the kingdom promises joy, and the spirit produces joy, then the truth is that which promotes joy in the lives of people. Listen to what the angel says in Psalm 43, Psalm 43, verse number three.

Oh, send out thy light and thy truth. Let them lead me. Let them bring me to thy holy hill and to thy dwelling place. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and upon the lyre I shall praise thee, O God, my God. It's the truth that leads me. It's the truth that brings me to the holy hill. It's that truth that leads me to the dwelling place of God that I might experience exceeding joy in my heart. Truth promotes joy. That's why the psalmist said in Psalm 119, verse number 162, I rejoice at thy word as one who finds great spoil.

So the Bible says that the angels announced or pronounced joy. Christ himself would be the one who would provide that joy. It then would be understood that when he came preaching the kingdom of God, it would promise joy. And then we understand that the truth or the spirit is that which produces joy and truth is that which promotes joy. And there are people who say, well, you know, I wish that I understood all that. And I wish that my life was filled with joy. And you'll come to some people who understand about the angel's pronouncement.

They understand the fact that the kingdom of God is about joy. It promises joy. And they read the word of God. And sometimes they don't experience the joy that the spirit of God produces in their life because the spirit of God works in conjunction with the scriptures. So why is it they don't experience the joy of the Lord at its fullest extent? And Christ says, I came that you might have my joy and that your joy might be made full because of me and you.

It's simply this. Service propels joy. Service propels joy. It catapults you into a whole new realm of joy. In other words, if you're not involved in serving the king, your joy will always be minimal at best. But service is that which propels joy. It kind of shoots it out there into a realm that goes way beyond anything you can ever imagine. And that's our text for the day. Luke chapter 10 verses 17 to 20. We will see the 70 who return with joy. That's what it says. Read it with me. Verse 17, Luke 10.

And the 70 returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. He said to them, I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall injure you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven. Folks, this is a great section about joy because these 70 would return with joy.

Now that is so crucial to understand because it adds refreshment to our study of Luke 9 and Luke chapter 10. It adds this great breath of fresh air for us. Why? Because we have been studying the call of God upon man. And let me help you understand something about that call.

It is a very hard call, isn't it? If any man came up to me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. That's a hard call. But the call of God is hard. It's not easy to follow Jesus. People say, well, just, you know, just got to believe it's his easiest thing to do. Just believe in Jesus and follow him. No, it's not. It is the hardest thing you will ever do because you are fighting against the kingdom of darkness. And the call of God is a very hard call. And remember in Luke chapter 9, it was, it was that, it was that section that, that took Christ to the apex of his earthly ministry where he would get his men to recognize who he was, that they would confess that he is God's Messiah.

And then he would tell them that the Son of Man must suffer and that he must die and he must rise again. And if you want to follow me, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. And if you want to, you want to keep your life today, you're going to lose it tomorrow. But if you're willing to lose it today, you'll keep it for all eternity. Hard sayings of Christ. Spent a lot of time looking at the hard call of God upon man. And we looked at the three disciples at the end of Luke chapter 9 who, who wished to follow Christ, but because of materialism or because of passivism or because of sentimentalism, they did not follow him.

So we ask ourselves, was there anybody willing to follow him? Yes, there was. There were 70. 70 that he commissioned, 70 that he chose, 70 disciples that would be committed to following the Messiah. And we were, we've been studying these 70 and seeing what Christ is doing in their lives and, and what he's called them and, and compelled them to do. And they would go out and they would preach a gospel, a hard gospel, right? They would proclaim the fact that, that man needs to be at peace with God. And if man rejects him, then you, you wipe the dust off your feet and you make the admonition to them.

You proclaim to them that it would be more tolerable in the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon and Sodom than for people who have heard the gospel and refused to respond to that gospel. It's a hard call. And the reason it's a hard call is because it's a holy call. Did you know that? It's a holy call given by a holy God who opposes sin and all those who engage in sin. The call of God is a hard call, but the call of God is a holy call. How do we know that? Second Timothy chapter one, verse number nine says this.

He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which has granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. The reason the call is so hard is because it's given by a God who's so holy. The hard call is a holy call. God is calling you to leave the realm of sin and darkness to follow him in light and in holiness. But it's a call given by a holy God for people to come out from among the world and be separate, be distinct, be different.

