Imitators of Love - Part 12: What Love Rejoices In

REVIEW
 
So after a couple of weeks off, I want us to pick back up this week on the series we have been doing for several months now on being “Imitators of Love.” In this series of teachings, we are learning more about our God, but not in the traditional manner of studying Scriptures that talk about His nature. No, we are looking at the verses that teach us how we ought to be loving one another with the understanding that these instructions/commandments must be the same way that God loves us. In other words, we are learning about the nature & characteristics of God by looking at the nature & characteristics of love.   
 
So, the specific passage of Scripture that we have been camping on is what I consider to be the best section of verses that teach us about the characteristics of love – the great love chapter, First Corinthians chapter 13.
 
First Corinthians 13:4-8 teaches us the nature of love – what it is and what it is not. But since we understand that God is love, we learned how we can substitute the term “God” for “love” here and learn what God’s nature is. So let’s do that now— “GOD suffers long and GOD is kind. GOD does not envy; GOD does not parade HIMSELF, HE is not puffed up; HE does not behave rudely, HE does not seek HIS own, HE is not provoked, HE thinks no evil; HE does not rejoice in iniquity, but HE rejoices in the truth; HE bears all things, HE believes all things, HE hopes all things, HE endures all things. GOD never fails …”
 
Most recently, we looked at the end of verse 5, where we are told that love thinks no evil. So as we’ve all heard of that old proverb principle in the world that says – “See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil”, the Bible speaks of another element to this – “Think No Evil.”
 
We asked the question – how is this even possible? How is one able to “think NO evil”? Because for example, we read in the Bible more than once that Jesus rebuked the religious leaders for their “evil” ways, describing them with words like “liars, hypocrites,” and even “children of the devil." Well, that sounds like Jesus was certainly “thinking” some “evil” of these guys, right?
 
So how do we reconcile examples like this with the law of love that says we are not to even think evil of others much less call them out on their evil? Yes, how can we as Christians keep from thinking evil of others, especially when it is the Bible itself that talks about how evil exists in mankind? That seems contradictory. On top of that, I don’t think it is the Lord’s intention that we go around pretending that evil doesn't exist either.
 
No, we saw how this is where it is important that we understand how to look up the words the writer used in the original language, and also how to utilize other translations. In doing so, we can come to understand what was truly being conveyed here instead of letting whatever terminology our Bible uses determine our interpretation of it.
 
We saw how this phrase would better be translated “(love) does not keep a record or account of evil & wrongs”, and this is actually how most translations translate this phrase. So this is a very helpful piece of information for our love walk:
 
You see, if I ever say or think something to the effect of – “You do this all the time!”  or “This is the 3rd time you did that” – then I am not operating in love because why? Love isn’t counting. No, it’s not adding up and recounting all the times someone has done something.
 
But we learned that this is also how God is towards us! He doesn’t keep a record of our faults! He doesn’t recall our mistakes! In fact, He is not even considering how many times you and I have missed it. We have a lot of other Scriptures that substantiate this about God, and we went through some of them. Verses like:

1. “God separates my transgressions from me as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12)
2.  “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” (Isaiah 43:25)
3. In Hebrews (8:12 & 10:17), the Lord said, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

 
So it is written in the mouth of multiple witnesses that I am one of the blessed whose sins are covered—of which the Lord will remember no more. He chooses not to remember my sins and blots out my transgressions for His name’s sake. Praise the Lord!
 
Church, this is how God thinks no evil and reveals to us what He thinks of you and I. Yes, His thoughts for us that outnumber the grains of sand on the seashore are good thoughts, not evil ones. This is how love thinks, counting the good, true, and lovely things of the ones it loves. God thinks no evil; only good. This is what Jeremiah 29:11 conveys to us.
 
And we also learned how these precious thoughts He thinks of us are not hidden from us. No, we can know them! In fact, He desires for us to know them. That’s why He said (after that oft quoted verse that His thoughts and ways are higher than our thoughts and ways and they are past finding out) that He pours these “high” things from the heavens like rain & snow. Amen! That means He wants you and I to know those lofty thoughts, and He went on to say how they are known by His Word. Therefore, if you and I are going to come to know what God is thinking, then we need to study to show ourselves approved. Yes, we need to behold His written Word and let the thoughts of God become, in us, the mind of Christ.    
 
