Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. He didn't say, you know what, that'd be a neat idea if you rejoiced. It's a commandment like the Ten Commandments.
This is a commandment in the New Testament. Rejoice. Again, let me say, rejoice. How do you command somebody to rejoice?
Hey, you be happy. I'm telling you no more that you can. See, from our point of view, you really can't command somebody. Because from our point of view, we would say, someone just can't make themselves rejoice. You know what God would say?
My children can. Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gebhardt. Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God's Word meets our world. Come join with me now in the book of Acts, the chapter five and verse 40. In the early church has enemies, real enemies. These are enemies that eventually will martyr almost all of the disciples.
And it says in verse 40 that they took his advice and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and then they released him. Now, I think all of us would do this, but I would call a flogging day a bad day. If you were taken by the authorities in that world and you were flogged, that's a really bad day. In fact, for many of us and remember, happiness and joy are two different things. Happiness is circumstantially driven. Joy is internal well-being.
Notice the response then. And so they went on their way from the presence of the council rejoicing. Wasn't that a great flogging? Well, that I knew what he was doing. You see, they went on their way from the presence of the council rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for his name.
And every day in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus of the Christ. You see, you couldn't have a bad day and take their joy away. You know why? Because joy makes you unsinkable. You see, when you have the joy of the Lord, it's unsinkable.
It is not tied to bad circumstances. Let's move to Chapter eight of the Book of Acts. And here we see another reason why people were so joyful. This is the Ethiopian eunuch who happened to be leaving Jerusalem, heading home, reading Isaiah. Philip shows up and he says to Philip, I'm reading Isaiah and Isaiah is talking about someone who's coming down the road and I don't know who that is to you. And Philip said, wow, this is a perfect setup.
And he shares the gospel and Jesus Christ with him. And so in verse 38, he ordered the chariot to stop and they both went down into the water and Philip as well as the eunuch and Philip baptized them. Now, as soon as it's over, when they came up out of the water, the spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. That sort of makes me think he just vanished. And it says, and the eunuch, he says, no longer saw him.
But he went on his way rejoicing. You see, it just found Christ. Same ideas in Acts, Chapter two, he went on his way rejoicing. Now, let's go to Chapter 13 of the Book of Acts. This time it's Paul and Barnabas.
And they're in Galatia. They're sharing the gospel and the enemies are there. And so in verse 50 of Chapter 13 of Acts, it says, but the Jews incited devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas. And they drove them out of their district. Another very hostile reaction. And he says, and they shook off the dust off their feet in protest against them, and they went on to Iconium.
And then it says this. And the disciples were continually filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. We always talk about that filling ministry of the Holy Spirit. You know, you really need to be controlled by the Spirit of God. That's the filling ministry of the Holy Spirit.
But how often do we talk about the fact that we need to be filled with joy? You see, he said they were filled with joy, completely filled with joy. They were just rejected and threatened and had to go somewhere else. And they go, isn't this great?
You see, they were unsinkable. Turn with me now to Acts Chapter 16. And this is the Philippian jailer. And once again, we have the apostle Paul.
And it's kind of interesting that there's an earthquake and they could have escaped, but they didn't. The jailer thought he was going to die. But Paul said, hey, we're in here.
Everything's fine. We're not going to escape. So in verse 30, it says the jailer says to them, he said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? How is a person saved?
Man, I guess that's the easiest question in the world. All Paul said to him was or they said to him, believe in the Lord Jesus, you will be saved. That's it. You and your household. Believe in the Lord Jesus. Then it says this, he takes him home and it says in verse 34, and he brought them into his house and he set food before them. And he rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household. See, they never got over it.
We should never be over it. That's the whole point. Jesus came to reinstate joy into your life. And that joy is not at all dependent on the circumstances of your life.
