When your mind is filled with sound doctrine and you believe it with all your heart, it takes over control of your emotions. You are a rational being. and your feelings must be controlled by your reason. By your mind. And your mind, when filled with the truth of God, will control your emotion.
Welcome to Grace to You, featuring the Bible teaching of John MacArthur. I'm Phil Johnson, your host. Does God want you to be happy? Ever asked that question? Maybe when you're ridiculed for your faith in Christ, or when a loved one dies, or when the fight against temptation and sin just drags on with no break in sight.
Bottom line, when you hear people talk about the joyful life in Christ, do you wonder what that sort of life really looks like, and how you can experience it? Consider that today as John MacArthur looks at the Christian attitude of joy. John's current study is titled The Pillars of Christian Character. and here now is John with the lesson. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and verse 16, we read this very short verse.
Rejoice always. That's it. In fact, in the original language, the adverb comes first, and so it goes like this: always, and the Command is in the present tense, so the latter part would be always continue to rejoice. Always be rejoicing.
Now, that is the command of verse 16, and the attitude I want to talk about is joy. Joy There's plenty of reason in the world in which we live. To be sad. Distressed, disturbed, upset, concerned, anxious, stressed out. Full of Fear.
Doubt. But not for the Christian. I'm going to make a statement now that might seem a A little bit hard, if not impossible, to believe, but I mean what I say, and I'm going to try to show you why. Here's the statement: there is no event. And there are no circumstances in life that should diminish the Christian's joy.
Let me say that again. There is no event. And there are no circumstances in life that should diminish the Christian's joy. All of us should be in the habit of constantly expressing joyful wonder. When you just think about what God is doing in your life.
Now That's the command. Rejoice always. Let me give you the reasons to obey it, okay? And I'll just give you a little list here. Real simple, straightforward.
Here's reasons for you to be thankful. Number one. Because joy is an act of proper response to the character of God. Proper response to the character of God, and I'm starting right where I just left off. Joy starts.
Because I know my God. is sovereign Gracious, loving. Merciful, kind. Kind. Omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent.
And he has my well-being. in his mind. Right? That's the deep-down confidence. I know my God.
And my God says, They might mean it for evil. But I mean it for Good. My God says. I work all things together for Good to those who Love me. Wow.
Wow. I know my God. And I can rejoice in my God. I can't always rejoice in my circumstances. But I can rejoice in the God who controls my circumstances.
I can rejoice in the character of my God. Are you not glad that your God is unchanging? What if God changed the way he operated from time to time? Yeah. What a frightening thing that would be.
What if his grace was whimsical? and only dispensed on certain occasions when he felt like it. But what if his justice came and went? What if he had mental lapses? What a frightening thing that would be.
The consistency of our God's character The absolute Immutability, unchanging. wisdom, sovereignty, power. Grace, mercy, That causes joy. In my heart. It causes me joy to know that what my God says, he does.
What he promises, he fulfills. Secondly, You can't touch. the Christian's joy because you can't touch the Christian's God. Because he's unchanging. And true.
Secondly, Joy is a proper act of appreciation for the work of Christ. Joy is a proper response, a proper act of appreciation. For the work of Christ. When I realized that Jesus Christ bore My sins in his own body on the tree that Jesus Christ Who knew no sin became sin for me when I realized that God laid on him the iniquity of us all? When I realized that I was redeemed not with corruptible things like silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ when I realized that when.
I was an enemy when I was hated, when I When I hated God, when I was his enemy, and when I was against him, and a blasphemer and a mocker. In mercy and in love, God sent His Son to redeem me. When I understand that the cross takes away all my sin, when I understand that His perfect substitutionary atonement covers me with the righteousness of Christ, when I understand that therefore heaven is eternally mine, when I understand all that Christ has accomplished, that gives me an abiding joy that any trivial passing circumstance of life should not affect. Thirdly, I ought to have incessant joy as an act of confidence in the work of the Holy Spirit. An act of confidence in the work of the Holy Spirit.
