it is it is a tremendous privilege for me to be here this morning this is going to be kind of unusual it's not going to be what you would consider probably a Sunday sermon it's going to be more like discipleship we're gonna look at some very very simple but very important and foundational truths that well my purpose is this I want to see you with more joy I want to see you more greatly encouraged now this is not going to be a sermon that kind of stirs the emotions so that you walk out here with
some kind of spiritual high but it's going to teach you a few things that if you will live by them it will increase your joy and increasing your joy it will increase everything else good that the Lord has put in your life I want you to be encouraged so often I look at God's people and I'm talking about God's people people who show the fruit of salvation in their life and yet so often they seem so downcast so tight in their heart so trodden down I don't want that that's not God's will for you God's
will for you is to recognize all that he is all that he has done all that he will do for you to recognize that grasp it and walk in the power of it now here's something I want to start off by saying something that there are great biblical truths great biblical truths that are absolutely necessary to live by but oftentimes in the heart and mind of a believer they become nothing more than cliches because we can say them we can even know that they're true to some degree but we really can't articulate them we really
don't know what they mean and and if we use them often enough they'll end up in bittering our heart because we we say things and yet they seem to have no power to change us let me give you an example your downcast and trodden and someone comes up to you and says you just need to trust in God yeah but what what do you mean what does it really mean to trust in God or you just need to look to Christ where where do I look what are you talking about or you just need to
contemplate and meditate upon the gospel or you just need to savor and relish the gospel yes but what does that mean how do I do it what are you really talking about or hey don't be downcast the joy of the Lord is our strength yeah I know I read that Nehemiah - but what does it mean how can it really impact my life I was a brand new believer well probably about I don't know less than a year into the Christian faith and I went to hear Leonard Ravenhill preach but before he preached a younger
preacher got up and preached and he preached about an hour and a half on how we all needed to walk in the spirit it was powerful I mean he was yelling at us he was rebuking us he was admonishing us to walk in the spirit after the sermon I went up to him and I said I really appreciate that sermon it was really good I really want to walk in the spirit I just have one problem I don't have a clue what that means what does it mean to walk in the spirit he looked at
me got very serious and then began to basically tell me off but I was very fortunate there was an older believer a college student but at many more years in the faith they were a senior I think and was standing behind me and put his hand on my shoulder and pushed me out of the way and he walked up to that preacher and said preacher you didn't answer his question you didn't tell him how to walk in the spirit you did not tell us how to do that in the sermon you're not telling him how
to do that now do you even know what it means to walk in the spirit you want to ruin a lot of good sermons raise your hand and ask them what they're talking about the question is we hear all these just great truths but sometimes they just spin around in our heads they spin around in our heads you all know that there's a thing called systematic theology right well why is it called systematic theology because it's theology that's presented in a systematic way now why is that necessary because you and I in our mind we
use categories we do we can't get away from it we think you know this is a reality and this is a reality therefore this well it's the same way sometimes when we study the Scriptures how can I take all these truths that are swirling around and really put them in a category so that I can actually do something with them okay now I want to give you a statement that I that I wrote out in my mind at about three o'clock on Thanksgiving morning because I couldn't sleep and it's this I want to talk about
the four pillars just four simple pillars of well you can call it the Christian life you can talk about four pillars of walking with God four pillars of being encouraged four pillars leading to obedience I don't care what you call it but here are four things that I want to give you knowledge of the truth that's the first one knowledge of the truth and we're going to go through these separately but knowledge of the truth is the beginning you will know the truth about everything about everything in the scriptures but every aspect of the Christian
life it is important to know the truth you must know truth and be able to discern the difference between truth and a lie that's essential and that's the first pillar the first foundation knowledge of the truth apprehended by faith it's not enough to know these things but to actually believe them so that although they are unseen they are still greater they can become even greater realities than that which is seen so it's knowledge of the truth and then it is you believing that truth as opposed to believing a lie knowledge of the truth faith in
what is true believing what is true and that in the Christian life will always lead to joy the more you apprehend the truth about who God is about what God has decreed about what God has done and what God will do and with each one of those I could end it for you for you for you for you the more you grasp it and believe it the greater your joy your joy and I cannot in any shape form or fashion overemphasize the importance of joy I think it is the thing that energizes the Christian joy