I am sure that when they got flogged, somebody said, ouch, ouch, that really hurts. You see, that has nothing to do with it. In fact, what you end up with here is you start realizing in this kind of a case that this joy is not dependent that way. The apostle Paul in Second Corinthians six said we are sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. And in Chapter seven of Second Corinthians, he said, in all of our troubles, my joy knows no bounds. You see, this is the sense of inner well-being.
This is joy. This is what we have as Christians. You see, why does a Christian have such joy? Well, I think it's related to the other things we talk about often here at the church. You hear us say every single week when Pastor Brad opens up the service that we really want to do everything we can to help you be followers of Jesus Christ.
And then we talk about the characteristics of a follower of Christ. And that your life is marked with things like joy and peace and hope. And the more I've thought about that, that's where the joy comes from. You see, the reason I can be joyful is simple. I have peace with God.
That's reconciliation because I've been redeemed. And I also have the peace of God, which Paul writes is beyond all understanding. You see, and I have hope for the future, and I don't mean this kind of hope. I mean biblical hope.
I mean certitude about the future. I have a certitude faith about the future of this world, and I have a certitude faith about me. You see, because I have peace with God and the peace of God and I have a certitude hope about the future, I have joy. You see, I have joy, and that plays itself out in the most practical ways possible. I don't mean to be disrespectful to anybody in the medical profession here, but when you and someone will eventually probably, you know, tell me that I have a fatal diagnosis and prognosis, I would have to say, I believe you're wrong.
You see, I believe you're wrong. It's not fatal. Over the years, I've said how many times this congregation, the worst thing that could possibly happen to you can happen to you. That's what it means to know Jesus Christ.
You see, that's what it means. And what does that give me? Joy. Now, does that make me want to enjoy the suffering before I would?
Absolutely not. But see, I could still be in anguish and still have joy because of the idea of the certitude and the hope that I have for the future. I have peace with God. I have the peace of God.
I have a certitude about what's going to happen in the future. The scripture is clear. I'll be absent from the body and I'll be present with the Lord. You see, after you believe the good news, you really can't give me bad news when it compares to the good news of Jesus Christ.
You just can't. You see, that's the whole point of being Christian. That's why the early church. You see, that's why they accepted the flogging.
I mean, the apostle Paul believed this so much that when he was asked the question, an interesting one, and just think if you were asked this. Would you rather stay, start right now, stay or leave today? And when I mean leave, I mean leave. What would you rather do? Would you rather stay or do you rather leave today? Remember what Paul said? I'd rather leave today. You see, if you're giving me a choice, he said, it's not up for me to decide, but if you're giving me a choice, I'd rather leave. But for your sake, I'll be more than happy to stay if God wants me to. You know what Paul had? He had joy. And you know what that made him?
Unsinkable. You see, how do you threaten a man with capital punishment martyrdom who's not afraid of capital punishment martyrdom? You see, you can't threaten them. You say, well, you know what we're going to do to you?
You're sending me home today. You see, it's a whole different perspective of things. That's what joy can produce in your life. Peace and joy and hope. He's a joyful God. God's home is a joyful place. Joy is woven into the creation. Jesus came to reinstate joy.
And we have a privilege to live joyfully. Turn with me to First Peter. First Peter, Chapter one. Please understand that Peter is writing to a whole group of people that are all suffering. These are people that are suffering. Most of them outcasts from their own families. Most of them in economic ruin. They were not liked at all by the Jews.
They were certainly not liked by the Greeks and Romans. So they find himself in a really difficult spot. And that's what the first epistle that Peter wrote is all about. And in verse six, he says this. He says, in this, you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials.
He goes, I know how hard it is for what you're going through. He then says so that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And though you have not seen him, you love him.
And though you do not see him now, but you believe in him. You, he says, greatly rejoice with joy, inexpressible and full of glory. He's telling a suffering group of people you have inexpressible joy.
What a privilege this is. You see, the only thing that can stop a believer from having joy in their life is the believer. It's the only person that can stop you is you. And what ends up happening when you are stopped is you simply do not trust or believe what God has said about joy.
