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00:00:01 What do we have here in the letter 00:00:02 that Paul wrote under inspiration 00:00:04 to the congregation in Philippi? 00:00:07 A letter that breathes love 00:00:09 and that motivates us 00:00:12 to increase in displaying godly joy. 00:00:17 Now, that may not always be easy 00:00:19 because life in this system of things can be very difficult. 00:00:23 In fact, perhaps you or your family or close friends 00:00:26 are facing a Goliathlike challenge at this moment. 00:00:31 But think a little bit more about the context 00:00:33 and who wrote this letter to the Philippians, 00:00:36 where we’re told to “always rejoice.” 00:00:39 It was the apostle Paul. 00:00:41 Do you know where Paul was when he wrote the letter? 00:00:45 Not in any comfortable office. 00:00:47 He was in a prison, likely in Rome. 00:00:51 Yet Paul’s positive attitude makes it very clear 00:00:54 that deep-seated joy 00:00:56 does not depend on our circumstances. 00:01:00 But we do know that cultivating joy requires personal effort. 00:01:04 How so? 00:01:05 Well, think about it. 00:01:07 We know that joy, that pleasant emotion that we feel 00:01:10 when we receive something good or we anticipate receiving good things, 00:01:15 is a product of holy spirit. 00:01:17 So we have to do something in order to obtain more holy spirit. 00:01:21 We have to pray for it constantly. 00:01:23 And we can do that constantly without ever doubting 00:01:26 that Jehovah wants to give us more holy spirit 00:01:30 because Jesus assured us that He’s a tender heavenly Father 00:01:33 who gives generously to His children who ask for it. 00:01:37 But in addition to praying constantly, what more can we do? 00:01:41 Well, like the apostle Paul, even when we’re 00:01:44 in the midst of trying circumstances, 00:01:47 we need to think about good things —our blessings— 00:01:50 and we need to talk with our brothers and sisters about those blessings. 00:01:55 For a few moments, let’s do that. 00:01:57 Let’s put aside for a moment 00:02:00 any distracting worry or challenge 00:02:02 or obstacle that we’re facing, 00:02:04 and let’s savor three special blessings 00:02:08 that Jehovah has given all of us as his people. 00:02:11 Our first blessing is alluded to at Proverbs 4:18. 00:02:16 You might take your eyes there to Proverbs 4:18. 00:02:21 There, in contrast with the path, or the way, of the wicked one, 00:02:25 we’re told that “the path of the righteous 00:02:28 “[that’s your path; that’s my path] is like the bright morning light 00:02:32 that grows brighter and brighter until full daylight.” 00:02:37 Well, this reminds us that we have all been recipients 00:02:40 of spiritual enlightenment. 00:02:42 And that’s quite a contrast to Satan’s system, 00:02:45 which currently is in dense spiritual darkness. 00:02:49 Think about what we enjoy because of what Jehovah has given us 00:02:53 in the way of spiritual enlightenment. 00:02:56 We know things that the world has no clue about. 00:03:01 We know that Jehovah is our God, 00:03:03 the God who “Causes to Become” 00:03:05 and can cause you and me to become whatever is needed 00:03:08 to fulfill his good purpose and to bring us joy. 00:03:12 We know about Jesus, the powerful angels, 00:03:15 and the establishment of the Kingdom in 1914, a real government. 00:03:20 None of this is any mystery to us. 00:03:23 We know the truth. 00:03:25 We know that the big issue is not what we may see in the headlines 00:03:28 of the world’s newspapers. 00:03:30 The big issue has to do with universal sovereignty. 00:03:33 And who will we choose to support 00:03:36 —Jehovah’s side or Satan’s side? 00:03:40 Thanks to the gift of spiritual enlightenment, 00:03:42 a path that keeps getting “brighter and brighter” for us 00:03:46 as we walk closely with Jehovah and his organization, 00:03:49 we know why we suffer, why we die, 00:03:52 and how temporary all of these challenging circumstances are. 00:03:58 We are confident there will be a resurrection. 00:04:00 So no matter what happens in this system of things 00:04:03 to us personally or to those whom we love, 00:04:06 Jehovah will undo all the damage 00:04:09 very easily 00:04:11 because he can do so and he wants to do so. 00:04:15 Of course, there are many things that we don’t yet know 00:04:18 about the future and Jehovah’s details 00:04:21 with regard to us personally. 00:04:24 We don’t know the exact date of the end of this wicked system of things. 00:04:28 But our purpose in life is no secret. 00:04:31 We know what our purpose in life is. 00:04:33 We’re going to live forever 00:04:35 so that we can praise and fear Jehovah for all eternity. 00:04:40 Now, what do you think as we ponder our gift, our blessing, 00:04:44 of spiritual enlightenment? 00:04:46 Is it ordinary, or is it extraordinary? 