us there. Six, five, four, three, two, and one are welcome to do that. Everyone else, if we start in your Bible, it's in Isaiah chapter 12, and again, that is page 736, 736 there in your Bible. This is an exciting time of year. I hope that for some of you, you already know it's a dark time of year, so it's kind of great that God's allowed us to have this holiday at this time of year, kind of cheer things up a little bit. But I love the Christmas season. You've got, again, the holiday cheer that's there. If it wasn't for the preemptive strike of retailers getting out there several months ago, Uh, you know, you do enjoy, you know, just going to the shops, you see the different Christmas things. Of course, the kids are pretty excited about this time as well. We enjoy, uh, seeing that excitement. You know, I love it that the kids not are just excited about giving gifts, but I know our kids are excited about giving gifts as well. And Jesus said in Acts 20, 35, I've showed you all things, how that's so laboring. You got to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. And so it is a great time of year to be able to give those gifts to those that we love and be able to encourage them in that way. Most of all, as believers, we love to celebrate the joy of the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. I've got fond memories, even though, I'll tell you this, kicking and screaming are fond memories because every year I was in a nativity play and I hated to get up in front of people and do things like that. But I've got fond memories of those nights in the church with the lights down and the nativity play taking place and the shepherds coming in. things. I'll just tell you this, pray about it. Maybe next year, God will give us some volunteers that would help organize and be able to have a nativity play. That'd be great if we could do that. We do enjoy, as I've said, the carol singing. We have the singing of the carols and the reading of the scripture about the birth of Christ. And then, as I share a challenge from the Word of God about that birth, it's a special night and I look forward to that. Again, Christmas is joy. It's the Christmas and then the Messiah came in fulfillment of that promise and then rejoice that God's goodness, the gift that we heard about this morning that we look at and say I'm not worthy of that gift but that God would see fit to give it. Luke 2 11, a for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord. The angels are the first recorded ones to rejoice at the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ there in scripture so Luke 2 and verse 10 it says you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts the joy of what that birth meant for that was man's salvation that babe as we looked at recently was the offering that the Lord that God would give for atonement for our sins. So all who are saved have come to the joy of that. We heard testimony again in the 10 o'clock hour and it's wonderful to listen to many share how Christ came into their heart, how they got saved in the joy coming again of the Lord that is equally joyous as Jesus Christ comes again. Now, that's what our story is about this morning that we're gonna look at in Isaiah chapter 12. It's not about the first coming of Christ but it's about the second coming of Christ and this is the one where it comes back and then he sets up his millennial kingdom, a thousand-year reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. When he does that, it's gonna be national joy to Israel. The Israel that rejected The Messiah had his first coming and he came unto his own. The Bible says his own received him not. The second coming, he's gonna come and he's gonna reign as their king and they're gonna be gathered from all nations and places and they're already coming back in preparation of that great event there in Israel. It's also gonna be a time of international joy to all who submit to Jesus. All those that are saved, all believers of all ages are gonna be present with Jesus Christ at that time. before the tribulation took place, and so if you want to know what's coming in the future here, the next thing on God's calendar is the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds to take his church to himself. The Bible speaks about it, and it says, the dead shall rise first, and we which are alive and remain shall be caught together with him in the clouds, and so that's going to take place, and then the tribulation's going to take place. against a nation that again, like the testimonies we heard about this morning is in a concerted effort to cast off God, the wrath of God is going to fall. And then Jesus Christ is going to come back and be victorious. And then he's going to take his rightful place for a thousand year reign there in Israel. And so the church raptured before the tribulation and the tribulational saints and all saints of all time are going to be there with the Lord Jesus Christ. How do we know that? Well, the Bible speaks about our eternality with Christ following our death, or even if we're raptured, if we're part of those that are taken into the air. And so the Bible says, 1 Thessalonians 4, 17, as I said, that we which are alive and remain shall be caught together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and then it says, so shall we ever be with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5, 8. We are confident, I say, and willing, rather, to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. John 14, 3, I go and prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. So as we read about this this morning, we're reading about an event that we're gonna be participating in if we're saved, if we're part of those that are redeemed, elect, born again, bled white, we're gonna be there with Jesus Christ at this And so the Bible's clear that Jesus is going to literally reign for a thousand years. Again, we call this the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we rightly anticipate that that day is fast approaching. There's so many things that we can look around at today and say, you know, it's got to be soon. Hamas and Hezbollah. You've got these things that are shifting and turning there in a very key location, that's where Jesus Christ is going to reign. You've got the fall of Syria and Assad losing power there, and the vacuum that's created in the buffer zone increasing, at least temporarily, the land mass that is that's being prepared by the Temple Institute, even though you've got the Mosque of Omar and you've got the Dome of the Rock there on the Temple Mount, and right now Islam holds that sacred piece of real estate the Bible speaks about in Revelation that is going to be owned by the Gentiles until halfway through the Tribulation period. But even though that's taking place, the Temple Institute has already crafted a lot of the things necessary for the third temple, which is going And when I was in Israel in 2017, one thing they did not have and could not obtain at that point was red heifers that the Bible speaks about that would be sacrificed. And again, they don't see Jesus as Messiah, so they're going to still be offering sacrifices. But they couldn't find that, but now, about two years ago, they flew in five red heifers to the Gurion International Airport, and they've got what's necessary for that sacrifice. Mark of the Beast is on the horizon. You know before you read, you know, you're gonna get a mark in your hand and mark in your forehead and you're thinking you're gonna get a big, you know, you know, 666 right there where everyone can see it. But now we understand chip technology, microchips that can be implanted and without it you can't buy or sell. We understand that those chips have our ID on them and everything about us. So I mean there's a lot of things coming put around about one world government, one world religion, one world economy, and so all of them ought to make a step back and say, you know what? I think Christ is coming back pretty soon for the rapture of the church in just seven years, and then the millennial kingdom that we're talking about will take place. You know, for those that love Jesus, this prophecy written 2,700 years ago, we read it and we go, that's joyous. about why we see that this morning and it says in our text Isaiah chapter 12 verse 3 therefore with joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation and so I Does the message of the angels reported 2,000 years ago? We're excited about this time if we know Christ. Does that resonate with you? Is there a joy in your heart as you think about the Christ? Do you anticipate the joy that Isaiah spoke about there 2,600 years ago? Therefore with joy shall you draw waters out of the well of salvation. Does that resonate with you? And so do you know this morning the joy of Jesus? Again, the idea this morning you need to experience Thank you that we're able to spend time in your work. We've already been encouraged, as we've heard the testimonies of those that have accepted Christ as their Savior. But Father, it might be this morning that there's somebody here that they'd have to say, you know, it doesn't resonate with me. You know, it doesn't drill me to think about the coming of Christ. uh reach out just like we heard this morning that god you just let them know your love let them know the truth of your word and father that they enter into the joy that those of us that trusted christ as our savior we know is very real and very substantive and then father as believers i just pray that our hearts will be encouraged this morning as we rejoice looking back at the christ that came down we look forward saying christ that came once he's coming again this same jesus Father, we can't listen without your help this morning. Would you give us special enablement to take in the truth of the Word of God? And Father, I can't preach without your enablement. Never have been able to, never can, never will be able to without your enablement. And so I ask that the Spirit of God would help me to preach biblically, practically, lovingly, and powerfully the truth of the Word of God, and that you do your work in the hearts of your people, as in Christ, I will praise you, okay? So it's personal, even though Isaiah's prophecy is speaking about a day of national joy, Israel is getting excited, people of God are getting excited as a whole, yet it is a very personal joy that it is thou shalt say, I will praise thee. The praise of the Lord is on the individual's lips. You know, can you imagine what the millennial reign of Jesus Christ could be like? You're no longer gonna hear wrong promoted as right. You're never gonna hear, again, at that time, right promoted as wrong. It's gonna be like upside down world is finally right side up. Everyone's gonna know the truth about Jesus Christ. You're not gonna have to convince anybody. You're not gonna have to argue about who Jesus Christ is or who God is because the Bible says they're all gonna accept the truth about God. Isaiah 11, nine, at least know it. They shall not hurt nor