Transcript: Discovering Genuine Joy in Christianity: Bible Verses and Meaning

I am making a statement today that will shock many people and possibly even offend some. And that is that true joy will not be found in the world, but only in the divine and blessed Trinity, God the Father, his son Jesus Christ, and precious Holy Spirit. The joy of the world is found in their sacred trinity called wealth, beauty, and prestige. And I am afraid today many and much of the church's population falls into the latter category. It is hard to tell the difference between the world and the church these days. This past week, my husband Lee and I were in a large Christian bookstore looking for a birthday card for a family member while I was perusing over the cards, Lee walked over to the music section where all the CD selections were displayed. After I finished shopping for the card, I wandered over to where Lee was standing, and he said, come, take a look with me. We walked together looking at the covers of the CD albums and were literally shocked at the worldly display of the artists on the covers. They looked just like an exhibition of the worldly crowd with frowning and scowling distorted faces, reeking of miserable and unhappy lives rather than spirit-filled joyful lives that come by living in Christ. Many of the female music artists featured were wearing evening gowns and were positioned in provocative poses with low-cut fronts that were very revealing and slips up the side of the dress, all of which you'd think might be found in worldly magazines such as Vanity Fair and so on. Other artists featured were groups of young men with their faces painted with demonic designs in likeness of the heavy metal rock band called Kiss. Even looking among the videos on the shelves, they'd make you cringe to see the demonic influence influence on the covers of these videos and the titles that were attached to them are just as you would see in the world. The only difference is that there is the name Christian attached to these. But I say to you, what does righteousness have to do with Belial? Can I tell you, dear Christian, that there cannot be true joy found in any one of these? There cannot be anything good for any Christian believer in anything that deviates away from the holiness of God. As I had stated, true joy or genuine joy will not be found in the world, but only in the divine and blessed Trinity, God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, through the working of the Holy Spirit in a true believer's life. The joy of the world is found in their sacred trinity, as I had mentioned, called wealth, beauty, and prestige. God does not change or alter his holy and pure way of righteousness for anyone, regardless of how talented or beautiful or wealthy or well-known they might be. God changes not. There is definitely a purpose and design God has put within every soul of every individual, and that is that man naturally thirsts after happiness and joy. God intended that this natural and inward, even insatiable craving for happiness, even in the middle of the highest enjoyments of our senses in the world, should lead us to God, the creator of all things, who alone can give true joy to our souls. He has created us. And he is the one who deadens our appetites for the delights of this life. And he quickens our cravings for those things which he offers instead, because he knows this is where we will truly be satisfied and joy-filled. so many people in their inborn or natural thirst in their soul's quest for happiness are too many times mistaken and deceived in their choice of it many Christians mistake the object of their joy or happiness and place in those things that are not only foreign or outlandish or strange and opposite to the real thing but are convinced and deceived into thinking that these are godly and the other way is old-fashioned and out of date when they are God's righteous ways. These foreign, strange and outlandish ways have to do with wealth and pleasure and ambition and prestige. And this we could see as we peruse the music section in the Christian bookstore. Other Christians started out with right opinions and ideas of attaining true joy, but end up seeking it in the wrong way. and instead of seeking God's favor in the way of righteousness through meditation in the word and personal relationship with Christ through the leading of the Holy Spirit they build their hopes of it on a zeal formed by opinions of men compromise and presumption and for others they have a rigid form of mortifying the flesh thinking this will make God happy and thus they too will find the joy that they are looking for. And others seek deep intellectual knowledge and still others have methods of outward worship and strict formal ritualistic services and even an unscriptural display of outward and somber and cold demeanor of religious life all of which God hates. and yet there are those who come to Christ and have experienced his joy but have failed and fall short of really living in it because of neglect and laziness and pursuing the divine life which is found only in Jesus Christ. This is the only way and it is God's way to his heart. The fatal influence of the world and the worldly passions have won out in their hearts and they give up and fall into lukewarmness and indifference to the