What is...? The Commands of Christ- Rejoice!

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We are going through well, our series is called what is and we're going through the commands of Christ taking the of course the initial idea from Jesus our Lord and our King from Matthew chapter 28 all authority he says has been given to him in heaven and on earth go therefore based on that authority and Preach the gospel make disciples and teach them to obey all that I've commanded you so that leads to the inevitable question What is he commanded us?

What are the commands from Christ in Scripture? And then my pastor pastor Tommy Hullett is putting together a discipleship booklet going through the commands of Christ as a discipleship tool which is you know, it should be the should have been the most obvious thing for all of us is that Jesus gives us the command to Teach others observe them ourselves and to teach others.

And so that's what he he desires through his Workbook that he's working working on called multiply. So if you're interested in that Workbook, I'd be glad to give you more information about that tonight's topic.

Tonight's command is rejoice. And some of us or many of us probably familiar with the verse rejoice in the Lord always and again, I say rejoice. So we want to do that and rejoice in him be obedient to him and rejoice in him.

But to start off our conversation. As I think about rejoice and thinking about it being a command of Christ. I go back to our discussion from John chapter 15 When we discussed the command to abide in Christ and what we learned from that chapter is Jesus says apart from me you can do nothing so Rejoicing that falls underneath that umbrella of not being able to do it.

Or do it properly do it correctly doing in a way that's that is pleasing to the Lord Apart from Christ. So so we need Christ To be able to rejoice and rejoice in such a way that's pleasing to the Lord.

You know, I thought about I thought about this today how I'm talking too much. I don't want to take a rabbit trail. I'm talking too much. I want to get Dan involved and so That was a big long introduction.

I was looking at Hebrews chapter 13 and He explains to us there What I was trying to explain earlier that we need Christ Apart from John chapter 15 to be able to Rejoice to be able to do anything Hebrews chapter 13 verses 20 and 21 It reads now the God of peace Who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant even Jesus Christ our Lord.

So it's God through the blood of the eternal covenant even Jesus Christ through Jesus Christ the bloody of the eternal covenant. We are born again. We are saved. We are raised from the dead spiritually.

And then of course later on physically, but it's because of God and then through him is in verse 21 It says equip you in every good thing to do his will. Working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be the glory forever and ever.

Amen. So he's the one who saves us. Causes us to be born again Raises us from the dead and then he does he doesn't just leave us alone. He equips us to do a good work in such a way that it pleases him.

I've already talked a whole lot Dan. I'll let you go first we want to talk about. I think Joe rejoicing stems from joy and I'd like for Dan to give us his definition of joy and then his definition of rejoice and then then I'll give mine.

All right joy is is kind of a tough thing to define. Because it's it's kind of an emotion but at the same time it's not Joy. Best I can explain joy is an overwhelming Peace a Happy peace.

But.

It happens and it it occurs because of something that is completely Unchangeable and here's what I mean by that I've actually never defined joy in a snippet. I've always done it in sermon like stuff. So second, I'll get it out.

Joy is.

The result of knowing and understanding who God is and What he's done for you and resting in that fact it is that underlying hope and goodness that you did you sense and you know is there just below the surface because of what God has done and Because no matter what else happens in your life.

You have God there. There is a positive right there behind the scenes. So while you look at the words a happiness has the idea of something temporal something that Something happens and you become happy.

Joy isn't connected to those circumstances. Joy is something That is grounded in a reality bigger than yourself something that's immovable. At least the joy that we're talking about the joy of Christ.

So to rejoice Would be to Express that joy outwardly. So when we're commanded to rejoice where? No, it's assumed that we have a joy within ourselves. It comes from Christ and his no abiding presence in our life.

Let's be that'd be a good way being the abiding presence of God in your life is a joy right there that when you rejoice you Put that out there for other people to see. You you give a shout of praise or you sing a song or you you say a prayer and you thank God.

Thanksgiving goes hand-in-hand with it. That's how I would Define joy and rejoice.

Absolutely, and.

