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Afternoon worship, but I'm going to take three psalm requests psalm request Naomi 71 a in the book of Psalms for singing and is there another song request? Duncan 56 and Jack 77 B. Okay. All right. So 71 a 56 and 77 B.
Those will be our song requests for this afternoon that will sing in worship. We just want to extend Thanksgiving and thankfulness to all those who had helped with the Presbytery synod meetings that we had this past week.
So we're very very glad I wasn't here. I was in Calgary. So I wasn't able to Participate but I you know, I'd heard that everything went really smooth. We're very thankful to Bedford Presbyterian as well who who loaned us their their building for that meeting we're very, you know glad for the the relationship that we have with them and and so that's very encouraging and then also in your bulletins day, there is a Highlight of Presbytery.
There's a note of thanks which John read this morning and I'm not going to read it again but there's also just a highlight of some of the the I guess it's the synopsis of the what-happened during the meetings.
And some of the actions and things that were done. So if you're interested in reviewing those later you can. But anyways, we're very thankful for that also, just a reminder to that there's a Truro Bible study and prayer meeting tonight at 530 at the Colchester Christian Academy and Michael Yotnin who's the pastor at Mount Zion in Moncton is leading that tonight.
That one's got a bit of a rotating schedule between John Martin DenDekker and Michael so Be in prayer for that. And then next week We have the baptism of Chloe Byrne scheduled in the morning, so just pray for the Byrne's family as they welcome a new child and Also as a congregation as we welcome a new member next week as Chloe will be baptized and added as a non-communicant member to our church.
I'd ask you to stand now for a Moment of silent prayer as we prepare our hearts for the Lord. Here the Lord calls to worship. Make a joyful shout to the Lord all you lands serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before his presence with singing. Know that the Lord he is God. It is he who has made us and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise.
Be thankful to him and bless his name for the Lord is good. His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations. Let's pray Father, thank you today for the graciousness of this call that you you call us into your presence and Father today.
We thank you that you have made a way for us to enter into your the presence of your holiness. Father we thank you that in and through your son Jesus Christ that you make your people holy. Father we confess that we do not contain The holiness that we need on our own to approach you because we're full of sin.
And so Lord, we thank you for the cleansing power of Jesus Christ of his blood that you have given to us. We thank you for the work of the Holy Spirit, which has changed our hearts changed our minds to see the beauty and the excellency of Jesus Christ to see Our sin in our own lives and so father We pray that you would continue to work through the power of your of your spirit even in this service we pray that you would work through the ministry of the word and Through the prayers and the praises that we offer up that that our minds would be transformed.
That we would come to love you in a fuller greater way. And so father bless us now Lord we again we just pray for all the worship that we offer up today. That you would receive it through the righteousness of your son Jesus Christ in whose name we pray.
Our opening song today is Psalm 22 F in the book of Psalms for saying so if you're visiting where you use The book of Psalms in the afternoon. So Psalm 22 F.
I'm to turn to the Old Testament and it's taken from the.
Prophet Isaiah and we'll be reading from chapter 61 From verse 1 through to 11. So if you wish to turn in your Bibles, you may so once again reading from Isaiah 61 verse 1 through to 11. Here now the word of the Lord.
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me. Because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted to proclaim Liberty to the captives and the opening of the prisoner prison to those who are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God.
To comfort all who mourn to console those who mourn in Zion. To give them beauty for ashes the oil of joy for mourning the garment of praise for this for the spirit of heaviness that they may be called trees of righteousness the Planting of the Lord that he may be glorified and they shall rebuild the old ruins.
They shall raise up the former desolations and they shall repair the ruined cities the desolations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks and the sons of the foreigner shall be your plowmen and your Vinedressers, but you shall be named priests the priests of the Lord.
They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat riches of the Gentiles and in their glory you shall boast. Instead of shame you shall have double honor. Instead of confusion, they shall rejoice in their portion.
Therefore in their land, they shall possess double. Everlasting joy shall be theirs for I the Lord love justice. I hate robbery for burnt offering. I Will direct their work in truth and I will make with them an everlasting covenant.
Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles and their offspring among the people. All the all who see them shall acknowledge them that they are the prosperity Whom the Lord has blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.
My soul shall be joyful in my God for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation he has covered me with the robe of righteousness as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments and As a bride adorns herself with her jewels for as the earth brings forth its bud as The garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth.
So the Lord will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. So that ends the reading of God's Word. We're now going to turn to Psalm 71 a in the book of Psalms for singing that's our first Congregational selection this afternoon.
Psalm 71 a in the book of Psalms for singing in the O Lord. I refuge take.
Next selection is Psalm 56. Selection is Psalm 77. 77 brothers look to our God in prayer.
Oh our most gracious heavenly father how we praise you for your goodness to us as your people. We praise you that you've called us to be your people out of the darkness and into your marvelous light and I pray O Lord that you would help us as we Consider the fact that you yours is a kingdom of light and truly we sang of it in one of the Psalms and Psalm 56 that you know, we walk in the light and We praise you O Lord for that and we pray that You would cause your light to shine upon us that even the light of your countenance would be lifted up upon us.
That we might see your glory. And we might see your majesty and your beauty Lord that we might desire you but we might see your justice and your righteousness and the way that you work in all of the world and that we might rejoice in our Lord Jesus Christ who came here and Fulfilled your law so perfectly as he lived among us as no man ever lived he spoke as no man ever spoke.
Truly, he was a perfect man. He had all the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in him in the sense of his being truly God in his person and yet coming in human flesh and We praise you that by looking at him that we can learn so much of you for he reveals you in the way that you have called us all to do so as your image bearers and Yet because of our sin and our corruption we are hindered greatly from doing so but truly Jesus is the light of the world and We rejoice to be able to declare him and proclaim him and to tell people who he is and what he has done.
Indeed Lord not only his character and in who he is But what he has done is such a significant matter of revelation about him of the light. Oh Lord We see how he came here and went to the cross. Because of his great love for you and his great love for his church that he went there in order to bear the pains of hell for us in order that we might be redeemed and forgiven and Truly we see the light of wisdom and truth Shining in his very works.
