Welcome to the Susquehanna Valley Baptist Pulpit, preaching a life worth living, abundant life in Christ. And now the message. memory passage for this series that we're doing on joy it's John 15 and we are verse 11 and as is our custom I want to do the reference before and after but I'd like to say this verse in unison together and again that reference John 15 11 John 15 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. John 15, 11. Now the definition that we've used for joy, I've not reviewed this in some times, but joy is the presence of mind to focus on the will of God. and not on the desires of the flesh. That's a good definition for joy. Joy is the presence of mind to focus on the will of God and not the desires of the flesh. It's interesting, just a moment ago we sang that I feel, one of the most powerful hymns, of personal expression of joy. And keep in mind that happiness is a variable in your life. In fact, joy is a constant They can only dwell with a variable. Happiness is a variable. Happiness is always contingent upon the events or as someone said, the happenings of your life. I'm not always happy if things don't go my way. I'll give you just a little story. The other day I was out mowing grass and I am down the last strip I'm already in my mind doing something else. You ever been there? And I looked down and I kept going forward, but my lawnmower made a right turn. And I'm holding, not handlebars, but the structure, the handles of my mower. And here it was, the bolts had come out. And I couldn't finish mowing that last strip and I had to go get, I couldn't find it. I looked for 20 minutes. A two minute job and it took me an hour to finish the grass. The bolts had come unscrewed that held it together. Now if I'd have had a rotting lawnmower, that wouldn't have happened. Instead I'd have had a flat tire, a dead battery or something. I'm sure there's a divine reason to it. There'd have been something. Murphy's Law. Something will always go wrong. Well, it's based on events. Your happiness is. But our joy, our joy in our life is not a variable. But we are. That memory passage there in John 15 verse 11 is powerful. That my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. Just because you're a Christian this morning, a Bible-believing Christian, just because you've experienced a conversion that comes to the new birth, does not mean that you currently are experiencing the joy of your salvation. I find Nehemiah chapter 12, if you'll turn there, a powerful passage. And just to set the background a little bit, things, that is events, have not gone Nehemiah's way and nor these other great men and women that are there for the great purpose. Nehemiah, we find him in chapter one, is a cupbearer in Shushan, the palace. And you know, just by way, I wonder how a cupbearer, the actual job requirement there, could be a man that would be joyful. I mean, the idea of a cup bearer is to what? Sample the king's food. Why are you sampling the king's food? You're the in case man. In case there's poison, they won't get the king. I mean, really, if we have Secretary's Day where we're going to give something to all the secretaries, there surely ought to have been a cup bearer's day. You're going to drink or eat whatever is about to go in the king's mouth. And your commentary, whether you gag and choke or smile, is predicated on the lack of poison that exists. Here's Nehemiah. This is his position. He's a trusted man. We find God moving in his heart. to go back and build the walls around Jerusalem. Well that's a noble thing. I wished, now get with me a minute, I wished that every stride that we could make for the Lord God would be accompanied with not simply just a peace that this is what God wants me to do, but a path that was easy to accomplish. Nehemiah had a peace about what God wanted him to do. And might I say this, it's been my experience, and I think you'll find in the Bible, God does not move through, does not have to move, I should say, through the quaking of the earth. A lot of people, they're waiting on God to quake their earth. I don't want God to quake my earth to get my attention. I think a fool speaks in those manners. I think a Christian that walks with God has the ability to hear the still, small voice that is present, because of this dispensation, in our hearts. A lot of times Christians get all out of sorts with the Lord and by virtue lose their joy and they get upset. They pitch and fit like a little child that's still in training. Or as Brother Joe likes to say, still cutting teeth. And every door they try. They try a door that goes down a path of their decision. God intervenes in their life and shuts the door. And they sit there kicking the door, prying the door, attempting to do anything they can to move the door. And only at the last moment will they acquiesce that this was not God's will. And then they try to find another path. And they repeat the process. See, that's not the will of God for your life. God hasn't called you to pick a place of your choosing. I've seen men that often, and women, just folks, fall into this same line of thinking. The will of God for your life, and there's plenty of Bible verses for this, does not have to be something that you think you're good at. Can I give you a biblical principle? Moses. He was prepared for it, but he didn't have confidence in it. In fact, from a personal experience, God has always led me in places I felt uncomfortable. Now if you feel comfortable in what God's calling you, I'm not telling you that God didn't call you. I'm just saying many times God prepares a man, but God wants glory because He's the only one that