Back to 1 John, Chapter 1 now. 1 John, Chapter 1. Read verse 4 with me again. 1
John 1, 1 John chapter 1, verse 4. And these things write
we unto you, that your joy may be full. These things write we
unto you, that your joy may be full. A true believer should be the
happiest person on earth. Right, Stan? One who knows, believes, and
trusts Christ should be a happy person, full of joy and rejoicing in
the Lord. But it's not always so, is it? Over in, back a few pages to
1 Peter, 1 Peter chapter 1, look back there, 1 Peter chapter 1,
for various reasons, and here's one of them. 1 Peter 1 verse
6 says, You greatly rejoice that you're kept by the power
of God, that you're elect, that you're sanctified. and so forth,
blood of Christ, grace and peace multiplied, blessings of God,
that mercy and a lively hope, an inheritance incorruptible,
undefiled, reserved in heaven for you, kept by the power of
God, and you greatly rejoice. Though now, for a season, if
need be, you're in heaviness through manifold Temptations
are trials, if need be. Sometimes it need be. And the
Lord is the one that sends those temptations and trials and so
forth. Trials is the word. Manifold
are many various trials. Trials are not always joyful
things. They can be very heavy. Real pain that we experience,
real sorrow, real loss, real hurt. They're real. They wouldn't
be a trial if they didn't hurt. They're very real. But do you
remember our text, Sunday morning? All things work together for
good, according to God's purpose. All things. It is God who sends
them, and they're for our good. And it says in verse 7, the trial
of your faith. That, the trial of your faith.
These things try your faith. That's what they do. The purpose for trials is to
cause you to look to Him. If you're brought down, if you're
brought low, if you're made weak, well, He's made strong in your
weakness. If you're strong, you don't need
His strength, do you? But when you're very weak, you
need His strength. And that's what trial's all about.
And they ought to drive you to Christ, and you ought to come
out of them stronger than you were when you went in them. Look at verse 6, "...the trial
of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perishes,
though it be tried with fire, that it might be found." In the
end, what will be found? You will be found praising and
honoring him. Praising and honoring him. The scripture says, "...weeping
may endure for a night." And most of us here have done that,
have wept bitter tears, like Peter, went out and wept bitterly.
We've wept bitter tears over real sorrows, real trials, and
real hurt, and so forth. We who may endure for a night,
but, can you finish the rest of it? Joy is supposed to come
in the morning, and it will. If that trial turns you to cry,
makes you go to cry, Look at verse 8. It says, "...whom having
not seen, ye love. In whom, though now ye see him
not, yet believe him." Like I said, a true believer, one who truly
knows and loves and believes Christ, ought to rejoice, ought
to be a happy person. Yet believing, you rejoice with
joy unspeakable, full of glory. So trials cause us to be downcast
and Sorrowful and so forth. Sin does. Sin causes us heaviness
and sorrow, not joy. It's hard to be constantly fighting
sin and be joyful in it. Constantly battling this law
that wars in your members. It's hard to do that and be joyful.
Yet, what is sin meant to make us do? Repent. Repent of it. And it should drive us to the
Lord who is ready to forgive. And after repentance, I don't
know about you, but that joy unspeakable comes after times
of sin and repentance and a feeling of forgiveness. That's when joy
unspeakable comes for me. I believe it does to you. And
it's a joy that you didn't have before you had to struggle with
sin. That's what sin is even designed to do, is to drive you
to Him. Even mourning over sin should lead us to joy through
forgiveness, a sense of forgiveness of sin. He's ready to forgive,
and He always does, every time. Hasn't it been so with you? No
matter how sinful you have been or have felt, There's great joy through his
forgiveness. Depression. God's people go through times
of depression. And these are things that sometimes
you can't put a finger on. You don't know where they come
from. Depressions. Sadness. Unknown sources. Depression. And some people are
more prone to this than others. But we all get into these states. We all get into that at one time
or another. Spurgeon said don't ever, should
never become addicted to melancholy. Don't do it though. Some people
do that. They become addicted to it and
they get down in it and wallow in it and stay there. Don't give
in to it. By God's grace, shake off your
misery. Spurgeon said take your heart off the willows. There
in that psalm, I didn't write it down. I could look it up real
fast, but it said, when Jerusalem was taken captive, they hung
their harps on the willows. They said, we're not going to
sing a song while we're in captivity. Well, Spurgeon said, take your
harps off the willows. Grab your guitar, if you're feeling
down. Go sit at the piano and sing
a song. Make a joyful noise unto the
Lord. Sing a song. Or at least, if you can't play
an instrument, grab this instrument of praise. and start reading
it, like I just read to you, Psalm 95, 6, 7, 8, 99, 100. Make a joyful noise. Get reason
to praise it. Don't wallow in your depression. Grab your guitar and sing. Well, the text says, The text
says, These things are written, these things write we unto you,
that your joy may be full. That tells me that our joy needs
to be maintained. Like I said, we're not always
joyous, but our joy needs to be maintained. It needs to be
lifted up. We need to be filled with it.