00:04:50 That’s a gift that when we think about it 00:04:53 and when we talk about it, it increases our joy. 00:04:58 Let’s consider a second spiritual blessing. 00:05:01 It’s referred to at Isaiah 60:22. 00:05:04 Please read that with me 00:05:06 —Isaiah 60:22: 00:05:10 “The little one will become a thousand and the small one a mighty nation. 00:05:14 I myself, Jehovah, will speed it up in its own time.” 00:05:19 What’s the blessing? 00:05:21 As foretold, we are seeing spiritual growth. 00:05:24 Our spiritual family 00:05:27 is getting larger and larger by the day. 00:05:31 In fact, on average, during the 2017 service year, 00:05:34 each week 5,400 were baptized 00:05:39 in symbol of their dedication to Jehovah. 00:05:42 And in harmony with the prophecy, this growth will accelerate. 00:05:47 Well, what does that mean for us? 00:05:49 It means that our work here at Bethel, 00:05:51 at remote translation offices, at facilities 00:05:55 —doing maintenance and cleaning and caring 00:05:57 for these beautiful facilities dedicated to Jehovah’s worship— 00:06:01 at the Assembly Halls is urgent, necessary work 00:06:05 that supports our growing spiritual family. 00:06:09 It’s another one of the blessings 00:06:11 that Jehovah has given you and me, 00:06:14 this blessing of seeing firsthand 00:06:17 the growth of our spiritual family and being able to support it. 00:06:21 Well, consider in that same chapter of Isaiah (chapter 60) 00:06:25 an additional blessing, a third, mentioned in verse 17: 00:06:29 “Instead of the copper I will bring in gold, 00:06:33 “and instead of the iron I will bring in silver, 00:06:36 “instead of the wood, copper, and instead of the stones, iron; 00:06:40 “and I will appoint peace as your overseers 00:06:43 and righteousness as your task assigners.” 00:06:46 Have you seen the fulfillment of this prophecy 00:06:49 during this special time, “the conclusion of the system of things”? 00:06:53 Indeed we have. 00:06:54 We have seen, experienced, 00:06:57 improvements in organizational arrangements. 00:07:01 Some in our families, congregation, and here at Bethel 00:07:04 remember when a congregation had a congregation servant 00:07:08 and not a body of elders, 00:07:10 when countries had a branch servant and not a Branch Committee, 00:07:13 and when direction was given often by the president 00:07:16 of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society 00:07:18 rather than by a clearly established Governing Body. 00:07:22 During the 1970’s, though, there were improvements. 00:07:26 Direction in the congregations was given principally 00:07:29 by a body of elders, not by one individual. 00:07:32 Think of more recent organizational improvements 00:07:35 having to do with our theocratic schools. 00:07:37 The School for Kingdom Evangelizers is 00:07:39 another one of those recent organizational improvements. 00:07:43 It’s incredible to think that it was seven years ago, in July 2011, 00:07:48 that the then new school 00:07:50 The Bible School for Christian Couples was inaugurated at Patterson Bethel. 00:07:55 But then just two years later, in 2013, 00:07:57 the Governing Body approved the merger of the Bible School for Christian Couples 00:08:02 with the Bible School for Single Brothers. 00:08:04 And now we have what is known as the School for Kingdom Evangelizers. 00:08:08 And what has resulted? 00:08:10 Increase, strengthening of congregations, 00:08:13 and diligent workers in the harvest 00:08:16 caring for assistance with maintenance of facilities 00:08:20 and supporting the work in foreign- and indigenous-language fields. 00:08:25 You know, thinking about this and those other blessings 00:08:27 we’ve just discussed briefly, 00:08:30 reminds me of the example in the Scriptures 00:08:33 of the experience of the unnamed and poor widow of Zarephath 00:08:36 during the time of the prophet Elijah. 00:08:39 In faith, though her circumstances were dire, 00:08:43 she used her last bit of flour and oil to make bread for Jehovah’s prophet. 00:08:47 And what happened? 00:08:48 As Elijah had promised, Jehovah added to her supply of food 00:08:53 so that there was enough to feed her, her son, and the prophet. 00:08:58 “The large jar of flour did not run out, 00:09:00 and the small jar of oil did not run dry.” 00:09:03 Brothers and sisters, each of us has a figurative jar of blessings, 00:09:07 a jar of joys, 00:09:11 that is never going to run out. 00:09:13 Regularly, we need to stop 00:09:15 and think about what’s in our jar of blessings. 00:09:18 We need to talk about them. 00:09:20 As our Kingdom song number 111 says: 00:09:23 “Our reasons for joy are abundant,” 00:09:26 and they are “like riches increasing in worth.” 00:09:29 So like the apostle Paul, 00:09:31 even if our circumstances at this moment are very difficult, 00:09:36 incredibly with Jehovah’s help, 00:09:38 you and I can always rejoice.
