of a man who gave everything for the cause of Christ, and Father, I just pray that you
would please help us to understand the simple truth of tonight's sermon, and in Jesus' name
I pray, Amen.
Boy, I love this chapter, that's why I read the entire chapter, I like to always read
the entire chapter because I think it's so important to read the Bible in church.
I love what it says on the cover of my King James Bible here, you know, you open it up
to the cover, and it says, Appointed to be read in churches.
I like that, you know.
And obviously that's not scripture, but I like their attitude, they said, hey, read
the Bible in church, and of course the Bible says, Till I come, give attendance to reading,
to exhortation, to doctrine, is what Paul told Timothy.
And so there's something special about when we just sit down in church and read the Bible.
I remember growing up in church, and this has nothing to do with the sermon, but I remember
growing up in church, I would sit down and they would announce the chapter to be read
or what have you, and the pastor or whoever was reading it would begin to read that chapter,
and there was something about sitting in church, in the congregation, and whoever would be
reading the Bible, and I'd be reading along in my Bible, and I saw things that I never
saw reading it by myself, and I think it's just God speaking to us, the Bible says, He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, and you know, God
speaks to a church when they open the Bible and read the Bible, it's so important.
But I love this chapter where Paul preaches this great sermon, his life story, basically.
He gives his life story to King Agrippa, to Festus, to Bernice, and of course Festus,
and his wife, they didn't really understand any of this, they rejected the truth of it,
but Agrippa, he knew so much about the Old Testament, he knew so much about the Bible
that what Paul said really resonated with him, he said, you know, almost, you've almost
persuaded me to become a Christian myself.
It was such a powerful testimony that Paul gave, and unfortunately, the Bible never tells
us if he ever did get saved, you know, he said almost, but the thing about the Bible
and the thing about salvation is you're either in or you're out, there's no almost.
I mean, if he gets there and God says, well, you know, you almost believed, it's either
you believed or you didn't believe, and so it's an on-off thing with salvation.
But I want to preach just on this one phrase that Paul says, and it kind of fits in with
the whole chapter, but look at verse 2, I just want to preach on this one phrase that
Paul uses.
He says in verse 2, he says, I think myself happy.
That's the title of the sermon tonight, I think myself happy.
He says, I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day
before the touching all things, whereof I am accused of the Jews, and you have to understand
that Paul was not in a free state at this point.
He's been arrested, actually being arrested was a blessing because he was actually being
torn apart.
He was being pulled in different directions and attacked and beaten.
People were thronging him and trying to kill him, probably like they did to Stephen back
in Acts chapter 7.
They were probably going to do the same thing to him, the Jews.
And what happened?
Claudius Lysias, the captain of the guard of the Romans, he stepped in and he tried
to stop this riot.
He pulled Paul away and salvaged him from them.
They were trying to kill him.
Paul got up and preached the sermon, and boy, he was preaching along, and they listened
to the whole sermon.
I mean, he was preaching about Jesus Christ, he was preaching about everything, until he
got to the part where he said that God wanted him to go to preach to the Gentiles.
And the Bible says as soon as they heard that about him preaching to the Gentiles, they
stopped their ears.
They said it's not fit for him to live.
They said, kill him.
They had such hatred.
Isn't that horrible?
I mean, they had such hatred for another race of people that they just said, kill that guy,
because he said that.
And then, of course, Claudius Lysias takes him away, he's in prison, he appeals to Caesar,
he reveals that he's a Roman citizen, he says, I'm a citizen of Rome, you can't beat me,
you can't put me in jail, because I'm a Roman citizen, I have rights.
And so, Claudius Lysias says, okay, that's fine, we're going to take you to Rome and
you're going to be judged in Rome.
But before he took him to Rome to be judged, he said, I don't really understand what Paul's
being accused of.
I don't really understand the crime that he's committed.
I mean, the Jews are saying that he's worthy of debt, he's broken their laws, but I don't
really know, I don't want to take this guy to Caesar and say, here, this guy's appealed
to you.
Well, what's he done wrong?
And then, I don't know.
And so he says, I'm going to bring in King Agrippa, who's an expert of the Jews' customs.
He's a Jew himself and he's studied these things and I'm going to have Paul speak before
Agrippa and Agrippa's going to help me decide how to handle this man and how to present
him to Caesar and so forth.
And so he's in prison, he's been bound with chains, he's got no freedom.
He's on his way to see Caesar in Rome where he may be, and actually he does know this
because this was prophesied to him that he was going to die.
That he was going to be arrested and that he was going to be killed for the cause of
Christ.
So he knows that at the end of the line, when he gets to Rome, eventually he's going to
be executed for the cause of Christ.
He said, I know that I'm now ready to be offered in the time of my departure at hand.
I've fought a good fight, I've finished my course, I've kept the faith, and henceforth
there's laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall
give me at that day.
And so, we see here that a man who's in prison, a man who's suffered greatly for the cause
of Christ, says, I think myself happy.
Now what did he mean by that?
It's kind of an interesting phrase, isn't it?
I think myself happy.
Well, are you happy, Paul?
He says, well, I'm happy, but I think myself happy.
Look if you would at 2 Corinthians chapter 6, 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 5, and see
a little bit about the apostle Paul.
And I've shown you this before, but I just want to read it again for sake of the illustration
tonight.
2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 5, look what the Bible says here, Paul's talking about
some of the things that he's gone through for the cause of Christ.
He says, in stripes.
That's a beating that leaves a bloody stripe.
That's what he means by that.
When he's hit with a whip and there's a bloody stripe left behind, he says, in stripes, in
imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, watchings, that's talking about staying up
all night, in fastings, by pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy
Ghost, by love and fame, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness
on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report,
as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet well known, as dying and behold we live,
as chastened and not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing.
