“Seize The Season III – Joy”
Mark 14:60-62; Luke 1:38-45
Tell Story of how Jesus was questioned before the chief
priest, the elders, and the teachers of the law.
 Many testified against Jesus, but their stories did not
agree.
 The high priest asked Jesus, “Are you not going to
answer? What is this testimony that these men are
bringing against you?”
 Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.
 How many times did Jesus refuse to answer his critics
and accusers over the 3 years he was among them?
They kept asking the wrong questions, and even when
they did Jesus knew it was not the time. It had to be
hard time after time, not saying what he wanted to say
all along. Then it happened. They asked the right
question.
 V. 62. The high priest asks Jesus, Are you the Christ,
the Son of the Blessed One?
 Then came the joy. “I am.”
 And then he pours the chocolate on the icecream
when he says, “and you will see the Son of Man
sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and
coming on the clouds of heaven.” The I am will then
be sitting next to the I am.
Where do we find joy? Do you find it in those things you
have always wanted, or is your real joy found in the things
you least expect it. What really brings joy in our lives? By
having all we want to have, or getting our way in every
way? Is that what brings joy? Truth is joy comes in much
different ways than that.
Jesus is facing death in the face, and it’s here that he finds at
least an element of joy. To speak the truth of who you are
had to be so freeing to Jesus. Jesus is finding joy in doing
what he was fulfilled to do. And finally getting to say what
he wanted to say.
There 3 ingredients to finding your joy:
1. Tell the truth.
Jesus joy was in telling the truth. He had held it in so long.
It had to feel so good to tell the truth. It was time to reveal
the truth that would soon lead to his death.
How is telling the truth a joy to you? Ever done something
and you went to bed that night and felt such a joy at how
you handled yourself or a situation in your life. You knew
you did the right thing. You said the right thing. You might
have refrained from saying the wrong thing that most
anyone would say you had every right to say.
Illus. Courageous Movie clip of Hispanic refusing to lie
for company when interviewed. They hired him as this was
a trick question.
Now let me give you one more story that helps you
understand what happens when you tell the truth.
Illus. Our first church relocated it’s facility, and since the
parsonage was on the same property, they had to find us
another home to live in. They chose to build a house. They
found a lot real cheap. It was considered an unbuildable lot.
That means they had to dig deep until they found solid
ground. Once they found solid ground, they then put in
crushed rock and impacted it so that when completed, there
was an 8 foot foundation underneath the basement, 6 feet
wide all the way around the house. It was the most founded
home in the area. Living in that home, we knew that the
walls were firm, steady and dependable. Telling the truth is
like that. It’s that feeling inside when you have confidence
in what you are saying.
least expect it you are ready for some interesting twists in
life that if you face them head on you will find joy.
Tell the story of how Mary went to Judea to visit
Elizabeth:
Last week we talked about how Joseph received an
important visit from an angel that he was to take Mary as his
wife. At least Joseph had a clue what was going on. Mary
was blindsided. This came out of the no where.
 Mary gets a visit of her own from an angel, of course,
well before Joseph did. Mary you are going to give
birth to the Lord, the Son of God.
 She says, in verse 38 “I am the Lord’s servant. May it
be to me as you have said.”
 Now look at verse 39 – “At that time Mary got ready
and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,
where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted
Elizabeth”
 I love that. And this is where we find our 2nd
ingredient in finding our joy:
QQQQQ - I’ve got a question. If God loves us and wants
the best for us, then if something he says seems hard to us,
why wouldn’t we do it?
2. Trust the ultimate truthteller.
The angel said it. Mary believed it. There’s something
about this that proclaims joy. Having a heart that is leaning
into God is necessary in order to live a life of joy, including
trust, and faith in God that at a moment’s notice, when you
Some of us come to know Christ, but don’t believe what
God says in his Word. If God really is trustworthy, then
shouldn’t we believe it, that if God simply says it, it will be
best for us.
When’s the last time you said to God, “May it be to me as
you have said.”
CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON SAYS: “Faith and obedience
are bound up in the same bundle. He that obeys God, trusts
God; and he that trusts God, obeys God.”