My definitions are going to be very similar and I was paying attention. I was just trying to maneuver my mic here so that my camera would stop the autofocus. So I.

Thought we were partying.

So I apologize for that.

There you go. Happy as a thermometer. Joy is a thermostat. Let's pull that up.

I like that happy as a thermometer. Joy is a thermostat. Yeah, that's really good. Thank you Catherine. Hope you're doing well. Um, so yeah, my definition is going to be very similar to yours and it's.

And I don't want this course. I'm sure nobody's gonna take it this way, but both of us giving a definition it's not a competition, but it's just Different vantage points and Additions to your definition maybe and and like Catherine If you want to add anything to our definition, you're more than welcome to leave a comment.

Joy, I was trying to think about today and and like you it's hard to condense it just to a small definition but I was thinking about joy being a Contentful bliss Wrought by the Holy Spirit and Of course exactly what you were talking about not depending on our circumstances.

And then rejoicing would be to me the outward Manifestation of that joy so others can see the joy that's within us. Does that make sense. Okay, a good verse if we staying in Hebrews chapter 13 We read Hebrews 13 20 and 21 And saw that that joy and saw that rejoicing.

The ability to rejoice comes from God. I think we can find a good definition from scripture in Hebrews chapter 13 as well. If you look at verse 15 He says through him, of course, you've got to start there through him.

Then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of lips that give thanks to his name and.

I.

Can't think of a better definition than of rejoicing than Hebrews chapter 13 verse 15 there a Sacrifice of praise to God the fruit of your lips giving. Thanks to his name. And so we're thankful they got to save this and give us ability to to do it and And helping us understand what it is and what it looks like in such a way that pleases him.

Catherine says. Rejoices the verb that shows the action of joy very concise and accurate. Absolutely. And so I think I'm going to say what I was going to say earlier just to qualify while we're moving forward in this certain direction.

If we come up on a scene where Someone is someone just had a tragic accident and their loved one is is there with them.

Or.

Any kind of her horrific scene that we come up on we don't want to approach that scene and rejoice. In other words, we would view that as rejoicing in evil. So to be able to rejoice in such a way that pleases God we've got to have Christ it's got to be wrought by the Holy Spirit and We have to have a certain mindset to be able to rejoice in such a way that that pleases God.

And Rejoice in circumstances that scripture causes to rejoice in we we must have otherwise. Because the the scripture teaches us to or commands us to rejoice in circumstances. Otherwise, I think in our nature We would never rejoice in but the scripture causes to rejoice in those circumstances.

So I think and we talked about this before we come on. I called them rejoicing rejoicing requirements. And I think it works only because it's an alliteration. That's what that's what Dan and I decided just because it's an alliteration.

But these are the things that this is the mindset that our heart attitude that I think We need to have and I'm gonna let Dan kind of discuss each of these bullet points. That we need to have a heart attitude that we need to have to be able to rejoice in such a way that pleases God.

The first one is we need to trust in the sovereignty of God to be able to rejoice.

Right, we need to If we're going to have a an abiding joy in God We need to know that everything that he does He is in control of that. There's not a single thing that happens in this world That he's not he doesn't have his hand in.

That that's easy to understand and easy to think of when things are going well but it's all it's a little bit more difficult when things are going tough, but that's exactly why we need to have a Solid theology of the sovereignty of God why we need to trust that he is in control.

He is in charge because of those tough times when Things go ways that we don't think they should To know that he's in control He's got it. He is working everything together for our good Because he loves us.

He cares for us. He's Looking out for us these this is part of his plan part of his plan for the salvation of men is anything That we have going on. And in front of us we need to We nail it down during during the peaceful times And it can carry you through Doesn't make it hurt less but it can carry you through some tough times.

Yeah, that's a great point. It's gonna be tough. And it doesn't hurt less. You're absolutely right. But the commands the command stands and.

And.

You know doing things that please God helps sustain us supernaturally When we don't understand it, so the second one is Trust in the complete forgiveness of sin. How does that help us rejoice? Oh, man.

