El gozo triunfante

The Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. Therefore, go around the world teaching and preaching the gospel to all creatures, to the end of the earth. En Contacto, the biblical teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley. Today on En Contacto, the triumphant joy. When you go through difficulties and disappointments and trials in your life, how do you react? What is the difference in your behavior, in your temperament, even in your facial expressions, when you go through a difficult moment, or if everything goes well? What is the difference? Do you let difficult moments discourage you? Do you become less friendly? Do you see that it is difficult for you to make decisions? What bothers you? It is said that you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior. His name is in the Book of Life, and He is a happy person. But when things don't go well for you, and you suffer great disappointments, wounds, or physical pain, how do you react? Do you completely forget that? Do you change your attitude to the point that people say, What happened to you? I thought you were a believer. What is all this? Are you the same person when things go well, than when they go wrong? When you are disappointed and want to throw the towel and leave, what has happened to your faith? What has happened to your relationship with Christ? That relationship does not change.

Perhaps the way we express ourselves in it changes a little, but that is because perhaps we never distinguish between happiness and joy. What is the difference? Well, when Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians, of only four chapters, it is interesting what we find. In these four chapters, over and over again, in fact, in one of every seven verses, Paul speaks of joy, or of being joyful. So please join me in the Philippians, and I would like us to read these first verses here in chapter 4. To begin, it says, So, my beloved brothers and sisters, joy and my crown are thus firm in the Lord, beloved. I pray, and here he mentions a couple of people, Hebodiah and Assyntike, that they may have the same feeling in the Lord. Likewise, he says, I also pray to you, faithful companion, that you may help these who fought with me in the gospel, with Clement, as well as the other collaborators of mine, whose names are in the book of life. So he speaks of that, and then he says, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice. What do you need to have joy in your life? And when he thought about where Paul was, he was absolutely right to be unhappy, in a Roman prison, perhaps cold in winter and very hot in summer, knowing that most likely his future had already been determined, that perhaps he would lose his life.

But somehow he writes in those conditions this joyful epistle, which speaks continuously about joy, and his relationship with the Lord, which does not fit with his environment. So we would have to ask ourselves, well, if I were in that situation, how would I feel? Would I be happy? Would I have joy in my heart? Would I be happy? Would I speak of all the good things God has done? Or would I be complaining? The apostle Paul knew how to handle his circumstances. And when I think about that, I see that he not only had joy, but the triumphant joy, the joy that overcomes the difficulty, adversity, and disappointment in life. And when we think about that, we think about the difference between joy and happiness. Many people say, well, I just want to be happy in life. Happiness depends on the circumstances. Happiness may depend on what we have, or what we possess, or who we are, and everything else. But pleasure has to do with the inner person. The difference is this. My happiness depends on my circumstances. My pleasure depends on a relationship. That relationship with Jesus Christ can sustain me in any difficulty, adversity, and trial.

It does not make happiness. There is a big difference between happiness and the sense of pleasure that the apostle Paul had. And when I think about it, I think that pleasure is a feeling of God. Happiness is a joyful and mundane feeling. Many things make people happy or unhappy. But Christ has been accepted as his Savior. And the Holy Spirit has sealed him once and for all as the Son of God. And you know that this can never change. No matter what we face, or the valleys we go through, deep down we have a great sense of joy and contentment that is indescribable. That is what Paul experienced when he wrote this letter. He wanted to express the joy of the Lord. So when he thought about peace and joy in his life, what do you think is the source? Isn't it interesting that people can go through a little trauma, a little sadness, and they get completely frustrated. There are people who can go through the most difficult moments of trial, but they are strengthened. They have a sense of foundation. They have something inside that is immovable. And Paul knew well what that was. But I want us to notice something that is missing here in this biblical passage. Something is missing in these four chapters. You might think, did Paul forget something? No. But something is missing. What is missing? He does not speak of sadness for being there. He does not mention how bad the circumstances were, nor does he complain about his environment. Now, for most of us, that would have been our conversation,

I don't know why I'm here. I wish God would get me out of here. While Paul thanked God for the next Roman soldier who came to be his companion for a session, he thanked God for the opportunity to sit in a cold Roman prison, or hot, depending on the climate, and share the truth of the Gospel. Think about what was left of those men. They were lost, and perhaps they did not believe anything, but after having three or four sessions with the Apostle Paul, how could they not believe? Because there was no human explanation for Paul to write this wonderful epistle. All those verses speak of joy and of rejoicing in the Lord. Because Paul knew something, but pay close attention. He knew the same thing that we know. And we have it all in writing. He heard God speak. We have it all written. So we know why and what happened before and what came after. And somehow, Paul had that sense of unbreakable joy. And in this particular epistle, and he wrote many, in this one he speaks of joy, trust and security more than in all the others. But we do not see any complaints, rather an explanation of his great sense of joy. Now, what was the source? It was this. The source of his joy was his personal and close relationship with Christ. Nothing else could be. Notice, we have the same privilege that the Apostle Paul had 2,000 years ago. We have the same privilege.

