You're the Todd's Road Grace Church would like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd Nybert. We are located at 4137 Todd's Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at 9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services. For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert.

Before I read the verse of scripture I would like to read, I want to remind you of the setting. The Lord is speaking to his disciples on a Thursday evening. This is his last discourse with them, and he will be crucified the next day. Think of that. Now here, a part of what he says to them is found in verse 11 of John chapter 15.

These things have I spoken unto you. Everything that he had said up to that point in his last discourse with his disciples. These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. I've entitled this message, His Joy and My Joy. Everything I've said to you up to this point was for this end. He says to his disciples, this is not said to every son of Adam, this is said to all who believe, though. This is why I have said what I've said to you, that my joy, the joy that I have, might remain in you that your joy might be full, might be complete. Nothing could be added to it. Now, I'm interested in that, aren't you? I think it's interesting the Lord does not say, These things have I spoken unto you that my happiness might remain in you and that your happiness might be fulfilled.

Happiness and joy are two totally different things. Happiness is based upon circumstances. If my circumstances are good, I'm happy. If my circumstances are bad, I'm no longer happy. Happiness is totally based on circumstances, happenings. Joy is internal. You cannot be happy and yet have joy. You can have miserable circumstances and yet you can have joy. Happiness is gone when the external circumstances that created it are gone, but joy abides. I'm much more interested in this thing of having joy than I am having happiness. When people are happy, things are going their way.

When they're unhappy, things are not going their way. Somebody says, I'm not happy. Watch out. Heads are getting ready to roll. That person is going to make sure that what they need to be happy, they're going to have. There was a missionary that our church supported for many years that died probably six or seven years ago.

Remember this statement that he made, somebody said to him, now he'd left the United States to go into Mexico, and he was preaching largely to people in a third world country at that time, as far as the Pueblos, the indigenous Indians that dwelt there, the Mayans, and he'd left America to go there, and somebody said to him, are you happy? He said, what's that got to do with anything? I'm here where God would have me, so whether I'm happy or whether I'm not happy is not even relevant. What's that got to do with anything? And you know why the Lord walked upon this earth? He was described as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He certainly could not be described as happy. But he always had a deep sense of joy. He was hated by men, persecuted by men. Happy? No. Joyful? Yes. And he prayed for his joy. to be remaining in His disciples that they might have fullness of joy. You see, He knows of the joy of the Father and His relationship with Him.

He said, In thy presence is fullness of joy, at thy right hand are pleasures evermore. He said this of himself before the foundation of the world. He said in Proverbs 8, verse 30, then I was with him, and I was daily his delight, always rejoicing before him. Before time began, oh, the joy that existed between the Father and the Son. And in John 17, verse 13, he said in his great high priestly prayer for his people, and now I come to thee And these things I speak to the world that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves."

The joy spoken of in Hebrews chapter 12, verse 2. This is one of the most glorious or one of the most mysterious scriptures in the Bible. Hebrews 12, 2, looking unto Jesus who for the joy that was set before him. endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the majesty on high, looking unto Jesus, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross." Now, the cross, the Lord was going to suffer on the cross.

Oh, the physical sufferings, much more the spiritual sufferings. He was made to feel the shame of sin. He was made to feel the guilt of sin. No, he never sinned in himself, but when he was made sin, he felt all these things. There's three things that go with sin. Shame, guilt, and separation. And he felt all of those things. He was separated from his father. He cried, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?

Now, who can tell the horrors of the cross? He bore the full equivalent of an eternal hell on the cross. Now, the reason hell is eternal is because no one can satisfy it. God for the sin they've committed against killing His Son. If somebody murdered your child and they said, here's a million dollars, would you be satisfied with this? You'd say, no. There's no satisfaction there. There can't be a satisfaction.

But the Lord Jesus Christ could satisfy the justice of God because of who He is. And He bore a full equivalent of eternal hell on the cross and satisfied the justice of God. who for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross and all the horrors of the cross and counted it as nothing compared to the joy that was set before him. Now, what was the joy that was set before him?

The joy of completely glorifying his Father by going to the cross. Oh, how the Son loved the Father. This is the Father's eternal purpose, for Him to go to the cross to manifest who He is. There's no real true knowledge of God apart from the cross, and He knew He glorified His Father completely by going to the cross. He knew this was the ultimate act of obedience to His Father, and oh, how He delighted in doing His Father's will, even if He had to go to the cross to do it. He knew this is the way He would save His people from their sins, by bearing their sins and putting them away, and what joy He received from that.

Oh, the joy! the Lord experienced that made him think the cross is not even to be counted in comparison to the joy that he would have in glorifying his father, in obeying his father, in revealing who his father is, and saving his people from their sins.