destroy it, all my holy mountain. For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as waters cover the sea. Oh, wouldn't have gotten it that way in our day at this time, man. You just log out on the screen and everybody could just know the truth about God. But right now, we're not living in Isaiah 12. I say we're living in Psalm chapter two in the scripture that speaks about, and this is 1000 BC, 3000 years ago, it says, why would the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth, those that are in authority, set themselves, the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, let us break their bands asunder and cast away their courts from us. Listen, evolution being taught in our schools is not an accident of some, you know, happenstance where somebody actually thought that false science is actually true. It is an attack against the fountain of knowledge, the very beginning of truth, in the beginning, God created. that happen in the earth. Our world is so proud of their sin that they're unashamed to call their movement pride, and their arrogance is against Cavendish and Taiwan. We've got MPs that voted in favor of doctors murdering people with euthanasia. They already voted in favor of ripping a baby out of its mother's womb, butchering that baby within that place. And we ought to look at that and say, dear God, what a day we live in where the heathen rage and they're against God. But Psalm 2 also speaks about this time period. We're talking about the millennium. It also speaks about the tribulation. And so it spoke about they're against God, but then it says in verse four, The Lord shall have them in derision, then shall he speak unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sword and his pleasure." God is not bothered this morning, I am bothered this morning, by the ungodliness of our world. I am bothered by the attack against God, but God up in heaven is not wringing his hand saying, oh, what am I going to do because mankind have opposed me or coming a day where the wrath of God is gonna fall, the tribulation period, and God is gonna, at that time, vex him and assort his pleasure, and then it says in that text, Psalm 2, yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion, Zion, Jerusalem. Jesus Christ is gonna come, he's gonna reign there, just like I said, it doesn't matter if he's ready to go, I'm gonna cast off God, God said, I'm gonna bring the tribulation and my wrath against you, and then I'm gonna take my king, King Jesus, and I'm gonna set him there on that throne. Is there anything in your heart this morning that says, man, that is personal joy to me, praise God, and that day I'm gonna praise God. Because it's all in the past, all that tough stuff that we had to go through, where the world was against God, it's done. Is there anything in your heart this morning that resonates with John, the beloved, that would say, even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly, come quickly. And so this morning, you need to experience the personal joy of Jesus, where you can say, I will praise thee, because God, you will, on that day, you will have done that. Then secondly, you need to experience the peaceful joy of Jesus. The peaceful joy of Jesus. You know, our world is seeking peace and they can't find it. It's not, it's not, it's this mirage that's out there that is elusive and they think that somehow I was preaching. There were several things that happened. I had an interview with Pentecostals. That guy stood by me about three minutes in and he starts standing right here echoing what I'm saying. I'm like, are you for me or against me? And I move around the other side of my speaker and he goes away. But as I got done street preaching and I was finishing, I got a man that was drinking and he comes and he sets himself very close and abuse at me a little bit, and then he gets up, and he's a big guy, and I'm not a big guy, and he's a big guy, and he stands in front of me, and he goes, stop preaching. I go, well, you know, I'm almost done, I got just a few minutes left, or whatever, and then he goes, he just starts to change, and he says this, he goes, I'm lost. I said, I know, and I said, look, Jesus came to seek and to save, and I was just lost. He goes, will you pray for me? My name is Paul." And he goes, not with that. So I take the mic down, you know, because we were talking, and he thought the mic up. He takes the mic down, and I prayed with him, and then he went and sat back down. I gave him a tract, and I said, read it when you're sober. He said, I like to read things the way I am. I just prayed for Paul to get out of work and start. And he says, I'm lost. And maybe he's honest about his life. It is empty, it is empty, it is empty. True peace is not found in the world. Isaiah 57 verse 21 says, there is no peace except my God to the wicked. I don't think it looked like, ah, you know, it's great, it's great, it's great. They make it look like it's great. You know what I'm saying? You got your actresses and your actors, and they're living the high life, but you look behind the scenes at their life. And it's cosmetic. It's end. And truth be told, it's not satisfying because it cannot satisfy. And so what kind of peace can we have with God? Well, first of all, and most important, the peace of reconciliation with God. Notice what it says in verse one. Though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me. Okay? God, I praise you. Why? Because he used to be really upset You know, God is justly angry with those that stand in