• Denominational differences
• Architex ally differences
• Spiritually differences
However, one thing you will find common in many churches that you should not find, there is one basic thing missing.
WHAT IS MISSING?
Let me illustrate…
Illus: Let me explain what is missing by telling you a story of a young boy who went to spend the week with his grandfather on the farm.
• While walking around he noticed the chickens. They were scratching and playing around. The little lad said, “They ain’t got it”.
• Next, he saw a colt in the field playing and kicking up its heel’s and he said, “He ain’t got it”.
• After examining all of the animals on his grandfather’s farm and seeing that none of them had “it”, this boy finally saw the old donkey in the barn.
• When he saw the donkey’s long, frowning face and the way that the donkey just stood there he screamed for his grandfather to come quick. “I found it, I found it,” the boy kept yelling.
• When his grandfather asked what he had found he said, “Pa-Pa, I found an animal that has the same kind of religion that you have.” (Chris Layton, SermonCentral.com)
There are a lot of grumpy people around today in God’s churches.
But in all fairness, you find grumpy people in other places also.
Illus: A man had a problem and went to the doctor’s office. As he walked in, he was met by the receptionist, who seemed sad and mad at the world.
The man told her that he had a sore on his chin and that he wanted the doctor to examine the sore.
• This grouchy old nurse said: “Down the hall, first door to the right, and take off your clothes for the doctor to examine you."
• "But ma’am," he said, "it’s just a sore on my chin. I don’t think all that is necessary."
• She repeated, "Down the hall, first door to the right, and take off your clothes so the doctor can examine you!"
• "But ma’am," he said…
• "Down the hall, first door to the right, and take off your clothes!"
• He went down the hall reluctantly, took the first door to the right, walked in and saw another man already sitting there in his boxer shorts, shivering.
• He said to him, "Boy, that receptionist is really something, isn’t she? I just have a little sore on my chin, and she told me to come down here and take my clothes off for the doctor to examine me.”
• The man in the boxer shorts said shivering, "You think that’s bad? I’m the UPS delivery man."
You find GRUMPY people in the doctor’s office and everywhere else.
But one place you should not find them in GOD’S CHURCH.
Illus: One lady had a GRUMPY old HUSBAND.
It got so bad it kept her on her knees crying out to God for help.
She prayed…
• "Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom to understand my GRUMPY OLD HUSBAND WHO IS MAKING MY LIFE MISERABLE.
• I pray for Love to forgive him for his GRUMPINESS!!!
• Because Lord…If I pray for strength and you give me strength, I'LL BEAT HIM SO BAD HE WILL HAVE A REASON TO BE GRUMPY
Illus: To be around GRUMPY PEOPLE IS LIKE BEING AROUNDGRAND CHILDREN, THAT IS, IT IS GOOD TO SEE THEM COMING AND IT IS REALLY GOOD TO SEE THEM GO!
• No one enjoys being around GRUMPY PEOPLE
• No one enjoys going to church with a church full of grumpy people.
Illus: Makes me think of Saddam Hussein and his chauffeur were rolling down the highway when suddenly they chauffeur ran over a pig killing him crossing the road.
• Saddam tells his driver: "Go to da farm over dere and explain to da owner of da pig what happened."
• One hour later, Saddam sees his driver coming back from the farm, and he is drinking and smoking this long cigar.
• Saddam said, "What happen to you? Why are you drinking and smoking dat long cigar?”
• "Well, the farmer’s wife insisted that I eat supper with them. After the meal he gave me this cigar and a bottle of wine to drink.”
• Saddam Hussein said, "My Word! What did you tell them?"
• The driver said I said: "Good evening. I am Saddam Hussein's chauffeur, and I have just killed the pig.” “I do not know why they were so happy."
We find SADNESS and JOY everywhere we go. We tend to equate happiness with Joy, but they are two totally different things.
They each spring from a different source.
For example:
(1) Happiness comes from the world AROUND US.
Happiness comes from happenings.
Illus:If people treat me well, if things are going
well in my life, then I’m happy.
If my circumstances aren’t favorable, then I’m unhappy.
(2) Joy comes from the Holy Spirit WITHIN US.
The Hebrew word means, “To leap or spin
around with pleasure.”
Illus: For example, when you go to a football game and your team scores a touch down SOMEONE MIGHT SAY “THEY SHOUTED FOR JOY.”
