1 00:00:04,662 --> 00:00:06,502 Speaker: -range called the Superstition Mountains, and it 2 00:00:06,502 --> 00:00:08,242 was out kind of our back door. 3 00:00:08,342 --> 00:00:11,352 We lived in far East Mesa, and you could see them from where we lived. 4 00:00:11,352 --> 00:00:13,792 And the Superstition Mountains were, were beautiful, and they 5 00:00:13,792 --> 00:00:16,152 were also notoriously dangerous. 6 00:00:16,471 --> 00:00:18,772 People would lose their lives going on hiking trips and things 7 00:00:18,772 --> 00:00:20,561 like that on a, a yearly basis. 8 00:00:20,561 --> 00:00:23,261 I remember one of the, the guys in our church had a small prop plane, and he 9 00:00:23,262 --> 00:00:26,462 flew over the Superstition Mountains, and I was foolish enough and young 10 00:00:26,462 --> 00:00:27,812 enough to go up in that plane with him. 11 00:00:28,222 --> 00:00:29,342 Uh, but it was beautiful. 12 00:00:29,352 --> 00:00:30,412 It was beautiful to see from the top. 13 00:00:30,422 --> 00:00:33,841 But the Superstition Mountains are known for something other than just 14 00:00:33,852 --> 00:00:36,682 being beautiful and dangerous, and that is they're known for having 15 00:00:36,682 --> 00:00:40,162 deposits of gold, and that enters in the Lost Dutchman's Goldmine. 16 00:00:41,571 --> 00:00:42,992 The man's name was Jacob Waltz. 17 00:00:43,242 --> 00:00:49,282 He lived in the 1800s, and he was supposed to have discovered a goldmine that began 18 00:00:49,282 --> 00:00:51,762 to produce, uh, in immense quantities. 19 00:00:51,872 --> 00:00:55,872 And so Jacob and his partner at the time began to mine the, the gold, and 20 00:00:55,872 --> 00:00:59,162 they would mine the gold, and they would store it away there on the mountain. 21 00:00:59,162 --> 00:01:02,922 Well, his partner died and, and Jacob was left by himself to mine the rest of it. 22 00:01:02,922 --> 00:01:07,122 And so he continued to mine the gold from, uh, the, the Lost Dutchman's 23 00:01:07,582 --> 00:01:11,641 Goldmine there until he himself got sick and was on his own deathbed. 24 00:01:11,652 --> 00:01:14,862 Now, he had hidden all of his treasures up in the Superstition Mountains. 25 00:01:15,272 --> 00:01:18,881 His caretaker at the time knew that he was dying and said to him, "Jacob, you need 26 00:01:18,882 --> 00:01:20,572 to tell me where you've buried the gold." 27 00:01:21,122 --> 00:01:25,182 Jacob, in his last few moments of consciousness, was reported to have 28 00:01:25,192 --> 00:01:27,792 given her directions to his goldmine. 29 00:01:28,341 --> 00:01:31,592 But the problem was he didn't give her all the directions to the goldmine. 30 00:01:32,252 --> 00:01:35,712 And so his caretaker, after he passed away, took what she had, and she 31 00:01:35,712 --> 00:01:38,182 thought she had the directions to the Lost Dutchman's Goldmine, and she 32 00:01:38,182 --> 00:01:40,892 went up into the mountains, into the Superstition Mountains, and she began 33 00:01:40,892 --> 00:01:45,072 to search far and wide for this goldmine that was supposedly up there containing 34 00:01:45,431 --> 00:01:50,140 all of these riches as well as active veins of gold to continue to be mined. 35 00:01:51,401 --> 00:01:55,782 Well, she never found it, and those directions got passed on from her to other 36 00:01:55,782 --> 00:02:00,801 people and so forth and so on until even today, there are still people that will 37 00:02:00,812 --> 00:02:04,112 set out in search of Jacob Waltz's lost 38 00:02:06,252 --> 00:02:06,312 goldmine. 39 00:02:06,312 --> 00:02:08,622 Can you imagine if you found his goldmine? 40 00:02:09,961 --> 00:02:13,372 That's what drives so many people to go up there, and in fact, people that 41 00:02:13,372 --> 00:02:15,911 go up there year after year after year trying to find the lost goldmine 42 00:02:16,152 --> 00:02:18,932 because they're thinking about what it would be like if they found the gold, 43 00:02:19,362 --> 00:02:22,612 the joy that would- they would feel in finding all of this that Jacob had 44 00:02:22,612 --> 00:02:26,152 mined and stored away, but then knowing there's more to be discovered too. 45 00:02:26,582 --> 00:02:29,142 They would think to themselves, "We found not only the gold, but also 46 00:02:29,142 --> 00:02:30,712 the mine that's producing the gold." 47 00:02:30,712 --> 00:02:32,411 And they would think to themselves, "All of these veins 48 00:02:32,411 --> 00:02:34,591 of gold in here, my life is set." 49 00:02:34,622 --> 00:02:37,252 Can you imagine being the one to find that? 50 00:02:37,252 --> 00:02:40,502 To think to yourself, "The joy that I have in knowing that I have all of this 51 00:02:40,502 --> 00:02:44,281 money, all of this gold at my disposal," the benefits that would come from 52 00:02:44,281 --> 00:02:47,272 having all of that, and then knowing that all of your needs were gonna be 53 00:02:47,272 --> 00:02:49,502 taken care of from that point forward 54 00:02:51,864 --> 00:02:56,204 What if I told you that there's a greater source of riches that you 55 00:02:56,204 --> 00:02:59,404 have access to that you wouldn't have to work nearly as hard for? 56 00:03:00,734 --> 00:03:04,724 A greater source of, of wealth that you have access to that is actually 57 00:03:04,734 --> 00:03:08,024 genuine and not just a myth and a legend that's been handed down 58 00:03:08,024 --> 00:03:09,414 from generation to generation. 59 00:03:10,463 --> 00:03:12,704 One of the reasons why nobody has found Jacob Waltz's gold mine 60 00:03:12,704 --> 00:03:15,374 is because I don't believe Jacob Waltz's gold mine actually exists. 61 00:03:16,864 --> 00:03:20,544 And yet people are willing to risk their lives in the heat of Arizona, 62 00:03:21,064 --> 00:03:23,254 and the scorpions, and the snakes, and everything else up in the Superstition 63 00:03:23,624 --> 00:03:24,954 Mountains to go to try to find it. 64 00:03:26,084 --> 00:03:29,704 They go to such great lengths to find riches that don't actually exist when you 65 00:03:29,704 --> 00:03:33,724 and I this morning have sitting in our lap untapped riches in the Word of God. 66 00:03:34,654 --> 00:03:36,874 And I wonder, do we realize what we have? 67 00:03:38,274 --> 00:03:42,313 Psalm 119 verse 14 says this, "In the way of your testimonies I 68 00:03:42,314 --> 00:03:44,433 delight as much as in all riches." 69 00:03:45,413 --> 00:03:47,484 Can you say that this morning with the psalmist? 70 00:03:48,254 --> 00:03:55,594 In the Word of God, I delight, I find joy in God's Word as much as in all riches 71 00:03:57,996 --> 00:04:01,986 What if the joy that you could feel in discovering the, the goldmine of The 72 00:04:01,986 --> 00:04:05,406 Lost Dutchman could be surpassed by the joy that God has for you in the Word? 73 00:04:06,536 --> 00:04:09,346 That's what I want us to think about this morning in a sermon called Untapped Joy. 74 00:04:10,156 --> 00:04:10,776 Untapped Joy. 75 00:04:10,786 --> 00:04:14,185 We're gonna look at, at, at five veins of joy that we find in the scriptures, 76 00:04:14,185 --> 00:04:18,296 just like five veins of gold in the mountain there, that you could mine 77 00:04:18,305 --> 00:04:20,005 and find that they would never run out. 78 00:04:20,005 --> 00:04:24,226 There are five veins of gold that are there, five veins of joy that are 79 00:04:24,236 --> 00:04:26,846 there in the scriptures for you this morning, that if you will mine, if you 80 00:04:26,846 --> 00:04:29,816 will give yourself over to the study of the Word of God and to reading it 81 00:04:30,116 --> 00:04:33,205 and to obeying it and to pursuing it, you will find that these veins of joy 82 00:04:33,236 --> 00:04:35,155 will never run out for you either. 83 00:04:36,386 --> 00:04:39,996 There is untapped joy sitting on your lap this morning, sitting on your 84 00:04:39,996 --> 00:04:43,846 phone this morning, sitting in the Bible that you have this morning. 85 00:04:45,386 --> 00:04:47,455 The verse that we're gonna use to springboard this morning 86 00:04:47,456 --> 00:04:50,166 is Psalm 119 verse 111. 87 00:04:50,816 --> 00:04:53,476 I say springboard because this is gonna be a little bit of a different sermon. 88 00:04:53,486 --> 00:04:56,366 Usually, you're used to me taking one passage and just walking through 89 00:04:56,366 --> 00:04:57,716 verse by verse all the way through. 90 00:04:57,976 --> 00:05:00,736 Well, this morning what we're gonna do is we're gonna do a survey of Psalm 91 00:05:00,736 --> 00:05:05,435 119 to find all of the different things that Psalm 119 promises us that should 92 00:05:05,446 --> 00:05:10,006 be for us these veins of joy that continues to sustain our joy in our lives 93 00:05:10,006 --> 00:05:14,576 throughout anything and over- overcoming anything that, that might come our way. 94 00:05:15,136 --> 00:05:17,686 Psalm 119 verse 111, though, this is gonna be our springboard. 95 00:05:17,686 --> 00:05:21,115 It says this: "Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for 96 00:05:21,116 --> 00:05:22,286 they are the joy of my heart." 97 00:05:23,105 --> 00:05:26,406 Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. 98 00:05:26,925 --> 00:05:28,836 The word heritage there means inheritance. 99 00:05:29,246 --> 00:05:29,976 They're my portion. 100 00:05:29,986 --> 00:05:30,796 They're my possession. 101 00:05:31,506 --> 00:05:35,776 They're, they're the riches that I am gaining, because 102 00:05:35,776 --> 00:05:38,336 they are my joy of my heart. 103 00:05:39,206 --> 00:05:42,105 Uh, the idea of an in- inheritance or a heritage is something 104 00:05:42,105 --> 00:05:43,726 that we still understand today. 