Jesus Christ has not changed. And his plan is that wherever we go, he wants to be in us. And that he is through the Holy Spirit, but to be in us for other people. That is what the Apostle Paul did. He surrendered himself to them. And when we think of his joy, it was unbreakable. Seguía gozándose en el Señor y alabándolo mientras estaba en la cárcel, entonces le pregunto, ¿cuando las cosas se ponen difíciles para usted, acude a Dios en oración y le dice por qué deberían me corar y menciona algunas respuestas a sus oraciones, se goza alguna vez en el Señor? Debo admitir que me tomó mucho tiempo sacar eso de las páginas a mi corazón para gozarme en el Señor y agradecerle, cuando las cosas no marchan bien. Mire, estos son los momentos cuando más crecemos. Estas son las circunstancias que nos hacen crecer. Aquí es donde vislumbramos lo que es la vida cristiana. La vida cristiana no se trata de que todo salga a nuestro modo y que la gente sea amable, buena, cerciorándose de que tengamos todo lo que queramos. La vida cristiana se trata de que Dios es lo que necesitamos, siendo Él el único que puede suplir esa necesidad. Y cuando dijo que lo tuviéramos por sumo gozo, eso mismo significa. Ahora el coro puede cantar mucho de esto. Hacen una gran labor al cantar del gozo de Cristo, su poder y todo lo demás. Nos encanta escucharlos. Pero diría con franqueza que tiene el gozo de Dios en su corazón. Quizás diga, bueno, estoy feliz en cuanto a algunas cosas. No es eso lo mismo que gozo. La felicidad viene y va. El gozo que viene de Dios se convierte en la base de nuestra vida cada día,

sin excepción. Que pase lo que pase, mire, esa base no se mueve. Y quisiera decirles a quienes creen que pueden ser salvos hoy perder la salvación, la próxima semana o el mes que viene, es lo que enseñan algunos pastores, no es más que un error. ¿Cómo puedo tener confianza y gozo en mi corazón si podría perder la salvación? Alguien dirá, pero la gente peca contra Dios. Y quiere usted decir que aunque pequen contra Dios, no perderán la salvación. Le pregunto, ¿ha pecado desde que aceptó a Cristo? Sí. ¿No ha perdido su salvación? ¿Cómo llama eso? G-R-A-C-I-A, gracia. Esa es la maravillosa gracia de Dios para con nosotros. Cuando pensamos en esta clase de gozo, en esta clase de gozo, es un don espiritual. El fruto del espíritu que es amor, paz, correcto. Amor, gozo, paz, bondad, y todo lo demás. Ese es el don del Espíritu Santo. Al aceptar a Cristo, el Espíritu Santo vino a nuestra vida para sellarnos y morar en nosotros, ¿para hacer qué? ¿Qué comenzó a hacer? Comenzó a rebosar en nosotros quién es Él. Amor, gozo, paz, bondad, benignidad, etcétera, son los dones del Espíritu. Mucha atención. Tenemos, tenemos. La fuente del Espíritu de Dios en nosotros rebosando de manera constante. No importa lo que enfrentemos en nuestra vida, Él está allí. Hablamos del Espíritu Santo, pero piensa en Él como una fuente que siempre fluye.

Ahora pasa esto, al pecar contra Dios, ¿qué sucede? Mire, Él no nos deja, pero no podemos experimentar su gozo al vivir en pecado. Así que tenemos la fuente en nosotros. Es el Espíritu Santo. Alguien dirá, ¿es usted feliz? Mejor que eso. Está lleno del Espíritu de Dios, y Él more en usted, actuando en usted a diario. Me pregunto con qué frecuencia nos detenemos a agradecerle gracias, Señor, gracias, amado Jesús, porque vives en mí, mediante mí, y por hacer lo que prometiste. Entonces, esta es la promesa de Dios basada en su palabra, no en mis sentimientos. Hay sentimientos que nos hacen pensar, Señor, debes estar a mil kilómetros de aquí. No, Él está allí donde siempre ha estado dentro de usted. Pero olvidamos, dejamos que nuestros sentimientos eclipsen, anulen, esta realidad maravillosa de Dios en nosotros, que vive en nosotros, para expresar quién es Él. O sea, cuando vemos la luna, por ejemplo, podemos pensar en Dios, quién es el creador de la luna, y cómo hermosa es, etcétera, o el sol, o lo que sea, podemos ver a nuestro alrededor. Pero, ¿qué es lo más importante? No es lo que creo Dios, sino quién es Dios. Cuando pensamos en esto. God ordained and decided to live within us to manifest Himself, His power, His joy, love, joy, peace, goodness, and all the rest. And that is what God wants in all of us. And the only thing that obstructs that is sin.