So the fact is, God does want us to know His thoughts and ways, and they are certainly aimed towards us. Yes, as the Lord told us to set our minds on things above, He sets His mind on us below. That’s right – We are His focus! Therefore, as Psalm 139:17-18 says, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand …” Let that truth penetrate your heart today.
 
And all of this is because the Lord loves us! Just as when we fall in love, one characteristic of that love is our minds become filled with that other person. We think about them all the time when we are at the height of that love. And why are we thinking so much of that person? It is because they are in our heart! Saints, God actually holds us in His heart! He does not just tolerate us or make Himself “have to” think good things about us. No, He thinks good thoughts about us because we hold a special place in His heart! In other words, we are important to Him because you do not rent space in your heart to people or things that are not important to you. No, what is in your heart is what is valuable to you! Therefore, we must be extremely valuable to the Lord if His heart and mind are so inclined towards us! Amen!
 
LOVE REJOICES
                
So now let’s move into First Corinthians 13:6 where Paul goes on to describe not only what love doesn’t do, but also what it does do. In this verse, he said, “(Love) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.”
 
First of all, I want you to notice how Paul is essentially describing both what love will rejoice in and what it will not rejoice in. Therefore, rejoicing is the point of this verse.
 
Now to “rejoice” simply means to be glad, cheerful, or to get excited about something. So if the apostle Paul is talking about love’s characteristics, then there are obviously certain things that love will and will not become glad or excited about.
 
But did you even know that love rejoices? It sure does! It will get happy about some things while it certainly won’t get joy out of certain other things happening. Now the fact is, most people certainly get happy when good things happen to them. Yes, that’s what the majority rejoices in. But what does love do? It will rejoice when good things happen to others, and it certainly doesn’t rejoice when bad things happen to them.
 
Rejoice with those who rejoice, the Bible says (Romans 12:15). And what this is instructing us to do is to actually get as happy & glad as the other person is. Yes, these are not two different words that Paul used, so rejoicing with those who rejoice describes personally getting as excited as the other person does. And why? All because you love them!
 
So what we can learn from this is that love for others will essentially do the same thing as love for one’s self – it will get happy when good things happen to others like people get happy when good things happen to themselves. 
 
WHAT LOVE DOES NOT REJOICE IN
 
But I want you to notice how Paul describes what love does not rejoice in first. And he says that it’s in “iniquity.” This is actually a poor translation because the word Paul used was used more to describe “injustice or unrighteousness.” Therefore, specifically what Paul had in mind here was that love did not get excited when it sees injustice or unrighteousness occurring.
 
Now this has different shades of meanings, but one obvious truth we can find in it is that we are not to rejoice when justice isn’t being done. In other words, we shouldn’t get happy when we see a person not being done “right.”
 
How could that be love anyways? How could love actually get joy out of seeing someone else being done wrong? Well, perhaps one might root for someone who has been wronged to get revenge. More likely, one might desire to see someone they have offense in their heart towards fall flat on their face. I have seen it even get to the level where a person who has hate in their heart towards someone else gets joy out of some terrible thing that happens to that person because simply put, they are just bitter. So this can obviously occur on different levels, but the point is, love will not rejoice over someone else’s misfortunes.
 
Now the fact is, this word “justice” is part of the problem. I say this because what a lot of people are looking for is people to get what they feel is coming to them. Yes, they even get joy out of making sure this “justice” is done. But that is not what Paul was saying that love rejoices in. No, it’s not about our enemies getting what they deserve or about those who have harmed others getting their due. It’s more about how love WILL NOT rejoice in the injustice & unrighteousness, not how love WILL rejoice when justice is being done.   
 
The reason I bring this up is because far too many people who have bitterness & unforgiveness in their heart want their offenders to pay for their mistakes. Yes, they are glad when that person gets what is coming to them. That’s not actually what love will do. Love will not derive joy from someone else getting punished. And if we do get happy when someone else has bad things happen to them, then we might need to deal with some issues that haven’t been resolved yet.
 
