The joy that Paul or any other Christian experiences is not some transient emotional feeling that lifts you up one moment and drops you the next depending on circumstances. True joy is an unwavering constant in a Spirit-filled life. Welcome to a new week of John MacArthur's verse-by-verse teaching here on Grace To You. Today, John is helping you prepare for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with a study that explains what true biblical joy is and how you can experience it not just around the holiday season, but every day of the year. The study is called Joy Rules. Now, John, in our fast-paced, media-saturated world where we are bombarded with unwholesome ideas, news of natural disasters and economic devastation, political scandals, with all of that going on, the thought of, well, being joyful is a bit out of place, maybe even unreasonable. Yeah, there's no question, Carl, the world will steal your joy if you let it. There's no question about that. The world will fill you up with so much bad news and it seems today so much hopelessness that you shift your focus to the things that you can't control. and that are reflective of the domain of Satan and a fallen world that is going to perish and it's going to be burned up. Instead of setting your affections on things above, focusing on the person of Christ, focusing on the promises of God, look, joy is a byproduct of your life preoccupation. It's not what happens to you, it's your attitude in response to what happens to you. And whether or not you can lift your eyes above the earth and get them on heaven where they belong, there's where your joy lies. And that's an unassailable joy. Nothing can ever affect your eternal relationship with God and the fulfillment of all His promises. So, we're going to begin a series along that line, getting you ready for a good upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Its title is Joy Rules. I wonder if that's your experience. Does joy rule your life? You know, the Bible says rejoice always and again. I say rejoice just in case it wasn't clear the first time. And that's right out of Philippians chapter 1, the first 11 verses. We're going to look at the life-transforming power of joy. A lot of things can rob your joy. Health, the culture, family, people you know well who disappoint you, your church. But that shouldn't really happen. The things that steal your joy really only do that on a superficial level. Nothing can rob you of the cause for your joy, which is the eternal promise of God. I get it. The world is complex. Life is tough. You need to find your way to that deep down unshakable joy based on the promises of God which He will fulfill. Stay with me because I'm about to show you how. Whether you're in the middle of a deep trial, or life is going exactly how you planned it, this study will help you cultivate the kind of joy that is independent of your circumstances. Follow along in your copy of the Bible, or use the Study Bible app on your mobile device as John MacArthur begins the study on how to let joy rule. Paul's irrepressible and constant joy, even in the throes of anguished suffering, is the heartbeat of this wonderful letter. And the joy that Paul or any other Christian experiences is not some transient emotional feeling that lifts you up one moment and drops you the next depending on circumstances. True joy is an unwavering constant in a Spirit-filled life. It is not produced by a bed of roses experience of tranquility and peace and comfort and safety. It is produced by the presence of God and His Holy Spirit, even if you're sitting in a prison waiting for possible news about your execution as Paul was. He had joy. He had joy, the result of His eternal relationship with a living God through Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit within Him. And because He was so near to God, He was full of joy. Circumstances aren't a factor. It's your nearness to God that determines the level of your joy. And so Paul knew that inexpressible and irrepressible joy, which is an abiding feeling of peace and calm and tranquility and contentment and delight and satisfaction that flows out of deep within because of the presence of God being imprinted on the soul and the conscience being void of offense toward God. Paul was filled with joy in spite of his situation. And I understand what that means. I understand how you can be unhappy with your circumstances and totally not depressed because your heart is filled with joy in your relationship to God. Because you know He's there, He loves you, He's infused you with His joy, and you have no guilt in your conscience before Him. Paul, filled with joy, writes this letter to the beloved Philippians. And as he thinks about them, his joy overflows. And that's why in verse 4 he says that every remembrance of them produces joy. The joy that he had in his heart because of his relationship to the living God spilled over when he thought about the Philippians. It was a special congregation. There were really no major problems among the Philippians. He says, verse 3, I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. I don't have any memories of you that are negative. Always offering prayer with joy. All my prayers are filled with joy. My every prayer for you all, all my memories, all my prayers, all of you bring me joy. He doesn't seem to identify any major problems. Verse 8, I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. A remarkable group. Verse 25, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith. Everything about the Philippians gave Him joy. It doesn't mean they didn't have needs. They had needs. In verse 27, he says, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. In chapter 2, he says, make my joy complete, verse 2, by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose, do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind and so forth. They had some needs. Chapter 4, he talks about a couple of women who had needs. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche, verse 2, to live in harmony in the Lord, and somebody help those ladies to get their act together. They had needs. Paul was not blind to their needs but rejoiced in the level of their spiritual commitment. They loved the Lord. They loved Paul. They cared for Paul with an unusual zeal, more than any other church. They continually sent him gifts of money to meet his need, to support him. They were generous in their gifts. Even though they were not particularly wealthy, they gave abundantly to Paul's need on several occasions. In fact, he tells them in this letter, you gave me more than I could possibly use. But that was the way they loved and cared for him. Believe me, they were a congregation to make a pastor's heart rejoice. And every time he thought about them, he rejoiced. They were magnanimous. They were generous. Everything they did demonstrated their love. And as he writes, he is a prisoner in Rome. He is in chains. And they heard about that. And because of their love for him, they want to send to him a gift of love, money. The bearer of that gift is one of their congregation named Epaphroditus. They send Epaphroditus with instruction, give Paul this money to meet his needs and stay with him as long as he needs you to minister to him. And so they send one of their choice men to be Paul's personal servant, to bring the gift of love and to be the living illustration of their love to him. Well, when Paul received that gift from the Philippians, when Paul received Epaphroditus, the receipt of their love and care and generosity to him opened the floodgates of joy in his heart. And he writes this letter back to say, I have so much joy. Don't worry about me. Though I am a prisoner, that does not touch my joy. Not at all. He is filled with joy. And that's a marvelous lesson to learn. Trials don't touch joy if it's the joy of the Spirit in a Spirit-filled life. Trials, in fact, may become occasions of deeper joy because they cast the believer totally off his circumstances and onto his God. And it's in that relationship, its depth, that real joy is found. I found on my desk a book. Publishers send me books. Not only Christian publishers send them to me to review, but secular publishers as well. Random House Publishers sent me this book entitled, The Way Up from Down, The Way Up from Down, written by Slagle, M.D. Let me tell you about the book. The book is on how to overcome depression. That's the way up from down. And it recommends that the way to overcome depression, according to this doctor, 70 to 80% effective, is through the use of amino acids and vitamin mineral supplements. I found myself drawn into the book, so I read it. The author's theory is this. Depression is basically marked by deficiency in certain chemicals. the blood, spinal fluid, urine. A person in depression can be tested in these ways by the examination of their fluid and the depression shows up in a chemical deficiency. These are identified as chemical markers for depression. Depleted chemicals cause a distorted function In the brain, she goes on to point out, there are neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are what pass impulses from one cell to the next. That's a chemical. If the chemical is depleted, then what is in one cell can't be passed to the next cell. That creates depression somehow. These neurotransmitters are the chemicals released at the nerve endings in the brain when one cell is close to another, and they are essential for the brain to pass its messages and data around. The two ones that we know are serotonin and norepinephrine. Now, when those are depleted, That goes along with depression. So, says Dr. Slagle, depression can be relieved then by replacing serotonin and norepinephrine through amino acids and vitamin supplement, mineral supplement. So I read those two chapters that explained all that, and then came the hundred pages on the program. extensive biochemical program. You have to take vitamin B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B12, all of those, and you have to take, and it lists one thing after another, and you've got to have all of that, and you get into this kind of program, and you go through all of this chapter after chapter after chapter of how to get all this stuff together. Then came the last chapter. Dr. Sligo said, quote, however, if you continue habitual negative thought patterns, you will severely undermine the whole treatment. If you continue habitual negative thought patterns, you will severely undermine the whole treatment. Now that caught my attention. The next paragraph said, and I quote, persistent negative attitudes can lead to constriction and bondage, whereas consistent positive thoughts and expectations