My Joy Is My Job

Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick.

I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you for joining us today.

Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith.

Hope it gives your perspective to see God is moving in your life.

Enjoy the message.

We have also been releasing in this series that I'm doing, do the New you, not only this new book that I've written, but also we have been releasing six confessions of Faith into your life, one at a time, just giving you your daily dosage. And this one today is what Holly says is her favorite of the six, and I think she says that because I need it the most. We're gonna talk about joy today, and the specific mindset goes like this. The saying is only four words. It's

So we're gonna look at this in detail today.

But one of the things I've had a lot of fun in is going back through the topics and the book in the mindsets, but finding some stories, some epic Bible stories to locate.

And this one today is as epic as it gets.

Turning your Bible to Acts chapter sixteen, stay on your feet for just a moment as we read God's word Acts chapter sixteen. We're gonna pick up in verse twenty two. And you may have heard this story before, but that's okay, because I want to demonstrate to you today that your joy is your job. From Acts chapter sixteen, verse twenty two, Thank you Jesus.

How many know? If you have Jesus, you have joy?

The Bible says in Acts sixteen, verse twenty two. The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and silas the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.

After they had been severely flogged.

They were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Good luck with that guarding the apostle Paul and his partner Silas. Good luck with that, dude. But he was commanded to guard them carefully Verse twenty four. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stalks. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God,

The prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose.

Give God a change, came loose. Phrase lift your hands. If you ever had your chains come loose. Somebody shot my job.

My job is my job.

High five your neighbor and say we've got work to do. You may take your seat. God bless you, God bless you. Want you to do a little time travel with me. Okay, before we go all the way back, let's just go back briefly. The year is two thousand and nine. Turn to your neighbor and tell them how old were you in the year two thousand and nine. I think I had platinum blonde hair. I think my hair looked just like Graham's hair the year two thousand and nine. A

Said what I feel all the time. I'm not saying it's right to live your life that way.

It just feels so good to be seen by somebody. Because happy people, smiley people make me sick. What are you smiling about? What is there to be happy about Kobe wanted to know the jobs not finished. I feel that way. I feel that way all the time. And I am a work in progress. And God is not finished with me yet, and He's developing me and getting me past this point of thinking that I've got to

The New Testament Church.

Okay, honor and respect to the Apostle Paul, because he was unbelievably effective at what he did. But even in his own travels, in his own journey, he encountered many dips, cut scrapes, and bruises along the way.

For instance, he.

Tried to enter on his second missionary journey, not his second NBA Playoff game, but his second missionary journey. I'm kind of making some parallels here between Kobe and the apostle Paul, but I'm just doing it for the illustrations point, because he's going forward with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

But the Bible says.

That he was prevented from entering a certain place where he wanted to go preach in Asia, and he couldn't go in, and says he.

Couldn't go in.

He had a vision to go help people in a region called Macedonia, which is in Europe, and he gets there, it's going pretty good, and it's going so good in fact, that he has identified a woman named Lydia who had adequate resources to help them start their first house church. And so this is a big breakthrough because it's in a city called Philippi, which is a strategic center of trade and commerce in the region of Macedonia on the continent of Europe. And the Gospel has never been to

Shout out to.

All our e fam Let's give a shout out to all our EPAM from one one from what's this address? One one's seven oh one elevation point. Yeah, we give you a shout out from one one seven oh one. We bless you in the name of Jesus. Wherever you are having church right now, whatever you're going through, we confer the presence of God upon you and your house and everything that's on your mind. Right now, we speak

I don't know how old she was. The Bible calls her a girl.

Maybe she wasn't small in stature, but she had a very unique gift. She had the ability to tell the future. But it was a demon spirit that enabled her to do it. And so the people that employed her and enslaved her. I call it employed, but they really made all the money off of her, off of.

Her gifts, so they were using her well.

She followed Paul and Silas around all through Philippi for a little while, and she was shouting in a sarcastic, mocking kind of way.