When you think about what is the Holy Spirit's work, well, I told you, Romans 14:17 says he brings righteousness, peace, and joy. In Galatians 5, he produces love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. 2 Corinthians 3.18, remember that wonderful verse says that the Holy Spirit is moving us from one level of glory to the next, ever increasingly like Jesus Christ, and he's doing that all the time. The Holy Spirit is showing us the things of Christ. No man knows the mind of God and the mind of Christ but the Spirit of Christ.
And the Spirit of Christ lives in us and he shows us Christ and He leads us into all truth and he brings all things to our remembrance and he teaches us all things. And he is the anointing from God that we possess and he is the Arab bond, the down payment, the engagement ring, the first installment of our eternal inheritance. All of that that the Spirit of God is doing in us. He protects us from sin. He seals us unto the day of redemption.
He fills our mouths with praise. And that goes on all the time.
So, your joy should start in the reality of the triune God. In the unchanging character and greatness of your God. In the glorious finished work of Christ your Savior, And in the ongoing sanctifying power of the indwelling Holy Spirit who lives in you. That's the deep down confidence that all is well.
Well, let me give you some more reasons. We move from the workers to the work. We're rejoicing over God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, but let's look at what. the work is that they do. Fourth, We ought to rejoice as an act of reasonable response to spiritual blessings continually given.
It never stops. It never stops. For example, Ephesians 1 says, We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. And that just keeps going on and on and on and on. God just keeps pouring out spiritual blessing.
You say, well, what do you mean by that? I don't feel like my life is really too blessed right now. Let me tell you something. Every single time you sin and it is instantaneously forgiving, that is a monumental blessing, the absence of which would catapult you into hell. Every time God moves you one step more toward the image of Jesus Christ, that is a monumental blessing.
Every time God refines you through the trials of life, that is a great blessing. God is pouring out forgiveness, He's pouring out provision. God brought you through another day and spared you some agony the likes of which you perhaps could never have known and would not know because you never experienced it because of his mercy. Blessings are poured out on you constantly. He is even now, and I think about this so often.
preparing a place for us.
Some things are going on up in heaven just to get ready for us. Blessings we will yet to experience. Goddess Pouring out His blessing upon us, pouring out His forgiveness, pouring out His guidance, pouring out His wisdom, pouring out His power. All spiritual blessings unendingly poured out upon us. Every wonderful rich Joy in this life.
comes from him. There are endless blessings. Endless blessings. Number five. Joy is an act of proper response to divine providence.
We've talked a little about this, but let me make it a specific point. Joy is an act of proper response to divine providence. By divine providence, I simply mean the fact that God orchestrates all circumstances to bring about. You're good. Divine providence, I've always said, is a bigger miracle to me than a miracle.
If I was God, it would be a lot easier. If I wanted to do something specific, if I wanted to reach a certain goal, like if I had an objective and a plan and a purpose and an end, and I wanted to achieve that, to just step in and make it happen. You know, that's my nature anyway. People who know me and work with me know. that if I have a goal in mind, I'd just as soon go do it.
Other people, they want to say, well, now John, don't be too big a hurry here. You know, we ought to have a committee and we ought to talk to these people and we ought to get them involved and we ought to get these people involved. And there's this process here, and we took.
Okay, and I sort of step back and say, yeah, but I mean, this is right, yeah, sure, this is right. See, I I if I if I were God, of course that would be uh unthinkable Thing, but if I were God, I would just say, forget the Providence deal, I'm doing a miracle now, bang, it's done. But God Says uh no We're just going to let all this stuff happen and I'm just going to control all this stuff. This billions of contingencies. And it's going to all come to the end that I want.
What genius is that? And God controls all of that. that goes on in your life for his end, which is to conform you to Jesus Christ. You should You know, it Imagine if God was just up there saying, oh. Ooh, I didn't expect that deal to happen.