You see that?
He says, I'm sorrowful, I have sadness, I've been beaten, I've been lied about, I've been
honored by some, dishonored by others.
In some ways I'm well known, in some ways I'm completely unknown, but he says, even
though I'm sorrowful, even though I'm following Jesus Christ, who is a man of sorrows and
well acquainted with grief, he says, I'm always rejoicing, he says, and then we'll finish
up here, he says, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing
all things.
But what a powerful chapter in the Bible, isn't it, in 2 Corinthians 6, where he describes
the life of what?
The life of someone who's sold out for God, the life of somebody who gives 100%, the life
of somebody, I mean, read this, this should be a snapshot of your life, and you know,
God willing, not the beatings and stripes and imprisonments, hopefully, but where he
talks about, you know, we're sorrowful but we're always rejoicing, he says, we're poor
but we're making many rich, he says, we're as unknown yet well known, we're as chastened
and not killed, and he says, I'm always rejoicing.
Now what did he mean when he said, I think myself happy?
Well, I believe what Paul meant there is he said, in my circumstances, the normal person
will probably not be very happy, being arrested, being in jail, being beaten, but he says,
the reason that I'm happy is because I've thought things through, I've thought about
the big picture, I've thought about many different things that I'm going to get to in the sermon,
and he says, because I sat down and thought, he said, I made myself happy by thinking about
all the things that God's done for me and the things that God's using me to do, he says,
I think myself happy.
Are you happy tonight?
He said, good night pastor, and I said, I'm not happy.
Let me tell you all the bad things that are going on in my life.
Now I understand where you're coming from because, I mean, there are a lot of things
that we all struggle with, there are a lot of bad things that happen, you know, this
week's been kind of a rough week in our house, there's a lot of different things going on,
and I'm going to tell you something, it's easy sometimes to just get a bad attitude
and just start getting negative and start feeling down in the mouth and feeling sorry
for yourself, but you've got to be like the apostle Paul and say, you know what, I think
myself happy.
Now number one, let me just give you several things that you can think about that will
help you think yourself happy, like Paul did, where you can stand up in front of somebody
and not complain and be down, he only had one thing on his mind, he says, I want to
get Agrippa saved, that's all I care about.
And so he gets up and preaches and he says, you know what Agrippa, I think myself happy,
I'm so glad to be here right now, I'm so glad to have an opportunity to preach the gospel
to you right now.
He says, I'm so happy to be here.
Number one, think yourself happy because you're saved and on your way to heaven.
Let me read a few verses for you, Habakkuk chapter 3 verse 18, yet I will rejoice in
the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Deuteronomy 33 29, happy art thou, O Israel, who is like unto thee, O people saved by the
Lord, the shield of thy help and who is the sword of thy excellency and thy enemies shall
be found liars unto thee and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
He says, who is like you, who in the world is like the people in this room, who in the
world is like you who are saved and born again and on your way to heaven, children of God,
who do you envy tonight, who do you want to be tonight, I don't want to be anybody tonight
except I want to be a born again, saved child of God, a Baptist preacher, I think myself
happy tonight on Sunday night, February 25th, to stand up and preach the word of God.
Hey, are you happy tonight to be one of the few on the narrow road that leadeth unto life
and few there be which find it?
Are you happy tonight that you're saved and born again?
Hey, who do you want to trade?
Do you want to trade place with Tom Cruise tonight?
Who do you want to be tonight?
You want to be Anna Nicole Smith?
Oh yeah, she's dead.
Oh yeah, she died when she was 39 years old because her life was so wonderful that she
had to drink so much and take so many drugs that she died when she's 39 years old and
everybody's just trying to fight over all her money, the lust of money, the greed, they're
fighting over that baby that who knows who the dad is because she's such a hussy and
such a whore.
Hey, I'm going to tell you something, is that who you want to be tonight?
Is that what you want to be like or do you want to be sitting in this room?
Maybe you're going through hard times, maybe you're suffering for the cause of Christ but
you know just on the other side of the river you're going to be experiencing the glory
with Jesus Christ, you're going to be in heaven experiencing the thrill for all eternity of
being with Jesus Christ, being rewarded for your life on this earth.
Yes, we're suffering but we're always rejoicing.
Why are we rejoicing?
Because we know who we are.
Because God says, who is like you?
Who do you want to be like?
He says, you're saved and there's nobody, nobody that you want to trade places with.
And so even on our worst day, the people in this room, good night, you should be so
much happier than anybody that's not in this room, you know what I'm saying?
And so obviously there are other great churches out there across the world, I'm not saying
that.
But I'm saying in Phoenix, Arizona tonight, hey, are you glad that you're in a church
that preaches the Bible?
Are you glad that you're saved?
Are you glad that you know the things that are in the Bible?
Hey, it's exciting to be here tonight.
On Sunday night at 6.30 at Faithful Word Baptist Church, hey, I'm excited to be here, I'm glad
I'm here tonight.
This is the place I'd rather be in the world.
But I was thinking about this and I read off this list, I'm going to read it off again,
some of the things that happened to you when you got saved.
Hey, think yourself happy.
Next time you're down, next time you're feeling sad, you're depressed, or feel like things
aren't going your way, just think about your salvation.
Think about all the things that happened when you got saved.
I wrote down this list, I read it before, but number one, your dead spirit was resurrected,
the Bible says.
Number two, you were delivered from the power of darkness.
Number three, you were given works that God before ordained for you to walk and he gave
you a purpose for your life.
Number four, he gave you hope, you who were without hope, before you got saved.
Number five, he made you a fellow citizen and a part of Israel.
