John 15:11

Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit. So shall you be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Continue in my love. If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Father, as we open Your Word, we pray that You would give us wisdom and insight. Jesus, just as You would say in the next passage after this in John 16, You promised to send the Spirit of truth who would guide us in all truth and teach us all things. And so we pray that You would do that this morning. Amen. Open the eyes of our hearts, our understanding. Lord, transform us, we pray in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

We finished 1 Corinthians last week. Praise God. Amen. I had shared with you that we're going to start a new series to close out the year, a series on joy, the key to unlocking joy. This series is the culmination of a lot of different things that have happened this year. It is the product of many things that I have personally been pondering and praying about through both highs and lows this year.

I wanted to begin by giving something of a background as to why we are taking the next seven Sundays, today and the following, to talk about this topic of joy. I don't fully remember the exact timing, but at some point a couple of years ago,

I began listening to and reading messages, writings, and so forth from an author and pastor that, until that time, I had kind of left off with. I hadn't read very much of his work, and to be quite honest, I hadn't because of certain preconceived ideas. We're told not to judge a book by its cover, but we do, right? So, I hadn't really looked at much of his material. Partially, that's because there are some disagreements that I have with him on some issues, but that's no reason to just cast everything aside. There are always disagreements that we have when we read various things.

However, something about the things that I began to read and hear from him really began to strike a chord in my own heart, as they were intriguingly similar to things that I had personally thought and taught over the last decade. Somewhere around the end of last year, the beginning of this year, I downloaded a book by him called Desiring God. The author's name is John Piper. As I read through the book, I was so encouraged, as it became a real confirmation of thoughts that I've had and things that I've taught about the way I believe that God works in and through us, and desires to work in and through us.

Around February or March of this year, I received an email from their ministry saying that Pastor John Piper was going to be speaking at a church in Orange County. I thought, well, that would be a neat conference to attend. So, I signed Andrea and me up for it; just a two-day conference. We went at the end of April, and the conference was on the topic of the book Desiring God. It was a really good conference. We were encouraged in what God has called us to, not really as a pastor and as the wife of the church, but just as Christians.

We were challenged by much of what was taught, and we were encouraged again to seek ultimate satisfaction in God and joy, regardless of circumstances. Now, how many of you recognize that's difficult? It was indeed a challenge. The conference ended with an hour-long question and answer session, and the first question that was asked to Pastor John Piper was this.

From a young guy who looked like he was in his mid-twenties, I found myself grappling with a profound question: What do I do when I can count all things as loss compared to the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ, except for my relationship with my child? Though I can think in my head that God is more delightful and valuable, in my heart and emotions, I delight in my son. I don't know how to have God supersede that.

John's answer to that question was very good. It was challenging, but it was helpful. After he answered, Andrea leaned over to me and said, "That was just for me." This is one of those things that parents struggle with, especially when their kids are young. I can only speak as one of those young kids, but I'm sure it continues as they grow older. Parents really wrestle with this, and that's especially true for moms. They struggle with the issue of how to not idolize this precious gift that God has given them while also being good stewards and loving at the same time.

We left Orange County at about noon on Saturday, April 30th, feeling very blessed. Five hours later, we found ourselves in the emergency room at Palomar Hospital, fearful for the life of our daughter, Addison, who was just 16 months old at the time. We were at my parents' house, as we are almost every Saturday night, for dinner. Somehow, Addison had gotten a bottle of orange oil cleaning solution open and had ingested some of that stuff that smells good.

In the first few minutes, which stretched into hours, it was very touch and go. I watched her turn pale, gasp for air, and become very lethargic. I couldn't look at my wife because I knew I wouldn't make it through. In the back of my mind, the whole time, especially as we were speeding to the hospital and breaking many laws, I was filled with fear and desperation.

She was becoming very lethargic. I told Andrea to just pinch her, and she'd come to. I had this little voice looping in my head over and over again: This is a test. This is only a test. You've all heard that. This is a test of the emergency broadcast. That whole thing just kept going through my mind. This is a test. This is only a test.