create expansion and freedom. Someone has said we suffer because we don't see things the way they are, but as we are, end quote. We can only learn to see differently by wanting to see differently, she says, end quote. Now friends, that's very amazing. What she's saying is, all that treatment does is help people who aren't depressed. Did you get that? All that treatment does is help people who aren't thinking negatively. Friend, if you're not thinking negatively, you don't need that treatment. That canceled the whole book. Well, she had painted herself into a corner, so the book closed with another chapter, How to Reprogram Your Conscious Mind to Get Rid of Negative Thinking. Here are the suggestions. Suggestion number one, every time you have a negative thought, shout loudly, cancel! That was principle number one. So if you happen in the next number of months to find people at your office going around, cancel! You'll know they've read this book. Secondly, develop the art of creative visualization, which is to visualize yourself as Alice in Wonderland. Do sleep programming. Get a tape recording with a lot of positive talk and play it all night while you're sleeping. Listen to a lot of positive vibe music. Get exercise. Stop being focused on the future. Read this book, Be Here Now, by Baba Ramidas. And this book, Be Here Now, by Baba Ramidas, will teach you how to focus on the moment and you must learn to ignore the future. Release all your anger. That's another one. And then this, cultivate a meaningful spiritual philosophy. Find a belief system that works for you. Anyone will do if it works. Avoid those that talk of sin and guilt. And the last point was, find the light in yourself. And then the doctor summed it up with a free verse poem, and remember, we are not here to experience mental and existential bondage. We are here to rejoice, to give and receive joy, to see and experience the true essence, not superficial appearances, to perceive beauty, order, and harmony, not ugliness, chaos, and discord, to see color, to vibrate and flow with the rhythm of time, to germinate, come to fruition, and ultimately fade, to be swallowed, then spewn into the next river of life. new energy, new form beyond our current level of reckoning with unwavering gradual beckoning to cross the horizon of time, exchanging dimensions, expanding, uniting, bon voyage." That is a depressing book. I got a better idea. Follow Jesus Christ. and He'll give you His Holy Spirit and you'll be full of joy and save $15.95. The world at its best can't produce it. What a convoluted attempt to produce joy can't be done, can't be done. Now, as we come to verses 3 through 8, his joy spills out. And as it spills out, we see the elements of his joy. There were pieces of that joy that we can identify, characteristics, elements. There was the joy of recollection, the joy of intercession, the joy of participation, the joy of anticipation, and the joy of affection. Let me just label these the elements of a Spirit-produced joy, the elements of a Spirit-produced joy that relates to others, that relates to others. Now, before we look at these, I need to say this. No one, now mark this, no one and absolutely nothing can produce this kind of joy but the Holy Spirit, okay? Only the Holy Spirit can produce this joy. Paul had that joy. All we have to do is go to the Word of God. Why did we ever believe the world had anything to say anyway? He had that joy. And as he writes to these beloved people, he indicates the elements of his joy. Let's look at them. First is the joy of recollection. Verse 3, I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. The very thought of the Philippians brought him jubilant memories. Paul Reese wrote, his whole soul is a carillon and the first bell to be struck is that of thanksgiving, end quote. You see, Paul had this inventory of memories and by virtue of the power of the Holy Spirit within him, he focused on the positive ones. He says, I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. Everything he could think about the Philippians gave him joy. They were a cause for gratitude. His heart was filled with joyous thanks to God for the sweet memories of these believers. He says, I thank, using that verb eucharisto, we get it in English, the eucharist, the service of thanksgiving, My God, I love the fact that He says, My God, celebrating the intimacy, the personal relationship, the strong sense of personal intimate communion He enjoyed with the Almighty Himself. And He uses that phrase repeatedly in His letters, 1 Corinthians 1.4, Colossians 1.3, 1 Thessalonians 1.2, 2 Timothy 1.3, Philemon verse 4. He loves to speak of God as My God, My God. Nothing wrong with that. We should do the same. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. Now, no one is perfect. The Philippians weren't perfect. The church wasn't perfect. The church wasn't without its problems. There must have been some disunity there, or He wouldn't have made such a major issue in chapter 1, verse 27. You need to have one spirit, one mind, striving together. Chapter 2, verses 1 to 4, you want to be of the same mind, having the same love, united in spirit, and ten on one purpose. And chapter 4, those two women who were not in harmony. There must have been some discord there. heart. But that church still brought him joy. All churches fall short. All churches disappoint their pastors and their leaders. People do that, we're human. Yet these people loved the Lord and they loved the Apostle and they had effectively erased the tape of negative memories. and he was left only with thoughts of joy. Every memory was a cause for delight." What blessed memories they were. Do you remember them? He must have remembered that Sabbath day when he went to the riverside to find some Jewish women because there was no synagogue there, not enough men to have one. And he met a few Jewish women who were there by the riverside near Philippi, worshiping the true God in the tradition of their forefathers, the Jews. And there the Lord opened the heart of a lady named Lydia, and she was saved and her entire household. The first converts in Europe, that gracious woman, was God's gift to His Son, the beginning of evangelism in a new continent, a wonderful beginning, a sweet memory. She became a very dear saint of God in whose house the church met, a woman who showed her personal hospitality to Paul and Silas after their imprisonment. And then there was the memory of that demon-possessed girl whom Paul, by the power of the Spirit of God, cleansed of her demons. and perhaps was born again and too entered the church? We'll find out in heaven. And then there was the memory of jail, the sweet memory of being in stocks after your backs have been stripped and laid bare and your flesh is nothing but pulp and you're in the darkness of an inner dungeon in the stocks singing and praising God. And God brings in the darkness of the morning an earthquake and breaks the jail open and breaks the stocks and all the chains are loosed. And out of it all, the jailer is converted to Christ and his whole household, and they show their tender love to Paul and Silas by caring for their wounds, and there's a baptismal service. And then they are released, and the church meets at Lydia's house. Sweet memories, sweet memories. And then there's the memory of those times when the Philippians sent money to Him, money to help Him. Those times when, as part of the saints in Macedonia mentioned in 2 Corinthians chapter 8, they sent generously out of their deep poverty. They were a generous, loving people. They were gifts given from loving hearts, gifts that went beyond even Paul's need, and he says to them in chapter 4, look, I don't need this much, but I'm so glad you gave it because you gave it as a gift to the Lord, and it tells me where your heart is, and God will reward you and bless you, and my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Christ Jesus. And then there was the latest gift, the gift from Epaphroditus along with Epaphroditus to fill in the lovely memories of Philippian Christians. Though his present condition was difficult, though his present condition was painful physically, unjust legally, unexplained spiritually in one sense, his heart was unaffected. He was full of sweet memories. May I suggest to you that that's a key to joy in the Christian life, a real key, to be able to recall the goodness of people, to be able to recall the best in someone, to be able to look past some of the glitches in life and capture the sweet memories, the heart where the joy of the Holy Spirit dominates like it did in Paul, is a heart that touches the sweet things of life, not the bitter things. It savors thoughts of others' goodness, and others' kindness, and others' love, and others' compassion, and others' gentleness, and others' sacrifice, and others' care, and it forgets the rest. It really does. It forgets the rest. You've been listening to Grace To You as John MacArthur, president of the Master's University and Seminary, has launched a new study called Joy Rules, an in-depth look at how you can be filled with thankfulness and joy long past Thanksgiving Day. Now keep in mind, you can have this study, an ideal resource to put into the hands of someone you know that's, well, beleaguered by trials and challenged by life itself. It's a six-CD album, or you can download all six messages free of charge in the MP3 or transcript format. Pick up a copy of the study Joy Rules as you get in touch today. The CD album is reasonably priced. Shipping is included free. Order now and begin developing biblical joy in your life. Call toll-free 1-800-55-GRACE or visit our website gty.org. Remember you can also download all six messages from the studyjoy rules free of charge in mp3 or transcript format at gty.org Now, as you get in touch, we thank you for remembering that it is the support of folks like you that keeps broadcasts like today's on the air here in your area and elsewhere. Your support gives people an encouraging alternative to all the unbiblical content that's available everywhere. You help take the life-changing truth of God's word to the spiritually hungry each day. Partner with us and make a tax-deductible donation. As you call 855-GRACE, or do that online at gty.org. You can mail your gift to us, Grace to You, Post Office Box 4000, Panorama City, California, 91412. And now for John MacArthur, our broadcast engineer, Kai Burns, and the entire staff. I'm your host, Karl Muller. Thanks for making the broadcast a part of your day. You're invited back tomorrow, bring a friend, as John MacArthur continues to study Joy Rules. Another half hour of unleashing God's truth, one verse at a time, here on Grace To You.