can have it, that should have it. He doesn't get the glory when man accomplishes something of his own might. If you can accomplish the will of God without a soul dependency upon Him, then one might question whether or not you're really accomplishing the will of God. He wants glory. So here Nehemiah goes back, in many ways prepared to do the task. He knew about leadership, he knew about trust, and after all, he's the king's cupbearer. It's not necessarily a guy they pull off a street. This is a guy that has some element of trust in the highest extent. He's a trusted man. He's a blameless man. He's a man sensitive to the leadership of God and a man sensitive to the calling of God in his life and it goes forward. But of course we know from reading Nehemiah this was not an easy task for him to accomplish, was it? Well of course not. He met conflict on every turn of life and that brings us to another thought that we spoke of several weeks ago. That joy is a choice despite conflict. If you're thinking that you'll have joy in your Christian life and it will exist because of lack of conflict, then I would challenge you to read much of the Bible. It is not indicative of such. Daniel had joy before, during, and after he's in the lion's den. But the joy was not associated by the lack of childs. It was present throughout the trial. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is another one. Paul, in a moment, I hope to go to Philippians chapter one. Paul's another one. Philippians chapter one, he's in prison. Yeah, he writes some 16 times about joy and joy and rejoicing. Your joy is not the absence of difficulty. It's a choice despite the difficulties. Well, onward Nehemiah went. He ran into trouble at every corner and every turn. And I find something interesting, and I hope maybe next week to get this, but look in Nehemiah chapter number 8, look at verse 10. He's writing here, the law is being read and explained, and in verse number 10 he writes something very profound. Here the scripture records for us. Then he said unto them, go your way to find drink the sweets and portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared for this day is holy unto our Lord, neither be ye sorry. And then notice this last phrase, for the joy of the Lord is your... That's a powerful thing. I hope next week to talk about some things that joyful Christians can do that simple Christians cannot. There are a series of things in the Bible which only a joyful Christian can accomplish. Think of this passage, the joy of the Lord being your strength, and then you think over Philippians chapter 4, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. I think there is a kinship between those two verses. And I believe with all my heart that God has some things and accomplishments that are especially tethered to the presence of the joy of the Lord in their life. Well, moving on. They've accomplished this now. The war has been built. That brings us into chapter 12. Now if you look in chapter 12, just to set one more idea of the context, in verse number 27 following, they are assembling themselves together for the purpose, in verse 27, at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they sought the Levites out of all their places to bring them to Jerusalem to keep the dedication and the preacher is talking about he highlights in his Bible, I think it's good practice. If you write in your Bible, I was listening to a preacher, one of my first pastors, and he preached this message 30 years ago, I guess it was, and I had the idea. I was listening to it on recording. And it preached the passage out of the Bible, and I'm sure it studied well for it. It was well known for a studying habit. And it got up in the pulpit. And right before he began to read the scriptures, he looked at his assistant and he said, Can I borrow your Bible? I have to doodle with mine in a few months. And he couldn't read the exact words. And I find that to be interesting. I think y'all too. Well, if you're averse to marking in the Bible, and I can understand that, it gets you a pad of sticky notes. And write something. But notice in verse 27, he said in Jerusalem they sold the Levites to bring them to Jerusalem. And notice this, to keep the dedication. But there's a prepositional phrase that follows. What is this phrase? To keep the dedication with what? Gladness. You don't have as many Christians today that are much like the Levites of old. They're keeping the dedications, but not with gladness. But it's that gladness that we're looking later is the joy of the Lord that is a powerful prerequisite in fulfilling God's great command. Now keep moving. He says to keep the dedication with gladness, and notice the next prepositional phrase. What is that? or I would submit something to you. If you don't have the joy of the Lord, you're incapable of having the right type of Thanksgiving in your life. You know, I think that's why one of my favorite national holidays is Thanksgiving. It has nothing to do with the Dallas Cowboys. Thanksgiving, I like the idea that our country is going to be thankful for the blessings that they have received. Now I don't mean to get off base, I don't mean to get off base, but you think about this a moment. Our country is loaded with natural resources. Now I know you don't go home and think about the second largest diamond mine in all the world or something like that being in Arkansas. It's a powerful thing. All kinds of resources. The family this morning, Sunday School Hours, talked about America, America. God shed his grace on thee. Powerful resources that we have. Finances. And a lot of times, you know, you hear folks