Leonard Sweet wrote:
“You know, the world’s a better place because
Michelangelo did not say, ‘I don’t do ceilings.’
“The world’s a better place because a German monk
named Martin Luther did not say, “I don’t do doors.”
The world’s a better place because an Oxford
student named John Wesley didn’t say, “I don’t do
preaching in fields.”
The world’s a better place because Moses didn’t say,
“I don’t do Pharaohs or mass migrations.”
The world’s a better place because Noah didn’t say,
“I don’t do arks and I don’t do animals.”
The world’s a better place because Rahab didn’t say,
“I don’t do enemy spies.”
The world’s a better place because Ruth didn’t say, “I
don’t do mothers-in-law.”
The world’s a better place because Samuel didn’t
say, “I don’t do mornings.”
The world’s a better place because David didn’t say,
“I don’t do giants.”
The world’s a better place because Peter didn’t say,
“I don’t do Gentiles.”
The world’s a better place because John didn’t say, “I
don’t do deserts.”
The world’s a better place because Mary didn’t say, “I
don’t do virgin births.”
The world’s a better place because Jesus didn’t say,
“I don’t do crosses.”
How about we just say to the Lord, “May it to me as you
have said.”
So what’s the first thing Mary does after she believes the
Lord? It says she immediately she goes to Elizabeth her
cousin to tell her about it. And that leads us to the 3 rd
ingredient to finding joy:
3. Tell this truth to others.
Mary gets up, gets ready, and goes to Elizabeth’s house to
tell her the news. Now Elizabeth has her own issues for she
is 6 months pregnant. She is found to be pregnant in old age.
It doesn’t say that Mary knows about Elizabeths pregnancy,
but we can presume that she knows. When Mary walks into
Elizabeth’s house, her baby leaps in her womb. This is the
same baby that will one day baptize Jesus. It’s the same
man who says “He must increase, I must decrease.”
Listen to what Elizabeth says, Luke 1:42-45.
“In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are
you among women, and blessed is the child you
will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the
mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As
soon as the sound of your greeting reached my
ears, the baby in my womb leaped for
joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the
Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Joy comes in receiving blessing. Joy comes in giving
blessing. And it even says that when Elizabeth’s child
leaped in her womb that she was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Illus. Mary went to tell Elizabeth the good news. Is there
any better time when we get to tell others good news. I was
at Jim and Dody Bedell’s home. The phone rang. It was
Judy. She said, are you sitting down. I said no what is it.
She said the adoption agency called. We are receiving a one
day old little girl in 24 hours. I wept like a baby. I sank to
the floor of that kitchen. And Jim and Dody got to witness
an awesome moment in my life.
Illus. But there’s one other joy that I have enjoyed over the
years that’s even better than that joy. And that is witnessing
to my daughters of the love Jesus has for them. Some of
you have had that joy of sharing your faith with another and
leading them to Christ.
There’s something about the joy of being with one another.
And today we have the invitation of communion together.
Why? Because we believe like Elizabeth did, like Mary did,
like Jesus did that our joy is in the very truth of God. Joy is
in knowing that when a loved one slips away that we will
see them again.
Conclusion:
I would end here, but in Luke 1:46 we have one of the most
known songs sung by Mary. “My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has
been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
Illus. I was St. Joseph Hospital with an older gentleman
who knew the Lord better than I. I looked up to him. But he
was older, and facing severe surgery, and we were about to
pray. He asked me if I had anything to ask him. I said no
not necessarily. He said, pastor you should ask me if there
is anything between me and the Lord before I face this
surgery. So I asked him, and he said no. He said you should
always ask that question, “Is it well with your soul.”
In other words, hows the joy in your soul? So hows the joy
in your soul?
“Seize The Season III – Joy”
Mark 14:60-62; Luke 1:38-45
“The high priest asks Jesus, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed
One? I am and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of
the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Mark 14:62
There 3 ingredients to finding your joy:
1. Tell the _____________.
2. Trust the ______________ _____________.
3. Tell this ___________ to____________.