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     1. The Joy of My Life is Jesus   (1:31)
     2. Joy   (26:07)
     3. O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing, Lyngham and Glaeser medley   (2:13)

I John 3:2.  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

II Corinthians 4:17.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

I Thessalonians 5:16.  Rejoice evermore.

Philippians 4:4.  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

When we get to heaven we’re going to go to meeting too.  Now, maybe this is something you don’t know.  This is an advance notice to you that people in heaven meet also—they also have meetings like we have here.  Undoubtedly they’re having meetings right now.  The difference there I suppose is this: that while we feel the presence of Jesus they see Him.  We don’t see Him yet.  But the same Jesus who meets with us meets with them there.  And there’s going to be a difference.  Here, we live by faith (if we do).  And there, we live by sight: “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”  We’ve got something to look forward to, thank God!

My, what a wonderful hope: that “we shall see Him as He is,” that “we shall be forever with the Lord”!  Suppose a hydrogen bomb fell right on top of this church right now.  Well, it might, you know—can’t tell.  How’d you like it?  How would you like it?  Well, there would be a great change.  There would.  But it’s happened, you know.  One time Sunday morning, one of our sisters, while we were singing, went to heaven.  I saw her putting up her arms like this and she was gone.  Well, the change must have been very wonderful, to come out of the fogs into the clear sunlight of His presence. 

We ought to remember these things.  We ought to think of them.  “The hope of our salvation” is the hope of seeing Jesus face to face.  But it’s far more than that.  Oh, it’s far beyond that.  If that’s the only hope we have, then we’re pretty bad off.  But our hope is way beyond that: we’re going to “be like Him.”

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“This earthly house of this tabernacle” is made only for a little while.  That’s only a shell.  It’s just an eggshell, that’s all.  And when the eaglet has come forth to reign in the sky, why, the eggshell is forgotten.  You don’t think of it anymore.  It’s gone.  It becomes refuse.  And so will it be with this body of ours.

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But, oh, this morning the Lord Jesus Christ is here with a very definite job.  What is He doing?  Why, “out of His fullness have all we received, grace upon grace.”  And I was so thankful for the things that were spoken of this morning concerning joy.  “The joy of Lord” is the life of the Lord.  It isn’t something you manufacture.  It isn’t because you make up your mind now you’re going to be happy.  But it’s because you draw “out of His fullness” the joy of the Lord.  You say “Jesus” instead of “self.”  You say “Jesus” instead of “weakness.”  Do you know why we are not always happy?  Well, you might give a thousand reasons.  But the only real reason is that we think too much of our self.

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But when I say “Jesus, I delight myself also in the Lord,” why, that life begins flowing.  It comes to me—Jesus comes to me.  Jesus takes the place of self.  Jesus Christ, the resurrected Son of God becomes my Portion.  Didn’t He say, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in My love even as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love”?  And that’s what we’re here on this earth for: to “make manifest the savor of His knowledge in every place,” to let Jesus Christ shine in a dark place.

Today, we ought to rejoice if God allows us to be in a dark place because we have a life that overpowers all the darkness.  Hallelujah, how very wonderful!  I’ve got within me a Fountain of victory.  Jesus always wins if I let Him.  And that’s what’s the matter if I think too much of myself then I want sympathy, and then I want consideration, and then I’ll say “self!” and I’ll have a thousand excuses for living in the flesh—and that’s corruption, and that is damnation.  My call is to let Jesus live out His own life within me.  And that’s why the Bible says, “whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”  Thank God!  I don’t have to live my life anymore.

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And these things are “written for our learning.”  We’ve got a lesson to learn.  We’ve got a fight to fight, a victory to win.  And that victory is that “we shall be like Him.”

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When [Nebuchadnezzar] threatened to heat that furnace seven times more: “Now, how does God allow that?  I thought we had the victory.  Why, we were anointed and prayed over and now: seven times hotter.” 