Yeah.

We have days we have we have whole entire Seasons of our lives where when we look back at it like man, I was a wretch. What was I doing? I have sinned more in this little span that I think I have in the rest of my life.

What why is God even patient with me? And it's this right here because you get down there to that low point where you feel so far away from God. And you know, I have complete forgiveness of sin not because of what I've done not because I deserve it.

We know we don't deserve it because we just had all that sin that why would anybody forgive us for but Through Jesus Christ our sins are completely forgiven. Yeah, so while we still need to repent we still need to turn from those things.

We still need to look to Christ for forgiveness. We have that forgiveness. It's not something that goes away. It's not like there's a forgive that he forgives you for this and then. No, you're okay, I'm not gonna forgive you anymore the was it says.

In.

Somewhere in Hebrews Says that we have a great high priest was able to save to the uttermost all that he makes sacrifice for. I'm butchering that. It's back in chapter eight and nine Seven somewhere in Hebrews, but that that's the thing.

He is able to save to the uttermost. He's able to to completely save us from our sins and that is a great source of joy. Especially when times get tough we need that forgiveness. To know that we have one that we can go to.

We have a mediator we have an advocate for us in Jesus Christ who died and shed his blood for our sins. To know that there is an Atonement there for us as a great source of joy and comfort. Especially in those tough times where we've Fallen by the wayside Done what we ought not to do.

Absolutely.

All right, the third one is. We need to have a love of Jesus to be able to rejoice.

Yeah, sorry. I was real quick going back through Hebrews. I couldn't find it. That's okay. We we do need to have a love for Jesus. I'm gonna leapfrog go to The one about the Holy Spirit first. Okay, but go out of order.

So so the next one then. Trust in the Spirit's work of sanctification.

Yes, trust in the Spirit's work of sanctification trust in The work of the Holy Spirit in your life. You have The knowledge that God is sovereign. You have the knowledge that he is Everything that he touches everything that is happening in the world God is in complete control of.

You have the knowledge the understanding that the forgiveness of sins are always found in Jesus Christ of to those who come to him in repentance and faith seeking him as their Savior he will be he will save them.

And the Spirit then Will work in that person's life and you trust in that work. You trust that God will not dole out wrath to you, but instead he chastens you he corrects you he Disciplines you. So that way you won't be No going through those deep Valleys of sin.

At least not as much as you had been. You may go through new ones, but you won't go through the same old ones over and over again. Because there is a work of the Spirit in your life. And the reason why I wanted you to reorder them is because all three of these They say trust trust Trust.

And That is Putting the focus outside of ourselves. It's putting the focus on God and I also thought it was it was interesting that you also put Trust in the sovereignty of God. Know that the Father is in heaven doing everything that he has commanded that he has decreed is going to come to pass.

He's ruling. There's not a rogue molecule in the entire tire Cosmos out there. There's not a single one. You're trusting in the Sun for the forgiveness of your sins. Now, you're looking to the Holy Spirit for your sanctification.

It is The Trinity the triune God all three persons of the Godhead working together for our good. There is that much Care put into the life of Christians. That he controls all things he forgives sins and then he doesn't just forgive them.

But he doesn't leave you in your sin. He doesn't allow you to to stay the way that you were that is a marked change in your life. And then when you see more and more sin you still have the Sun that forgives sin and the Spirit that sanctifies you of the sin all the way up until the final day when the sin is finally completely taken from us.

And when you look at those things when you put your trust and faith in in God all three persons of the Trinity. It leads to that that fourth point that or third, which is the point we love Jesus. Yeah, and why is that.

Because he's done so much. The the father has decreed that he come he came. He died for sins he applied his the blood on the altar in heaven he saved to the uttermost Sinners who didn't deserve it. Send his spirit sent the advocate the the paraclete to come help us the Holy Spirit to help us to guide us into truth.

To keep us from sin to witness to about Christ in his love for us. So it's it's not a trust that's a trust in something that's unwarranted or unfounded. It's a trust in a God who's absolutely worked in history and done think incredible things for us.

