Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound
Psalm 89:15
In reading this scripture, notice the words very carefully:
The author did not write:
Blessed are the people who know the mournful sound
Or the unhappy sound
Or the depressing sound
Or even the sorrowful sound
But Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound.
Notice, he did not say, “hear” the joyful sound, but “know” the joyful sound.
There is a reason for the insertion of the word “know” instead of the word “hear”.
You may “hear” something but not respond to what you are hearing, or you may not give a hoot to what you are hearing.
But the word “know” in the original Hebrew is yaw-dah', which means:
To acknowledge the joyful sound
To understand the joyful sound
To regard the joyful sound
Now what does the term “joyful sound” mean?
Hebrew- ter-oo-aw'
acclamation of joy or a battle-cry; especially clangor of trumpets, as an alarm, blow(- ing) (of, the) (trumpets), joy, jubilee, loud noise, rejoicing, shout(-ing), (high, joyful) sound(-ing).
+Like the shout of a victorious army, Nu 23:21 or the welcome trump of Jubilee, proclaiming victory over sin, death, and hell, liberty from the bondage of corruption and speaking pardon, peace, and eternal reconciliation between the offended God, and the sinful soul.
So there are several joyful sounds in the Bible, but for the sake of time I want to point out just four of them.
Do you remember the story in 2 Samuel 5:24?
And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.
This phrase comes from a story when David when David was the anointed King of Israel.
When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed King of Israel they came to make war with him.
David had previously killed their beloved Goliath the champion of the Philistine army and they had an agenda to come and get even.
Well they mounted up and marched over to whip David and destroy his kingdom.
But David turned the tables on them and beat the socks off of them and sent them running.
Stupidly they went back and licked their wounds and regrouped and came back for more, thinking they could use some sort of strategy to defeat David this time.
The Philistines camped out in a valley getting ready for an attack.
When David heard about it he immediately went before the Lord and inquired what he was to do.
God said “Don’t go up against them, but compass around behind them and hide among some mulberry trees and wait.
So David and his army slipped around behind the camp of the Philistines, and waited.
God said “When you hear the wind blowing in the tops of the mulberry trees it will be time to attack the Philistines.
It was the joyful sound! It was a sound of victory! It was a sound of triumph!
David and his men made a surprise attack on the Philistines and they didn’t have a chance, they were defeated.
Oh thank God for the joyful sound of victory!
We at Biscoe First Assembly of God church need to prepare for battle.
The enemy has compassed the church of the living God.
Satan has regrouped his armies and has come to destroy the influence of the church in our nation and in our local communities.
He wants to destroy the influence of the church upon our society.
Its time the church puts up our picnic baskets and prepare for battle.
My friend, I am convinced that we are going to have a battle from now on.
The world has regrouped and has declared an open attack against the church.
For hundreds of years the church has been effective in changing lives, and even whole communities and towns.
But today every church that has a desire to go forward by promoting holiness, evangelism, and to step out on the promises of God, will be attacked by the forces of hell.
If Satan cannot disrupt the church from outside influences, he will use those in the church who are willing to be an instrument of disharmony, division, and discouragement.
And if you are not walking in the Spirit of God, you are an open vessel for Satan to use to tear down, discourage and bring confusion in the house of God.
The world has come against us! They want us to shut up! They want us to leave them alone, they want us to remain somewhere off in the backwoods out of sight, out of mind.
So church, prepare for battle! We have heard the rustling in the mulberry trees. The wind of the Holy Spirit is urging us to go forward and fight the good fight of faith.
You may ask, “Where is the joyful sound in this story?”
It is a joyful sound for the church to go forth in the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, tearing down strongholds,
2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
The idolatry of the world was strongly fortified by prejudice, and long establishment, and the protection of laws, and the power of the priesthood; and the opinions of the world are entrenched behind false philosophy and the power of subtle argumentation.
The whole world is fortified against Christianity; and the nations of the earth have been engaged in little else than in raising and strengthening such strongholds for the space of six thousand years.
The Christian religion goes forth against all the combined and concentrated powers of resistance of the whole world; and the warfare is to be waged against every strongly fortified place of error and of sin.
These strong fortifications of error and of sin are to be battered down and laid in ruins by our spiritual weapons.
So we go for with a joyful sound, a sound of victory, a sound of triumph, a sound of victory through Jesus Christ who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
2. Secondly, there is another joyful sound, the sound of an abundance of rain.
I Kings 18:41
And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
I don’t have time to go through the circumstances surrounding this story, I think just about everyone knows it already, but there was a severe famine in Samaria.
Elijah had just had a spiritual battle and contest with Baal’s prophets. God came through with victory and Elijah took all of Baal’s false prophets down by a brook and killed every one of them.
Because of the false prophets of Baal, the apostasy of King Ahab and the wicked Jezebel, God’s people had turned to Idolatry.
Jezebel was deep into idolatry and was partly the cause of God’s anger against the people, because of her the people of God was also involved in idolatry.
So God sent a famine in the land, both natural and spiritual.