00:00:01 What do we have here in the letter 00:00:02 that Paul wrote under inspiration 00:00:04 to the congregation in Philippi? 00:00:07 A letter that breathes love 00:00:09 and that motivates us 00:00:12 to increase in displaying godly joy. 00:00:17 Now, that may not always be easy 00:00:19 because life in this system of things can be very difficult. 00:00:23 In fact, perhaps you or your family or close friends 00:00:26 are facing a Goliathlike challenge at this moment. 00:00:31 But think a little bit more about the context 00:00:33 and who wrote this letter to the Philippians, 00:00:36 where we’re told to “always rejoice.” 00:00:39 It was the apostle Paul. 00:00:41 Do you know where Paul was when he wrote the letter? 00:00:45 Not in any comfortable office. 00:00:47 He was in a prison, likely in Rome. 00:00:51 Yet Paul’s positive attitude makes it very clear 00:00:54 that deep-seated joy 00:00:56 does not depend on our circumstances. 00:01:00 But we do know that cultivating joy requires personal effort. 00:01:04 How so? 00:01:05 Well, think about it. 00:01:07 We know that joy, that pleasant emotion that we feel 00:01:10 when we receive something good or we anticipate receiving good things, 00:01:15 is a product of holy spirit. 00:01:17 So we have to do something in order to obtain more holy spirit. 00:01:21 We have to pray for it constantly. 00:01:23 And we can do that constantly without ever doubting 00:01:26 that Jehovah wants to give us more holy spirit 00:01:30 because Jesus assured us that He’s a tender heavenly Father 00:01:33 who gives generously to His children who ask for it. 00:01:37 But in addition to praying constantly, what more can we do? 00:01:41 Well, like the apostle Paul, even when we’re 00:01:44 in the midst of trying circumstances, 00:01:47 we need to think about good things —our blessings— 00:01:50 and we need to talk with our brothers and sisters about those blessings. 00:01:55 For a few moments, let’s do that. 00:01:57 Let’s put aside for a moment 00:02:00 any distracting worry or challenge 00:02:02 or obstacle that we’re facing, 00:02:04 and let’s savor three special blessings 00:02:08 that Jehovah has given all of us as his people. 00:02:11 Our first blessing is alluded to at Proverbs 4:18. 00:02:16 You might take your eyes there to Proverbs 4:18. 00:02:21 There, in contrast with the path, or the way, of the wicked one, 00:02:25 we’re told that “the path of the righteous 00:02:28 “[that’s your path; that’s my path] is like the bright morning light 00:02:32 that grows brighter and brighter until full daylight.” 00:02:37 Well, this reminds us that we have all been recipients 00:02:40 of spiritual enlightenment. 00:02:42 And that’s quite a contrast to Satan’s system, 00:02:45 which currently is in dense spiritual darkness. 00:02:49 Think about what we enjoy because of what Jehovah has given us 00:02:53 in the way of spiritual enlightenment. 00:02:56 We know things that the world has no clue about. 00:03:01 We know that Jehovah is our God, 00:03:03 the God who “Causes to Become” 00:03:05 and can cause you and me to become whatever is needed 00:03:08 to fulfill his good purpose and to bring us joy. 00:03:12 We know about Jesus, the powerful angels, 00:03:15 and the establishment of the Kingdom in 1914, a real government. 00:03:20 None of this is any mystery to us. 00:03:23 We know the truth. 00:03:25 We know that the big issue is not what we may see in the headlines 00:03:28 of the world’s newspapers. 00:03:30 The big issue has to do with universal sovereignty. 00:03:33 And who will we choose to support 00:03:36 —Jehovah’s side or Satan’s side? 00:03:40 Thanks to the gift of spiritual enlightenment, 00:03:42 a path that keeps getting “brighter and brighter” for us 00:03:46 as we walk closely with Jehovah and his organization, 00:03:49 we know why we suffer, why we die, 00:03:52 and how temporary all of these challenging circumstances are. 00:03:58 We are confident there will be a resurrection. 00:04:00 So no matter what happens in this system of things 00:04:03 to us personally or to those whom we love, 00:04:06 Jehovah will undo all the damage 00:04:09 very easily 00:04:11 because he can do so and he wants to do so. 00:04:15 Of course, there are many things that we don’t yet know 00:04:18 about the future and Jehovah’s details 00:04:21 with regard to us personally. 00:04:24 We don’t know the exact date of the end of this wicked system of things. 00:04:28 But our purpose in life is no secret. 00:04:31 We know what our purpose in life is. 00:04:33 We’re going to live forever 00:04:35 so that we can praise and fear Jehovah for all eternity. 00:04:40 Now, what do you think as we ponder our gift, our blessing, 00:04:44 of spiritual enlightenment? 00:04:46 Is it ordinary, or is it extraordinary? 