concerns of their eternal salvation. There is such a pull in mankind and we are naturally inclined to seek our happiness from the world, the place where it cannot be found. And the pleasures of this life are very few and limited. They are really likened to cisterns of water which can hold a very limited amount of water at any one time. These pleasures in life are also fleeting and unsatisfying like water in a cistern because it grows stagnant and loses its taste and freshness. But in time it builds up a scum and produces a foul odor. But let me tell you, dear one, the pleasures of this worldly life will not be had without a whole lot of pain and suffering, which produces little in the way of remembrance of any lasting joy. True and lasting joy comes only from God, and this is the only place where it will be found. He is the only fountain and source of true and lasting joy and peace. Are you one who is seeking peace in your heart and the joy that outflows from that peace? Are you troubled with much unrest like the waves of a rolling sea that seems to be unrelenting? You might ask, how do I find this true joy that you say is found only in Christ Jesus? I'm delighted to show you the secret of this joy and its wellspring of life that is lasting because it is one of the promised blessings for those who live in God's own Son Jesus Christ. Look with me in Mark 2 verse 1 to see the account of a man who comes to see and experience the joy that Jesus was speaking about that would come to him when he followed Jesus' command. Mark 2, verse 1. Jesus forgives and heals a paralytic. And again he entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that he was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. and he preached the word to them. And they came to him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. Verse 4. And when they could not come near him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. Verse 5. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven you. and some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoned in their hearts. Why does this man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone? Verse 8 But immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they reasoned thus with themselves, he said to them, Why do you reason about these things in your heart? Which is easier to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven you? or to say, Arise, take up your bed and walk. But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralytic, I say to you, Arise, take up your bed and go to your house. Verse 12, And immediately he arose, took the bed, and he went out in the presence of them all so that they were amazed and glorified God, saying, We've never seen anything like this. Verse 5 says, When Jesus saw the faith of this man's friends, he said to the pyroletic, Son, be of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven you. That's another translation. Be of good cheer. And that's what I wish to really make a point of here. Cheer comes from the Hebrew word, which means to rejoice. Jesus did not say to this man Son be filled with joy Because your palsied limbs will be made strong and whole again But even before he'd spoken healing to him Jesus told him to be comforted and be of good cheer Why? Because his sins were forgiven Dear believer in Christ if there was anything that this man had reason for rejoicing over even if he should have remained paralyzed it would be over the fact that his sins were forgiven healing was a secondary reason compared to the most important fact and blessing and that is that his sins had been forgiven Jesus saw this man's friend's faith and the faith of the paralytic himself and Jesus knew and recognized faith in action even through this man's impaired and obstructed ability to most likely speak for himself. But his friends had a firm and strong faith believing that Jesus could and would heal him or else they would not have gone through such extremes to boldly cut through the roof and lower their friend down in front of Jesus. The sick man's faith was very humble, being that he was unable to take one step towards Jesus and ask one thing for himself, but relied on his friends to do all the work in setting him before Christ and waiting on him to act according to his will. it took an active faith in the belief that Jesus was more than able in power and his goodness to bring this sick man to him their strong faith put no obstacles before them in pressing in after Jesus and his divine ability to heal their friend and the favor of the Lord had come to this man when Jesus says son be of good cheer Your sins are forgiven you. Jesus first entreats the sick man to be of good cheer because his sins were forgiven. And then he heals him. And Jesus was putting things in right order. Before the man could have any reason of being joyful in his cheer, Jesus was now speaking of he would have to know first that his sins had been forgiven. And this would be the introduction to the cure of his bodily disease. Your sins are forgiven and therefore you will be healed. So many times in scripture we see that sin is the cause of sickness So that the forgiveness of sin is the strength and the hope of recovery from sickness It is not always the case that sin must be pardoned before sickness is removed or yet