opposition to Him by their sin. He is righteously indignant. James 4 verse 4 says, Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? That's if you read the enemy of God. Whoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. If you're here this morning and you love the world, the things of the world, But again, Isaiah is speaking about that present anger is not there, it's past anger. They have gotten right with God. Obviously through Christ we can be made right. and you know, the whole board of correction to the seat of education thing, I mean, we got that, again, if you're old enough to have, had parents that loved you and disciplined you, you know, you just say praise God for that, but that was a difficult time, but I'll tell you, that's the time that I loved my dad was when my dad would come and say those words, you know, afterwards, Benjamin, I love you, I care about you, and I forgive you, and God, and I would be restored to my earthly father You know what's a great thing today if you know that your heart is right with God? That you have clean hands and a pure heart, that God has changed the wrath that was against you into peace with Him, bringing you into that sonship with Him. The Bible says in John 3.36, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. I'll tell you this, again, as I preach on the street, I'll look at people, and they're coming right, left, and everywhere, but in all those people, one thing I know, he that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God hath not life. And according to this text, if they don't have the Son of God, the Bible says the wrath of God is not going to come upon them, but that the wrath of God abides them now. That's a tough place to be. I'll tell you this this morning, if you're in that position this morning, you're in a very difficult spot. You've got the wrath of God against you. This world holds to their sin If you look at verse 25, it speaks about those that are against God, and it says in verse 25, we change the truth of God into a lie, and worship and serve the creature more than the Creator. For this cause, God gave them up unto vile affections, and speaking about wicked sexual lusts, for even their women to change the natural use into that which is against nature, and speaking about lesbianism. And likewise also with men, leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lusts one toward another, sodomy. Men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient. It's kind of like this. God looked at them and said, look, he restraining grace, restraining grace, restraining grace. And finally, they've been pushing so hard against it and pushing against it. God goes, okay, no more restraining grace. Have at it. That's what it means when it says he gave them over to a reprobate mind. But I want you to look back at something. Look back up to verse 18. against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness." Now, does it look like the world has gotten away with their rebellion against God? It does. I mean, it looks like they're winning, but they haven't. And the wrath of God abides on them, and there's coming a day in the tribulation, there's coming a day when they're cast into hell, where the wrath of God is gonna be poured out against them. But y'all, I wanna rejoice this that lifestyle that's so against God and reprobate-minded, away from God, that by the grace of God have been saved, you could turn there as well if you'd like, to 1 Corinthians, the next book, chapter 6. 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 9. 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 9. It says, Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Okay, so somebody in this lifestyle, here to see a list of lifestyles, somebody that's in this lifestyle is not on their way to heaven. The Bible says, shall not inherit the kingdom of God, be not deceived, so don't think that this is not the case, it is the case. themselves with mankind, sodomy, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." And so, be not deceived, it's not going to happen, but notice what it says next. And such were what? Some of you. Can a homosexual get saved? Yes. Can a lesbian be forgiven? Yes. Such were some of you. but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God. So the point being, God's wrath is against, and I'm speaking specifically about sexual sin because that's the extent of man's rebellion against God, that they do that which is so contrary to even nature. I mean, they have absolutely said to God to the point where they close their eyes, turn off their brain, close their ears to what nature even says about sexuality, wrath of God, but they can get saved. Listen, anybody can get saved. And I'll tell you this, it's a great thing, whereby the grace of God, you come to peace with God, and you lay your head on your pillow at night, and you know that your heart is forgiven, and that you have received God's gift of everlasting life, okay? That's what we're speaking about. Thy anger is turned away. But then also, so the peace of that reconciliation to God, the peace of God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid. All of a sudden, I can have peace. And we've heard that this morning from a family that's trusted Christ, that this year is different, and that's the way it is as a believer. You begin to understand that. Wow, every, you know, things that were troubling, things that were difficult, by the grace of God, I can go through that because I've got a peace that is not from myself, but