and then the last pillar is obedience now I'm going to talk about this later but I want you to realize something joy comes before obedience rather than after and if you don't understand that you will really be messed up all your days joy is not the result of obedience joy is the result of what God has done so now your joy is fixed on a fixed and stable source when your joy is based on your performance it's going to be up and down like the wind up and down like the raging sea double-minded mutable changing
constantly you see that now we're going to look at each one of these now each one of these pillars and there's four of them again knowledge of the truth faith in the truth leading to joy which leads to obedience now let's go first of all knowledge knowledge of what when you know I want you to use this you can use this as a pattern I do for reading the scriptures when I read the scriptures what am I looking for primarily well let me digress a little bit this is what I'm looking for primarily when I
read the scriptures who is God who is God that's my number one question when I'm reading any passage of scripture what does it tell me about God what does it tell me not only about God but about God for me yeah and then what does it tell me about what God has decreed for me what is he decreed about me about my life what has God done what has he done in history in the world in the gospel what has he done for me also and then finally what will he do but now let's just
look knowledge of who God is that's the first thing I'm looking for when I'm studying the Scriptures what does it tell me about God because if the Scriptures revealed to me this wonderful wonderful wonderful God it has a way of increasing my joy when I know that this wonderful being is in control of my life Jeremiah says this thus says the Lord let not the wise man boast of his wisdom and let not the mighty man boast of his might let not a rich man boast of his riches but let him who boasts boast of
this that he understands and knows me that I am the lord who exercises loving-kindness justice and righteousness on the earth for I delight in these things declares the Lord now Saint I've talked enough to enough of you to know that many times when you study the attributes of God it is not an encouragement to you because you're studying the moral attributes of God without doing it in light of the gospel so when you hear God is holy holy holy you kind of cringe because you look in the mirror and see your own life and you
recognize I'm not really that holy and so instead of it leading to hymns of praise you write a song like this you are holy and I am a worm step on me and watch me squirm you do things like that so you see holiness is something to be afraid of why because you see the reality of your sin but you're not looking at the gospel holiness now for you it's wonderful this God will never sin against me he will never be common he will never be profane this God who is for me is holy and
then you hear about righteous he do with all things in a right manner he is wrong in nothing now if I see that apart from the gospel the only thing I can see is judgment but if I see that in the gospel I say this if God is for me who can be against me if God not 25% for me not 75% for me not 99% for me this holy righteous God is a hundred percent for me and a hundred percent of his holiness and a hundred percent of his righteousness and a hundred percent of
his justice is for me it's on my side do you see that it's no longer against me and so if I look at who God is in light of the gospel then all these things that when I was a sinner were a terror to me there now a joy to me I'm not afraid of them not because I look in the mirror deluded and see some perfect person who's not there no but because I know the gospel everything has changed when Paul says his argument in 2nd Corinthians 5:17 If any man be in Christ he's
a new creation old things pass away new things have come what is he saying he's actually talking about probably the last chapters in Isaiah when it talks about a new heaven and a new earth you're the beginning it realize that you are the beginning of a new heaven and a new earth and Paul's saying as you if you look at it in the context he's basically saying this I look at Christ now completely different and in the light of Christ I look at everything else come lately different who I am before God my past my
president my future God's relationship with me my relationship with God it has completely changed to see now in light of the gospel I don't I don't hide myself from the Bible I don't sit there and go oh don't tell me he's holy it scares me it doesn't scare me anymore not at all it's wonderful tell me more tell me more tell me more please because this God whose holy and righteous and just and everything else is for me you see that okay the people from Georgia say Amen it's he's for me do you see that
now what else not only who is God what is God decreed what is he decreed I mean before the foundation of the world what did he write down with regard to what he's going to do with you it's amazing whenever you hear the word foreknowledge realize that it also has within at God's sovereignty but it also has this idea of his plan is not something he just threw together he this is if we can say such a thing this has taken the full force of all his mental faculty this is he's thought about this not
only did he choose you before the foundation of the world before the foundation of the world he set forth a plan of what he's going to do with you just look for a minute just at just creation Romans 8:21 the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the slavery of the glory of the children of God and to the freedom of the glory of the children of God think about that everything in creation that loans and groans along with my bones every thing in creation that gets old and tears
