October 12, 2010

  • The Lord of bliss offers us bliss today (letter 79 on assurance & joy)

    Dear friends in Christ,

    Earlier tonight I pulsed a couple lines from the hymn "What Wondrous Love Is This" by Alexander Means:

    "What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
    To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul..."

    Frank (ANVRSADDAY) commented:

    Hi Karen, I never heard the phrase, 'Lord of bliss.' guess it is from an old hymn. Sounds reasonable. Christ sure did bear it all for us

    Amen.

    But then I began wondering . . . what is the definition of bliss anyhow? (I think I'd looked this up before, but wanted to do so again.)

    Some definitions of bliss from dictionary.com:

    supreme happiness; utter joy or contentment, perfect happiness, serene joy, the ecstatic joy of heaven

    Here's how my Oxford American Dictionary widget defines the informal "bliss out":

    reach a state of perfect happiness, typically so as to be oblivious of everything else

    Though full, unadulterated and uninterrupted bliss won't be ours until we meet with Jesus in glory, we can have access to so much bliss in this life, in the here and now. The devil wants to keep us from knowing the truth about God or the blessings God has for us as His children. He doesn't want us to enjoy God. He wants to make the Christian life a drudgery.

    What does the Scripture say about our ability to have joy in the here and now?

    First off, eternal life doesn't begin in heaven, it doesn't begin after we die or after Jesus returns (whichever happens first):

    John 3:36a Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life...

    Notice there the time eternal life begins: HAS - not will have. In other words, we HAVE eternal life today. NOW!

    Eternal life includes fullness of joy. Joy is a gift God wants to give us through the Holy Spirit.

    Romans 15:13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.


    Notice the quality of joy: FILLED. ABOUND. Our God never does anything halfway or shoddily, does He? (He gave His only begotten Son...will He not freely give us all things?)

    And now, please look at this: this joy isn't available to us only during the good times but is a durable joy, a joy we can experience at all times and in all circumstances.

    I Peter 2:6  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7  so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9  obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

    Colossians 1:9  And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10  so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11  May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12  giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13  He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.


    Peter and Paul are making it clear we will have difficulties in this world, but we can have access to the joy of the Lord regardless. You're most likely familiar with Jesus' words that He desires our joy be full and that He gives us peace not as the world gives. There's a quality of life which is available to the believer that is not available to the unbeliever. Remember Paul's words to the Romans in chapter 8. Is there anything, anything at all, that can separate us from God's love for us in Jesus Christ? Therefore, is there any reason we shouldn't be able to rejoice in the Lord always as Paul commanded in Philippians 4? God's joy is independent of circumstances for the Lord is sovereign over any and all circumstances.

    In short, this bliss isn't something we have to wait for. And it's something that's available to us at all times for it's rooted in the Godhead, who is eternal and never-changing. There is no shadow of turning with Him! None!

    Spurgeon says we are heirs of bliss. I love that! And then remember that we are heirs of bliss because the Lord of bliss Himself has come to indwell all who believe through the Holy Spirit. We get to begin to enjoy that bliss, to enjoy the Lord of bliss Himself in our souls in the here and now!

    I've written a lot about assurance and joy in the past year (understatement). This is my 79th letter on assurance and fighting for joy.

    The more I observe people, the more I listen to them speak and read what they write, the more I am convinced that assurance and joy must be added to my list of lost treasures of the church.

    I know how miserable I was for a long time. First I kept feeling guilt, shame and doubt over my past sins and mistakes, and I continued to waver and doubt God's ability to sanctify me. Therefore, in the last part of 2008 I began to write a series of posts about dealing with past sins and guilt. I had to do this for my own soul. I went through the Scripture examining the work of Christ for us and His promises of forgiveness and cleansing from sin and guilt.

    On December 19 of that year, I knelt down miserable, once again ready to confess what a loser I was and how I could never get beyond my guilt and hopelessness, etc. But the next thing I knew, the Holy Spirit spoke (not audibly) to me: "Your soul is clean." I can't explain that. All I can say is that God worked immeasurably above all I could have asked or imagined. Things have not been the same since.

    Several months after that I began to have difficulty persevering, in particular I was despairing that I wasn't seeing any fruit in ministry. So it was just over a year ago, on October 9, 2009, that I began to ask God to give me joy no matter how much or how little fruit I was seeing. I wrote the laborer's lamentation and affirmation as a prayer to the Lord. I knew something had to give. I was disgusted at how I was living.

    A few days later (October 14) I began to post the first in my series of letters on assurance and fighting for joy (I never anticipated to be writing this many letters!). I came to see that I had to pursue my joy in the Lord, to seek out a joy that was independent of changing circumstances or my fleeting feelings.

    I concluded that first letter with these words:

    May He help us to know Him more and know more His joy unspeakable and full of glory...

    That very afternoon God surprised me with joy (I wrote some about that here and here), and He has continued to surprise me with joy several times since. In varying ways and at unexpected times He's continued to show me more and more the wonder of His love and His salvation to a sinner like me.

    God wants us to be assured of His love for us and to have fullness of joy. He wants us to enjoy Him, the Lord of bliss, in the here and now, in spite of the fall, in spite of our still being in our earthly bodies and living in a fallen world.

    There are varying ways we can have assurance. We can have assurance through believing on the promises of the Word of God and through the evidence of our changed desires and life, but there's an experiential assurance available to the believer as well (I hope to post more on this from Martyn Lloyd-Jones on these three types of assurance). This type of experiential assurance isn't taught in many churches or denominations today. But the LORD doesn't want us to remain unassured and doubting.