How no oh, how am I gonna fix that? But what a deep down confidence to know he's in control of all of it. Amazing. Number six. Joy is an act of proper response to the promise of future glory.
The reason I wrote the the book on heaven was because I If Christians don't have that view, you get so messed up just getting stuck down here. If you can lose yourself in the glories of what is to come. This all of a sudden fades, doesn't it? I mean, you know, when the Apostle Paul told the Colossians, set your affections on things above and not on things on the earth, he wasn't trying to say something to them that was going to be excruciatingly painful. Do this even though it hurts.
He was telling them something that would free them from all the debilitating preoccupation with stuff that doesn't matter anyway. I mean, your joy should never ever be touched.
Well, seventh in my little list. Joy Deep down joy. Should always be there as an act of appreciation for answered prayer. Ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full. John 16, 24.
What have I ever asked for that the Lord didn't do if it was consistent with his character and his purpose? The Lord has answered my prayers over and over and over again. And as an act of appreciation for all the answered prayers, and for those prayers yet unanswered, that I know He'll hear and answer. My joy can be untouchable. Number eight.
as an act of appreciation for the scriptures. As an act of appreciation for the scriptures. Psalm 19, verse 8. You know that's one of my favorite psalms. I'd preach on it all the time if I could.
I had ring that bell over and over. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The scriptures bring me joy. Jeremiah says, Thy words were found, I did eat them, and they were in me, the joy and rejoicing of my heart. The Psalm of Psalm 119, just read Psalm 119.
How many times does David say that the word brings him joy, that the word is his delight? You should have that deep down appreciation of the Word of God. That brings you joy, thanking him for all that he has given. Listen to what John said. These things I write unto you, that your joy may be.
Full. Full. Number nine. You should rejoice always as an act of appreciation for Christian fellowship. For Christian fellowship.
What a sweet benediction Christian fellowship is. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 3:9, For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before God because of you? Paul says, I just have joy because of you. I can say that.
So many causes for joy in my life because of you and how God is using you and blessing you and how you're receiving the Word and serving the Lord and how I go places in the world and around the country and people come and tell me what the Lord means and what the Word means and And when I went back to Chicago, I was at dinner, and this guy said to me, I got to tell you a story. He said, I went to a place called. Hundred mile post. I said, what kind of place is that? It's a town in Canada.
When you leave civilization going north in Canada toward the Arctic Circle, You go up into the lumber area, they put a post every 50 miles.
So there's 50-mile post, 100-mile post, 150-mile posts, and 200-mile posts. And it's it's up toward No place. And he said, I I got to a place called uh Hundred mile post. To speak. And I met a guy and there was a church there.
And he said, I think he said it was a church of 150 or 200 people in this place that hardly had that many people. And he said, he told me how the story started.
Some missionary flew in there. This is a lumber, a bunch of lumberjacks. And this missionary had come in there and Giving them some grace to you tapes. And they had no ministry at all. This guy started listening to the tapes and he got saved, and he started getting more tapes, and more tapes, and more tapes.
And now there's a. Church. of 200 people in a place called a hundred mile post. And this guy was rejoicing in the fellowship and the fact that there was such commonality because. They were sort of an extension of Grace Community Church.
Because of the teaching. Is there anything sweeter than that? Christian fellowship when you need it. A friend.
Someone there to pray with you? Be your strength. Finally, number 10. We should have constant joy as an act of appreciation. for the privilege of witnessing.
The privilege of gospel preaching. What a privilege to proclaim Christ. What a privilege. What an honor. You remember the apostles in the early Part of the book of Acts.
And they whipped them and they flogged them. And they beat them, and then they sent them out of there. And what do they do? They went on their way what? Rejoicing because they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ.
It was such a thrill for them to be able to preach the gospel no matter what it cost.
