The main idea of the message was that joy is not circumstantial, but spiritual, and its true source is Jesus Himself. We were reminded that Jesus' first public teaching—starting with 'blessed' or 'happy'—points us back to God's original intent for our lives: deep, soul-satisfying joy in Him. Pastor Tauren unpacked the misconception that joy is separate from happiness and challenged the lie that faith means suppressing our feelings. Instead, he taught us to engage our faith in the middle of our pain, letting God heal us through mourning, humility, and surrender. The Beatitudes are not just spiritual goals but descriptions of Jesus, and in Him, we find the joy that nothing else can offer. Joy isn't a feeling we chase; it’s a person we follow.
Matthew 5:1-9
Have you ever tried to replace spiritual happiness with vocational or social happiness? What was the result?
Pastor Tauren said that grief is a path to healing—how have you seen that in your own life or in others?
What is one area of your life where you might be 'doing for Jesus' rather than just 'being with Jesus'?
Pastor Tauren Wells reminded us that Jesus dropped a 'joy bomb' in His very first sermon on the mount, reintroducing us to joy not as an emotion, but as a divine state rooted in Him. He walked us through the Beatitudes, showing how happiness isn’t based on circumstances, but is a supernatural byproduct of kingdom living. Jesus turned the cultural and religious expectations of joy upside down, declaring that those poor in spirit, those who mourn, and the meek are actually the ones who are blessed. Through vulnerable storytelling and sharp truth, Pastor Tauren emphasized that happiness matters to God, but true joy comes only through Jesus. He called us to move away from seeking fulfillment in worldly success and to stop mistaking doing things for Jesus as the same as being with Him.
Let God reintroduce joy to your life by spending intentional time simply being with Jesus, not just doing things for Him.
Confess your spiritual need and allow God's grace to meet you where you're empty, especially in the places of grief and disappointment.