The lack of faith, for example, or disobedience to God does not eliminate it, but it obstructs it. We cannot live in sin and have the joy of Christ. It does not work. From time to time I meet someone who says, well, yes, I am a Christian. Then, while we talk, and I listen more to what he is doing and who he is with, I think, hmm, no, maybe they have a little bit of happiness that goes and comes, but they do not have the joy of Christ, or they would not live this kind of life. This is how the Lord, He dwells within us, for what? To strengthen us. For us to be firm in difficult times, to protect our faith, to give us guidance and leadership, to answer our prayers, to show us the right path. God Almighty dwells within us through His Holy Spirit. So the Spirit of God enables us to endure any and all situation with triumph. It is not that there will be no tears, or that we will not pass through the valley, or that we will always do the good, but He will take us forward. So when we speak of the fruit of the Spirit, what He overflows in us is not only love, but joy. And when that joy is in our hearts, no matter what we face, it is the joy of the Lord, not the joy of our faculties, talents, and skills, but the joy of God Himself. And Paul wrote this to encourage us and help us understand that no matter what happens, this joy is still realistic in times of suffering. Look, this is the difference between joy and happiness. Joy is based, pay attention, it is based on my condition, or my desires, or my environment, or my friends, or many things. Joy is based on my relationship with Christ. If you want to write something, write it down. Happiness is based on my conditions, whatever they may be. Joy is based on my relationship. My conditions and circumstances change daily, they change. My relationship with Christ does not change.

It is an eternal relationship, because we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the Living God. And our relationship with God does not depend on our circumstances. It depends on a personal and close relationship that began in our life when we accepted Christ as our personal Savior, whether we were children or adults. So it is not about our condition or our circumstances, but about our relationship. Do not forget that your relationship with God replaces everything else. Your circumstances may change, and they will change, but not your relationship with God. And I believe that Paul thanked God for that, and also thanked Him for the privilege of suffering. Just because we go through adversity, pain, suffering, and trial, pay attention, it does not mean that God has moved an inch. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. When we think about that, how can we rejoice when we suffer from physical pain? Well, there are several reasons. We can rejoice because we have Christ, who walks with us. We are not alone. God tells us, I will not leave you, nor will I forsake you. A second reason, listen, God has control of our circumstances. That is an important issue. God has control of our circumstances. It does not matter who we believe to be. God is in control of our circumstances. Third reason, God will make these moments become for our good, whatever happens. When we understand what true joy is, we understand why adversity and pain are only temporary. Also, there is nothing that can separate us from His love. When we consider all these reasons, and I hope you write them down, we can thank God for what He is doing. and I would like to read a biblical passage in 1 Peter. Here Paul does not write, but Peter does. But I love this passage because Peter also suffered. But in 1 Peter, starting in verse 3 of the first chapter, Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy

made us be reborn for a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ of the dead. End. He could have stopped there, but he did not. For an incorruptible inheritance, we cannot lose it, uncontaminated, it is perfect, and immaculate, reserved in heaven for you, who are, referring to us, kept by the power of God through faith to achieve salvation that is prepared to be manifested in the future, in which you will rejoice, although now, for a little while, if necessary, you will have to be afflicted in various trials. For what? Subjected to your faith, much more precious than gold, which, although perishable, is tested with fire, is found in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is manifested. What wonderful words! To whom you love without having seen him, in whom, believing, although now you do not see him, you rejoice with ineffable and glorious joy. It is a wonderful biblical passage of promise after promise after promise, and there are all the promises of God for us that we can receive. For what? Subjected to your faith, much more precious than gold, most do not agree with that. Look. For what? Subjected to your faith, much more precious than gold, which, although perishable, is tested with fire, is found in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is manifested. Does he have joy in his heart? It does not seem so. It does not seem so.

The joy of the Lord Jesus Christ is not a mere feeling. It is a wonderful security and confidence bursting within us for being who we are in Christ. Now, if he has not accepted Christ as his Savior, all that he has heard has gone unnoticed. And today I wish to invite you to say, I made a disaster of my life. And I want to be saved. I want God to change my life. I want to be able to appropriate what Paul and Peter said in these two books of the Bible. I want God to change me. Will he? Of course he will. Yes, he will. And I wish to encourage you, as a follower of Christ, note that I did not say a member of the Church, but a follower of Christ, as it says, that you allow the word of God to captivate you, to fill you, to overflow you, that whatever happens, these verses and these truths never change. And they apply to all people without exception, no matter what the circumstances are, if you are willing to believe them. Amen. Father, thank you for not giving up on us. Thank you because the apostle Paul knew in his heart what was happening, but he did not know that 2,000 years later we would have learned so much for how much he suffered to discover who you are and write to us to tell us.

We bless you and praise you today and rejoice for your kindness, love, mercy, pain, suffering, sorrow, but with joy, in the name of Christ. Amen. Amen.