Stopping Sin In It's Tracks Series

RESTORING THE JOY

Part 6: Stopping Sin in it’s Tracks

I thank the Lord that I had the pleasure of growing up in a godly family, with great parents. Thanks to that, I have many joyous memories of my childhood. Growing up in the country, over the years we had just about any kind of animal you can imagine, at one time or another. We had ducks, rabbits, peacocks, turkeys, and I don’t how many dogs we had over the years. We raised pigs, cows and horses. We had goats, gennies, and geese. We even had a sheep and a donkey.

Some of the animals I remember from the earliest days, however, were chickens. We had chickens for many years, and we had many different kinds. I remember, at different times, it was my brother & my responsibility to feed those things and to collect the eggs.

Let me ask those of you who grew up on farms, “did you ever have a bad rooster?” Over the years, we had a number of bad roosters. When those boys start growing up a little bit, and start growing spurs, all of a sudden they begin to think they are the baddest things around and they will jump on about anything that enters the chicken house.

I remember one time when I was 4 or 5 and Dusty a little younger, we went out to the chicken house to collect the eggs. The next thing we knew, a rooster decided he didn’t want us there and took off after us, feathers and spurs flying. Dusty and I ran out of that chicken house and took off running across the pasture with a rooster in hot pursuit.

Let me tell you my friend, there is something that will run the joy out of your life quicker than we ran out of that chicken house. That peace-chasing, joy-destroyer will run the joy out of your life faster than a Christmas bonus leaves a checking account.

What is that javelin of joy, that piercer of peace, that saboteur of sleep? My friend, it is sin, and it will rob you of all your rainbows.

King David, the man who wrote the majority of the Psalms; the one who played on his harp and sang to the Lord from his childhood, once went through a time like that: but he found help. Turn with me this morning to Psalm 51, as we see together, David’s situation.

- Psalm 51:1-19

I. SIGNS OF A DEFEATED LIFE

We are familiar with King David. We are familiar with his exploits and the victories he saw throughout his life. But in this psalm, we find David in a different situation. Look there at verse 8, at the first sign of a defeated life.

- v8

1. Joy and Gladness gone - The first sign of a defeated life, is that your joy and gladness is gone. Oh my friend, do you remember the time of David’s younger years? The Bible tells us that David, as a young shepherd boy, used to play his harp and sing as he watched over his sheep. He played with such beauty, with such power and joy, that when King Saul was tormented by demons, he would have the shepherd boy David, play his harp to drive the demons away. David had so much joy it was contagious.

In this psalm we find a different situation, however. Here, David says, “let me hear joy and gladness. Oh Lord, the joy and gladness I once knew is gone. The excitement that used to bubble over, is gone.”

Let me ask you my friend, does that describe you? Is your joy and gladness gone. Are you trying desperately to find that joy again?

In this passage we see a second symptom of a defeated life. Look there again in verse 8.

2. Pain and Weariness present -

- v8 David complains the Lord has crushed his bones. He said, “God, my whole body aches. I am weary. I am tired. I don’t believe I can face another day.

Do you feel like that? Is the joy and excitement gone from your life? Do you begin the week, the day, looking forward to seeing what God is going to do, or do you reluctantly drag yourself into each day because you feel trapped and feel that you have no option?

David knows what you’re going through. He says, “Lord, I hurt and I am weary.”

Look there at verse 11 at the 3rd sign of a defeated life.

3. Loneliness Lurking - vv 11-12

In verse 11 David says, “Lord, don’t banish me from your presence.” Now think about it. This was David here. He is the one who wrote 23rd Psalm. He is the one who felt so close to God, even when he was alone, watching sheep on a hillside, that he could write, “The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.” He said, “I know my Lord is real, and He is right here with me. I won’t fear anything.”