And our response to that is.

Love.

Jesus says if you love me, which if you're gonna trust in God for all those things if you love me keep my commandments. All right, let's do it.

The.

Next one then I guess is to be able to rejoice heart attitude mindset that with that we need to have is absence of pride. Absence of self-reliance and a clear view of my own sinfulness. Why are those things important?

Right because if we If we look at God would say we have all those other things right right in our mind but we look at ourselves and We don't have I put down. I summarized your last part as an honest appraisal of our own sinfulness.

If we do not have that if we think I'm good. I haven't sinned in 13 years. First off you're wrong. Second off. You're no longer trusting in the God that you said you trusted in. We we have to have an honest appraisal of who we are.

We have to look at ourselves. Realizing what first John said that if we say we have no sin would deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. The entire reason We need a Savior. We need the forgiveness of sin is because we have sinned.

We can't be so prideful as to think that we have arrived or accomplished anything on our own. When Jesus said in several places, you know apart from me you can do nothing. Yes. Oh, yeah.

Absolutely, and then the last one. Eternal kingdom perspective versus temporal circumstances.

And that that's really a a mindset thing it is a Consistency. With everything we've talked about before about trusting in the sovereignty of God. Knowing in the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ knowing and trusting in the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

Loving Jesus having an honest appraisal of who we are as men that we need a Savior. And then living our lives in light of those facts. Because if we live our lives in light of those facts We will look towards the final day when we will finally have our full redemption.

But all too often and it happens I think probably daily to us. Especially as we're going about our day because it's so easy because you you get started like I show up to work at 6 in the morning to do warehousing stuff.

And it's so easy to be worried about. Well, this order has to go out at this time. We're gonna get this order in at this time and to get so bogged down in your mind About what you're doing that you Only concentrate on the things that are around you.

You don't. Think of well, I'm working with someone who has an eternal soul that will lay somewhere one day. Do they know their Creator?

You.

Forget it. I mean just you're trying to do your work. Well, and that's a good thing. You're supposed to do your work. Well, but we have to keep our focus on. Those primary things, you know seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

And all these other things will be added on to us. We look to. We need to live consistently in light of the truth.

Of.

Everything that we've seen before. Trusting in God. Trusting in the Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Loving him looking at ourselves when we do those things.

We.

We're consistent we live as a As creatures looking to our Creator instead of a creature Looking at other created things as if we somehow Run and rule the show, which it's very easy to fall into those into those traps.

Yeah.

And if we wanted to I'm sure we could spend a lot more time making this list longer and And anybody that's joining with us you could help us to to make this list even longer. These are just some of the things that I come up with as I'm as I meditated on this and the command to rejoice a List of things that needed to be our mindset our heart attitude that God needs to work in us.

So that we may rejoice in such a way that that's pleasing to him as verse 21 says of Hebrews 13 Working in us that which is pleasing to God. So there's a lot more that could probably be added to the list.

So the question is why do we why do we need this type of mindset? Why do we need this heart attitude that is that is wrought by the Holy Spirit given to us by God? To be able to rejoice. Well, you've got verses like and I quoted it earlier.

You've got verses like Philippians 4 4 and you've got verses like 1st Thessalonians 5 16 through 18 Rejoice in the Lord always again. I say rejoice and 1st Thessalonians says rejoice always and If you're going to rejoice always in all circumstances Every circumstance in in our finite understanding in our Natural ability not every circumstance is is joyful or Makes us happy Brings us contentment.

It brings us sorrow. It brings us pain. So how do we rejoice in? All circumstances, how do we rejoice always it goes back to that? Analogy that I gave just a few minutes ago. Where do you think of any horrific?

Scene that you can think of that you may come up on or that may happen to you and And we say well if we were to rejoice in that we would be rejoicing in evil, but then we have verses like this that says Rejoice always rejoice in the Lord always again.