Well, those are the reasons. You know, there are things that are going to hinder you. If you don't have joy in your life, may I suggest what it might be and we'll close? First of all, it could be that you're not saved. That's right.
It could be false salvation. Remember Matthew 13? The seed went into the soil, but the soil was rocky. And it sprung up, and there was joy, and the sun came out and burned it, and it died, and there was no life there. There can be a momentary sort of initial psychological bump or boost or emotional joy.
And it disappears. If you're struggling and you just don't have joy in your life and you just can't get on top of it, maybe you don't really know Christ and you ought to examine yourself to see whether you're in the faith. Secondly, maybe you're being tempted. Maybe you're under some very strong temptation. Because if there's anything Satan would like to do, It's still your joy.
He goes around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, Peter says. And so Peter says, here's the solution: casting all your care on. Him. Maybe you're carrying too much of your load. That'll turn into a temptation real fast.
Because you're not offloading it. Casting it on him. casting it on him. Maybe it's false expectations. Maybe you think you deserve more than you're getting when the fact is you deserve less.
Is that not true? What does an unregenerate person deserve? What does a wicked sinner deserve? Hell. God, in His mercy, gives them life and sunshine and rain.
and food and family and love. Much more than they deserve. God does that even for those who aren't his own. And look what he gives to us who don't deserve anything.
So much. Why do people expect Everything. One woman left the church and went to a charismatic church that preached the prosperity gospel. She came back and said, I don't want to go there, they won't let you be poor or sick. Hey, in life, some people are poor and sick.
Some people are just poor and some people are just sick. What do you expect out of life anyway? Happy, rich, successful. constantly healthy and full of miracles. You set yourself up for a real problem.
So sometimes when you don't have joy, it could be maybe because you're not a Christian. It could be because you're being bombarded with temptation. It could be because you've set up false expectations. And that connects with pride, folks. It could be pride.
It could be the sin of pride. The ugly, ugly sin that says, I don't have enough. I want more of this or that or that. And you know, the whole culture sells dissatisfaction, right? I mean, they put women on the screen on the TV to make you unhappy with the one you got.
They put men on the screen to make you unhappy with the one you got. They put cars on the screen to make you unhappy with the one you've got. They put All that stuff before you to make you dissatisfied. The premise of all marketing is. Make them dissatisfied.
So the culture blasts you with that. And you you go home to your Wife, and your husband, and your car, and your life, and your job. And it's not The fantasy that they try to sell you, but it is exactly the dissatisfaction. That leads to you purchasing or giving up what you have for. The deception.
Pride will make you chase that stuff. Ingratitude will kill your joy. Another thing is prayerlessness. Prayerlessness will take your joy. And that's back to what I said earlier, because you're to carry the load yourself.
You're just going to carry the whole deal. You don't need to do that. Just give it up. Just get it before the Lord. Hand it over to him.
Let him carry it for you. Cast all your care on him. Philippians 4. Get involved in prayer. Be anxious for.
Nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, let your request be made known to God. And as a result, the peace of God. We'll take over. And one other thing I might comment on is Feelings. If you run by feelings and operate by feelings, you're going to have a hard time sustaining joy.
People say, well, I just, I don't feel like being happy. I don't feel like rejoicing. And how can I rejoice if I don't feel like it? And how can I control my feelings? Let me tell you, you better.
I mean, if everybody ran around doing what they felt like doing, what in the world kind of place would we have? We all control our feelings to some degree. It's silly to go around saying, well, I just don't feel like it.
Well, you control your feelings all the time. You you have to. And the way to control the kind of feelings that steal your joy. Is by your mind being filled with truth. And now I'm getting to the main deal here.
And the main deal is this: the number one contributor to the lack of joy is ignorance. You don't know the truth of God, Christ, the Holy Spirit. You don't have the mind of Christ. You don't know about God's sovereignty, God's mercy, God's providence, all those things we've talked about. When your mind is filled with sound doctrine and you believe it with all your heart, it takes over control of your emotions.