105 00:05:43,726 --> 00:05:45,376 It's, it's something in effect today. 106 00:05:45,685 --> 00:05:49,096 Uh, when a loved one dies, if they have saved up for you, they're 107 00:05:49,096 --> 00:05:50,436 leaving you behind an inheritance. 108 00:05:50,436 --> 00:05:51,696 You know what that is to have that. 109 00:05:51,706 --> 00:05:55,846 A- and so often that's more than just the, the possessions or the money. 110 00:05:55,846 --> 00:05:57,716 That's, that's what it's going to do for you. 111 00:05:58,176 --> 00:06:00,266 It's the benefit that that's gonna produce in your life. 112 00:06:00,266 --> 00:06:03,135 It's what that's going to do to, to make your life better. 113 00:06:03,486 --> 00:06:07,276 And the psalmist is saying, the author is saying, "The Word of God is that for me. 114 00:06:08,026 --> 00:06:09,476 I'm gonna choose the Word of God. 115 00:06:10,246 --> 00:06:12,586 I'm gonna delight in the Word as much as in all riches. 116 00:06:12,586 --> 00:06:15,626 I'm gonna choose God's Word for my portion, for my possession." 117 00:06:15,836 --> 00:06:16,346 Why? 118 00:06:16,525 --> 00:06:19,346 Because he says, "It's the joy of my heart." 119 00:06:20,672 --> 00:06:23,942 He's gonna say as, as much as, as people may rejoice in gaining an 120 00:06:23,942 --> 00:06:27,152 inheritance of millions of dollars from a loved one, or as much as someone 121 00:06:27,152 --> 00:06:30,432 may enjoy in discovering a lost gold mine, the psalmist is saying, "My 122 00:06:30,432 --> 00:06:32,062 joy is anchored to the Word of God. 123 00:06:32,082 --> 00:06:33,622 My joy is anchored to the scriptures. 124 00:06:33,631 --> 00:06:35,232 That's where I find my satisfaction. 125 00:06:35,492 --> 00:06:39,122 That's where my true satisfaction and joy and hope is." 126 00:06:39,742 --> 00:06:41,422 And I wonder this morning if we could say the same thing. 127 00:06:42,552 --> 00:06:44,942 Could we say with the psalmist that the Word of God is my portion, the 128 00:06:44,942 --> 00:06:47,552 Word of God is my heritage, the Word of God is, is what I'm choosing 129 00:06:47,552 --> 00:06:50,042 to be mine, it's my inheritance? 130 00:06:50,841 --> 00:06:54,081 Again, there's untapped joy sitting in our laps this morning 131 00:06:54,091 --> 00:06:55,142 in the form of the Word of God. 132 00:06:55,142 --> 00:06:58,332 We're gonna look at five different veins of that joy as 133 00:06:58,332 --> 00:06:59,382 we walk through this morning. 134 00:06:59,382 --> 00:07:03,002 The first, I want us to, to think about verses one through three of Psalm 119. 135 00:07:03,022 --> 00:07:06,422 Now, we already covered this back in our first sermon about four weeks ago. 136 00:07:07,492 --> 00:07:09,892 Verses one through three of Psalm 119 says this, "Blessed 137 00:07:10,042 --> 00:07:14,112 are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. 138 00:07:14,392 --> 00:07:17,471 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with 139 00:07:17,471 --> 00:07:22,972 their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways." 140 00:07:23,672 --> 00:07:26,912 And so in this, these three verses, what we find is the psalmist is saying the 141 00:07:26,912 --> 00:07:30,821 one that is blessed, the one that is happy, is the one that is living a godly 142 00:07:30,821 --> 00:07:34,522 life, the one that is coming to the Word of God, reading the Word of God, and 143 00:07:34,522 --> 00:07:38,562 walking in the Word of God, doing the Word of God, obeying the Word of God. 144 00:07:38,562 --> 00:07:42,182 In other words, living a life that is a life of godliness, a life of holiness. 145 00:07:42,192 --> 00:07:46,302 See, that's one of the veins of joy that we find in the Bible here, is that 146 00:07:46,302 --> 00:07:49,511 as we come to the Word of God and we read the Word of God and we obey the 147 00:07:49,511 --> 00:07:53,372 Word of God, what that does in our life is it produces a godliness within us 148 00:07:53,732 --> 00:07:58,932 that's going to lead to our first vein, which is the joy of a clear conscience. 149 00:07:59,622 --> 00:08:01,752 The joy of a clear conscience. 150 00:08:02,341 --> 00:08:06,491 And God's Word does that for us in really two different ways. 151 00:08:06,892 --> 00:08:09,962 The first way that the Word of God does this for us and provides for us 152 00:08:09,962 --> 00:08:14,302 the joy of a clear conscience is it reminds us as we come to the pages 153 00:08:14,312 --> 00:08:16,232 of the source of a clear conscience. 154 00:08:16,931 --> 00:08:18,932 Now, let's talk about a clear conscience first before we, 155 00:08:18,952 --> 00:08:20,492 we, we unpack this any further. 156 00:08:20,852 --> 00:08:24,292 A clear conscience is, is that conscience that says, "I'm, I'm not guilty. 157 00:08:25,181 --> 00:08:26,842 I don't have anything to be ashamed of. 158 00:08:26,862 --> 00:08:29,241 I don't have anything to, to carry condemnation about. 159 00:08:29,662 --> 00:08:31,462 There's no charge that could stick to me. 160 00:08:31,732 --> 00:08:33,302 I've got a clean conscience." 161 00:08:33,302 --> 00:08:36,892 Versus a guilty conscience is someone that says, "I know I've done wrong." 162 00:08:37,212 --> 00:08:40,572 And a guilty conscience is going to shy away, a guilty conscience is going to 163 00:08:40,572 --> 00:08:48,486 hide, a guilty conscience is going to flee from instead of draw near to God The Word 164 00:08:48,486 --> 00:08:54,356 of God is the access point to you and me having a clean conscience in two ways. 165 00:08:54,366 --> 00:08:57,586 First, it's revealing to us the source of a clean conscience. 166 00:08:58,685 --> 00:09:01,646 What is the ultimate source of the clean conscience for the Christian? 167 00:09:02,716 --> 00:09:03,246 The Gospel. 168 00:09:04,085 --> 00:09:04,726 It's the Gospel. 169 00:09:05,026 --> 00:09:05,775 It's Jesus. 170 00:09:06,415 --> 00:09:09,946 The, the bedrock foundation that gives you confidence to be here this morning and 171 00:09:09,946 --> 00:09:16,566 not feel the guilt of sin, not feel the condemnation, and not feel the shame is 172 00:09:16,576 --> 00:09:19,905 not because of what the work that you've done to put in on that front, but the 173 00:09:19,906 --> 00:09:21,806 work that Christ did for you on the cross. 174 00:09:22,886 --> 00:09:28,026 What cleanses your conscience once and for all is Jesus Christ dying on the 175 00:09:28,026 --> 00:09:33,856 cross in your place for your sins, for your guilt, for your shame, taking that 176 00:09:33,856 --> 00:09:38,535 upon himself so that you can be declared not just not guilty, but innocent 177 00:09:38,566 --> 00:09:40,086 with the righteousness of Christ. 178 00:09:41,255 --> 00:09:45,036 So in that sense, your conscience is objectively clean before the Lord. 179 00:09:46,116 --> 00:09:47,496 You are justified. 180 00:09:47,506 --> 00:09:49,415 You are righteous in his eyes. 181 00:09:51,036 --> 00:09:54,236 So the Word of God is a source of joy to us because we can come to it and we can 182 00:09:54,236 --> 00:09:59,755 be reminded of that reality, that it's not about, uh, us pulling ourselves up by our 183 00:09:59,755 --> 00:10:01,416 bootstraps and just being a better person. 184 00:10:02,796 --> 00:10:06,386 That if you desire a clean conscience in God's eyes, in other words, if you 185 00:10:06,386 --> 00:10:10,116 desire for God to look at you and see you as righteous, it, it's not that 186 00:10:10,126 --> 00:10:13,995 you have to live a morally upright life or that you even could do that. 187 00:10:15,555 --> 00:10:19,586 See, the, the, the problem is, is the Bible teaches us a, a couple 188 00:10:19,586 --> 00:10:22,736 of things right off the bat that, that are not good news for us. 189 00:10:23,286 --> 00:10:25,646 And that is, number one, the Bible tells me who I am. 190 00:10:26,966 --> 00:10:30,696 And what that is, is that the Bible tells me that, that I am a sinner. 191 00:10:31,926 --> 00:10:33,606 The Word of God says that, "All have sinned and fall 192 00:10:33,606 --> 00:10:34,616 short of the glory of God." 193 00:10:35,956 --> 00:10:38,926 The wo- Word of God says there, uh, "There's no one righteous, no not one. 194 00:10:39,506 --> 00:10:40,766 There's no one who seeks for God." 195 00:10:40,776 --> 00:10:46,095 A- and so that's bad news because for me then, that tells me that I have 196 00:10:46,096 --> 00:10:50,376 a, a problem in that my conscience is not clean because I have sinned. 197 00:10:51,826 --> 00:10:54,906 And so if I want a clean conscience with God, then I'm left to say, "Okay, 198 00:10:54,906 --> 00:10:56,116 what, what can I do about that?" 199 00:10:56,116 --> 00:10:59,736 Well, the other bit of bad news that the Bible talks about is it tells me not only 200 00:10:59,736 --> 00:11:01,576 who I am, but it tells me who God is. 201 00:11:03,116 --> 00:11:08,455 And in that, it tells me that God is holy, and God is righteous, and God is just, 202 00:11:09,506 --> 00:11:14,175 and that, that God being holy, righteous, and just cannot tolerate any sin. 203 00:11:15,996 --> 00:11:19,246 And so that tells me more bad news because that tells me because I am a 204 00:11:19,246 --> 00:11:23,766 sinner, and God is holy, righteous, and just and can't tolerate any sin, 205 00:11:23,766 --> 00:11:27,715 that tells me then that I, I can't have a right relationship with God 206 00:11:30,222 --> 00:11:34,092 Until the good news comes, which the Bible also tells us. 207 00:11:34,092 --> 00:11:39,112 It not only tells us who we are and who God is, but it also 208 00:11:39,112 --> 00:11:40,262 tells us what he did about that. 209 00:11:41,792 --> 00:11:45,882 See, the Bible tells us that God didn't leave us as those with this plagued, 210 00:11:45,891 --> 00:11:48,651 guilty, stained conscience, as those that could never be made right with 211 00:11:48,651 --> 00:11:50,452 him and say, "Well, sorry about you." 212 00:11:51,882 --> 00:11:55,531 But instead, the Bible says that God gave His Son for us. 213 00:11:55,792 --> 00:12:00,062 2 Corinthians 5:21 puts it this way, that He made Him who knew no sin. 214 00:12:00,842 --> 00:12:03,602 The only one with truly a clean conscience before the Father was 215 00:12:03,611 --> 00:12:07,382 the Son, and the, the Bible tells me that God the Father made Him who 216 00:12:07,391 --> 00:12:09,901 knew no sin, the Son, to be sin. 217 00:12:11,292 --> 00:12:11,752 W- w- what sin? 218 00:12:11,752 --> 00:12:12,262 Whose sin? 219 00:12:12,982 --> 00:12:17,461 My sin that stained my conscience, and your sin that stained your conscience. 