2014.06.01_Let Your Spirit Rejoice

Those Who Have Received God’s Joy

            God is the One full of joy. It is not by any physical matter or certain conditions that He is joyful. When Jesus was baptized and came out of the water, God said of Him, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). In the same manner, God spoke of Jesus when He was on the mountain with His disciples, and Peter also testified to that incident (2 Pet. 1:16-20). God is pleased through His Son alone.

            If we pray to God about anything in Jesus’ name, it means we humbly kneel down before His name and thus God is glorified (John 14:13). God is joyful when those in the world receive Jesus, the Son of God, as their Lord and obey. The word blessing in the Scriptures mean ‘God’s happiness/joy.’ God is the only joyful One (1 Tim. 1:11), and He desires mankind to share in His joy.

            Man and God are intrinsically different. Man is material, and God is spirit. How can there be harmony between the spiritual and the material? For this reason, God appointed Jesus Christ as a Mediator through whom man is able to go before God, and receive His glory and blessings. We need the Mediator, Jesus Christ, in our relationship with God. God’s grace and blessings are given to us through Jesus Christ, and it is by Him that our supplications are delivered to God as well. The high priest, who was the mediator between God and Israel in the Old Testament, was a model of Jesus Christ who was later to come.

            Jesus became poor and suffered afflictions on the earth, yet it was not because He had no blessing/joy. He considered it His joy to fulfill the Father’s will on the earth and thus glorify Him. Though He endured much persecution for the sake of the name given Him by the Father, He was joyful that the Father is glorified through Him. Jesus was not only joyful to have the Father’s joy in Himself, but also wanted us to have that joy in ourselves.

Those Who Have Hope In Heaven

            The Scriptures is a mirror that reflects man’s unrighteousness. We are able to reflect on our unrighteous selves through the Scriptures. Having said that, Jesus Christ is in the Scriptures also and we must meet Him through the Scriptures. He is the life and truth that came to us, and the way that leads us to eternal life.

            The people of the world sometimes ridicule our faith. They do not acknowledge the eternal life we believe in. Eternal life is not something that can be explained scientifically, biologically or medically. People in this world say that death is the end of everything. When a person actually dies, some say “he or she has gone to heaven.” Yet their idea of Heaven is still very abstract.

            God had sent Jesus to the world in order to give us eternal life. It is eternal life that overcomes all destructions. The goal of our faith is eternal life. The purpose of reading the Scriptures is also to attain eternal life. The reason we have to believe in Jesus as the Son of God is to obtain eternal life (John 20:30-31).

            It is sad and disappointing that despite many Christians claiming to believe in Jesus in order to receive eternal life, this is actually not the case. Through their church-life they endeavor to ease the anxieties of their flesh and seek the betterment of their flesh. They are no different to the unbelievers or the followers of religions in this world whose sole ambition and zeal is to actualize their wishes.

            The Lord will judge such persons; they would be speechless when He asks, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ (Matt. 22:11-12). Romans 13:14 says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” The ultimate goal of those who are clothed with Jesus is to be resurrected and enter eternal life. Though Jesus died, the power of Hades could not keep Him bound in death. He broke the chains of the gates of Hades and rose from the grave. And it will be the same for anyone who is clothed with Jesus.

            As we live in this world, there are many things for which we need to pray for God’s help, such as issues at the workplace or family matters that need to be resolved. Yet, how many people just vaguely hope and pray for a fluke like superstitious people who draw water and pray in front it? We have come into Jesus Christ through baptism and now our attention should be drawn to fulfilling God’s will.

Jesus is the Son of God but He did not have prosperity on the earth by world’s standards. The reason He came to the world was to die. He said, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28), and He certainly succeeded in doing so. Indeed the world does not consider that to be a success. There also lies the reason why they reject Jesus. However, we acknowledge that Jesus has successfully accomplished God’s work.

            We have been united with Jesus through baptism. This means we will also share in the glory that Jesus has received. It has been determined that man’s flesh will die. Since Noah’s time, no man is able to exceed a lifespan of 120 years and every one dies just as God said (Gen. 6:3), and after that is judgment (Heb. 9:27). The important question then is whether one is able to escape judgment (John 3:16-18). Anyone that is judged would have to go to hell. The word judgment means the same as condemnation. Our flesh and conscience are constantly under condemnation, and they cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven (1 Cor. 15:50). However, our spirit is in Jesus and thus it will not be condemned.

           We need to be filled with hope and faith in eternal life. It is all for eternal life that we worship, serve in the church, and give dedications. The Lord said, ‘He who will receive eternal life should not lay up treasures on earth for himself. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’ (Matt. 6:19-21). A stingy person has his heart set on this world, not in Heaven. Where is your heart set on?

            The fact that we have come to meet Jesus Christ during our life on the earth is something to be truly grateful for. In order to meet Him with a heart full of joy when He returns, we must leave no regrets in carrying out the duties He has entrusted us while we are on the earth. If the president nominates a particular person to be a premier, the person has to go through a parliamentary hearing. If any misconduct from his past is found out, the nomination gets rejected most of the time regardless of how competent he is. Similarly, every Christian will later have to stand at the hearing presided over by the Lord before the angels. On that day, some will be rebuked by the Lord saying, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matt. 7:23).

            At that time, the Ninevites that listened to Jonah’s preaching and repented will condemn those who ignored the preaching of the One greater than Jonah. The Queen of the South that came with chariots of gold to Solomon to listen to his wisdom will condemn those who disregarded the wisdom of the One greater than Solomon (Matt. 12:41-42). We, of course, have been saved by believing in Jesus Christ. However, we still need to undergo a hearing in regard to our reward and punishment. The Lord has already resolved the problem of sin, but there remains a choice that each person has to make individually.