These men are servants of the Most High God, and they are telling you the way to be saved. These men are servants of the Most High God, and they are telling you the way to be saved. She said that so many times that eventually Paul the Preacher, Paul the Apostle, Paul the Holy Man of God, turned around, and the Bible says he was annoyed.

The Bible actually says that he was annoyed.

You know, you can be anointed and annoyed, right, you know you can have a mission and have mood swings.

Right.

Yeah. He turns around and says, in.

The name of Jesus Christ, come out of her, and the spirit left.

But when the spirit left the girl, so did her ability.

To earn income for our masters, which made them unhappy since they were unhappy.

They dragged Paul.

And Silas into the middle of the civic square where the commerce happened there in Philippi put them on trial, made up lies about them, said, these men are going against our Roman customs, even though Paul and Silas had Roman citizenship. The enemy is a liar, and he will lie about anything and use anything in order to wage his war.

To keep you from doing what God has called you to do.

So the people take Paul and Silas and locked them in prison, and we picked up the story at a pretty unhappy point in Acts, chapter sixteen, verse twenty two, at least for Paul and Silas. It is a very pivotal moment where the Bible says, the crowd.

Joined in the attack against Paul and Silas.

Please put verse twenty two on the screen because I want this lovely, beautiful church to see something altogether. It says, the crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas. And after I've told you everything I've told you by way of background today, could we agree that the size of the attack on your life is relative to the size of the assignment on your life. A crowd would not have attacked them if they were not affecting a lot of people, there would have been no attack, if

It almost guarantees that they will.

I know it's not a fun place to clap, but let's clap because God doesn't leave us alone when we're under attack. Can we clap about that? Let me point out something else. The attack is not absence of God's presence. Yeah, and I'm going to show you that in just a moment. But before I do, let's talk a little bit about what Kobe said, the jobs not finished?

What's there to be happy about?

You know, we're recording a bunch of new songs here tonight, and the most amazing musicians, singers, and technicians and videographers and graphic designers in the world will put together, hopefully an amazing evening and I hope you can be here and I hope that you will enjoy it. This morning, I was writing the church, listening to one of the songs that we're going to be singing tonight, the song that says.

Oh my God, you sure been good to me, and we'll be recording that song tonight.

But I was playing it and I was writing with Abby and I was writing with her, and I was thinking, Oh, I hope we record it right tonight. I hope it goes good. Hope the people show up ready. I hope they don't show up sometimes like they do where they don't really sing loud and then they mess up the recording because they weren't really into it and then we can't use the song.

I hope they show up tonight. I hope it's good.

I hope everybody got enough sleep, hope everybody's voice works good.

I hope all the songs go good. And I'm thinking about the fact that.

We're going to record this song and I looked over and Abby was singing the song off the demo, and I realized that it will be wonderful when we record the song. It will be wonderful when we release the song. It will be wonderful if millions of people are blessed by the song, and I hope that they are. But this right now, somebody say this right now, this, right now, even though it is unfinished, it is fulfilling.

Right now.

I want to learn how to be sitting in something that's unfinished and still be fulfilled.

I want to learn how to.

Be able to say I've got something to be happy about even though the job's not finished. Because, in the words of that famous hymn writer bon Jovi, we're halfway there. WHOA somebody say, whoam halfway there?

Yeah? I got two wins. So while Kobe's strategy.

May be an excellent strategy for sports, it is a bad strategy for happiness. For you to focus on what is unfinished in your life, the unfinished business of your spiritual growth, the underdeveloped areas of your character that still aren't as far along as you wish they were, the unfinished business enterprises that you don't yet know if they're going to turn out good.

Or turn out bad.

For you to focus on the unfinished is to diminish the gift of this, this right here, this right now, this breath, this sermon, this moment, this gathering, this praise, this opportunity, this new day, this season, this moment, this person, this relationship, this effort, this breath this right here, somebody say this right here. So I'm headed somewhere and I'm excited about it and I'm working on something because I'm not complacent. But ah, God, teach me to be content

Before this preacher finished.

Precious but first, but first, in order to get to the party, we gotta go through the pain.

And I need to speak to you a little bit.