Number six, he brought you nigh to him who was once a fall off.
Number seven, he gave you access to the Father, he made you a new creature, he blessed you
with all spiritual blessings, he gave you the adoption of sons or daughters, he made
you accepted and the beloved, he sealed you with the Holy Spirit the moment that you got
saved.
Your eyes of your understanding were lightened, the Bible says.
All your sins were forgiven and forgotten.
You were delivered from the pit of corruption, which is hell.
You were made to meet to be partakers of the inheritance.
You've been made an heir of the kingdom of God.
You've been made an heir of the promises made to Abraham.
Turn the page here.
You've had your understanding opened.
You've been delivered from this present evil world.
Your sins have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ himself.
You've been made a king and a priest unto God and our Father.
You've been passed from death to life.
You've been given eternal life.
You've been saved from the wrath to come.
You've been begotten again, the Bible says.
You've been made God's people.
You are one of his people, the Bible says.
You've been sanctified and made a saint of God.
You've been redeemed from under the curse of the law.
You've been given the comforter to dwell with you.
You've been made at peace with God who was once in enmity with God.
You've been translated into the kingdom of his dear son.
You've been given a home in heaven.
You've got Christ in you, the hope of glory.
You've obtained the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You've been reconciled to God.
You've been given the ministry of reconciliation.
Your feet have been set upon a rock.
His word still is in you, the seed of your salvation.
And you've been made free from the bondage of sin.
You can choose to separate yourself from sin because you've been made free from the bondage
of sin ruling over you.
Hey, I'm going to tell you something.
Just be saved if that's all God ever did to you and you lived a horrible life from
there on out.
Boy, you should stand up and say, praise God, I'm saved.
Praise God, I'm one of his people.
I've been forgiven.
I've been blood washed and born again.
Hey, it's great to be saved.
If you thought about the fact that you're saved and what that really means and all the
repercussions that I just read, you'll think yourself happy.
You might find yourself getting a little bit happier when you say, what about this?
Hey, look, tell me the 40 bad things about your life.
You probably can't even think of 40 bad things.
You say, well, sure, I could.
And I gave you a list.
You might think of seven or eight things and I bet you they'd all pale in comparison.
The Bible says, I reckon that the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared
with the glory that shall be revealed in us, is what the Bible says.
So number one, think yourself happy because you're saved and on your way to heaven because
you're one of God's people.
You are one of the people.
You are it, man.
I mean, there's nobody has anything on you.
The in-crowd, the Hollywood crowd is nothing.
You are one of the people, according to the Bible.
Number two, hey, think yourself happy because we have the preserved Word of God tonight.
Look if you would at Jeremiah, chapter 15, verse 16.
Jeremiah, chapter 15, verse 16.
And, you know, the temptation's always there for some of us to focus a little bit on the
negative things about our life, get a little bit down and sad and depressed about it.
You know, Paul said, hey, I had sorrow, I'm always sorrowing, but he says, you know what,
every day I'm rejoicing because the Bible says rejoice in the Lord always, and again
I say rejoice.
The Bible says to praise the Lord at all times, and so you've got to be able to think yourself
happy.
Do you want to go through life sad and depressed and down?
It sounds like kind of a miserable life, doesn't it?
I mean, most of the things that you probably don't like about your life you can't change
anyway.
Why don't you think yourself happy by thinking about the good things like, number one, think
about what you say.
But look at Jeremiah 15, 16.
The Bible reads, thy words were found, and I did eat them, and thy word was unto me the
joy and rejoicing of mine heart, for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.
Boy, I'm so glad that God's word is right here.
I found it right here in the King James Bible.
It's in my hand.
You know, so many people, the Bible says that there will come a day in the book of Amos
where he said there will come a day when there will be a famine for hearing God's words,
and people would just long to hear God's word, and they couldn't find it, and they couldn't
hear it.
You know, there are countries in the world where people don't have the complete Bible.
You know, they might just have the book of John, or maybe just the New Testament even
translated into their language, and boy, what they wouldn't give to read the entire Bible
cover to cover.
Boy, think about people in the past, people who've been persecuted and they just had bits
and pieces of the Bible.
Boy, think about people who lived before the entire Bible was written.
I'd hate to live in the Old Testament.
I'd hate to live even during the time of the apostles, because I'm so glad, you say, wouldn't
that be great to live back, no, it'd be great to live now when I have the entire Bible in
my hand, and all the answers to every question that mankind ever wants to know, all the knowledge
that people yearn to have, I mean, the whole picture, the whole story from Genesis to Revelation,
I can see where we came from, I can see where we are, I can see where we're going, I can
read the book of Revelation and see where it's all going to end.
Hey, it's so exciting to have the entire Bible, the Word of God.
Jeremiah said, I found God's words, and his word was the joy and rejoicing of my heart.
Hey, Jeremiah, aren't you the weeping prophet?
Didn't you write the book of Lamentations?
Didn't you say, oh, that my head were waters.
I don't want to misquote, let me read it for you.
Jeremiah chapter 9, I love this verse.
Jeremiah 9, 1, let me quickly turn there.
He said, oh, that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might
weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people.
Here's a man who knew what it was to weep, he knew what it was to cry real tears.
He wrote a whole book called Lamentations where he was just pouring out his heart to
God, obviously it was written by God, but God used Jeremiah to express these words of
his mouth.
And he says here, I wish that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears,
that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people.
He said, I cried so much that it's like there aren't any more tears left.
He says, there's not enough fluid in my body to produce the tears that I would cry when
I see the unsafe condition, when I see the condition that my country's in.
And he says, I'm a man of sorrows, and people know him as the weeping prophet, Jeremiah.
But he said, I found the words of God, and the words of God was the joy and rejoicing
of my heart.