sickness healed, although sin has not been forgiven. God always knows what is best when it comes to dealing with each and every individual in his own way. But these scriptures show us the key That we may obtain the comfort of reconciliation to God Through the forgiveness of our sins With hope of our recovery from sickness, depression, oppression And afflictions of every kind and sort and unhappiness All of which come generally from sin in our lives Scripture shows this over and over, dear church This is not my contrived doctrine, but scriptures show us. Do you personally fight sins of rebellion against God's laws? Rebellion against authority? And for children, this would be rebellion against your parents by not obeying them, which generally leads in time to also rebelling against other figures of authority. Do you sin by compromising the truth? Do you fantasize in your mind about impure and lewd thoughts? What about pornography? Movies with sex and violence and obscene language? Love of money? Adultery? Fornication or lying? Jealousy? Lusts and passions that drive you far away from the Lord? You see, garbage in, garbage out. But King David said in Psalms 32 verse 1, Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin is covered. Prophet Isaiah wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Isaiah 40 verse 2. and he spoke, Speak comfort to Jerusalem and cry out to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she has received it from the Lord's hand double for all of her sins. The prophet is saying, Speak comfort to Jerusalem. What was he to cry out to her in this way of comfort? What was it that he was to make clear to her? and what should be the special comfort to the church of the living God today. Should this comfort be that her warfare is final and that her sin is forgiven? According to our scripture, Isaiah was speaking to people referred to as Jerusalem and she was in great trouble and distress. And her land was trodden underfoot by the invaders and her sons and daughters were found growing weary and losing courage and had become weak. But the word says her sin and iniquity was pardoned and this was the grounds now for her great comfort. Hear that please. Her sin was pardoned. She'd been paid double for all of her sins and now God was going to forgive her. Isaiah 40, verse 2 again, speak comfort to Jerusalem and cry out to her that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she has received from the Lord's hand double for all of her sins. The word again says that her sin and iniquity was pardoned, and this was the grounds now for her great comfort. And this would now cause her to rejoice and be joyful and thankful for God's mercy. in Luke 7.48, the Gospel of Luke 7.48, there is a New Testament reference for a parallel account to our verses in Isaiah. This is the record of where Jesus spoke to the woman who was a well-known sinner in a certain city. She'd wash the feet of Jesus with her tears and wipe them with the hair of her head. and then she kissed his feet over and over and anointed them with perfume. And Jesus said to her, Daughter, your sins are forgiven. Go in peace. You see, dear one, when your sins are forgiven, it is only in this way that you will have true joy and peace. If our sins are forgiven, we have good reasons to be truly joyful and when you've been pardoned of your sin it brings true and genuine happiness and joy and it is like a smothering blanket has been removed from you it is such a wonderful freedom that you just cannot put a lid on it and neither could anyone else for that matter it is effervescent and overflows and it is contagious and this joy is remaining and steadfast within us when we cease from our sins. Please hear that. When you stop sinning, there is a joy that remains because you recognize the goodness and love of your Savior. His power has freed you. His mercy is gracious. and we have seen in Matthew chapter 9 verse 2 where Jesus said to the man who was afflicted with palsy Son, be of good cheer because your sins are forgiven and this again is saying that the pardon of your sin brings genuine joy in this time that we have today It would be impossible to show you the many ways in which forgiveness of sin runs to be a persistent and constant fountain of comfort and joy. And the surest sign of divine favor is shown in the one who is presently enjoying the blessings of this fountain. their joy runneth over and as was mentioned previously it is very contagious God may give an individual great wealth but this does not show in itself that this is God's divine favor in fact it might even be quite the opposite Jeremiah the prophet in Jeremiah 12 verse 1 said to the Lord O Lord, uncompromisingly righteous and rigid are you O Lord, when I complain against and contend with you yet let me plead and reason the case with you Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are they at ease and thriving who deal treacherously and deceitfully? The latter part of verse 2 says You are near in their mouths but far from their hearts. You see, the Lord may give an individual great success in his business, but yet this still may not be the evidence of God's divine favor. Jesus spoke in Matthew 5.45 and said, For he, God, makes his sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the righteous and the wrongdoers alike. But, Psalms chapter 7 verse 1 gives us a clear insight as to the outcome and final end of those who appear to be close to God by what they say, but they are really far from him in their hearts. They will even say, God is really blessing me, while they continue in their sinful ways, idle and slanderous words and lustful passions. Psalms 37, verse 1. Go there with me, please. Psalms 37, verse 1. The heritage of the righteous and the calamity of the wicked. Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity, for they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Verse 3. Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and feed on his faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your ways to the Lord. Trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Verse 7. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Do not fret of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. cease from anger and forsake wrath do not fret it only causes harm for evildoers shall be cut off but those who wait on the Lord they shall inherit the earth for yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more in other words they shall have their final end and there's only one place and it is a deep chasm and deep gloom forever and ever called hell. God may permit an individual to have his heart's desire and to be filled with the world's foolishness, and this might be a proof of God's divine wrath rather than his favor. The book of Hosea 4.17 certainly gives us a clear picture as to this truth when the prophet declares, Ephraim is joined fast to idols, so let him alone to take the consequences. Being joined to idols means that these people were closely and voluntarily identifying themselves with them, just as a whoremonger becomes one flesh with the harlot. 1 Corinthians 6 verse 16 declares, Do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For the two, he says, shall become one flesh. But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. You see, idolatry brings on pain and suffering and sorrow. And the Lord says, leave him alone. Leave him to himself because he refuses to hear and listen to me. Let him reap the fruits of his own perverse choice and pleasure. The book of Jeremiah 7.16 says, Do not pray for people like this. God says, Do not lift up your voice for them, neither make intercessions to me because I will not hear you. you see individuals like this are bent on their own ruin and the Lord says leave them to their own fate lest you fall yourself into trying to save them and 2 Corinthians 6.17 says come out from among unbelievers and separate and sever yourselves from them says the Lord and touch not any unclean thing and then I will receive you kindly and treat you with favor Well, as I was saying, if a man's sins are forgiven, there is absolutely no doubt about God's divine favor reigning over his or her life. in Mark chapter 2 verse 5 when Jesus said in just one brief sentence your sins are forgiven this was a clear and sure word that the favor of God has come to you dear one and that he has signaled and graced you with the proof that he loves you and cares deeply for you forgiveness of sin is also a proof of God's divine election that is His gracious and loving kindness He has called you to become a part of His kingdom and receive His special benefits that are found in His love and blessings. The pardon of your sins is a special blessing that is reserved for God's own treasured possession and whose names He has written in the Lamb's book of life. Jesus Christ is redeemed by His precious blood a people for his very own. He loved the church and he gave his very life to have her. Ephesians 5.25 declares Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. And you can assure yourselves that these definitely are the people that he takes special delight in because these are those who know that their sins are forgiven them. And you can delight yourself in this knowledge if you are one of these. You have great cause and reason to have great joy. And these will not be people who say, Oh yes, I received Christ 20 years ago. And yet, they live like hell on earth right now. In other words, there's been no change in their lives to prove their Christianity. They lack the fruit to prove their love for Jesus Christ. they live in the way they've always lived they watch every vile thing on television or go to movies that have horror and terror and sex and violence and sexual innuendos and foul talk and their conversation is not focused on Jesus and seasoned with his grace nor what he is doing on the earth or in the lives of his people but is on every other worldly concern and passion people who know this true joy take a special delight in their Savior what he is doing in their lives and lives of his people everywhere they have an outward concern and care for others rather than just being focused on themselves they want to see others come into the place of knowing that they know that their sins are forgiven them and to come to the place of living in this freedom ceasing from sin and growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Jesus alone opens up your blind eyes to truly see what He has really done for you when He gave His life and died upon the cross just for you, precious ones. again saying that you can delight yourself in