Today about the danger of postponing joy. Don't let the pressure make you postpone the joy.

Isn't that what Kobe was trying to say. No, I still gotta get us to gain get we.

Got we gotta win. We gotta win four of these, not two. So I can't smile at you right now. And it's a genius press conference strategy for a SoundBite. I mean, let's be honest, we're still talking about it today. But it is a horrible way for you to approach raising your kids.

Jobs. I'm finished?

When?

When? When? When? When will it be? When do you think it's gonna be finished? You think you're gonna send them off and they're gonna be finished. There is a boomerang anointing on your children.

Uh huh mm hmm, come right back. When will it be finished? When will it be finished? What's there to be happy about? I still I still have a job. I've been looking four months. Well, when you get a job, can't you lose it? Talk to me, we'll see. I'm single right now. When I meet my boass what's that face?

I will be blessed and highly favor.

And all the married people said, ha, unless you marry Holly, then you will be finally, eternally happy, that is, but she's.

Off the market.

And the thing about it is, the thing about it is if you postpone your joy because of the pressure, you will never give God praise.

If you think there is a future date where you will be keyword. I'm gonna teach you for a little bit when I'm free from this.

When I'm free from this, and I have more time when I'm free from this, and I don't struggle so much when I'm free from this, and it's not a temptation anymore. When I'm free from this, do not shout Amen. When I am free from this relationship. If you're sitting next to them, go quiet, just go dark right now,

By faith and not by sight.

It's to be free unfinished, to be free unfinished, to know that. Okay, well, my money isn't where I want it to be, but my marriage is. My marriage isn't where I want it to be. But my relationship with God is growing. My relationship with God.

Isn't where I wanted to be.

But I'm in church today, Devil, did you see me show up with my good clothes on where it gree Come on, pitch somebody real quick and say I just wanted to get one in.

Pinch yourself real quick. Pinch yourself real quick.

I mean some of you need to wake up and realize all the things that God has done. And you are sitting there not smiling, not shouting, not celebrating, waiting on something else good to happen. It would be a good time for you to praise him.

Pablah, Bless the Lord in all time.

Oh me, Joe, blessen me, Bless him, Bless him right now.

Bless him, my brother, blessen my sister, Bless him, my friend.

Blot down high five. Somebody say it's the right time. It's the right time. The Bible says that.

The jailor was command Hey, watch out for these two. Watch out for these guys. They're turning our city upside down. Watch out for them. That's why the devil has had you contained.

That's why the.

Devil is trying to constrain you with anxiety. That's why the devil is trying to press you down with depression, because there's.

Something in you.

The attack against you only indicates the potential that is within you.

That's all it is. So what you gonna do about it? Paul?

And this must have shocked everybody who saw him in those shackles. This must have shocked everybody who saw him in those shackles. It's about midnight, the Bible says, which is a bad time. It's a bad time to go out. It's a bad time to be awake if you're in I want to be in my bed at nine forty five pm Eastern Standard time every night. It is a product of the stage of my life. And as the process of day gives way to the process of night, something very interesting happens.

Say my joy is my job.

Now. The jailer was commanded to Paul and Silas as their guard. But the Bible says in Proverbs four twenty three that you are to guard your heart above all else.

So while the.

Jailer is guarding Paul, we see that Paul was apparently guarding Paul too, because at this point he has allowed bitterness to seep into his heart.

Because this isn't fair.

And if at this point he has allowed uncertainty to paralyze him, he is not going to do what he does next.

The Bible says, about midnight, Paul and Silas were.

Praying and singing hymns to God, and other prisoners were listening to them. Process. Put it in the chat. Say it's a process. It's a process. It's a process. It's a process. And when you're going through things in your life and the unfinished business and realizing that it's a process, I'm a process. Recovery is a process. Wealth building is a process. Holiness is a process. Relational intimacy is a process, Showing up is a process, Staying put is a process.

Day is a process. Night is a process.

Today the birth of day includes the process of the coming of night. And at midnight Paul and Silas started praying and started singing. If I could give that guard one word of advice, it would be you made a mistake.