Along these lines, I like something I read recently: This expositor recalled the experience Jacob had with the Angel of the Lord. You know, the one where Jacob wrestled with Him all night and obviously lost. Well, because Jacob was wounded in his thigh, Moses made a law that the children of Israel would not eat of the sinew in that area of the thigh. What does this teach us, you ask? Simply this – we are not to feast on the failures and shortcomings of others. I like that! Like one translation says, “Love doesn’t revel when others grovel,” This is the principle we are learning here.
 
No, a big truth that we need to get from this is that love roots for the underdog. It isn’t a crowd follower or one that gangs up on the one that everyone is picking on. No, love looks for what is right and justice. It will stand in the gap. It will go against the flow. It will look for that one lost sheep and move heaven & hell to find them. This is what love does.
 
LOVE DID JUSTICE
 
Now how does all of this apply to God? Well, God obviously does not rejoice in injustice either. If you don’t know this, you need to read your Bible.
 
Time and time again in the Scriptures we see one of the Lord’s pet peeves being injustice. Through His prophets, He is constantly correcting His chosen people in this area – of taking care of the widows and the orphans, how the poor were to be defended, and how injustices of any kind should not be tolerated. One of my favorite examples of this is Micah 6:8 where the prophet said, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
 
Injustice and unrighteousness were obviously sore spots of Love Himself. In fact, even in the New Testament, we are told in James 1:27 that pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, which is one of the main things we see throughout the prophets of old.
 
So as we have seen, if God commands us to do something then we can rest assure that He is already fulfilling those things Himself. So, in the case of caring for widows and orphans, who are the orphans and widows that He is already caring for? The answer is simple – We are! We were the widows that He provided for! We were the orphans that He has cared for!
 
You see, there are two kinds of human relationships that the Word of God likens our relationship with God to under the New Covenant: Those two are a husband and wife and a father and child. So the truth is – God went above and beyond the duty that He gave us. Not only did He provide for us when we were widows, He actually married us so that He could meet our every need forever. Not only did He care for us when we were fatherless in Satan’s orphanage, He actually adopted us and made us His very own children.
 
You see, in His great love and abundant mercy, God did more than just help us in our hopeless state. He cut a covenant with us through the blood of Jesus—making us His bride and His children. He not only rescued us from the kingdom of darkness, but He translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son! What an awesome and loving God we serve!
 
So as the Lord laid out in Micah 6:8, He requires His people to “do justice” and to certainly not rejoice in injustice – all because He, in His joy towards justice & righteousness, extended them towards us freely by His grace! Amen!
 
WHAT LOVE DOES REJOICE IN
 
But what did Paul go on to say that love DOES rejoice in – It rejoices in truth. And again, that doesn’t necessarily describe when the truth comes out about a person who has done something wrong. No, love finds joy when it sees the objects of its love walking in the truth, not when it uncovers the lie.
 
So while it’s very clear that God is not happy with injustice, what it is that brings Him joy is TRUTH! Yes, He rejoices in truth! Yes, what God gets excited about is when truth is practiced and experienced. Yes, He loves it when He sees others walking in the truth!
 
We see a beautiful example of this in the beginning of the Epistle called Third John. In Third John 1-4, the apostle John says, “The Elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth: Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”
 
Now I want you to notice the constant echo of the terms “love, joy, and truth” in these opening four verses of Third John. This speaks the same thing as the verse we are covering in First Corinthians 13:6.
 
But what people oftentimes make the mistake of is reading God’s Word of Truth through carnal glasses. In other words, with this Book, we know that the apostle John was the one who physically penned this Book of the Bible. But what we need to also realize is that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and that these holy men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit to author these Books of the Bible (Second Timothy 3:16 & Second Peter 1:21). Therefore, Third John is not just a Book authored by the apostle John; it is a Holy Spirit inspired Book ultimately inspired by the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Holy Spirit is its true author. Not only that, but another error people make is that when they read that it was addressed to a specific man named Gaius, they lose sight of the fact that everything in these pages (or in this case, page, because its such a short Book) are being written to us as well.
 
Some have commented on this verse, saying that the truth contained in it was simply the apostle John’s desire for Gaius, to whom this short letter was written. Therefore, they say that this verse does not express the will of the Lord for all believers for all time, but this is simply incorrect. For who are we to determine what parts of the Bible are intended only for the original recipients of the letters and what parts are applicable to us? If this were so, how would we know if what was written to the Romans were just promises applicable to the believers in Rome? Or how would we know if what was written to the Ephesians was just meant for the select church in Ephesus? How then would we know what parts of the Holy Scriptures were written to us?
 