down and breaks and is ruined in his dirty it's all going to be set free he decreed it's not only set free but turned over to the children of God that's enough to make me greatly happy 2nd Peter 3:13 but according to his promise we are looking for new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells I do believe that back in the 70s there was there wasn't too much teaching most of you weren't born in the 70s but there wasn't too much teaching on eschatology there was just a bunch of wrong teaching on eschatology
I want you to know that the study and what the Bible reveals about the last things absolutely wonderful and motivating it lets me know that there are great things in store in store for me all the Wonder and all the mystery the knowledge of God in the fullest way possible knowledge of his creation the knowledge of everything I always get mad at those patriarchs who lived 900 years ago God why can't I live 900 years after all I really do want to know physics I want to study this other thing too there's so many things
in life I want to know I can't know one day all of this is going to be set free from corruption and I'm gonna be basking in it searching out the glory of God under every perfect stone he goes on not only what he's decreed for creation but what is decreed for God's people for you I know you look in the mirror of God's Word and sometimes you're even disgusted with yourself at least I am have no hope bring no joy it brings no joy just looking in the mirror at myself listen to what he
says for I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope yes I know that was stated to Israel through Jeremiah and it had to do with those in exile but it applies to us it applies to all of God's people do you honestly think he gave His only begotten Son and did all these things so that the first time you see him in heaven he will have a scowl on his face because of all your failure did he
really do all that so he could do that later no he's fixed it he's fixed it all he's made it all good and that's why we have joy and here's something else you need to see it isn't like okay I'm going to do certain things in this life and then my eternity is fixed when I get there after judgment and who knows what's going to happen I've done so bad did he really spill the blood of his son so that you would live that way is that the great hope that he's given to even the
weakest of his children absolutely not the whole thing about this glory that God gets out of our salvation is that there's only one hero and it's God no one else is a hero everyone else just fails there's only one covenant keeper there's only one servant of Yahweh so when the Jehovah Witnesses come and visit my house and I said we're Jehovah's Witnesses I said no you're not he's only had one witness and you're not it it's his son it's his son it's like I point out sometimes whenever I'm on discussion about literature and I point
out that the difference between Tolkien and CS Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings and all that is this in the Lord of the Rings there's all kinds of heroes in The Chronicles of Narnia everyone fails every time and everything's a mess and then Aslan shows up that's Christianity it's what he's decreed you see the whole idea of him getting glory is he takes something like you were something like I was rejected reprobate wrong in absolutely everything and he takes that and by himself he makes it glorious you're a recipient
if there is one thing that will be written on our foreheads throughout all eternity it will be recipient of grace of grace so we look at what he is who he is we look at what he's decreed we look at what he's done why do we read the Old Testament to see what he's done in history listen to what Paul says in Romans 15:4 for whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope most many people read the scriptures only
walking away thinking they're a failure they should walk away thinking yeah but God's a bigger Savior he proved it every time every time every time every time he never failed and therefore even when my sin is pointed out those sadness maybe for a morn for an evening the Sun rises because I know who he is I know who yes you can unless you are a self-righteous Pharisee Akal legalist you can never have by looking at your own reflection in the mirror unless you're deluded you have joy looking in the scriptures to find God find out
how wonderful he is throughout history see the great sinners that he has saved throughout history Martyn lloyd-jones after reading the two vol Auto buy a two-volume biography by Ian Murray which I recommend every believer they're really big books but for once in your life you got to read at least one or two big books at the end Martyn lloyd-jones everybody who visited him he only had one thing to say I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior now if you're a lost
carnal church member you'll glass onto that and use it as a excuse for sin but if you're truly converted you'll go this is wonderful I want to be more holy but now out of joy instead of fear what God has done in history what God has done in the gospel listen to this Romans 8:32 he who did not spare his own son but delivered him over for us all how will he not also with him freely give us all things he spared not his son for you he spared not his son for you why would
he make such a deposit why would he make it give such an expense why would he do it so that he could withhold favor from you so that he could keep you looking at how bad you are so that he could get you all in heaven and make you feel bad because all you've got is a little cabin over and a swamp somewhere is that why he did it he did it in order to lavish grace upon his people to take the smallest tiniest most Awkward st. and set them above serifs do you see that