He said, even amid all the sorrow, he said, boy, I could just pick up my Bible and I think
myself happy because I found the word of God and I can sit down and read the Bible.
Boy, get out the Bible and start reading it and see if you get happy.
See if you can think yourself happy when you think about the fact that in the whole 6,000
year history of mankind, only those of us that are living in the last days have the
entire Bible.
I mean, for the first 4,000 years, God was in the process of revealing his word.
Now it's all here.
You've got the whole thing in your hand.
What a treasure.
Is there anything that, I mean, if I had to trade my Bible for a million dollars, it would
be ridiculous.
I mean, it would be disgusting to even compare this to any price, any value of money.
You can't put a price tag on the Bible.
Hey, pick it up and read it.
It's the most valuable thing that you have.
It's the most valuable thing.
If you could have one thing on a desert island, this is what you'd have right here, the Holy
Bible.
This is what I'd have, I'd give up everything to have this book right here.
You want my house?
Take my house.
But just don't take my Bible away.
I must have the word of God.
This is my joy.
This is the rejoicing of my heart.
He said, I consume it like I eat food.
He says, our words are found and I did eat them.
Job said, I've esteemed the words of thy mouth more than my necessary food, Job said.
He said, take away lunch.
Take away dinner.
But can I please sit down and read my Bible today?
That was his attitude.
And boy, you say, well, that's ridiculous.
I'm hungry.
Well, maybe that's why these people have more rejoicing than you might have sometimes because
they understood the value of God's word and they ate it up and they said, that's what
gave me the joy.
That's what made me rejoice.
Yes, it was hard, but you know what, I started rejoicing when I started reading the Bible.
And so number one, rejoice and think yourself happy like Paul did.
Sit down and think about what salvation means.
You'll get happy.
Think about what it means to have the word of God and you'll get happy.
But number three, think yourself happy when you have to suffer for the cause of Christ.
And this is kind of the case in point with Paul, but look at Luke chapter six, Luke chapter
number six.
When you're called upon to suffer for the cause of Christ, say, think yourself happy.
And that's what Paul did in the, in the case in point in acts 26, two, but look at Luke
chapter six, Luke six, 22, the Bible reads in Luke six, 22, Luke six, 22, the Bible reads,
blessed are you when men shall hate you, did you hear that blessed are you when men shall
hate you.
And when they shall separate you from their company and shall reproach you and cast out
your name as evil.
Well how would you like somebody to cast out your name as evil and just, just telling every
bad thing about you, lying about you for the son of man's sake, for Jesus Christ's sake.
Rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy.
I mean, that's pretty strong language.
Jump up and down.
He's saying, you know, yeah, did you hear what they're saying about me?
They hate me.
They're casting out my name as evil.
Isn't that great?
Isn't that great that I've been counted worthy, as they said in the book of Acts, when they
were beaten in Acts chapter four, maybe it was chapter five, Acts chapter four or five.
There was a couple of times in there where they were put in jail.
They said that they went home rejoicing, that God saw fit, that they were worthy to take
a beating for Jesus Christ.
You remember that?
Nod in your head because you read it in the book of Acts.
It says they rejoiced that they were found worthy to suffer reproach for Jesus Christ.
They say, hey, it's not opportunity.
It's not every day that you get the opportunity to have somebody beat you for Jesus Christ.
Think about the rewards in heaven.
They're like, this is great.
I'm going to go back to the temple tomorrow.
I'm going to preach in the same place.
I'm going to preach the exact same thing.
I'm not going to let them stop me because I counted a joy to suffer for the cause of
Christ.
That was their attitude.
And so he says, leap for joy.
Strong language.
And he says, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.
He says, when people lie about you, when people say, oh, that Pastor Anderson, he's
a liar.
He's a heretic.
He's a cult leader.
You know, hey, great.
Keep racking up my rewards in heaven.
Keep on saying it.
That's the attitude that we say.
Don't get mad when people lie about you and, hey, rejoice.
Leap for joy and say, boy, isn't it great that I've been counted worthy to take a little
bit of the suffering that Jesus took.
I can just have a little bit of that suffering and be a partaker of the sufferings of Christ,
as the Bible says.
And he says, rejoice ye in that day.
Leap for joy.
For behold, your reward is great in heaven.
For in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
But woe unto you that are rich, for you've received your consolation.
Woe unto you that are full, for you shall hunger.
Woe unto you that laugh now, for you shall weep or mourn and weep.
Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false
prophets.
For the preacher that everybody just only has good things to say about, don't ever say
anything bad about Billy Graham.
Right?
Oh, I'm sorry.
Did I just push the wrong button?
Yes, Billy Graham's a heretic out of hell.
Yes, Billy Graham's a liar.
Yes, Billy Graham, I've seen him on September 11th, I think it was, the day after September
11th, wearing his collar turned around backwards performing a Catholic service.
Yes, Billy Graham, Billy Graham, Billy Graham, I'll say it again.
He stood up on September 12th, 2001, and you know what he said?
He said, we know that all the victims from the Twin Towers, we know they're all in heaven.
That's what he said.
How does he know?
I guess if you die in a burning building, boy, wouldn't it have been great?
I tell you what, I mean, you get to live like hell, don't believe in Jesus, you know, not
that good works, but I'm saying in their mind, you know, they think you got to be good to
heaven, the Billy Grahams of this world, the phony liars that they are.
So let's say you live like hell, you don't believe in Jesus, I don't believe Jesus at
all, you've just got to happen to be in the right place at the right time when that bomb
goes off, and Billy Graham is going to pronounce you saved.
We know they're all in heaven because they died in a burning building.
