The Path to Joy and Peace [Part 2]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright you could talk to your blue in the face. You'll never be out of talk me out of that you raise every question that you got about the evils of this world and the questions of the confusions and the trouble all the things I can't answer still have to come back to you and say the things that I can answer did not define my life. What defines my thing that I do know that is that's faster and right to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light.

I'm Dino Britt excited for you to hear the teaching today.

In the series. Unspeakable joy is presented at renewal the church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now.

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More on that later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name first Chronicles 618 16 a brother second Chronicles 31 Hezekiah just appoints divisions of priests and Levites and just to give thanks and praise. Psalm seven I'll give thanks to the Lord. Psalm 90 give thanks to Lord. Psalm 28 I give thanks to the Lord. Psalm 30 oh sing praises to the Lord and give thanks to his holy name.

Psalm 33 Psalm 44 Psalm 54 Psalm 57 Psalm 7579 8692 9700 hundred just read the Psalms. Isaiah prophesied you'll say on that day I will give thanks to you, oh Lord.

Jeremiah prophesied give thanks to the Lord of house for the Lord is good.

Ephesians 54B. No filthiness or foolish talk the crew joking which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving Colossians 2. Therefore, as you received Christ is the Lord's awoken and rooted and built up in him establishing the face just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving Colossians 4 to continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful and with thanksgiving. First Timothy 44 for everything created by God is good and nothing is be directive is received with thanksgiving you can get away from your Congress to the power of the gospel. The reason is so important and is separated from the secular power of positive thinking movement. This is what separates it is that this gratitude for the Christian is rooted in something that's fixed in history. That's actually happened is been born born witness in your own heart by the Holy Spirit. The reason the gospel transcends just simple ideology is a positive thinking is because there actually is a cause of joy there actually is a cause of gratitude as a someone wit has said that the atheist darkest hour is to have something for which you are grateful and knowing to thank them I said was a good starting person finally gets food in there so thankful they might be fine for the person who gave them food. But if you're next in your thanks. Beyond that, who you think the farmer but if you listing your thanks.

Beyond that, the farmer who you think the one from only got the land where you think for the land you a site for the sunshine in the fight for the rain, the nothing for the world. You think for the earth it spends upon its axis and road revolves around the sun. We going to thank for this for the stars of the heavens, then the equilibrium of the cosmos, who you going to think what happens in the Christian's life is and what our life is, no matter what. Whether we are in the Valley or whether on the mountaintop, our lives a life of gratitude. There's no other definition for my life except I was also not been found. I was I was dead and alive.

I'm safe, live with him forever. It trumps everything else in all of this is related. Paul is saying inextricably linked to the peace of God that surpasses understanding the peace of God. If you are rejoicing in the Lord and you're giving thanks with all your prayers adverse of the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus is a peace that surpasses it means transcends it means far superior to and excels in nature in every way it it it it's is the human sinful tendency to want to have a kind of a piece that's rooted in our understanding, we tend to want to have a pathway to peace. That means I'm in control of everything. I'll get everything fixed. Make sure there's enough money here and I'll make sure they're not on the problems here make sure that I'll go into my mind and all think through all the bad things can happen will make sure that they don't happen.

That's the peace that comes with understanding and it is a fickle thing is a futile thing you can control the circumstances. Anybody can have peace when life this is be okay but the peace that we need the piece that makes a difference. The peace that far exceeds every other version of peace doesn't come biological understanding or human satisfaction or any human effort comes from God.

That means if you have questions in your life that you don't understand. And no matter how you hard you try.

All is going to do is become more oppressive to you if you try to build your life by understanding the things that you can understand the mind just want to understand everything the mind just wants just not have to worry and therefore the way we gonna try to not worry is a try to figure out understand everything. So the temptation even for the child of God is to be lured away for the simplicity and the purity of the gospel into trying to figure everything out. Is that what happened to Adam and Eve, the serpent slithered into the garden and lured them into thinking that they needed to eat from the tree of knowledge the tree of life was in the garden but they wanted this. The server one of the eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for then you'll be more like God. If you want to have more PC going to be more blessed.

