Fall Retreat 2021: Friday Evening Session

I do pray for this church, and I do pray for Sean regularly.

So to be here with you is a great joy.

I seek Sean out when I can.

I always make sure we spend time together at the conference,

I try to connect to the regional assemblies because I have an immense respect for him.

And I think our family of churches is greatly served by having him as a leader

and a growing influence in our midst.

And so to just be here, spend some time with you,

this particular topic, I did not choose it,

but it is one of great importance to me.

And I'll talk about that in some of the other sessions, a little more biographical.

But this is a very meaningful subject for me.

Give ourselves some background thinking about joy.

Who can complain about a conference on joy?

It seems about as safe a subject as you could possibly have.

Joy, however, it's important we don't think of it as a side issue

or kind of a garnish on Christian life.

You know, joy is a nice thing.

We all should have joy.

And who would argue with that?

And I'm not sure we think about joy as something central and fundamental to Christian life.

And yet it is.

The Bible is emphatically clear that joy is central to Christianity.

Joy is actually at the heart of what it means to live before God.

Joy describes in Scripture how the heavenly host declared the birth of our Savior joy to the world.

Joy describes how the disciples responded when Jesus was raised from the dead.

Joy describes the believers when they were filled by the Holy Spirit.

Joy describes how we should receive the commandments of God.

Joy describes how heaven responds every time a sinner is saved.

Joy describes what our attitude should be when we pray for fellow believers.

Joy describes the effects of the Spirit or the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Joy describes us when we will gather for the marriage feast of the Lamb.

In all of these areas, as the Bible speaks of them, it speaks of joy rejoicing taking place.

Joy, and this is a fundamental thought.

I want to grab it and take with us through the weekend.

Joy is meant to be the natural condition of those who know God, those who love Him and are in a relationship with Him.

That should be our natural framework if we truly know and love God.

Not just what it will be like when we are in heaven and all the imperfections and everything that bothers us is removed.

But even in the midst of the grittiness of this earth.

In Romans 14, verse 17,

Romans 14:17

That's what the kingdom, he says, is about.

Philippians 4.4

Rejoice in the Lord.

How often?

Always.

That should be our demeanor.

Rejoice in the Lord.

Always.

Again, I'm going to say it again.

Rejoice.

Psalm 211.

Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.

I won't get into it in this session.

Michael Reeves, if anyone's familiar with him, anything he writes, read it.

Michael Reeves recently wrote a book, Rejoice and Tremble, which is talking about the fear of the Lord and what actually is biblically the fear of the Lord.

And the conclusion, as he walks carefully through Scripture, the fear of the Lord is to be filled with an overwhelming love for and rejoicing in God.

That is most fundamentally the fear of the Lord.

That Rejoice and Tremble by Michael Reeves would be a book worth reading.

Yet, with all of this, joy doesn't always describe us, does it?

Perhaps, joy rarely describes you.

It's something that pops in every once in a while.

But it's not a regular part of life.

We're going to look at the value of joy and how it can grow in us.

And since we typically don't need lessons on joy when life is going smooth and we're happy,

we're going to spend a significant amount of our time looking at joy when life is hard.

That's when it's a challenge.

And I believe that's when it's most honoring to God and glorifying of him.

And as we do this, I will be preaching to my own soul.

Just in the last two days, just Wednesday and Thursday, conversation with a woman who came to us because her brother stalked and murdered a woman.

And she's, how do I process my brother?

My neighbor, the ambulance is at their house and go over and the wife, probably a stroke, is being rushed to the hospital.

The husband's upset and, you know, trying to minister.

They're not believers.

They never go to church.

Trying to connect with them.

Spent several hours yesterday morning with a woman and her husband.

She had been sexually abused for years by her stepfather.

Stepfather, we were together with the stepfather and her mother trying to mediate in some way.

It was not a pleasant conversation in any way.

I had a call from a church because I serve on the Response Committee for Sexual Misconduct for Sovereign Grace.

So, you know, another call.