this knowledge if you are one of these who are pursuing the Lord you have great cause and reason to have great joy and the book of Isaiah tells us that the father had laid upon his precious son Jesus the iniquity and sin of all of his people this crushing burden has been removed from all of us who are truly his. We no longer have to carry the burden of sin. We can experience the freedom of this burden by having our sins truly pardoned. Psalms 85 verse 2 says, You have forgiven and taken away the iniquity of your people. You have covered all their sin. you have withdrawn all your wrath and indignation and you have turned away from the blazing anger which you had let loose knowing that your sins are forgiven you no longer have the guilt or shame that burdens your heart and conscience neither weighs you down with oppression or depression shame and guilt and this is why you can be truly joyful and thankful to the one who has made all this possible. Many and multitudes of Christians are never truly free and seldom ever experience the joy that arises out of this freedom. If we have sincerely believed in Jesus and live in him and he in us, our sins are covered even from the sight of God by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. Psalms 85, 2 again says, You have forgiven the iniquity of your people. You have covered all of their sin. You have taken away all of your wrath. And you have turned from the fierceness of your anger. And this is saying that God has withdrawn all of his righteous indignation and wrath against our sin. And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, and now living in him, our sins are so concealed from our own eyes that we no longer think of them as condemning us. Can you or dare you remain unhappy, downcast or depressed when you know this? Isaiah 44 verse 21 declares, I have formed you. You are my servant, O Israel. You will not be forgotten by me. Verse 22, I have blotted out like a thick cloud your transgressions and like a cloud your sins. God has literally driven our sins away, dear ones. It is almost like seeing sin like clouds that are thick and have constant movement to them. But when we have been forgiven of these sins, they are like the clouds that quickly dissipate and scatter so completely that there is no trace of them. Hallelujah, what great cause for joy! And your understanding of this is like a fountain that sets up one joy on top of another. You know, many people appear to repent. and they're like sailors who throw their goods overboard in the midst of a storm and wish to have them back again when the storm calms and settles. True repentance begins in the humiliation of the heart and ends in the transformed life in Jesus Christ. And this is great cause for genuine joy. And this is lasting and it is eternal. understanding that God sent his son to put an end to sin ought to be the first and foremost factor for us in this great joy and ought to make our hearts dance with delight and his precious Holy Spirit assures us that our sins are completely forgiven 1 John 4, verse 10 declares in this love not that we love God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation, the atoning sacrifice for our sins. You see, Jesus annihilated and put away our sins as though they had never been committed. No more. They are there no more. We have been forgiven of those. But you must grasp this. Understanding the pardon of your sin will completely change your position in the relationship to God. Before you and I were forgiven, we were in the position of being condemned people because the wrath of God was hanging over us. But when the Holy Spirit began to awaken and illumine your conscience as to the gravity of your sin, you felt at times that you had the sword of God's divine judgment hanging over your head. Many people are reported to have said I didn't have peace or rest for days and night Because I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit at work in my life I knew that God was angry with me because of my sins And I knew that I was condemned because I had not truly been saved Nor had I believed on God's only begotten Son As the only way to eternal life Dear Saint the Holy Spirit makes this known to your own spirit and when this day has come to you and you know that you have repented and turned away from those sins your days are so full of peace and great joy and you can now sleep at night without fearing death and you are no longer the slave of sin and Satan but you are a free man or woman in Jesus Christ for this you are learning the secret of genuine joy and your great joy lies in the fact that you have been forgiven of your sins and you have revelation of your Redeemer's great work on the cross to bring this wonderful knowledge to living faith in your heart and spirit you no longer have to be a rebel hiding and lurking in the darkness to avoid being arrested by the Lord's shepherds of justice, but you feel yourself totally welcomed as a child of God, received into His warm embrace and loved as a son or daughter. There is no greater comfort on this side of heaven than having the knowing in your heart that your sin is forgiven and you are reconciled to God by the death of His dear Son, Jesus Christ. In our past lives, we knew we were not living a pleasing life to God. And we were in total misery. And