The Joy Of The Lord

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!!!!