Title: Truth and Joy
Truth and Joy 2006-07-05
“I am very glad that the brethren have come and testify to you, that you are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:3).
I. Text Commentary
II. reason for joy
A. God Himself
It was because of joy that Gaius was able to walk in the truth, and because he was leading a life of faith with a joyful heart, this also became a joy for Paul. The source of joy is God Himself. Those who love God are full of joy. Most of the reasons we rejoice are often examples of temporal things. The joy we really want to have is the kind of joy that no matter how much we enjoy it, no matter how much we rejoice, no regrets. You must not have any source of joy other than God. Those who do not love God are those who love themselves in vain. Our visible self is not eternal, but perishes with time. Space unfolds things we will love, but time takes them all away. When the time is up, we will take off our bodies and return to God with a pure soul. So our greatest happiness is to love God. This is the right way to love yourself. The reason Paul rejoiced to see Gaius obeying the truth today is because he found love for God in him.
B. God reigns
III. one who rejoices in the truth
God Himself is the truth, the Holy Spirit is the light that illuminates the truth, and the commandments are the will of God Himself who is truth. When we rejoice in God, we rejoice in the truth; when we rejoice in the truth, we rejoice in the commandments that are God's will. Conversely, if we do not love God, who is the truth, we cannot rejoice in that commandment. If the joy we enjoy is not from God, we must be temperate, and if this is the joy that comes from God Himself, we are blessed to fully enjoy it. Those who enjoy the joy that comes from God Himself can lead a religious life with that kind of joy that cannot even separate the border between life and death. Only those who have this kind of love become a ‘way through which God’s invisible love’ is revealed. The only source of our joy is the truth, Jesus Christ. In other words, in order to live a life of joy that shows the truth of God, we must become people who long for the truth, Jesus.
IV. Conclusion and application
Where does all the pain in this world come from? Everyone seeks joy, but they are unhappy because they seek joy in what cannot give true joy. With the worldly knowledge of the people of the world, it is impossible to see, hear, and understand the truth of heaven. As fools as the world, we were people who saw the truth but could not see it, heard the truth but could not hear it, but the Holy Spirit has opened our eyes and ears. The joy the world gives is temporary, but the joy God gives is eternal. So I urge you to live knowing God Himself with true joy... Heed the Word of God, use it as your food, taste the truth that cannot be replaced by anything in this world, and let that truth be engraved into your soul... 2006-07-05