it's a peace that God gives. us the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. We can rest in God, we have peace, but it is a peace that passes understanding. Philippians 4.7 says that the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus and again somebody might look at it and go I don't understand how you get a peace in that that is you look at it you go it's not for me it's from God because I know me and I am NOT peaceful in this situation. I'd like to share the story about when I got my PO box at Bob Jones I got that note that said you're gonna create a chapel. I was a ministerial student and you get that note. Our chapel had 4,000 people in it and 7,000 seats and I said FMA it's a big place I'd like to get in front of 10 people and do something. So I went down to my prayer place in the dormitory, got in the practice shack there, got on my knees and with tears, said, God, I'll do it, but I can't do it. You gotta help me, because I told you I'd do anything that you want me to do, so I'm gonna obey you, but I can't do this. And for two weeks, I prayed about it, and then it was my day, and so I got out of class early. I walked to the FMA, and as soon as I walked into the back, I had that piece. And Dr. Bob Jones Jr. was still alive, he was there, he said, did you memorize your prayer? I said, no sir. And so I go in, they give me two people to pray for, and I'm sitting up there in front of everybody, and I loved it. And I walked up, and I had liberty to pray, and I felt comfortable praying. And it was the greatest experience at that point in my life. Hey, is that worth rejoicing in? Hey, praise God. God gives peace. Then we can say, I will trust and not be afraid. I just encourage you this morning, if you're a believer, don't let your life get caught up with fear. Rest in God. The Bible says about Jesus that he is the Prince of Peace. And so you need to experience the personal joy, the peaceful joy of Jesus, but then the powerful joy of Jesus. Powerful joy. It says in verse two, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength. I mean, that's great that we have it. We have the ability and the enablement to do whatever. But the lack of power is sorrow. OK, we don't have it. When my brother in law was here, Jason, he helped me put roof bars on my car. So we got the Mitsubishi, we got the doors open and standing inside there and working up above and got them on. And it's Thanksgiving Day, and I'm like, hey, you want to go for a ride up Gladstone Reservoir? I'll show you our Glad House Reservoir. get in the car shut the doors and it goes eeeeee and the lights are going pfft pfft and it's like what's going on? I had a flat battery. You know I tell you it was Thanksgiving Day but I was having a hard time being thankful you know we did jump in another car and went up and it got me to now where I had a new battery that night but it's not it's not fun when you don't have the power to do what you kind of want to do and you're hoping that you do As we speak about here the power of God's strength, it says, the Lord Jehovah is my strength. Yoni Amai 810 says, for this day is holy unto the Lord, neither be sorry for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Do you understand what it is to have the strength that is not in yourself? It's the strength that God gives. Our family also likes to do eBay a little bit, and Benson really got into that, and I hope the rest of us have kind of followed suit. Recently I bought some watches that are solar-powered, eco-drive watches, you know, that kind. I had five of these watches. going to full power as they take that note. You know, it's a precious thing as a believer. We kind of feel drained, we feel out of it, but then we get to the Lord Jesus Christ and we begin to spend time with him. There's a source of strength that is God-given. John 15, verse five, it says, I am divine, and here are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me he can do there has to be that time we get along with the Lord and on a daily basis we get in the Word of God, we open up the Bible, the Lord is my strength. We get on our knees and we go to God and say God I'm just gonna bare my heart before you because I need to spend some time with you daily at that time. Come to church as often as you can and we get that time and listen what that is that's us just opening our heart to God, God energizing us because the Bible says even upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount with wings as eagles. And listen, if you're a believer, you know that at times. It's just like, you say, you know, just, I need, I need God. You get that extra time with God. You go maybe to a prayer, like the song says, sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer. You spend that time and then you walk away and it's like God has just energized you. Do you know the powerful joy of God's strength? And then the power of God's people that are defeated don't sing they're not singing if they're in a position of defeat you go to a sports stadium where the whole team is being soundly defeated and you can hear a pin drop right it's just it's like all the energy is gone out of that in their victory. In the life of David's study, which we've been doing on Wednesday nights, David, when he was defeated, he lost his psalm. He lost his victory. He said to God in Psalm 51 verse eight, make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice, restoring to me the joy of my salvation and uphold me with thy Holy Spirit. If you saw David on those days