The reason it's a holy call is because it is a, listen, heavenly call. You did know that, didn't you? Hebrews chapter three, verse number one says it this way.

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling. It's a heavenly call. The reason it's so hard is because it's so holy. And the reason it's so holy is because it's so heavenly. If it's a heavenly call, then it must be a high call, a high call. Philippians chapter three, Philippians chapter three, verse number 14 says it this way. Paul says, I press on toward the goal of the prize for the high call of God in Christ Jesus. Is it a hard call? You bet. It's a hard call because it's a holy call.

It's a holy call because it's directly from heaven. It's a heavenly call. It's God calling man to him. If it's a heavenly call, it's a high call. It's the highest of all calls because there's a call to be a child of the living God. And just so you don't get puffed up, it's a humble call. It's a humble call. First Corinthians chapter one, you know this well.

Verse 26, for consider your calling brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong and the base things of the world. And the despised God has chosen the things that are not that he might nullify the things that are. That no man should boast before God, but by his doing you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God in righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

That just as it is written, let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. It's a humble call. Not many wise, some, just not many. Not many noble, some, just not many. Not many rich, some, just not many. Doesn't say any rich or any noble or any wise, it just says just not many of them. It's a humble call because God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. So the call of God is a hard call. It's hard because it's holy. It's holy because it's heavenly. If it's heavenly, it's high. But at the same time, it's a humble call resulting in the fact that it is the most honorable call in all the world.

It's honorable because he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, according to Ephesians chapter 1. He predestined us to be holy and blameless before him way back in eternity past. It is an honorable call that God would bestow upon those who have followed him and want to honor him. It's the call of God. And right in the middle of that call, that hard call, you have these 70 who have responded to those words, if any man come after me, let him deny himself, let him take up his cross and follow me.

Let him give his life away for me. If you're willing to lose your life, follow me. And these 70 said, we'll leave everything. We'll lose everything. We love you enough to follow you wherever you go. And they did. They did. And you begin to hear what the Lord is doing in their lives. He gave them this great commission. He appointed them. He sent them. And then he gave them the motivation that it was all about trusting him and dependent upon him. And then he gave them the proclamation about how it is you say what it is you say.

And then he gave them the admonition, how it is they leave everybody once they reject the gospel. And you begin to hear that. You say, you know, does anybody respond? Is there going to be any joy in this walk with God? Is there any jubilation? Yes, there is. Because the 70 return with joy. He says, I send you out as lambs amidst the wolves. You saw that a few weeks ago, right? That's how you're going to go out. And you think, well, I'm not sure I want to go out as a lamb amidst wolves. I'm not sure that's the direction I want to go.

I mean, after all, can that be joyous? Carry no purse, carry no bag, carry no money. Just trust me. Just depend upon me. Can that be any fun whatsoever? Can I go out and actually proclaim the message that he wants me to proclaim, wipe the dust off my feet and experience any kind of joy at all? I mean, come on. You've got to be kidding me. I'm going to say this to people. They're going to hate me. The 70 return. None of them died. They lived. I'm sure that they would die soon after in the future, but they didn't die.

They were willing to die. If any man came up to me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. They were willing to die. They were willing to leave it all on the line. But like the apostle Paul in Acts chapter 20, they did not consider their life as dear to them. See, you see, if you, if you love your life and you consider your life as important, you're going to miss out on the joy that God has for you in your ministry. But Paul never, never ministered without joy, even though he was beaten, shipwrecked, snake bitten, imprisoned.

He never ministered without joy because joy was the inner contentment of his heart. He had a right relationship with the living God. He trusted in his God, depended upon his God. These 70 would go out, do exactly what Jesus said, involve themselves in the ministry that the Lord God had commissioned them to be involved in. And instead of coming back and saying, oh man, this is just too hard for us. We can't do this. You're asking too much from us. We can't do this. They come back filled with joy, exuberant.