for many, they were in absolute despair. But many of these same people know that they know that the smile and grace and favor of God rests upon them now because they have been forgiven of all their transgressions. And they can sing and dance for joy because God will not remember those past sins any longer. They're behind you, dear ones. That is your past. It is not your future. This is cause for great joy. You can even shout if you like. I believe that it would even please the Lord if we do this. Hallelujah. Many of you already know this by your own experience. But many do not know that the pardon of sin makes a great change that surrounds the one who has been forgiven. Malachi 2 verse 2 declares, If you do not listen, if you do not set your heart to honor my name, says the Lord Almighty, I will send a curse upon you and I will curse your blessings yes I have already cursed them because you have not set your heart to honor me God says I will curse your blessings yes I have already cursed them because you have not set your heart on me many a man and woman have realized in their lives the living reality of this scripture can we understand the woes and trouble in the world because people have not acknowledged their great creator for who he is my husband Lee and I were watching a video clip of an evangelist who bravely went before a homosexual gathering and stood on the street next to where the rally was taking place and he was armed with this portable microphone and signs and others who were with him of his staff who were all witnessing Christ to the crowd who were gathered there. And the people in the crowd were shouting, Go home! They called him foul names and screamed at him. And they yelled that they were not interested in his Bible nor his God. God says, I will curse your blessing. Yes, I've already cursed them because you have not set your heart on me. and here we can understand the woes and the troubles in these people's lives because they've not acknowledged their great creator for who he is but for those who know that they have been pardoned of their sin there is a great change that surrounds them and Apostle Paul was overwhelmingly positive when he wrote in Romans 8.28 we know that all things work together for the good to them that love God to them who are called according to his purpose and if you have ever experienced deliverance from your sin which has come through the forgiveness of Christ you knew that everything about you and around you was taking new shape and form You knew what it was to be cursed after curse. And now it comes to you in the reality of blessing after blessing. You know that the dark clouds no longer lay over your head. You know that you are well loved and you are walking in God's blessing and His divine love streams toward you constantly because you are obeying what He commands in His holy book of life. What a blessing it is. to know that your sins are forgiven. And knowing this, you are one who can sing according to the verse in Song of Songs 2, verse 11. For behold, the winter is past, and the rain is over and gone, and the flowers appear on the earth, and the time of singing of the birds have come, and the voice of the turtle dove is heard in our land. and the Lord says to you dear ones according to his word in Isaiah 55 verse 12 for you shall go out from the spiritual exile caused by sin and evil into the homeland with joy and be led forth by your leader the Lord himself and his word with peace the mountains and hills shall break forth before you into singing and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. And if you have ever read the story of John Bunyan, when he was converted he wrote that he even wanted the cows in the field to share his joy. And the secret of this genuine joy stems from the fact, as was stated earlier in this word, is from the understanding that you hold in that your sins have been forgiven. There has been a reversal of the sentence of the curses, which has been pronounced on sinners. Those that refuse to acknowledge God and submit to his righteous authority will live in the continual and promised curses that will overshadow them and bring them to final ruin. So many people ignore the witness of the Holy Spirit as he convinces them and convicts them of their sin. And when his witness wells up within them to convince them that they are on the way to hell, they treat it lightly and ignore it. And this is why the scripture says in Matthew 7, 13, Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction or to hell. and there are many who go in by it. But narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it. They pay no attention to the fact that they will stand one day before the judgment seat of God and hear the sentence that their sins have earned them. People like this will never know nor be able to express the joy of the forgiveness of their sin due to the atoning sacrifice of the one who loves us and gave his life to us and calls us to be his very own. But for those of you who know the secret of this genuine and true joy, you no longer have to fear the messengers of divine justice coming to arrest you and drag you off to the eternal prison of doom and gloom. we can join in Paul's triumphant cry of victory in Romans 8.33 when he chorused who shall bring a charge against God's elect it is God who justifies who is he who condemns it is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen and who is even at the right hand of God and also makes intercession for us Who shall separate us from the love of Christ Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for your sake we are killed all day long. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all of these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor power, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height or depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns God's chosen? Oh, you see, precious ones, there is no eternal death for pardoned sinners. Hallelujah! But only eternal life found in Christ alone. God may correct us. He may rebuke and convict and discipline us as a loving Father, but he will never condemn us as our judge. he will not punish eternally those whom he has forgiven the day of God's wrath has passed for those who now live in Christ as a branch is connected to the vine there is no separation no taking a vacation away from God or better known as backsliding the day of God's wrath is over for those who live in Jesus Christ he is our portion now and forevermore Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. He is our unspeakable joy and bliss. And this present joy will one day culminate into an indescribable joy and glory forever and ever. Praise the Lord. Beloved, Paul wrote under the influence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 3 verse 21. Therefore let no man glory in men for all things are yours whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come all are yours. Verse 23 And you are Christ's and Christ is God's. You belong to one. You know this. And this is your joy. And the other thing that clearly shows that the pardon of sin brings genuine joy is the fact that if our sins had not been forgiven, we would never have known the joy of sharing the gospel with others. We would be incapable and inadequate of sharing the word of God with others because we had not proved its sweetness and preciousness to ourselves. We haven't tasted of its goodness. We would be imposters if we tried to share it. And I mean to tell you this with great emphasis and that is that there are many imposters preaching and teaching the word of God today as there have been in every generation. They have never known the preciousness of what Jesus Christ, their Savior, has done for them in making the forgiveness of sin possible. Paul said in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 8, To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. And many of you who hear this word can surely say the same thing as Paul says here. Many who hear this word, you have been busy sharing this joy with those around you by handing out tracts or teaching and preaching the word of God. Many of you visit the sick or feed the poor, and many invest time and money to win souls for Jesus Christ. And may I say, you bring glory to God in your service of sharing this wonderful joy with others. It turns out to be the greatest joy you've ever known, and that is to share with others, that their sins and transgressions are forgiven them, and their sins are covered by the blood of Jesus. King David said in Psalms 32 verse 1, The joy of forgiveness. Blessed is he whose transgressions is forgiven and whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit. What greater joy is there than in sharing this wonderful covenant blessing with others? That others too may be restored back to God and enjoy a life of fellowship with him through the power of his Holy Spirit. We have the opportunity of experiencing a foretaste of this eternal joy right now. While we have breath on this earth right now. Has the Lord not forgiven you of all of your sins? this is in itself a precious blessing and includes many other blessings after that. And for this reason you should be extremely joyful. And I would just like to input here that repentance and faith are inseparable. In order to walk in this everlasting and eternal joy you as a believer must understand that this is the sum of what Jesus Christ's whole teaching was about. Repentance and faith. They're like twins that are joined at the hip. They are inseparable. And this is the sum total and substance of what Christ taught. From the beginning to the end of his ministry, Jesus taught the importance of these two treasures and secret keys to the enjoyment and fulfillment of true and everlasting joy. So, since the King of all kings has spoken, the importance of repentance and faith throughout his entire ministry on the earth, we should pay attention with utmost respect and obedience and listen and obey what he speaks to us. Please understand that the gospel Jesus preached was quite clear in that it was a command and not a suggestion. He did not stoop so low and spill his blood and die a horrible death for you and me, to reason and argue and rationalize about it. But he wanted to ensure that you would take him serious and attend to his words and submit to his sayings regarding repentance in your walk of faith and produce the fruit that he requires in keeping with your initial repentance. Do you know that many people would never pay attention to the command to believe if it were not a command that carried a weight of punishment with it, if