of defeat, I doubt that you heard the sweet psalmist saying, joyously to the Lord. But thereafter he gets right with God, that song comes back and he begins to rejoice in God. Listen, if you've got a song in your heart today, there's a strength that is there, that's what we're speaking about. Rejoicing in the powerful joy of Jesus. And so it's personal and peaceful and powerful. Then you may experience the provisional joy of Jesus. He also hath become my salvation, and therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. But Israel is very arid, it's very hot, very dry. They have the Negev Desert and things like that. I was there in January, it was hot in January. I was the only one in our group that was in short sleeves. But I wouldn't wanna be there in the summertime when it's very hot and very dry. And so when Isaiah stayed, those without water would perish. Those with it had the source of life. And so speaking about drawing water out of the wells of salvation, Jesus has become my salvation. With joy, I draw water out of that well. Jesus is life. You know, 600 years later, Jesus is going through Samaria. We talked about this, I think, on Wednesday night. And there, in Samaria, he's gotta go through there, and it's because he wants to meet a woman that is coming out to a well at that certain time of day where Jesus is gonna be sitting, and as she's taking up that water, he would say to her about him being the water of life, he said in John 4, 14, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. And that satisfaction, that spiritual need that we heard about this morning that is there, so very real, is satisfied in Christ. You know, Mac likes sparkling water. I tend to like still water. I've been here long enough. I'm starting to get into the sparkling water thing. I do enjoy it sometimes, but I prefer it flavored. But Max into that sparkling water. And so the bad thing is Costco changed the caps that are on the sparkling water. So they're very difficult to get it open. He's 10. He's not a man yet. He's getting there. So he brings it to one of us and says, can you open this for me? I'll just say that it doesn't satisfy any term. I wish it did. I wish there was something besides my mass thirst eternally Okay, so until he gets old enough. I just know this I'm gonna be continuing. Okay, open it But you know spiritually What we have in Christ is is once for all it's eternal and And I just wondered this morning, are you continually going to things and trying this and trying that and trying to satisfy a spiritual thirst that's there but never getting there because you've never come to the well of Jesus Christ? Again, rejoicing in the provisional joy of Jesus. He has put it there. There's a fountain that's open for cleansing. There's a fountain of life, the water of life is there. And so that provisional joy. the powerful joy, peaceful joy, personal joy. And then you need to experience the positional joy of Jesus. Verse four, and in that day shall ye say, praise the Lord, call upon his name. You know, until someone takes Jesus Christ as their savior, they have no access to God. Now, that's a strong statement, but that's a true statement. I'll give you the scripture on that in just a second, but they have no access to God. You know, sometimes I get unbelievers and they're frustrated that, you know, they cried out to God, they prayed to God, but God didn't answer them. And I say to them, you know, it's because you're not plugged into Christ yet. You don't have what's necessary. like an electronic, you've got the electronic and you know we can be frustrated about the baptistry and you're not working, but then somebody goes, hey did you plug it in? Oh I didn't plug it in. You gotta plug it in to get power and you're not connected, so you have no access to it until you get connected. The Bible says about our relationship with God, Jesus is the connection. Without Him, we cannot, it doesn't matter today how good you are, how religious you are, without Christ you cannot access. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but what? I am. And so if somebody doesn't have Christ, they don't have any access to God, so they can say to me, hey, God doesn't answer prayer. And it's true, God does not answer the prayer of somebody that's not coming to Him through Christ, because the only way to Him is through Christ. But when we receive Jesus, the Bible says in John 14 verse six, Jesus, I'm sorry, Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 16, 24. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name. Asking ye shall receive, that your joy might be full. Not everyone was here this morning, but so many actually pray to god and god heard her and it was so different and that's the way it is and if you're truly saved today, you know what it's like to be able to to cry out to god and to help god answer your prayers. That's the positional joy of Jesus that you become a child of god and then uh two more quickly this morning, you need to experience the proclamational joy of Jesus, the Have you ever been so excited that you couldn't help but say it? I mean, you just had to say it to somebody. And kids are very much this way. As parents, we know this. You know, if there's something that's happened, dramatic or something, you just know if you're with them and mom hasn't heard or dad hasn't heard, as soon as you go in the door, I mean, it's gonna come out. Why? Because they got a proclamational joy. They get excitement about it, so they're gonna declare that very quickly. God