I say rejoice rejoice in all things. So, how do we? How do we bring those reconcile those two things together? My opinion and I'll let you chime in here. My opinion is We need to rely on on God to work these things in our mind and in our heart so that we can rejoice our response To circumstances is on a deeper level.

Because you know as we see those horrific circumstances, I you know, our response is not to rejoice but there's There's a way that we are to approach every circumstance that will lead us to rejoicing and That takes us to this this deeper level of Spirituality that God calls us to and it's and it's got to be wrought by him for us to be able to Do that in those circumstances?

What are your thoughts on that?

Yeah, I don't know if I have too much to add about. Yeah, I don't know if I have too much to add but I do. I do know I do know what it would look like. Rejoicing during those those tough times.

It's it's I.

Mean you get this idea in your head. Rejoice always. Okay, so something bad comes along and all of a sudden I Know I look like a weirdo cuz I'm smiling at a funeral or I'm dancing around no in a hospital while somebody's getting a treatment or.

Completely inappropriate responses for either of those those situations, but we've all been in those situations where where things are just.

Hard.

And what joy looks like in those moments is that you'll see and you got to catch it quick. Because it's those couple seconds where somebody remembers their creator or they remember. Like say you lose a loved one that you know is with the Lord.

You are grieving you're crying and then there's there's a brief one two, three second Interval where they get a smile on their face and it fades quick, but that smile.

It's.

It's the joy of the Lord shining through. It's it's the hope of Christ that is is there in the midst of that pain? Yeah, it doesn't make the pain go away. The the the pain is still present even in that brief glimpse of a smile, but it's It's the joy of the Lord there that comforts us in those times.

Yeah, um, I don't know so much if I know how that works just that Our God is good and he is he's there for us and that he's promised us to be there and never leave us so it's in those moments where we're.

You know, we don't have to. You know put on a brave face. We can we can you know ball our eyes out cry and Hurt we can be angry we can whatever the situation Dictates and still have the joy of the Lord.

They're causing us to remember who our Creator is and in.

No.

Rejoicing in those situations may look a little different. Yeah. Obviously rejoicing in good situations, you know, go ahead and dance. Yes, right. Smile cut up. Feast, you know something that's right.

But yeah joy. Joy. Joy is something that you just got to be there so rejoicing is gonna look different depending on the circumstances, but joy should be something that's abiding in there because. It doesn't depend on those other things that happen.

It depends on the one in whom we find our joy the one in whom we find our delight, which is Christ.

Yeah, and Apology for being redundant, but I my the two words that come to my mind which in my mind are redundant is supernatural miracle and of course. How does this happen? What does this look like?

How does it work? How is it going to work out in those circumstances? Supernatural miracle it it proves that it can only only come from God. It can't come from within ourselves. And and like you were saying we can't we can't explain how it works or what it's going to look like.

And that's why we have to be tender and gentle and merciful and graceful with you know, people who are hurting him. It's because We don't create the standard of what? Responding with rejoicing and painful circumstances.

It looks like it comes from the Holy Spirit as a Supernatural miracle from him and I think that's why this this list and of course we can extend it. But I think that's why we it's good for us to remember the things on this list.

Here's this horrific. Here's this painful difficult circumstances that that are in front of us. Trust in the sovereignty of God. Trust in the complete forgiveness of sins. Remember my love of Jesus, you know, we can go go to Revelation.

I don't lose your first love. Trust in the Spirit's work of sanctification, you know, and and remember your love for others. Remember to have an absence of pride several eyes and this clear view of your own simple, you know.

The list go over the list and think about the list trusting in the sovereignty of God recite verses. You know from Romans chapter 8 God works all things together for good to those that that love him and are called according to his purpose.

That's another difficult verse to go along with the Philippians 4 and first Thessalonians 5, you know God works all things together for good. How does that work there again another supernatural miracle that we know that this can only come from God and we can go back to Hebrews chapter 13 and Have praise on our lips.

Because we see him working this miracle in us that we're able to rejoice and. And have this can blissful content in him any other comments?