And then you're not running around just flying off emotionally. You are a rational being. And your feelings must be controlled by your reason. By your mind. And your mind, when filled with the truth of God, will control your emotions.
I mean, it can be as simple as You're flying in an airplane. And the thing, something goes wrong. It loses an engine, and you start to bump and bounce and flap. Emotions take over. initially And then you say to yourself, oh.
This could be the most novel experience of my life. I could be, this could be. Flight 841 to heaven. I could see I may see the Lord's. God's work will go on.
Isn't this Ah, yeah. Potential? You see, reason has to take over. And whatever Is in your mind. controls your emotions.
Some people would say, I'm not going to break up, I'm not going to get panicky, I'm going to control yourself, you don't want to embarrass yourself. You know, the mind takes over at that point in a superficial way. And that person grits their teeth and hangs on for dear life. You see, you have to, your emotions can be controlled by your mind.
So, if your mind is controlled by the truth of the Word of God, that's how your emotions are going to respond, right? And so, they'll have true responses to the reality that is most important, and that's the spiritual. reality.
Well I think you get the message by now. Rejoice always, would you? Let God's truth, not feelings, consume your thoughts and dictate your actions. That's a blueprint for lasting joy, as John MacArthur showed you today on Grace to You. John's current study is titled The Pillars of Christian Character.
Now, John pointed out today that God tells us to rejoice, so it's a matter of obedience. That said, I can imagine some people may be wondering why the Bible commands us to be joyful. I mean, isn't that something we all want?
Something we don't need a command for? Here's how John answered that question.
Well, the Bible is pretty explicit. Rejoice. And again, I say rejoice. The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians. We are commanded to rejoice.
That is not connected to our earthly circumstances. Did you hear that? Our joy is deep-seated, profound joy. That is above and beyond and outside of our human circumstances, and rather connected. To our eternal salvation and the divine promises of God to bless us in life.
and throughout eternity in the glory of heaven in his presence. Our joy is attached to our future. in heaven, and all that God has prepared for us. When you get literally caught up. in trying to suck your joy out of this world.
You're going to find it very, very difficult. That's why the Bible says be anxious for Nothing. Get your eyes off this earth. And all the challenges and difficulties here, and get them on heaven and what the Lord has prepared for those that love Him. I want to remind you about a book.
called anxious for nothing. I guess we could have called it uh stop worrying. It's a sin and it's debilitating and it's unnecessary. The book again is anxious for nothing. It's a full-length book.
Literally, hundreds of thousands of people have been blessed through the years with this book. You don't need to struggle over anxiety and fear and doubt and worry. We'd love to help you with that. Here's the good news. We'll send you a free copy, that's right, free copy of Anxious for Nothing.
If you get in touch with us for the first time. And friend, no matter what may tempt you to worry, conflict with family members, financial hardship, your relationship with God, or whatever it is. This book gives practical help, and again, it's free if you're contacting us for the first time. to request your copy of Anxious for Nothing? Get in touch with us today.
Just call us at 800-55 GRACE. or visit online at gty.org. Again, Anxious for Nothing is free if it's your first time getting in touch.
So request your free book today. If you have gotten in touch before or you'd like more than one copy to give to loved ones, You can purchase Anxious for Nothing for $10.50 and shipping is free. To order call 855 GRACE or shop online at gty.org. And when you visit us online, remember we have a wide range of free Bible study tools available, including all of John MacArthur's sermons from his 56 years of pulpit ministry. You can download the MP3s and the written transcripts.
Also, for your phone or tablet, you'll want to download the Grace to You app, which gives you free access to all of John's sermons, right in the palm of your hand. All of that free teaching and more is available at gty.org.
Now, for the entire Grace to U staff, I'm Phil Johnson. Thanks for listening today and be back tomorrow when John looks again at the pillars of Christian character. showing you how to develop Christ-honoring compassion. It's another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time. on Grace to You.