We lose it. David said that in Psalm 51,
and restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. So this tells
me, and some other scripture, that our joy needs to be maintained. How? How? We'll read the text again. Look
at it, everybody. How is your joy maintained? How is your joy built up? Huh? Look at it, verse 4. These things write we unto you,
that your joy may be full." The Word of God. What's written? These things are written. These
things I write unto you that your joy may be full. God—now
listen. God gives us—God gives us all
things richly to enjoy things. things of this world God gives
us to enjoy. And there's nothing wrong with
that. We've been speaking of that lately. There's nothing wrong
with enjoying things. Yet, the believer, the believer
is more noble. He's a new creature. He's more
noble than the natural carnal man. He's a spiritual man. And
the believer has more noble pursuits than the things of this world.
Things that he cannot find fullness of joy in the things of this
world. Really, fullness of joy in the things of this world.
Home, job, family, pleasure, possession, and so forth. There's
no fullness of joy. There's nothing wrong with enjoying
those things, but there's no fullness of joy to be found in
those things. The psalm says, change and decay
in all around I see. Things that are seen are temporal,
the scriptures say. Temporal. And so they bring only
temporal joy at best, partial joy, not fullness of joy. Well,
John says, these things write we unto you that your joy may
be full. How may your joy be full? Through
the things written in this book, revealed things. See, the revealed
things belong unto us. secret things belong unto the
Lord, the revealed things unto us and our children. These things
are written. So everything written in the
Scriptures are written primarily to bring joy to the believer. Primarily. And the believer's
true joy comes from God's Word, things that are revealed from
God's Word. And what is the Word of God chiefly
about? Hmm? Hmm? He is the Word, isn't
it? Huh? The angels announced his
coming. They said, joy, glad tidings
of joy, of great joy. Joy. Joy to the world. The Lord has come. These things
are written that you might rejoice in the Lord. That's what Paul
said, didn't he? Rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice,
I say. Again, I say, rejoice in the
Lord. And the things that are written primarily are concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ—who He is, why He came, what He did,
and what it means to you. And it ought to give us great
joy that you might find in Christ your all and in all. That if
He is your everlasting portion, take away these things, you have
Him. who is all. You find in him that
joy which cannot be taken away from him. It can't be taken away
from him. Over in Psalm chapter 5, it says
this, and you don't have to turn. Let me just turn and read it
for you. Psalm 5 says this, Psalm 5 verse 11, Let all those that
put their trust in thee rejoice. Let them ever shout for joy,
because thou defendest them. defendest them. And the word
means coverest them, protectest them. Let them also that love
thy name be joyful in thee. Let all those that put their
trust in thee rejoice. Let them ever shout for joy because
thou defendest them. Let them also that love thy name
be joyful in thee. Listen to this, Psalm 32. Brother
Nyberg, one of his favorite passages, verse 11, says this, Be glad
in the Lord and rejoice, ye righteous. Shout for joy, all ye that are
upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous. Praise his comely for the upright."
How are you upright? Because he made you so. Blessed
is the man whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity. That's how. Whose
transgression is forgiven. And so forth. Christ said this. Christ said the friend of the
bridegroom rejoices greatly because he hears the bridegroom's voice.