and this is where joy comes from who he is what he's decreed and what he has done in the gospel in history in the gospel but also in you in you sometimes believers we really really mess up because we look at other believers and we can see they really have fruit and they really are believers and we do not recognize how radical God has changed them what a masterpiece they truly are compared to what they were listen Romans 5:1 should be enough to make us dance therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ temporary peace peace dependence upon some performance no peace peace God's peace eternal peace immutable peace covenant Oh peace he who does not lie has promised you peace peace forever peace always peace now you are justified you have been legally declared right with him you have a perfect right standing before him even in your glorified body in heaven you will not be more right with him than you are now and you've got to walk in that walking what's unseen walk in the word do you see that 2nd Corinthians 5:21 he
made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him the righteousness of God I believe it was brother Jeff solver that said today that not even the angels are holy in his sight somebody prayed that it doesn't mean that that when it says that heavens not even clean it doesn't mean that heaven is dirty and it doesn't mean that angels are sinful what it means is that in comparison to God's holiness and also God's holiness is inherent while all other holiness is derived
it flows from him but you have been given here in Christ the righteousness of God first John 3:1 see how great a love the father has bestowed on us that we should be called the children of God and such we are I can use Jesus as Sermon on the Mount here when we get to the point of if you being evil remember how many times Jesus said that if you being evil can do this for your children even in my child any one of them their worst moment of disobedience and I can say this with
a good conscience in their worst moment of disobedience I would die for them a torturous death and if I being evil can say that how much more does God love me does God love you we have set you know when Pastor Anthony's constantly correcting us on low views of God low views of God and you know what but here's a problem a lot of you when you hear low views of God you're only thinking what he's telling me is that that God is big and God is holy and God is just no low views of
God's love also do you realize that you talk about all the superficial Christians and superficial churches and how they have a low view of God's holiness and a low view of God's justice let me ask you a question do you have a low view of God's love because if you're walking in condemnation as a believer if your life is based on your performance and your is based on what you do guess what you have a low view of God you have a low view of God it's not just with regard to holiness or righteousness so
with regard to his love don't you see if you've entered into the kingdom you have finally walked through a door into a world that is hard to believe his love is so great and so unconditional that at times you want to correct him you want to even rebuke him Lord this is wrong you shouldn't love me this way at that point Michael card wrote many years ago about Gomer I can't let's see the kindness of a father something of something else the gentleness of a loving friend and understanding smile all of this and so much
more you lavished on a faithless I've never seen love like this before Hosea you're a fool that his love is so great you're just like that I'm just like that no Lord you don't know what I am yes I do before the foundation of the world problem is Paul you don't know what I paid you don't know who I am so don't run around here just because you understand something a holiness and think you got a high view of God do you have a high view of God's love so high that people would almost think
that your gospel is antinomianism because if your gospel is not accused of antinomianism ever then you're probably preaching legalism because Paul's gospel was accused of antinomianism in Romans the last part of 5 in the beginning of chapter 6 now again the regenerate heart hears these things and wants to follow God's law the unregenerate religious person hears these things and wants to run from God's law because they hate it now let's go on not only who God is what God has decreed what God has done in history in the gospel and in you but God will
what God will do this is something that I as a Christian of many many years over thirty years if there's any truth that I have to remind myself of it's this one more than any other truth you know people will say you know this is the only life you get you can't hit replay you can't hit replay this is the only life you get that's true but this is not as good as it gets what is waiting for us future grace 1st Corinthians 2:9 things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and
which have not entered into the heart of man all that God has prepared for those who love him and don't you don't you dare because I will come down there and I will whip you don't you say oh there's the key for those who love him and I don't love him perfectly will you just stop it stop it stop doing that he doesn't love you because your loves perfect the tante ology that we have in Deuteronomy chapter 7 where basically it's set before Israel Israel why do I love you okay I'll give you the answer
Israel I love you because I love you and what he's saying it came from me it was my decision I elected it I decided it I set my love on you there it is my love did not begin with you it doesn't stand with you it won't end with you it began with me stands with me ends with me I love you but I don't deserve it would you shut up see Jamie you don't have to be cultured or intelligent to preach here I'm evidence quit it there's a council it's a it's a funny thing
on YouTube my wife showed me other day and she loves it because the person comes into this counselor and they tell all the problems in the counselor says well I can answer this in two words stop it stop it Ephesians two six and seven and raised us up with him and seated us with him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the ages to come what so did in the ages to come you can have a little cabin on a hillside somewhere no so that on the ages to come he might show the