The jubilation was beyond control. They came back with joy. Why is that? Because service propels joy. It catapults you into a different realm. When you come and you say, you know, I'm going to church not to be served, but to serve. Those of you who are coming to be served, your joy is going to be at a, at a minimum. Those of you who are coming to serve, your joy will be put at a top level experience because you begin to understand what God does when you relinquish yourself and begin to relish the opportunity to serve and to glorify his name.

Your service will propel you into a new realm of joy. How does it do that? That's what this text is about. I want to give you four principles that will help you understand how it is your service will propel you into the realm of joy. How your service for the King, your service for the master will lift you to new heights that you might experience what these 70 experienced when they went out to serve their King. They were obedient to him. Are you obedient to him? Is that where you are at? The Bible says in verse number 17, these words, and the 70 returned with joy.

Joy is the operative word saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. Listen carefully to what I'm going to tell you, because this is what the Bible says.

Why is it they experienced joy? It's because their adversary was subdued. That's why they experienced joy. Their adversary was subdued. This is so good. Lord, we went out, we served, and the forces of darkness were subject to us in your name. Can you imagine that? Now, we know, we know from the text, verse 9, that it gave them the power to heal diseases. We know that. But he never said that you had power over Satan. Never had the power to cast out demons. Never said that. But we know that they had power to heal diseases.

But when they went out, something unique happened. And that is the demons were subject to your name. Now, remember, Satan is the enemy of God. Satan is the enemy of God. Satan does not want people to commit their lives to God. And so he fights with all that he has to keep unconverted souls in his kingdom of darkness. These demons, having fallen with Satan way back in early on in Genesis when Satan himself was cast out of heaven because he rebelled against God himself. And the Bible says that in 1 John 5, 19, that Satan is the prince and the ruler of this dark world.

In fact, the whole world lies in the lap of the evil one. And when you go out and you begin to preach the gospel, what are you doing? You are ripping people from the clutches of Satan. They're in a kingdom of darkness. And when someone is saved, as Colossians says, they are transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear son, the kingdom of light. So when someone is saved, the adversary is subdued. He's unable to function properly because God has plucked that person out of the realm of darkness and put them in the realm of light through the preaching and teaching of the word of God.

And evangelism is just not convincing people with a good argument about the gospel. It's not a human operation. It is a supernatural operation because you preach the truth of God's holy word. When you go out and preach the gospel, it's not a debate about who's right and who's wrong. When you go out and preach the gospel, it is none other than helping people understand that they are in a kingdom of darkness and they need to be in the kingdom of light. And when the gospel is preached and souls are saved, the adversary has been subdued and man has given their life to the living God.

Folks, that is the hallmark of joy and service, watching even the demons to be subject to Christ because you preached in the name of Christ. There's no other power that can do this. They were given, listen, they were given an example of what it would be like in the book of Acts. Remember Acts 1.8 when Christ said, and you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the world. There's going to be a certain power that's going to come upon you, a power associated with my spirit.

And you're going to need all of that because you're going to go and preach the gospel and people need to hear the truth. And when the truth is proclaimed, those who are resting in the kingdom of darkness will be transferred into a kingdom of light. See, that's our message. We are, we are rescuing the perishing. Jude talks about snatching them out of the fire before they're burned. We are in a rescue mode. We have rescue on the brain. We are trying to save people from the fires of hell. We're not trying to help them understand, look, you know, if you give your life to Christ, you know, you're going to feel a lot better.

You're going to look a lot better. You're going to be a lot better. No, if you give your life to Christ, you're not going to burn in hell. That's the essence of what the gospel is. And so we're going to go out and preach that. This is what Paul said to Agrippa. Remember back in Acts chapter 20, Acts chapter 20, Paul said this to Agrippa, verse 16 or verse 15. I said, who art thou Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but arise and stand on your feet. For this purpose, I have appeared to you to appoint you a minister and a witness, not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you, delivering you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in me.

Paul says, here's my ministry. I'm engaged in turning people from the darkness of sin, blinded by Satan, and turning them to be a part of the great kingdom of light, the kingdom of God. He had a rescue operation. That was his ministry. That's our ministry. When we understand that when we serve God, we proclaim the truth of God in his name, that is, in conjunction with his nature and with his character, we are doing exactly what he asked us to do under his authority, then what happens is we see the adversaries subdued because people, when they come to Christ, are being rescued from the kingdom of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of light.