His joy is fulfilled. His joy is fulfilled. Paul said,
We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have
received the atonement. Peter said, Whom have they not
seen you love, in whom though now you see him not yet believing,
you rejoice with joy as because. Now, let's look at some things
from God's Word that should cause us to rejoice. Look at Ephesians
1. The same thing. We're going to
look at the same things all over again. See if you can. You ought
to go out of here with a smile on your face tonight. You ought
to go out of here rejoicing in the Lord. Look at these things
written. These things are written, these
things write we unto you that your joy may be full. Fullness
of joy. Ephesians 1. Jeremiah said this. Listen to what Jeremiah said.
He said, Thy words were found and I did eat them. That's the only way you can rejoice
in these things if you eat them. They go down and you digest them. And they are the joy and rejoicing
of your heart. Not just your ear, but your heart. Jeremiah said, These things,
these words were found and I did eat them. Thy words It was unto
me the joy and rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by thy
name." Look at Ephesians 1, things written to cause joy. Verse 3,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world. that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love, having predestinated, chosen in Christ
before the foundation of the world." That's elections, what
that is. Elections are to make you shout for joy. Paul said in 2 Thessalonians,
he said, we're bound to give thanks for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord. Because God hath from the beginning
chosen you—who, me? Yes, you—to salvation, chosen
you before the world began. God set his love on you. Yes, you, John Caesar, of all
people, before the world began, God Almighty had you on his mind,
and his heart set his love upon you, chose you out of all the
people. On the face of the earth, a massive
humanity chose you, gave you to Christ to do all that he did
for you, to save you. And at your lowest times, John,
think about this, that God chose you. And you ought to be able
to say with David, although my house—at the times when you're
down, when things aren't just right, you ought to say, although
my house be not so. Although things aren't going
just right, I feel pretty low right now. Yet God hath made
with me. God hath chosen me, and hath
made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure.
This is all my joy, all my hope, all my comfort. God chose me.
Election ought to give you cause for great joy. What about redemption? Huh? We have redemption through
His blood. The Scripture says, verse 7,
In whom? In Christ we have redemption through His blood. Redemption.
Redeemed how I love to proclaim it. Redeemed by the blood of
the Lamb. Redeemed and so happy in the
Lord Jesus. His child and forever I am. Redeemed. That's Andrew's favorite song.
Redeemed. Bought with a price. Said you're
not your own, you're bought. You're bought. Scripture says
deliver him from going down into the pit. I've found a ransom.
Deliver them who are all their lifetimes bound. by sin and shame,
bound by the law, deliver them." Listen to this verse. This is
one of my favorite psalms. When the Lord turned again, the
captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Our mouth was
filled with laughter. Our tongue was singing. Then
said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things
for us. Lord, that's a great thanks, brethren. We're glad.
It ought to make you glad. Turn again our captivity, O Lord,
as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall
reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth
bearing precious seeds shall doubtless come again with rejoicing. Again and again, bringing his
sheaves with him. Like those Joseph's brethren.
coming home with wagon loads, bringing their shoes with them. Free from the law, oh, happy
condition. You know, there's bondage in
religion, misery in religion, misery to be under the law, but
there's freedom and gladness and joy in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Free from the law, O happy condition, Christ Jesus bled, and there
is remission. Cursed by the law, bruised by
the fall, but Christ hath redeemed us once for all." Once for all,
O sinner, receive it. Once for all, O brother, believe
it. Cling to the cross, your burden will fall. Christ hath
redeemed us once for all. Once for all. What about justification? Turn over to Romans 8 again.
Lest you've forgotten so soon, I'll bring you remembrance of
all things that he said, that your joy might be full. These
things are written that your joy might be full. What about
justification? Full, free justification. Romans 8, 28. We know that all
things work together. If we really knew that and believed
that we'd joy, we'd have joy. All things work together for
good. Oh, woe is me! No, oh, good for you! For good
to them that love God, to them who are called according to his
purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
he did predestinate, he called. Whom he called, he justified. Whom he justified, then he also
glorified. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Huh? Who has
spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all? How shall
he not with him also freely give us all a thing? Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies.
Who is he that condemned Christ to die? has therefore now no
conscience." Justification. Full, free justification. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect, God hath justified. Satan says he's a
sinner. God says he's my son. The law says he's guilty. God
says he's innocent. Conscience says he's fallen way
short. God says he's complete in Christ. Justification, joy and rejoicing. What about eternal preservation?
Look over at John chapter 6. These things are written that
your joy might be full. These things. John chapter 6.
