Worship 12-14-25

“Joy You Can’t Click” | Matthew 11:2–11 | Advent Joy

Heritage Fellowship — December 14, 2025**

What would it look like to choose joy in a world that runs on outrage?

This week’s sermon explores one of the most tender moments in the New Testament:

John the Baptist—once bold in the wilderness—now sitting in prison, unsure, discouraged, and asking Jesus a painful question:

“Are you the One… or should we look for someone else?”

Jesus doesn’t shame him.

Jesus doesn’t scold him.

Jesus points him toward the quiet goodness breaking loose in the world:

the blind see

the lame walk

the forgotten are lifted

the poor hear good news

No spectacle.

No headlines.

Just quiet mercy—and a joy that doesn’t need an audience.

In this sermon we explore:

🌟 Movement 1 — A Culture Addicted to Outrage

Why “rage bait” became the Word of the Year, and why our attention shapes our joy.

📖 Movement 2 — John the Baptist’s Honest Question

How doubt can coexist with faith—and what Jesus offers instead of simple answers.

❤️ Movement 3 — Quiet Goodness That Doesn’t Trend

From first-century prisons to our modern screens, we look for joy in the wrong places.

Jesus invites us to see what algorithms will never highlight.

🎁 Movement 4 — Joy You Can’t Click

Joy that heals.

Joy that holds.

Joy that is found in mercy, compassion, and the quiet, steady work of God.

Advent joy doesn’t come from spectacle.

It comes from noticing what God is doing right in front of us.

Scripture: Matthew 11:2–11

Series: Advent 2025 — “Awakening the Season”

Church: Heritage Fellowship, Canton, GA

Pastor: Justin Bishop

🙏 If this message helps you see God’s goodness in a new way, please like, subscribe, or share it with someone who could use a little unclickable joy this week.