And of course, the one who pays the most for that is you. The psalmist said in Psalm 34, 33, sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous, for it is fitting, he says, to the upright to be joyful. We're to be joyful people. We should be marked by that.
Are the circumstances of the culture we live in getting more and more difficult? Yes. But that should not ever rob us of our joy.
Not at all. He is a joyful God. God's home is a joyful place. Joy is woven into his creation. Jesus came to reinstate joy, and we have the privilege of living joyfully. So here's my overall conclusion then. We should become students and scholars of joyology. I'm going to take my word for it.
Let me show you why. Turn with me to Philippians chapter four. A very famous verse. Philippians four, verse four, by the way, the whole epistle to the Philippians is about joy. That's what it's about. By the way, Paul was in prison not knowing if he's going to get out or be executed when he writes it. But the whole epistle is about joy. And then he says this in four four. And this is astounding.
You know, the words are famous. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. Now, here's what makes that so unusual is the Greek. Every time you see the word rejoice there, it's imperative mood.
What's that mean? It's commanded. He didn't say, you know what, I'd be a neat idea if you rejoiced. It's a commandment like the Ten Commandments.
This is a commandment in the New Testament. Rejoice. Again, let me say rejoice. How do you command somebody to rejoice? Hey, you be happy. I'm telling you no more that you're going to see from our point of view, you really can't command somebody because from our point of view, we would say someone just can't make themselves rejoice. You know what God would say? My children can.
They certainly can. That's why I command it. Rejoice. You see, rejoice in the Lord always.
Again, I say rejoice. He understands how important joy is into our lives. And he's not being naive about this.
He gets it. Last passage, I want to look at the Book of Habakkuk. So let's go to the Book of Habakkuk. By the way, it's the book right before Zephaniah, so you should have no trouble at all. The Book of Habakkuk. And I want you to see how this pilgrimage can work in your life. Because it worked in his Habakkuk chapter one.
In verse two, Habakkuk says this. How long, O Lord? Well, I call for help. And you will not hear. I cry out to you, violence. And yet you do not deliver or save. You ever been there?
Lord, how long? I don't think you're hearing me at all. This is awful. He's looking at a culture, by the way, where the evil was prospering. Much like a culture we're beginning to look at. And he says, Why do you make me see iniquity and cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me. Strife exists and contention arises. Therefore, the law is ignored and justice is never upheld for the wicked surround the righteous. And therefore, justice comes out perverted.
It sounds like you just read our newspapers. You see, he said, Lord, what's going on? And then as you read through the book, you realize Habakkuk made a mistake. And that is he looked at the circumstances and thought they would give him happiness and joy.
And they were awful. And what he learned is I have to get back into the presence of God. And that's what he does. He comes back into the presence of God. Now, remember, as I said, he is a joyful God.
His intent for you is to reinstate joy through Jesus Christ in your life. He commands us to rejoice. Now, let's go to the very end of the book. Chapter three, verse 17.
And here is how he concludes what he started that I just read. He says in verse 17, though the fig tree should not blossom. And there be no fruit on the vines. And though the yield of the olive shall fail and the fields produce no food.
And though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls. What is he describing? Complete total economic ruin.
This is an agricultural culture. It means they have nothing, no money, no food, nothing. He said, if all this happens, what's what he says? Yet I will exalt in the Lord. I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength. He has made my feet like Heinz feet and makes me walk on my high places.
He's joyful. You know what else Habakkuk is saying? I'm unsinkable. You see, I'm unsinkable. Who doesn't want that in your life? You see, and we can have that. That's there for us.
No matter how difficult life can get. His name was Captain Josh Byers. He was a West Point grad stationed in Iraq. He was in a Humvee with a sergeant who was driving the Humvee in one or two. I'm not sure yet which in the back seat of the Humvee. They were on their way to Fallujah in Iraq. Sergeant Tim Bushkell was driving.