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I’ve had to learn some lessons in trials that were very prolonged and very severe, and to find out that faith grows in conflict.  That’s where you find out that it’s “the faith of the Son of God” that makes you laugh at all your foes, and rejoice in the midst of your trials.  Why, “the God whom we serve” has a wonderful plan, thank God!  Let Him have His way with me.  I’m not going to find fault with God.  I’m going to “rejoice in the Lord.”  That’s all I have to do.  He does all the rest.

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Thank God, He knows what’s wrong with us.  He knows why we are like we are.  And God tells us what’s the matter.  And if we have sense enough to believe it—and we can find that out ourselves by comparing our lives with His commands: “Am I doing what Jesus says?”  Today the subject was “rejoicing evermore.”  If I’m not, then Jesus doesn’t reign.  And if He doesn’t reign, somebody else reigns.  Positively, there’s another master that binds me.  Well, I ought to be scared.  If I don’t obey the fundamentals of the Bible, of the Sermon on the Mount, or another wonderful fundamental: “In nothing be anxious…”  But how many hearts are troubled all the time by anxiety!

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I remember a time when I couldn’t be happy in some Pentecostal meetings because some people always got in the flesh.  Well, it was none of my business at all.  God allowed them to be part there…just to show me what was in my heart, what flesh there was here.  That’s where the flesh was.

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The body that is sown is likened to the bulb of a peony.  “But let it die, and oh, what beauty comes forth!  ...It’s so unlike the bulb, it’s so different that you wouldn’t believe that that beautiful flower had come out of that bulb.”    (at 2:53)

The sister who said, “If I were to complain, I would be finding fault with God.”    (from 9:11)

The story of the Irish immigrant who said, “This is a wonderful country.  I’ve got nothing to do but to carry bricks up to the 13^th floor, and the guy up there does all the work.”  “All I have to do is to ‘delight myself also in the Lord.’  God sees to it that the work is done, thank God!”    (at 13:15)

An illustration from HRW’s boss in the jewelry business: “‘I’ve always done it that way.’  He said, ‘Well, then you’ve always done it wrong.’  And I’m so thankful that we have a Master who does not give up until His job is done.”    (at 15:39)

The example of the life of Martha Wing Robinson.  “People would come from all over the world to hear words of God out of her mouth.  And many of them were surprised at the great simplicity.  They came to hear something highfalutin, you know.  And the first thing the Lord would say: ‘Are you doing what the Bible says?  Are you rejoicing evermore?’”    (at 16:08)

Elder Brooks’ experiences seeking the baptism of the Holy Ghost.  “Elder Brooks came there, and you know, he couldn’t get the Baptism in the Holy Ghost.  His wife received it.  His wife received wonderful gifts, and poor Elder had to sit at his wife’s feet and listen to her preach.  My, that was a bitter pill for him.  Up till that time he didn’t believe in women ministers.  No siree.  That’s what he was there for.  But now, he saw his need…

“What do you think an educated, civilized, sophisticated theologian should do?...  The Lord told him what to do get rid of his dumps: ‘Go to every meeting 15 minutes ahead of time, and spend the 15 minutes shouting “Hallelujah!  Praise the Lord!” from the heart.’ 

“You wouldn’t find many ministers that would do that.  And you wouldn’t find many men that would do that.  If you offered them a dollar a minute, yes, they would.  They would.  Ananias and Sapphira fills our churches…  You’ll see what they’ll do for… a little honor, a little place of distinction.  Some people won’t play unless they can sing solo…

“He told me for three months he did that three times a day…  He said he felt like dying sometimes.  But he’d get down and he’d praise the Lord 45 minutes every day.  And he said after three months he had dug a hole through that.  He had really come out on top and his enemy was gone.  The Lord came to him.”    (from 18:10)

Bed bugs as an illustration of sin hidden in the heart.    (from 21:09)

Was bin ich für ein Esel gewesen — What a blockhead I have been!  (An Esel is a donkey, but this word has not the negative connotation here that it might in English).

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