No the Bible says he that believeth not is condemned already because he had not believed
in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And so every single unbeliever in that building went from one fire into another and they went
straight to hell.
Every believing born again Christian in that building was, boom, in the presence of Jesus
Christ that fast.
Billy, yes, Billy Balaam, yes, Billy friend of the world, yes, Billy, all men speak well
of you, yes, independent fundamental Baptist preachers are afraid to say anything bad about
Billy Graham.
Hey, I'll tell you right now, Billy Graham is the biggest heretic, he's the biggest liar,
he's the biggest phony.
Well, I guess I just spoiled it because now all men don't speak well of him because one
person in America, one man is standing up and saying that Billy Graham is a false prophet
and a false teacher and a liar.
And so I don't mind saying that as you can see.
But you know what?
All men speak well of Billy Graham.
I mean, I don't care if you're a Lutheran, oh, he's so wonderful, Catholics, oh, he's
wonderful, Baptists, oh, he's so wonderful, Methodists, oh, he's so wonderful, false prophet.
That's what they said about the false prophets back in Jesus' day, that's what they're saying
about the false prophets now, that's what they're saying about the Joel Osteens and
the Billy Grahams, they're saying wonderful things about them, but you know what?
Someday they're going to split hell wide open.
And the guy that everybody didn't like, you know, the preachers that have been maligned
and lied about, hey, they're the ones that are going to be rejoicing someday because
they suffered for the cause of Christ.
And so flip over to 1 Peter 1, well, I've heard so many things out of Billy Graham's
mouth.
Back in the days when I had a television, I watched him on Larry King Live one time
and he said that, he said that Muslims, he said that, he said that Muslims are saved.
I saw him on, I saw, I heard him on my own mouth, are you calling me a liar?
Okay, hey, go, go watch it, you know, don't watch it, but get the transcript or whatever,
but I'm going to tell you something, I've seen him on there, he said, well, he said
they're just following the light that they have, and Larry King's like, well, you know
what, they don't believe in Jesus, he's like, well, I just believe that they're following
the light that they have, and I think we'll see them in heaven, the Muslims, even if they
don't even know the name of Jesus.
I heard him say, I'm just as comfortable in a Mormon church, as a Catholic church, as
a Baptist church.
Did you know that while John Paul II was being inaugurated as Pope, Billy Graham was performing
his service for him in his parish, and they swapped pulpits that Sunday?
Did you know that?
Did you know I can show you a picture after the service of Billy Graham with his collar
turned around backwards in a Catholic service?
Did you know that Billy Graham's daughter is an ordained preacher?
And Larry King asked him on the same interview, he said, so are you in favor, I know your
daughter is an ordained preacher, Anne Graham or whatever her name is, and so are you saying
that women preachers are okay, I mean, do you believe that women should be ordained
as preachers?
And that's what he said, well, that would depend on which circles I'm in.
He says, I try to just fit in with whatever denomination I'm running with, he said that
depends on which circles I'm in, whether I believe that or not.
He literally said, I wish, man, I wish I could just get you to just sit down, if you
think Billy Graham's just the greatest thing since sliced bread, I wish you'd just sit
down with me and just listen to what comes out of a guy's mouth in these interviews,
where he spills his guts and talks about all the weird things he believes in.
He doesn't believe that there's real fire in hell, he started preaching that about 40
years ago, don't tell me he used to be fundamental, I got a quote from him 40 years ago saying
that there's not literal fire in hell.
But that's just figurative, you know, it's all just fantasy land, fake belief.
Okay, but look at 1 Peter chapter 1, that wasn't part of the sermon at all, but it just,
I was reading the book of Luke, it just jumped out at me, and so I just went with it.
But look at 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 5, who are kept by the power of God, talking about
us, through faith unto salvation.
One of the five billion times in the Bible that God says that salvation is by faith alone,
you are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last time, wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you know,
hopefully you won't be, God willing, but he says if need be, you are in heaviness through
manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold
that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory
at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen ye love, in whom though now ye see
him not, yet believing ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
He says though at the time you may be in heaviness, because of all the temptations, all the tribulation
that you're suffering, he says though you might be in heaviness now, he says but believing
in Jesus Christ, whom having not seen we love, he says we are rejoicing with joy unspeakable
and full of glory.
And he said I'm so joyful, Peter said, I'm so happy, I'm so glad about these things,
he says I can't even explain it in words, I can't even put it into words, he said it's
joy unspeakable and full of glory, I can't even express with the tongue the joy that
I feel, being saved and on my way to heaven and I'm going to see Jesus Christ one day.
Isn't that amazing what he says there in 1 Peter 1, but look at, well don't look at it,
but James 1, 2 of course, my brethren, count it all joy when you follow the diverse temptations,
knowing that the trying of your faith work at patience, but let patience have a perfect
work that you may be perfect and entire wanting nothing.
So God says when the temptations come, when the hard times come, when the trials and the
struggles come, he says count it all joy knowing that God is using it to work in you patience
and to make you stronger and have the endurance to live the Christian life and to become who
God wants you to be.
But number 4, so that was number 1 was think yourself happy because you're saved and on
your way to heaven.
Number 2, you're in a bad mood, sit down and think about the fact that you have the preserved
Word of God.
Number 3, you're down because you're suffering at work, people are harassing you on the job,
people are speaking ill of you because you're Christian and because you take a stand for
the testimonies of Jesus Christ and the Word of God.
Hey think yourself happy when you suffer for the cause of Christ.
But number 4, hey think yourself happy because you are a soul winner.
Maybe this doesn't apply to everybody, I don't know, but it ought to.
He says think yourself happy because you're a soul winner.
Look at 1 Thessalonians, flip back in your Bible from 1 Peter to 1 Thessalonians, back
toward the beginning of the New Testament, 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 19.