You never get a call dealing with sexual abuse.

They're never good calls.

A church, a pastor trying to work through that.

We had an accusation of a man in our church who's a member by his wife saying that he said that he had molested her when she was younger.

That's 48-hour span.

Joy wasn't my natural response.

Joy wasn't my natural response.

And I had to labor and work at trying to find some semblance of joy.

And each of you have your list of struggles, of burdens, of what gets in the way.

And so we preach to all of our souls because this is something we need.

And it is something very good.

So we begin in 1 Peter 1, our first session.

You've got just those blank pages just waiting for notes to be written down.

If you're a note taker.

1 Peter 1, we're going to read verses 3 to 12.

Joy is easiest when we can clearly see and experience the grace of God.

When we're very aware of what God is doing.

It's much easier to be joyful.

I've found over the years that it's not just hardship that interrupts joy.

Because I think we all recognize hard things will come.

We're not surprised that we have hardships.

We realize that's part of life in this world.

I think what is more difficult and challenging for us in this than that a hardship comes.

Something difficult is uncertainty.

Life's uncertainties, if they last, wear on us more than hardship.

The unknowns of getting settled in life.

Where am I going to be?

Where am I going to work?

What is my life career going to be?

Who am I going to be with?

How is life going to work?

The whys of loss.

The whys of betrayal.

The whys of abuse.

The uncertainty of where this world is headed.

The news is never joy-inducing.

And just looking at trajectories of the world.

The question of how your specific problems and burdens will turn out.

What's going to happen with this?

What is the truth?

What is the truth?

All of those can make meaningful joyfulness difficult.

So here's the main point for this session.

God gives us surpassing clarity that should bring us surpassing joy.

God gives us surpassing clarity.

God gives us surpassing clarity that should bring us surpassing joy.

Which brings us to our text.

God gives us surpassing joy.

The apostle writes,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

According to his great mercy,

he has caused us to be born again to a living hope

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

to an inheritance that is imperishable,

undefiled,

unfading,

kept in heaven for you,

who by God's power are being guarded through faith

for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you rejoice,

though now for a little while necessary,

you have been grieved by various trials,

so that the tested genuineness of your faith,

more precious than gold that perishes,

though it is tested by fire,

may be found to result in praise and glory and honor

at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Though you have not seen Jesus Christ,

you love him.

Though you do not now see him,

you believe in him

and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible

and filled with glory,

obtaining the outcome of your faith,

the salvation of your souls.

concerning this salvation,

the prophets who prophesied about the grace

that was to be yours,

searched and inquired carefully,

inquiring what person or time

the spirit of Christ in them was indicating

when he predicted the sufferings of Christ

and the subsequent glories.

It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves,

but you.

In the things that now have been announced to you,

through those who preach the good news to you,

by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven,

things into which angels long to look.

Our heavenly father,

I thank you for each one here,

for what this represents,

their desire to be here,

to know you,

to deepen in how they think of you

and experience you,

how they deepen relationships with each other.

And Lord,

you who are abundant in grace,

I ask that you would multiply that grace

and grant these desires,

that you would fill their hearts

and refresh them and deepen them.

May we see Christ wondrously before us.

May our love abound for he who is worthy,

and may our love for one another abound

as your love for us abounds.

And so in this time,

help us.

We ask of you.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

God's people have always known

that he promised to deliver,

a deliverer to them.

They just weren't sure how.

As soon as Adam brought the curse of sin

upon himself and humanity,

God immediately began promising

a deliverer.

And these promises saturate

the history of God's people

and the message of the Old Testament.

They're found throughout.

And all that is taking place

in the Old Testament,

even if it was recognized or not as it,

it was God pointing his people

to the deliverer to come.

There were consistent themes

that came up over and over again

that God's people clung to for centuries,

that God's deliverer would bring

true and lasting righteousness

to his people,

that he would bring relief

from suffering,

that he would vanquish their enemies,

that he would be a great king

who would reign over

an everlasting kingdom,

and that the peoples of the world

would be drawn to him.