The truth is that all of the Bible was written for our admonition and instruction! All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, being God-breathed so that we can know and understand God’s will for all of our lives. He is no respecter of persons! Therefore, what He moved the apostle John to say to Gaius is what God wills for all of His children along with Gaius to receive and embrace. So, Third John is God speaking to us!
 
So when we read in verses 3-4 how John evidently rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that was in this Gaius, that this was God’s heart as well. And oh, doesn’t this reflect the characteristic of love that we’ve been looking at today? Yes, this is the Holy Spirit’s heart of love in that He too rejoices when we walk in the truth. In fact, as we see in verse 4, the Lord has no greater joy than to hear that His children walk in truth.
 
Now walking in the truth certainly has a bunch of meanings: For one, it is walking in Jesus, because He is the Truth. Second, it is walking in the Word of God, because His Word is truth. And thirdly, it is walking in the Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth. So yes, God rejoices when we, His children, walk in His Son, His Word, and in His Spirit, but this is not all that makes God happy. Third John 2 contains some truths that show us the truth about everything God wants us to walk in …
 
Again, Third John 2 says, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”  So like we’ve seen, this is not just a verse that expresses John’s desire for Gaius; it shows us God’s will for all people for all time! So what is God’s desire for you and I? What does He rejoice when we walk in it? Well, let’s look deeper into this verse …
 
First of all, notice that God refers to you as His “Beloved”… This means that He is addressing those who (pardon the poor English) “be-loved!” In other words, since this verse is God speaking directly to us, by calling us His “beloved”, He is letting us know that we are greatly loved by Him.
 
You see, this simple truth, if understood correctly, should help us to embrace the truths contained in the rest of this verse that our Heavenly Father wants us to prosper in every area of our lives and live in perfect health. Why? Because how many of you parents out there who truly love your children want anything less than the best for them? No, you want them to prosper in every area of their life and you certainly don’t want them sick and suffering! Any parent that wills for their children to be sick and to suffer should be locked up with the key thrown away! Why? Because if any natural parent did the things to their children that God has been accused of doing to His, that parent would be incriminated in just about every culture or nation on the earth today.
 
So how can we believe God is any different—especially when His love for us far outweighs any love that we have for our children? No, you “be-loved” and because God loves you so much, He wants you to succeed and prosper on all levels! Thank you, Father!
 
And the fact that He “wants” this is reflected in this verse: Notice what the Lord starts off by saying to His beloved … He says, “I pray that you may prosper in all things.”
 
Now the word “pray” here describes “wishing & desiring.” So this shows us what God actually wants & wills for us, His children. Again, we can certainly relate to this, right? Yes, we all wish & desire for our children to walk in prosperity & health, right? Absolutely! But are all our children walking in this? Not all of them – illustrating to us how just because God desires for this to be the case for all of us, doesn’t mean its automatically going to happen. No, like it is with our children, they must choose this lifestyle. They have to make the right decisions, which would have all started by listening to their parents at a young age and taking our advice, right?
 
So I make this point because it answers that question that might come up that if God desires this for us, then why is it not happening for everyone. Well, the answer to that is the same as to why all of our children might not be walking in all of the things we want for them – because freewill is involved.  
 
WALKING IN THE TRUTH OF PROSPERITY
 
So notice what the first thing is that we are told that God desires – prosperity in all things.
 
What an awesome truth! God’s will is that we prosper in all things! Not just in some things; God wants us to prosper in everything! This leaves nothing uncovered! The word “prosper” literally means to be successful, to thrive, and to flourish. So, God wants us to be successful, to thrive, and to flourish in every area of our lives! Praise the Lord, our success, growth, and prosperity is God’s will, and He wants us to prosper in every aspect of our life.
 
Did you know God wants you to be successful in your career? He is not just concerned with what we consider to be the “spiritual things.” He wants you to be successful and to prosper in your business, and this happens as you seek first the kingdom of God in your secular job (i.e. as you practice godly principles and make your career’s aim to glorify God and be a blessing to others). He wants you to prosper in your vocation!
 