Within a few hours, we were being transported from Palomar to Children's Hospital. By that time, it was becoming more evident that Addison was thankfully not critical. It was serious but not grave. I remember thinking, just get through this week. If we can just get through this week, it'll be hard, but everything will be fine, and then we can move on.

On Sunday morning, the next day, May 1st, as you were gathering here for worship, I was laying in a chair in a hospital room at Children's Hospital, holding Addison on my chest. She was taking little short gasps of breath still. Her heart rate was above 170 beats per minute all night long, and her oxygen saturation was down at about 90%. I'm just an ignorant guy who doesn't know a lot about medicine. My wife's a nurse, so she knows what's going on. With tears in my eyes, Andrea had gone to find the doctor because we really needed some information.

I remember praying over and over again, "Lord, you've got to do something. You've got to do something." As I prayed this, it was as if the Lord spoke in a very small voice, "Miles, I know this hurts, and I know that you're not happy, but can you find joy?" This series was conceived in that hospital room. In John 15, Jesus says, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." Fullness of joy. That's what Jesus speaks to. I believe that in some ways,

Not always, but in some ways, that is the gospel: a fullness of joy that God offers. It is a reality that all of us, humanity, seek for happiness. I believe God created us that way; we seek after that. It's a desire that He planted within us.

However, I also believe that, in observing our culture—not just American culture, but Christian culture within America—there is a part within us, as Christians here in the 21st century, where we think that to seek for joy is wrong. We feel that we shouldn't seek for happiness and that there is a great virtue in denying that and setting it aside. We are often told not to seek for joy or anything that brings happiness because that is selfish, and we are to deny ourselves. This mindset hangs at the root of many of our thoughts and feelings.

Yet, I believe God created us with that desire. If you were somehow able to isolate American culture, putting it all into a pot and turning up the heat to boil it down to its essential value, what would you get? What is the essential American value or the essential American virtue?

On July 4th, 1776, the thirteen states of America signed and ratified the Declaration of Independence, which famously opens with the Preamble stating, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." If you're like me, you had to memorize that in junior high, and probably many of you did as well. I would suggest that most in our nation would identify the second right stated in that Preamble as the essential American value, the imperative virtue. It is boldly printed.

On every coin in our monetary system, there is the word "liberty." In the 21st century, we believe that this liberty is a freedom to be employed in the pursuit of happiness. Two hundred thirty-five years have passed, and our society, here in the year 2011, is focused on happiness. In our culture, it is believed that the greatest experience of happiness is found in freely and liberally enjoying or expressing whatever brings us pleasure.

We are fixated on the free, open, and unhindered pursuit of any and all things that might bring us pleasure. We are enamored with this pursuit, giving great attention to and expending significant energy, time, and money toward seeking pleasure. However, if you step back and observe the 330 million Americans pursuing pleasure, it won't take long to conclude that pleasure, or what is considered pleasurable, is subjective. There appears to be no objective standard for pleasure in our society; it can be found down many different paths.

As individuals in our nation, each person becomes the decider of what is pleasurable and what brings happiness. Since we are independently minded as Americans, we have the liberty to pursue whatever makes us happy, as long as our pursuit does not hinder the pursuit of another. That's America.

Americans have more disposable income, although we may not feel that way right now. We have more extra time, even though we tend to be very busy and feel like we never have enough time. Does anyone relate to that? We have more disposable income and more extra time than anyone in the world to devote to our pursuit of happiness. Yet, it seems as though we have not become incredibly good at achieving happiness. There appears to be a problem, as I see it, with this pursuit. Just last month, Reuters reported on a study by the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control.

Between 2005 and 2008, antidepressants were the most common drug among people ages 18 to 44. We have to wonder, is it possible that we have plotted down the wrong path in this pursuit of pleasure? Could it be that there is a greater happiness to be found? A more full joy? Jesus speaks of fullness of joy. So, is it possible that there is a fuller joy that is less circumstantial? Is there a difference between joy and happiness?