1 Thessalonians 2 19, actually let's start reading in verse number 17, but we brethren
being taken from you for a short time in presence not in heart endeavor the more abundantly
to see your face with great desire.
Therefore we would have come unto you, even I, Paul, once and again, but Satan hindered
us.
For what is our hope or joy?
He's saying what is my joy?
Why do I have joy?
Why am I happy?
For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing?
Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
For ye are our glory and joy.
Flip back if you would to Philippians, back just 3 books to your left, Philippians chapter
number 4 verse number 1, Philippians 4 1, just back about 3 books, the Bible says, Therefore
my brethren, Paul speaking, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand
fast in the Lord my dearly beloved.
Where do you find joy, Paul?
You said that you're sorrowful, but that you're always rejoicing, how do you rejoice when
you've gone through the difficult life that you've gone through, when you're in jail,
when you're being called upon to answer to all these tribunals and all these different
law makers who you know are wrong and they're lying about you and they're going to get you
killed?
How do you rejoice, Paul?
He says this is my joy, the Philippians are my joy, the Thessalonians are my joy because
they're the people that I want to Christ.
He says you are my joy and my crown of rejoicing.
He says you are my joy and crown.
He says I get joy from the fact that I've won somebody to Christ.
He said I think back through the people that I've won to the Lord.
I think back to the people that I took and trained and taught them how to live for God
and I gave them their first Bible, I put the Bible in their hand and I gave them that Bible
reading chart and said, you know, this will help you read through the Bible in a year,
you can check it off and they started to read the Bible and then they showed up for soul
winning and then they got baptized and they started living for God and that's what gives
me joy when I think about the people that have been saved through my efforts.
You say where's the joy in the Christian life, it just, you can't have any fun and it's suffering
and it's hard and it's work, hey where's the joy, hey where's your convert because that's
where the joy is.
You say my Christian life lacks joy, maybe you don't have any converts, maybe you've
never won somebody to Christ, maybe you've never taken somebody that you've won to Christ
and taught them the things of God, teaching them to absorb what sort of things I've commanded
you and you've never fulfilled the great commission where you get them saved and then you get
them baptized and then you teach them to observe all things whatsoever I've commanded you,
Jesus said, hey maybe that's where the joy is lacking in churches, maybe that's where
the joy is lacking in your life if you're not having people that you've seen saved,
that's where the joy is.
Looking back and just thinking about how someone's been passed from death to life, thinking about
how they've been saved and how their life's on track, God willing, but just, it's exciting.
And so not only had Paul won these people to Christ, which is fantastic in and of itself,
but number two, he'd even trained them and taught them, he'd even built it into a church.
Unbelievable how much joy that gives them.
John said in 3 John verse 4, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in
truth.
And I think he was not just talking about physical children but people that he'd won
to the Lord, like Paul said on estimates whom I'd forgotten in my bonds, he said nothing.
Is there any greater joy?
What about that time, John, that you went to great America?
Come on, come on John, you went to great America!
You rode the whirling cyclone, whew, you know, whatever it was.
Wasn't that the joy?
He said, no, I have no greater joy!
Don't you want to go to the movies?
Don't you want to drink a beer?
Don't you want to take drugs?
Hey, no, he said, none of that gives me joy.
He said, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
When somebody tells me that Gaius, that's what he's talking about, Gaius in that third
John, when somebody tells me that Gaius, who I won to the Lord, is living for God, that
he's the sole winner, he said, that gives me more joy than anything, than eating my
favorite meal, than somebody giving me a thousand bucks.
He said, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
You say, I don't know what that's like.
Well, that's why Jesus said to some of the disciples at the well, where the woman at
the well was, he said, I have meat to eat that you know not of.
You say, why is it that the sole winning Christian is so much more excited and zealous and happy
and joyful?
Well, he has meat to eat that you might not know about.
So you might not know what it's like to win somebody to the Lord and see them, especially
the ones who go on for God.
You don't know what that's like, see, there's meat to eat that you know not of, that Jesus
ate, that the sole winners eat.
And so the sole winners are on a different diet than you.
It's all in their diet, that's why they're so happy all the time, because they eat the
meat that Jesus ate, and some people just don't know about it.
Some born again Christians just don't know about it because they've never decided to
be a sole winner.
But number five, you can become, here's some ways, now I'm transitioning, think yourself
happy, number one, because you're saved.
Think yourself happy because you got the Bible, the preserved Word of God, but I can't even
emphasize that enough.
Number three, think yourself happy when you do have to suffer for the cause of Christ,
because of the glory that's going to be revealed.
Number four, think yourself happy because you're a sole winner.
Think about the people that you've won to Christ.
But number five, let me give you a way that you can become happier.
Now those are ways to think yourself happy.
Hopefully you're already doing those things, hopefully you're already saved, hopefully
you're a sole winner.
But you know, here's a way to become happier, do you know that you can become happier the
more you obey the Bible?
I mean, you say, well, come on, Pastor Anderson, I'm a Christian, and I'm fundamental, but
I just don't think I'm going to go to the extreme, maybe, that you and some of your
church members go.
You know, I don't know if I'm going to go to that extreme, because I just don't think
I'd be happy living such a, such a, you know, just boring, you know, no TV or whatever,
no rock music.
I mean, come on, it's boring.
I just don't think I'd be happy living that way.
Well, see, the Bible says that the more you adhere to the Bible, he says, the happier
you'll be.
Let me read this verse for you.
I'll just read this for you, just a short verse.
John 13, 17.
I love this verse.
This is the whole verse.
If you know these things, this is Jesus speaking, if you know these things, happy are ye if
you do them.