What you need is just more knowledge you need more understanding.

That's how peace comes. So when they ate.

The irony was they wanted to become more like God but they already were like God.

They wanted to have more peace, but the RA had perfect peace and didn't know it. And so it happened all throughout history they traded peace that passes understanding for peace that comes with understanding them.

All of us are just like little children, we only have limited understanding were just little children of God we have limited understanding.

Every parent faces with their children. Perhaps you been through some scenario of your parent like this to be your five-year-old child starts playing with Johnny down the street and John is not a good influence in his start showing up your child is normally sweet and peaceable becomes whiny and and starts becoming demanding or rebellious, and is not in your child's nature and and and he realizes about influences been taking place and their deep psychological things are going on and there may be very complicated matters that are going on in other child whatever it might be and you finally say to your child so you not to build a play with Johnny anymore and was a child, say your child says apply was to conjugated to explain this is not good for you. John can understand you can sit down and start talking about all the psychological principles you to start talking about negative things, even into his soul's are talking about how if you walk amongst those who rebellious, you are likely to become rebellious if you start talking about all these things, which I'll never be able to understand is why the child will have no peace until finally the child in some level, says my mother, my father loves me and knows what is best for me and I accept and I trust that sewing time peace comes, you can't get peace by trying to understand what you can't understand.

You get peace that passes understanding. When you rejoice in the Lord always give thanks to him and every situation people. God always been lured away.

Abraham and Sarah, even though they believed God and was credited a ram as righteousness that God would give them a son. When the promise to read and they had no child, the peace that passes understanding got displaced by their attempt to have understand they brought in the maidservant Hagar the mother the child and Ishmael was born in is a wild donkey of a man and a broad disruption in chaos and destruction into their family and so it is been there something in the sin nature. The gross discontent and dissatisfied when we can't see it and understand it and the people were told to go and take the promise land. They came back in the couldn't figure out how they would win, how they would take the cities and so instead they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.

It's interesting that Jesus came into the earth during the season of what was known as pox Romana. Those years of Roman peace where it was variously inscribed on ancient walls and sculptures that Caesar is the Lord because there was so much peace and yet the Savior of the world came into the Roman peace in the world salt to kill it Savior.

There was no real peace.

And Jesus said my peace I give you, but not as the world gives you. It's different in Paul's further explains this by saying, think on these things is whatever's true. Another word for this is real. Whatever the things are that are actually real substance of the true things, whatever is honorable.

It is a word they can also be translated noble is he some things that we think about are true, but they're not honorable or not noble limitation as you think about those things that are true but also honorable thing about things that are noble and you might craft in your mind something that feels noble but it is not true is not worthy of thought is when something is true and honorable and that's the challenge is in it there true things that you could think about when you could talk about but they're not helpful because all it does is take you down a pathway of negativity doesn't help.

Just as is true doesn't mean these we thought about all day long you could get together as a family each night and you could have evening prayer and you could tell each other what you're thankful for for that day. You could speak of wonderful blessings to one another and it all be true and would all be noble.

Are you could get together and you could reflect on how miserable everybody is and point out everybody's weaknesses and remind one another of their failures and it might be true but it would be honorable. We've done some of both talent right will have more teaching moment from today's important series actually is a delight reserved for those who have no problems or have you ever assume that some people are just born with a joyful personality, so get ready for some good news. Julie is a fruit of the spirit available to all in Christ, no matter the circumstances of life there.

Paul was in jail when he read his epistle to the Philippians he spoke of joy 16 times matter what you're going through. You too can discover the secret to unspeakable joy as pastor at NYPD through a life building explanation of Philippians. When you make a gift to sharing in night ministries today will send you the new CD album the secret and unspeakable joy as our way of saying thank you for your partnership.

Your gifts are the only way we are able to continue broadcasting the message of grace all over the nation. Happiness may rise and fall with happenstance that Julie is ever present in the spirit to become a partner today and discover joint like never before were in the final days of this special offer being made available to you. Call us at 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor at work. Today's teaching now continues here once again is Alan writing. Think about these things. True, what honorable thing about what is just this is the New Testament word to Keio soon day. It is the word for righteousness.