No, okay.

Let's look at a few verses. After we've we've talked about our analogy. We talked about the list of things that we can think about as we go through difficult times and of course this. This just popped in my head to that I think just as difficult as Praising the Lord and rejoicing in difficult circumstances.

You know, you brought up the fact that that we we rejoice and it's maybe easier to rejoice When circumstances are good but I think it may also be true that it's Easy to forget when things are going smooth.

When things are going good and what circumstances are great We seem to be more apt to forget God. We we seem to be more apt to read his Bible read his word less. We seem to pray less when circumstances are good and so Rejoicing or giving him praise giving him.

Thanks in the good circumstances may may elude us because of our natural man. But we need to remember to do that as well.

In I believe it's Deuteronomy even says that when you go into the land and you you know eat of your your produce and You you have the sisters that you didn't dig out in the houses that you didn't build.

It's like and then you're gonna forget about me and then it's gonna go bad for you. Yeah, or in the psalm he says give me only what I just paraphrase of course. It's give me only what I I need less. I know don't have anything I curse you or I have everything that I ever wanted and forget you.

Yeah.

It's a trap trap on either side.

Absolutely, absolutely that's why it's so important that we trust and rely on the the Holy Spirit and Meditate on this work hide in our hearts and and do those things that God has asked us to do. Um, I don't think that I'm gonna go through the list.

Dan. I've got a few verses that come from the discipleship manual that Pastor Tommy put together that I want to look at but You can do what I did. Those of you who are watching and you know just do your do a search for rejoice and look up all the different places in Scripture where the.

The command is in the New Testament for us to rejoice and look at the different circumstances. For example. This comes from the manual Matthew chapter 5 verses 11 and 12 one of those difficult circumstances, but Jesus is telling them Rejoice anyway, he said blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you.

Because of me rejoice and be glad for your reward is in your reward is in heaven or your reward in heaven is great. And so there's that difficult circumstance again. And Jesus command them to rejoice and he's giving them a mindset to have Something to put their mind on something to put their heart on your reward in heaven is great.

In the manual here. It gives us about three different Psalms that we can read to show us that God does want us to rejoice. Psalm 32 11 be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous ones and shout for joy all you who are upright in heart.

Psalm 33 1 sing for joy in the Lord. Oh, you righteous ones praise is becoming to the upright and Psalm 47 1. Oh clap your hands all peoples shout to God with a voice of Joy, and then of course you got first that that's long as 516 rejoice always.

So we have this is our command from Christ or our command from Scripture that in that we should in all circumstances Always have a heart of rejoicing In the good and the bad remembering that God is sovereign and Who we are in front of him and who we would be in spite of him.

To help us to to stay focused. Let's see here. We've got two comments popped up. Catherine says through hard things we can rely on the list that we can continue the joy. That can only come from God. Absolutely.

Absolutely, and.

Then.

Special guest. We glorify God by walking cheerfully it brings glory to God. When the world sees a Christian has that within him that can make him cheerful in the worst times. Thomas what? Absolutely. Yeah, and that's.

That's another thing that I've thought about too is We're trying to think about why God use is using this circumstance. Yeah, we don't have to look too far there. There may be a lot of underlying Reasons that we may never know until eternity.

But we don't have to look far For some of those reasons and some and those reasons include. As Thomas Watson is talking about when the world sees a Christian others are looking at us as we are image bearers of God and And are being a witness Showing others Christ and who he is who God is his character in nature.

And so. That's absolutely I think that's absolutely one of the reasons that we can we can look to us. For why God is doing the things he's doing why why he's taking us through some of those things is to Be a witness of who he is as we are ambassadors for Christ.

We are in the image bearers of God and we want to do we want to represent him. Well, or I do I know that I.

Do.

And I know that I fail Miserably a lot of times. I Have to seek him. Um. Wanted to share one last thing that comes from the manual and he's he does a really good job in the manual. He quotes from let me look at his footnotes just to see the book that he uses Hiding place story of Corrie ten Boom.