But that is not JOY that is HAPPINESS!
• Happiness comes from things AROUND US!
• In the New Testament the word JOY refers to “gladness, bliss and celebration WITHIN.”
Joy comes from WITHIN!
The one place that you should find JOY is within the church.
Why?
• The people around us can have HAPPINESS because a lot of good things happened to them.
• But only God can put JOY within a man’s heart.
You see, there are a lot of folks who have the happiness that the world has in their life, but they know that something within them is missing.
WHAT IS MISSING?
What is missing is that INWARD JOY that God gives a child of God even when things are not HAPPENING the way we would like FOR things to happen.
• Paul wrote to the church in Galatia. He asked a very probing question to these Galatians 4:15, “Where is then the blessedness ye spake of?”
• In other words, he was saying, “What has happened to all your joy…”
That question needs to be asked in the church today.
What has happened to ALL OUR JOY?
Illus: Someone said that there are some THINGS YOU NEVER HEAR IN CHURCH, like . . .
• Hey! It’s my turn to sit in the front row!
• Pastor, I was so excited about the preaching of God’s Word, I never noticed your sermon went 25 minutes over time!
• SINCE WE’RE ALL HERE, LET’S START THE SERVICE EARLY!
WHAT IS JOY?
Illus: Someone said:
• If our freedom in Christ is angel food cake, JOY is the frosting!
• If the Bible gives us the wonderful words of life, JOY is the music!
• If the way to heaven turns out to be a steep climb, JOY is the chairlift!
Let’s look at some things that affect our joy.
Let’s look at -
I. SOME JOY BUSTERS
Joy is the second fruit of the Spirit. The first fruit is love.
• The devil knows that when Christians do not bear the fruit of “love” it drives people away from God.
• The devil knows also that when Christians do not bear the fruit of “Joy,” it drives people away from God.
Illus: William Barclay has said that “a gloomy Christian is a contradiction in terms, and nothing in all religious history has done Christianity more harm than its connection with…long faces.”
Illus: Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court for 30 years. His mind, wit and work earned him the unofficial title of "the greatest justice since John Marshall."
At one point in his life, Justice Holmes explained his choice of a career by saying: "I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted so much like undertakers." (Moody Bible Institute’s Today in the Word, June 1988, p. 13.)
When the devil sees a church filled with JOYFUL CHRISTIANS, he will waste no time trying to rob them of their Joy.
Why?
Because he knows a church full of JOYFUL CHRISTIANS CAN SET THE WORLD ON FIRE FOR THE LORD!
Illus: Suppose you went to a football game and everyone just sat there. No matter what was done on the football field they just sat there with their sad faces.
And suppose someone did get excited and stood up and said, “Yea, go man go!” and everyone turned around and looked at you as if to say, “If you don’t settle down, we are going to have you tossed out of the stadium.”
• Would you want to go to a football game like that?
• Would you want to go to a church like that?
Illus: Listen, you could have more fun going to see the dentist and having a root canal than going to some churches where the joy of the Lord has been removed!
• There is nothing more thrilling than to attend a church service where everyone is smiling and rejoicing in the Lord.
• There is nothing more thrilling than to attend a church service where everyone is shaking hands and hugs with each other.
It is the nearest thing to heaven on the face of this earth.
Illus: Some churches have replaced the JOY OF THE LORD with what they call REVERENCE.
They set in their churches the same way people who attend a FUNERAL SERVICE.
But GRUMPINESS AND SADNESS ARE JOY BUSTERS!!!
Let’s look at some of the things that rob us of our joy.
A. UNRESOLVED GUILT
A lot of people are unable to forgive themselves for their past sins. The Lord Jesus has forgiven them, but they cannot forgive themselves.
Listen, the devil was not happy when the Lord forgave you of your sins, but now there is not anything he can do about that!!!
So, the only thing he can do to keep you from having the JOY OF THE LORD is remind you of your past sins.
Listen, so you messed up in the past - GET OVER IT!
There is an old saying, “There is no need to cry over spilt milk!”
• There is not a child of God that doesn’t deeply regret things they have done in the past.
• There is not a child of God that wish they could re-live parts of their life over again.
• God has forgiven us of ours sins and now we need to forgive ourselves.