220 00:12:18,391 --> 00:12:24,271 God made Him to be sin who knew no sin so that we might become righteous. 221 00:12:25,252 --> 00:12:25,992 Righteous. 222 00:12:26,781 --> 00:12:30,662 In other words, Jesus took the clean conscience that He had, and He transferred 223 00:12:30,662 --> 00:12:36,092 it to our account and took our guilt, our sin upon Himself, and He died on the 224 00:12:36,092 --> 00:12:38,112 cross for us so that we might be forgiven. 225 00:12:38,122 --> 00:12:42,151 See, the Bible reminds me of the source of my clean conscience before God, which 226 00:12:42,152 --> 00:12:44,662 is ultimately Jesus' work, not my work. 227 00:12:46,092 --> 00:12:49,762 Objectively, I am righteous before the Lord because of the cross. 228 00:12:51,172 --> 00:12:53,991 But the second thing that the Bible tells me, and the second reason that there's 229 00:12:54,002 --> 00:12:57,652 joy in the Bible when it comes to a clear conscience is this: n- not only 230 00:12:57,652 --> 00:13:01,201 is there an objective reality of a clear conscience, but there's also a subjective 231 00:13:01,202 --> 00:13:05,732 reality of a clear conscience that can impact your day-to-day intimacy with God. 232 00:13:06,781 --> 00:13:10,571 You are once for all secure and saved in Christ if you are in Christ, okay? 233 00:13:10,602 --> 00:13:16,271 That never changes, but how close you feel to Him, how, how strong you feel 234 00:13:16,271 --> 00:13:20,762 like your relationship with Christ may be at any given time, that fluctuates, and 235 00:13:20,802 --> 00:13:24,632 oftentimes that fluctuates based on the state of our conscience before the Lord 236 00:13:26,689 --> 00:13:31,290 Meaning this, i-if I as a believer have sin in my life, if I as a believer am 237 00:13:31,579 --> 00:13:35,219 openly rebelling against God's word, if I'm not walking in obedience to what God 238 00:13:35,219 --> 00:13:40,270 has called me to, to do, then I shouldn't expect that I'm gonna feel close to him. 239 00:13:41,490 --> 00:13:44,559 I shouldn't expect that I'm gonna have an intimacy with God. 240 00:13:44,569 --> 00:13:47,760 A-and when I sit here and I think, "God, why do you feel so far away? 241 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:49,900 Why does my walk feel so dry? 242 00:13:49,900 --> 00:13:51,380 Why do you feel so distant?" 243 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:54,599 Oftentimes, we can trace it back to the fact that we have a guilty 244 00:13:54,599 --> 00:13:57,189 conscience in the sense that we are carrying sin that we haven't brought 245 00:13:57,189 --> 00:13:58,339 before the Lord and confessed. 246 00:13:59,479 --> 00:14:03,530 And so the reason that God's word con-contradicts that or, or counteracts 247 00:14:03,560 --> 00:14:07,290 that and provides joy for us, is God's word lays out the path for us that we 248 00:14:07,290 --> 00:14:11,689 should be walking in order to maintain that clear conscience with the Lord, 249 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:16,390 in order to, to not feel the guilt that makes me want to not pray, but run. 250 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,689 The, the, the guilt that leads me not to want to read the word, but to ignore it 251 00:14:20,689 --> 00:14:24,300 and, and just get through my week, and get through another Sunday, and go on and, 252 00:14:24,300 --> 00:14:27,599 and try to forget about how bad I feel for the sin that I know I need to put off. 253 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:30,569 See, God's word is a joy for us. 254 00:14:30,569 --> 00:14:32,420 It's a source of joy for us because it tells us, "Hey, 255 00:14:32,420 --> 00:14:33,939 Christian, this is how to walk. 256 00:14:34,579 --> 00:14:37,370 This is what it looks like to live a life that's pleasing to the Lord 257 00:14:37,370 --> 00:14:38,860 so that you will feel close to him. 258 00:14:39,339 --> 00:14:42,979 You'll feel the intimacy with him that you want to And that's 259 00:14:42,979 --> 00:14:44,160 not found anywhere else, y'all. 260 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,729 The Spirit of God uses the Word of God in our life to make 261 00:14:48,729 --> 00:14:50,579 us most like the Son of God. 262 00:14:51,390 --> 00:14:52,479 That's what he does. 263 00:14:52,479 --> 00:14:55,680 He uses God's Word to make us more like Jesus, and the more like Jesus 264 00:14:55,689 --> 00:14:59,260 we become, the more clean we will feel in our conscience, and the 265 00:14:59,260 --> 00:15:01,270 closer to the Lord we will feel. 266 00:15:01,780 --> 00:15:03,349 And so there's the objective reality. 267 00:15:03,349 --> 00:15:06,770 Your conscience has been ultimately, once and for all, cleansed in the sense 268 00:15:06,770 --> 00:15:10,140 of your standing with God, because you have been declared righteous. 269 00:15:10,479 --> 00:15:13,629 But there's a subjective reality of whether or not you're carrying a clear 270 00:15:13,630 --> 00:15:15,109 conscience on a day-to-day basis. 271 00:15:15,389 --> 00:15:18,040 Are you carrying sin that you know that you need to put off? 272 00:15:18,279 --> 00:15:21,579 God's Word is a source of joy because it opens up our lives and says, 273 00:15:21,579 --> 00:15:24,189 "Hey, this is what it looks like to walk in faithfulness to the Lord." 274 00:15:25,130 --> 00:15:27,189 And so there's joy to be found therein. 275 00:15:27,199 --> 00:15:30,459 There's the joy of the clear conscience to walk with him, which I trust that 276 00:15:30,459 --> 00:15:33,099 you know what that feels like, the joy of a clear conscience versus 277 00:15:33,109 --> 00:15:34,730 the joy of a, a guilty conscience. 278 00:15:35,549 --> 00:15:38,650 God's Word leads you into the joy of the clear conscience and does 279 00:15:38,660 --> 00:15:40,870 that, again, uniquely for us. 280 00:15:41,959 --> 00:15:43,209 But it's not just a clear conscience. 281 00:15:43,230 --> 00:15:44,920 There's more that the Word of God offers for us. 282 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:47,279 There's other veins of joy here in the pages of scripture. 283 00:15:47,510 --> 00:15:50,420 In Psalm 119:44-45, we read this. 284 00:15:50,929 --> 00:15:54,539 The psalmist says, "I will keep your law continually forever and ever, 285 00:15:54,559 --> 00:15:59,949 and I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts." 286 00:16:00,849 --> 00:16:02,290 I have sought your precepts. 287 00:16:03,229 --> 00:16:08,260 Weathering the storms that will inevitably accompany life will depend 288 00:16:08,260 --> 00:16:09,569 greatly on what we do with the Word. 289 00:16:10,670 --> 00:16:13,839 The Word of God provides joy for us as Christians because we can keep coming back 290 00:16:13,839 --> 00:16:18,839 to it over and over and over again, and if we persevere in steadfastness, in coming 291 00:16:18,839 --> 00:16:22,079 back to the Word, what God is gonna do through the Word is he's gonna strengthen 292 00:16:22,089 --> 00:16:26,170 our faith to enable us to stand firm, even in the midst of the darkest valleys and 293 00:16:26,170 --> 00:16:27,419 the hardest trials that we walk through. 294 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:31,300 And so there is joy, point number two, in the joy of perseverance. 295 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:33,750 There's joy in persevering. 296 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:40,109 Notice in Psalm 119:44-45, he says, he, he compares it to walking in a wide place. 297 00:16:40,729 --> 00:16:42,000 Walking in a wide place. 298 00:16:42,639 --> 00:16:44,659 Uh, that's the feeling of, of security. 299 00:16:45,429 --> 00:16:47,650 Contrast that, if you've ever seen the movie Free Solo 300 00:16:47,650 --> 00:16:49,689 with Alex Honnold, he, he's 301 00:16:49,740 --> 00:16:53,370 There's a scene in that movie where he's standing on a ledge that's about 302 00:16:53,370 --> 00:16:55,969 an inch wide on the, the, the rock face. 303 00:16:55,970 --> 00:16:57,530 I think it's El Cap that he's standing there. 304 00:16:58,050 --> 00:17:00,290 And I think in the, the interview, at one point in time, he says, "I felt 305 00:17:00,300 --> 00:17:02,030 such relief once I got to that ledge." 306 00:17:02,069 --> 00:17:03,699 And I'm just thinking, "Are you crazy?" 307 00:17:04,500 --> 00:17:06,770 Like, if he sneezes, it's over, it's gone. 308 00:17:07,868 --> 00:17:12,118 And, and that, to me, I, I look at that and I think that, that I'm so thankful 309 00:17:12,118 --> 00:17:13,420 that's not what Christianity is. 310 00:17:14,878 --> 00:17:19,170 Christianity is, is not clinging to a sheer rock face, just trying with 311 00:17:19,170 --> 00:17:23,795 everything you can to hold on I- instead, what Christianity is, is you 312 00:17:23,795 --> 00:17:26,366 weather the storms, is it's coming back to the word of God and finding 313 00:17:26,376 --> 00:17:30,686 in the word of God the encouragement to keep going, to keep persevering. 