The Spiritually Joyful

            Those who are filled with the faith unto eternal life, their spirit will be joyful. The church filled with such people will have a revival. While people try very hard to hide their shame, they would do anything to boast if something good happened, for instance, their successful business or their children’s entrance to a prestigious college. In the same way, the person who is joyful in his spirit tries to always show that joy. He wants to speak of Jesus in whom he believes, and boast of the truth inside of him. But the reason Christians today do not open their lips and keep silent is because their spirit is not joyful.

            What is the Lord’s Supper? First Corinthians 11:26 says, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” Yet, not anyone can just do this work of proclaiming the Lord’s death. Jesus said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The disciples received the Holy Spirit just as He said, and with their spirits filled with joy they boldly preached the kingdom of God. Is your spirit joyful? If so, you would boldly preach God’s kingdom despite any difficulties you may have.

            We must certainly be born again while we are on the earth. A person who is not born again cannot sacrifice his nature to live by the flesh, and so in the end, he can only lead a religious life even though he attends the church. People who lead a religious life do not go before God to have joy in their spirit but struggle to satisfy the desires of their flesh. Jesus said, ‘Drink my blood; eat my flesh. You must drink my blood to have life in you, and eat my flesh to have eternal life.’ He did not tear His flesh to give us wealth or a means to success, but to give us eternal life.

          Above all, the spirit has to be joyful. Third John 1:2 says, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” If we desire prosperity in all things, our spirit must first be prosperous. It is difficult for a person to continue serving the church if his spirit is not joyful. Such a person lacks the strength to keep his promise to the church, and he constantly tries to hide himself where others cannot see him because he does not even have the confidence to stand boldly in front of other people. We should be able to boldly answer, “Here I am, Lord!”

            God does not go beyond our own volition. Deuteronomy 30:19 says, “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” We must choose the spiritual blessing. When Gabriel brought the news of conception to Mary, she said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” and chose the Lord’s will, and consequently became the Christ’s mother. What is your will choosing when it comes to work concerning God’s kingdom and matters of the world?

Those Who Do Not Follow the Crowd To Do Evil

            The Lord is preparing our places in Heaven. Yet so many people would not give up their stingy hearts. Some say, “why should I be different when everyone else is being so stingy?” However, even if all the people of this world conform to their flesh, we should not do the same. After the exodus from Egypt, there were varying opinions and ideas among the Israelites that led to challenges in building a nation of God. Exodus 23:2 says, “You shall not follow a crowd to do evil.” Even if the masses follow their flesh, we must not be like them.

            When mankind began to increase in number, God destroyed them with a flood. What was the reason? They would have sought joy in their flesh, a long life and good health. They had cultures and dreams. However they did not have God in their hearts. God saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of his thoughts was only evil continually (Gen. 6:5). This meant that they were not worthy of God’s kingdom. God wiped them out with the flood. God did not side with the masses or show them any special favor; He only kept Noah’s family of eight who had received and obeyed the revelation of God’s command (Gen. 7:5).

            Since the church is a gathering of many people, there could be a variety of opinions. At times, there may be a consensus of opinion. Nevertheless, the church is not an organization that operates under a majority rule. The church must have God’s revelation. Even Jesus said, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). The people who do not heed the Father’s words could have clever ideas and suggestions but those are meaningless if they are irrelevant to God’s will. And this does not change even if it is the majority opinion. Christians have to hear the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Go by the narrow way. Enter through the narrow gate. Heed my words. Drink my blood. Eat my flesh.’

            Even if the majority of the people are stingy before God, we must not be like them. Offerings ought to be given with a joyful heart; God loves a joyful giver (2 Cor. 9:5-7). If we have made a vow to God we must not delay to pay it, as it says in Deuteronomy 23:21, “When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you.” If a man vows anything to God, He will by all means demand it from him.

            Anyone who thinks God is taking away his money cannot have fellowship with God. If a young child were holding a knife, the child’s mother would snatch it out of her child’s hand. But that does not mean she is her child’s enemy. Likewise, if God takes something from us, He takes it because it is not beneficial for us while conversely, He gives us what we do need. We must have our spirit recognized by God, and through our spirit God should be glorified.

Those Who Draw God’s Attention

            Our spiritual life is about drawing God’s attention by the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians 12:3 says, “no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” Those who confess Jesus as Lord by the Holy Spirit would submit to Him, and their spirits will be joyful through Him. Even if the majority does not emphasize the Holy Spirit, nor talk about speaking in tongues, nor agree with the work of casting our demons, we are not to follow the crowd but the truth. Only the truth can make our spirit joyful (John 17:17).

            God has purchased us by His blood. It was not because Jesus happened to come in the wrong era that He shed His blood; He shed His blood to sanctify our spirit. The spirit without Christ’s blood cannot break free from sin. On the contrary, no matter how much sin a person has committed, if he has Christ’s blood he is free from sin. Therefore the souls that have the blood of Jesus are filled with joy.

            Jesus said, “And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:26). The Lord desired for us to also be filled with God’s joy that is in Him. The Lord’s request to the Father was not to take us out of this world quickly but to set us apart from it while we remain on the earth and then ultimately attain God’s glory. Our spirit should be filled with joy through Jesus’ name according to the Lord’s desire.

            We do not know when we will depart this world. Yet, we should not have any worries even if it was tonight. When Noah and his family constructed the ark, God did not give them any money. They themselves earned money by laboring and farming, and thus completed the ark. Consequently, those inside the ark were able to escape devastation. But Noah and his family did not just save their lives; a great number of animals went into the ark and were kept alive by eating the rations Noah and his family had prepared. In the same way, the offering we bring to God is not only beneficial for ourselves but it is also used for the work of God’s kingdom. We should not be stingy or idle. Our spirit must be joyful through the Holy Spirit.