As I was already planning on preaching on "Exceeding Joy" for another of our series of reviews of what does Paul preach that is different than what is in the Gospels and Hebrews to Jude...

Unfortunately, more and more Bible Believing Christians are missing the joy that Paul preaches.
It can truly be an exceeding joy, but for most, it is not!

• I received a letter from one of our web-church family stating, "I thought joy was something we all had as Christians?  The inner joy of knowing we're saved and at peace with God and on our way to Heaven."
• It seems a lot of Bible Believing folks are exhibiting a lack of joy as they see more and more things falling apart in their home and in their favorite local church setting.
• That is precisely what I hope to deal with in this sermon...  why Bible believers seem to be losing their joy through all this!

• I received another of my many weekly newsletter mailings - wouldn't you know it, but this one was on 'joy' but the pastor / author used only verses from Hebrews, James, I Peter, Isaiah and Revelation.
• That newsletter articles was titled, Experiencing Joy in the Midst of Pain.
• Here we go - scratching the itching ears of whining American Christians!
• ...and to use all the other verses from Hebrews to Jude for their proof text verses?
• Confuses people to take them to these books!  They are NOT TO US TODAY!
• It shows off their edjukated abilities of spiritualizing anything from anywhere in that book so it all appears to be to us as well as for us.  The listeners have no clue, so they follow the teachings all the while deceiving and being deceived!
• Folks!  We are NOT SUFFERING today - nothing anywhere even close TO WHOM Hebrews thru Jude are written TO!
1. sure, there are health issues
2. difficulties with children and teens
3. employment insecurity
4. economy
5. government doctrines and conspiracies, etc.
6. growing perversions and damnable heresies, etc.
• We are only in the 'setup' stage just before the physical WILL be the problem - actually headed for peace through flatteries and lies!  (Daniel 11,12; II Thessalonians, Matthew 24 , etc.)
• The pastor began the article with - John 16:24 and Acts 20:24
• Does this pastor not see the obvious differences between those two verses?
• Those differences are dispensational and show the difference between the Gospels and Paul's teaching about joy!

Paul's joy was NOT based on the gospels - or even on answered prayer - it was based on what the Risen Christ taught him and called Paul to his ministry to us that resulted in our lives change for God's glory and pleasing - that is what gave Paul his joy!
Acts 20:24 - But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

A.  Gospel joy is based on:

• works, things, answer to prayer, etc. PHYSICAL -
• what Jesus does FOR those folks who will follow him believing that He is the Messiah - that Christ, the Christ,
• and then a joy based on the  successfulness of the holy walk they are called to do as they followed Jesus.
• seeing an increase in the number of people involved in the church

• physical victory over the trials of their faith
• staying on the right path,
• obeying the commandments,
• being chastised back onto the path knowing Christ loves them enough to even care
• to not take the mark 666!

• and given to us by our hearing, believing and trusting
• and even at that, the purpose was to provoke the Jews to jealousy! (Romans 11:11)
• the list of things is far greater than anything the Gospels and early Acts has ever recorded.
• our God pleasing walk is because of what He did to us - not in order to receive what he would do.
• In other words, if our joy is to be based on our walk, it is no wonder that folks have no joy!  Their pastors have been preaching increase in numbers and personal guilt because they are not walking clean enough.

• We saw in John 16:23,24 - ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full!
• John 15:11 - joy must 'remain' - be full - based on the these things:
• John 15:7 - IF ye abide in me and my words abide in you - then you will know what to ask..
• John 15:8 - you will bear much fruit
• John 15:10 - IF ye keep my commandments, etc.
• Acts 1-8 - Repenting and being baptized and growth in numbers, etc.

• Hebrews 12:11 - Fruitful results of chastening
• James 1:2 - falling into divers temptations
• I Peter 4:13 - being a partaker of Christ's suffering's
• I John 1:4 - being confessed and walking without sin
• III John 1:4- hearing that your children walk in truth
• Jude 1:24 - to be kept from falling - and walking a faultless walk!

• II Corinthians 1:24 - Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.
• Our joy is to be based on the faith that we stand on - and that comes only from the Holy Spirit - fruit of the Spirit.
• ONLY through Paul's teachings do we learn what we need to learn - and that takes FAITH because it is from a spiritual kingdom that our joy is based on...
• but we must know about it and respond in FAITH - and trust His words in that KJB to be true and faithful!

A.  Great Commission / Tribulational teachings leads to: PRIDE - ARROGANCE & FALSE CONFIDENCE...

• ...and a temporary happiness only if you are doing all things right according to the preacher, parent, spouse, etc!
• Blind hypocritical fakes - oozing with holiness sugar!
• Gospels and Great Commission create personal PRIDE IF they walk like they are supposed to!  Well, they can't - it isn't possible nor is it even commanded to do so today, so they emphasize "Jesus" and numbers, fellowship, etc. and fake the Christianity look, etc.
• This stinks so bad that even the lost world is figuring out the fakiness and powerlessness of these folks!
• Their confidence is in themselves and how they are walking such an honourable and devout lifestyle.

• ...in spite the flesh and Spirit war that goes on inside daily, we know exactly what He made us to be:
• Christians
• free
• His righteousness
• clean
• beyond forgiven
• We recognize that we are wretched dogs in the flesh and yet we learn that Christ took care of the spirit and soul!
• Now our walk is to be based on our thankfulness and desire to please him daily in that walk.
• Before we trusted Christ, no matter how good it was, we could not please God.  Romans 8:8!
• ..all of which eventually results in BEING the Christian we are called to be!  Ephesians 2:10 - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
• the confidence is in HIM, not ourselves!

Paul and reality!
Paul shows us our real selves - our flesh - and corrects us - and instructs in the right way (II Timothy 3:16,17) - through the King James Bible (I Corinthians 13:10) - the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation (Ephesians 1:12) in his Epistles rightly divided!

Now:

• Read Jude 24 - Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
• I know - that is a Tribulation verse, of course.

• But we must also know that Christ has already made those who "hear, believe and trust" faultless in their own soul (Romans 4, Colossians 2:11-15, etc.) - and that their coming judgment seat will take care of the works that they do being a Christian. (I Corinthians 3; II Corinthians  5:10; Romans 14:10-12)
• So through this spiritual kingdom of God, etc. we should already have that exceeding joy - based on what Christ has done to and for us - and ONLY learned from Paul's teachings!

Now - back to that letter:
Yes, there can be that inner joy of knowing we are saved and at peace with God, and going to heaven, etc. but Paul is the only who tells us the details that we can trust and have faith in - thus our joy is based on what Paul preaches about the Risen Christ!  And that joy becomes an exceeding joy!