JOYCE: HEBREWS 12:15, THIS IS A VERY GOOD SCRIPTURE THAT
REALLY SHOWS US THE PROBLEM THAT RESENTMENT CAN BE IF WE DON'T
CATCH IT EARLY.
"EXERCISE FORESIGHT AND BE ON THE WATCH TO LOOK [AFTER ONE
ANOTHER], TO SEE THAT NO ONE FALLS BACK FROM AND FAILS TO
SECURE GOD'S GRACE [HIS UNMERITED FAVOR AND SPIRITUAL
BLESSING], IN ORDER THAT NO ROOT OF RESENTMENT (RANCOR,
BITTERNESS, OR HATRED) SHOOTS FORTH AND CAUSES TROUBLE AND
BITTER TORMENT, AND MANY BECOME CONTAMINATED AND DEFILED BY IT."
I LOVE THAT SCRIPTURE.
HE'S SAYIN', "LOOK, IF YOU LET"--LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, I WAS
BITTER AND RESENTFUL AND HAD ALL KINDS OF BAD ATTITUDES
BECAUSE MY FATHER HAD SEXUALLY ABUSED ME.
WELL, A LOT OF 'EM WERE JUST BURIED DOWN DEEP IN ME, AND THEY
WERE AFFECTING MY RELATIONSHIPS, AFFECTING MY ATTITUDES,
AFFECTING THE WAY I THOUGHT.
THEY WERE AFFECTING EVERY AREA OF MY LIFE, BUT, YOU SEE, I
THOUGHT BECAUSE I LEFT HOME WHEN I WAS 18 THAT I DIDN'T HAVE THE
PROBLEM ANYMORE, BUT THE THING WAS I TOOK THE PROBLEM WITH ME
IN MY SOUL.
AND SO THERE'S AN INNER WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN US
THAT ONLY JESUS CAN DO.
WELL, BECAUSE I HAD THAT ROOT OF RESENTMENT IN MY LIFE THAT WAS
AFFECTING MY MARRIAGE.
IT WAS AFFECTING MY CHILDREN.
IT WAS AFFECTING ALL MY RELATIONSHIPS.
IT WAS AFFECTING MY DAILY LIFE.
SO JUST LIKE THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS, IF YOU DON'T GET IT
STOPPED IT'S GONNA JUST SPREAD, AND IT'S GONNA AFFECT EVERY AREA
OF YOUR LIFE.
AND SOME OF YOU, IF YOU REALLY WILL TAKE TO HEART WHAT I'M
SAYIN' THIS MORNING THIS CAN BE LIFE CHANGING FOR YOU.
DON'T LIVE YOUR LIFE BITTER AND RESENTFUL AND FULL OF HATRED AND
BITTERNESS OVER SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED TO YOU THAT YOU CANNOT
DO ANYTHING ABOUT, BUT GOD CAN IF YOU'LL LET HIM DO IT.
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
JOYCE: NOW THE BIBLE ACTUALLY TELLS US, GOD HAD THE AUDACITY
TO TELL US THAT TRIALS ACTUALLY ARE GOOD FOR US, AND WE SHOULD
GET EXCITED ABOUT 'EM.
IT'S AMAZING HOW SPIRITUAL WE CAN BE WHEN EVERYTHING'S GOOD
AND HOW WE CAN RESURRECT THAT OLD MAN WHEN THINGS AREN'T SO
GOOD.
GOD WANTS US TO BE STABLE, STABLE, STABLE, STABLE.
GONNA TALK ABOUT STABILITY FOR A MINUTE.
I WAS SO UNSTABLE IN THE EARLIER YEARS OF MY LIFE.
I NEVER KNEW HOW I WAS GONNA BEHAVE TILL THE DEVIL TOLD ME.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: IF HE SAID I WAS DEPRESSED, I WAS DEPRESSED.
IF HE SAID I WAS MAD, I WAS MAD.
I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT CONTROLLING MY EMOTIONS.
I JUST DID WHATEVER I FELT LIKE DOING.
WELL, YOU KNOW, EMOTIONS CAN BE GOOD SOMETIMES, BUT THEY CAN
REALLY BE DANGEROUS BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THEY'RE GONNA
COME AND WHEN THEY'RE GONNA GO.
YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE RIGHT ONES ARE GUIDING YOUR LIFE.
I'M PARTICULARLY FOND OF PSALM 94:12-13,
SO LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
"BLESSED (HAPPY, FORTUNATE, AND TO BE ENVIED) IS THE MAN WHOM
YOU DISCIPLINE AND INSTRUCT, O LORD, AND TEACH OUT OF YOUR
LAW." OKAY, SO THIS IS SAYIN' THAT
WHEN GOD IS DISCIPLINING YOU, YOU ARE BLESSED, BLESSED,
BLESSED, BLESSED.
"THAT YOU MAY GIVE HIM POWER TO KEEP HIMSELF CALM IN THE DAYS OF
ADVERSITY, UNTIL THE [INEVITABLE] PIT OF CORRUPTION
IS DUG FOR THE WICKED." SO THIS IS SAYIN' GOD IS GONNA
CONTINUE TO DEAL WITH US AND DEAL WITH US AND DEAL WITH US
AND DEAL WITH US, AND PART OF THAT MEANS THAT HE IS GONNA LET
YOU GET IN SOME UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATIONS THAT ARE GONNA BRING
HOPEFULLY THE BEST OUT OF YOU.
BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE AT.
I MEAN, THE BIBLE SAYS IN JAMES 1 THAT TRIALS BRING OUT
PATIENCE.
WELL, THEY BROUGHT A LOT OF STUFF OUT OF ME BEFORE WE EVER
GOT TO PATIENCE.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: I MEAN, LIKE, NASTY STUFF, AND IT TOOK ABOUT
25 YEARS FOR ME TO GET STABLE.
NOW I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU ARE AS SLOW AS ME, BUT IT TOOK
ME--OH, THERE'S ONE LADY, TWO, ALRIGHT.
GOT A FEW OUT THERE.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST.
YOU'D THINK WE COULD LEARN A LITTLE FASTER THAN WHAT WE DO.
IF GOD GIVES YOU A TEST AND YOU DON'T PASS IT, YOU GET TO TAKE
IT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL YOU
PASS IT.
GOD WILL KEEP LETTING US DEAL WITH STUFF AND DEAL WITH STUFF
AND DEAL WITH STUFF, AND THESE ARE NOT THINGS THAT ARE
GONNA--THEY DON'T EVEN REALLY GET INTO THE CATEGORY OF
REAL SUFFERING.
I MEAN, THESE ARE JUST UNCOMFORTABLE, IRRITATING
THINGS, JUST STUFF, THINGS THAT HAPPEN.
PEOPLE SAY SOMETHING THAT HURTS OUR FEELINGS.
WE DIDN'T GET THE PROMOTION WE WANTED AT WORK.
WE DIDN'T GET TO SING IN THE CHOIR, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER
THE CASE MIGHT BE.
MY GOODNESS, IF WE CAN'T EVEN DEAL WITH THAT KIND OF STUFF
WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO IF THINGS GET REALLY DIFFICULT?
AND HE SAID THIS IS GONNA KEEP ON, "THAT YOU, THAT GOD, WOULD
GIVE US POWER TO KEEP OURSELVES CALM IN THE DAY OF ADVERSITY."
EVERYBODY SAY, "I HAVE TO LEARN TO KEEP MYSELF CALM."
AUDIENCE: I HAVE TO LEARN TO KEEP MYSELF CALM.
JOYCE: YOU DIDN'T SOUND EXCITED.
I'D LIKE YOU TO DO IT AGAIN.
[AUDIENCE LAUGHING]
JOYCE: I HAVE TO LEARN TO KEEP MYSELF CALM.
AUDIENCE: I HAVE TO LEARN TO KEEP MYSELF CALM.
JOYCE: 2 TIMOTHY CHAPTER 4 BEGINNING IN VERSE 3, THESE ARE
AWESOME SCRIPTURES.
"FOR THE TIME IS COMING WHEN [PEOPLE] WILL NOT TOLERATE (OR
ENDURE) SOUND AND WHOLESOME INSTRUCTION, BUT, HAVING EARS
ITCHING [FOR SOMETHING PLEASING AND GRATIFYING], THEY WILL
GATHER TO THEMSELVES ONE TEACHER AFTER ANOTHER TO A CONSIDERABLE
NUMBER, CHOSEN TO SATISFY THEIR OWN LIKING AND TO FOSTER
THE ERRORS THAT THEY HOLD." VERSE 4, "AND THEY WILL TURN
ASIDE FROM HEARING THE TRUTH AND WANDER OFF INTO MYTHS
AND MANMADE FICTION." VERSE 5, "BUT AS FOR YOU"--NOW
HE'S TALKIN' TO TIMOTHY WHO'S A PREACHER OF THE WORD.
"AS FOR YOU, BE CALM AND COOL AND STEADY, AND SUFFER
UNFLINCHINGLY EVERY HARDSHIP, DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST,
FULLY PERFORM ALL THE DUTIES OF YOUR MINISTRY."
NOW HERE IT REALLY GETS GOOD.
VERSE 6, PAUL SAYS, "FOR I AM ALREADY ABOUT TO BE SACRIFICED
[MY LIFE IS ABOUT TO BE POURED OUT AS A DRINK OFFERING]; THE
TIME OF MY [SPIRIT'S] RELEASE [FROM THE BODY] IS AT HAND AND I
WILL SOON BE FREE."
[AUDIENCE CHEERING]
JOYCE: WELL, I'M MORE EXCITED ABOUT THAT THAN YOU ARE,
I THINK, BUT, I MEAN, I GET WHAT HE'S SAYIN'.
HE'S SAYIN', "LOOK, BEIN' HERE IN THIS EARTH IN THE TIMES WE'RE
LIVING IN AND TRYIN' TO SERVE GOD IN THIS FLESHLY BODY,
IT IS NOT ALWAYS EASY.
IT'S NOT ALWAYS COMFORTABLE.
IT DOESN'T ALWAYS FEEL GOOD.
BUT, BOY, THE DAY IS GOING TO COME WHEN OUR JOB HERE WILL BE
DONE, AND WE'LL GET A RELEASE FROM THIS BODY, AND WE WILL BE
TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY FREE.
AND CAN I TELL YOU SOMETHING?
THAT'S WHEN LIFE BEGINS.