314 00:17:30,696 --> 00:17:33,866 A- a- and God's word does that for you. 315 00:17:34,366 --> 00:17:36,985 The world, what the world will do, when you come to the world and, and 316 00:17:36,985 --> 00:17:39,436 you look for answers, the world will say, "Well, have you tried this? 317 00:17:40,156 --> 00:17:40,706 Well, what about this? 318 00:17:40,706 --> 00:17:41,545 Why don't you try this? 319 00:17:42,235 --> 00:17:42,876 Okay, that's not working. 320 00:17:42,876 --> 00:17:44,146 Why don't, why don't you try this over here? 321 00:17:44,596 --> 00:17:45,335 Hey, th- you know what? 322 00:17:45,335 --> 00:17:45,956 That, that doesn't work. 323 00:17:45,956 --> 00:17:46,946 Why don't you try this over here?" 324 00:17:47,916 --> 00:17:48,765 You know, the, it's interesting. 325 00:17:48,775 --> 00:17:52,696 There's, there's a whole, um, counseling thing that's, that's out there now, 326 00:17:52,696 --> 00:17:55,346 and, a- a- and I don't mean to throw stones, and, and maybe you've, you've 327 00:17:55,426 --> 00:17:58,025 participated in this and, and benefited from it, and that, that may be. 328 00:17:58,446 --> 00:18:02,785 But the whole BetterHelp, th- that whole counseling organization, here, 329 00:18:03,156 --> 00:18:05,446 do you know that one of their selling points is if you don't like your 330 00:18:05,446 --> 00:18:06,805 counselor, you can just find another one 331 00:18:09,454 --> 00:18:10,504 Do you see the problem with that? 332 00:18:11,934 --> 00:18:14,924 If, if I don't like what you're telling me, I'm just gonna go find somebody I 333 00:18:14,924 --> 00:18:16,543 like what they're telling me instead. 334 00:18:17,714 --> 00:18:19,924 See, that- that's what the world offers us. 335 00:18:20,114 --> 00:18:20,954 "Oh, that's not working? 336 00:18:20,954 --> 00:18:21,974 Why don't you just try something else? 337 00:18:21,994 --> 00:18:22,474 Try this over here. 338 00:18:22,474 --> 00:18:23,163 This'll work better." 339 00:18:24,883 --> 00:18:27,193 When we come to the Word of God, there's joy to be found in the Word of God in 340 00:18:27,194 --> 00:18:30,144 the midst of trials because God's Word is gonna keep us on the same path, 341 00:18:30,354 --> 00:18:33,813 trusting the same Lord, doing the same things all the way through it. 342 00:18:33,823 --> 00:18:38,404 Y- you don't have to get to this place and say, "I-- Life isn't going well. 343 00:18:38,963 --> 00:18:39,984 This isn't working. 344 00:18:40,053 --> 00:18:41,444 What else do you have for me, Lord?" 345 00:18:43,566 --> 00:18:45,886 You may get to the place where you say, "Life isn't well," and it 346 00:18:45,886 --> 00:18:48,426 feels like this isn't working, but God's gonna say, "Just trust me. 347 00:18:49,756 --> 00:18:50,366 Trust my plan. 348 00:18:50,566 --> 00:18:51,136 Trust my path." 349 00:18:52,286 --> 00:18:56,365 When you come to God's Word, you find a God who is unchanging, and you can 350 00:18:56,365 --> 00:18:59,845 trust that, and you can take confidence in that, and you can find hope in 351 00:18:59,845 --> 00:19:00,985 that, and you can find joy in that. 352 00:19:01,476 --> 00:19:03,836 Every time you come to the Word of God, you're gonna find the same God. 353 00:19:04,786 --> 00:19:05,866 You're gonna find the same God. 354 00:19:06,636 --> 00:19:07,516 He's not gonna change. 355 00:19:07,516 --> 00:19:09,186 He's not gonna say, "Well, oh, well, that's not working. 356 00:19:09,186 --> 00:19:10,366 Well, let's try something totally different." 357 00:19:11,366 --> 00:19:12,686 And so there's joy in perseverance. 358 00:19:12,686 --> 00:19:15,816 As we come to God's Word, we can find that God is gonna call us to keep pressing on, 359 00:19:16,256 --> 00:19:19,146 and in that perseverance, there's joy in the fruit that will be born from that. 360 00:19:19,146 --> 00:19:23,566 Galatians 6:9 says this, "Let us not grow weary of doing good." 361 00:19:24,046 --> 00:19:25,646 How do I know what it looks like to do good? 362 00:19:26,306 --> 00:19:27,256 I go to the Word of God. 363 00:19:28,096 --> 00:19:29,185 Let us not grow weary. 364 00:19:29,196 --> 00:19:30,946 Let us persevere in coming to the Word. 365 00:19:30,946 --> 00:19:35,836 Let us persevere in doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. 366 00:19:36,765 --> 00:19:37,715 God's promising us that. 367 00:19:38,476 --> 00:19:42,926 Now, that may be reaping the joys in eternity and not necessarily here, 368 00:19:43,716 --> 00:19:45,556 but the promise nonetheless exists. 369 00:19:45,576 --> 00:19:49,586 It's the same, and those joys are gonna far surpass anything that's here. 370 00:19:50,306 --> 00:19:53,945 Psalm 16:11 says this, "In Your presence there is fullness of 371 00:19:53,945 --> 00:19:56,056 joy, and at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore." 372 00:19:58,076 --> 00:20:02,536 And so, uh, uh, you may want to, to have the Bible say, "And God will bring you out 373 00:20:02,536 --> 00:20:05,556 of the trial that you're facing right now right away, and you will feel comforted, 374 00:20:05,566 --> 00:20:08,846 and you will feel happy, and you will feel joyful with all of the joy that 375 00:20:08,846 --> 00:20:10,226 the world holds out for you right now." 376 00:20:12,590 --> 00:20:14,490 But the Bible offers you something far better than that. 377 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:17,770 Maybe you're not gonna come through the valley right now. 378 00:20:18,070 --> 00:20:20,169 Maybe you're not gonna get the joy that the world holds out to 379 00:20:20,169 --> 00:20:21,620 you in, in other areas right now. 380 00:20:23,090 --> 00:20:25,620 But the Bible says if you persevere, there's a joy that's way better 381 00:20:25,620 --> 00:20:26,470 than that that's waiting for you 382 00:20:29,102 --> 00:20:31,332 That's why Paul says in Philippians chapter three, he says this, "Brothers, 383 00:20:31,332 --> 00:20:33,532 I do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I do, 384 00:20:33,532 --> 00:20:35,192 forgetting what lies ahead, I press on 385 00:20:37,614 --> 00:20:41,334 Forgetting what lies ahead, straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on 386 00:20:41,334 --> 00:20:44,394 towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 387 00:20:44,724 --> 00:20:47,143 Paul's saying, "I'm, I'm not concerned with what's behind me anymore. 388 00:20:47,594 --> 00:20:50,234 I'm not concerned with the, the accomplishments in my life even. 389 00:20:50,434 --> 00:20:53,714 I, I'm gonna press on towards the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 390 00:20:53,743 --> 00:20:56,363 I'm gonna keep persevering towards the prize." 391 00:20:57,833 --> 00:21:00,733 God's Word holds the truths that are gonna sustain us through whatever 392 00:21:00,733 --> 00:21:03,133 season that we're in, whether it be the valley or the victory. 393 00:21:03,843 --> 00:21:06,653 We can come back to the Word of God and have Him say, "Keep going. 394 00:21:06,753 --> 00:21:09,353 Keep pressing on," and there's joy to be found there. 395 00:21:09,353 --> 00:21:13,103 So there's the joy of perseverance, but there's another joy here, 396 00:21:13,104 --> 00:21:15,293 the third joy that we find, the third vein of joy is here. 397 00:21:15,603 --> 00:21:20,784 Uh, he says in Psalm 119:165, "Great peace have those who love your law, 398 00:21:20,944 --> 00:21:22,774 and nothing can make them stumble." 399 00:21:23,874 --> 00:21:26,523 I was praying about that earlier from Philippians chapter 4 when Paul 400 00:21:26,524 --> 00:21:29,344 says, "There's a peace that guards your hearts and your minds in Christ 401 00:21:29,344 --> 00:21:31,014 Jesus that surpasses understanding." 402 00:21:32,434 --> 00:21:36,864 Great peace have those who love your law, who love the Word. 403 00:21:37,054 --> 00:21:40,814 The peace that nothing can happen to that person, that nothing can ultimately make 404 00:21:40,814 --> 00:21:43,934 them stumble, comes from the Word of God. 405 00:21:45,194 --> 00:21:48,074 Peace is something in our world desired by many but pos- possessed by few. 406 00:21:48,083 --> 00:21:52,844 I- it's something that in a topsy-turvy world like we live on, live in, we, 407 00:21:52,884 --> 00:21:57,214 we find all kinds of different ideas of what peace looks like or should be 408 00:21:59,854 --> 00:22:02,724 It may even lead us to, to wonder, is peace really attainable at all? 409 00:22:04,104 --> 00:22:06,994 But what God's Word holds out for us is a, a peace that's unrivaled, and 410 00:22:07,084 --> 00:22:09,984 a peace that's unparalleled, and a peace that can be ours that surpasses 411 00:22:09,984 --> 00:22:13,313 understanding, that lasts, and it's a, a peace that's ours, that if we 412 00:22:13,314 --> 00:22:15,924 have it, nothing can make us stumble. 413 00:22:16,413 --> 00:22:18,874 And so our third joy that we can find in the pages of God's Word 414 00:22:18,874 --> 00:22:21,384 is indeed, yes, the joy of peace. 415 00:22:22,294 --> 00:22:23,194 The joy of peace. 416 00:22:24,744 --> 00:22:27,904 And there's two forms that that peace takes within the Word of God. 417 00:22:28,993 --> 00:22:31,314 The first is similar to having the clean conscience. 