All of these were truths and themes

that the people of God believed

and looked toward.

And obviously, people being people,

they wanted to know when,

how, who.

All of these were on their mind.

Verse 10 emphasizes how earnestly

they searched.

They searched and inquired carefully.

The searching was searching

through scriptures,

seeing if there were any clues,

anything they were missing

concerning the promises of God.

The inquiring, they were calling out to God,

Lord, make your way clear.

But what did become clear to them

is that they would not live

to see the fulfillment of it.

Verse 12,

it was revealed to them

that they were serving

not themselves,

speaking the prophets

and the words that they uttered

about the deliverer.

Now, why does Peter bring this up here?

He's talking about the prophets

and people centuries before,

searching, inquiring.

Peter's speaking to an audience

in a very different context.

He's speaking to people

who know exactly

who the deliverer was.

They know who, when, how.

And they're living in the reality

of knowing who, when, and how.

And that's really why

Peter brings this up.

Because we do see

these promises fulfilled.

He brings this up

over and over in verse 12.

He says,

it was revealed to them

they were not serving themselves,

but you,

and things that now

have been announced

to you

through those

who preach the good news

to you.

And so Peter

wants the people

to know,

for

the major theme

of this letter

is suffering.

Every chapter

deals with suffering.

That will be

the most central theme

of this letter.

People who will face suffering.

And all the uncertainties,

all the difficulty of it.

And he wants them to know,

even in their struggles,

the certainties

that they had,

the certainties we have,

far outweigh

any uncertainty.

There are things

we don't know

about life.

There are some things

we don't know

about God's

specific plan

in our lives.

But the certainties,

the things

we do

know

clearly

are

so

wondrous,

so

huge

to us

that those

certainties

should overwhelm

the things

we

are not

certain about

that tend

to bring

so much

angst to us

and that at times

become magnified

in our mind.

Good wife,

a good friend

of my wife,

a few months ago,

her

adult son

committed suicide

suddenly,

shockingly,

a believing

home.

And the theme

that comes from them,

they're trying to

figure it out.

Their life is

suddenly just

filled with questions.

So,

if there's

anything that

questions

uncertainty

for them,

something that

big,

and yet,

what we can

be certain

about,

even with

something as

brutally hard

as that,

what we

can be

certain of

is greater.

And that

should affect

the joyfulness

of our hearts.

So,

let's

kind of

dig into

that a little

bit.

First,

we have

clarity

about

God's

plan

and

promises.

We have

clarity

about

God's

plan

and

his

promises.

We know

the great

extent

of our

salvation.

That it's

not just

about getting

a better

swing at

life.

Our

salvation

is that

our

souls

are set

free.

our guilt

has

disappeared.

The Lord

is the

one who

says,

I have

cast it

behind my

back and

see it

no more.

I have

cast it

to the

depths of

the sea.

It

cannot be

found.

Our

guilt

in Christ

is

erased

forever.

ever.

Our

guilt

simply

doesn't

exist

anymore.

And so

all

separation

from God,

that's

gone.

We are

joined in

who,

what can

separate us

from the

love of

God and

grace

Jesus.

Evil

has been

defeated.

defeated.

Satan

has been

defeated.

Death

itself

has been

defeated.

And this

salvation

isn't

something that's

for the rest

of our lives.

It's for

all

eternity.

These

are all

certain

truths.

These are

certain

realities.

believers.

Believer,

you

know

the

gospel.

And the

gospel

overshadows

everything you

don't know.

The

gospel

is

infinitely

greater

than

everything

you

don't

know

and

understand.

You

not only

know,

clearly

know the

extent of

our

salvation,

we also

know the

great glory

of who

this

Savior is.

For God

did not

raise up

a wonderful

man.

He

became

man.

God

in

flesh.

Not

just for

a period

of time,

God

popping

into the

world,

pulling a

body upon

himself for

a little

while until

he could get

this cross

thing done.

when God

became

incarnate,

God,

the Son,

from that

moment

forever

will be

God in

flesh.