Even as he walked among us too, and he went about doing good. We pray O Lord that we would rejoice that this is what we are called to do. We pray that you would enable us to do it more Diligently and vigorously.
Oh father we thank you also that the light shines into the darkness of our heart and That the sin that is there is exposed and it is a glorious thing when it is. It's not a pleasant thing to have our our sins exposed.
But it is a glorious thing that that we're encountering the Holy Spirit and his work in us when that happens. And Lord truly when we are convicted of our sin Even though our sin is an ugly thing and we are ashamed.
We also are glad. It makes us joyful because you have spoken to us. You have shown us what we need to see in order that we might change and it is a blessing and it gives us a glad heart. Father we pray that we would be eager then to to look to you for the strength that we need To be able to change in order that we might indeed walk in the light as you are in the light.
Lord help us to always confess our sins in order that we might not have that barrier between us and you. But that we might be cleansed from our sins and able to see who you are and to live before you without a Conscience that is riddled by guilt and that makes us a shame and makes us hide in the shadows.
Truly righteousness is in Jesus Christ and in him. We're able to also be those who are the light of the world. You said that your church is also light and Lord You have set us to be a people on a hill that shine forth in the world.
And we pray that we would do so better than we do now. Oh Lord as we look out today and we see the church. It is so troubled with many things. Oh Lord There is so much Division there is so much strife and corruption is even we saw this morning looking at the Psalm 55 how that the Corruption of your city.
Oh Lord that this is where Satan does his Most of his work is within the very church itself. The these are the ones that killed the prophets that were sent to them. These are the ones that Appointed that the Lord Jesus should be crucified.
That was the judgment of the church and we see that this is where so much sexual immorality and so much perverted teaching is Propagated where idolatry is promoted where corruption is is spread spreads.
We see Lord that there are those who are hardened and bitter. We see Lord that there are so many things that are twisted and we recognize that This is the place where Satan works the most. We pray that the light would overcome.
Father truly the light shines in the darkness and we know even when Jesus came that it was his own that Received him not even though the light did shine in the darkness in a perfect way in him and truly Lord where there had been darkness light did shine.
We thank you though that there is always there are always a people that see the light that by your grace. That you open their heart and the Holy Spirit shows them the light and the truth. And they're able to come and receive and welcome the light and to be able to live in the light.
Father help us also to carry the light of your truth to others as we just said being a city on a hill with The light of the world we pray Lord that the missionaries of the church would go out with power and that they would be able to declare plainly the glorious gospel and the glorious person of Christ and that people would be able to see their need of him and repent of their sins and come to him that the light would shine and All over the world in that way.
We pray also as we spend time in our neighborhoods and in our workplaces that we would be diligent to Lead people to Jesus Christ to point them to him to bring them to hear his word. To speak to them of the reason of the hope that is in us and that we would be living in such a way that they Would see that.
We also pray that your light would be in our homes Father that our homes would have the savor of Christ upon them that we would live in such a way that Husbands love their wives as Christ loved the church and that wives submit to their husbands even as the church Submits to Christ and that there would be that mutual love and care between siblings and not hostility and bitterness.
But rather those that are helping and protecting and guarding and and loving one another. Oh father. Transform our homes transform our families that they may be places of light and truth. Thank you so much Lord for all that you have done.
We look also at our nation. Here we see much darkness Lord here. We see much confusion here. We see much that is far from you. Oh Lord that there is a Great absence of the fear of the Lord in our land.
You said in the in your word that the first principle for a leader is that he be one that fears the Lord and And Recognizes your authority. If that is not so then whose authority is being followed. It is not your authority.
It is some other authority and we do not want that Lord. We desire very much to see that our nation would be that which has leaders who fear God. And who submit to you O Lord and seek to do your will.
Oh Father this we always think is such a great prayer. It seems so out of reach but we know that for you it is not and we pray that we would therefore pray with confidence and That we would see your hand working all across our land and being bringing transformation.
We believe Lord that in order for the Those who are the established leaders and those in authority here to be changed that it would also Require that the people be changed and that the gospel would spread among them and that they would come to love the Lord and They would be seeking to walk in your truth and to live in the light of the Lord.
May that be so in our nation. Father we thank you for the opportunity that we have to use the means of grace. That the light might be disseminated among us. We pray as we come to your word this afternoon That you'll be pleased to cause the light to shine in that way and that as we spend time reading your word on our own.
And in our families that also there the light would shine and that we would be blessed by it. Oh Lord glorify your name we pray and bless us now in Jesus name. Amen. Please be seated. Well, it is a wonderful thing to be redeemed in our Series on the shorter catechism.
We're looking at some of the benefits that we have from Jesus Christ our chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever and We have seen as we've looked at these things how God created us to be those who live out that purpose.
The whole human race was really created to do that and yet we rejected God as God and that's why there is death and suffering and famine and warfare and hatred and violence and immorality and Misery and sorrow in our world.
But God in his great mercy purposed beforehand. That he would redeem a people for himself that he would bring a people back to him from the fall. Primarily that he would restore them to himself To be their God and make them his people and as he says to them again and again in the scriptures I will be your God and you Will be my people.
We have seen how he sent his only son from heaven to redeem us he was born of a virgin with a true human body and spirit and How he represented us in establishing a kingdom of righteousness. That we could enter into in this fallen world where there is no righteousness.
He had to pay a huge price to establish that kingdom as we have seen. He had to shed his own blood and bear the curse for us on the cross. The pains of hell were upon him. God's justice demanded that from the whole lot of us.
He did that on the cross and the result is that we who enter into his kingdom repenting of our sin and trusting in Jesus all that he did to establish this kingdom a Restored to God is our God. Truly it is a wonderful thing to be redeemed and we have all sorts of Tremendous benefits as a result of that and that's what we're looking at now in the catechism the benefits that we have from Christ.