In discussing joy and happiness, I want to be careful not to create a false dichotomy, a division that isn't really there. We want to have a biblical understanding and worldview, but we also want it to be practical at the same time. Our theology needs to be a functional theology. Therefore, we must ask the question: is there really a difference between happiness and joy? I confess that, at some levels, the difference is merely semantics. These words in English are synonymous and can be used interchangeably. However, I believe that a difference exists between what I will call joy and what I will label happiness.

Happiness is circumstantially based upon what is happening and, therefore, it is fleeting. In contrast, joy is full and enduring. Psalm 16:11, which we will explore next week, speaks of full and enduring joy. Happiness is the state of being happy, and that word "happy" derives from "hap" with the suffix "y." This is quite insightful. The word "hap" refers to fortune or a good turn of events. For instance, a mishap is a misfortune. Thus, "hap" or "happy" means to be full of luck or good fortune.

Events or happenings that have turned out well clarify the problem, especially when you're in a hospital room with a loved one. When things don't seem to be turning out quite the way you expected or think they should, you are confronted with the reality of not being happy right now. Some of you come in here today and you're just not happy. We sing joyful songs, yet you may feel that this isn't true for you at the moment. Why? Because happenings haven't occurred quite the way you wanted them to. As a result, you're not joyful.

This definition of happiness begins to clarify the problem. Good happenings are not happening all the time. Therefore, we need to try to create good happenings to make us perpetually happy. However, we all know that none of us is perpetually happy. This leads to a problem: many people are depressed and cannot make themselves perpetually happy. Does that sound like our nation?

The Bible has much to say about happiness, pleasure, enjoyment, joy, and contentment. I find it very interesting what kinds of people are called happy by God in the Scriptures. Let me share one example from Matthew chapter 5, the Sermon on the Mount. It opens this way: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they that mourn, blessed are the meek, blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness, blessed are they that are persecuted. Blessed are you when men shall revile and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you."

Now, that word "blessed" is a Greek word, "makarios," which could mean or be translated as "happy" or "happier." So, let's think of it like that: Oh, how happy are the poor in spirit! Happier are they that mourn! Happy are the meek! Oh, how happy are those that hunger and thirst! Oh, how happy are they that are persecuted! Oh, how happy are you when you're reviled and persecuted, and people say all manner of evil about you falsely.

When you read it like that, no one in 21st-century American culture believes it. We don't believe that to be true, and yet that's what the Scriptures say. These are the things that we often believe bring unhappiness: poverty of spirit, mourning, meekness, hunger, thirst, and persecution.

Spirit, mourning, meekness, hunger, thirst, persecution. These are the things that we seek to remove from our lives as Americans because we conclude that they bring unhappiness. Now, these words in my Bible are in red, which means they were spoken by Jesus. God, incarnate in Jesus, says, "Happier are the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the hungry, the thirsty, the persecuted, the reviled." Clearly, God's perspective on happiness is different from ours.

So the question is, who is to be believed? Our culture says happiness is found in material gain, while the Bible says something different. We must step back and wonder: Is it possible that our culture has lied to us? Our culture exalts gain as a key factor in happiness and sees loss as the root of unhappiness. If I've lost my health, I'm unhappy. If I've lost my job, I'm unhappy. If I've lost my house, my car, or my dog, I'm unhappy. Then I can go and write a country western music song, gain back a house, a job, and a car, and then I can be happy and win a Grammy award, right? That's America.

But Jesus called us to a life of loss, and he tells us that this is the happier life. Consider the words of Jesus in Mark chapter 8. You can turn there if you like. In verse 34, again, the words in red that Jesus said: "And when he, Jesus, had called the people unto him with his disciples also," there was a gathering of people, and his disciples were there. He said unto them, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me."