surpassing riches of His grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus God has saved you in order to demonstrate to all creation including principalities powers mites and dominions how good he is that's why he saved you and that's why he chose you not many noble not many wise not the big ones not the smart ones why did Paul say why did he choose the base ones the weak ones the ones that are not why so that he could show how good he is lavishing the greatest blessings turning over the inheritance of his own son to
the worst humanity has to offer imagine if someone was getting bad press a billionaire was getting bad press that he wasn't charitable and so he just picks you and says I'm going to be I'm going to use you for special purpose I'm gonna lavish all my wealth upon you so every time someone looks at you they understand how charitable how good how loving and kind I am how many of you would sign up for that that's what God has done let me put it this way that when you walk in to glory it will be
an object lesson for all creation even creation that we don't even know or understand and they will look at what you were what you are what God has done the grace he has poured out on you and they will worship God in a way they could have never worshiped him before if he had not done this good thing for you but then it doesn't stop there if we could say that there is chronology or day after day in heaven if we could say such a thing so that our mind could comprehend it every day God
would increase the grace lavish more and more upon you each day so that each day all of creation will look at you and have a greater vision of how God is and worship Him to a greater degree folks that's a great future this is absolutely wonderful it's wonderful sometimes when I'm working on a book on the gospel and I'll come in the office and they'll say what did you study yesterday he's wonderful he's wonderful it doesn't matter what language I know there's no word I can't it makes me so mad what's waiting you is so
wonderful the one waiting you his his name is wonderful now what must you do you see here's what you do first of all why do we study Scripture well we study scripture to know his will but that's another sermon but I'm talking about you and your joy and your encouragement why do we study scripture to know who he is and the more we know about who he is the greater our joy if we see him in light of the gospel or our relationship with him in the light of the gospel what he's decreed for you
this is amazing tell me more I want to know what is it I know some of you people are so spiritual that that really doesn't matter but to me it really matters I'm excited like a kid at Christmas I want to know what's coming this is so good what is he decreed what is he done I'm free I really am free I don't have to move a quarter of an inch to the left or the right to be any more loved of God I don't have to do anything do anything less do anything more I
am loved of God and he has decreed all these things for me he's done all these things for me he will do so much more for me and for you that I cannot even grasp it mind cannot comprehend it you see that now what must we do we must have faith we must read the word and believe it believe what God says not what you think I'm so tired of your false humility getting in the way it's not about what you think about yourself it's what you think about God and stop believing lies that robbed
you and kill your joy believe what God has said about himself now what is faith faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen now how is that kind of statement any different from me jumping off this roof because I think I'm Peter Pan how can you actually have assurance for something you hope for you just hope for it how can you have a surance that it's really going to happen how can you have convictions that something you've never seen actually exists how because God has said it because God
has said it in his word and you see this is why faith is impossible apart from God's Word and that is why faith is strengthened by God's Word let's see I just can't tell you you need to get into God's Word cuz you'll get into God's Word and come out miserable because you're not understanding things properly you gotta get into God's Word in light of what God's done in the gospel for you then you get in there and it's wonderful it's wonderful and you start searching out all these things and you believe them the greatest
illustration of faith other than gas M&E and our Lord in gas M&E the greatest illustration of faith is Abraham in Romans 4 says without becoming weak and faith he contemplated his own body now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old and the deadness of Sarah's womb he contemplated it and it says yet with respect to the promise of God he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith giving glory to God how do we give glory to God by believing him you want to start a fight call somebody
liar you want to honor somebody believe them believe them and moping around with all your humility and self affliction beating yourself and everything else that doesn't glorify anybody it doesn't really doesn't maybe yourself but grew strong in faith giving glory to God and being fully assured that what God had promised he was able also to perform it's it's believing in the faithfulness of God how do you have faith you have faith because you believe God is faithful and God is powerful able to do everything he promised he's never failed I don't know if you've realized
that or not never he will not fail with you something that has been said by Martyn lloyd-jones has been said by many new thetac counselors have been said by many pastors is this you need to preach the scriptures to your heart and stop letting your heart preach to you you need to preach the scriptures to your mind and stop letting the vain thoughts of your mind preach to you you just need to stop it how does Satan kill doesn't run around with a machete he lies that's how he killed Adam and Eve and everyone else