He recounts it. They hit a roadside bomb. He said as soon as they hit the roadside bomb, the impact was so great on him that he said, I actually the door came off and I flew out the window. I had such a tight grip on the steering wheel.
I flew right back in. He said that was the impact. He said my natural instinct then was to jam on the brake. He said, but Captain Byers right beside me, yelled out very loudly, keep moving forward.
I heard the order and I pushed on the gas pedal. As soon as they pulled away, another roadside bomb went off. He said that move to keep moving forward saved the lives of two of them, him and one of the soldiers in the back seat.
But when he looked over to the passenger seat, he said Captain Josh Byers was dead. And he said from that moment on, our little group, he said used as our motto, keep moving forward. And in fact, a few years later, there's a book written.
The title of the book is Keep Moving Forward. My son's last words. And it was by Dr. Lloyd Byers.
And this is what he writes. He said, When the numbness began to wear off after the devastating news of Josh. I lost my joy. In fact, I got angry with God for a while and afterward, he said, I dealt with much guilt since I had served as a minister of the gospel and a foreign missionary teaching others about the joy of the Lord. He said, God just loved me through all of it, he said, through my hurt and struggle.
And I quickly realized just how powerful and patient and kind his love was. He said it was not until a friend shared with me Isaiah 57 one that I learned that I could have joy in my life again. This is what Isaiah 57 one says. The righteous perish and no one takes it to heart.
The devout are taken away and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. I read that with a heavy heart, but yet God shouted to me in my pain. He said, I now can continually praise the Lord as the joy of the Lord is my strength.
He said, one day I'll be in heaven with Jesus and my son forever. But for now, I can rejoice that Josh doesn't have to deal with this world of heartache and pain. I can continually keep moving forward, filled with joy. He then writes, the joy of the Lord is the only dynamic that enables us to keep moving forward at life's hardest moments. This kind of joy doesn't cancel the difficult moments in life, but it does transcend life's most difficult circumstances. Joy. The ocean of God's joy is an unsinkable sea. It's as uplifting in your life as the very heart of Jesus Christ. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, he says, I say rejoice.
Let's pray. Father, I fear that joy is one of those things that we all wish we could attain. But so many of us never find it. So many of us have allowed the difficult and painful circumstances of our life to shape us. We have become.
Pessimistic and bitter. Or we have become fearful. Of the very world in which we live. But, Father, that's not your intent. Because we have peace with you through Jesus Christ. Your spirit indwells us. And so we can have the peace of God in our lives. We have a certitude of a hope for our future, not just ours, but for this entire creation. But, Father, that hope and that peace should produce a joy in us, a sense of well-being within us. It doesn't alleviate us from dealing with the difficult pain and circumstances of life.
But it does prevail and get us through. Father, I would pray that if we were a joyful people as you intended for be, what a witness we would have to this culture that is now beginning to reap what they sow. So much, so much hatred. So much pain and despair. Father, I pray that all of us search the scriptures, look for the promises, see the joy that you offer us. And then, Father, we simply bathe in it.
Because once we do, we are unsinkable in this life. We pray this for our good and for Christ's glory. In His name, Amen. You've been listening to Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the Radio Ministry of Fellowship in the Word. If you ever miss one of our broadcasts, or maybe you would just like to listen to the message one more time, remember that you can go to a great website called OnePlace.com. That's OnePlace.com, and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online.
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That's fbcnola.org. At our website, you will find hundreds of Pastor Bill's sermons. You can browse through our sermon archives to find the sermon series you are looking for, or you can search by title. Once you find the message you are looking for, you can listen online, or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own convenience. And remember, you can do all of this absolutely free of charge. Once again, our website is fbcnola.org. For Pastor Bill Gebhardt, I'm Jason Gebhardt, thanking you for listening to Fellowship in the Word.
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