If you have your Bibles with you this morning, turn if you will to Psalm 27 and we will
read verses 1 through 6 together. This morning we will talk about joy.
The presence of Christ, from the very beginning at His birth, till now was meant to bring
joy. The truth is the church and the world suffer from a saddening lack of old fashion,
simple hearted, over flowing, bubbling Christian joy. Paul said to the church, "Rejoice
in the Lord always". Say that with me. (repeat)
But when you look at the average Christian congregation, they look like an audience of
bulldogs baptized in lemon juice. Advance agents for a killer cyclone, a merry meeting
of morticians, that have come together about a common cause.
It is a pity that joy is not as easy to find as trouble. Some people I know look for
trouble like it was buried treasure. So glad they are to find it. Some wives are so
concern about their husband's joy that they hire private detectives to find out why he
is so happy. If you want to be happy, do something every day to make someone happy, even
if it is only leaving them alone.
Jesus wants you to have real joy. Joy that is true joy. Joy that is lasting joy. Joy
that is great joy. Jesus said, "Be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee." "Be of
good cheer, it is I, be not afraid." "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." The
Bible says, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine" The Bible says, It is good for
you to laugh, it is good for you to have joy. If you are happy, some of you need to
inform your face. Would you just turn to the neighbor next to you and smile. See, it
won't break. Oh, look at all the smiles.
The joy of Jesus Christ is real joy. It's lasting joy. It is joy that is unspeakable and
full of glory. It is joy that is unshakable because it is not fragile. It is joy that
will endure the storms of life. It is real joy that transforms the sob of the soul into
a new song. It is joy that heals the broken heart and gives it new life. It is joy that
turns a bitter frown into a radiant smile. It is joy that turns the deepest despair into
the greatest delight.
It is joy that cannot be imitated, it cannot be duplicated, it cannot be purchased in a pill, it cannot be bought in a bottle. It is joy that is found in Jesus Christ, for He and He alone is the source of joy.
My next question is, have you lost your joy? Some have. Listen to the Word of God today. Psalm 27:1-6. (read)
Can we pray now. Father, in the blessed name of the Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word and thank You for the joy of Jesus, THAT'S REAL, THAT'S LASTING AND THAT'S ETERNAL, in Jesus name we pray and ask it, and all of God's children said, Praise the Lord.
I want you to know this morning that Joy is not something, it is SOMEONE. Joy is someone. Jesus said in John 15:11, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my JOY might be in you and that your joy might be full." I want you to get 2 phrases there, "My joy" and "your joy". Whose joy is it? It's His joy. The only joy that you can have outside of Jesus Christ, is a synthetic joy. Synthetic joy is destroying America. Drugs represents a synthetic joy. I'm not only talking about the illegal drugs on the street. I'm talking about the legal drugs sold across the druggist counter. Many are addicted to legal drugs. They cannot live their lives without running to the bottle for some sort of synthetic assistance.
When things get rough and the crisis of life demand character and strength, we run for a pill and drift to lala land rather than face the problem with Christ. I want to tell you something, Jesus Christ is greater than any problem you may have and Jesus Christ is the answer for any problem you possess. If we will cling to Him instead of the bottle, He will deliver you and give you the answer.
Drinking is synthetic joy, alcoholic beverages. It takes an effort to be a man of distinction, but for $15 and a fifth of whiskey, a moron can become a monarch. From a spineless, phoney nothing, to William the Conqueror. THAT'S SYNTHETIC JOY. Escapism is an American synthetic joy. Joy does not come to the man or woman who denounces anything and everything that places a strain on their conscience. We have redefined sin in America, rather than repent of sin so we can have joy. We are no longer sinners, we are with it. We have just redefined the evil.
Whenever we have a national crisis, rather than hold the line in the law, we change the law to include the corruption of the evil. If we continue on this course, as an American society, we'll have to change the national emblem from that of an eagle to that of a buzzard.
We have redefined morality. Rather than denounce homosexuality, we just redefined it. It is now an acceptable secondary lifestyle. We have redefined murder, so abortion can be accepted. And every doctor who participates in it, can hold his head up high, when he walks through the streets of our city.
I want you to know that he'll stand before God, guilty of murder in the first degree.
That's all synthetic joy. Has it produced happiness? Has it produced lasting joy? No way! America is the most violent society on the face of the earth. We are a nation of addicts. Things are going to the sewer. So ladies and gentlemen of New Winchester Baptist Church I am announcing today, IN THE NAME OF JOY & IN THE NAME OF GOODNESS & IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, IT'S TIME FOR GOOD PEOPLE EVERYWHERE TO STAND UP ON THEIR HIDE FEET AND SAY STOP! NO MORE!