Look at Romans 8:1, we read, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
• When we walked in the FLESH, we all can remember how we were CONDEMED IN THE FLESH.
• But now you are walking in THE SPIRIT!
The good news is this; when God saved you, you became a new creature in Christ Jesus. He forgave you of every PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE SIN you have ever committed or will commit.
Paul gives a whole list of what the Corinthians did before they got saved.
Look at 1 Cor. 6:9-10, we read, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
After Paul gave this list of sins, look what he says in verse 11, “And such were some of you…” (Notice, this is past tense.)
They once were deceivers, fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners.)
But he then says, “…But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
When God saves us, Paul says He does three things:
1. He washes us with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus
2. He sanctifies us and sets us apart to do His Work
3. He justifies us as if we have never committed one sin
If the sins of your past are robbing you of all your JOY, you need to get over IT.
It is the devil who does not want you to get over your past sins.
Illus: David committed some horrendous sins, such as deception, lust, adultery and eventually he was responsible for the murder of Uriah.
He felt enormous guilt over these sins.
He wrestled with the guilt and finally came to God in Psalms 51:12, and prayed, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation..."
He did not lose his SALVATION, but he did lose his JOY.
He prayed, Lord, “RESTORE TO ME THE JOY OF YOUR SALVATION.”
Forgiveness means IT IS OVER WITH!
Illus: When someone says they have forgiven you and they keep reminding you of what you once did, THEY HAVE NOT FORGIVEN YOU!
In fact, they do not know the real meaning of the word FORGIVENESS!
The law of our land accepts forgiveness for what it is.
Illus: For example, suppose a married man cheats on his wife or a married woman cheats on her husband. That is grounds for divorce in every state in the U.S.
But did you know that once she becomes aware of his indiscretion and she takes him back and let’s him spend one night at home, as far as the law is concerned, he has been forgiven.
And once he has been forgiven, she can no longer take him to court and get a divorce because of adultery, because her taking him back meant she forgave him, and it no longer can be held against him.
Forgiveness means it is no longer held against us!
In the world of theology, we call this JUSTIFICATION.
Justification simply means that when God forgives us, we stand before Him as if we have never sinned.
Illus: Years ago, Dr. Odell Belger led an old country fellow who have been living in sins for many years.
He got gloriously saved and had the JOY OF THE LORD IN HIS HEART.
He was baptized the following Sunday, but He did not know the CHURCH LANGUAGE LIKE PRAISE THE LORD OR HALLEJUH, so Pastor Belger IMMERSE IN BAPTISM he came up out the water and yell HOT DOG!
Do you have that same JOY in your life?
Can you say, “Aman or Hot dog or something!!!”
God forgives our sins and there is NO CONDEMNATION IN CHRIST JESUS.
Man may hold your past sins against you, but GOD TRULY FORGIVES US, so we need to get over it and forgive ourselves.
Many need to pray as David did, “RESTORE TO ME THE JOY OF MY SALVATION.”
Another JOY BUSTER IS…
B. A WOUNDED EGO
We men are known for our egos! (Ladies, this would be a good time to say “Aman!)”
When we have a large ego, it simply means we have a high opinion of ourselves that others do not share.
Illus: The coach for the little league team had not yet learned the names of all the players, so he called them by the numbers on their uniforms.
• He yelled, "Number 5, your time to bat," and Jeff came to the plate to bat
.
• He yelled, "Number 7," and Steve jumped up to bat.
• Then he yelled, "Number 1," but no one got up to bat.
• Again, he called out, "Number 1." Still, no one emerged from the dugout to bat.
• The umpire was getting annoyed at the delay, so the coach yelled out, "Who is number 1?"
The entire team responded, "We are, coach.
We are!"
There are many folks who think they are number one and then someone comes along and causes them to have a reality check, and they discover they are not what they think they are. That is a tremendous blow to their ego.
In Romans 12:3 Paul knew we men have a big EGO!!!
It seems he is talking to men, we read, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
God wants us all to think HIGHLY OF OURSELVES, but God cautions us about thinking MORE HIGHLY THAN WE OUGHT TO THINK.
Illus: Mohammed Ali, who was known for his big ego, was about to take off on an airplane flight.
• The stewardess reminded him to fasten his seat belt.
• He said brashly, "Superman don't need no seat belt."