he's ever killed he lies how do you walk with joy you believe what God said and not what the enemy said you believe it you believe it and you but you're renewing your mind in the Word of God to such a degree that what God says becomes a greater reality to you than what you see in the mirror or what you see around you preach the scriptures to your heart tell your heart to shut up so why if I go to a church and the preacher says today I'm just gonna share from what's in my
heart I walk out I don't care what's in his heart I don't want to know what's in his heart I want to know what God has said now joy joy where does joy come from for most people I talked to whether they admit it or not their joy comes from their performance and that's why their joy is never strong unless they're deluded self-righteous and pharisaical listen I'm not teaching antinomianism here I have been devoted to Christ I have suffered for Christ I've risked my life for Christ and I've lost much for Christ with my own
life and with a clear conscience I can say that I'm not teaching antinomianism or that obedience is not important I'm just telling you that joy does not come from obedience after 30-some years in the scriptures I'd understand that joy comes not from my performance but God's and that joy of God's perfect impeccable performance that joy is what energizes obedience Basking and who God is and what he's done for you and how good it is I mean this is good that produces obedience joy I don't even know how to define that word except with some other
words assurance confidence hope gladness of heart gladness of heart merriment of heart but stronger than that confidence assurance peace now I've written here when all that God is all that God has done and all that God will do is apprehended by you is comprehended by you is believed by you it will produce a joy in you that is independent from everything but God your joy will not depend on circumstances your joy will not depend on performance your joy will depend on an immutable God who does all things perfectly do you see that and that's where
it must be that's where it must come from it must come from him listen Nehemiah 8:10 do not be grieved for the joy of the Lord is your strength what does that mean it's joy that comes from that comes from God and I know what your brain is doing yeah it comes from God if you're obedient no it comes from who God is who God is what God has decreed what he's done what he will do you grasp that and it leads to joy now another thing that I've said written down here if our joy
is the result of faith in who God is and precedes obedience then our joy will not be based on our performance but on God's you see the difference most people in their categories their joy comes after their performance and is based upon it now we all know that sin will bring sadness I'm not saying it will not and that obedience will bring joy I'm not saying it's not it does not but what you have to understand is the whole of who you are and the great foundation of your joy must be his performance and not
yours who he is and not who you are now I'm gonna close by saying this we're to talk for a moment about obedience joy energizes obedience it strengthens us that we might be obedient it encourages us encourages us it's amazing you can take a guy an athlete and he's training super super hard and he's just he every day is getting more down because he seems to be making less progress he gets the point where he doesn't think he's making any progress he's not getting any faster he's not getting any stronger he just feel and what
what is what is his joy is being robbed and what happens he just wants to give up it's no use why go on why try and then somebody just walks by and goes man I've been noticing you lately man you're a lot faster off the line man the other day when you flipped that guy that was amazing you're getting a lot stronger you know before your weakness was in your legs but now man you are just you're moving it and what does he do he hits the gym the next day invigorated doesn't he now that
I'm going to teach you how this comes from knowing God's promises but let me just stop here I was at a place that had cable last year two years ago and turned on the TV and and there was Joel Osteen and I listened to his sermon and I was very convicted just let that sink in for a moment I do believe that the things he was saying were out of context and wrong because when he talked about all the great things that God had in store for the people they were more material you know houses
and success and jobs and all this where I was where I was greatly rebuked was this he was greatly encouraging with all his heart he really was he was encouraging people in the things of God all that God had for them but he was wrong about what was important totally wrong but I asked myself how encouraging am i how it is so such a blessing to me when someone comes up to me and encourages me I mean says man I'm you're doing well man that that was great you're you're progressing how it just just jumped
starts me and I have found out it jump-starts everyone else to be encouraged to encourage people by pointing out are you ready for this the good in them yeah that's biblical God has worked good in his people Paul was convinced of the goodness of the people he was writing to God's done something wonderful than you I can see good things in you look at the church in Corinth they're having trouble with comprehending the the the resurrection some of them are denying physical resurrection every sort of other thing going on but how does Paul start that
that letter in first Corinthians talking about all the good that he saw in them all that the Lord had done him will I just don't think by and large as as as the people of God at least for myself I don't do that Wow brother sister that was amazing I'm so proud of God's grace in you so happy keep going press on go on to our children a lot of times the only time parents talk to their children is to tell them what they've done wrong to encourage them man you're making progress you're doing well