These are summarized in a general way in question 32. It's an introduction question to the section that follows so let's go back to that and Confess this question together. It's printed in your handout there question 32 and the Westminster shorter catechism.
What benefits do they that are effectually call partake of in this life. They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification adoption and Sanctification and the several benefits which in this life do either a company or flow from them.
We've always had sermons on these specific benefits that are listed here. Justification is the benefit of being totally Accepted by God. We're made acceptable because we have union with Jesus Christ who is acceptable and He joining himself to a kingdom that was full of sin Paid the penalty of that sin in order that it was overcome and then he fulfilled all of God's righteous Requirements and the way that he lived is our head and representative and so now we can come to God as a kingdom that has a right standing before God and Personally as we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are justified by faith in him and In adoption is the benefit that we have of being made the sons of God. We're adopted into his family and we're able to be his people and To be counted as his sons who live in his house forever and ever we have all kinds of connections To God's house.
God is now our father. The Lord Jesus Christ is our elder brother he is also our bridegroom and we are his bride and So there are all kinds of connections in this family way and it is a precious relationship that we have.
What a great benefit that is we who were cut off and cast out are now sons and daughters of the great God. Sanctification is the benefit of being transformed day by day. So that we actually begin to conform to the ways of this house and of our God.
The beautiful ways the ways of our Lord Jesus Christ who is so gloriously Righteous and pure and holy and loving he's we are more and more Becoming like him and growing up in the mind of Christ To be all that he is.
And of course anyone who has these benefits in Christ will have a whole lot of other benefits as well and We're looking at those other benefits in addition to these three primary ones. That's what we're looking at now.
So question 32 is the question that summarizes these other benefits for us. Which it calls the several benefits which in this life we either accompany or flow from Justification and adoption and sanctification.
So that is a question that we will confess now. It's actually question 36. Question 36, what are the benefits which in this life do a company or flow from? Justification adoption and sanctification. The benefits which in this life do a company or flow from justification adoption and sanctification are assurance of God's love peace of conscience joy in the Holy Ghost increase of grace and perseverance therein to the end we have looked at the first two of these benefits and Those of course are assurance of God's love and peace of conscience that we looked at last week and Now we're going to look at joy in the Holy Ghost.
That's what we're looking at today so Joy in the Holy Spirit. Holy Ghost. Holy Spirit. We usually say Holy Spirit now the older way was Holy Ghost. But joy in the Holy Spirit is a subject of great importance according to the Bible.
I Still remember I think I'll always remember How greatly I was impressed when the first time I was teaching in the shorter catechism on this question. And I think it's about 40 years ago now when I was teaching it for the first time and I did a study going through the Bible and looking up the word joy and particularly in the New Testament to see, you know, how it was used overall in the scriptures and It was it was amazing to me to see all of the Occurrences of the word joy or rejoice or kindred words like that I was not only struck by how often it was used but I was struck by the prominence that it was given as well.
It wasn't like a secondary thing like an Unimportant thing for example in Romans 14. When the Apostle Paul is talking about scruples that believers have like somebody maybe that doesn't think they could eat meat or drink wine.
Or something like that. He says he then declares what really matters in God's kingdom. And this is what he says. He lists three things the first two are Righteousness and peace you might say yeah, that's what I would expect.
The third one is joy joy in the Holy Spirit Romans 14 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Now to me that was a bit of a surprise when I saw that as I went on in my study I found that joy was sometimes the stated goal of the Apostles whole ministry.
Which is quite interesting. Take Paul when he wrote to the Philippians from the Roman prison. The Philippians were worried that Paul was going to be executed. But he replied that if he was it would be a lot better for him.
He would go depart to be with the Lord and go to be with Christ. But he said that he was confident that he would be delivered in Order that he might go on and minister to them. He was quite Pretty sure that that's what God was going to have him to do and what would be the purpose of him?
Continuing his ministry to them Philippians 1 25 and having this confidence. I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for the furtherance and joy of your faith. So by continued ministry He would further their joy and Then we have the testimony of the Apostle John At the opening of his first letter.
He says that he and his fellow Apostles had the privilege of seeing and hearing and even touching Christ while he was on the earth and Now they have been directed by Christ to declare what they have seen and heard about him to all the world and To write about it So that others can come to the word and learn about Christ and about fellowship with God through him.
And then he adds 1st John 1 4 and these things we write to you That your joy may be full that is why John and Paul labored and suffered and Kept on laboring and suffering more and why they wrote In other words that they might bring joy to God's people through the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
So we're going to talk about what this joy is. It is no wonder that they had joy as a major goal because Jesus himself Described this as the goal of his ministry, even though he was called a man of sorrows.
Who was acquainted with grief yet? There was this joy Before he was crucified. He said to his disciples as recorded in John 15 11 These things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full and in his great high priestly prayer and John 17 he comes before the father as he prepares to depart from this world and he says John 17 13 But now I come to you and these things I speak in the world that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
He says so this is Jesus goal as well and what he prays for. Now if joy was the goal of Jesus and his apostles in their ministry. Should it not be our goal to have this joy as his disciples? Of course it should.
You need to pray that you would obtain joy in your walk with the Lord and the joy that he's talking about here. That you need you need to work hard then Attaining this joy and seeking this joy and you need to know that something is wrong if you don't have it and In teaching your children, you should aim to bring them into this joy.
If your children are grumpy then you need to consider what you're setting before them. The joy that the Apostles in Jesus are talking about. But don't misunderstand I'm not talking about the flippant joy that comes when you have a good worship band or a preacher who tells lots of jokes.
You know You can have a lot of joy and you can be very very frivolous and that sort of thing or the kind of joy that churches try to drum up to make children enjoy church when they bring clowns in and puppet shows and happy clappy songs and all these things with hand motions because they want them to Enjoy church and to have fun at church and then when they get to be adults They still want to do the same thing.
They want to come and be entertained and they're looking More like consumers and they are someone that is there to call upon Christ. I'm certainly not talking about the kind of joy that is taught by some of the popular TV preachers.
