A Heart filled with JOY!
Proverbs 17:22 22 A merry heart £does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.
Now, in that same vein, may I suggest that your emotions have a profound affect upon the way you feel.
Maybe King Solomon said it best when he wrote these words, "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." [Proverbs 17:22]
~Our emotions cause us to sweat, to weep, to tremble.
~Our emotions cause us to turn white with fear, red with embarrassment, purple with anger, and
green with nausea.
~Our emotions really do effect us physically.
ILL. Perhaps the most famous example of this is the recovery of Norman Cousins from what was diagnosed as an incurable disease. He was bedridden & the doctors gave him no hope at all. So he decided on his own treatment. His family got a movie projector & rented all the Charlie Chaplin & Abbott & Costello movies that they could find - movies where you just sit back & laugh because they are genuinely funny.
He ran one movie after another, & the more he watched the more he laughed. The more he laughed, the better he felt. First thing you know, the doctors could find no evidence of the incurable disease.
ILL. Last week, on the editorial page of the Valley Morning Star, Paul Harvey stated that for the last 10 years Norman Cousins has been on the staff of the UCLA School of Medicine & is pioneering a new medical discipline: "pyschoneuro-immunology."
The article states, "Carefully controlled experiments conducted by Cousins & his associates demonstrate that you - just by controlling your mind set - can alter your temperature, your blood pressure & your blood chemistry in a matter of minutes."
It goes on to say, "There is now evidence that cancer patients - liberated from depression - can actually activate the anti-cancer capability of the immune system. ’The human body,’ contends Cousins, ’is far more robust than people have been led to believe. A strong will to live, along with the other positive emotions - faith, love, purpose, determination, humor - boosts disease-fighting immune cells.’"
A. So the proverb is true. If you’re joyful in your heart, then that is good medicine. But if you’re
not joyful, if your spirit is broken, then it dries up your bones. You become old & tired, & a
person no one wants to be around.
a. Who are the people to whom we are attracted?
1. "Gloomy Gus" who walks around with a frown on his face?
2. The person who sees all the bad things in the world, who is thoroughly convinced that
everything is going to fall apart?
Is that the kind of person with whom we love to spend our time?
B. No, not at all! We are attracted to the person who has a smile on his face, & joy in his heart.
C. But someone says, "Well all right, preacher, I hear you. But circumstances in my life aren’t
that good. Things have been tough. Just why should my heart be filled with joy?"
I believe that if you will take these 3 reasons home with you & live with them daily, that it will
make a world of difference in the way that you feel.
I. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED A GREAT DELIVERANCE
A. The first one is this: We who are Christians have experienced a great deliverance.
Romans 3:10 …There is none righteous, not one
Romans 3:23 ...For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:8 But God commanded his love toward us, while we were yet sinners,
Romans 10:9 That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation
We have been delivered. If that doesn’t bring great joy into your heart, then I don’t know what would.
ILL. I love the story about the naval officer who was made captain of a battleship & was in command of it for the very first time. Filled with pride he stood on the deck, barking out orders. Late into the night he was still standing proudly on the bridge. He was the captain & the crew obeyed his every command.
But as he stood there he saw a light slowly drawing nearer & nearer, almost directly in the battleship’s path. Immediately the captain ordered the signalman. "Signal that light to alter its course 10 degrees to the south."
But back came the signal from that light saying, "Alter your course 10 degrees to the north." This made the captain angry. Confident that he was the ranking officer he ordered, "Signal that this is the captain & he is to alter his course 10 degrees to the south."
Back came the signal from the light saying, "This is Seaman 3rd Class Smith. Alter your course 10 degrees to the north." The captain became even angrier, clenched his fists & barked the order, "Tell the light to change its course 10 degrees to the south because this is a battleship."
Back came the signal from the light saying, "Alter your course 10 degrees to the north because this is a lighthouse." You don’t move lighthouses & you don’t move God’s Word. God’s Word is always the same, never changing.