He will

forever have

human nature,

a human

body.

Forever

he did

that

to save

us.

God

did not

come

to

intimidate.

He came

to draw

us near.

And the

practices

of Jesus,

who Jesus

pursued,

and how

the

gospels

portray,

how he

interacted

with those

no one

cared about,

how he

seemed to

specifically

engage with

those who

are outcasts,

is meant

to enforce

to us.

He came

to bring

near.

He didn't

come to

be an

elitist,

though he

certainly

could have.

He had

the mind,

and someone

who can

perform miracles

can put

himself in

an elite

situation.

He came

to engage

with those

who needed

him.

He came

to bring

us near.

And now,

through

Christ,

now,

for the

first time,

humanity

was able

to see

what is

the full

measure

of the

love of

God.

He

demonstrated

his love

for us

while we

were yet

sinners.

Christ

died for

us.

We knew

something of

the love

of God.

It was

not until

he held

himself on

the cross.

He could

have come

down at

any moment.

Love

kept him

there,

and it was

demonstrated

to a degree

that had

never been

known.

The majesty

of his

grace,

how magnificent

is the grace

of God.

God,

it is

now in

Christ

of the

gospel

that we

see these

things

in degrees

that simply

hadn't been

seen,

couldn't have

been known.

Believer,

you know

Jesus,

and he

overshadows

everything that's

fearful,

everything that's

uncertain.

So our

certainties

involve the

fact that we

have clarity

about the

plan of God,

the promises

of God.

We have

clarity now

about the

person of

God, the

heart of

God.

God, we

know these

things in a

way that those

before us

didn't.

Those in the

old covenant

saw shadows.

We've seen the

living reality

of it.

And secondly,

we had the

beginning of the

fulfillment of

these things.

The plan and

promises of

God, the

fulfillment now

is in

motion, and

it has caught

us up in the

fulfillment.

It's now our

story.

It's now our

life.

It's now part of

our reality.

It is in

part now.

There are

aspects of our

salvation still

in part.

Hence, life

is not always

easy.

But all of

these things in

part are

certain of

how they will

end up.

What will

happen?

do you

realize that's

the purpose of

the book of

Revelation?

Contrary to

popular opinion

among many

believers, the

book of

Revelation was

written so

that Christians

would have one

more thing to

fight about in

case they ran

out of other

things.

Let's just

have one book

that we can

argue about

for centuries.

the book of

Revelation has

places where

okay I'm

trying to

figure that

out but the

book of

Revelation is

actually very

direct and

its purpose is

very clear.

It was given

to the church

which would

suffer to make

two things

certain to us.

What will

happen to

all who

deny Christ

and reject

the rule of

God or their

lies?

What will

happen to

all who

are in

Christ?

That's the

purpose of

the book.

To give us

certainty.

What's going

to happen?

We know.

We know how

it ends up.

When you read

the pictures in

chapters 4,

5, 7,

19 where it

shows us these

pictures of

worship of

what will be

going on.

Do you realize

you're in that

picture?

If you

could just

keep zooming

in, eventually

you would get

to your face

because you

will be part

of that vast

throng.

That's us.

There are

things still

in part, but

it's all

certain.

we are

becoming more

like Jesus.

Even though

we're not

fully there,

and as you're

well aware,

no one else

in your church

is either.

We have

peace with

God,

even though

we're not

always at

peace with

one another

and certainly

not with the

world.

we are

born again

of the

spirit,

even though

these bodies

do no

sickness and

death.

We are

blessed

citizens of

Christ's

kingdom,

even while

we live

in a world

that has

misery.

The

already not

yet,

there are

things we're

a part of

being

completed,

but the

fulfillment has

begun.

So don't

let what is

still in

part overcome

what is

certain,

because what

is certain

is too

wonderful.

And Christ

who makes

it certain

is too

worthy

that we

not keep

looking to

the fulfillment.

fulfillment.

He's too

worthy.