Now, verse 35 is interesting. Jesus is saying that if you want to follow him, you're going to have to experience loss. He tells us to take up our cross and follow him.

Appeal to their desires to do this. You should desire this. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospels, the same shall save it. So, come follow me, experience loss, deny yourself, and you are going to experience gain. There is something about the loss that Jesus is calling us to that ultimately lands upon something good. In other words, denial and loss are not an end in and of themselves.

Now, I didn't have this in the first service, but let me read to you from C.S. Lewis's The Weight of Glory. If you asked twenty good men today what they thought the highest of virtues was, nineteen of them would reply unselfishness, or self-denial. However, if you had asked almost any of the great Christians of old, they would have replied love. You see what has happened? A negative term has been substituted for a positive one, and this is more than a theological importance. The negative idea of unselfishness carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good for others but of going without for ourselves, as if our abstinence and not their happiness was the important point.

So, see what Lewis is saying. Virtue in our culture, and in Christian culture, is that you deny yourself. It is going to be painful for you, but other people will be happy. In fact, just a few minutes ago, we prayed about joy: Jesus, others, you. That is what we have been ingrained with. Joy is really experienced when you are going to die; you are not going to experience any happiness. Other people will. God does not think this is the Christian virtue of love.

The New Testament has a lot to say about self-denial, but not about self-denial as an end in and of itself. We are told to deny ourselves and take up our crosses, as stated in Mark 8:34, in order that we may follow Christ. Nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find when we do this contains an appeal to desire. If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that...

To desire our own good and earnestly hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing. I submit to you that this notion crept in from Immanuel Kant and the Stoics, and is not part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures fooling about with drink, sex, and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by an offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

So, Jesus unashamedly calls us to a life of self-denial and loss. And yet, there is this appeal to desire here. Let's go a step further. Luke chapter 14, one book to the right. Luke chapter 14, verse 26. If any man comes after me and, this is heavy, hates not his father, his mother, his wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoa. Have you ever met someone who is not a Christian, who doesn't believe that Jesus is God, and they say, "Yeah, you know, I'm not a Christian, don't believe that whole thing, but I think Jesus had a lot of good things to say"? Has anyone ever met someone like that? They have never read the sayings of Jesus. They say things like that because that's heavy.

You want to come after me? You're going to love me in a way that makes all your human relationships look like hate, or else you cannot be my disciple. And, verse 27, whosoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Now, look at verse 33. So, likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsakes not all that he has cannot be my disciple. Those are not fluffy, like greeting card verses.

These are heavy sayings. You cannot be a follower of Jesus Christ without loss. That's what Jesus says.

Go a step further and consider the words of one of Christ's early followers, the Apostle Paul. I want to read to you from Philippians chapter 3. Paul says, "What things were gained to me, I've counted loss. Yea, doubtless, I count all things loss. I have suffered the loss of all things."

Now, in our culture, if someone heard that, they would say, "That's an unhappy person. It's terrible. He suffered the loss of all things. It's horrible. He needs some help. He needs some charity. That's sad." Our culture equates loss with unhappiness. However, Jesus said, "I'm offering fullness of joy," but the only way to get that is through loss. This is completely opposite to what we believe.

Happiness in our culture is often associated with experiencing gain, not loss. We believe that loss is connected to unhappiness. So, if this is what it means to follow Jesus—loss—then Jesus is calling us to unhappiness, right? That's how a lot of Christians live. They think, "Well, you know, God's glorified, other people are edified; I guess it's okay. I guess Jesus just wants me to be like Eeyore." Yet, I have a hard time seeing how that glorifies God. There’s something that doesn’t fit.

I spent this week, starting Thursday, memorizing Psalm 67. Psalm 67:1 opens, "God, be merciful unto us and bless us and cause Your face to shine upon us." Now, doesn't that sound like an incredibly selfish prayer? I mean, that's audacious praying. "God, be merciful to me, bless me, cause Your face to shine upon me." We would be sure that there would be someone saying, "Oh, listen, brother, you can't pray like that. I've got to teach you how to..."