The kingdom of God is your son, and that brings incredible joy. So much so that Jesus was also rejoicing because the text says in verse number 18, and he said to them, I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. I was watching this happen. I was watching one soul at a time being transferred from his kingdom into my kingdom like flashes of lightning. The adversary was being subdued, and I too rejoice because people are coming into the kingdom of God. See that? That's why the hard call is a holy call because you're separating people from the kingdom that has ruled them from birth to the kingdom now that will rule them from their new birth in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Their adversaries were subdued. That's why there was joy. Their authority, number two, was supernatural.

That's why there was joy. Not only was their adversary subdued, but their authority was supernatural. Listen to what Jesus says.

Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. Their authority was supernatural. What they did could not be accomplished in the realm of the natural. What brings joy is that you function in the realm of the supernatural. Listen, how many times have we told you that when you can explain what is happening in your marriage, in your church, in your walk with God, it's not supernatural. If you can't explain it, it's supernatural, and that's what brings joy because it's really an act of God.

It's a work of God in the heart of people, and God had given them authority over serpents, over scorpions. Now, if you read Revelation 9 and Revelation 12, we know that that is a reflection of the demonic world. He's given them supernatural authority unlike anything they had ever seen. I have given you dominion. I have given you right. I have given you power. You see, Satan wants to stop the work of God. He doesn't want it to continue. He doesn't want it to grow. He does all he can to thwart the plans and purposes of God, but when you go out and you preach the gospel and you serve the king of kings, the adversary is subdued because your authority is supernatural.

It's done in the name of God. It's done under the authority of the Word of God. That's why we tell you, when you preach the gospel, preach the Word. When you're involved in a church, make sure you go to church that preaches the Word because it's the Word that's authoritative. It's the Word that's supernatural. It's the Word that has dominion. It's the Word that's all-powerful. It's the Word that brings joy. And so they went out and they preached and they have power over the enemy. Folks, we are triumphant in Christ.

We are the overcomers. Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world. Romans chapter 16 verse number 30 says, Satan is crushed under your foot and mine. Why? Because our authority is supernatural. That's why. Remember the messianic credential was that Christ would be able to have power over Satan. Genesis 3, 15, that seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head. So when the Messiah came, He demonstrated the fact that He had authority over the demonic world. And the twelve, when they went out, they had authority over the demonic world.

The seventy, when they went out, they had authority over the demonic world. Likewise, us. We have authority over that demonic world because we have gone out under the authority of Christ, the supernatural authority that He has granted to those who serve Him in His name. You see, we sometimes forget what the Bible says about the greatness of God in us, which leads us to the third principle.

Why would they join us? Because their adversary was subdued. Their authority was supernatural. And their ministry was sheltered. Their ministry was sheltered. They were protected by God. Listen to what it says. It says, and nothing, verse 19, shall injure you. That's amazing. They were protected. They were protected from Satan and his devices. Satan cannot kill you. Satan cannot harm you. Satan can't do anything to you because you are sheltered by God. You are protected by God. Now, I know some will say, well, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute.

There was the apostle Paul, right, who was, who was given a thorn in the flesh. It was a messenger of Satan. He, he was harmed by Satan. He wasn't protected. Or how about Peter? Jesus ever even said to Peter, Satan has, has desired to sift you like wheat, but I prayed for you that your faith would not fail. And Peter was attacked by Satan. Oh, what a better guess. How about Job? We know about Job chapter one and Job chapter two. And here was a man who was attacked by Satan. So how were they sheltered?

How were they protected? Oh, believe me, my friends, Satan can only do what God allows him to do. We forget that. Satan can only do what God allows him. God, God was sought out by Satan and asked permission by, or it was granted permission by, Satan was granted permission by God to touch Job's family. And then he had to get permission to touch Job's life. And Satan went to, to Christ and, and wanted to, to, to sift Peter, but Christ prayed for him so his faith would not fail. And yes, Paul was, was given a thorn in the flesh, which was described as a messenger of Satan, but it was given to him that he might be humble before his God, that he might know the greatness of his strength in God.