What he has

done is

too wondrous.

Emmanuel,

God with

us.

Emmanuel's

here.

He has

come.

And our

life and

our destiny

will never

be the

same.

Jesus,

he has

died.

The blood

was shed.

The body

dead,

buried.

And so

the price

has been

paid.

And the

prisoners,

they are

released.

It is not

just the

guilt of

sin that

has been

broken.

It is

the bondage

of sin

as well.

We who

will quickly

say we

believe,

yes,

our sins

are forgiven,

then act

as though

we're trapped

by our sin.

We cannot

get free

of it.

that's

just the

deceiver

and the

fact that

we have

well-run

tracks in

our life.

And we

do have

patterns and

habits.

And there's

deception,

but we

are free.

It's

it's as if

we're going

back in

our cell

because it's

a place we

know and

we're there

so long.

We're going

back in

and as

though the

door has

been ripped

off the

hinges.

Jesus

didn't open

it.

He ripped

it off,

cast it

aside.

We go

back in

the cell

old ways

and we're

picking up

the chains

and trying

to, oh,

I can't

help myself.

The chains

are falling

because they're

not even in

the wall

anymore.

They're broken

and we stand

there, see,

I can't help

it, I have

to sin.

No.

The chains

and bondage

of sin

are broken

as is

the guilt

because

Christ

has died

and the

tomb

is empty

and the

throne

it is

occupied

by one

worthy

to rule

who knows

how

to rule.

We can't

say that

about all

of our

rulers here.

We can

say it

about Jesus.

He

knows

how

to rule

to rule

well.

He

understands

justice

and goodness

and mercy.

Who is

the one

who reigns

who is

sovereign?

Our

king.

The one

that knows

us.

That's

the one

who reigns.

And so

verse

12

presses

this point

about our

advantage

compared

to

those

who

believed

in God

over the

centuries

in the

old

covenant.

It

was

revealed

to them

that they

were serving

not themselves

but you

and the

things that

had been

announced

to you

to those

who preach

the good

news to

you

by the

Holy Spirit

sent from

heaven

things into

which angels

long to

look.

Peter's

telling us

these realities

are so

wondrous

even angels

are amazed.

now I

don't know

what the

experience

of angels

is

but I

think we

can all

agree

it has

to be

pretty

wondrous.

It's

better

than what

we

experience.

The angels

with all

that they

know and

see

are

amazed.

The

Old

Testament

prophets

had a

hazy

view

of our

salvation.

even as

they're

giving

the

prophetic

words

God

gave

them

that

we

look

at

now

and

go

well

that's

pretty

obvious

what it

is.

To

them

it

was

hazy

it

seemed

confusing

what's

going

on

here.

And

yet it

says

they

desired

it.

They

were

searching

they

knew

it

was

good

it

was

wondrous.

Angels

are not

like the

prophets

angels

see

clearly

they know

exactly

what's

going

on.

And it

astonishes

them.

Think of

these

magnificent

beings

of mind

and experience

that we

cannot

comprehend.

And they

are watching

the gospel

unfold.

Thinking

how

could it

be

be

the

creator

of

existence

has

become

one

of

them.

How

could it

be

that he

is

born

of

them?

How

could it

be

that

the

majesty

of

heaven

allowed

himself

to be

crucified?

Jesus

said he

could just

speak and

legions of

angels would

have come.

Imagine

imagine

the

destructive

force

that would

have taken

place

on that

mount

if legions

of angels

had descended

in the

fury

that had

to have

been in

their

hearts

that the

Savior

that Christ

was being

crucified

was being

mocked

shamed

tortured

imagine

if the

full force

they had

was unleashed

upon that

hill.

and they

are there

not

called for

restraint

just

watching

it all

happen.