Pray. First, you need to use King James English. We would be certain that someone would come along and say, "You can't." The next verse states, "For your way will be known upon the earth, and your saving health among all nations." Why, God, why bless us? Why be merciful to us? Why cause your face to shine upon us? So that the world would see and go, "Wow, that's what it means to follow God?"

We have bought a philosophy that really, Emmanuel can't, and others, ethicists, who say the greatest virtue is total denial of yourself. Sorry, you're not going to enjoy this, but Jesus will be glorified and others will be edified. How is Jesus glorified by saying, "Well, I serve Jesus, but it really sucks"? How does that glorify God? I just can't understand it. It's nowhere in the Bible. This is not Christianity. This is not the gospel. It's not good news to say that.

And so, we have good news, right? Jesus is calling us to something that, in our culture, is seen as unhappiness. Either Matthew chapter 5, the Beatitudes, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," is wishful thinking or it's a lie, or there's something more to it. There's something greater there.

How could someone experiencing the loss of all earthly gain, like Paul speaks of in Philippians chapter 3, how could someone experience the loss of all earthly gain, which our culture says brings happiness? How could such loss be gain? Was Paul delusional? How could Jesus call us to follow him into an existence of such incredible loss and spin it in such a way that it sounds enticing? "Come and get it. Here it is: loss, self-denial, persecution, mourning, meekness."

Is there a deeper joy than circumstantial happiness on the other side of such self-denial of earthly gain?

Loss? If so, the question becomes: what's the key to unlocking joy? Josh does amazing things with foam. What is the key? The key to unlocking joy that supersedes happiness, which is dependent upon pleasurable happenings, is found in just 37 words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 13.

Turn to Matthew chapter 13, verse 44. Jesus is speaking again: "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field; which a man, when he found it, he hid, and for the joy thereof goes and sells all that he has and buys the field."

So, Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like someone walking through a field. He stubs his toe on something in that field and bends down, angry because it hurt. He looks and sees that it doesn't look like a rock. He clears it back and, all of a sudden, he finds a treasure in that field. He looks around and thinks, "Oh my goodness, this is amazing!" There’s a for sale sign on this field, and everything in the field will belong to him if he buys it.

He covers it up and goes to sell, joyfully losing everything he currently has so that he can apprehend what he found there because it's greater than what he has. He has found something that is greater than what he currently possesses, and so he willingly and joyfully loses all.

The only way that this is true is if we come to the place where we see what we currently possess as worthy of willing and joyful abandonment for what Christ is speaking of. Consider again what Paul said in the fullness of what Philippians 3 conveys. I didn't read the whole passage, but Philippians 3, verses 7 and 8 state: "But what things were gained to me, those I counted loss for Christ."

Doubtless, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things. I do count them as dung, trash, or rubbish, that I may win Christ. Paul says that all the earthly gain he had is counted as rubbish in comparison to Jesus; He is greater. The treasure in the field is worth the willing and joyful loss of all things to gain it, and that treasure is Jesus. Jesus is the key to unlocking joy.

Now, at this point, you may be asking yourself, "Okay, if Jesus is the key to unlocking joy and you're telling us this at week one of a seven-week study called 'The Key to Unlocking Joy,' then what are we going to do for the next six weeks?" You're just going to come right out and tell us on the first day what it is. What are we going to do for the next six weeks?

Well, in my observation, there are many Christians who may see this truth in the Bible but not in their lives. Their theology is not a functional theology; it's just a theoretical theology. It hasn't played out in their lives, and the Bible has not become practical. So the question arises: How do we experience this joy which Jesus opens to us?

That's where we're headed over the next six weeks in our series. It is not difficult to argue that there is a happiness that can be found in this life. There are things apart from God that can make people happy. Many people find enjoyment and happiness in the things of this world apart from God and His Word. Furthermore, many of those same people think that forsaking this life to gain Christ means sacrificing earthly happiness in favor of a dour, gloomy existence.