Did you know that God wants you to thrive in the arena of relationships? He wants you to have such a wonderful relationship with your spouse or significant other that you are in awe of the goodness and graciousness of God! He wants you to have such wonderful friends that add to you and that you can truly trust! He wants you to prosper in all of your relationships!
 
Did you know that God wants you to flourish in your finances? He does not want you struggling to make ends meet and living paycheck to paycheck! He wants you to have more than enough so that you can fulfill the blessing of Abraham that is on your life, which is being blessed, so that you can be a blessing! He wants you to prosper monetarily!
 
You see, being able to be a blessing to others is one of the main reasons God wants you to prosper in every area of your life. Sure, He wants you to be blessed simply because He loves you and wants the best for you, but He also wants you to thrive in every area so that you will not constantly be trying to fulfill yourself and can correctly put your focus on the needs of others. If you have needs that are unmet, that takes time and attention away from meeting the needs of others. God wants our cup to overflow so that we can share with others! Thanks be unto God!
 
WALKING IN THE TRUTH OF HEALTH
 
Then notice what else the Holy Spirit told us that God desires for us in this verse: Not only does God want us to prosper in every area of our lives, but He also wants us to “be in health.”
 
This verse alone should dispel the popular Christian doctrine that sometimes God sends sickness into our lives to teach us something. No, God’s will is that we are healthy, not sick. To live in sickness, disease, and infirmity is no more God’s will for our lives than for us to live in sin, transgression, and iniquity! And this is exactly what you see in Jesus’ ministry, which was a perfect reflection of God’s will (See John 14:7&9 and Hebrews 1:3)!
 
Acts 10:38 says that Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil! Why did He go about only doing good and healing everyone who responded to Him in faith? It was because this was (and always will be) God’s will!
 
But as great as healing is, I want you to notice that Third John 2 does not say that God wants us to prosper in all things and be “healed”; it says that God wills that we be in “health”! In other words, this verse tells us that God not only wills that we experience healing, but that we experience divine health. For example, God’s perfect will is for our bodies to be so charged with His resurrection power that when germs or viruses touch our bodies, they die immediately. His perfect plan for our lives is that everything from our eyesight, hearing, and overall health is strong and living well above the norm.
 
And this not only includes wholeness in our physical bodies but also health in our mind and emotions. The prophet Isaiah said that the chastisement needful to obtain our peace was laid upon Him. The Apostle Paul said that the Holy Spirit has been given to us so that we can have a “sound mind.” This describes a soul that is whole and not weak and sick. Jesus purchased not only wholeness in our bodies, but also wholeness in our mind, will, and emotions! He wants us sharp and strong in our soul too. Thank you, Jesus! 
 
WALKING IN THE TRUTH OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH
 
So, God evidently has a greater vision for our lives than we do for ourselves. He wants us to be successful, to thrive, and to flourish in every area of life—which includes prospering financially, relationally, and vocationally! Not only that, but He also wants us to be whole and strong in every area of our bodies as well—which includes being healthy physically, healthy mentally, and healthy emotionally!
 
Someone then might say, “Trey, if this is truly God’s will for everyone’s life, then why do we see so little of it fulfilled in our lives?” That is a good question; I’m glad you asked …
 
As we’ve already learned, our free-will is the big reason, but I want to offer you one more reason that we find in this very verse. Third John 2 ends by saying that God wants you to prosper in all things and be in health “just as your soul prospers.”  
 
Now the two words “just as” are extremely important because they show us how God’s will of prosperity and health is going to come to pass in our lives… These two words literally mean “according to”, or better yet “in proportion to.” So, what the Holy Spirit was saying was that our prosperity and our health is “in proportion” to our soul prospering. In other words, our prosperity outwardly is in proportion to our prosperity inwardly!
 
This is the truth God wants His children walking in, saints! And it’s the truth that He rejoices in—when His kids are prospering on all fronts, when they are healthy, and when they are growing up spiritually. He gets no joy out of us walking in injustice & unrighteousness – meaning, He never takes pleasure when we are not experiencing Third John 2. No, in His love, God wishes His best on us, and He rejoices when His best is experienced. Amen.