Dharius Daniels - Protect Your Joy

Matthew chapter 2, verse 13 is where I want to start reading this afternoon, and I have a question: Do you feel like talking back to this preacher this afternoon? Okay, I felt that was kind of a no. All right, it’s all good. You’re going to, I know it. I know Matthew chapter 2, verse 13. I want to make sure, as a spiritual family, I am always doing my job to remind you of how blessed you are. So let me explain what I mean by that. This is my life’s honor; I want to do this for probably about another 25 years, but I want to serve people until I die. That’s why I was born, and I can’t tell you the freedom and joy that comes with knowing your purpose. I mean it’s better than money. And if you don’t have any money here, you might think, «Yeah, right.» Not that having what you need to meet your basic needs isn’t important—that’s not what I’m saying—but I am saying that knowing your purpose gives you something internally you can’t purchase. You get that? You understand? So, I want to serve people until I die. I want to do this until I die. But part of what comes with my calling is that I get the privilege of having an inside view of people’s lives that the average person wouldn’t get, in terms of the number of people. And I’m not being cynical at all, but being realistic. Stuff can turn so quickly in a person’s life; do you understand what I’m saying? Sometimes, because we don’t realize how fragile life is and how blessed we are, there are times when I sense we major on minor problems. But you don’t know it’s a minor problem until a major one hits your life; then you’re like, «Man, I was tripping about that! I’m blessed!» So, with the news I get bombarded with regularly, I just want to remind you of this. I’m not just talking to grown people; I’m talking to teenagers, too. I want you to know how blessed you are to have a parent that cares. No, I’m not saying some parents don’t care, but I want you to listen. I want you to know how blessed you are to have someone who cares enough to fuss, right? Because one of the things that I want the men who are part of our church family to do is to be able to look up one day before you go to heaven and point to a tribe of young men that you helped—men who don’t share your last name—young men you put money in their pockets, gave advice to, helped through school, bought books for, coached, mentored. So, I’m telling you, you’re blessed to have parents that lean in and that care. I know some might say, «My mom gets on my nerves! Oh my gosh, she does the most!» Just leave it. That’s love. And I’m telling you, listen to me; because I’m in the people business, there are some little girls who would trade places with you. You’re blessed too! So during this Christmas season, I just want us, as a spiritual family—even though that sounds so churchy—to remember that, because it’s true. So let’s do our best not to major in the minor, because you are more blessed than you know, and you’re more blessed than you feel. Amen? All right, we can go home now. I’m praying for all Eagles fans today; I want you to win! I’m a 49ers fan, and we won last night. And because I’m a 49ers fan, I cheer for the Cowboys’ opponents, so whoever is going against the Cowboys, I’m rooting for you. Fly, Eagles, fly! All right, fly, Eagles, fly. Matthew chapter 2, verse 13 says, «When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up, ’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod.» As I said, I teach in series. In week one, I taught about the promise of joy, or the power of joy. In week two, last week, I taught on the path to joy, and in week three today, I want to teach on this subject: I believe it is God’s encouragement to us: protect your joy. Protect your joy, family. In 1957, Random House published a book written by a gentleman we’ve come to know as Dr. Seuss. This book eventually morphed into an animated film called How the Grinch Stole Christmas. If you haven’t seen this story, this film, or this cartoon, it involves an interesting-looking character called the Grinch who attempts to rob the world of the joy of Christmas by stealing the presents that would go under the tree. While considering my sermon for this Sunday, I recognized how that story, although not religious in nature, has some spiritual significance, because the Scriptures teach that we also have a Grinch we’re dealing with called Satan. Jesus says in John 10:10 that this Grinch called Satan is also a thief—a thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. And this Grinch does not want to…