You come to Christ. You won't have any more problems you'll be rich and successful and God will give you everything that you ever wanted and all all these things and people will get really Emotionally high and on that kind of a message and they'll go seeking that.
Sadly, that's something that has made great headway on the continent of In Africa and Many many prosperity churches in poor places and people are are seeking to find worldly prosperity through the name of Jesus Christ and to find joy and they have joy in Anticipating that and they get very excited about that.
But it's not the thing that is is being talked about here. Jesus did not do very well in this world. He was poor. He didn't have a place to lay his head. He often was a relatively friendless as he went about and he was rejected by The leaders and he had many many sorrows and hardships.
In that worldly way is clear that this is not what he's talking about. The joy that the Jesus and the Apostles are talking about is a joy that transcends the superficial joy. That an unbeliever any unbeliever can experience.
They're not taught they're talking about joy and the Holy Spirit is the catechism puts it. It is a joy that is described as a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is not contrary to the joy that we have when we have riches or something.
Maybe we you know, we get a raise or something like that. You have joy about that or we enjoy good music. Feasting things like that. Yes, those joys are There they're fine. But the problem is is if we think that's the kind of joy that we're talking about here because this is a joy that is also very present when you're suffering in poverty and when you're rejected by everyone and when and in fact The joy in the Holy Spirit is actually more conspicuous at those times when you don't have all the things that you want in the world and when you have to strive and and Labor for joy.
It's a joy that is deeply rooted in the Lord and is not dependent on our circumstances in the world. Many of you are going through trials of various kinds right now that means That you have opportunity.
Especially you're in a situation through your trials where you can learn a whole lot more of this joy it creates a situation where Everything is kind of empty in the way of joy in the joy of the Holy Spirit.
Can be the thing that sustains you this is what sustains people when they have to go To prison and solitary confinement for their faith for You know 15 years or something and you know. They're just the the horrors of that they can be filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit in that situation.
It is supernatural joy that comes from God's Spirit. Surely you can see how that it honors God. For us to have this joy when his servants are unhappy. It makes it seem that he must not be much of a master to us he must not be much of a God to us.
Happy servants bring glory to him and I'm not talking about either putting on a superficial happy face here that we go around and say I'm so happy. We're not talking about that. We have all kinds of reasons to have great joy if we're in Christ.
So today we're gonna look at the foundation of our joy and those reasons with the goal That we might experience this joy in the Holy Spirit more and more. So we'll look at that in just a moment. And then after that we've done that we'll look at how joy ought to be seen in various aspects of our life.
But first we'll go to our scripture reading in first Peter 1. I read it till now to do the scripture reading because I wanted to Present to you sort of give you an appetite for this joy. And then when we read about it, you can see how it's described by Peter.
And he describes it very much in a time of when it's very hard situation for them and That's one of the things I noticed when I went through looking at the word joy. The time it was mentioned was when everything was going badly and they many times not always but many times.
That was the context everything was going badly and they were full of joy. And that's what he's talking about here. You're suffering for a time here and you're filled with this joy. Unspeakable, so so so let's take a look at our scripture read first Peter chapter 1 beginning in verse 1 Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ to the pilgrims of the dispersion in Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithynia elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in Sanctification of the spirit for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ grace to you in peace be multiplied.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead? To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that it does not fade away reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time and This you greatly rejoice.
Though now for a little while if need be you have been grieved by various trials. That the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes though. It is tested by fire. May be found to praise honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see him yet. Believing you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory receiving the end of your faith the salvation of your souls of This salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully who prophesied of the grace that would come to you.
Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify? We testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us.
They were ministering the things which now have been reported to you. Through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven things which the angels desire to look into.
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind be sober and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you. At the revelation of Jesus Christ is obedient children not conforming yourselves to the former lusts is in your ignorance.
But as he who has called you is holy. You also be holy in all your conduct because it is written be holy for I am holy. And if you call on the Father who without partiality judges according to each one's work.
Conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear. Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct. Received by tradition from your father's but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world. But was manifest in these last times for you who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory. So that your faith and hope are in God.
Since you have purified your souls and obeying the truth through the Spirit and sincere love of the brethren. Love one another fervently with a pure heart having been born again not of corruptible seed.
But incorruptible through the Word of God which lives and abides forever. Because all flesh is grass and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers and its flower falls away, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.
Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you may God bless the Reading of his holy word that we have just heard. Indeed as he said the Word of the Lord abides forever the grass withers the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord abides forever.
You can see here from what Peter says about joy. That it is something that is quite extraordinary. Extraordinary not only does he say that believers greatly rejoice even though they have been grieved by various trials.
But in verse 8 he refers to this joy as joy inexpressible and full of glory. I often Think of the the old King James Version where it says joy unspeakable and full of glory. So you will hear me saying that sometimes just out of out of habit.
From that because I think that's a really helpful phrase unspeakable or inexpressible. It means the same thing basically. But it's joy that is beyond words is what it is. It's joy that you can't describe.
You know, there's some kinds of joy. They're quite easy to describe so. This is something we want to know about. But what is it? What is it that fills the believer with joy? What is the source of our joy in the Holy Spirit.
First of all understand that true Christian joy is not Just a feeling of euphoria. I'm sad to see that this is what a lot of people are looking for today. They take drugs whether prescription or non-prescription to lift up their spirits to make them feel better and.
Some people go to church to get pumped up by a pep talk or musical performances and they say I feel so much better now. But this is not the true joy that we're talking about here. It's just a feeling that's not connected to anything.
It's a feeling that arises from the things that are going on. It can be just as bad if you have joy from the wrong root as well. For example, if you have joy and riches amassed by covetousness or if you have joy in a new affair.
That can be a very exciting thing. Somebody is Leaving someone that they've been with and you know getting into an affair or joy from deceiving people about something I got away with it. You know. Look at how I came away with everything because I deceived everyone and I got what I wanted.