What about eternal preservation? Oh, these are more than doctrines.
This is the doctrine of Christ, of a person who did all that
he did for you. A person saving persons. Eternal
preservation. Look what the Lord Jesus Christ
says. He says to his disciples and
he writes for all of his people and all his disciples for time
and eternity to read. Forever, O Lord, these words
are settled in heaven. They ought to settle your heart
and give you joy. John 6, 37. All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me Have
you come to Christ by faith? Have you? For him I will in no
wise cast out. In no wise. In no wise. But Lord, you don't
know how. Oh, I know exactly how sinful you are. I'll in no
wise cast him out. In no wise. Or, verse 38, I came
down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of Him
that sent me. And this is His will. This is
the Father's eternal will, which has sent me that of all which
He has given me, I won't lose a one of them, that I will raise
it up again at the last day. This is the will of Him that
sent me. Everyone will see it, the sun. Have you seen the sun?
Has God caused the light to shine in your dark heart? to see the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Have you seen Him? Well, everyone,
to see if the Son, the Scripture says, will have everlasting life,
I'll raise Him up at the last day. These things are written that
you might have joy. Look at chapter 10. John chapter
10. Look over here. Verse 16. John, well, he's talking to his
disciples there, he's talking to Peter and James. No, verse
16 says, "...other sheep I have which are not of his foal, them
also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice." Have you heard
his voice? Ed Berry, have you heard his voice? It's the gospel,
it's his word. Have you heard his voice? Well,
he said, "...they'll hear, and there'll be one foal and one
shepherd." Look at verse 27, "...my sheep hear my voice, I
know them, they follow me." They follow, and I give unto them
eternal life, and they shall never perish. Oh, that's more than a doctrine.
That's the word of the Son of God who cannot lie. I give unto
them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, He gave them to me. He's greater than all, and no
man will pluck them out of my Father's hand. I have my Father
alone in His Son. We both decided we're going to
save that old boy. And come hell or high water,
it don't matter. They're going to be saved. They're
going to be saved. I give unto them eternal life,
and they shall never perish. But look at him, though. Look
at him. Somebody said he's fallen. Look
at him falling. Look at old Abraham there. He's
fallen. Yeah, but I'll pick him up. It doesn't matter. A righteous
man falls seven times. I'll pick him up every time. I've never seen the righteous
forsaken. They've said never. Nobody to trust on him or ever
be made guilty. Nobody. Look at him, look at
David, he's fallen in misery. Doesn't matter, I'm going to
pick him up. Pick him up every time. You pick your child up
every time they fail? Sure you did. Pick him up. Look,
old Peter's quit, he's gone fishing. Yeah, but I'm the great fisherman,
the Lord said. Watch me draw him back with cords
of love, cords of a man. I'm going fishing. I'm going
to fetch him back. Fetch him. Well, it won't last
forever. It won't last. I know him. It won't last. He's
gone through these changes before. It won't last. Oh, yes it will
because I last forever. This thing will last because
it's of me. Because I live forever and he's
going to live too. Because I live, he shall live
also. I give unto him everlasting life, and he shall never perish.
Look at John 17. Look over there. John 17, verse
13. The Lord is praying to the Father
here in his high priestly prayer. And folks, this is, this is What is it? This is the Lord's
high priestly prayer. The Father always hears his voice.
Everything he said in here, he's going to get. And verse 13 says,
Now come I to do these things I speak in the world, that they
might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. These things I speak.
These things are written that your joy might be fulfilled.
These things are written. These things ought to give us
joy. How many times have you heard these same scriptures over
and over and over? Same one. They ought to give
you joy. Give you joy. And the times when
we get down, for whatever reason, bring these things to our memories.
These things ought to be bringing joy to our hearts. Well, I said
our joy needs maintaining, didn't it? And we saw in our text it says,
these things are written that your joy, these things write
we unto you that your joy may be full. So that tells me, that
implies that the only real joy we're going to have, the only
place we're going to find any joy is from the Scripture. Right? What does that tell you
of the importance of using the Scripture? Are you down? Do you get depressed? What are
you going to do about it? Huh? Well, I'll call my so-and-so. These things are written that
your joy might be fulfilled. These things are written. This
is where you're going to find your joy. These things are written. So,
these things written in Scripture, this is what will give us joy. This is what we feed upon. So we need to constantly read
or hear it, read or hear it preached, God's Word. We need to feed upon
it, find our comfort from it. David said, hide it in our heart.