He said, you know, knowing the Bible is one thing, but he says you won't be happy unless
you do what the Bible says.
Now flip over to 1 John, I'm going to show you something quickly, 1 John chapter 1.
If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.
You know, I was thinking about this, it's funny, you know, let's take TV for an example.
You know, I never watched TV.
I haven't watched TV in so long, I don't even know what it's like anymore.
I mean, I haven't watched TV in like, I don't know, like five years or something crazy like
that.
It's been a long time, I haven't owned a TV in like seven years.
I haven't watched TV in like five years, I don't know, something like that.
But you know, I was talking to somebody about that very subject the other day.
They were telling me, kind of like Agrippa said, almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
Somebody was kind of saying like, almost thou persuadest me to get rid of my television.
You know, because I was talking to somebody about this.
And I was explaining to them, I said, do you ever just throughout the day just have this
just uncontrollable urge just to shoot up heroin?
I mean, do you ever just, I mean, it sounds silly, doesn't it, do you ever just, you know,
maybe you're going through your day at work and just say, man, it'd be so good right now.
Just to get out the old needle and just to shoot up on drugs, man, it'd be great.
I mean, raise your hand if that thought ever enters your mind throughout the day.
No, it doesn't, does it?
You know, do you ever just say, man, I just wish I could just snort a few lines, you know.
I mean, it's such a busy day at the office.
I mean, I'm going on my lunch break, I'm going to get something to eat, but it would be so
great to just get out of the mirror and just snort a little coke.
I mean, do you ever think that?
No.
Why?
Because you've never done it before, right?
I mean, you've never even done it before, so why would the thought even enter your mind?
Or even other things.
I mean, here's what I'm trying to say, you're like, what are you talking about?
The thing about this, this is a great illustration, hang with the illustration.
Stay with it, okay?
You'll get it in a minute.
All right, next point.
Stay with this illustration, okay?
The reason that you don't have just this, I mean, do you ever, let me put it to you
this way.
Do you ever feel like you're suffering for the cause of Christ because you didn't shoot
up on heroin today?
I mean, do you ever feel like it was such a sacrifice, but I did not take any heroin
today?
No.
Because the thought doesn't even enter your mind.
Well, here's the thing.
When you're addicted to something, boy, you crave, I mean, there are people tonight that
are craving heroin, that are craving cocaine tonight because they're addicted to it.
Well, you know, I don't even know what beer tastes like.
Do I ever have a craving for a beer?
Never.
I don't even know what it tastes like.
How can I crave something I've never even tried?
Do I, I have no clue what it's like to be drunk.
I mean, I've read about it in the Bible.
He says, thy eyes shall behold strange women, and thy mouth shall let her perverse things.
But I don't really know what it feels like to be drunk at all.
So do I ever, like, crave and just say, man, it would just be so good to just drink a beer
right now?
No, because I've never tried it.
Okay?
Now, TV, yes, I've watched TV.
When I was growing up, believe it or not, when I was a teenager, I probably watched
TV about five hours every day, and that's not an exaggeration.
My little sister, I bring her out every once in a while, I fly her into town because she
needs to verify that the things I'm saying are true.
Did I watch TV, like, five hours a day?
Yes.
Did I watch all, I had all the movies, I mean, I watched it just incessantly, did I listen
to rock music just all day long?
But literally, I have no desire to watch TV right now.
I, you know, hi, my name's Steve Anderson, I've been off of TV for about five years now.
But look, I have no desire to watch TV, no desire to go to the movies literally at all.
Like to me, it's as silly as saying, like, don't you want to shoot up on heroin, don't
you want to drink a beer?
Why?
Because here's the thing, when I used to watch TV and when I first decided, you know, God
doesn't want me to watch the world, you know, God doesn't want me to see all this junk,
and all the nudity and the cussing, at first, I was just craving to watch TV again, craving
to watch the movies again, you know, craving to go see the movies, craving to listen to
my rock music once again.
But you know, after a while goes by, it just gets out of your system and you just don't
care anymore.
You know, if a long enough time goes by, pretty soon it all just gets out of your system and
literally it's not like I just force myself to, no, you know, don't watch it, you know,
don't do it.
And I'm just like, I'm reaching for the remote, oh no, you can't watch it, you know, die to
self, die to the flesh, you know, walk in the spirit, you know, don't do it.
I'm just like, nah, I'm going to go to the airport tonight and sit in the airport, don't
watch it, you know, ah, you don't care anymore because you realize you didn't even need it
anyway.
You don't need heroin, you don't need drugs, you don't need beer, you don't need television.
It's just the devil has a little window in your house where he just says, hey, turn this
on, let me just show you what my viewpoint is.
You say, well, I just watched the news.
You want to get the news from the devil?
He might warp your view of what's really going on a little bit.
You know, you turn on the TV, we have the mind of Christ, we have the Bible here, turn
on the TV, you have the mind of Satan.
Satan's down there with the controls just programming your mind, showing you images
that you normally wouldn't be comfortable with, you know, people saying things that
you're not very comfortable with, but you start to get comfortable with them after a
while and you get addicted to the television.
And when you're addicted to something, you crave it, but you know what, I don't crave
the television just because I haven't watched it in so long.
To me, it's just kind of a foreign concept, sitting down and watching TV, I don't even
know what it would be like.
Does that make sense?
And there's so many things in the Christian life that are like that.
I don't feel like I'm suffering for Jesus because I didn't go to a rock concert yesterday.
The thought didn't even enter my mind.
And so what you have to do is just force yourself to say, I'm going to obey the commands of
God and pretty soon you'll find yourself, it's not even that hard and you'll move on
to other challenges and other struggles in your Christian life, but it's so easy once
you've not done something for several months or not done something for several years, the
way it just gets out of your system, it's just not even a part of your life anymore.