I made all these sales as a salesman. You know sold things to people that they didn't really need deceiving them and making them think they were getting something. They weren't really getting. You can have great joy from that feel like you did a great successful thing.
Look at me I've done so well and Look at all the things I'm going on my vacation. I have all these things. That kind of joy is obviously no good. Because that's rejoicing and wickedness. Or you might have joy from false.
Hope. Like Haman did Remember him in the book of Esther. He was full of joy because the king asked him what ought to be done to honor the man that the king wanted to honor. And Haman thought he must be talking about me.
You know, he wants to honor me. What would I want to be done? He thought about it and he said I know what you should do. King the man that you want to honor. Came up with a suggestion that the man ought to be paraded around town on the king's horse and have a servant that's leading that horse and Proclaiming, you know this this is the man.
This is what is done for the man that the king wants to honor one of his most noble servants to lead that horse around. Well, it turned out that it was not Haman, but Haman's enemy Mordecai that the king wanted to honor and Haman was the noble servant that was chosen to lead the horse around the king didn't even know about their Hostility with each other and so Haman had the humiliation of going out and saying look what the king Wants to do for the man that he wants to honor.
This is what the king does for the man he wants to honor and You know, he was the joy that he had. The point is the joy that he had was no good. Because it wasn't founded in the right place. It wasn't a joy in a Holy Spirit.
It was joy. He was a euphoric when he thought he was gonna be the man. But when he found out it wasn't it was all gone and that's what will happen to worldly joy the Day of Judgment people that don't fear God and they've rejoiced in wickedness and unrighteousness and Taking advantage of people and various things like that.
They're gonna be the most miserable of all people on the Day of Judgment. So, you know, it's this is an interesting thing I've as I say, I've preached on the this subject a number of times and this is pretty much What I have preached before On this subject, but in earlier in this week I found that I had been grumbling in my spirit in a way that was Should I say more than usual?
And I think it's because There were some really hard things that I needed to do at the presbytery like I had to say some things very directly and plainly that It's stuff you wouldn't want to say and dealing with a hard matter and Just anticipating that I found that I was kind of Grumpy like around the house.
In other words, I didn't have a joy in that way. And I listened to the sermon that I preached on this subject. Something like six years ago and in that sermon I mentioned That I had trouble with grumbling that week.
It was the same it was the same thing and that was quite striking. You know, I've told you that before that was sermons It seems like what I'm preaching on That often there'll be several people that are going through that or I'll be going through it or something that is completely Related to the sermon just in God's providence.
I don't mean that every single time it's that way but very frequently it seems that is that way and So before presbytery I was able to increase my joy by remembering what the foundation of true joy in the Holy Spirit is as I went over to this material and so my prayer is That you will be able to find joy also By looking at God's Word and what it says about joy.
Whatever your circumstances are if you're if you're friendless if you're homeless, whatever you are. That you can see what the foundation of joy is. So Peter says that Christians have joy. Because we have this amazing inheritance in heaven.
Look if you are an orphan in some oppressive regime somewhere or if you have let's say you you have You're living you're taken in by your uncle and he's not a nice uncle at all and You discover that in three years.
He's gonna sell you into some kind of slavery Situation the trafficking kind of thing and you're gonna be put in this terrible situation and you know hardly Given adequate food and clothing being abused and all of these things.
How glad you would be if you received information that instead that there was a rich man who had approached your uncle who was a gracious man and Wanted to have you to come and live with him and he was willing to pay your uncle.
To have you come and live with him as soon as you heard about the arrangements. Even if you had to remain in your uncle's house for several more years. You would have joy. Because you know what is in your future you would have joy and Of course, you understand the illustration that it's exactly what happens to us as believers.
Isn't that what it says. Look at verse 3 and 4. Peter says that we have been begotten again by God the Father. We were in bondage to Satan under a miserable taskmaster and we realized where we were headed to an inheritance in hell.
But now we have been begotten by God. He has adopted us into his family so that we are his children now. We have been born into a new family. We have a new inheritance. We have a father now who loves us now instead of going to hell.
We're on our way to heaven in God's house. It's that simple. That is a foundation for joy if you lay hold of that. While you can be in the prison camp or whatever it might be. You could be without any friends, whatever it might be.
And you can be full of joy. Because you have this inheritance. That is forever and ever and the more you think about it. This is not something that will just be for a year or two. This is forever and ever and ever and ever and all of a sudden however many years it might be in this world Becomes very unimportant by comparison.
We look at the things that are eternal not at the things that are temporary. You see what Peter says about this inheritance. He says that it is a living hope. Something that is future a hope. If it was if it was no hope it would be something you have now.
He's it's a living hope a hope that you live you can live with a hope. You have the hope now. But you don't have the thing hope for yet. You have the promise you have the expectation the assurance and it encourages you and delights you.
He says that it is an inheritance. We didn't do anything to earn it. We're not going to lose it that way. Because it's given by grace. Your your inheritance is if you're a child in your family your inheritance you don't go out and earn it.
You have it because you're a child you belong to that family. Peter tells us what a marvelous inheritance this inheritance is. Look what he says about it. He says it is incorruptible. It is not one that can be damaged by rust or by inflation or anything like that.
He says it is undefiled. There's nothing wrong with this inheritance. There's no flaw in it. Because it is an inheritance in god's house. You won't get there and say oh. This isn't quite what I thought it was going to be, you know, I had great expectations, but this is not no.
It's there's there's nothing wrong. He says it will never fade away. It's not going to fade in its appeal. You know, that was something I learned as a as a young man that Things would fade away. In this world, you know, you would get something you'd be very excited about it.
And then it would fade away over time. You think well, okay. What's next and go to you're always looking for the next thing and you're always like for me. I was always upbeat because I was always looking at the next thing and the next thing and the next thing.
But they fade away. This one doesn't. I remember my friends told me when I was converted in university that um, you know. You're going to be back like you were after the summer. After I after i'd been converted and I came back and they asked me the first question they asked me are you still religious?
