The Mechanics for Attainment of Perfect Happiness

The Holy Spirit is the source of our sharing God's perfect happiness because He is the teacher of Bible doctrine. Therefore, perfect happiness is said to be by means of the Spirit in Rom 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and prosperity and happiness by means of the Holy Spirit." In other words, the spiritual part of our life, the predesigned plan of God, goes way beyond our normal functions of eating and drinking. In that sense, we have a dual life, a natural life and a spiritual life. The spiritual life has nothing to do with the foods we eat or the beverages we drink. That's why Paul said in Col 2:16 "Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink."

The Bible never teaches against the engagement of alcoholic beverages in moderation. In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ participated in eating certain foods and drinking alcoholic beverages in moderation and that is why He was called a drunk in Luke 7:34 "The Son of Man has come eating and drinking; and you say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man, and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and prostitutes!'"

The problem is that today we have a phenomenal amount of alcoholism and so pastors have to be very careful and encourage those who have the predisposition toward alcohol to live a life of abstinence for practical reasons and for health reasons. However, that does not mean that the pastor should become academically dishonest and take passages out of context and not teach the whole realm of doctrine. For example, we are told that the Lord made wine to make glad the heart of man, Psalm 104:15 "The Lord made wine which makes man's heart glad." Now, that is not grape juice! No matter how much grape juice you drink, it will not make your heart glad.

Solomon said in Eccl 9:7 "Go then, eat your bread in happiness, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works." Moses said in Deut 14:26 "And you may spend the money for whatever your heart desires, for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice,  you and your household." As far as foods are concerned 1 Tim 4:4-5 says "Forever thing created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is receive with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. Now, there are a lot of believers today who think that they're spiritual if they don't ever touch alcohol or eat certain foods, and if you do, they think that you have completely gone over the edge.

So Paul says Rom 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but

righteousness and prosperity and happiness by means of the Holy Spirit." In our spiritual life, we can have the righteousness of virtue, prosperity, and perfect happiness all by means of the Holy Spirit. First comes righteousness, which is virtue from perception, metabolization and application of Bible doctrine; then comes prosperity when you reach spiritual adulthood. Finally, throughout spiritual adulthood, you enjoy perfect happiness. All this is accomplished by the Holy Spirit who is the teacher of Bible doctrine. That's why all three of these principles including happiness are said to be the fruit or the production of the Holy Spirit, Gal 5:22 "The fruit of the Spirit is virtue-love, happiness, prosperity."

Happiness here refers to three categories of perfect happiness. In spiritual self-esteem, perfect happiness begins; in spiritual autonomy, perfect happiness continues; and in spiritual maturity perfect happiness peaks out. Part of the great power experiment of the Church-age is perfect happiness produced by God the Holy Spirit as in 1 Thess 1:6 "You also become imitators of us and of the Lord [by fulfillment of the predesigned plan of God through utilization of divine power], having received the Word in much pressure [affliction, oppression] with happiness from the Holy Spirit." We are to imitate two people; one is the only invisible hero of the great power experiment of the hypostatic union, Jesus Christ, and the other is Paul or any other great invisible hero of the great power experiment of the Church-age. We are to imitate them by imitating the copybook in Phil 3:17, which comes by receiving the Word consistently. Phil 3:17 "Brethren join with others in following me, and select those who walk according to the pattern you have in us." As we have noted, when you begin to be consistent in learning Bible doctrine, there is much pressure...that's why it says, "having received the Word in much pressure [affliction, oppression] with happiness from the Holy Spirit."

Having perfect happiness in the midst of pressure is due to being sustained by the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit inside the protocol plan of God. The same power that sustained Jesus Christ during those last three hours on the cross when He was being judged for our sins is now available to us in the Church-age. This power is used in three categories to attain perfect happiness:

1. The omnipotence of God the Father is used to attain perfect happiness through the perception of our portfolio of invisible assets and using those assets.
2. The omnipotence of Jesus Christ is used by knowing He gives us a day at a time and is faithful in sustaining our life so we can attain perfect happiness.
3. The omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit is used to attain perfect happiness because God the Holy Spirit is the teacher of Bible doctrine; John 14; 1Cor 2:9-16, 2:24.

If you want this perfect happiness, it only requires daily decisions from the right scale of values. Your number one priority must be Bible doctrine. You must be motivated to come and hear it under the ministry of the Holy Spirit. If you listen, learn, advance, and grow, you will be happy for all time and for all eternity. God's happiness belongs "naturally" to the new spiritual species; it is a happiness that only the new spiritual species can have. It is a happiness designed for both prosperity and adversity. It is a happiness that gives the most fantastic capacity for life, whether you have little or much, whether you are great or insignificant. Remember that all human distinctions mean nothing now as a result of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and being in union with Christ. A new spiritual species refers to believers in the Church-age belonging to the royal family of God. The baptism of the Spirit made you royal family of God since the day you believed in Jesus Christ.

2 Cor 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ [and he is as a believer], he is a new [spiritual] species. The old things have lost their power; behold, new things have come." You are "in Christ" by the baptism of the Spirit; at the moment of your salvation you were entered into union with Christ. The adjective kaine means new; the noun ktisis means species. The old things that have lost their power over us are genetic, environmental, and volitional handicaps; human dynamics, personality, talent, and works and flaws. The "new things" that have come refer to your portfolio of invisible assets, the ten unique characteristics of the Church-age, and the ten problem-solving devices of the (protocol plan of God) PPOG. Prov 3:13 "Happiness belongs to that person [believer] who finds wisdom even the person who gains understanding [of doctrine]." The word blessed is esher and it means happiness. That's why it is translated like that in Prov 3:13 "Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding;"(NKJ)

Prov 3:13 "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, And the man that getteth understanding So Prov 3:13 "Happiness belongs to that person [believer] who finds wisdom."The word wisdom or chakmah refers to the three "R"s: reception, retention, and recall of Bible doctrine; i.e., perception, metabolization, and application of Bible doctrine. The Hebrew word chakmah means wisdom that comes from doctrine, i.e., the application of metabolized doctrine.