The justice of God the right things.

Whatever's pure means clean and holy, whatever is lovely, I love this word, it means whatever calls forth love.

Don't think about things that don't call forth love is his call for the division and hate don't think about those things. Think about and talk about things a call forth love, whatever is commendable. It's a beautiful idea of being admirable of being winsome anything is excellent anything that's where the of praise you think about these things and what happens to the Christian is that you are able to move into a new habit of thinking is a very important verse in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 23 or Paul rings this exhortation to be renewed in the spirit of your mind is an interesting phrase the spirit of your mind is a connection between the mind and the spirit there's an attitude of mind that comes from subservience and connection in alignment with the things of the spirit.

It's a very fascinating thing.

John Piper says as well. The renewal of the mind is not about gaining more information, the mind has an attitude, a spiritual connection, the mind that is informed by the spirit of God the mind of Christ, the mind that thinks like Christ is think what what this is to say, is to be having the mind of Christ doesn't mean that you know that everything that Christ knows it means that you think like he thinks you can think like God thinks you made in the image of God. God thinks about those things that are true and noble and right and pure and lovely and absolute excellent praiseworthy God is and think about worries that doesn't have fears God wants you to have the mind that he has his and make you God doesn't make you know everything that God knows but it is who you are in Christ. You are made in his image, and when you restored in Christ.

You are his child in you being conformed to the image of Christ and the battleground is in the mind. What happens is when you when you begin to think differently. At first it may not even feel right to you because you might think that it's so different from how you were raised.

It might be different from every other thought process.

You've always had take your hands and put in the other like this folder has the other interlocking them. Now if you're listening on the radio or podcast and ride in a car, don't do this, but otherwise put your hands together like this you like it is interlocking them and it feels nice now take it and move it over one digit know where you put the forefinger over the other one wrong like you know didn't feel right but it ever put in by that doesn't not just hold it there for a while get on your nerves admit is educating concentrate because you got your hands and like this.

Now it's just amazing.

Something so little like that by habit, I just put my hands together like this. And so that feels right to me and if I just do like this that feels wrong to make something so small is that is it like you know sometimes have on MMS it up in golf and so my knowledgeable will tell me a different way of holding the club or different wave position at the top of the swing and at first it feels wrong to me. If I get to do it for a long time before it feels right. Just because something feels right to you doesn't mean that it's right just because something seems comfortable to you doesn't mean that it's right something doing the thing that is right is going to feel really uncomfortable for a while. I think this is part of what Paul is talking about here is that there is a process of the renewing of the spirit of our mind, where in the infilling of the Holy Spirit, the coming of Jesus into our lines begins the influence in the process of growing, my spirit is new. My body one day will be made new. But right now I am being renewed. I am growing and if you find yourself in a place where stagnated and not growing is because the battleground is in the mind and what God does by the presence of his Holy Spirit is begins to show you a different way because to be is to show you a whole another way of thinking to the power of his spirit. The powers word the power of his goodness is a new look at life is the glories of his grace, and it changes everything. What happens in this is what basically happened to me if I would describe the transformation that is taken place in my life from being a negative thinker to a positive thinker from being the person who tended to gravitate toward that negative thought process that will go down the road to the hypothetical situation to be a person who was more inclined to build have faith about the possibilities that might happen. Here's what has taken place without a sum it all up. It's this God has convinced me.

God has convinced me of the truth, and the power of the gospel that I don't know everything that there are some things that I do know I know that I know that I know down deep in my soul think God is real. I've experienced him and I have found his word to be true. I know that I know that God is on his throne, and he's a God of grace and you'll never convince me otherwise. I know it because I have experienced is forgiving and cleansing power. And though I was lost in sin and shame he has cleansed me has forgiven me and I've been made spotless. I have been made white as snow, and I am declared to be the righteousness of Christ.

So much so that I can come into the intimate presence of God. I can worship him. I can experience him and I can talk to him. I know him I love him.

I know him I love him. You could never convince me otherwise.