00:04:50 That’s a gift that when we think about it 00:04:53 and when we talk about it, it increases our joy. 00:04:58 Let’s consider a second spiritual blessing. 00:05:01 It’s referred to at Isaiah 60:22. 00:05:04 Please read that with me 00:05:06 —Isaiah 60:22: 00:05:10 “The little one will become a thousand and the small one a mighty nation. 00:05:14 I myself, Jehovah, will speed it up in its own time.” 00:05:19 What’s the blessing? 00:05:21 As foretold, we are seeing spiritual growth. 00:05:24 Our spiritual family 00:05:27 is getting larger and larger by the day. 00:05:31 In fact, on average, during the 2017 service year, 00:05:34 each week 5,400 were baptized 00:05:39 in symbol of their dedication to Jehovah. 00:05:42 And in harmony with the prophecy, this growth will accelerate. 00:05:47 Well, what does that mean for us? 00:05:49 It means that our work here at Bethel, 00:05:51 at remote translation offices, at facilities 00:05:55 —doing maintenance and cleaning and caring 00:05:57 for these beautiful facilities dedicated to Jehovah’s worship— 00:06:01 at the Assembly Halls is urgent, necessary work 00:06:05 that supports our growing spiritual family. 00:06:09 It’s another one of the blessings 00:06:11 that Jehovah has given you and me, 00:06:14 this blessing of seeing firsthand 00:06:17 the growth of our spiritual family and being able to support it. 00:06:21 Well, consider in that same chapter of Isaiah (chapter 60) 00:06:25 an additional blessing, a third, mentioned in verse 17: 00:06:29 “Instead of the copper I will bring in gold, 00:06:33 “and instead of the iron I will bring in silver, 00:06:36 “instead of the wood, copper, and instead of the stones, iron; 00:06:40 “and I will appoint peace as your overseers 00:06:43 and righteousness as your task assigners.” 00:06:46 Have you seen the fulfillment of this prophecy 00:06:49 during this special time, “the conclusion of the system of things”? 00:06:53 Indeed we have. 00:06:54 We have seen, experienced, 00:06:57 improvements in organizational arrangements. 00:07:01 Some in our families, congregation, and here at Bethel 00:07:04 remember when a congregation had a congregation servant 00:07:08 and not a body of elders, 00:07:10 when countries had a branch servant and not a Branch Committee, 00:07:13 and when direction was given often by the president 00:07:16 of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society 00:07:18 rather than by a clearly established Governing Body. 00:07:22 During the 1970’s, though, there were improvements. 00:07:26 Direction in the congregations was given principally 00:07:29 by a body of elders, not by one individual. 00:07:32 Think of more recent organizational improvements 00:07:35 having to do with our theocratic schools. 00:07:37 The School for Kingdom Evangelizers is 00:07:39 another one of those recent organizational improvements. 00:07:43 It’s incredible to think that it was seven years ago, in July 2011, 00:07:48 that the then new school 00:07:50 The Bible School for Christian Couples was inaugurated at Patterson Bethel. 00:07:55 But then just two years later, in 2013, 00:07:57 the Governing Body approved the merger of the Bible School for Christian Couples 00:08:02 with the Bible School for Single Brothers. 00:08:04 And now we have what is known as the School for Kingdom Evangelizers. 00:08:08 And what has resulted? 00:08:10 Increase, strengthening of congregations, 00:08:13 and diligent workers in the harvest 00:08:16 caring for assistance with maintenance of facilities 00:08:20 and supporting the work in foreign- and indigenous-language fields. 00:08:25 You know, thinking about this and those other blessings 00:08:27 we’ve just discussed briefly, 00:08:30 reminds me of the example in the Scriptures 00:08:33 of the experience of the unnamed and poor widow of Zarephath 00:08:36 during the time of the prophet Elijah. 00:08:39 In faith, though her circumstances were dire, 00:08:43 she used her last bit of flour and oil to make bread for Jehovah’s prophet. 00:08:47 And what happened? 00:08:48 As Elijah had promised, Jehovah added to her supply of food 00:08:53 so that there was enough to feed her, her son, and the prophet. 00:08:58 “The large jar of flour did not run out, 00:09:00 and the small jar of oil did not run dry.” 00:09:03 Brothers and sisters, each of us has a figurative jar of blessings, 00:09:07 a jar of joys, 00:09:11 that is never going to run out. 00:09:13 Regularly, we need to stop 00:09:15 and think about what’s in our jar of blessings. 00:09:18 We need to talk about them. 00:09:20 As our Kingdom song number 111 says: 00:09:23 “Our reasons for joy are abundant,” 00:09:26 and they are “like riches increasing in worth.” 00:09:29 So like the apostle Paul, 00:09:31 even if our circumstances at this moment are very difficult, 00:09:36 incredibly with Jehovah’s help, 00:09:38 you and I can always rejoice.