John 14, look over there, and I'm just about through here.
I'll quit a couple of passages from John 14 and 15. John 14, You know, the Scripture says,
over in Galatians 5, that the fruit of the Spirit—you might
quote that, the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy. One of the fruits of the Spirit.
Fruit. That's the fruit of the Spirit.
Joy. Love, joy, peace. Peace. Thou wilt keep him in
perfect peace. whose mind has stayed where?
On thee, on Jehovah. For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting
strength, the Rock of Ages. Love, joy. Joy is a fruit of
the Spirit. Well, look at verse 26, what
the Lord says here. The Comforter, which is the Holy
Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you
all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever
I said to you. These things are written. Christ
said, I said these things. These things I said to you. Look
at verse 27. Peace I leave with you. My peace
I give unto you. Not like the world gives. It's
not said peace, peace. There is no. My peace I give.
Peace by the blood of his cross. Peace that comes from a full,
even fully absolved of all guilt and all wrongdoing, justified
by His grace, from which you cannot be justified by the works
of the law. My peace I give unto you, peace
with God. It ought to give peace in your
heart, not as the world did, but give I unto you. Don't let
your heart be troubled. Look at chapter 15. We read that
a moment ago. Verse 7, if you abide in me,
and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will,
and it will be done unto you. It will be done unto you. Verse
10, if you keep my commandment, you shall abide in my love, even
as I have kept my Father's commandment, and abide in his love. These
things have I spoken unto you, that my joy my joy might remain
in you, and that your joy might be full. My joy, Christ's joy,
joy in him, and he is your joy and rejoicing. Joy in him. These things are written These things are written. Where
are you going to find joy? Where are you going to find joy when you
need it? Where are you going to find it?
Nowhere but here. So if you're down and you stay
there, it's your fault. It's as close as they ask. Restore
unto me the joy of thy salvation. That's what David said, didn't
he? He said, well, I'll yet praise the Lord. Didn't he? Huh? He got—nobody got down as low
as David, but he was restored, wasn't he?
He was restored when he looked into the Word of God, joy and
rejoicing. Let me close by quoting this
in Jude 1. It says this. It says this. Well, to the only wise God, our
Savior. To the only wise God, be glory
and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Now, unto
him that is able to keep you from falling. That's what we
just looked at, didn't we? Unto him that is able to keep
you from falling. He is able to keep you from falling,
and to present you faultless, justified. holy, unblameable,
unreprovable in his sight, to present you faultless before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise
God, our Savior, with glory and majesty, dominion and power,
both now and ever. Amen." Now, if you go home tonight,
downcast about anything, and you didn't hear a word it was
saying, and Terry, you make certain copies and give it to whoever
didn't hear it. Whoever's not smiling at this moment, get a
copy of that tape. All right, stand with me. Lord, we thank you for this blessed
word. It truly is the joy and rejoicing
of our heart. Like David said, when he found
it, it was like his great spoil, more precious than gold and silver,
tried in the furnace seven times. We've been tried more than seven
times. We've fallen more than seven
times. But every time you pick us up,
that ought to give us comfort and joy. It ought to give us
full assurance of faith that He'll never leave us, nor forsake
us. It hadn't yet come all these years, sinned against the great
You haven't forsaken us yet, and you said it in your word,
your mercy endureth forever. Let us take yet your word and
find great joy from it. May we joy and rejoice in the
gospel. Those times when we get down, Lord, bring these things
to remembrance. If anything, just cause one word,
one line to pierce our sorrowful, melancholy hearts. Rejoice in
the Lord. Rejoice in him, I say. These
things are written, these things have you spoken, that our joy
might be full. Fill us with joy and rejoice
in the Lord. We have great many reasons, more reasons, more reasons
than we know. Oh, I hadn't seen, e'er you hadn't
heard, neither have entered into our hearts that things, unspeakable
things, unsearchable things, that you have prepared for them
that love you. Lord, give us that joy that we
need to carry on. In the Lord Jesus Christ's name
we pray and we are met together tonight. Amen.