I know because of the deposit of the Holy Spirit inside of me that there is an inheritance is been laid up for me. That's with the Holy Spirit.you had a foretaste of glory divine you've experienced something of the peace that passes all understanding.

There must be more experience of joy this unspeakable.

I know there's more.

I know that heaven is real I know that I got to live with him. I know they'll be here forever and ever and reign with Christ. I know these things you can't convince me otherwise you could talk to your blue in the face. You'll never be out of talk me out of this and you raise every question that you got about the evils of this world. The questions of the confusions and the troubles all the things I can't answer. I'll still have to come back to you inside the things that I can't answer. Do not define my life. What defines my life and thing that I do know that is true is like this. I'm not much of a mathematician, but I do know that 2+2 = 4 is 2+2 = 4 is 2+2 is it for some of your own commences chromosome illustration to post it was for 2+2 is four. My son is an engineering major, and he's taken math courses in kinds of math. I didn't actually know existed. He's taken courses that have to do with imaginary numbers when reading imaginary numbers. I don't know what you could take his smartest math professor and bring him and fill up a chalkboard full of formulae and algorithms and complicated things that come up at the end and he says and see here 2+2 is in for an eye, liar know much about what I do know this to post it was far that one down, 2+2 is four. You understand this and this and this and this and this and this look of this, I don't understand that but 2+2 is for man know that for sure. You can't trick me into thinking that 2+2 and four. In other words, the thing that's fundamental to understand is the foundation by which I build everything else. Build your life on the gospel build your life on the presence of Jesus communing with you in your heart so that you again spirit alive, under God, your mind be renewed day by day things is God. You know this Christian lives. You you know this. He died for you. You know there's he reigns for you the NRC's for you.

You know he's coming back for you. So when the worries come when the negative thoughts, the unanswerable questions, do not get lost in the depression trying to figure out everything so you can have peace that comes with understanding be satisfied with the peace that passes understanding God is on his throne. Today the world troubles we just spend our time thinking about all the troubles were to magnify, think on these things are true, whatever is noble, whatever right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, and things that are excellent, and praiseworthy to think on these things and you will be a different person promise of God and that the gospel are teaching the path to joy and peace be found hope and peace there and live with joy.

Now that you've heard that and can apply it.

Alan is back in a moment with additional insight on this for your life in our final word today you sold it seriously and constantly desires to label the Julie is an elusive dream reserve for select who had no problems or for those who were born with a joyful disposition actually joins the fruit of the spirit available to all in Christ, no matter what you're facing.

You can have the joy of the Lord in the midst the apostle Paul.even his epistle to the Philippians.

While in prison Julie 16 Ehrenreich's newest album, the secretive and speakable Julie chapter by chapter explanation of the secret of joy when you make a gift to data sharing and light will be delighted you see, I discovered the secret unspeakable joy were in the final days of this special offer being made available to you, 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor at work we do think of joy. We think of happiness. But I've also heard many say believe there is a difference. Joy does not mean that you always be happy and never, never experience a disappointment, grief or sorrow will is why you can be even unit in a in a season of grief and you still have joy in the midst of it. And then there's a big difference enjoys thing of the spirit. And so what were learning today and I hope we can learn through this whole series is it what you feed yourself is what you grow in you know it's interesting day know just got back from our epic national conference and I was able to print several times and analytic marriage track but is also able to sit there under some godly ministry some unbelievable worship and just listen and take in the word of God for really 3 1/2 days intensively, and it's interesting you would think that the more you fill yourself up, then the more your full and satisfied and not so in the things of the spirit. The more you are immersed in the goodness of God, immersed in his word, the hungrier you get to come back more thirsty spiritually.

So this goes far to explain what Paul is talking about here. If you think on that which is true.

If it is right and true, noble and pure and lovely animal excellent praiseworthy you think of these things is what it does not just satisfies you pretty nights spiritual thirst with if we so to the flesh. Paul says will refer the flesh, but if so into this. From the spirit.

So in the in sewing into the spirit is not about earning God's favorite all is about letting your life become blind with your real purpose in this world these things.

Today's good news message is a listener supported production Alan White ministries