The joy of Jesus Christ, the joy of his perfect obedience. Let me read from Psalm 100, verses 1 and 2. The joy is said to be, make a joyful noise unto the Lord. All ye land, serve the Lord with gladness. Come before his presence with singing. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. The joy of the Lord. Nehemiah said, the joy of the Lord is your strength. And he says, I want your joy to be full. That joy that comes from me that remains in you, I want your joy to be full.

Now this joy he's speaking of is not found in any natural man. Now somebody says, what do you mean by natural man? I mean the way we all are by nature coming into this world. We're born sinners and this joy, the scripture says, is the fruit of the spirit. It's a joy that only the believer has. It has something to do with the joy of Christ being given to them. This joy is not found in the natural man.

I want to read a scripture from Romans chapter 14, verse 17. The apostle Paul says, the kingdom of God is not meat and drink. It's not rules and regulations. It's not, if you do this, you'll be better. If you don't do this, you'll be worse. The kingdom of God is not meat and drink. It's not man-made rules and regulations. It's not touch not, taste not, handle not, all the things that religious people make up. The kingdom of God is righteousness and peace. and joy in the Holy Ghost. The kingdom of God is righteousness. Now, what's that talking about? That is talking about the righteousness of Jesus Christ being my personal righteousness before God.

Paul says in Philippians chapter 3 verse 9, Oh that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness. Paul, what's wrong with your own righteousness? Well, according to the scriptures, it's filthy rags. Isaiah 64, 6 says, our righteousness are as filthy rags. You see, because we're sinful, we don't really have any personal righteousness. Now we might pay our bills, we might do a good thing, but I'm talking about before God. The only righteousness there is, is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And here's what happened on the cross. My sin became His sin. That's why He suffered the wrath of God. He took what I deserved. But just as truly as my sin became His sin, His righteousness becomes my righteousness. So I stand before God with a perfect righteousness. I am sinless before God. I stand before God as one who has never sinned. And God doesn't look at me just as if I've never sinned. He looks at me as one who's never sinned.

It's what the Bible calls justification. Justified by his righteousness, my righteousness before God. The kingdom of God is not meat and drink. It's not man-made rules and regulations. It's righteousness. Christ's righteousness. And you know what comes to me through that? Peace. Peace. All God requires of me, I have. I have no sin to bring me guilt and shame. All I have is peace because I have perfect righteousness.

Listen to the scripture, Romans chapter four, verses 24 and 25. He was delivered for our offenses. He was raised again for our justification, therefore being justified. By faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. How I rejoice that Jesus Christ is my righteousness before God.

It gives me joy. You see, happiness can be taken away. Joy is not taken away. Because Christ is not taken away, I am eternally secure in Him. And we read in Romans 15, verse 13, of the joy and peace of believing. Now, salvation doesn't come by working. It comes by believing. Believing that who Christ is and what he did is all that's needed to make me accepted before a holy God, a complete and sufficient savior, the joy and the peace of believing.

The Ethiopian eunuch, after hearing Philip preach the gospel to him, he said, see, here's water. What hinders me from being baptized? I want to know if there's a reason why I shouldn't. And Philip said, if you believe with all your heart, you may. And he replied, I believe. that Jesus Christ is the son of God, the uncreated eternal son of God, the one who must be successful because of who he is. I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. And they both went down in the water to be baptized. And the scripture says that he went on his way rejoicing. What about the Philippian jailer? Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. And they preached the word to him. He heard the gospel and what is said of this man. It said. He. Rejoiced. believing in God with all his house.

Zacchaeus didn't know the Lord, but he wants to know him. He sought to see Jesus, who he was. He heard that Jesus was to pass by that way. He runs up and climbs up in a tree to see him. The Lord looks up and says, Zacchaeus, Don't you know he was shocked? He'd never met the Lord. How'd the Lord know his name?

Zacchaeus, make haste, come down, for today I must abide in thy house. Scripture said he made haste, came down, and received him joyfully. When Paul is closing the epistle to the Philippians, he says, finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. Now we can't really understand that unless we understand what he means by rejoice in the Lord. Salvation is in the Lord. It's not in your works. It's not in your feelings. It's not in your intentions. It's not in your doings. Salvation is in the Lord. Now we have so many examples of what that means in the scripture.

God told Noah to build an ark. on dry land. It hadn't rained up to that point, and this arc was immense. Two of every animal was to go into the arc. Somebody says, how could that be possible? I do not know, but I believe what God says. Now, after the arc was built, 120 years in building, there was one place of safety. in the ark. Outside of the ark, you would be drowned. The only place of salvation was in the ark.

What about the Passover? God said, take the blood of the paschal lamb and put it over the door and stay in the house I'm going to come through. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. If you were in the house with the blood over the door, you were secure. If you were outside of that house, you were destroyed.

