"The Characters Of Christmas - Part 1: Zechariah and Elizabeth"

Charles Dickens’ well-known novel ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ opens with the following phrase:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair …, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way …”

(A Tale of Two Cities, Para.1, Line, 1)

Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭25 ESV‬‬

Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭57‬-‭66‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭76-‭79‬ ‭ESV‬‬

"Activate Your Faith In Christ - Part 3: Obey and Wait on the Lord"

Scriptures in today's message:

Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭27‬-‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

2 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

"Activate Your Faith In Christ - Part 2: Hold Fast The Confession of Our Hope"

Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭19‬-‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Christian Hope

In the New Testament, the word “hope” is typically translated from the Greek word elpís. According to the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, elpís means - expectation of what is sure (certain).

Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭17‬-‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬-‭22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

"Hold Fast The Confession Of Our Hope"

Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭19‬-‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Christian Hope

In the New Testament, the word “hope” is typically translated from the Greek word elpís. According to the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, elpís means - expectation of what is sure (certain).

Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭17‬-‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬-‭22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

"Activate Your Faith In Christ - Part 1"

1 Timothy‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬-‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

"Activate Your Faith In Christ"

1 Timothy‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬-‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

"The Fruit of the Spirit - Part 9: LOVE"

Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭8-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭4-7 ‭ESV‬‬

Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭27‬-‭36‬ ‭ESV‬‬

John‬ ‭13‬:‭34 ESV‬‬

"The Fruit of the Spirit - Part 8: JOY"

22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is… joy, …; against such things there is no law.”

Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/gal.5.22-23.ESV

What does Joy mean?

Lexical Summary

The word “joy” here comes from the Greek word chara: Cheerfulness, gladness; i.e. calm delight.

Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

John‬ ‭16‬:‭13‬ ESV‬‬

Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭AMP‬‬

John‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Habakkuk‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

"The Fruit of the Spirit - Part 7: PEACE"

Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

John‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬ ESV‬‬

Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Isaiah‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

1 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

"The Fruit of the Spirit - Part 6: GOODNESS"

The Greek word translated “goodness,” agathosune, is defined as "uprightness of heart and life." Agathosune is goodness for the benefit of others, not goodness simply for the sake of being virtuous.

Someone with agathosune will selflessly act on behalf of others.

Psalm‬ ‭100‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Psalm‬ ‭34‬:‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

1 Samuel‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭1‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