wondered this morning. It doesn't matter who it is. I mean, they're gonna blurt it out. Something's happened. Is there anything like that in your heart that just says, I just gotta tell you about Jesus? It says in verse four, declare his doings among the people. You know, was it a week ago now at Seinfeld in Syria? It hasn't been a week, I forget, or maybe just over a week now, and all these things are happening very quickly there in the Middle East. But I'll tell you this, those people were immediately on the streets. They're immediately out there, because they can't contain it. They've got to rejoice. And this is great, because this dictator that murdered people, he has been deposed, he is gone, his government's gone. Now we pray that a good government is set up, but they are rejoicing, rejoicing in that. When something thrilling is happening, we love to speak about it. You know, the greatest joy of what God is doing in our church family, and in our church building is is getting to save each other. Look at what god's done. Look at god's goodness and have that proclamational joy to speak about it. You enjoy speaking about what god's doing. You enjoy telling who Jesus is. Notice what it says in verse four, make mention that his name is exalted. You know, sadly in our day, I, I, I, we can lament this that sadly in our day, our kids are hearing the name of Jesus Christ more as a curse word. That's somebody saying, you know, God is so good. Let me tell you about who God is. God is love. God is grace. God is might. God is power. God is personal. God is almighty. You know, all the things. that his name is exalted, the proclamational joy of Jesus, that man, it's just thrilled my heart, and I gotta tell you that. And then lastly, this morning, you need to experience the possessional joy of Jesus, if I can call it that, possessional joy of Jesus. Verse five and six. Sing unto the Lord, for ye have done excellent things. This is known in all the earth. Cry it out and shout it out, in the midst of thee. You know, the joy of Jesus is for those that know His work. You know, like it says there in that verse, this is known in all the earth. It says at that time, you know, everyone knows about it. Great is the Holy One of Israel. So they know His work and they know His presence because it says what? In the midst of thee. I wrote this message. and Christina weren't gonna be here, right? And so, it says, it's a blessing to be in church this morning, and fun to have Benson and Christina back with us. And if they were here, you would no longer just have to hear about Benson and Christina. You could say, man, I experienced a music ministry, we were hoping they were gonna sing this morning, and man, I got to meet them, shake their hand, and I know who Benson and Christina are because I've personally met them, but I'll tell you this, you just have a knowledge of what we've said about them. I just wondered this morning, is that how you know Jesus? You just know about him? Just heard about him or do you possess him? That knowledge, that experience where you have seen God at work in your life, where you know God in the midst of you. Because that's what I'm speaking about. The possessional joy of Jesus. Again, Christmas is a happy time of year. We're gonna, I'm excited, I look forward to what we're gonna do coming up in the next few weeks. We'll be praying, asking God to work tremendously. This is a great time of year. But do you really know at this point the joy of Jesus? Do you know the personal joy that you'd say, you know, my heart truly says, God, I will praise you? I'm not faking it, I'm not coming to church shadow of a doubt that you're not going to hell, but you've made peace with God, the wrath of God is no longer against you, or maybe as a believer that you're living right with God so that even the chastening wrath of God isn't there, I'll praise you because though that was angering to me, that anger is turned away and that comfort is me. Do you know the powerful joy of Jesus? That he'd say, you know it's not the caffeine, But the thing that really gives me my strength that I have is Jesus and being rightly related to God. He is my strength, he's my song, but you have a song in your heart today. Do you know the provisional joy of Jesus? Have you drunk of the water of life? Have you personally, again, just taken Christ in? That's the positional joys there for those that have that you can call upon God. When's the last time you just said, praise God, God, I prayed about this, Father, there's joy in Jesus. My heart goes out to anybody that would be here this morning that this doesn't resonate. Father, it's like the Charlie Brown Christmas special, just wah, wah, wah. Father, if that's the case, I pray for that person right now in their heart I've never tasted of the goodness of God. I've never taken the water of life. I'm trying to satisfy my life with lust, and covetousness, and materialism, and popularity, and friends, and worldliness. That's empty. Father, I pray for that person. I pray they get saved today. And as believers, Father, I pray that so many things that we saw here just resonated with us. I say, man, I've got that. Praise God, I've got that. that will excite the heart of the believers this morning that we remember what we've got and that upside down world is gonna end and that Jesus, you're gonna come and you're gonna reign for a thousand years. Glory to your name. With heads bowed and eyes closed, just ask you to keep your eyes closed this morning as I give you the opportunity to