418 00:22:31,314 --> 00:22:33,793 The, the first is the Word of God tells us about the peace that we can 419 00:22:33,794 --> 00:22:38,254 have with God, that we're born without that, that we're born in need of that. 420 00:22:38,424 --> 00:22:41,324 In fact, if you're here this morning and, and you're not in Christ, the peace 421 00:22:41,324 --> 00:22:43,134 that you need is not marital peace. 422 00:22:43,804 --> 00:22:45,694 It's not peace with your kids. 423 00:22:45,694 --> 00:22:47,264 It's not peace with your neighbors. 424 00:22:47,264 --> 00:22:49,164 It's not peace with your boss or your coworkers. 425 00:22:49,464 --> 00:22:51,234 It's not peace geopolitically. 426 00:22:51,234 --> 00:22:55,434 Th-th-the greatest peace that you need this morning is the peace 427 00:22:55,434 --> 00:22:57,194 that's only found in Christ, the only 428 00:22:57,204 --> 00:23:00,024 that is, is only revealed to us within the pages of the scriptures. 429 00:23:00,614 --> 00:23:03,313 The peace that you need this morning is peace with God, the 430 00:23:03,314 --> 00:23:04,754 peace with the God of the universe. 431 00:23:05,214 --> 00:23:08,634 And the Apostle Paul writes it this way in Ephesians 2:13-17. 432 00:23:08,634 --> 00:23:12,544 He says, "But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been 433 00:23:12,544 --> 00:23:15,454 brought near by the blood of Christ. 434 00:23:16,034 --> 00:23:20,894 For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down 435 00:23:20,894 --> 00:23:24,284 in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing the law of 436 00:23:24,284 --> 00:23:27,703 commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself 437 00:23:27,714 --> 00:23:32,624 one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us 438 00:23:32,634 --> 00:23:36,634 both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 439 00:23:36,934 --> 00:23:40,364 And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and 440 00:23:40,364 --> 00:23:42,604 peace to those who were near." 441 00:23:44,134 --> 00:23:47,763 The peace with God that we need is what Paul describes in Colossians 1:20 as 442 00:23:47,764 --> 00:23:52,114 well, where he says, "Through Jesus, God was pleased to reconcile to Himself all 443 00:23:52,134 --> 00:23:57,854 things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross." 444 00:24:01,038 --> 00:24:04,128 The peace that you need most, which is peace with God, only 445 00:24:04,128 --> 00:24:05,538 comes through Jesus Christ. 446 00:24:06,498 --> 00:24:08,128 It only comes through the cross. 447 00:24:09,628 --> 00:24:12,917 That message is only found revealed in the pages of God's Word, the Bible. 448 00:24:14,717 --> 00:24:18,447 See, here's the thing, y'all, Christianity, Christianity i- is not 449 00:24:18,458 --> 00:24:20,328 just the best of a bunch of options. 450 00:24:20,578 --> 00:24:21,958 Christianity is the only option 451 00:24:25,134 --> 00:24:27,624 There is no other religion that will get you to God 452 00:24:30,190 --> 00:24:30,500 Period. 453 00:24:30,500 --> 00:24:31,100 End of story 454 00:24:33,422 --> 00:24:40,742 Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, atheism, Mormonism, Jehovah's 455 00:24:40,742 --> 00:24:44,122 Witnesses, none of them work 456 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:48,850 Christianity alone will get you to God 457 00:24:51,362 --> 00:24:54,502 Jesus himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one 458 00:24:54,502 --> 00:24:55,692 comes to the Father but through me." 459 00:24:58,478 --> 00:25:02,078 The greatest need the world has for peace is not peace between Iran and the United 460 00:25:02,078 --> 00:25:05,358 States, or peace between Israel and Lebanon, or peace in the Middle East, or 461 00:25:05,358 --> 00:25:07,008 peace with Russia, or peace with China. 462 00:25:07,327 --> 00:25:08,998 That is not the greatest need that the world has. 463 00:25:10,168 --> 00:25:13,747 The greatest need that the world has is peace with God, and the only 464 00:25:13,748 --> 00:25:15,128 place that that's found is the Bible. 465 00:25:15,128 --> 00:25:18,308 And if you're here in Christ this morning and you've experienced that, then the 466 00:25:18,308 --> 00:25:21,408 Bible reminds you of that every time you come to a passage like Ephesians 467 00:25:21,408 --> 00:25:24,708 2 or like Colossians 1, you can say, "Lord, praise God," and feel the joy 468 00:25:24,708 --> 00:25:27,377 of knowing that you sit here this morning at peace with the God of the 469 00:25:27,378 --> 00:25:30,438 universe, and nothing can change that. 470 00:25:31,978 --> 00:25:34,037 And so there's joy knowing that. 471 00:25:34,048 --> 00:25:35,988 That's the first component of, of joy. 472 00:25:35,998 --> 00:25:38,508 There's-- the first component of peace that we think about is 473 00:25:38,518 --> 00:25:39,478 the peace that we have with God. 474 00:25:39,488 --> 00:25:42,358 The second component of peace, though, is that peace that we experience as 475 00:25:42,358 --> 00:25:46,587 followers of Christ, and that's the peace that surpasses understanding. 476 00:25:47,037 --> 00:25:50,338 That's this peace from Philippians 4:7 that we read about during our scripture 477 00:25:50,338 --> 00:25:51,448 reading that I was praying about. 478 00:25:52,087 --> 00:25:55,208 This is a peace that produces a joy in us that surpasses all 479 00:25:55,238 --> 00:25:58,548 understanding and that guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 480 00:26:00,378 --> 00:26:04,288 Or like Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 3:16, Paul said this: "May the 481 00:26:04,298 --> 00:26:08,988 Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. 482 00:26:09,587 --> 00:26:10,527 The Lord be with you all." 483 00:26:11,427 --> 00:26:13,988 May the Lord of peace give you peace in every way. 484 00:26:15,498 --> 00:26:20,338 Y'all, this is something the world is after and grasping at straws to find 485 00:26:22,510 --> 00:26:22,980 Peace 486 00:26:25,934 --> 00:26:29,664 And you might look at somebody who by all outward appearances would be 487 00:26:29,664 --> 00:26:32,174 somebody that you would say that, that person should be at peace 488 00:26:34,958 --> 00:26:38,768 And how many times have we heard that that person is on the verge of or 489 00:26:38,888 --> 00:26:40,458 does eventually take their own life? 490 00:26:44,078 --> 00:26:46,348 It comes to mind often for me, but Robin Williams 491 00:26:48,406 --> 00:26:51,216 Actor, comedian, made people laugh for a living and was really good at it 492 00:26:54,293 --> 00:26:56,043 made millions and millions of dollars 493 00:26:58,446 --> 00:27:01,226 To the point that he didn't have to make another movie for the 494 00:27:01,226 --> 00:27:03,765 rest of his life if he didn't want to, and he would've been fine. 495 00:27:05,295 --> 00:27:10,576 Not only that, he-- married, with a family, living in a nice house 496 00:27:13,006 --> 00:27:16,366 There was no scandal that popped up in Robin Williams' life 497 00:27:18,894 --> 00:27:21,624 There's just simply him looking at what the world held out as, "You're 498 00:27:21,624 --> 00:27:23,254 gonna be at peace if you get all this." 499 00:27:24,314 --> 00:27:26,334 And then he got all that, and he said, "I'm not at peace 500 00:27:28,654 --> 00:27:29,324 And he took his life 501 00:27:32,334 --> 00:27:36,194 See, we have to, to, to say that, that if we want peace that lasts, there's a 502 00:27:36,204 --> 00:27:40,964 different kind of peace that a Christian has that allows them to walk the trial 503 00:27:41,513 --> 00:27:45,364 and to keep going, and allow everybody outside of them looks at them and says, 504 00:27:45,553 --> 00:27:48,614 "How are you still getting out of bed and, and moving around in the morning?" 505 00:27:50,473 --> 00:27:53,284 I have a peace that comes to me through my relationship with God. 506 00:27:54,954 --> 00:27:55,534 I trust Him. 507 00:27:56,624 --> 00:28:01,434 I, I, I don't get my circumstances, I don't love my circumstances, but I trust 508 00:28:01,434 --> 00:28:07,173 Him, and so I have a peace that really I can't explain if you don't know Christ. 509 00:28:08,133 --> 00:28:09,094 Charles Spurgeon put it this way. 510 00:28:09,094 --> 00:28:12,144 He said this: "They have learned the secret of the reconciling blood. 511 00:28:12,484 --> 00:28:14,644 They have felt the power of the comforting spirit. 512 00:28:14,834 --> 00:28:16,814 They stand before the Father accepted. 513 00:28:16,973 --> 00:28:20,024 They have many troubles and are likely to be persecuted by the proud, 514 00:28:20,263 --> 00:28:25,754 but their usual condition is that of a deep calm, a peace too great 515 00:28:25,904 --> 00:28:28,254 for this little world to break." 516 00:28:30,004 --> 00:28:34,094 I love that picture of the Christian possessing a peace too great 517 00:28:34,104 --> 00:28:36,934 for this little world to break 518 00:28:39,822 --> 00:28:42,062 If you've been walking along with the Lord, you've come to know that the 519 00:28:42,062 --> 00:28:44,331 Word has that peaceful, calming effect. 520 00:28:45,111 --> 00:28:47,302 You go through a trial and you feel like life is falling apart, 521 00:28:47,302 --> 00:28:49,982 and yet you come to God's Word and there's a balm that is found there. 522 00:28:50,762 --> 00:28:53,732 There's a peace that comes from the Word of God that produces, 523 00:28:53,972 --> 00:28:58,761 again, a reason for us to find joy in the riches of the Word of God. 524 00:29:00,151 --> 00:29:02,441 If our world is hungry for peace, it's equally hungry for 525 00:29:02,441 --> 00:29:03,581 this next one, which is hope. 526 00:29:04,441 --> 00:29:08,421 Verse 114, "You are my hiding place and my shield, and I hope in your word." 527 00:29:09,411 --> 00:29:10,591 I hope in your word. 528 00:29:11,322 --> 00:29:13,322 People hope in all sorts of things in 529 00:29:16,601 --> 00:29:16,822 our world. 