Nehemiah 8:9 The Joy of the Lord

Prayer for my parents – almost daily – “Lord, restore unto them the joy of their salvation”  Wednesday – bad  Thursday – despair  Friday – joy!  Psalm 30:5  For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning!

The Joy of the Lord A look at “joy”  Galatians 5:22-23  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…”  It’s safe to say that joy is one of the most elusive fruits for us as believers  Part of the problem is that joy is often misunderstood  We tend to equate “happiness” with joy but they are two totally different ideas

Happiness vs. Joy Happiness is external Happiness is based on chance Happiness is based on circumstances One comes from the world around me Joy is internal Joy is based on our choices Joy is based on Christ Joy originates directly from the Spirit of the Living God

Happiness vs. Joy Happiness  Conditioned by and dependent upon what is “happening” to me  If people treat me good, if things are going well in my life, then I’m happy  If my circumstances aren’t favorable, then I’m unhappy Joy  Abounds throughout Scripture as a profound, compelling quality of life  It transcends the events and disasters that happen to God’s people  Joy is a divine dimension of living that is not constrained by circumstances  The Hebrew word means “to leap or spin around with pleasure”  In the New Testament the word means “gladness, bliss and celebration”

God Wants Us to Be Joyful! Reading God’s Word  One of the 1 st things apparent is that God wants His people to be joyful  One of the great paradoxes of life is that in the Christian community today there is a lack of joy  We ought to be the most joyful people in the world!  We alone have hope

God Wants Us to Be Joyful! Reading God’s Word  If we want to see this fruit of the Spirit in our lives, then we need to ask God to use the Holy Spirit to prune away whatever it is that hinders our joy  Then we need to ask Him to empower us to make some choices that move us closer to a lifestyle of rejoicing

God Wants Us to Be Joyful! Reading God’s Word  Before Paul wrote to the church at Galatia about the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, he asked a very penetrating question in Galatians 4:15: “What has happened to all your joy…”  That question needs to be asked in the church today  What has happened to all of our joy?  Let’s look at 3 common joy stealers

Things That Steal Our Joy Unsatisfied expectations  Do you ever feel like you’re just going through joyless routines in your life?  Many people are discontent with the way their lives progress  Maybe your expectations for your marriage have not been met  Maybe your children aren’t living like they should  Maybe you don’t have everything you want – a bigger house, a nicer car, and a better job

Things That Steal Our Joy Unsatisfied expectations  A spirit of discontentment can rob us of joy  Listen to how Paul discovered the secret of being content with what God had given him in Philippians 4: Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Things That Steal Our Joy Unsatisfied expectations  Paul calls contentment something to be learned  There’s a mystery about it  We have to “learn” how to be content  We must learn to live with plenty or with little  Contentment doesn’t come when we have everything we want but when we want everything we have

Things That Steal Our Joy Unsatisfied expectations Unresolved conflict  Our joy disappears when we allow conflict between ourselves and another person to go on  When someone’s offense against us occupies our mental and emotional attention, we have little left over for the Lord  Anger clouds the eyes of our heart and blocks our view of God, draining away our joy

Things That Steal Our Joy Unsatisfied expectations Unresolved conflict  Hebrews 12:14-15 challenges us to not allow relational problems to fester because bitterness can set in:  “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

Things That Steal Our Joy Unsatisfied expectations Unresolved conflict  1 Corinthians 13:6 says that love keeps no record of wrongs  If you’re still itemizing people’s offenses in your life, the fruit of joy will be squashed in your life

Things That Steal Our Joy Unsatisfied expectations Unresolved conflict  Philippians 2:2 - Paul recognizes the link between joy and unity  “Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose”

Things That Steal Our Joy Unsatisfied expectations Unresolved conflict Unconfessed sin  Perhaps the thing responsible for chasing more joy out of lives than any other is unconfessed sin  Guilt can steal your joy faster than anything else  Sin sends joy far away  David understood this very well when he attempted to ignore the promptings of the Spirit

Psalm 32:1-5 1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah 5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

Things That Steal Our Joy Unsatisfied expectations Unresolved conflict Unconfessed sin  After David confesses his sin, his joy returns  Verse 11 “Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!”  David was not able to rejoice and experience the joy of the Lord until he confessed his sins!

Things That Steal Our Joy Unsatisfied expectations Unresolved conflict Unconfessed sin  David also wrote in Psalm 51:7-8  “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.”

Things That Steal Our Joy Unsatisfied expectations Unresolved conflict Unconfessed sin  I have some great news this morning  Lost joy can be restored!  As a result of discontentment, conflict, and open sin, David had lost the joy from the Holy Spirit in his life  Yet he boldly prays in Psalm 51:12, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation…”  God honored his prayer, and He will honor yours!

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Billy Sunday  “The trouble with many men is that they have got just enough religion to make them miserable. If there is not joy in religion, you’ve got a leak in your religion.”  God not only wants to restore our lost joy, He also wants us to cultivate those things that will build lasting joy into our lives  The Bible tells us how to experience this joy

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Recognize That God Is Joyful  We can be helped greatly in our joy if we learn to see the Almighty not as a taskmaster, but as the God of the Universe with a smile on His face  Zephaniah 3:17 tells you how God feels about you: “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”  God delights in you and breaks out into song when He thinks about you!  The Living Bible paraphrase: “Is that a joyous choir I hear? No, it is the Lord himself exulting over you in happy song”

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Recognize That God Is Joyful  If we have little or no joy in our lives, it could be because we don’t know God well enough because joy is one of His character qualities  When we recognize God as joyful we will be even more drawn to Him  He is not a judge just waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us  He has created us to be His delight  He finds great joy in you!  He exults over you in happy song

