“THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH”
“Second Sunday after Easter”
Nehemiah 8:9-12
Fr. Christopher M. Nerreau
Introduction: (Read passage)
• Over the last several weeks I have preached messages of misunderstanding who Christ is, applying the resurrection of Christ to your heart, having faith in difficult circumstances but today I want to shift gears a bit.
• One of the great mistakes a pastor can make is to continually preach about responsibility and forget about something even MORE IMPORTANT – JOY!!!
Proposition: Our strength to live out this Christian life is NOT rooted in effort but rather in “THE JOY OF THE LORD!!!”
Interrogative sentence: Have you taken time this Easter season to simply enjoy Christ?
Sermon Preview:
In our sermon today I intend to demonstrate to you:
1. WE HAVE PERMISSION TO ENJOY GOD (8:9,10)
2. WE HAVE A PROCESS FOR ENJOYING GOD (8:10a)
3. WE HAVE A PROMISE IN THE ENJOYMENT OF GOD (8:10b)
Transitional Sentence: firstly let us see that we can enjoy God because…
I. WE HAVE PERMISSION TO ENJOY GOD (8:9,10)
Explanation: Nehemiah (the Governor) had just completed rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. The people had all gathered together and Ezra (the priest) began reading to them the Law of God. The people were cut to the heart at how far they had strayed from God’s law while in captivity. But listen to what Nehemiah and Ezra say to the people…
THE BIBLE SAYS: (Nehemiah 8:9) “And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.”
A. This Day Is Holy (v.10):
• Nehemiah saw for the first time in about 50 years the people of God gathered in Jerusalem and listening to the law of God. This was not a time to mourn but to celebrate!
• In a similar way, Easter is a season of celebration ( A TIME SET APART AND HOLY) and GOD HAS GIVEN YOU PERMISSION TO ENJOY HIM – THE BIBLE SAYS
i. (Matthew 9:15) - “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?” (Easter is a reminder that the Bridegroom is with us!)
ii. (Psalm 32:11) - Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous,and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
iii. (Isaiah 49:13) –“Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted his people…”
iv. (1 Thessalonians 1:6) - “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord…with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit…”
Illustration: Growing up my wife had a dog that would balance food on her nose until given permission to eat it. This was a demonstration of great obedience and it was impressive. But the fun part of the dogs display was watching her enjoy the treat. God has given you permission to enjoy the treat of life, and the fun part for Him is watching you do it!
Application:
• Today do you feel like that dog? Sitting in obedience waiting to experience the joy?
• Today we are in the season of Easter not Lent. Today is a time of celebration and like Nehemiah and Ezra, I as your priest encourage you to ENJOY CHRIST!!
• How might your walk with Christ be different if you simply took time to enjoy Him?
• Today we are in the season of Easter and God has given you permission to enjoy Him!
Transitional Sentence: We not only have permission to enjoy God, but thanks to Nehemiah…
II. WE HAVE A PROCESS FOR ENJOYING GOD (8:10a)
Explanation: Nehemiah clearly lays out for us a process for enjoying God in (v.10) that includes three steps.
THE BIBLE SAYS: (Nehemiah 8:10) - “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared.”
A. Go Your Way (v.10)
• The people were gathered together before the religious leaders, hearing the word of the Lord and weeping at their sin. But Nehemiah tells them to “Go your way…”
• In effect what he is saying is leave this setting of mourning, leave this congregation of sorrow and be free. This stood in contrast to the captivity they had just experienced in Babylon. They are now free to move about as they see fit.
• We also need to get away from the hardship from time to time and go to a place of celebration. We need to remember our freedom in Christ and the move to the places that bring us joy.
B. Eat and Drink (v. 10)
• Secondly, Nehemiah commands the people to “Eat and drink”.
i. Eat - They are to eat of the “fat” - literally the word translated means “fatty foods” – YUMMY!!!
ii. Drink – (RSV) “Of The Sweet wine” other translations (NASB “of the Sweetness”) In either case it is a call to consume a drink that is satisfying or in line with a celebration.
• Ultimately this is a call to have fellowship, splurge and enjoy each other. It brings joy to God as we fellowship together.
C. Bless Those Who Have Nothing (v.10)
• Complete your joy by giving to those who have need or in other words for those who have such great need they have no ability to enjoy God, give to them that they also may join the celebration!
Illustration: One of the reasons I love roller coasters is that they are so consuming there is no room for my problems. I have never ridden a roller coaster and thought to myself – “Did I pay that bill?”
The process for enjoying God should take us to the same place as the coaster.
Application:
• So we see that there is a process to enjoying God (THIS EASTER SEASON)
• This process happens as we are in fellowship with our families, loved one and each other:
o Separating ourselves from our circumstances and take a moment to breath!
o To eat things we know we shouldn’t and drink things that bring us pleasure. (NOT SAYING GET LOADED BUT HAVE THE COURAGE TO TAKE SOME LIBERTY!!!)
o Share with others, include them…
Transitional Sentence: So we have seen that not only do we have permission to enjoy God, and a process to do it but if we look closely we will also see a…
III. WE HAVE A PROMISE IN THE ENJOYMENT OF GOD (8:10b)
Explanation: Nehemiah did not simply call the people to celebrate for its own sake, but knowing the difficulties that lie ahead, Nehemiah promised that finding joy in the Lord would renew the strength of the people.
THE BIBLE SAYS – (v.10b) “for the joy of the Lord is Your Strength.”
Joy Is The Strength Of The Believer.
• Nehemiah (The Governor) knew that the enemies of God lie in wait to sack Jerusalem.
• Nehemiah also knew the people were tired and cut to the heart at their own disobedience, needing encouragement.
• What the people needed to know was that God loved them, that it was God who made provision for them.
• They were to draw from the great celebration a reminder of THE JOY OF THE LORD. This joy would be their provision going forward when things were difficult.
Illustration: When a body builder is lifting weights they are not looking forward to the blood sweat and tears of the gym but the joy of putting on their bathing suit. When a ball player is at practice they find their strength not in the hard work or effort that lies before them but in the promise of the cheering crowd.
In a similar way the promise of Nehemiah is this – That our eternal Joy that God loved and called us His own should be our strength going forward.
Application: The promise of Nehemiah is that JOY WILL BE OUR STRENGTH.
• Does your life reflect the joy of Christ?
• Have you taken time to celebrate Christ, to remind yourself of the joy?
• It is the joy of Christ that will overcome the hardships of this life.
CONCLUSION:
Restate Proposition: Our strength to live out this Christian life is NOT rooted in effort but rather in “THE JOY OF THE LORD!!!”
FINALLY NOTICE WITH ME: The People Understood (v.12)
THE BIBLE SAYS – (v.12) “And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.”
TODAY DO YOU UNDERSTAND? TODAY DO YOU HAVE THE JOY OF CHRIST?
Restate Main Points: If Not Remember In Christ:
1.WE HAVE PERMISSION TO ENJOY GOD (8:9,10)
2.WE HAVE A PROCESS FOR ENJOYING GOD (8:10a)
3.WE HAVE A PROMISE IN THE ENJOYMENT OF GOD (8:10b)
Final Application:
• It is crucial that the troubles of this world not overtake you. We all must take time to enjoy Christ.
• THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS TO – GLORIFY GOD AND TO ENJOY HIM FOREVER!
o DO NOT BELIEVE YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH THE FORMER BY FORSAKING THE LATTER…
• NOW GO CELEBRATE AND FIND THE JOY OF CHRIST!!!!!