• The stewardess quickly came back, "Superman don't need no airplane, either." Ali fastened his belt. (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 295.)
Some folks just have to be number 1.
Illus: On May 31, 1889, there was a terrible flood at Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Thousands of lives were lost. The event was one of the most significant newsmakers of that year.
A story was told about a man who lived through the flood. Every time he got a chance, he would tell people about it.
He died and went to Heaven, where he was told he could have anything he wanted.
The man said he wanted a great hall where he could tell his story to tens of thousands. The wish was granted.
The day came. The hall was packed. As he was ready to make his talk about the Johnstown flood, the master of ceremonies told him he would be the second speaker on the program.
A man named Noah would precede him.
Illus: Dwight Moody said, “Be humble or you'll stumble.”
There is always someone who has a story better than yours.
But if some folks can’t be in the SPOTLIGHT OF ATTENTION, THEY ARE UNHAPPY CAMPERS!
If we have a large ego, it is like carrying a large balloon around; sooner or later someone is going to “pop” our balloon.
People don’t always say the things we would like them to say. Sometimes they offend us and our feelings are hurt.
There are people who still remember what someone said about them ten years ago. And every time they see that person, they have flashbacks, and they lose their joy.
They need to GET OVER IT!
We have looked at JOY BUSTERS but take a few minutes and look at
II. JOY BUILDERS
The Lord desires that His people take Him seriously, but that they not take themselves too seriously.
He wants them to wipe off their grim looks, put smiles on their faces, and let laughter flow from their lips.
When the lost world attends the house of God, they should be able to see something that the world cannot provide.
Illus: William Treadwell said, “If we can convince people that we are onto something that's full of joy, they'll stampede one another to follow us.” (William Treadwell, Leadership, Vol. 1, no. 3.)
WHY DON’T CHRISTIANS REFLECT THE JOY OF THE LORD?
Some Christians are convinced that God never intended for the church to be full of joy.
They do not say that with their mouths, they say that with their lives!!!
• To them a worship service is SITTING IN A PEW!
• That is when it comes to worship in the Song service, they have spiritual LOCK JAW!
• When it comes to Giving, they act like their pockets have been sewed together.
They haven’t come to a WORSHIP SERVICE IN THEIR ENTIRE LIFE!
• ALL they have DONE is come set on a church pew!!!
• They can do the same thing sitting in a BENCH IN THE PARK!!!
No church will ever be effective in reaching the lost until they have the JOY OF THEIR SALVATION.
WANT SOME PROOF OF THAT!
Illus: There is plenty of proof all over this nation are churches are almost empty because nobody wants what they have!!!
Illus: C.H. Spurgeon said to a young group of preachers, “There are more flies caught with honey than with vinegar, and there will be more souls led to heaven by a man who wears heaven in his face than by one who bears death in his looks."
Illus: A Princeton Seminary professor made a study of great preachers across the past centuries that have made a difference. He asked the question, "What do these outstanding pulpiteers all have in common besides their faith?"
After several years of searching, he found the answer. IT WAS THEIR CHEERFULNESS.
Listen, the joy I am talking about is not generated by …
• Coming together and giving each other the high-five
• Cutting cartwheels down the aisles
IT IS SIMPLY AN INNER JOY that comes from within and is reflected in the faces of God’s People, whether they are in church or out of church.
Illus: A Hindu trader in India once asked a missionary:
• "What do you put on your face to make it shine?"
• With surprise, the man of God answered, "I don't put anything on it!”
• The Hindu trader questioner began to lose patience and said emphatically, "Yes, you do! All of you who believe in Jesus seem to have it. I've seen it in the towns of Agra and Surat, and even in the city of Bombay."
• Suddenly the Christian understood, and his face glowed even more as he said; "Now I know what you mean, and I will tell you the secret. It's not something we put on from the outside but something that comes from within. It's the reflection of the light of God in our hearts.”
We have looked at some JOY BUSTERS but let me share with you some JOY BUILDERS.
II. SOME JOY BUILDERS
Illus: A Christian was praying aloud at the altar, and he was praying, “God when I got saved, I had such wonderful joy, restore unto me the joy of the Lord.”
Another man heard him praying this prayer and he prayed, “God don’t answer that prayer, because he will just let it leak out again!”