It has not produced joy. Suicide rates are running off the charts. It's time to go back to what works. And what works is "now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord." "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
Jesus Christ can fill the empty, meaningless life. Without joy there is nothing within your soul that you want to reproduce. If you are looking for joy, you're not looking for a bottle, you are not looking for a new definition for an old evil. You are looking for Jesus Christ the Son of Glory, the Prince of Peace, the King of Joy, who came into the world to bring victory to every heart and to every life. And I challenge you to pursue the holiness of Jesus, because joy unspeakable, that's full of glory, comes from living right and being right and doing that which is pleasing in the sight of Christ our Lord.
No where in Scripture are we told to pursue joy. Joy is the by-product of the Holy Spirit. Say that with me, JOY IS THE BY-PRODUCT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Bible says, "The fruit of the Spirit is Joy." The fruit of abiding in the Lord is joy. It's peace, it's love.
Are you searching for joy? Than be filled with the Spirit. If you claim to be Spirit filled and you have no joy. You are in deception. There are things about which we cannot be joyful---in a time of deep sorrow. But if your joylessness is a permanent condition-- YOU ARE NOT SPIRIT FILLED.
Some have been raised in legalistic churches. You need to hear this, IT'S OK TO BE HAPPY. It's alright to smile. It's alright to laugh. It's okay to be real. It's alright to be normal. It's alright to let the joy of Jesus radiate out of your life, so that you might lift up your head above your enemies and offer sacrifices of joy in the Tabernacle. Even sing praises to the Lord. It doesn't all have to be the funeral dirge. It can and should be joyful, and praiseful.
The joy of Jesus is what Coca Cola is trying to be, it's the Real Thing and you need to try it.
The joy of Jesus is within us. But it doesn't get there by itself. It comes the day you acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. Many of you have a Savior, but you have no Lord. You are saved and you are on your way to heaven but you are living a useless life, as far as the Kingdom of God is concerned. It's time for you to get Jesus Christ into your conduct. It's time for you to get Jesus Christ into your speech. Is your speech filled with criticism? Is your speech filled with fault finding? Is your speech filled with complaining? Then you are not Spirit filled.
When Jesus is the Lord of your life, you will obey Him. When Jesus is the Lord of your life, you will adore Him. When Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life, you will serve Him. When Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life, you will follow Him. When Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life, you'll give of your time and your talent and of your treasure to the Lord. When Jesus is the Lord of your life, you'll praise Him with hands lifted, out of your mouth, with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory.
BECAUSE JOY WILL MANIFEST ITSELF. If you are joyful, somebody will know it! Won't they? Where do you search for joy? Have you noticed that the people who are searching for joy are those who most desperately don't have it.
People search for joy in marriage. I know that marriage is made in heaven, but so is thunder and lightning. Getting married is easy, staying married is more difficult. If you are not full of joy when you walk down the aisle, you will not be full of joy when you walk back up that aisle. Marriage is wonderful, but it will not make you happy if you are not already happy.
Some people search for joy in materialism. There is a vast difference in making a living and making a life. Many make a fabulous living, but have a pathetic life. And there is a lot of difference.
In 1923 eight (8) of the world's wealthiest people gathered for what the press called the most important economic conference of the century. Those 8 men were the president of the largest steel company in America. The head of the largest utility company. The head of the greatest commodities company, The president of the NY stock exchange. A member of the presidents cabinet. The greatest bear on Wall Street, and the head of the world's largest monopoly.
What happened to those 8 powerful men? Rich. Whose lives were larger than life. Who certainly knew how to make a living. But what kind of a life did they have. 25 years later a press reporter followed up on their lives. And here is what happened to them.
The president of the largest steel company, Charles Swab, died bankrupted. -- The Utility Executive, Samual Insel, died a fugitive from justice. Exiled in Greece. His fortune gone. The greatest Commodities speculator, Art Quetin, died, absolutely penniless. -- The president of the NY Stock Exchange, Richard Whitney, went to the penitentiary, where he died. -- A member of the presidents cabinet, Albert Fall, was released from prison, so he could go home and die. -- The Greatest Bear on Wall Street, Jesse Livermore, committed suicide. -- The head of the world's largest monopoly, Ivan Kruger, committed suicide.
They all knew how to make a living, but they didn't know how to make a life. They did not have joy that made life worth living. What about you? Are you sacrificing your health for a few more dollars? Are you sacrificing the joy of your marriage for a few more dollars? Are you sacrificing the joy of your children by spending money like water on them, to keep from spending time with them?