it was not heeded? Listen to the command of Jesus. In Mark 1, verse 15, Jesus says, The appointed period of time is fulfilled and completed, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent. Have a change of mind which issues in regret for past sins and in charge of conduct for the better. and believe and trust in and rely on the good news of the gospel. You see, men and women are without excuse if they neglect the commands of the Lord. The command of Jesus is twofold. It really is self-explanatory. It says, repent and believe. Repentance is an absolute hatred of one's past life. and because of the love of Jesus Christ he's pardoned it and he's forgiven you and now there is an avoidance of present sin in your life and this is not a single work on your own power but this too has been provided for as it was purchased on the cross for both you and me Jesus died and ascended to heaven in order to send his Holy Spirit to live within your heart and give you the strength and the counsel and power to overcome every sin, not just a few, but every one of them precious ones. Jesus paid the price in order for his Holy Spirit to be sent into every man and woman's heart. And your resolution should now be to live like Jesus from this day forth. This is the repentance that we need to preach and teach and practice. Not legalism, not despair, not using terror tactics or fear to bring people to Christ. Godly sorrow is a sorrow that brings us to salvation through Jesus Christ. This is the only repentance that we have and that is necessary. Faith is trust in Jesus. as was mentioned before. Repentance and faith are like twins joined at the hip or they go hand in hand because they're inseparable. You can't have one without the other. You must trust Jesus, your Savior, to save you and keep you. And the command of Jesus was a very reasonable one and not extreme in any way when he said in Mark 1.15, The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. You see, you cannot expect to be saved while you are dead in your sins any more than you can expect to have a healthy mind while you pollute it with pornography or other garbage. God commands you to believe. Repent and believe. And this requires faith. God certainly has the right to demand of those whom he's created and fashioned after himself to believe what he tells them in his holy book of life and believing is having faith in what God tells you in his word God says I am who I am and this signals the truth that nothing else defines who God is but God himself what he says and does is who he is and you should have the faith to believe this. The inspired scriptures are the infallible guide to understanding who God is by what he says about himself and what he does. God commands and demands immediate obedience of us and the danger is real and deadly and the necessity of your obedience to repent and believe is urgent, dear church. It is urgent. and today is the time that God is calling and graciously gives you the opportunity to grow and flourish like the palm or cedar of Lebanon. Tomorrow may be too late and I leave you with several ways to identify, to know whether your repentance is true or not. Number one, you are careful not to fall back into former sins again. Number two, you have a holy indignation against yourself when it comes to former sins. Number three, you have a greater hatred of all sin than you ever had a love for it. Number four, you have an inner and constant striving against secret sin in your life. In other words, you guard and fight and contend against these secret sins so that they do not flourish and take root, but you confess them and reveal them. Number five, you have a thorough obedience to yield cheerfully to all of God's commands, not just a few. Dear ones, there can be no true or genuine joy, but that which comes first through your conscious awareness and understanding that you have repented of your sins and have received the forgiveness of your Heavenly Father and that you are then walking in absolute obedience to His Holy Word. In other words, you are practicing this Christian way of life by living in Christ and doing what he tells you to do in his word, which comes through the Holy Scripture. Remember, the favor of the Lord had come to the paralytic when Jesus said, Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven. You cannot know the secret of genuine joy any other way. This is the beginning and total sum in the foundation and stepping stones to the higher life in Christ. You must know that you possess this understanding and you cannot doubt it. There is no joy to be found in doubt. You cannot doubt whether your sins are pardoned or not. But in fact, the thought of your sin will strike you with great fear. But the assurance of your pardon will fill you with unspeakable joy. Hallelujah. I say choose the latter to know that you know that your sins are forgiven because of your sincere repentance and that you walk in faith by believing what God speaks to you through his word this is the bottom line this is the very foundation that all else is built on to the knowledge and personal revelation of the secret of living in this genuine and unspeakable joy that God promises to all who live in his Son, Jesus Christ. May God, your Heavenly Father, grant you this precious and priceless gift. Thank you.