Why do they believe that? Because we say things like, "Come to Jesus, you're going to have to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him." So do it, because He deserves glory, and He does. However, I suggest that that's not the kind of glory He's looking for. He is glorified in our enjoyment of who He is and what He's given.

There are people who say, "I'm happy. I'm happy with what I have and who I am." They might think you're telling them they need to follow Jesus to be dour and gloomy like you. But I'm going to argue that counting all things lost to gain Christ means the apprehension of eternal joy, as well as an earthly joy that can be untouched by earthly loss, which all men experience. Everybody experiences earthly loss.

Anyone who says that the gospel of Jesus Christ is about never experiencing earthly loss and being healthy, wealthy, and wise is selling something. It's not true. They're selling books, they're selling a program, and they might be healthy, wealthy, and happy. But the gospel doesn't mean that. That prosperity doctrine, the prosperity gospel, is not biblical. That's not what I'm talking about here, although I recognize it could be confused for that.

The gospel makes it very clear that you and I will never have this everlasting and enduring joy until we stumble upon the fact that Jesus is a treasure greater than all the treasures that could ever be found or enjoyed in this life. Our joy can only be full as His joy is in us. John 15:11 states, "Speak these things, write these things, that my joy might be in you and your joy might be full."

Let me end this morning with a passage in Matthew's gospel. Turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 19. In Matthew 19, Jesus says something that absolutely shocks His disciples. Now, that's not abnormal; He said a lot of things.

That just shocked his disciples. In Matthew 19, Jesus said it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. The disciples were completely shocked by this and didn't fully know how to grasp it. They responded, asking, "Who then can be saved?" Their reaction to Jesus' words makes it clear that their worldview is not all that different from the worldview of many Americans in the 21st century.

This worldview goes something like this: rich people are rich because God loves them and has blessed them, evidenced by their worldly riches. Because of their worldly riches, they will surely be in heaven. There is a belief that somehow those worldly riches help them to attain eternal riches. This was the worldview that Jesus' disciples held, and He turned it upside down by saying it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. They responded, "Wait, what? Why?"

In first-century Israel, many people were seeking the same things that people in 21st-century America are seeking: goods and riches, because they believe that brings happiness and joy. Jesus challenged that perspective. The worldview they held, which we sometimes hold, esteems earthly treasure as something to be sought after and concludes that those who have little earthly treasure have little of God's blessing.

We look around the world and see people in poverty, thinking that if we could just give them the liberty we have, they could pursue their happiness, and everything would be good for them. We believe we are the poster children for happiness. But how is that working?

Jesus' words are paradigm-shifting. His heavenly kingdom and worldview are different from ours. So Peter, always Peter, responds in Matthew 19, verse 27. He said to Him, "Behold, we have forsaken all and followed You. What shall we have therefore?" Now, don't read any further yet. Upon reading that, consider what Peter says.

There, Jesus, if it's hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven, clearly Your kingdom is not about earthly treasures. It's for poor people. Jesus, we're poor. We're poor because we forsook everything to follow You. You said, "Come, follow Me." We said, "All right, we're leaving our careers, we're leaving everything, we're following You." We followed You; we gave up everything to follow You. What are we going to get?

Now, what would you expect? What would you think? Jesus says, "Deny yourself, come follow Me." What do you expect He's going to say in response to that? We would probably think Jesus would say, "Peter, how selfish of you. Deny yourself. Don't say things like that." He doesn't say that at all. Look what He says in verse 28. Jesus said unto him, "Verily, truly, I say unto you, that you which have followed Me in the resurrection, when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne in His glory, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

What? You mean You're not going to tell him? I mean, you probably expect that James and John are sitting there, "Get him, Jesus, get him, get him." And then they think, "You're not going to smack him around a little bit? Come on." We asked, "Can we sit on thrones with You in heaven?" And You said no. And now He says, "What are we going to get?" And You're saying, "You're going to sit on the throne." Wait, what are You doing?