Many Christians seem to have a hole in their bucket of joy -- it keeps leaking out!
God wants to build lasting joy into our lives so that we don’t have any leaks in our salvation.
God’s Word gives us ways to experience this JOY FROM WITHIN.
How?
We need to-
A. RECOGNIZE GOD AS JOYFUL
Many have unscriptural views of God. That is, they think of God as sitting on His throne with a frown on his face and ready to destroy anyone that crosses Him.
Illus: That reminds me of a man who says that one particular event cured him of being obnoxious in a restaurant. He had ordered a steak well done. When they brought it to him and he cut into it, it was rare. It was still bleeding.
So, he waved at the waitress and said, “Come here, come here.”
She came and he said, “This steak is too rare.” So, she took it to be cooked some more.
When she brought it back, he cut into it again, but they had overcooked it. Again, he waved for the waitress, “Come here. Look, it’s almost burned to a crisp.”
So, she took the steak and brought him another one!
He started cutting it, and then waving once again for the waitress, he complained, “It’s too tough. I can’t eat it. Take it back.”
So, she took it back and brought him yet another one. With the waitress standing there, he cut into that steak, and it was just right. She walked away.
Then he cut into his baked potato, and it had a black spot in it. Turning to the waitress, he said, “Look at this potato. It’s a bad potato.”
Then she picked the potato up (Spanking it as she said) “Bad potato! Bad potato!” and placed it back on his plate and said “If you have any more trouble with that potato, just let me know,” and she walked off.
He said that was the last time he ever complained in a restaurant.
Some folks are hard to please and they always have a frown on their face.
Many thinks God is like that.
Listen I have never seen God and neither have you. So how do we know what God is like?
I can prove it to you in TWO WAYS God has a JOYFUL TIME IN HEAVEN.
(1) BY THE SCRIPTURES
We can only get a true description of God as we turn to the Word of God, and His Word tells us about Him.
-Look at Zephaniah 3:17, we read, “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with JOY; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”
This scripture tells us that God delights in us and breaks out into song when He thinks about us!
-Psalm 104:31 says, “The glory of the LORD shall endure forever: the LORD shall REJOICE in his works.”
-Isaiah 65:18-19, “But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and JOY IN MY PEOPLE…”
God is a God of Joy ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES!
(2) God is a God of Joy! I can prove it to you in His Creation!
Listen, do not tell me God sits around and frowns all the time.
God has a sense of humor.
• When God gave these children all this energy and we old timers don’t have much energy to take care of them, do not tell me God does not have a sense of humor watching us older folks chase after these youngsters.
• When God made the giraffe with that long neck, do not tell me He does not have a sense of humor.
• When God painted all those funny looking stripes on a Zebra, do not tell me God does not have a sense of humor.
• When God made a bullfrog, do not tell me God does not have a sense of humor.
• When God created the HIPOPOTUS. God has a sense of humor.
Our Creator wants us to have JOY, why shouldn’t He also have joy in heaven.
If we have little or no joy in our lives, it could very well be because we don’t know the God of the Bible well enough, because joy is one of His character qualities.
Illus: Garrison Keillor said, “Some people think it's difficult to be a Christian and to laugh, but I think it's the other way around. God writes a lot of comedy, it's just that he has so many bad actors.” (Garrison Keillor, presentation at Goshen College, quoted in Reflections, Christianity Today.)
As we view God this way, we will discover that He takes great pleasure in us.
• He is the Good Gardener who toils over us with constant care.
• He waits patiently for His fruit to ripen, and with great joy He longs to gather in the harvest.
• His Holy Spirit, who lives within us, can transmit His joy directly to us.
One of the Joy builders in life is to RECOGNIZE THAT GOD IS A GOD OF JOY.
Also, another joy builder is:
(2) REITERATE YOUR COMMITMENT TO OTHERS
Illus: You may have heard the acrostic for JOY:
• J - Jesus First
• O - Others Second
• Y- You Last
When a person lives a life like that, they are going to begin to bear the fruit of the spirit. There will be JOY in their life.
• The first joy builder is vertical and has to do with how we view God.
• The second joy builder is horizontal and has to do with how we view each other.
Many folks could have more joy in their lives if they could learn to treat others the way they like to be treated.
Ephesians 4:32 teaches; “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
Notice, this verse of scripture says we are to treat each other with kindness.