530 00:29:16,822 --> 00:29:16,861 They hope in politics. 531 00:29:16,861 --> 00:29:16,901 They hope in peace. 532 00:29:16,901 --> 00:29:16,941 They hope in power. 533 00:29:16,941 --> 00:29:19,941 They hope in possessions, in career, in children, in family, in health, 534 00:29:19,941 --> 00:29:23,601 in achievements, in retirement investments, in everything. 535 00:29:23,601 --> 00:29:25,621 That, people hope in all of those things. 536 00:29:25,621 --> 00:29:30,221 But just like with peace, true hope is gonna be elusive until it's captured by 537 00:29:30,222 --> 00:29:34,621 the person who's laid hope, laid ahold of, of hope that's found in the Word of God. 538 00:29:36,222 --> 00:29:39,171 Our fourth vein of joy to be found in the scriptures is the joy of hope. 539 00:29:40,232 --> 00:29:40,871 The joy of hope 540 00:29:44,652 --> 00:29:47,922 We talked about this in 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 5 back in our series. 541 00:29:47,922 --> 00:29:51,252 It says this, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 542 00:29:51,252 --> 00:29:55,402 According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living 543 00:29:55,412 --> 00:29:59,982 hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance 544 00:29:59,982 --> 00:30:04,632 that is imperishable and undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 545 00:30:04,642 --> 00:30:08,702 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready 546 00:30:08,702 --> 00:30:10,302 to be revealed in the last time." 547 00:30:10,562 --> 00:30:14,262 The living hope that's ours in Christ is something the world can't offer you. 548 00:30:15,812 --> 00:30:18,741 There's nothing that you can hope in this side of eternity that, that holds 549 00:30:18,741 --> 00:30:22,752 a candle to hoping in Christ and the riches that will be ours in eternity. 550 00:30:23,132 --> 00:30:27,032 Or like Paul wrote in Romans 15:4, he said this, "Whatever was written in the former 551 00:30:27,032 --> 00:30:30,642 days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through 552 00:30:30,642 --> 00:30:33,761 the encouragement of the Scriptures," notice, "through the ins- encouragement 553 00:30:33,761 --> 00:30:36,941 of the Scriptures we might have hope." 554 00:30:38,612 --> 00:30:41,652 God's Word provides hope because God's Word tells us what was, 555 00:30:41,742 --> 00:30:42,982 what is, and what's coming 556 00:30:45,132 --> 00:30:49,342 And as we see in God's word all that He has already done and all of the prophecies 557 00:30:49,342 --> 00:30:52,242 that have already been fulfilled and all the ways the word of God has already 558 00:30:52,242 --> 00:30:56,072 come to fruition, we hope in what will yet come to fruition in the future 559 00:30:59,214 --> 00:31:03,974 The countless stories of, of so many martyrs who went to their deaths 560 00:31:03,984 --> 00:31:07,104 willingly because their hope was so sure that they were moments away 561 00:31:07,104 --> 00:31:09,914 from standing in the presence of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 562 00:31:10,504 --> 00:31:13,684 Those accounts, those stories, those men and women and their faith 563 00:31:13,694 --> 00:31:17,813 is traceable to what they had come to know to be true through their 564 00:31:17,823 --> 00:31:19,904 hope that they found in God's word 565 00:31:23,566 --> 00:31:25,496 If you haven't looked into them, I would encourage you to. 566 00:31:25,496 --> 00:31:27,876 I've mentioned them before, but the, the accounts of the Marian 567 00:31:27,876 --> 00:31:31,426 martyrs, many of them are recorded in Foxe's Book of Martyrs. 568 00:31:31,426 --> 00:31:34,275 You can find others, uh, I believe J.C. 569 00:31:34,276 --> 00:31:38,186 Ryle has a book called Light from Old Paths that contains a lot of 570 00:31:38,186 --> 00:31:39,576 the stories of these Marian martyrs. 571 00:31:39,576 --> 00:31:42,586 These were men and, and women, and even children, who died under the 572 00:31:42,586 --> 00:31:47,386 reign of Bloody Mary for their refusal to deny the truth of God's word. 573 00:31:48,686 --> 00:31:53,035 And many of them were tied to a stake and, and burned, and they 574 00:31:53,035 --> 00:31:58,515 went to their deaths not whimpering, not cowering, not recanting. 575 00:32:00,056 --> 00:32:01,376 They went to their deaths boldly. 576 00:32:02,616 --> 00:32:05,946 Some of them singing hymns as the flames were lit about them. 577 00:32:06,706 --> 00:32:09,546 Many of them praying as the flames were lit about them. 578 00:32:09,995 --> 00:32:11,426 You say, "What would cause somebody to do that?" 579 00:32:13,056 --> 00:32:16,565 Their hope in the word of God, their certainty that came with this hope that 580 00:32:16,566 --> 00:32:20,066 they knew that though they died here, they were about to live forever with Christ. 581 00:32:21,336 --> 00:32:24,196 One of the m- martyrs, not of the, the Marian martyrs, but of the early 582 00:32:24,206 --> 00:32:25,486 church, was a man named Polycarp. 583 00:32:25,496 --> 00:32:26,186 Maybe you've heard of him. 584 00:32:27,136 --> 00:32:28,686 Polycarp was a disciple of John. 585 00:32:29,806 --> 00:32:31,505 John the, the Apostle John. 586 00:32:32,655 --> 00:32:36,296 So Polycarp, being a disciple of John, learned at John's feet and, and Polycarp 587 00:32:36,306 --> 00:32:40,476 began to teach others and, and to be a leader in the early stages of the church. 588 00:32:40,476 --> 00:32:44,495 Well, Rome didn't love that because Rome didn't love Christianity, and 589 00:32:44,495 --> 00:32:48,215 so the Romans eventually sought out Polycarp and arrested him and 590 00:32:48,216 --> 00:32:50,156 condemned him to die by burning. 591 00:32:51,955 --> 00:32:56,376 One of the overseers, one of the officials, Roman officials, came 592 00:32:56,376 --> 00:32:59,656 to, to know Polycarp and, and came to discover that he was in his 80s, 593 00:33:01,076 --> 00:33:05,415 and this man didn't feel right about burning an octogenarian at the stake. 594 00:33:06,455 --> 00:33:10,466 And so he went to Polycarp and he entreated Polycarp and he said, 595 00:33:10,466 --> 00:33:12,286 "Polycarp, uh, just, just, just recant. 596 00:33:12,306 --> 00:33:14,396 Just give allegiance to Caesar. 597 00:33:14,396 --> 00:33:15,976 That's all they're looking for you to do. 598 00:33:16,566 --> 00:33:18,756 That's all you need to do, Polycarp, just do that." 599 00:33:20,606 --> 00:33:23,646 See, he, he was holding out to Polycarp what the world holds out 600 00:33:23,646 --> 00:33:27,746 to us, and that is a, a hope that we think is, is about here and now. 601 00:33:29,675 --> 00:33:30,236 Live here. 602 00:33:31,446 --> 00:33:32,536 Uh, think about it. 603 00:33:32,576 --> 00:33:35,966 Just ride out y- your, your days in, in peace and comfort here. 604 00:33:37,466 --> 00:33:39,216 You know, the, the, the world may come to you. 605 00:33:39,506 --> 00:33:42,255 You're not getting ready to be burned at the stake, I hope, but the world may 606 00:33:42,256 --> 00:33:46,606 come to you as a Christian and say, "Why are you sacrificing so much for Jesus? 607 00:33:48,556 --> 00:33:50,816 W- why don't you just give in a little bit to, to the things 608 00:33:50,816 --> 00:33:52,676 that, that can satisfy you here? 609 00:33:52,846 --> 00:33:54,906 Why don't you hope in, in riches? 610 00:33:55,076 --> 00:33:56,076 Why don't you hope in your retirement? 611 00:33:56,096 --> 00:33:57,576 Why don't you hope in the next election? 612 00:33:57,586 --> 00:33:59,196 Why don't you hope in your marriage? 613 00:33:59,226 --> 00:34:00,326 Why don't you hope in your kids? 614 00:34:00,926 --> 00:34:02,006 Why don't you hope in having kids? 615 00:34:02,506 --> 00:34:04,495 Why don't you hope in, in your job and your career?" 616 00:34:07,158 --> 00:34:07,987 Aren't these things so good? 617 00:34:07,987 --> 00:34:09,598 Look at all the people who have hoped in these things, and look 618 00:34:09,598 --> 00:34:10,678 at how happy they, they can be 619 00:34:13,560 --> 00:34:17,070 Polycarp was, was beckoned to, to hope in living a little bit longer by this man. 620 00:34:18,610 --> 00:34:20,320 And Polycarp responded to him and he said this. 621 00:34:21,050 --> 00:34:25,100 He said, "86 years I have served him, and he never did me any wrong. 622 00:34:26,050 --> 00:34:28,080 How can I blaspheme my king who saved me?" 623 00:34:30,446 --> 00:34:32,806 And then as Polycarp was tied to the stake and the flames 624 00:34:32,806 --> 00:34:34,295 were lit, Polycarp prayed this 625 00:34:37,047 --> 00:34:38,967 He said, "I bless you," speaking to the Lord. 626 00:34:39,447 --> 00:34:43,178 "I bless you that you have thought me worthy of this day and hour to 627 00:34:43,178 --> 00:34:45,987 be numbered among the martyrs and to share in the cup of Christ. 628 00:34:47,018 --> 00:34:50,027 For resurrection to eternal life, for soul and body in the 629 00:34:50,038 --> 00:34:51,678 incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit. 630 00:34:52,248 --> 00:34:56,588 Among them may I be accepted before you today as rich and acceptable 631 00:34:56,598 --> 00:35:00,078 sacrifice, just as you, the faithful and true God, have prepared and 632 00:35:00,078 --> 00:35:01,538 foreshown and brought about." 633 00:35:03,872 --> 00:35:07,422 Those are words of a man who had his hope fixed on Christ. 