THE JOY OF THE LORD
Nehemiah 8:1-10
The Religion called,
Judaism, was very formal and it was
alsoceremonial!
It was a religion of gladness,
or happiness!!!
Their Feast was the great act of worship.
This religion brought about a deep, and solemn, view about a man, and His nature, His condition, and his responsibilities!
And not to mention his destiny!!!
But yet don’t we all think that religion should be joyful and strong??
This incident that I’m gonna preach on tonight is gonna point out how the broken and long forgotten law is gonna be newly established, Just as sinners need to establish tonight!!!!
Here there’s many sin’s in these people’s past and their tears of thankfulness no doubt are pouring out, and they’re just overflowing with happiness, that they are a nation again!!
READ SCRIPTURE HERE:
After many years now these people begin to hear the Word of God, and they begin to be, I guess you might say sad, but more than anything convicted.. And the more they heard the Word the more they realized just how much their fathers, and themselves, had strayed from the Will of God...
They had failed and it was obvious!!!
They felt guilt and sorrow...
In our spiritual lives, sorrow from sin can be a wonderful thing, And a terrible thing!!!
Paul tells us in 2nd Corinthians 7:10
for godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
When a sinner realizes how he has fallen short of the righteousness and holiness of God, He should feel a sense of guilt.
And not to mention turning his back on God and offending Him...
This should cause you grief, and shame and sorrow. And these things should be good if they bring you to repentance.... AMEN
You see if all these things cause us to humble ourselves, confess our sins, and seek God’s forgiveness, and if it will just motivate us just enough to make that decision to change our ways, and our lives.
Then these are the things that will lead us to our salvation and give us eternal life!!!!
God wants us to have this sorrow and guiltiness... This is what it takes for God to get us where we need to be....
But there is a sorrow that isn’t the will of God!!!
And will also cause us to just be sick and useless!!!
And that’s excessive sorrow or despair..
People its destructive when we continue to feel grief and sorrow after we have been convicted of our sins....
After we’ve confessed our sins to God
After we’ve asked for forgiveness and made the commitment to change our life!!!
After we repent and ask for forgiveness, God will replace the grief and sorrow with a holy gladness, and a Holy joy....If we’ll let Him!!!!
Back in the Old Testament Isaiah tells us in Chapter 61:1-3
He foresaw the ministry of Jesus Christ
And he tells of this ministry just like it came out of the mouth of Jesus Christ Himself!!!!
Turn there now!!!!
61:1-3 READ
Here we are told of the King who will rule in the glorious kingdom that he’s just described to us.
And after Jesus read from this passage in the book of Luke 4:17-21 He said
This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears...
Jesus said in his sermon on the mount
Matthew chap 5
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted!!!
This is the meat of the Gospel People, it’s the good news.... that if you mourn over your sins, Jesus Christ will give you comfort and joy!!!
In the Corinth church there was a brother who had committed an act of immorality...
The Church disciplined him and didn’t allow him any fellowship with them!!!
And in 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 The Apostle Paul teaches the congregation to accept him back, since he repented, and further, told them to comfort him before his sorrow before his sins became destructive...
This is what is most commonly called a fellowship....This is why we are not to forsake assembling ourselves together...
When a Brother or Sister is down its our duty to lift them up again and help to steer them back into fellowship with God AMEN
2nd Corinth 2:6-7 says:
Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.
So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with over-much sorrow!!!!!
Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him....
VS 11:
Lest satan should get an advantage of us:
for we are not ignorant of his devices.
There’s very few things that satisfies satan’s desires ,more than a Christian who is in despair over a sin they’ve committed!!!!
When we are lacking in spiritual joy and comfort the devil jumps up and down just tickled to death because that Christian is under attack!!!!!
And when we Christians allow these attacks we are not just worthless to God but
we ain’t no threat to the devil neither!!!!
If you want to be a threat to the devil tonight, be happy with God and put him under your feet in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
That’ll make the devil tremble and run like a whopped puppy!!!!!
Turn back to Nehemiah chapter 8:9 & 10
for a minute.....READ
The strength here that we need to be living godly don’t come from excessive sorrow or despair but from our joy in the Lord.
Despair won’t allow us to grow in the Lord
nor will it allow us to be transformed
you can’t get thanksgiving, praise, worship out of despair...
And you can’t win any trials or temptations with despair...
Joy is the power that produces success, and victory, and a Christian that’s bearing fruit...
If you’re not bearing fruit, or if you ain’t living for God, and productive for God:
John 15:6 says:
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned!!!!!
When you see somebody that’s working hard for the Lord, but they don’t grow spiritually, its because they are lacking spiritual joy in their lives!!!!
The Apostle Paul puts it quite well in
Romans 14:17
For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost!!!!!
Can somebody say AMEN!!!
Why is it today that we see so many members in the Churches that are lacking
in peace and Joy????? WHY???
Well I’m gonna tell ya’s!!!!!
We are lacking in the pulpit preaching: that focuses on spreading the peace, and joy, amongst our brothers and sisters...