Step further, in verse 29, "And every one of you," because we all think, "Well, of course, Peter, you know, the apostle, of course, he's going to sit on the throne." But what about us? "Every one of you that forsakes houses and brethren and sisters and father and mother or wife or children or lands for My namesake shall receive a hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life."

I tell you the truth, Jesus says, "You that have followed Me are going to be blessed in eternity. You that have forsaken earthly treasure to follow Me, you will receive it back many times over and will inherit eternal life."

Now, notice what He says there. You will receive a hundredfold, and after that, eternal life. So, the eternal life is after the hundredfold. What He's saying is that here and now, in forsaking—remember, He calls us and says, "Deny yourself, come follow Me." If you do not forsake everything—father, mother, houses, everything—you cannot be My disciple. But if you forsake that, you're going to get something far greater because there's a treasure in a field, and it's Jesus.

There's something great about that treasure, and He offers it to us. It's better than all that there is in this world, and it's not merely material. Why? Moth, rust, thief, destroy, and steal that, and it is fleeting. All that we see is going to burn. Your house, your car, your job—it's all going to burn. Now, some of you may say, "I hope my job burns," but it's going to burn. God bless you; it's going to burn.

He calls us to a life of loss with an appeal to our desire to be happy in Him. That's what He's called us to. That's good news. You might say, "Well, okay, I believe that. I see it right here in the Bible, but I don't see it in my life. How does this come about in my life?" Well, you have to come back next week to hear about that. What has God done? What has He called us to? What does He offer? And how do we lay hold of that?

Paul says in Philippians chapter 3 that I may lay hold of, grab a hold of, that for which Jesus Christ laid hold of me. I want to grab what He saved me for. That's what I want. How do I do that? We will enter into that next week with a presupposition that I have about God. My presupposition about God is this: He wants us to walk in His will; therefore, He has revealed to us how to walk in His will. He doesn't hide it from us. He wants us to do it, and so He says, "This is how to lay hold of it."

Let's stand and pray. Father, You have given us a message, good news, wherein You say that losing our lives for Your sake and the gospels brings exceedingly great gain both now and in eternity. And Father, we just confess right now that our culture says something completely different. So either our culture has lied...

To us or you've lied. Simple as that.

So, Lord, I pray that over the next six weeks, you would reveal to us how these things actually play out, how this theoretical theology becomes practical and functional. Father, I know that in a room with this many people, there are some who have not stepped forward as you have offered the good news of the Gospel. They have been holding on to all these things in this world that they are convinced will bring them happiness. Maybe they've experienced and tasted some form of happiness through them.

To lay hold of what you are calling them to means the abandonment of that, the laying aside of those things, because you can't carry both at once. I recognize and respect the struggle that this is, because the word that you gave Jesus is not a light thing.

So, Lord, I pray that by your Spirit right now, you would minister to hearts. If there's any struggling, if there's the tension of that right now, as I know that there is, I remember being a 15-year-old kid at a camp and having that exact struggle. By your Spirit, would you touch hearts? Would you draw to yourself as you're calling individuals?

If you stand in that place today where you recognize you're holding on to many things, and there's tension because you're not convinced that exceedingly great gain and joy is found in Christ, I implore you by the words of the Lord to let those things go and follow Jesus. If you're willing to do that today, then please don't leave this place without coming and talking with me or one of the other pastors or elders who are going to be up here.

In fact, Eric, Richard, Mark, if you guys are in here, come up here. Mr. Jeltenus, that's you. Jesus said,

I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but by me. Jesus said in John 10, "I am the door," and He has opened the way for you to come.

We're going to dismiss in just a moment. These men are here to pray with and for you, to share with you more clearly the good news of the gospel. It is good news.

Father, minister to hearts. We thank You that You are most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in You. Glorify Yourself in us, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.