    Please ask our Father in heaven for this precious gift – and by that I mean please ask Him to reveal more and more of Himself - more and more of His love for you in Jesus Christ, a love that was totally undeserved and could never be earned.

    Please read, reflect on and pray prayers like Ephesians 3:14-21 in Scripture as well as the verses I've cited above. You can't know the promises of God if you're not in the Word of God. You can't know what to pray if you're not in the Word of God.

    Please ask God to rejoice your soul (Psalm 86:4) and give you joy and peace in believing (Rom. 15:13).

    These things are not poetry. They are vital for the child of God to live and enjoy our Lord and the life He has for us and to walk confidently and with boldness in the world, so our lips might testify of Him and proclaim His praises. (How can we give a genuine witness and heart-felt praise about a Savior we continue to doubt? How can we speak of a Savior who saves to the uttermost if we continue to doubt His saving work for us?)

    Please read through the Scripture and soak in it (Psalm 1) and reflect on the work God has done for you in Jesus Christ (e.g. - the book of Hebrews is wonderful) and the promises of God's keeping power for His own.

    I've written about many of these things already in my posts tagged past sins and guilt, assurance and my other letters on assurance and joy, so some of this may seem to familiar to some of you. But I would encourage you to look through all those, to message me and/or comment below.

    It grieves me to see so many of you going around and around in circles about this, to see you languishing in continuing despair and doubt and darkness. I don't even know most of you, but I cry for you and I pray for you. My desire is that your joy would be full as you come to know the love of God for you in greater and greater measure. I am writing here in the hope that God might make my words here effectual and rejoice your souls through His Spirit.

    If there's any way I can help you with that, please let me know. I have come to treasure God's gifts of assurance and joy to me, but those gifts are not to be hoarded. I see them as a stewardship entrusted to me. I never imagined in my wildest dreams I would ever be writing these things and be so adamant about assurance and joy. It humbles me and it makes me weep and marvel to see the work God has done in my soul. I know how low and miserable I was. I know how unassured and joyless I was. I want each one of you to know Him and His joy and to be assured of your salvation so you might break forth in song to Him and to the world in praise of Him and His great salvation! To the human eye these things are impossible, but all things are possible with God. Nothing is too hard for Him!

    May you know in greater and greater measure the Lord of bliss and the bliss He offers you today, the joy and peace His Holy Spirit longs to impart to your doubting and distressed soul.

    For your joy,
    Karen

    Related:

    Psalms 16, 51, 73, 142. Isaiah 61. (Lots more, this is just a start.)

    my posts on assurance and fighting for joy including:

    my posts on past sins and guilt including:

    Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Comments (4)

  • Good Morning, Karen

    Thanks for sharing your research on 'bliss.' It was a strange sounding word to me. I guess my 2010 cultural inclinations are different than when the hymn was written. I mentioned that a Sundanese young pastor visited me Saturday. I don't know if the 'bliss' that I felt during his visit qualifies because it was more of a happy thing in meeting someone like him, as opposed to being filled with bliss due the the Father's presence in my life.

    My Fundamental Baptist background emphasized the security of the Believer, and offered on possessing an assurance of salvation. I only had one serious time of doubting my salvation--as usual in a hospital. You are far more advanced than me on everything doctrinally about our faith. I am sort of nibbling around the edges.

    I think my reading the Bible through every year at least once since 1965 has helped me have some balance. I am reading about Joseph again. I love reading it again. Whether he was Pontifer's (spelling?) slave or in prison, God was with him granting success and acceptance. After he was properly developed by God, he was given huge success.

    I am not sure what other churches are doing. The 25 or so that we attended were OK overall---a couple were outstanding.

    Anyway, Karen, thanks for posting this.

    blessings

    frank

  • this is wonderful reassurance to me right now.  I, like Frank, had never heard that phrase before, but i love what you have written here.  Blessed bliss. thanks, Deer

  • @ANVRSADDAY - Thanks, Frank.

    I think as we do meet w/ and share w/ other believers we can experience that bliss for sure, for as we are rejoicing together in God's work, the joy (His joy) is multiplied.

    Ha. Re: doctrine - I feel I'm still nibbling in so many ways, for sure. I feel I've learned more in the past few years, than I did in almost 25 years before that that since I was saved. God is infinite, so they'll always be something to learn.

    Re: Joseph. Yes, God knows how much success we can handle at a certain point. If we get it too soon or too easily, we will begin to get puffed up and God won't get the glory He desires.

    I don't know what all the churches out there are teaching, but given the lack of assurance and the preponderance of serious doubt, fear, uncertainty and joylessness, etc. that I continue to see, there's something definitely missing for sure. I want our brothers and sisters to experience the joy of salvation.

    Philippians 3:12-16,Karen

  • @YouTOme - I'm so glad this was helpful to you.

    That phrase really hit me when @ANVRSADDAY brought it to my attention to it last night.
    Blessed bliss to you also! (hugs)

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naphtali_deer

About me...

Christian hedonist in training. Pressing on to know more and more of the joy of the LORD. Pleading with God to rend the heavens and revive and refresh my own soul, as well as His Church, to His praise, honor and glory.

Thank God. He can make men and women in middle life sing again with a joy that has been chastened by a memory of their past failures. ~ Alan Redpath

My other websites

tent of meeting: Prayer for reformation & revival

(See also Zechariah821. Zechariah821 is a mirror site of tent of meeting, found on WordPress)

deerlifetrumpet: Encouragement for those seeking reformation & revival in the Church

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