Prov 3:13 "Happiness belongs to that person who gains understanding." The Hebrew word for understanding is bin, which refers to the perception and metabolization of Bible doctrine. So this verse actually includes perception, metabolization, and application of doctrine.

1 John 1:4 says the same thing, "And these things we write that our joy may be brought to completion." John 15:11 "I have taught you these things in order that My happiness [perfect happiness of the humanity of Jesus Christ] may be in you and that your happiness may be fulfilled."

Note that happiness is to be "taught;" perfect happiness comes through the perception of Bible doctrine; it does not come through something you enjoy. You can endure anything with perfect happiness, as Jesus Christ has proved, Heb 12:2, "who for the happiness that was set before Him endured the cross." He didn't endure the cross because He liked it, but because He had perfect happiness. Just think of it, the greatest suffering in all of history occurred on the cross, when Jesus Christ, perfect humanity, received the imputation and judgment for every sin in human history.

Yet, He stayed on the cross because of His perfect happiness. If God's happiness is in you, such passages as this will be a reality to you, Phil 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

Perfect happiness is the ultimate problem solver. You can endure anything with perfect happiness, as well as having the most wonderful capacity for life and for death. When you have perfect happiness in you, it doesn't come from doing what you like to do but from liking what you have to do. Therefore, your happiness can only be fulfilled, as a Church-age believer, through the execution of the predesigned plan of God, through advancing to spiritual self-esteem, spiritual autonomy, and spiritual maturity. At spiritual maturity you have at your disposal the two greatest problem-solving devices in history: virtue-love for the interaction with people, and perfect happiness for your own life. Because of that there is no pain, adversity, tragedy, or difficulty greater than perfect happiness in your soul!

Now, in John 15:11, when the Lord said "I have taught you these things in order that My happiness may be in you," our Lord's "happiness in you" is spiritual self-esteem and spiritual autonomy. "His happiness fulfilled" is spiritual maturity.

Perfect happiness is not only a problem-solving device, but it is the great principle of contentment in this life. With perfect happiness, it makes no difference whether you are living or dying, in adversity or prosperity. If you have perfect happiness, you have the stabilizer for any situation in life. Now, in 2 John 1:12 "Although having many doctrines to write you, I do not wish to do so with paper and ink. I will pay you a visit, and I anticipate coming to you and teaching face to face that our happiness might be fulfilled."

"Our" happiness means the happiness John will have as the communicator, and the happiness the believers will have as they receive his teaching of Bible doctrine. Reception, retention, and recall of Bible doctrine add up to the growth of your perfect happiness, the greatest problem-solving device related to yourself. We will see this in Rom 14:22 "The doctrine which you have [metabolized doctrine], have it according to your own norms and standards before God. Happiness belongs to that person who does not condemn himself in what he approves." John says 2 John 1:12 "Although having many doctrines to write you, I do not wish to do so with paper and ink. I will pay you a visit, and I anticipate coming to you and teaching face to face that our happiness might be fulfilled or complete."

The happiness of a pastor is made complete by the communication of doctrine to his congregation, and by their reception, retention, and recall of doctrine which results in their own happiness. Note that in the 2Jo passage, John will bring certain believers to spiritual maturity and perfect happiness by teaching them face to face. However, in 1Jo 1:4 "And these things we write, so that our joy may be made complete," he will bring other believers to spiritual maturity and perfect happiness through non-face-to-face teaching. Both means are legitimate for the communication of doctrine resulting in the reception, retention, and recall of doctrine in the souls of believers, eventuating in their perfect happiness.

Perfect happiness depends on Bible doctrine in the soul. It is something you think, not something you do. However, God has to share His thoughts with you before you can share His happiness; when the thinking of God becomes your thinking, then you will begin to share God's happiness. So your perfect happiness is determined by the amount of Bible doctrine in your soul. However, even though you have doctrine in the soul, you must be determined to be happy in whatever situation you may be in. For we all have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our disposition and frame of mind, not our circumstances. We must apply the doctrine we have learned and make the right decisions; action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action. Happiness, like character, must be cultivated. It is not a thing to be attained and then to be let alone or it will die down and eventually disappear. There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do. So happiness is the ability to take all the bumps and bruises of day to day life with an open mind and heart. Our perspective and attitude have everything to do with our own happiness. If we want to be happy, we will be happy.

The greatest experience of security in this life is to attain perfect happiness. Once you have God's happiness in your soul, it is the ultimate of security, the basis for spiritual self-esteem, spiritual autonomy, and spiritual maturity. This is security for you because, when you get under pressure, you will think the right thing, do the right thing, and apply the right doctrine because you have repeatedly learned to do the right thing under normal circumstances.

Believe, receive, understand and live by grace and you will discover the greatest gift you
find on the face of earth...God's perfect plan of grace, designed by God for our genuine
happiness.


God in His matchless grace designed something that can overcome the best or worst of environments, that can handle prosperity and adversity, which can cause you to live or die with great capacity and that can give you the capacity to handle being alone or in a crowd. There is no problem in life too great for what God has given to you as a part of your portfolio of invisible assets, the problem-solving device of perfect happiness!

 

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