keep going you see listen to Hebrews 12:2 about joy energizing fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith who for the joy set before him endured the cross it motivated him it moved him joy that would come after the darkness of that morning the joy that would come it invigorates it energizes Derek Kidder writes this based on his commentaries Old Testament commentary he writes that such a joy when Nehemiah says the joy of the Lord is our strength he says such a joy is invigorating not escapist or inven essent now listen
Charles Simeon who if you can get ahold of his commentaries please do his expository outlines they're absolutely wonderful but he wrote extensively on this issue and I want to I want to read him so you realize I'm just not making something up he said two things about joy first joy disposes for action it makes us ready for action fear and sorrow depress and overwhelm the soul am I talking to anyone here fear and sorrow depress and overwhelm the soul they innervate and be numb they make numb all our faculties they keep us from attending to
any encouraging considerations they disable us from extending relief to others they in dispossess for the most necessary duties we cannot pray or speak or do anything with pleasure but on the contrary a joy is a joyous frame a joyous frame of mine exhilarates the soul now you can be a pie in the sky person that says everything's going horrible stick a cherry in your cap or whatever and sunflower in your pocket or something and just keep walking that's not what I'm talking about it stopped looking at those things and see them in the light of
who God is what God has decreed what God has done what God will do for you he says that such a joy exhilarates the soul David well knew the effect it would produce and everyone may safely adopt his resolution and listen what he says in Psalms 119 32 I will run the way of thy Commandments when thou shalt enlarge my heart as your heart ever been enlarged with joy I can see this so clearly because I'm such a weak person what you think is so important I can walk into office and someone will say man
they're killing you on the on the internet right now they're attacking you there's a guy that's just tearing you apart and I go to my office just you know want to die and then someone will walk in and go yeah Paul they're really tearing you up you and MacArthur and Piper and Sproat like okay it's not for something crazy I did I'm okay now just just the change of the news how it changes my disposition and exhilarates me when I hear the first news I can't even work I'm just sitting there numb when I hear
this get news I'm ready to go again you say how much we are affected by what we think what we believe now he says this secondly joy qualifies for suffering when the Spirit is oppressed the smallest trial is a burden in those seasons we are apt to fret and murmur both against God and man we consider our trials as the effects of divine wrath our overlooking God that I'm suffering because either God's his wrath or he's looked upon something that I've done we consider trials as the effect of divine wrath or overlooking God we vent
our indignation against the instruments he uses but when the soul is joyous afflictions appear light how little did Paul and Silas regard their imprisonment how willing was Paul to lay down his very life for Christ this accords with the experience of every true Christian I am so sick and tired of people thinking that Paul was willing to lay down his life because he was just so much more spiritual than the rest of us stop it stop deifying men he was willing to lay down his life because he caught a glimpse of all the things that
have been given to us fully in Scripture who God is what God has decreed what God has done what God will do and that's why you need to get in the scripture you need to get in the scripture and ask those questions now finally obedience and it's really quick obedience is founded upon faith you need to understand that that something is set for me to do and it's something that maybe goes against the world goes against the grain goes against my personality and the scriptures say do this and the devil in the world say don't
do that do this you can't separate obedience from faith do you realize that in what way obedience occurs because I believe that God is right that what he's telling me is fright and it's the best for me where is this I believe is a lie do you see that so it's by faith I do it because I believe that God tells the truth obedience begins with doubting God has God said another thing obedience is energized by joy I've already said that man when my heart is joyful I mean really joyful you can't contain me I'm
ready to go fight hell with a water pistol willing to do anything obedience is not a burden but the way of security and peace and joy it's like a circle why is obedience why does it bring joy and listen to me young people especially why does obedience come from joy and bring joy I am 54 years old and I've learned a lot but if there's one thing I've learned is that the judgment of men is not to be trusted my own judgment is not to be trusted now that means if if what the scriptures say
is true everything that I do in life has great importance will impact eternity so this life of mine as small and everything as it is this life of mine every moment of it is important how fearful and insecure I would be if I had no map if I had no compass if I didn't know how to walk what to do if I didn't know what destroys and what gives life I mean really how terrible that would be knowing that that this life matters and I have not the judgment to walk in it I have no
security I have no peace I have nothing I'm like cut the rope let that let the ship just be tossed about on the sea I don't have anything to hold on to but if the commandments of God are a light unto my feet if they're a path well trodden by countless Saints who at the end affirm that every commandment is true and good and holy and just boy what a confidence that gives me how do I have a wife what a true of all the things what could be more tremendous than to be entrusted with