And I said, yeah, I said more than ever like Oh. They were kind of surprised but it didn't fade away like all the other things in my life had. It is reserved in heaven for you. It is truly in heaven. And heaven is the place where god is.
And that's what you have to look forward to. You have a reservation there. There's a place for you that no one else can take if you are in christ. Jesus. And we're absolutely sure of this inheritance.
We're sure of it because god has given us his word and we believe him. We saw some of those promises this morning about the certainty of what he has given us. Faith is not some leap in the dark. Some believing of something into existence, you know.
Some people they they believe things into existence that can give you a kind of a joy right now. Can't it like, you know, I I just I believe that everything's going to work out. I believe that i'm going to be really really successful sometimes you see.
A young man that gets on to some scheme or something and he's thinking that or he's seeing older men too that do it. They they think i'm gonna be rich, you know. They've got these guys with their rings and everything in their cars and they're showing all the look how successful I was.
You can do this too. You just come and join sign up here and pay this money and you'll be rich and. Oh, wow, and they're all excited about that but. It's it's it's like they don't really have a foundation for it.
Faith is believing what god has promised. And that's something that is sure and certain. And that's what we need. This thing's the promises that are recorded in the bible. We don't just believe stuff into existence by by believing that it will happen.
To make us feel better, which again it can but we believe what he's promised. And he has promised that we're begotten again to a living hope through the resurrection of jesus christ. We're told that god has given us this faith to believe and that he even keeps us believing through difficult circumstances.
That is a great promise, isn't it my faith? Is it going to fall away? Will I lose it? Not if it's real faith. He will preserve you. Yeah, it can wane peter's faith waned when jesus was crucified but Jesus prayed that his faith would not fail.
I mentioned that to you this morning as well. So it can go god will maintain it through difficult circumstances. You can see this look at verses five through nine. He speaks of us as those who verse five are kept by the power of god through faith for For salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In other words the way that he keeps us is how according to that? By sustaining our faith. Through times when our faith is stretched and tried God is the one who preserves it as I told you also this morning when we come to god we say lord You do the saving.
Because I can't. And when we do that he does. He does do the saving and he keeps us and yeah. We'll be tried and stretched and sometimes we'll feel like our faith is about to collapse. But if we have asked him to do that and we've come to him in faith, he will Do that he keeps us believing.
And as long as we keep believing We will keep on rejoicing. Look at what peter goes on to say in verse six. So he says we're kept by the power of god through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this he says. You greatly rejoice. Though now for a little while if need be you have been grieved by various trials. That the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than gold that perishes though It is tested by fire may be found to praise honor and glory at the revelation of jesus christ.
Whom having not seen you love though now you do not see him yet believing you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. Receiving the end of your faith the salvation of your souls. This amazing inheritance is sure to us.
Because god has promised that he will sustain it. He will sustain our belief. In his promise the more trying the times the more powerful his sustaining grace and preservation of our faith is and the more our joy increases.
Okay, when our faith is tested our joy increases all the more when things are harder in this world. Then god doubles down on giving us the joy when we're lacking things that make us glad in the world.
He gives us even more of this joy. He sustains it. Trials are good for our joy in the holy spirit. Okay. Now there are two things about this inheritance that fill us with great joy. First that we're going to see jesus whom we love revealed.
That is the greatest thing of all about heaven. Heaven is the place Where we see god. We see him In the face of jesus christ the one who became flesh. And is the perfect image of god in human flesh. We will see him with eyes that understand eyes that understand so much better than we do now what beauty there will be.
This will happen when jesus returns. In verse 7 peter refers to it as what? The revelation of jesus christ. That's what will make us so glad jesus will be revealed To us in ways that we have not yet seen you know.
We've seen and we've seen the beginnings but there is so much more for us to learn of him. And again in verse 17 he speaks of the grace that is to be brought to you at what? The revelation of jesus christ.
In that day when he is revealed. I prayed earlier when in the pastoral prayer specifically about light. The light shines and it will shine fully In that day when he comes in glory. So the joy the inexpressible joy we have is not just that we're going to heaven.
But that when we get there We will see the glory of our god in jesus christ. That is exactly what peter says in verse 8. Whom having not seen we haven't seen that yet. Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see him yet believing you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.
The prospect of seeing jesus then is what thrills us. Because we believe God has told us about him. We believe that he really is the son of god who really did come in human flesh. And that he did this that we might be begotten again to a living hope of an inheritance in heaven.
Through his resurrection verse 3. He really did enter into our death. That he might lift us up out of that death and that and we we really Were redeemed by him verse 18 and 19 not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers.
But with the precious blood of christ as of a lamb without spot and blemish. We're going to see him in his father's house. We're going to see the love that the father has for him. And that he has for the father and that they have for us and that for all eternity.
This savior who is god's son is going to be fully revealed in all of his glory. And we're going to inherit a place with him In god's house as sons of god. This hope is cause for inexpressible glory now.
Because this is what will be done be more joy then but now it is joy In us that can carry us through whatever we are called to go through the Being grieved by various trials that god has made necessary for us in this world.
Okay, not not only that. Not only are we going to see jesus? Okay. That's the first thing here. Not only that but peter also says several times that we're going to receive full salvation in that day. That's the second thing that the anticipation of makes our joy full.
God is going to finish the work that he started in us. So that we can live in his house as his sons as brothers to jesus our savior. We're going to be completely saved. Completely transformed so that we're fit to live there now.
We're completely forgiven and justified now, but when I say completely saved, I mean that we will be fully sanctified. We've been pardoned and we have been begotten again. We're sons of god forever. But in that day, we will be perfected and we will be made like jesus.
Look at how peter repeatedly speaks of this future salvation that we're going to receive as a future salvation. He doesn't speak of it as something that we already have. Okay, he says in verse five. He calls it salvation ready to be revealed at the last time in verse nine.
He calls it the end. He says the end or goal of your faith. The salvation of your souls. That's where we're headed in verse 13. He calls it the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of jesus christ.