Here's another example. The cities of refuge. In the Old Testament, there were six cities of refuge. If you accidentally killed someone, and their relatives came to kill you, and they were allowed to do that, if you got in one of those cities of refuge, you were protected. If you went outside the city, you weren't protected, but you were only protected in the city.

God's salvation is in Christ. You must be in him to be saved, and that's what he's talking about when he says rejoice in him. Listen to this scripture. Of Him are you in Christ Jesus? Somebody says, how can I get in Christ? God's got to put you in Him. Of Him are you in Christ Jesus? who of God is made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and redemption. As it's written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. You see, if you're in Christ, you have perfect righteousness, you have perfect holiness, you have complete redemption, you have wisdom in Christ.

2 Corinthians 1.20 says all the promises of God in Him are yea and amen.

1 John 3.5 says He was manifested to take away our sins. In Him is no sin. That means if I'm in Him, I have no sin.

Colossians 2.10 says in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and you are complete in And that's why Paul said, oh, that I may win Christ and be found in Him. When God comes looking for me, there's only one place I want to be found, in Him. Somebody says, well, I'd like to be found praying or reading the Bible. Paul said, not me. Somebody says, I'd like to be found preaching or witnessing. Paul says, not me.

I want to be found in Him so that all God sees when He sees me is Jesus Christ because I am in Him. God said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Not with whom I am well pleased, though he was, but in whom. If I'm in him, God is well pleased with me. Now this is the joy of Jesus Christ. Listen to this scripture from Romans chapter 12, verse 8.

Paul speaks of rejoicing in hope. rejoicing in hope. Now, what is hope? Is hope, well, I hope it doesn't rain today. No, that's not hope. Hope is a confident expectation because of what God has said. That's what hope is, a confident expectation based upon what God has said. And Paul said this about hope in Romans 8, chapter 24, hope that's seen is not hope. If I can see it, it's no longer hope. For what a man seeth, why does he yet hope for? Hope is that which is not seen.

Now, Paul talks about rejoicing in hope. Now here's my hope. My hope is that right now, while I'm talking to you, I stand before God without sin. Somebody says, how can you say that when you've committed sin? Because Christ put away my sin and I have perfect righteousness. Can I see that? No, I can't. But I believe it. I hope in it.

I have a hope that on judgment day, my name is called to stand before God in judgment. He's gonna say to me, well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. And it will be because I have no sin before God. I am perfectly just before God. I have a hope of that because of what Christ did for me. Can you see that? Can you see how you're perfectly holy? No, I can't see it. All I see in myself is sin.

But I have a hope because of what Christ did. I stand before God on judgment day without guilt, and that makes me rejoice. And I have a hope, as Romans 8, 28 says, all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose. I have a hope that everything that happens to me between this very second and the day I stand before God in judgment is working together for my good and for his glory. Even the difficult things, even the terrible things, whatever they might be, They're all working together for good. Somebody says, can you see how that's the case? No, but I believe it. And I have a hope because that's what God's word says. Now let me give you an example of this.

In Luke chapter 10, the disciples return to the Lord rejoicing. And they say, Lord, even the devils are subject to us. You know what the Lord said to him? He said, in this rejoice not that the devils are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. You see, this business of the devils being subject was a circumstance. It was a circumstance. God caused it, and it could be the next day that they wouldn't have the success they had, but it was a circumstance, and they were happy. And the Lord said, don't rejoice in that.

Rejoice that your names are written in heaven, written in the Lamb's book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and your salvation is accomplished in me. In Matthew chapter 5, the last beatitude, the Lord says, blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Now that's not talking about being persecuted for right living. That's being persecuted because you say the righteousness of Jesus Christ is the only righteousness there is, the only righteousness that God will accept, the only way you can be saved. Now, if I preach that, I'll be persecuted. People will disagree with that. They'll say evil things about me. Well, you say good works don't count. What about a motive for holiness? All kinds of things, they'll say, but let's go on reading.

The Lord says, blessed are you when men shall revile you. and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you." Rejoicing for being persecuted for righteousness sake. Now think of the words the Lord said, these things have I said unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full. Now my joy is full when I see that his joy was accomplished by perfectly obeying his father, putting away the sins of his people, saving them completely and completely glorifying his father. And I'm complete in him and that gives me joy. Now, I might not be happy. I might be stricken with cancer. My body might be wracked with pain. I might have somebody very dear that I lose, and I can't say I'm happy in those circumstances.

Every believer has this deep, abiding sense of joy. John put it this way in 1 John 1, verse 4, these things write we unto you that your joy might be full. The joy of Jesus Christ is the joy of every believer. Oh, the joy and the peace of believing. To receive a copy of the sermon you have just heard, send a request to todd.neibert at gmail.com. Or you may write or call the church at the information provided on the screen.