Now, God’s people were ready for a revival. They wanted to turn back to God and repent of their sins.
So you know the story of how God spoke to Elijah and informed him that He would send rain upon the land, and relieve the people of the severe famine that had plagued Samaria.
I wished I had the time to go through this story but I must move on.
So after Elijah prayed for rain several times God sent an abundance of rain.
Church, in spite of the battle that is raging, and in spite of Satan’s attacks, and in spite of the enemy surrounding us on every side,
In spite of the deadness and dullness and unconcern of a lot of Christians, I hear the sound of abundance of rain. I know the joyful sound.
I think we need to hear the sound of abundance of spiritual rain in this church.
I think we need to hear the joyful sound! Not the sound of gloom and doom, not the sound of discouragement, not the sound of sorrow, and not the sound of defeat, BUT A JOYFUL SOUND!
I think we need to get ready for a downpour of God’s Spirit.
Ignore the skeptics, doubters, and gloom and doomers!
If we want it, if we desire it, if we prepare for it, God will send a revival of refreshing rain upon this church.
Let Biscoe prepare for a blessing!
Let Biscoe prepare for a revival!
Let Biscoe prepare for a renewal!
I hear the joyful sound! I hear the sound of abundance of rain!
Rain refreshes
Rain restores
Rain renews
Rain quickens and revives
Rain recreates
Rain recovers
Rain cleanses
Rain purifies
Don’t you hear the joyful sound this morning?
Don’t you hear the sound of an abundance of rain?
3. The sound of many waters
Ezekiel 43:2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
The word Behold is an expression of joy and admiration; as if the prophet had said, Behold a wonderful and joyful sight!
The glory of the God of Israel, which had so long departed from this place, is now returned to it, and the same way by which it departed.’
The prophet saw the glory of the God of Israel coming “from the east.” Christ is “the Sun of righteousness:”
and as the sun ariseth in the east, so did he arise in the eastern regions, and thence his light hath been communicated to the western world.
It is not intimated that a dark cloud attended this visible glory as under former dispensations; for the full light of the gospel dispels the darkness which before rested on heavenly things.
It was, however, attended by a voice like the noise of many waters: which may denote the efficacy of the gospel in alarming and converting sinners;
“The earth also shined with his glory;” for the light of divine truth, displating the glory of God in Jesus Christ, shall illuminate all the nations when those times shall arrive.
Church, in 2014 let us prepare ourselves for an outpouring of His Spirit.
Ezekiel said, “His voice was like a noise (or sound) of many waters, indicating an outpouring of water.
I personally believe that God wants to do more than just “Showers of blessings, mercy drops round us are falling,” as the old hymn says.
I believe wants to pour out His Spirit in a full measure, if God’s people will only prepare and expect it.
In Acts chapter 2 there was a sound of a rushing mighty wind. What a joyful sound that was!!!
They went there anticipating the promise that had been given them, the promise of power, the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
They had no clue how it would come, or when it would come.
Jesus just said “Tarry until you be endued with power from on high.
And when it came it was a joyful sound! God sent his power upon those 120 men and women who had gathered in that upper room.
It came with force. It came with power. It came with an energizing force, to give them an energizing ability to be powerful and effective witnesses of the power of salvation.
Don’t you hear the joyful sound this morning. It is the sound of the Holy Spirit moving among us. It is the sound of an anointed power to do great and mighty wonders among the church.
For some of us, Its been a long time since we have heard the joyful sound. God let us hear that joyful sound again.
4. Fourthly, and lastly, The Sound of the trumpet.
It will be a joyful sound!
1 Cor. 15:52, “ In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
It will not be a joyful sound for the sinner.
It will not be a joyful sound for the backslider.
It will not be a joyful sound for the hypocrite.
But to the blood washed, blood bought, blood redeemed children of God, it will be a joyful sound.
For we who hear that joyful sound, we whom are saved by the blood of Jesus shall lay aside this corruptible flesh, lay aside sin and sorrow, lay aside troubles and trials, lay aside heartaches and pain, lay aside death, will go to be with Jesus for eternity.
I’m listening for that joyful sound of the trumpet! I’m listening for those graves to burst open! Oh, it will be a joyful sound!
It will be worth it all! It will be worth all the trials we have gone through. It will be worth all the struggles and battles we have fought.
In this life we hear the sounds of wars. We hear the sound of those who are suffering. We hear the sounds of the dying. We hear the sounds of troubles and trials.
But someday we will hear the joyful sound of the trumpet!
Don’t you hear the joyful sound?
To some people, they have forgotten what the joyful sound is like. Trials and tribulations have caused to tune out the joyful sound.
There are those whose lives are filled with troubles and heartache, and no longer hear the joyful sound.
All they hear is gloom, despair, agony, discouragement, condemnation, nothing but bad news, wondering what will happen next.
But there is a joyful sound this morning! God wants you to once again hear the joyful sound.
The sound of victory!
The sound of spiritual renewal.
The sound of the Holy Spirit beginning to revive in your heart.
Are you listening to the joyful sound, or the gloom and doom sounds around you?
