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John 16:12, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now."  Romans 8:32, "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"  Psalm 51:12, "Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit."

Someone said to me recently, "Oh, if these young Christians could just keep their joy!"

I said, "They can."

The other person replied, "Then why don't they?"

Of course, there is a reason for this loss of joy.  When we receive Christ, we accept salvation and rejoice that we are saved.  Yet somehow we think that we will rejoice the same way forever, and we should do so.  A Christian should rejoice in his salvation as much 30 years after he accepted it as he did the first moment he was saved.  Yet God knows the way we are made.  He knows that it is difficult for man to respond to the same stimulus for long seasons of time.  So He puts all that He has into salvation that we may discover its jewels one at a time in order to continue in our joy.  He freely gives us all things at salvation.  Notice again Romans 8:32, "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"  However, those "all things" are not discovered all at one time.

Several years ago I had a bad cold.  Somebody gave me some Contac capsules that were called timed-release capsules.  In the capsule were many little balls of Contac, but these were wrapped in various degrees of thickness so that one would be dissolved and do its work.  By the time that one had lost its effectiveness, another one was ready to go to work.  This process was continued so that the medication would periodically be putting itself into my system.  Salvation is a great deal like that.  At salvation God gives us all things in His great gift.  However, He allows us to discover them one at a time in order that we may continually have joy.

Once someone gave me a beautiful, gift-wrapped package.  I opened it.  Inside there was another beautiful, gift-wrapped package.  I opened it only to find another beautiful, gift-wrapped package in it.  I kept on opening until I had to open seven packages to get to the gift.  Salvation is given to us all in one beautiful package.  We open it and receive one of its benefits.  This causes us to rejoice.  However, since the same stimulus often wears thin, God gives us another one to open where we find another aspect of salvation.  Then when our joy diminishes, another is available, then later another and another and another.

When a person is first saved, he may be enraptured with the fact that he is going to Heaven and will not go to Hell.  Later God says, "Let Me give you another gift," and the Christian becomes aware of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.  He rejoices about this.  Then God gives him another gift, whereupon he learns of answered prayer.  Again his rejoicing is great.  Oh, there are so many different parts of salvation, each wrapped as a part of a beautiful, timed-release capsule in order that salvation may grow dearer to us all the time so that we can retain its joy.

Years ago I went to an amusement park that had many rides.  I paid for my ticket and entered into the park.  Shortly thereafter I came to a ride that I wanted to enjoy.  I walked up and asked the attendant how much it cost.  He said, "Mister, when you bought your ticket, every ride in the amusement park came with it.  It is all a part of the deal."

My fiftieth birthday was on a Monday.  My daughters who were still at home, Cindy and Linda, were afraid I wouldn't have a good birthday because I would be flying to a preaching engagement in a distant state.  So they conceived an idea.  Before I left for the airport they gave me a big sack.  In that sack were many gifts.  I had instructions to open one gift each hour on the hour throughout the day.  Now all these gifts were in one package.  They felt that they could keep me happy all day on my birthday and prevent discouragement if I could have a gift to open every hour throughout the day.

Several years ago I was on an airplane.  An old gentleman was sitting in front of me who obviously had had a stroke or heart attack.  He appeared to be so feeble and unable to cope with the situation.  Shortly after our takeoff the stewardess came by and asked him if he wanted lunch.  He said that he did not.  She came back awhile later and said, "Are you sure you don't want to eat lunch?"

'Me old man looked up and said, "How much does it cost?"

She said, "Sir, the lunch is a part of the ticket and so is the coffee and tea."  A big smile came across the face of the old gentleman and he said, "Then I'll gladly take it."  As the stewardess walked away he was still rejoicing with his wife that more than the trip to his destination came with the ticket.

These are just a few illustrations to explain Romans 8:32, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"  God has planned blessings every hour for the rest of our lives.  All of salvation comes with the ticket.  Salvation is more than just a ride to Heaven.  It is a marvelous, wonderful, unspeakably happy journey and so many blessed things come with the ticket.  No wonder Jeremiah said of the Lord's mercies, "They are new every morning."  No wonder someone wrote, "I'm pressing on the upward way, new heights I'm gaining every day."  So, Christian, start opening your packages!  Eat the meal!  Enjoy the trip!  Ride the rides!  Salvation is more than just being saved; it is all that God has wrapped in one big package which gives us new mercies and new joys 'and new thrills all along the journey to the Gloryland.

Psychologists tell us that there is more depression on Christmas night and the day after Christmas than at any other time of the year.  Some have even gone so far as to say that suicides increase at that time.  I told my people that I could help them eliminate the after-Christmas blahs when they sit at a Christmas tree surrounded by wrappings and boxes and realize that the festivities are over.  This is the plan I gave them.  I suggested they not open all their presents on Christmas morning.  Save one for Christmas afternoon and another for Christmas night and another for the morning after Christmas and another for the afternoon after Christmas and another for the next day and another for the next day, etc.  This wonderful thing called salvation has a never-ending joy because God's mercies are new every morning.  So much comes with the ticket.  Ride all the fides you want to ride.  Eat your meal.  Keep opening boxes.  You are saved. You have eternal life, and with that eternal life come so many wonderful things that the Holy Spirit chooses to reveal to us from time to time so that our joy may continue and even intensify!

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 "I am an old-fashioned preacher of the old-time religion, that has
warmed this cold world's heart for two thousand years." —Billy Sunday