You see, these people might have experienced an attack of Satan, but it wasn't to harm them. It was to refine them and to make them into the kind of person that God wanted them to be. You see, it's only what God allowed Satan to do. Their ministry was sheltered. Your ministry is sheltered. It's protected by God. He wants to be your protector. Remember 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, verse number 3, but the Lord is faithful and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

Amen. Our God is a protector of us. He protects us from the evil one. Satan can't stop you. Satan can't harm you. Satan can't kill you. He can only do what God allows him to do in your life. And God assures you that you will be protected by him because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. So God protects you. Their ministry was sheltered because their authority was supernatural. Their adversaries were subdued. But there's one more as to why they experienced joy. And that was simply because their destiny was secure.

Their destiny was secure. Now you can imagine what it must have been like for these 70 to hear the words of Christ. You want to follow me? Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Be willing to die for me and follow me wherever I go. I said, we'll do that. Okay. When you go out, this is what you take. This is what you don't take. This is what you say. This is what you don't say. Now you go do it. And they did it. And they came back with joy because they saw the work of God. They saw that the demons were subject to the name of God.

They saw people's lives converted. They saw people sick, healed. They saw great things happening and joy would abound in their hearts. And Christ says that in these words, nevertheless, do not rejoice in this.

In what? Don't rejoice in the fact that your adversary has been subdued. Don't rejoice in the fact that your authority is supernatural as great as that is. And don't rejoice in the fact that your ministry is sheltered as wonderful as that is. Because in all reality, if you want to rejoice, rejoice in this, that your names are recorded in heaven. You want to rejoice? Rejoice in the one fact that you know for certain, that your name is recorded in heaven. And when you die, that's exactly where you're going to go.

That's what you rejoice in. Heaven is your destiny. Perfection is your destiny. So, let me take you back to our introduction.

If the angels pronounced joy, and the Christ provides joy, and the kingdom promises joy, and the Spirit produces joy, and the truth promotes joy, and your service propels joy, then heaven perfects joy. It is a culmination of joy. It is the fulfillment of all joy. And Christ says very clearly, this is great.

I am so happy for you. Because I saw Satan fall like lightning. I saw the effects of the preaching of the gospel. I saw what was happening. And this is great. But, but listen, if you want to really rejoice, rejoice in this one thing, that your name is recorded in glory, in heaven. That when it's all said and done, when you die, you're going to be with me. That's the essence of joy, right? That one day when I die, I will go to heaven and be with my God. That's why the Bible says in Jude 24, these words, not to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory blameless, listen carefully, with great joy.

With great joy. Stand in his presence with great joy. Heaven perfects joy. It is the completion of all joy. You'll stand in his presence with great joy. In Matthew 25, you'll hear these words, well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into what? The joy of the Lord. Psalm 1611, at thy right hand are pleasures forevermore. Joy is all about the understanding that one day I will go home to be with my God and I will be with him forever and I will actually enter into the joy of the Lord forever and ever and ever and ever.

The kingdom that promised joy will now be perfected in that kingdom as I live in the presence of almighty God. Do you have that kind of joy? The kind of joy that only Christ himself can give. I want you to experience the joy of a relationship with the living God. I want you to be able to leave this place and no matter what the happenings or circumstances around you, joy permeates your life and your heart because you have decided to serve him. And in that service for Christ that propels you into a new realm of joy, you will see the adversary subdued when you preach the gospel in the name of Christ.

You will see the authority you have is supernatural because it's not you who does the work, it's Christ who does the work in you and through you. And you will see how your ministry is sheltered and protected from the onslaught of the enemy. All that is joyous but Christ says the greatest joy is not what you see and have seen but what you will see when you enter my kingdom in heaven.

The joy of my presence forever. Forever. Do you have that joy? Do you have that fact that your destiny is secure because you have a relationship with the living God? I hope so. Let's pray. Father, thank you for today. And thank you Lord for your word and the truth that's in it. I do pray that joy would permeate our hearts and lives. That we would follow you and serve you with all of our hearts. Thank you Lord for the fact that we can know that our names are written down in the Lamb's book of life.

That there's a record, the record of our being in heaven when our days on earth are done. May that motivate us Lord to serve you all the more. That we might take others with us into that glorious presence of Christ. In Jesus name you pray. Amen.