Kindness is always something that stands out.
Illus: In the “Christian Reader,” a woman said, “Our daughter, who worked in Chicago before she was married, told how one day she got off the commuter train to go to her job when a scruffy-looking panhandler stopped her, asking for a quarter.
Never one to cast judgment or ignore a need, she faced a dilemma.
Looking straight in the man's eyes, she said, ‘I'm sorry but I don't have a quarter. I don't have any money to take the bus to work today.’”
“She was quite touched, when the man, without saying a word, reached into his pocket and gave her a quarter.” (Doris Hier, Christian Reader, Vol. 33, no. 5.)
There are so many ways we can be kind.
Illus: In 1994, Thurman Thomas, head bowed, with his hands covering his face, sat on the Buffalo bench following his team's fourth straight Super Bowl loss.
His three fumbles had helped seal the awful fate of his Buffalo Bills.
Suddenly, standing before him was the Dallas Cowboys' star running back, Emmitt Smith. Just named MVP for Super Bowl XXVIII, Smith was carrying his small daughter.
Smith looked down at her and said, "I want you to meet the greatest running back in the NFL, Mr. Thurman Thomas." (Allen Mann, Remington, Virginia. Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 4.)
If we are going to have JOY in our life, we are going to have to learn how say nice things to others.
Notice the Bible said, “And be ye kind…tenderhearted.”
The opposite of being tenderhearted is to be HARD HEARTED.
Illus: Have you ever had tough calluses on your hands? Those calluses become so hard that you could take a pin and stick it into the skin of those calluses, and you would not feel a thing.
There are people like this. They have such a HARD HEART they can’t feel a thing for others.
• They will do things to people and cause them much misery.
• They will say things about people that will destroy their character.
They simply do not care how much they hurt others.
But listen, a person like this can’t experience JOY in their own life until they learn to care about others.
Also, we are told, “…be ye…forgiving one another.”
People are going to do you wrong, and if you do not learn how to forgive, you will soon live in a small world of few people that you speak to or have anything to do with.
If we’re serious about drinking deeply out of the rivers of joy, we must learn how to be
• KIND,
• TENDERHEARTED
• FORGIVING to others.
We can’t do it alone. Romans 12:15 challenges us to, “Rejoice with those who rejoice…”
Happiness only comes when good times come, but joy can come even in the bad times.
Illus: This reminds me of what Matthew Henry, a Bible scholar from the 1700’s, wrote in his diary after some thieves robbed him and took his wallet:
• “Let me be thankful:
• First, because I was never robbed before.
• Second, because, although they took my wallet, they did not take my life.
• Third, because, although they took my all, it was not much.
• Fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”
God wants to give us JOY during all times of our life.
Conclusion:
• Guard yourself against those joy busters that crash into your life like a tidal wave.
• Identify one joy builder that you need to work on and attack it viciously.
Illus: "Granny" Parker was in her mid 70’s. She had trouble with her rooster! She was a godly woman who could "pray heaven down."
Like anyone, Granny has had her share of sorrows and pain. She had a rooster that she described by saying, “He was as mean as Satan himself.”
• She said, “That bird had decided that I didn’t belong in the yard with all "his" hens.
• Whenever she ventured too close to the hen house, he’d come flying at her with spurs thrashing and slashing. He got her a few times.
• Sometimes she went to church with her legs bleeding from this rooster attacking her.
• When folks asked her what happened, she would say, "Blame rooster done it again!"
• But granny was getting tired of that rooster. One day she ventured out the back door toward the hen house, calling, "Here chick-chick. Here, chick."
• The hens knew what that meant, and they all came on the dead run for chow.
• That old rooster came too. He was bent on protecting his territory, but he made a slight miscalculation.
• You see, over seventy years of handling problems, weather, crop failures, depression and stubborn barnyard animals, made Granny a formidable foe with a hoe.
• She watched out of the corner of her eye as that rooster came squawking and flapping his wings she was ready for him.
• At the last second, Granny "Make-My-Day" Parker sidestepped the leaping rooster and swung the hoe, and next Sunday he was Sunday dinner.
We all have our roosters. We all have those irritating circumstances of life that rob us of the joy of the Lord. We have seen that there are . . .
I. SOME JOY BUSTERS
II. SOME JOY BUILDERS