How

could it

be

that

those

who were

defiled

and

unworthy

those

who even

in that

moment

were

rejecting

and mocking

Christ

are now

the

beloved

of God

loved

the

word of

God

tells us

we are

loved

just

as

the

father

loves

the

son

we're

loved

how much

does

the father

love the

son

we can't

measure that

whatever it

is he

loves us

just

as much

so how

should all

this

clarity

all

this

fulfillment

all

this

certainty

how

should it

affect

our

lives

sure

we could

come up

with many

ways

the one

central to

our purpose

this weekend

is how

it affects

our

joyfulness

with a

salvation

this

great

this

certain

the

fulfillment

in motion

has caught

us up

in it

with

such a

great

salvation

our

hearts

should

overflow

with joy

verses

six and

eight

in this

you rejoice

now

though for a

little while

if necessary

you've been

grieved by

various trials

he is saying

this

you rejoice

in which

the context

is the

gospel

is so

wondrous

even though

you have

trials

we still

rejoice

because

this

is far

better

we'll

look at

that

more

in the

next

session

verse

eight

speaks

of this

default

setting

for our

soul

you

haven't

seen

Jesus

but you

love

him

by the

grace

of God

you

love

him

no

you

do

not

see

him

now

you

believe

in

him

you

who

think

maybe

your

faith

is

weak

we

tend

to

how

often

do

you

speak

to

a

Christian

who

says

yeah

my

faith

is

strong

great

faith

they

may

think

Christians

don't

say

that

too

often

we're

thinking

our

faith

is

kind

of

weak

because

we're

aware

of

our

struggles

have

you

considered

as a

believer

how

easily

you

believe

that

baby

Jesus

was

God

in

flesh

that

he

was

born

of

a

virgin

that

he

really

did

die

and

now

he's

alive

and

he's

up

in

heaven

and

when

you

talk

he

hears

and

he

actually

speaks

to

your

soul

and

you

get

it

but

if

you

say

that

to

other

people

and

they're

kind

of

whacked

and

yet

those

things

aren't

hard

for you

to

believe

when

you're

in

Christ

Jesus

is

born

of

a

virgin

okay

God

became

flesh

it

was

God

in

flesh

and

he

was

dead

now

he's

alive

and

you

go

yep

okay

how

is

it

that

we

believe

those

things

so

actually

so

easily

because

your

faith

truly

is

a

miraculous

work

of

God

it

is

the

power

of

God

in

you

and

so

you

do

believe

and

we

do

rejoice

he

says

joy

inexpressible

filled

with

glory

not in

full

measure

but

it

comes

and

although

we

have

inconsistency

in

these

things

joy

can

increasingly

be

our

natural

disposition

and

as we

live in

the joy

of

Christ

our

lives

glorify

him

and

isn't

that

what

you

really

want

to

come

from

your

life

that

Christ

really

is

glorified

that

somehow

your

life

brings

honor

to

him

isn't

that

what

we

really

want

that

somehow

our

life

brings

honor

to

God

and

lists

up

the

name

of

Jesus

being

joyful

by

disposition

and

we'll

look at

what

that

means

that

is

glorifying

to

him

because

happiness

is

directed

to

circumstances

you

get

a

new

car

and

you're

happy

with

all

the

new

drives

itself

I

haven't

had

one

of

those

cars

yet

but

I

watched

the

commercials

they

tell

me

it

drives

itself

parks

itself

has

all

kinds

of

cool

gadgetry

a

new

car

you're

happy

you

haven't

made

the

first

payment

yet

you're

happy

you

don't

know

yet

what

it

will

cost

you

you're

happy

and

then

your

wife

accidentally

gets too

close to

the mailbox

as she

goes out

you're

not

happy

you're

not

happy

I'm

just

saying

for instance

if something

like that

ever

happened

you just

you wouldn't

be happy

joy

is something

very

different

joy

is not

dependent

on

circumstances

at all

it

all those

circumstances

can be

very

unhappy

and joy

is

there

and so

that's

what makes

it

the world

how

why

this

doesn't

make

sense

and it

points

to

it

makes

sense

if

you

know

him

it

makes

sense

if

he

isn't

here

it

makes

sense

when

he

uses

your

life

and that

that honors

him and