a wife if I did not know how to do that if there was no omnipotent omniscient God telling me walk this way I would be terrified because I tell young men whenever I'm counseling in marriage everything your body tells you to do do not do it submit to the law of God know how to walk with this woman my children my own life everything the way at work everything I wouldn't know what to do I can't trust me I most certainly not going to trust you I need something greater and higher I'm not wandering aimlessly
but there's purpose conclusion what is the source of this knowledge and this faith that leads to joy and energized this obedience what's the source of it now if you're expecting something magical here you're not gonna find it number one renewing our mind in the word the word is the only source of this true knowledge but getting into the word not like just a roadmap to life our principles upon which you can build some security getting in the word with the primary endeavor to know who God is know what God has decreed know what God has
done and what he will do with you also cultic ulta vaiting our relationship with God and drawing upon strength drawing strength through prayer all the Bible study in the world without prayer it's not going to be that helpful sorry I know your flesh hates praying as much as mine does sometimes but know this and true fellowship with God's people when Romans chapter 12 1 and 2 tells us to renew our mind so many people automatically go to well that's talking about scripture well scriptures not mention there I believe that renewing your mind is done primarily
through the scriptures but it's renewing your mind through prayer it's renewing your mind through conversation godly conversation godly fellowship true worship and music and everything around us why we should be very careful about our environment our atmosphere but please Saints please I'm begging you look don't live this life don't continue on you've if I could if I could give you anything if I could pray one thing for you I mean above everything else if you're truly a child of God if I could give you one gift it would be that you would comprehend something of
his love for you it'd be that really I'm tired of seeing you tired I'm tired of seeing me tired if you could I mean if you just grasp that one thing he loves me immutably and with an illustration I promise all in when I was in Peru my first years as a single missionary and the moment practically from the moment I was converted this is gonna sound all psychobabble I don't care it's true but I was in school I was never like in the inner circle not the best athlete not the best this not the
best that and I determined that when I became a Christian yeah it was fleshly you can do your diagnosis but please do it at home right now just listen I determined that would not happen to me in my Christian life I determined that there wouldn't be this idea of their Spurgeon and Martyn lloyd-jones and all their inner circle the guys that God really loves and I'm outside somewhere I determined that would not happen and I worked 18 hours a day for years and if I had a chance to go get martyred I tried to do
it until the point where I my way like 2:25 right now I weighed about 169 pounds and I killed myself I killed myself and one day on the third floor of this old building where we took care of street kids and we had our church during the war in Peru was all bombed out and everything else and I slept in a little room on the third floor I was going up the last little flight of stairs and I collapsed and I said this I cried out I screamed it I don't want to go to hell
because I am afraid of Hell I don't want to go to heaven because I'm ashamed just put me somewhere just put me somewhere it was at that moment that it was just a work of the Lord scripture started coming to mind different things I realized yet how fleshly everything had been how wrong I was but here's the thing I recognized God loved me loved me that I didn't have to move to the left or the right that was the thing I thought that day I was sitting on the steps I was looking at myself and
I realized I don't have to move a quarter of an inch to the left or 1/4 inch to the right I don't have to be a great missionary I don't have to die as a martyr I don't have to be a great preacher I'm not doing it because it is all and it's God it's in God he did it all he made the decision he carries it through he brings it to its end I am loved what a wonderful release that it's just him is him for every once I'll say I'll take a Puritan statement
modernize it for every every one glance you take to yourself in the mirror take 10 long looks at God and His love you're loved this is a terrible thing about being a preacher I'm trying to tell you something I'm trying to get something through your thick head and it is this God really really really does love you immutably so perfectly so and it is all founded upon him his person has decreed his work through Christ on your behalf all of it it's done it's done you've got to walk in that you've got to keep yourselves
in the love of God you've got to keep thinking it believing it walking in it talking it fighting to believe it if necessary believe it you're loved if you're here today and you're not a Christian and all those things I said about the holiness of God being a wonderful joy to the believer it's a terror to you it's a terror the only way it changes is in Christ come to Christ and some of you who are so storm-tossed believers you're so storm-tossed and afflicted just oh that God would use what's said here today to prove
to your heart and your mind that you are deeply and dearly loved let's pray father God please please please break through Lord every wall and that people would that we would all have a greater and firmer grasp on your settled royal covenant oh love in Jesus name Amen