634 00:35:08,992 --> 00:35:12,002 And that hope is informed by the Word, by the scriptures. 635 00:35:12,961 --> 00:35:15,682 And so if you wanna be ready to weather, if you wanna be ready to go through 636 00:35:15,682 --> 00:35:19,182 it, if you wanna be ready to hope in the face of insurmountable odds, the 637 00:35:19,182 --> 00:35:22,782 Word of God has the vein of joy, of the hope in Christ that can be yours. 638 00:35:22,791 --> 00:35:26,292 Again, to come to it, to read it, to understand it, and to say, 639 00:35:26,292 --> 00:35:27,902 "Lord, I'm, I'm hoping in you." 640 00:35:30,542 --> 00:35:33,292 This is connected very closely to our final point this morning, and that is 641 00:35:33,292 --> 00:35:38,302 found in verse 76 of Psalm 119, and it's this: "Let your steadfast love comfort me 642 00:35:39,612 --> 00:35:42,011 according to your promise to your servant. 643 00:35:42,732 --> 00:35:45,161 Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your 644 00:35:45,162 --> 00:35:46,821 promise to your servant." 645 00:35:48,181 --> 00:35:50,952 This is one of those veins of joy that we've all needed to tap into at some point 646 00:35:50,952 --> 00:35:54,642 in time in our lives, and God gives us His Word and His promises to do just that, and 647 00:35:54,642 --> 00:36:00,401 that is to comfort us with a comfort that is unique, again, only to the Word of God. 648 00:36:00,412 --> 00:36:03,922 Point number five is this, God offers us in the scriptures the joy of comfort. 649 00:36:04,712 --> 00:36:05,411 The joy of comfort 650 00:36:08,206 --> 00:36:11,466 It seems more and more as, as we check the news headlines every day, 651 00:36:11,466 --> 00:36:14,716 and as we see the world around us, and as life just happens, that we 652 00:36:14,716 --> 00:36:16,356 could use some of this comfort. 653 00:36:17,845 --> 00:36:21,186 Some of this comfort like we find in John 14:1-3 where Jesus says this, 654 00:36:21,186 --> 00:36:22,476 "Let not your hearts be troubled. 655 00:36:23,045 --> 00:36:24,946 Believe in God, believe also in me. 656 00:36:25,415 --> 00:36:27,146 In my father's house are many rooms. 657 00:36:27,266 --> 00:36:30,396 If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 658 00:36:30,746 --> 00:36:34,716 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and I will take you to 659 00:36:34,716 --> 00:36:38,215 myself that where I am, you may also be." 660 00:36:39,296 --> 00:36:42,295 See, Jesus was talking to his disciples here, and he's getting ready to go 661 00:36:42,296 --> 00:36:44,676 in the sense that he's getting ready to die on the cross for their sins. 662 00:36:45,876 --> 00:36:48,736 But not only that, he was gonna rise from the dead three days later, and then 40 663 00:36:48,736 --> 00:36:51,466 days after that, he's going to ascend up to heaven to sit at the right hand 664 00:36:51,466 --> 00:36:53,026 of the Father where he still is today. 665 00:36:53,896 --> 00:36:57,516 And so anticipating the fact that his disciples may be a little disconcerted 666 00:36:57,526 --> 00:37:02,635 by losing Jesus to the right hand of the Father, by being troubled by that, Jesus 667 00:37:02,636 --> 00:37:04,266 says, "Let not your heart be troubled." 668 00:37:04,266 --> 00:37:07,646 And then he moves to comfort them by saying, "I'm going away, but 669 00:37:07,646 --> 00:37:08,906 I'm coming back for you, too. 670 00:37:10,166 --> 00:37:10,986 I'm gonna come get you." 671 00:37:12,986 --> 00:37:15,205 And that was a promise not only for them, but also for us. 672 00:37:15,755 --> 00:37:18,815 And so we can be comforted when we go to the Word of God to be reminded that Jesus 673 00:37:18,815 --> 00:37:23,196 is gonna come back for his bride, that the, the evil in this world doesn't win, 674 00:37:23,276 --> 00:37:27,396 God wins, and that Christ is coming back for the church, that we are gonna go and 675 00:37:27,396 --> 00:37:31,146 be with him because he promised us, "I'm leaving, but I'm gonna come back and get 676 00:37:31,146 --> 00:37:33,255 you to take you to be with me where I am." 677 00:37:33,255 --> 00:37:37,836 Or 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, notice how God reveals himself to 678 00:37:37,836 --> 00:37:38,716 us through the pen of Paul. 679 00:37:38,716 --> 00:37:42,566 Here he says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the 680 00:37:42,566 --> 00:37:46,166 Father of mercies and God of all comfort." 681 00:37:47,816 --> 00:37:50,085 God says h- he is the God of all comfort. 682 00:37:51,755 --> 00:37:53,616 He's the God of all comfort. 683 00:37:54,066 --> 00:37:56,475 Wherever you are, whatever you're facing, whatever's going on, 684 00:37:56,476 --> 00:37:57,876 you need to be comforted by God. 685 00:37:57,886 --> 00:37:58,656 God's got you. 686 00:38:00,426 --> 00:38:03,886 He's the God of all comfort who comforts us in our afflictions so that we may 687 00:38:03,886 --> 00:38:07,366 be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with 688 00:38:07,366 --> 00:38:10,446 which we ourselves are comforted by God. 689 00:38:10,456 --> 00:38:14,255 God is in the business of comforting his people, and God comforts his people 690 00:38:14,255 --> 00:38:17,846 through the Word of God as we come to it, as we read about his promises. 691 00:38:18,266 --> 00:38:20,436 Promises like this one in Revelation 21:4. 692 00:38:20,966 --> 00:38:24,806 This one speaks to me often, "He is gonna wipe away every tear from their 693 00:38:24,806 --> 00:38:27,685 eyes, and death shall be no more. 694 00:38:27,686 --> 00:38:30,096 Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for 695 00:38:30,096 --> 00:38:31,136 the former things have passed away." 696 00:38:33,326 --> 00:38:37,266 Christian, this is a comfort to you as you cry the tears, that God 697 00:38:37,266 --> 00:38:41,046 is gonna wipe those away, that God is gonna take away the pain, God's 698 00:38:41,046 --> 00:38:44,715 gonna take away the sorrow, he's gonna take away the heartache, and 699 00:38:44,715 --> 00:38:46,086 so we're comforted by those things. 700 00:38:46,965 --> 00:38:51,385 The Word comforts us with passages like Revelation 21 reminding us of our future. 701 00:38:51,396 --> 00:38:54,636 The Word comforts us and brings a joy and that comfort with reminders 702 00:38:54,636 --> 00:38:56,306 that Jesus is coming back for us. 703 00:38:56,306 --> 00:38:59,775 The Word comforts us even as it's produced what this is right here. 704 00:39:00,736 --> 00:39:03,596 This is, as the early church fathers called it, the creature of the Word. 705 00:39:03,596 --> 00:39:04,506 That's the Church. 706 00:39:05,236 --> 00:39:07,585 When we as brothers and sisters in Christ sit under the Word of God 707 00:39:07,586 --> 00:39:10,026 and read the Word of God so that we can be comforted by the Word and 708 00:39:10,026 --> 00:39:12,376 comfort one another with the Word. 709 00:39:13,496 --> 00:39:15,656 The Word comforts us by reminding us that we are forgiven. 710 00:39:16,736 --> 00:39:21,466 The Word comforts us by reminding us that God is a God of ultimate justice, such 711 00:39:21,466 --> 00:39:23,726 that maybe you're here this morning, and you're thinking, uh, uh, something has 712 00:39:23,726 --> 00:39:26,826 happened to me, and I long for justice that I don't know if I'm gonna get. 713 00:39:27,156 --> 00:39:30,216 And you can come to the Word of God and be reminded that God's got that. 714 00:39:31,496 --> 00:39:33,696 God hasn't given that to you to see about doing that. 715 00:39:33,706 --> 00:39:35,286 He's the God of ultimate justice. 716 00:39:35,786 --> 00:39:37,510 He'll take care of it. 717 00:39:37,510 --> 00:39:41,436 The Word of God comforts us by the character of God, that God is 718 00:39:41,436 --> 00:39:44,906 good, that God is all-knowing, that God is all-powerful, that God is 719 00:39:44,916 --> 00:39:47,296 holy, that God is just, that God is patient, that God is steadfast. 720 00:39:49,666 --> 00:39:51,996 Or maybe you're comforted by God's sovereignty. 721 00:39:52,606 --> 00:39:55,225 You read something like the Book of Daniel, and you just see God's sovereignty 722 00:39:55,226 --> 00:39:56,436 on display in the Book of Daniel. 723 00:39:57,175 --> 00:40:00,176 Or maybe you're comforted by the, the Exodus account, that God provided manna 724 00:40:00,186 --> 00:40:02,585 for Israel, and you're reminded that God provides for your daily bread. 725 00:40:03,846 --> 00:40:06,856 Or maybe you're comforted by the, the, the words of Jesus from the Sermon on 726 00:40:06,856 --> 00:40:09,576 the Mount when he says, "Have you looked at the birds of the air and considered 727 00:40:09,926 --> 00:40:12,916 that not one of them falls to the ground apart from your father's knowledge? 728 00:40:13,596 --> 00:40:15,935 How much of m- more value are you than the birds?" 729 00:40:15,936 --> 00:40:17,066 That's what Jesus says to us. 730 00:40:17,096 --> 00:40:18,526 Maybe you're comforted by that this morning. 731 00:40:18,536 --> 00:40:21,856 Or maybe you're comforted when you get into the, the epistles and Paul 732 00:40:21,856 --> 00:40:25,576 says, "God is working all things together for your good," Romans 8:28. 733 00:40:25,576 --> 00:40:28,406 You may not get what that good is right now, but you can trust and be comforted 734 00:40:28,406 --> 00:40:32,256 by the fact that God does, and he's at work for, for your good and his glory. 735 00:40:32,626 --> 00:40:34,685 Or maybe you're comforted later on in Romans 8 where Paul says, 736 00:40:34,706 --> 00:40:38,536 "Nothing can separate you from the love of God, not height nor depth 737 00:40:38,536 --> 00:40:41,226 nor angels nor, nor demons, nor any other principality or ruler. 