Not when you put their feet in the shackles.

You made a mistake, Not when you put them in the inner cell, that's the most secure part of the prison.

I understand you were doing what you were supposed to do.

I wouldn't even tell the guard that he made a mistake when he went to sleep, because you'll see in just a few verses that he actually was dozed off over there in the corner somewhere. And that's fine too, because their feet were in the shackles. But the mistake that you made was putting them together in the same cell. If you would have kept them in isolation, they would

Us over here in Europe.

If you would have he kept Paul in isolation in his own cell, he would have started processing why does life have to be so hard for me? God, you got Peter out of prison, You can't keep me out of prison. If he would have kept them in isolation, maybe he would have started comparing.

It to the last time that he preached.

Maybe if he would have kept Paul in isolation, he would have gone into self pity.

Maybe if he would have.

Kept Silace in isolation, he would have sabotaged. But the Bible says he did one thing wrong. He put them in the cell. The devil did one thing wrong this morning. He let you get to Elevation Church at eleven seven oh one Elevation Point Boulevard on Saint Patrick's Day of twenty twenty.

Four, because he puts you next to somebody who is about to pens You pins.

Your neighbor real quick, who is about to penshew.

And look them in the eye and say, wegg up. God is with us. Flap your hands if.

You know God is with me in the process.

I'm singing over your life. God is with you in the process. God is with you when it's two to zero, when it's zero to two, when it's.

Game four, game five, game six, game seven. God is with me in the postgame analysis because he's with me in the process, but in the comments, he's with me in the process.

He's with me in the process.

And I want to make sure that the way you are processing the unfinished places in your life, the way you are processing the imperfect parts of you, the way that you are processing the parts of your life that do not match your preference. I want to make sure that your process doesn't become your prison. So you ruminate and stew and have imaginary conversations where you get back at people who aren't even thinking about you right now.

I just don't want because we have to go into some prisons.

Right they were thrown into one prison, but the other one, I think sometimes you aren't thrown into it. I think you think your way into it. So we got a process. It's hard to process as we're talking about joy. It's hard to process when you're in prison and your feet are in stocks and it's dark outside and your back is raw because you were beat with rods. I know,

Clap your hands if you need a partner here. A matter of fact, I told I told.

Isaiah Zeke Templeton, I might bring him up to be my partner. So come on, I think we should do it. Would you all give Zeke a handas as he comes. Oh, come on, you can do better than that. It seek everybody, zee as you come. I'll be Paul, you be Silas. Let's give the people a mental picture. Yeah, give him a microphone. We might do some singing before this illustration.

I'm just saying.

I'm just saying the partner I picked might indicate the.

Purpose I have in mind.

That's a whole sermon point. Nobody wrote it down. I picked my partner according to my purpose. God picks people according to his purpose. God picked you according to a purpose. So here's here's what they did. Here's what they did. The Bible says it's midnight, and it doesn't say that they were sitting like this, just to be a good way to get the point across.

But they were in the same cell.

And maybe maybe Paul I have some speculations about this passage. Let's just first of all, I'll see the scripture Acts sixteen twenty five about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. Okay, so this is just a speculation. It's not in the text, but I respectator. I don't think Paul was a very good singer. I think Silas was a better singer than Paul.

Okay. And I take it from.

One scripture where people used to say when he would get up that he was unimpressive in person. So if you're a great singer, nobody's going to say that about you, right. So I don't think Paul's very good singer. But I think this is another speculation. I think Paul is the one who started singing because one thing Paul knew how to do is start stuff. He was an instigator, Okay. And so I imagine it's about midnight, and what else are you gonna do? Because you can't move. He's not gonna

Good note there. Yeah, okay, Mmmm. I think sometime in the middle of night, Paul went what a fellowship, What a joy?

Divine leing on the everlastings.

It says they sang.

Hymns right, and I know that him wasn't written red yet use your imagination.

I think they sang something like that, right, what a blessedness? What a piece is mine?

And he probably don't feel a lot of peace when he sings at But I'm gonna.

Give you a life, principal worshipers.