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Recognize That God Is Joyful  God has a sweet satisfaction in all He does  Therefore His joy can be transmitted directly to us by His Holy Spirit who lives within us  The Bible calls that “the fruit of the Spirit”!  That’s exactly what Nehemiah discovered in Nehemiah 8:10: “…The joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Exalt God’s Attributes in Worship  God delights in us and finds great joy in His creation – then when we celebrate His attributes in worship we allow our joy to flow back to Him  The Westminster Confession states it well: our chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever  We were designed to respond to who God is in worship and to rejoice in Him

Psalm 66:1-4 1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth; 2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! 3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. 4 All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Exalt God’s Attributes in Worship  As we exalt who God is by worshiping Him, the Spiritual fruit of joy will be seen in our lives  When David focused on God’s character in Psalm 28, he couldn’t help but break out into joy  v. 7: “The Lord is my strength and shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.”

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Reaffirm Your Commitment to Others  Romans 12:15 challenges us to “rejoice with those who rejoice…”  We’re not able to do this unless we’re connected to others  If you’re not in fellowship with believers, you will lose your joy

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Reaffirm Your Commitment to Others  As we connect with each other, our joy will overflow  We need each other in the church and in our families  If we’re not attending church on a regular basis, or coming and not interacting with others, we could be jeopardizing both our joy and the joy of other people  Loving relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ increases both our joy and their joy because it is “The joy of the Lord” growing in us

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Reaffirm Your Commitment to Others  The best way for this to happen at The Lighthouse is to be involved in a small group  As we gather with other believers for accountability, growth, prayer, and Bible study, God will use each of us to increase our joy  Let me encourage you to join with others in the joy of the Lord!  They need you, and you need them!

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Discover a Passion for Evangelism  One of the best ways to build joy into your life is by talking to others about Jesus  Philemon 6: “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ”

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Discover a Passion for Evangelism  In Luke 15 Jesus tells us how much rejoicing takes place when the lost are found  When the lost sheep is recovered, v. 5 says that the owner “joyfully puts it on his shoulders” and then goes home and calls his friends and neighbors together  verse 6 “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. I tell you in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents…”

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Release Your Problems to the Lord  One of the hallmarks of Christian joy is that it can be experienced in the midst of intense sorrow and loss  We often define happiness as the absence of pain, suffering, or disappointment  But Christian joy is the proper response to the presence of something desirable: God Himself

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Release Your Problems to the Lord  Acts 16, the authorities arrest and beat Paul and Silas  After they were flogged, they were put in the inner prison cell and had their feet fastened in stocks  Verse 25 says that Paul and Silas “were praising and singing hymns to God…”  Instead of asking God to get them out, they turned this tough situation into an opportunity for rejoicing!

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Release Your Problems to the Lord  The only way to have an attitude like this is to release your problems to the Lord  Because He’s in charge we can have joy – no matter what happens  2 Corinthians 7:4: “…in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds”  James 1:2 “consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials of many kinds”  This takes a conscious decision to give our problems to the Lord and to lean on Him completely

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Remain Close to Jesus  The only way to experience the fruit of the Spirit is to be obedient to Christ and submit to the Spirit on a daily basis  To discover joy we must abandon the search for joy and go looking instead for the One who is Himself joy  “Joy is the flag that flies over the castle of our hearts announcing that Jesus is in residence today”

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Remain Close to Jesus  Adrian Roger’s  “Somewhere in California during the gold rush of 1849, the story is told of two gold miners who struck a particularly rich vein of gold one day. They decided not to tell anyone else, so they could keep it for themselves. They went into town to get better equipment to mine the gold, but when they left, scores of people followed. Their jubilation was written all over their faces.”

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Remain Close to Jesus  Adrian Roger’s  Is that which is in your heart written all over your face?  Don’t hide the joy of what you have found in Jesus Christ!  Let the people who see you today to say, “I don’t know what is going on with her, but I want what she/he has”  The joy of the gift of salvation is for you, but it is also for others to see in you and to desire in you

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives Remain Close to Jesus  John 15:10-11  “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”  If we want the kind of joy that is complete, lacking nothing, then we must remain close to Jesus

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives What Can I Do  Focus on giving rather than receiving  "It is more blessed to give than to receive" Acts 20:35

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives What Can I Do  Focus on giving rather than receiving  Focus on healing rather than hurting  Colossians 3:13 "Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you so you must forgive others." If you’re having a hard time with forgiveness, then look at yourself, and look what God did for you Just as God forgave you and me when we were sinners, be very quick to forgive your spouse, your children, your parents, your boss

Things That Build Joy in Our Lives What Can I Do  Focus on giving rather than receiving  Focus on healing rather than hurting  Focus on God’s power rather than your problems  "Trust in God at all times; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." Psalm 62:8  "Rejoice in the Lord, again I say, rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

How Can I Do These Things? Zephaniah 3:17  "The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing." Why I can be joyful in spite of circumstances...  Because God is with me

How Can I Do These Things? Zephaniah 3:17  "The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing." Why I can be joyful in spite of circumstances...  Because God is with me  Because God has a plan for me and has saved me with His might  Psalm 50:15 “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me”

How Can I Do These Things? Zephaniah 3:17  "The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing." Why I can be joyful in spite of circumstances...  Because God is with me  Because God has a plan for me and has saved me with His might.  Because God takes great delight in me and will help me  The chorus we sometimes sing, "The Joy of the Lord is my Strength," really is true!