The Word says that when Jesus is our Lord & Savior then we have been delivered from the bondage of sin & have the gift of everlasting life. That’s reason #1 for joy in our hearts. "A joyful heart is good medicine."
1. We are saved!!Delivered, Set Free!!
II. WE HAVE A GREAT TASK TO PERFORM
A. The 2nd reason is this: We have a great task to perform. Most people who deal with others
realize that the best medicine that can be given to a person who is depressed – dealing with
anxiety & distress is to give that person something to do.
The bigger the job the better, because the more involved we are in performing a task - especially in helping someone else - the more apt we are to forget our own problems & be healed of that which is causing us distress.
ILL. I know many, many missionarys! I have heard lots of stories about thing that have happened
on the mission field But without exception, at the close of each article there was a fantastic
testimony saying that in the giving of themselves they had found true joy.
B. Our TASK is carrying the gospel around the world. We haven’t completed the task. There are
still lost people, friends, neighbors, relatives - people who do not know Jesus Christ.
God has said, "Here is your task. Let them know that Jesus is Lord - that He is King of Kings - & that He died for them."
ILL. There is an old legend about when Jesus ascended back into Heaven. When He arrived, the angel Gabriel came up & asked, "Lord, how did it go?" Jesus answered, "It went all right. I accomplished what I went to accomplish. I went to the cross & died for their sins."
Gabriel asked, "But do the people appreciate what you did? Do they even know?" Jesus answered, "Well, a few of them do - Peter, James, John, & a few others." Then Gabriel asked, "How about the rest of the world?"
Jesus said, "Here is my plan. I plan for Peter, James & John, Andrew & the rest to tell some others. When those people hear about it, then they will each tell somebody else. And when those people hear about it they will each tell somebody else until the whole world knows."
Then Gabriel, knowing the weaknesses of humankind, asked "But what if they fail? What if Peter & James & John & Andrew don’t tell anybody? Or what if those people don’t tell somebody else? What if they forget the message? What if they become indifferent & complacent? What other plan do you have?"
Jesus looked at Gabriel & said, "I have no other plan."
No, He doesn’t. That is still His plan - for me to tell somebody. And then for the 2 of us to find 2 more & tell them. And then for the 4 of us to find 4 more & tell them. And for the 8 of us to find 8 more & tell them, & for the 16 to find 16 & tell them ? until finally the whole world knows.
There is no other plan. You want a job to do? We have one. And when we’re doing it, our hearts are filled with a joy that the world will never, ever understand.
1. We are delivered and set free
2. We have a great task to perform
III. WE TRUST IN GOD
A. The 3rd element that brings joy to our hearts is trust.
1. Every marriage has to have trust for it to survive. There must be trust between husband &
wife.
2. True friendship requires trust. Where trust prevails then peace & harmony can also prevail.
B. Our Christian life takes on a more meaningful experience when we learn to trust God to take
care of all things.
C. Jesus has a favorite word that He used over & over again. In the Greek language it
is "tharsay." It means "cheer up," & is often translated "take heart," "be not afraid," "fear
not."
ILL. A paralyzed man was brought to Him, & Jesus said, "Cheer up, your sins are forgiven. Take up your bed & walk." Immediately the man took up his bed & started glorifying God. He was able to walk, & he was filled with joy.
ILL. Jesus walked on the stormy sea of Galilee & looked into the frightened eyes of the apostles who were trying to row in the midst of the storm. When He saw that they were afraid, thinking that He must be a ghost, Jesus said, "Cheer up. Don’t be afraid. It is I."
In all the storms of life we can hear the voice of Jesus, "Cheer up."
ILL. On that last night, in the upper room, Jesus once again started telling them that He was going to die. But they just couldn’t accept that. So Jesus looked at them & said, "When the world persecutes you, & when suffering comes your way, cheer up because I have overcome the world."
B. You & I have only a limited control over the circumstances which come our way. We are not
sure what the next few months or years will bring to our homes, our families, & to our lives.
BUT…..there is the voice of Jesus saying, "Cheer up, because a joyful heart is the very best medicine that you can take."