Sometimes you've got to sing until your soul catches up with your song.

You feel that Silas leading on the ever last ding arms lead, Hey, Silas, you'll wake back there, be safe and secure.

From now.

I think when Silas started singing, Paul started getting louder.

Leave leave on the evens.

Oh, but it says they sang put the verse back up.

They sang hymns plural, so they didn't stop singing. I mean, I think faun.

Knew so many hymns. He just started a medley, you know what I'm saying, because.

I think he memorized some songs in a previous season.

That God knew he would need at a midnight hour.

Uh huh.

So I think next he went less. It is sure Jesus is mine?

Oh what a footy of glory divine.

You take this part silas Era Selva shut.

Purchase fat onn of his speed, washed in his blood.

I want you to remember their feet are in shackles, but they're washed in his blood.

I want you to remember that their feet are.

In shackles, but they're born of his spirit. I want you to remember that your situation is dark, but your born of his spirit. I want to remind you that this chapter is painful.

What's her story? Is another? And plass it. This is my soul. This is my song, raising my say yo, oh the day long. This is my store that I can sell us. But do it, hi, This is my story.

Yesis my.

That's the kind of singing res my So.

What am I doing?

Carrais my.

Leader?

Lead leader, raising my say yea oh theday, praising.

Save at midnight too.

And all of a sudden, the Bible says, as they were singing, something started.

Shaking.

As they were singing, something started shaking, Something started shaking. Praise started shaking something. And Lydia might have felt it at her house, and she didn't know what it was.

But Paul knew.

When we pray, say it solace, when we pray, when we pray.

Hand the founday since started second and Paul said, Christ.

The side past around he is seeking.

Said, oh, lother ground.

He's singing jade hour.

Oh, Christ's the side my litter in this shackle. But I'm standing over.

Saking, said, oh love the ground he's see say, I'm gonna take the foundation.

For a minute. No, no, you can't shake him like that.

You can't sink him like that. You gotta get down on the inside of your belly, from therbelly, from your belly, from your belly.

Somebody shout up to God, shaken, shaken, shaken, shaken, shaken, shaken, shaken, shaken.

I'm singing in shackles and something starts shaking. I'm singing in shackles and something starts shaking. I'm singing in loneliness and something starts shaking. Because I got a partner, I got a praise. And the Bible says they did one more thing. They prayed. Did the Bible say they prayed in verse twenty five or did I make it up?

They prayed?

Verse twenty five says they sang, they praised, and they prayed. I don't know what songs they sang. I don't know what prayers they prayed, but I have a speculation about what they didn't pray. I would imagine if you're in a prison, your prayer, your dominant goal and thought, would be what get us out?

Somebody say it, get us out? And yet the Bible says, because I never heard this passage breached.

Like you wouldn't believe about how a shout will bring you out, which confused me when I read the next verse, because the Bible says, can I preach the Bible? Y'all are looking at me so quiet? I feel nervous, like I stole something from target. The Bible says that after they sang and prayed, because I'm imagining Paul going, God, get us out by your power, by your blood, just like you brought Moses out of Egypt, just like you brought Neemiah the.

Captives back to Jerusalem.

Just like you did it for them, just like you brought Jonna from the belly of the whale.

God, get me out, the Bible says.

Suddenly there was a violent earthquake and the foundations shook, and everyone's chains came loose. Now, what do you do when you're in prison and your chains come loose one, two three. Leave when your chains come loose, you leave right because I prayed and he brought me out. But watch this. Verse twenty seven says the jailer woke up. Dude,

Well, yeah, that's what you're supposed to.

Do when God sends an earthquake and opens the doors. Unless they weren't praying for God to get them out. I don't know who this is for, but you keep thinking God wants to get you out, and sometimes he does, and eventually they left. They didn't leave there. But verse twenty seven is very powerful. Can I reach verse twenty seven? Can I reach verse twenty seven? Is there one person in this church that wants to hear what happened in verse twenty seven?

I have.

The Bible, says the jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword about it comes up because he thought the prisoners had this game. Verse twenty eight but Paul shouted, don't harm yourself.