It's just not even something that you'd have to deal with anymore, but deal with it now,
get it done.
Why?
Pastor Anderson, why?
Why should I deal with it?
Well, don't you want to be happy?
Look at 1 John chapter 1, we'll see what God says in verse number 3, 1 John 1-3, that which
we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us.
And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
And these things write we unto you, why?
That your joy may be full.
He says, I want you to have the fullness of joy.
This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light
and in him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the
truth.
But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another
in the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Now look, the joy is found when you are walking in the light with Jesus.
There's no joy in the darkness.
He says, listen, I'm writing this to you because I want you to have fellowship with us.
And I want you to have fellowship with Jesus Christ, which is who we fellowship with.
And I want you to know something, he has no darkness at all.
And if you walk in the light as he is in the light, then you're going to have fellowship
with us and you're going to have fellowship with him.
But if you walk in darkness, he says, you're going to lack fellowship with God and you're
going to lack fellowship with us and you're going to lack joy.
The fullness of joy is found in walking in the light.
But notice carefully, look down at 1 John 1.4, these things write unto you that your
joy may be full.
Now look at 1 John 2.1, chapter 2 verse 1.
Why is he writing the book of 1 John?
Why is he writing to us about walking in the light as he is in the light?
That our joy may be full, right?
Look at him restated in 1 John 2.1, he says, I'm sorry, let me find my place here.
1 John 2.1, my little children, these things write unto you that you sin not.
And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ.
Now make up your mind, John, in chapter 1 you said your writings said our joy would
be full.
And in chapter 2 verse 1 you're saying your writings that we sin not, which one is it?
He says it's the same reason.
Because if you sin not, then your joy is going to be full.
Now nobody's going to reach a state of sinless perfection in the verse right before that.
He said if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in
us.
We all have sin.
But he says I'm writing to you that you sin not.
And I'm writing to you that your joy may be full because the two go hand in hand.
When you sin not, you have joy.
When you sin, you lose your joy.
That's why when David committed sin with Bathsheba, he said, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.
He said I want my joy back and so I need to get the sin out and I need to obey the things
of God.
I said you're going to have joy.
I said you're going to have happiness.
Why do people shoot up on heroin?
Why do people snort cocaine?
Why do people watch television?
Why do people drink a beer?
Because they want to be happy.
They want to get some enjoyment.
Enjoy a Budweiser.
Enjoy Coors.
Enjoy this program at 5 p.m.
No, this is the joy.
You see what I'm saying?
So it's pointless.
It's worthless.
You're indulging in something that supposedly gives you joy but God says you'll have much
more joy living for God.
You say well I don't know.
I don't know if that's really true.
Man, I used to have the whole Bible but how do I know that that's really true?
Well you have to know it by faith because God's not going to show you a billboard of
this is what the Christian life is like.
Woo!
He's going to just tell you in the Bible if you obey my commandments you'll have fullness
of joy and you won't know until you do it.
And it's not something that you can do overnight, it's something that you're going to work on
for a lifetime.
And you'll notice that the more you obey and the more you obey and the more sin you get
rid of and the more righteous sins you start to do and the more you become a soul winner
and the more you learn the Bible, you'll just find your joy constantly increasing.
You'll try to explain to other people that their life is dumb and that you're having
a lot more joy, you come over here in the light where I am with Jesus, a lot more joy,
but they just won't get it because they won't believe it by faith.
And they have to believe what the Bible says about it by faith or they'll never understand
it.
Here's another verse, same thing, you don't have to turn there.
Psalm 128 one, blessed is everyone that feareth the Lord that walketh in his ways.
For thou shalt eat of the labor of thine hands, happy shalt thou be.
When you walk in God's ways, happy shalt thou be and it shall be well with thee.
Psalm 32 11, be glad in the Lord and rejoice ye righteous and shout for joy all you that
are upright in heart.
The people that are living right, he says, rejoice, be glad, be happy.
And so I'm going to skip a few points here toward the end.
But the bottom line of the sermon is it's so easy, all the negativity and you get down
and physical health problems that are difficult that you struggle with, just heavy workload,
people saying bad things about you, just bad things in your life, hurt feelings, all of
it.
Do like Paul said, I'm not going to let my circumstances get me down, I'm going to think
myself happy.
Sit down and think about these things, sit down and think about salvation, sit down and
think about what soul winning is really about, sit down and think about having the preserved
word of God and then say, you know what, not only am I going to think myself happy, but
I'm going to increase my obedience level and that's how I'm going to really get to
the fullness of joy.
That's where the fullness of joy is going to come is when I sin not.
And when I sin as little as possible, I'm going to have the most joy in rejoicing as
God wants me to have joy in rejoicing.
Remember what Nehemiah said, or actually Ezra said it in the book of Nehemiah, chapter eight
verse eight, he says the joy of the Lord is your strength.
And so let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
God, I thank you so much for the joy that you've given us and all the wonderful things
that you've done for us and I just pray that you would help every single person in this
room to walk out of this room tonight and get in the car and say I think myself happy
and to be happy, dear God.
I wish that everybody in this room would be happy tomorrow and be happy on Tuesday and
happy on Wednesday.
I just pray that they'd be happy.
And God, I just pray that you would help me and my family to be happy by thinking about
these things, thinking myself happy and by growing closer to you, walking in the light,
getting rid of the sin.
And Father, I just pray that you would bless us all as we go our separate ways, help us
all to remember maybe one point of the sermon that could help us to be a little bit happier.
And in Jesus' name I pray, amen.
All right, let's turn to one last song.
Let's sing the song Joy Unspeakable.