Certainly does not sound like purgatory does it? That when we see him when we enter into glory. Then we will be made perfect because we will see jesus as he is. He's the one that transforms us. We don't transform ourselves.
So you see that these twin promises are the source of our christian joy. That jesus whom we already love Will be fully revealed to us and that we will receive the full salvation of god. This is the hope of our heavenly inheritance.
This is the source of our present joy. That sustains us in this present world. And I tell you that this joy is at a low ebb in north america among god's people. We need to get to know the savior better.
So that it will thrill us to think that we are going to see him. Does that thrill you to think that you're going to see jesus or that just sort of like oh, whatever. It should be the passion of your heart.
That you're going to see christ as he truly is and that you're going to be like him the second thing. And in the inheritance that you have with him forever and ever he's going to make you like him right then and there.
You will be like him fit to live in that house. That should that's what should fill our hearts with joy. And that brings me to another source of this joy and that is the growing relationship that we have with jesus.
As we go on in our walk with god right now. Okay, so we see right now we have the hope of those two things that we're going to have. But right now we also have the experience of growing. Little by little in our relationship with christ and our understanding of who he is.
And so as we read his word as we hear his word preached as we pray we come to see. What has already been revealed to us about christ not the things that are yet to be revealed that we talked about already.
But the things that he has revealed peter speaks of these things in verse 12 when he says. To them it was revealed. That not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things to some of the old testament people.
They were ministering the things which now have been reported to you. Through those who have preached the gospel to you by the holy spirit sent from heaven things which the angels desire to look into.
So the stuff that has already been revealed in the gospel. This is these are precious things that you can grow in your understanding of now. Things that have already been revealed about christ in the gospel.
There is so much revealed about the goodness love mercy holiness wisdom truth justice. The wrath of god all of these things and as you go on in the ordinary means of grace reading god's word praying. Attending to the sacraments such things.
You can come to understand more and more about jesus and his perfections in love now. And this will fill you with joy. We are finding out the greatness of the lord. Day by day as we go on in our walk with him.
And not only that but we see how he works in our lives by his providence over the years. You come to a trial in your life as a young christian and you think oh everything's going wrong. This is going to destroy me.
This is ruining me. And then you come through that and you look back and go wow, that was really helpful. I know god better than I did before. And then another trial comes up. You're like, oh no i'm ruined and then over time you start to say, you know, what?
God is just faithful. He's he's gonna bless whatever is coming ahead. Whatever dark Ways are ahead I can walk with god through this by his grace. I'll be blessed. And then you get stretched beyond beyond what you could even uh wish for.
But all the while there's in the back of you. You know that god will use this too. God is going to make himself known to me better now Than i've ever known him before. And that's where we keep going as we go through and you you begin to see the incredible faithfulness of god.
This ever-increasing knowledge of our glorious savior fills us with more and more joy. And assurance that is less and less easily shaken. Okay, so that we have greater confidence of what god is going to do even now through the trials that he brings us.
When a trial comes we know that he's going to reveal himself to us more than ever before. So all of this is the foundation of our joy. The twin promises that jesus will be fully revealed. And that we will receive god's full salvation in the future together with our growing knowledge of jesus and his perfection.
And our growing knowledge of his faithfulness and his providence as we experience our lives. In our walk with him in this world I tell you that if this joy is in you It will transform the way you live now.
Peter speaks of several ways that it will transform you. We will look at them very briefly first. That this joy this joyful hope will stir you to obedience. If you rejoice in hope of being a beautiful son like jesus is you will be eager to obey your father now.
Whatever you're looking for you want to begin to experience. When we study about sanctification as one of the benefits that christ gives us when he redeems us. We saw that he's transforming us now to live for him.
And if we're going to live with him forever, we need to get serious about living for him now. And we become eager for that promise that is given to us. Look at how peter expresses this in verses 13 and 15 through 15.
He says therefore gird up the loins of your mind be sober. And rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of jesus christ. The grace that is going to transform you as obedient children not conforming yourselves to your the former lusts in your ignorance.
See before I was filling myself with the lust. And the things of this world that I want to consume. And and i'm always looking to be to be fed to have this to have that. Instead of looking to be one who who serves and who gives i'm wanting to be given, too I have that have it all turned backwards.
You're children of god now. And uh soon you will live in his house in glory so you have no business living as if You're not his children. And others living as if you have to have all these other things.
No, you don't you have you have an inheritance in his house? So start conforming to his ways and find a delight in that. As peter goes on to say verse 15 as he who has called you as holy so You also must be holy in all of your conduct.
The more you grasp the glorious hope of your inheritance The more you'll be able to give of yourself as a servant and Pour your life out. For others you'll be able to reach out to people that are not attractive to you.
You'll be able to minister to others. Secondly peter shows that this joyful hope will produce fervent love in you for others. If you're a believer you love jesus. You love him because he has done so much for you coming to die for you that you might live in heaven with him.
And as you admire this loving savior and rejoice in the hope. That um of seeing him and seeing his eternal love with the father and of living in that house. It will produce that love in you. In other words, you'll love because he has loved you so well.
You've already been born again as a son in his house. And you'll it'll have a visible effect on you. Look at how peter expresses this permanent change in you in verses 22 and 23 a change that already happens.
He says verse 22. Since you have purified your souls and obeying the truth. You believe the gospel and you were forgiven and pardoned and you were renewed in your soul. Purified your souls and obeying the truth through the spirit in sincere love of the brethren.
Love one another fervently with a pure heart having been born again. Not of corruptible seed but incorruptible through the word of god, which lives and abides forever. You're born again by believing the promises.
And when those promises of god's word are in you. There is a seed in you that brings forth fruit of that love in you. Now instead of using your strength to dominate other people to exploit them to manipulate them.
You use your strength and your cleverness or whatever it is to help them and to bless them and to impart grace to them. You use your strength the way jesus used his strength. You use it for the blessing of others.
The christian view of heaven is not the place that you go to to control other people. The place you go to to be a blessing to other people. And that's what you start to want to do here. I want to be a blessing to other people.