We are all here. Why are you still here?

And Paul says, I wouldn't praying God to get me out. I was praying for God to come in. And these doors help me preach Holy God. These doors are open because the tring of Glory.

Is coming in. He's coming in.

Somebody lift your hands if you know he's coming in. So I want to propose to you, child of God, that you keep saying, when I get out of this, I'm gonna.

Praise God, which is.

The wrong perspective because you can praise God when you get out of it, but you can also praise God into it. And I'm gonna give you twenty four seconds to do it right now. So need to show you this. It would be glory to God. Glory to God. She said it, She said, glory to God. That's what you've got to do right now. That's your job in this season of your life. Sila said, Paul. The doors are open, Paul said, the job's not.

Finished. Listen to this. You've been wondering why you're going through what you're going through.

I suggest there is always a bigger picture, and I present to you that Not only did they have a partner and a praise and a prayer, but they had a purpose. And I say that to you about every single cell that you are locked in in your life today.

See, it would be wonderful if we could just come out of it. But shouldn't we first ask God to come into it? Yeah, that's my job.

It's not by coincidence that Paul and the prisoners were still sitting there. The Bible says in verse twenty nine that the jailer called for lights, rushed in, fell trembling before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and asked, sirs, what must.

I do to be saved?

Wow, that's what that servant girl was following them around, saying a few verses earlier, these are the men who will tell you how to be saved. Now, the prison break happened not so they could get out, but so that God could get in, because there was somebody whose life he.

Wanted to touch.

Wait a minute, this isn't a prison. It's a pop up church in Philippi. God is starting a pop up church in your life right now. He's going to demonstrate some things through you. He's going to show some of the people. The Bible says all the other prisoners for listening to Paul and Silas. Somebody's looking at your life, listening to your life. You are doing this for an example. The gospel is with you. The assignment of God is heavy on your life. There is a shout that will

Listen, how good the sermon.

When I learn how to preach this shortened this good, We'll be out of here in time for brunch next week. They replied verse thirty one. Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

You and your household. Why were they in prison? Why did the foundations shake?

Because as the foundations of that prison were shaking, a foundation for a church was being laid, the first church in Europe. And it all started in shackles. What is God starting in the shackles of your life right now, in the area where you can't move and can't do it. I know this much. You only have one job. One job because when he asked them how to be saved, they didn't say, get your act together and clean up your house and stop falling asleep on your night shift.

They said, believe, and not just believe. Believe in the Lord.

Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household. And they spoke the word of the Lord to God I love it, and to all the others in his house. And at that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds. Then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them.

He was filled with joy.

Because he had become to believe in God, he and his whole household. What do you have to be happy about. I'm filled with joy because I believe in God. That's my basis, that's my firm foundation on Christ, the solid raw I stand. I want to give an invitation right now, bow your head and close your eyes for those of you who God has brought to this message today so that you can believe in the Lord Jesus and be saved. The Bible says that that jailer, upon believing in Jesus

Right now. If that's you and God brought you here, and you have.

Been in the prison of your sin and your self effort, I believe that right now is a defining moment in your life. I'm going to pray a prayer with you, and you repeat this prayer after me. And if you repeat this prayer and mean it from your heart, the Bible says that.

You will be saved.

Praying after me Church for the benefit of those who are coming to God or back to God Heavenly Father. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the savior of the world. And today I make Jesus the lord.

Of my life.

I believe you died that I would be forgiven and rose again to give me life. I receive this new life. This is my new beginning. On the count of three, shoots your hand up. If you prayed that one, two, three, shoot them up.

All over the room online online.

Say I received Jesus.

Come on, Let's clap our hands and thank God.

Church family. We can do better than that.

Let's thank God for every soul.

He's saved, every life he's touching.

Come on, let's give him a great sum of press. Thank you for joining us.

Special thanks to those of you who give generously to this ministry. Is because of you that this ministry is possible. You can click the link in the description to give now, or visit Elevationchurch dot org slash podcast for more information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe.

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Thanks again for listening. God bless you.