And Maybe part of the reason is we’re scared that people’s gonna call us a bunch of holy rollers..
And we allow that to squash our whole attitude of enthusiasm and gladness in worshiping God!!!!AMEN
As Paul would say God forbid: that we raise our hands in praise, or feel an urge to stomp our feet, or say AMEN to the Preacher;
or clap our hands, and holler and say
Praise You Jesus!!!!!
Church we all need to take a step back and look at ourselves and check our ministries and just find out how much joy and peace and happiness, we are ministering with
here tonight!!!!!!!!!
We have to understand tonight that The Joy of The Lord is our Church’s Strength!!!
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And when we start to have problems with that little guy under our feet called satan.
The ole devil himself, we need to stomp him back under our feet where he belongs...
I just love the way Revelation 12:10 tells it:
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the Power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night!!!!
VS.11 says:
And they over came him by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony,
You see the devil tries to snatch our peace and joy right from our souls...
He’s working hard to discourage us!!!!
He whispers lies into our ears.....
I know every one of you here tonight
has heard the devil’s lies!!!
You’re no good!!!!! OR
God ain’t pleased with you, and He never will be.....
You’re a loser
You’re full of faults You’re weak
You’ll never be able to live this Christian life
You’re to much of a low life to please God
You’ve already messed up to many times
He won’t keep forgiving you for this!!!
You’ll never make it!!!!!
You might as well give up!!!!!
You don’t have a chance in making it to Heaven!!!!!
You’re gonna split hell wide open and you know it!!!!!!!!
Sound familiar????
Have you ever heard these thoughts...
You’ve probably heard plenty more, besides these!!! Have you ever believed them????
Have you ever felt the pain, and despair????
I know tonight that each and every one of you here, have heard these little lies from satan!!!!!!
And you know what else...You ain’t alone!!!
And there’s so many people that wouldn’t even mention these things to you tonight.
They would be embarrassed, and think you would think bad of them, or they would have to much of a fear of being belittled......
And you want me to tell you something else
if you haven’t heard all these little lies and then plenty besides,
Then YOU BETTER BE GETTIN WORRIED!!!!!!!!!
If you don’t feel some kind of conviction from God’s word, or if the devil don’t run after you.....then it might be to late to help you......
You might have been turned over to a reprobate mind!!!!!!!
Tonight you’re gonna be offered the chance to give your life to Jesus Christ....
People its very important for you
To give what you have left of this life to Jesus!!! And I ain’t talking about money
either.....
Remember tonight that satan plays in your mind, that’s his playground.....
God comes to your heart’s door.....
And He will knock, and knock.
He’s begging you, to open up and let
Him in.
If the devil can get you to start thinking his way, your mind comes under his thumb...
And under his control....
2nd Corinthians says in Chapter 10
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds!!!!
Here’s the best part
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
When the devil begins to attack us, we need to fight back with the teachings and promises of Jesus Christ, and his apostles.
We have to bring our thoughts under submission to Christ!!!
The Truth shall set you free!!!!!
If we feel we’re losing to satan we need to find the scriptures that not only challenge him but defeat him and his destructive lies.
Maybe we should write these scriptures down on sticky notes and post them around our homes and offices and workplaces.
And when the devil comes to attack, put him under our feet where he belongs in the mighty Name of Jesus Christ!!!!!!
Romans 8:31 says
If God be for us, who can be against us?
VS. 32 says:
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?
VS. 34 says:
Who is he that condemneth?
It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.....
VS. 37 says:
Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
VS. 38 & 39 says:
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come.
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord!!
1st John 4:4 says
Greater is He that is you, than he that is in the world!!!
Philippians 4:13 says:
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Let me point out a few things here quick about creating Joy in our Christian Walk
and I’ll begin tonight’s altar call....
When satan tries to get you down
When he tries to discourage you and make you feel sorrow!!
REJOICE!!!!
Open your Bible and read and study these passages that we’ve mentioned tonight...
Rejoice in God’s love and His faithfulness.
Put in some of your favorite lift me up music......
Sing your favorite lift me up hymns....
And Always remember to Pray, And everything you ask, ask it in the Name of Jesus!!!!!!
Ask God to forgive you of your sins!!!
And ask Him to put his loving arms around you.....
Ask Him to bring your joy, and happiness back into your life.......
And Count your many blessings
and Thank God for all of them....
Remember how good He’s been to you already.....
And when you feel tossed and discouraged, and thinking all is lost......
Call out your many blessings one, by one, to Him that gave them to you......
My heart goes out tonight to all of you who are sick with sorrow and unhappiness.
And Those of you who are lost, in sin, and looking to fill that void that’s in your life...
People that void in your life is Jesus Christ!
And I can tell you from experience that
alcohol, drugs, sex, or anything else that this sinful world has to offer won’t fill that void.
I know where that happiness and joy and peace and comfort is tonight!!
Whether you’ve never met Him or if you once knew Him and turned away....
He’s knocking tonight at your heart
Will you let Him fill that void??????
Come tonight and see, and feel,
The Joy of the Lord!!!!