Rather than to control other people and get them to do things that I want. Thirdly peter shows how this joyful hope will make you submissive to god. This is reflected in verses six and seven where he speaks of our faith being tested by fire.
By various trials that grieve us. He explains that even in such trials we keep on rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory because of our hope. Trials do not bother us so much because we know that our father loves us and that he has a purpose for those trials.
They're simply part of the process that he uses to prepare us for glory to purge out our old way of living. And to deepen our love for christ. They're used to testify to other people in the world in the church of our love for jesus and our hope in god's promises.
We are patient. Even when we're mistreated by others and as peter says in chapter 3 verse 15. That makes them want to know what our hope is. That's what he's talking about in the context when you are living a life where those in authority are abusing you.
And you have all this hope and you're living like someone who's got something that really worthwhile that you're living for and you're being abused. And mistreated they'll ask you for the reason the hope is in you.
And he says be ready to tell them. They see that you're not living for the world but for the world to come and that can be true of with trials, too you know you find out you have a terminal illness or something like that and Because you have this joy that is deeper than how great your health is.
Then you're able to testify of that hope. So this patience is what peter will later refer to in chapters 3 1 through 7. Is a meek and quiet spirit the spirit that we ought to have when we're mistreated in the world.
He says that it is precious in the sight of god because it shows that you're trusting in him. When hard things happen it can be seen. We know that the father loves us and that he has our best interest in mind and that he is giving us a chance to show others.
The love that we have for him. Do you look at that when people mistreat you this is a chance for me to show the love that I have for my god. That's where false religion is completely the opposite of true religion and false religion people try to get control of god.
Of forces or whatever they can cast spells and they can they're trying to control things. But in true religion we learn to rest quietly in god's wisdom instead of always trying to Change whatever is happening to us.
Where we seek to glorify god in whatever he has brought to us now. Sometimes that can mean that we're trying to change things that are wrong and there's it's right to do that. But that's not our main focus and if we're in a situation where we really can't do that.
Then we're able to glorify god. That's what he's talking about. We submit to the yoke. We submit to the trouble the hard thing that he has brought. And we honor him. This joy in the lord and in his promises will be reflected in your prayers.
Instead of trying to control god through prayer. You will be submitting to him asking him to help you to know him better and to trust him more. Let me explain instead of praying that your neighbor will stop harassing you.
You will pray that you will be able to honor god when your neighbor harasses you. Now you might pray that god will take away that harassment like we saw today let this cup pass from me. But if that cup's still there and god's still giving you that that harassing neighbor.
Then pray that you'll honor god when that neighbor harasses you instead of praying that you'll be able to triumph over your neighbor. You will pray that you'll be able to help your neighbor in some way.
Instead of that I can get some kind of advantage on him. That I can benefit my neighbor there. Those are the kinds of prayers that god delights to answer. You can be quite certain that he's going to answer a prayer like that.
That you would be of you know able to be a blessing to others. He might or might not answer when you ask him to take something away. He didn't even answer jesus, right? I mean he didn't say yes when jesus said if it's possible let this cup pass from me.
He said no it's not possible. This is something you're called to do. And jesus went and did it in submission and he went and served and he gave and he gave all see. This is the kind of prayers that you pray when you're rejoicing in the hope of heaven.
Okay, so my brothers and sisters we need to start rejoicing in the hope of heaven. And seeing jesus and in becoming like him. This is our inheritance in his salvation. And that's where our heart needs to be.
Do you agree that we have far too little joy in the hope of this inheritance? Can you really say that you're in your trials that you rejoice with inexpressible joy. That is full of glory. If you're a believer god gives you at least enough hope to sustain you so that you won't depart from him.
But surely our joy is at a low ebb. If we're not able to also rejoice with this joy that is beyond words in the midst of our trials. Let us then in accordance with the holy spirit's directive in verse 13 Rest your hope fully Upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of jesus christ.
Please stand. Let's ask god. Well lord our god. We pray that you would help us to rest fully in the hope. That is to be brought to us at the revelation of jesus christ. We have an inheritance in glory and father as we hope in that.
We pray that we would rest in it. And that we would have that quiet spirit in this world that doesn't get agitated because we didn't get what we wanted in this world. Because things are going wrong in this world.
That when that happens It would become for us an opportunity to Go deeper with you. To go further into our trust and confidence in the inheritance that we have the promises that we have in you. The delight that we have in who you are a desire to know you in those times of trials and deprivations.
And that we would give ourselves oh lord to you in submission. Seeking to bring glory to your name and looking at the trials and opportunities to do that. That we might have this joy that is joy in the holy of the holy spirit the joy that comes not by our own efforts.
But by your grace and power. It's easy to make people full of joy. We could go out on the street and make everybody joyful. Well, if we had money we could go out and give everybody. You know a thousand dollars or something and everybody that got it would be happy.
And they would they would have joy. But it would not be the joy of the holy spirit. We pray father that you would help us then. That we would spread this kind of joy. That we would know this joy first ourselves.
That it would grow up strong in us. It's not something we have all at once. It's something that grows through the patient use of the means of grace. We pray that it would grow strong. And that we would be able to live more and more As a testimony of that joy.
And that we would be able to bring hope to others. I pray lord for some of us. Some in particular that I think of who are suffering right now with various trials and I thank you for. One individual particularly I think of who is able to share joy In the midst of trials with others who are in similar trials.
We pray father that that might be the way that we're able to to carry on In those times of struggle and difficulty. Thank you so much For your promises and for the blessings that you have given to us as your people for the hope that we have Bless us richly lord.
We ask this in jesus name. Amen. Our song is 16 a. I love the lord because he hears my pleading 16 I'm, sorry I was saying I was quoting from 116. It is supposed to be 16a. This is the one about uh, the hope that we have, uh in seeing god.
16a inheritance we have we give up idols.
You come to god And we get this glorious inheritance. Now may the god of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing That you may abound in hope By the power of the holy spirit Amen.