What sense does that make? If you leave them a fortune and they do not have what you have, they will loose it very speedily. The Bible says, "A child left to his own way will bring its parents shame." What's your decision?
So you are making lots of money. Big deal. If there is no joy in your life, if there's no joy in your home, if there's no joy in your marriage, if there's no joy with your children -- IF THERE'S NO JOY WITH GOD -- You are not going to have real joy, lasting joy, meaningful joy, until you make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life.
Some people say, "I'll be happy, I'll be full of joy when I retire." That's an illusion. Retirement is setting on the front porch watching the sun set, if you can stay awake that long.
The only thing bad about doing nothing, is that you can never get a day off.
People say, "I'm going to have joy, I'll find it in religion. Religious people are the most unhappy people on the face of the earth. And I want to make a quick distinction between knowing Jesus Christ and being religious. There's a difference between having Jesus as Savior and Lord and being religious. Nothing starts a fight faster than when religious people get together.
Religion will not bring you joy. There are 285 denominations in America and somebody needs to say it, "We can't all be right." And I can tell you that if you don't have joy, you're on the wrong road. Religion is ritual without righteousness. Religion is ceremony that does not demand a change in your conduct. Religion is rich with tradition, but it is starving for joy. Tradition is a rut. A rut is wonderful if all you want to do is to go somewhere someone else has already gone. But when the Lord starts to do a new thing, if you are in the rut of religion, you can't follow it and you can't go with it.
I'll tell you this, those that are in the rut will be unhappy when you come along with a joyful sound. The Pharisees had tradition and they were in a rut and when Jesus came proclaiming the joy of the world, they wanted to kill Him. Because religious people don't like joy. They like POMPOSITY -- THEY LIKE PEACOCKYNESS -- (walk around cocky) --I'M SO SPIRITUAL --
Jesus intended for His followers to be real and to have joy that is unspeakable and unshakable in a world that has gone mad. Jesus said, "I give you My joy and that your joy shall be full." There is no such thing as a joyless Christian. David said, "Take not away the Joy of my salvation." The Bible says, "In thy presence is the fullness of joy."
A man came to me some time ago and said, "Preacher, I know a joyless Christian." "And I said, no you don't." He said, "Yes I do" I said, "No you don't. You know some luke warm, doubting, pouting, fearful, halfhearted, compromising, religious sad sack, who is a heartbeat from hell, he's no Christian." He said, "I never looked at it that way."
Joy is not determined by circumstances. Jesus the night before He was crucified looked at His disciples and said, "My joy I give unto you, not as the world gives but such as I have give I it unto thee." In a few hours He was going to be hanging from a blood soaked cross. He would be plunged into a sea of suffering like no other man had experienced before, yet He turns His face from the upper room and looks into the shadows of Gethseminene and He looks into the darkness of unspeakable agony and He says to His disciples, "My joy I give unto you..."
Jesus gave you your joy and no man can take it from you. The only way another man can take your joy is if you hand it to him on a silver platter and say, "here, you control me, you take my joy, I give it to you."
When you are up against it, smile, it drives your enemies nuts.
Ps. 32:11 David said, "shout for joy all ye that are upright." And that's the reason some can't shout for joy. When you are upright the joy of the Lord flows out of you like a river that's not containable. You have to be willing to be joyful. I know some people who refuse to be joyful.
True story. The pastor was preaching on the joy of the Lord, the congregation was laughing and enjoying the presence of the Lord and a sour puss church member got up and rebuked the pastor and the congregation for enjoying the presence of the Lord. And the pastor being wise accommodated this sad sack by saying, "Let's all stand while this brother leads us in a time of weeping and whaling".
Matt. 25, "Enter thou into the joy of the Lord". You enter into the joy of the Lord by an act of your will. You are just as joyful as you choose to be. "In thy presence is the fullness of Joy."(repeat)
Jesus is here right now and He said "where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, there I'll be." His presence produces joy. And joy heals. Joy inspires. Joy refreshes. Joy conquerors depression. Joy turns despair into light. Joy puts a song in your heart. Joy refreshes your mind. Joy reduces the size of the giant and the size of the problem. Joy elevates the body and restores it in the presence of the Lord. And you can have it right now.
But you have to choose to have it, through Jesus Christ. Can we all stand together. Are you searching for joy. Joy is not something, it is Someone and you'll find Him in the pages of this Book.
Father, in the precious name of Jesus I ask that you speak to that heart this morning. The one who needs you as Savior and Lord. To that heart that needs you as Lord. To that one who would like to join with this church family. What ever the need, you are joyful enough and gracious enough to give it. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