738 00:40:41,536 --> 00:40:43,916 Nothing in all creation can separate you from the love of God." 739 00:40:44,926 --> 00:40:48,456 Or perhaps you're comforted by Peter's reminder to us that we are 740 00:40:48,465 --> 00:40:50,766 being guarded by God's power through faith for our salvation ready to 741 00:40:50,776 --> 00:40:51,866 be revealed in the last times. 742 00:40:52,976 --> 00:40:55,666 Maybe that gives you comfort this morning, that you don't have to 743 00:40:55,666 --> 00:40:57,776 worry about, am I, am I gonna wake up tomorrow and not believe? 744 00:40:57,776 --> 00:40:59,146 No, you're gonna wake up tomorrow and keep believing. 745 00:40:59,146 --> 00:40:59,446 Why? 746 00:41:00,046 --> 00:41:02,876 'Cause you're being guarded by God's power through faith for salvation 747 00:41:02,956 --> 00:41:04,106 ready to be revealed in the last times. 748 00:41:05,596 --> 00:41:07,416 There's great joy to be found in the comfort that comes from the 749 00:41:07,416 --> 00:41:10,366 pages of God's Word, a- and, and the world can't offer that to you 750 00:41:12,462 --> 00:41:15,052 If you've been seeking comfort in alcohol, or you've been se- seeking 751 00:41:15,052 --> 00:41:17,552 comfort in drugs, or you're seeking comfort in a relationship, or you're 752 00:41:17,552 --> 00:41:21,202 seeking comfort in a career, or you're seeking comfort in fill in the 753 00:41:21,202 --> 00:41:23,182 blank, and it's not the Word of God 754 00:41:25,934 --> 00:41:26,684 It won't work. 755 00:41:28,134 --> 00:41:28,604 It's a band-aid 756 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:37,169 God's word provides abiding, lasting comfort, and it's ours through Christ. 757 00:41:38,750 --> 00:41:41,259 There's untapped joy in the pages of God's word this morning. 758 00:41:42,649 --> 00:41:43,599 It's waiting for us. 759 00:41:44,359 --> 00:41:46,490 You don't have to climb into the Superstition Mountains to go find it 760 00:41:51,616 --> 00:41:54,915 Uh, but I wonder if, if we think about all of these, if, if we said, "Man, 761 00:41:56,395 --> 00:41:59,455 would you like to know that you can have a, a clean conscience and, and 762 00:41:59,455 --> 00:42:02,356 you're gonna have something that's gonna let you keep going no matter what? 763 00:42:02,375 --> 00:42:05,116 And, and there's an offer of peace, and there's an offer of comfort, and 764 00:42:05,125 --> 00:42:08,325 there's an offer of hope that's yours just c- that will never run out. 765 00:42:09,136 --> 00:42:09,466 But you know what? 766 00:42:09,475 --> 00:42:12,725 You're gonna have to take a flight to Arizona a- and you're gonna 767 00:42:12,725 --> 00:42:15,756 have to get a backpack, and you're gonna have to hike up into the 768 00:42:15,756 --> 00:42:17,245 Superstition Mountains to find it. 769 00:42:18,026 --> 00:42:22,415 But if you get it, those things that I just listed off here, these, these five 770 00:42:22,415 --> 00:42:23,975 things, they'll never run out for you. 771 00:42:24,555 --> 00:42:26,255 You'll have them for the rest of your life 772 00:42:28,568 --> 00:42:32,558 My guess is we'd be filling up some flights to get to 773 00:42:32,558 --> 00:42:33,378 the Superstition Mountains 774 00:42:36,750 --> 00:42:37,480 You don't have to do that. 775 00:42:38,880 --> 00:42:39,360 You don't have to. 776 00:42:41,250 --> 00:42:42,440 All of those things are right here 777 00:42:45,238 --> 00:42:46,718 Let me just say this, if you're in Christ. 778 00:42:46,728 --> 00:42:50,978 I- if, if you're not, can I just talk with you this morning for a second? 779 00:42:52,667 --> 00:42:53,028 Um 780 00:42:55,694 --> 00:42:56,424 You can read the Bible 781 00:42:59,438 --> 00:43:01,808 But you're, you're really not gonna get any of that out of it 782 00:43:04,014 --> 00:43:06,264 Because what you have to do first is you have to repent from your 783 00:43:06,264 --> 00:43:08,524 sins and put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. 784 00:43:09,754 --> 00:43:11,194 And that offer's free to you this morning. 785 00:43:11,224 --> 00:43:15,254 I- i- if you're here this morning and, and, and man, you have tried 786 00:43:15,264 --> 00:43:18,624 everything looking for comfort and hope and peace and, and a clear 787 00:43:18,624 --> 00:43:20,063 conscience, and you've tried everything. 788 00:43:20,063 --> 00:43:24,484 You, you've, y- you, you want joy, you want abiding joy and, and the world has, 789 00:43:24,524 --> 00:43:28,084 has offered you things that you thought would do it, and yet none of it has, 790 00:43:28,084 --> 00:43:30,693 and I'm pretty confident that wherever you are this morning, none of it has. 791 00:43:31,483 --> 00:43:33,104 F- feel pretty, pretty good about saying that. 792 00:43:33,604 --> 00:43:36,874 And whatever you're pursuing right now, thinking it's gonna do that, just let's 793 00:43:36,884 --> 00:43:38,214 be honest with ourselves for a second. 794 00:43:38,233 --> 00:43:39,284 Look at your track record. 795 00:43:39,573 --> 00:43:41,324 It's probably not gonna come through for you, huh? 796 00:43:43,438 --> 00:43:44,938 If you want it, it's here this morning 797 00:43:47,150 --> 00:43:48,520 It's a surrender to Christ. 798 00:43:49,980 --> 00:43:51,400 Is it you doing business with the Lord? 799 00:43:51,410 --> 00:43:53,820 Lord, I wanna trust Jesus as my Lord and Savior this morning. 800 00:43:55,620 --> 00:43:57,880 I trust that He died on the cross for my sins so that I can be 801 00:43:57,880 --> 00:44:00,120 forgiven and rose from the dead so that I can live with Him forever. 802 00:44:00,480 --> 00:44:01,549 I need Jesus. 803 00:44:02,340 --> 00:44:05,030 I need Him, and I need the joy that comes from your Word. 804 00:44:06,380 --> 00:44:07,820 That offer's here this morning for you. 805 00:44:09,250 --> 00:44:11,920 If you were with us during testimonies, you heard one of the, the younger 806 00:44:11,960 --> 00:44:16,130 girls stand up here and she said, "I sat there as the pastor said that over 807 00:44:16,160 --> 00:44:19,510 and over and over again, and I sat there and I thought to myself, 'God, 808 00:44:19,560 --> 00:44:20,730 I don't know why I'm not doing that.'" 809 00:44:25,164 --> 00:44:26,574 Don't let that be you this morning. 810 00:44:28,244 --> 00:44:30,644 If that's you and you're sitting there saying, "Yeah, I don't know why I'm not 811 00:44:30,644 --> 00:44:33,344 doing that this morning," let's talk. 812 00:44:34,864 --> 00:44:36,974 After service, I would love nothing more to talk with you. 813 00:44:37,844 --> 00:44:38,614 Say, "Let's do this." 814 00:44:39,994 --> 00:44:42,563 Let's see you go from death to life this morning. 815 00:44:44,423 --> 00:44:46,834 It's not a plane flight, it's not a backpack, it's not snakes and 816 00:44:46,874 --> 00:44:50,064 scorpions, it's not mountains, it's not a lost Dutchman's gold mine 817 00:44:52,622 --> 00:44:54,522 It's some time with the Lord saying, "Lord, I'm, I'm ready. 818 00:44:55,531 --> 00:44:56,132 I wanna be all in." 819 00:44:57,192 --> 00:45:01,221 If you are and you're there and you're a follower of Christ, again, you've 820 00:45:01,221 --> 00:45:03,991 got untapped riches of joy in your lap. 821 00:45:05,662 --> 00:45:06,422 Pursue it this week 822 00:45:08,920 --> 00:45:10,259 Not in a bad way, but in a good way. 823 00:45:10,259 --> 00:45:11,480 Put God to the test this week. 824 00:45:11,480 --> 00:45:14,500 Say, "Lord, I want the joy that's there in the scriptures. 825 00:45:16,160 --> 00:45:16,850 Will you help me find it?" 826 00:45:18,339 --> 00:45:18,710 Let's pray. 827 00:45:20,020 --> 00:45:22,499 Lord God, we love you, and we are thankful for your Word, 828 00:45:22,500 --> 00:45:23,639 and we are thankful for joy. 829 00:45:23,680 --> 00:45:25,330 We are thankful that you are a God of joy. 830 00:45:25,339 --> 00:45:29,460 You are … We are thankful that you are a God of, of, of grace and mercy and 831 00:45:29,460 --> 00:45:32,779 peace and comfort and hope, and all of the things that we talked about this morning. 832 00:45:32,779 --> 00:45:36,420 We are grateful that that is who you are, and you've revealed yourself 833 00:45:36,420 --> 00:45:39,909 to be that in your Word, and through your Word, you've given us access to 834 00:45:39,910 --> 00:45:41,990 find all of those things in its pages. 835 00:45:42,719 --> 00:45:45,160 And so Lord, I pray for us this morning that we would give ourselves over to 836 00:45:45,160 --> 00:45:48,589 the scriptures, that we would find great joy in them, and that we would find joy 837 00:45:48,600 --> 00:45:53,649 that is unrivaled and unparalleled by anything else this world would offer us. 838 00:45:55,009 --> 00:46:00,430 God, help us to love your Word and to be a people that just wear on our faces 839 00:46:00,459 --> 00:46:04,359 and just in our personalities and who we are a joy that causes the world to 840 00:46:04,359 --> 00:46:05,819 say, "What do you have that I don't?" 841 00:46:06,920 --> 00:46:09,569 Lord, I do pray for those that are here this morning that maybe would say, 842 00:46:09,569 --> 00:46:13,649 "I'm, I'm not there," that you would impress upon them that today's the day. 843 00:46:14,750 --> 00:46:20,500 What's holding them back from coming to you and finding this great riches of joy 844 00:46:20,640 --> 00:46:21,740 through your Word and through Christ? 845 00:46:22,310 --> 00:46:24,009 We praise you, we thank you, we love you. 846 00:46:24,109 --> 00:46:25,399 We pray this all in Jesus' name. 847 00:46:25,940 --> 00:46:26,339 Amen.