Thanksgiving, give their thanks, and really they're just thanking God for the next day, which is Black Friday. Reality, Christians, that's the will of God for our lives, to be thankful. And a thankful heart always is the result of a joyful heart. Keep moving. With gladness, with thanksgiving, here's one more. With what? All these are associated prepositional phrases. They're associating back to one thing in the obedience of God and keeping the dedication. Keep it with singing. But I'm going to tell you, my heart cannot help but to sing when I think about it as well with my soul. Peace like a river attended my soul You know how that was written. Horatio Stafford. Shipwrecked. His daughter, children lost. He received a telegram sometime after the event saying from his wife from England, saved along. His daughter had died. He had lost previously everything in the Great Chicago Fire. It was a real estate. He lost everything. Sent them ahead and had to tie up loose ends and they were going to take a, not really a vacation, but a season of rest for all of their loss. They wrecked, his daughters died, his wife saved alone, she wrote. They looked at this, charted the first ship he could out of New York Harbor to head back to England. Talked to the captain of the ship, mentioned what had happened and the captain was familiar with the event. He said a ship went down into this area and he said when we come across that area, can you let me know? The captain did and he stands there next to the gate looking out across the great Atlantic. right where his daughters had perished some time before, and said, it is well. It is well with my... It's a choice despite difficulties. With singing. You think for a moment about Nehemiah. You think for a moment about all those builders. There was difficulty. They still weren't a nation, were they? No. All they had is Jerusalem, a temple, and a fifth city. That's it. They were still in occupied territory. They still had enemies. It didn't make, to buy the shoe height and all those other fellas, it didn't make them friends and allies. It didn't change the fact that things weren't going to be like they used to be. But the simple fact was, The joy of the Lord was their strength. The joy of the Lord is their strength. One of the results is it brings singing, it brings thanksgiving, it brings living, it brings gladness and keep moving. He said this, now I want you to look down in verse number 30. And the priests and the Levites, and there is one more word for you, what did they do to themselves? Verse 30. You know, I think the result of joy in your life is the desire to be purified. A joyful Christian being a Christian doesn't want to get dirty by the walking in this world. Oh yes, we're not of the world, but we are in the world. We are located within a domain that is not of our Savior. Jesus said of this, he said, the world hated me, marveled not that it hated you. 2 Timothy chapter 3 said, Paul writing to Timothy said, all those that live righteous in Christ Jesus shall what? Suffer persecution and swirls. Not our home, I am just a passing fruit. But I ought to desire purification. Joy will do that. Well, moving on down, look in verse 43. We look at this, well, why is joy important? And I believe verse 43 gives us three thoughts on why joy is important. Last week I gave you this thought and I want to give it to you one more time before we jump into three reasons that joy is important. It has been said this, the Christian owes it to the world to be supernaturally joyful. A.W. Tozer wrote that. The Christian owes it to the world to be supernaturally joyful. You know, that is one of the things. the great distinction between the Biblical truths and the world's religions. There's some thousands upon thousands of religions that exist today. My friend, we don't need one more religious experience. There's a restaurant down in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I read this article the other week, and the owner is the daughter of a pastor missionary. And so she grew up on the mission field and the pastorate. She started this restaurant. And the restaurant, this is the truth, it's in Winston-Salem, so you can't drive there this afternoon to have lunch. But if you have public prayer, before you consume your meal, they'll give you a 15% discount. Right off the top. And I immediately thought, well if I ever find myself in Winston-Salem, this is the restaurant for me. That's what I said. Well, they interviewed this lady and they said, are you very religious? You know, there's a lot of Baptists in the South. She said, no. She said, I'm not a religious person at all. My dad was a pastor, missionary. She said, I'd rather consider myself a spiritual person. When I read that, I thought, you know, we don't need one more spiritual person in the world. In fact, I would argue that if you don't have Jesus Christ to save you, you're yet dead in your trespasses and sin. And before you can be a spiritual person, there must be a personal awakening, or as the scripture says, a new birth. John chapter 3 verse 7. But anyway, we don't need more spiritually people. What we need is people that have been awakened from the depths of their depravity. And a Christian owes it to the world to express the joy that comes from the God that indwells them. But notice in verse 43, it says this, Also that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had made them to rejoice with great joy. The wives also with the children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off. Let me give you three reasons that your biblical joy is important in your life. And if you recognize its importance, it will bring with it a desire to always maintain it. And if you can maintain the joy that God has given you, You'll be used of God to impact people around you, but ultimately to bring glory and honor to God the Father, which is our reasonable duty. Let me give you the first of this. Notice he says in verse 43, And that day they all for a great sacrifice and rejoiced. And notice this, because this is the first reason that joy is important. It's important because of its author. Had rejoiced, for God had made them to rejoice with great joy. Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 28. Now I want to show you another verse. I think our joy is important because of its author, who created it. As I said a moment ago, just a moment ago, that happiness is produced by many variables, but joy is a constant existence because of the constant nature of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, its author. Look at Psalm 28, and I was thinking about this verse earlier, this word. Notice if he says in verse number 6, Blessed be the Lord. There's a powerful phrase there that we can preach forever on. Blessed be the Lord. You know, I think sometimes Christians become, I don't know, a little too educated in our worship experience. We become refined and more we, you know, don't want people to think bad of us. I wonder if we really bless the name of the Lord. Throughout the Psalms he's talking about, blessed be the Lord. The joy of the Lord, when we recognize its source, ought to stir us. God is to be blessed forever and evermore, and glory should be brought to Him by the Church through Christ Jesus forever and ever and ever again. And the Church of the Living God ought to say, as they did in old, Blessed be the name of our Lord. He's not Buddha. I'm glad my God is not a silver fat dude that died a thousand years ago. My God existed from an endless past. I marvel about the name he gives to Moses when Moses said, who am I going to say that sent me? Remember what he said? I am what I am. 4,000 years ago, he was I Am. And if you go to Revelation chapter 1, he says, I'm still the I Am. It's incorrect. He's never going to be the I Was. Buddha's the I Was. Buddha's religion is based on an existence before him. He took and modified a religious theology and called it his own. I'm not talking about the linguistics here, but I'm glad that my God's not all I know there'll be those who say, well Allah and God, it's the same word. I'm not talking about etymology, I'm talking about deity. I'm glad that my God is not Allah. And won't be Allah, might I add. My God's blessed forevermore. Notice he keeps saying there, I'll get carried away. Look at verse 7, he says, notice this, the Lord is what? What is He? He's restraint. What keeps me moving despite difficulties in life? What keeps me joyful despite a downness or depression as a result of looking outwardly? Well, it's the strength, my Lord. But keep moving. He said the Lord is my strength. What else is He mine? Notice how the possessive pronoun is being derived here. He's my strength. He's my shield. Notice this. My heart, what's the scripture say? Trusteth in Him. And to what extent should it trust? Proverbs 3 and verse 5, trust in the Lord with all thy heart. Lean not to thine own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge him, he shall direct thy path. Then he moves on, he said, I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and my soul will I appraise him. You see, joy is important because of its offer. Who is its author? Well, events might be the authorship of your happiness, but joy, biblical joy, is only authored by God alone. Some say, well, I wish Christians were happier today. You know, I tell you, I think there's a lot of Christians that really might believe they are happier today. There's a lot of Christians that left long ago the teachings of biblical truths, and they've embraced to themselves really a... A lifestyle that is contradictive to the Word of God. And as of such, they've lived a life void of the commandments of God and think themselves happy. I think about 2 Timothy chapter 4, demons have what? Why? Having loved this present evil world. Well, was he happy? I hope so. I really hope he was. Because I know he wasn't joyful. Joy is a unique thing that can be possessed by any Christian despite their circumstances of life. And joy is important because of its source, its author, the Lord God in heaven. Let me give you a second thought. Not only is it important because of joy, but I want you to notice later in verse 43, God had made them rejoice with great joy, but notice this phrase. Well, we'll read it together. Read it with me, just the next phrase, from punctuation to punctuation. The wives also and the children, what do they do? Well, I think that joy is important because of its effect. Biblical joy produces a change in the lives of certain individuals. Well, why are so many teenagers unhappy? Well, I personally believe that teenagers are looking for events to bring joy. And I'm going to tell you as a teenager, and I grew up pastor's home. In fact, I grew up about an hour and a half from Buford, South Carolina. So I spent all my life. I grew up in a county. 40,000 people in the entire county. We have 47,000 Lower Paxton township. 40,000 people in the entire county. There was absolutely nothing to do. My greatest companion through my teenage years was my puppy dog. that we went everywhere with. Where the red fern grows, that was kind of my life. We trucked through the woods and everything, except we didn't hunt. That was life. And I can remember thinking, boy, I can't wait until I get out of this family. I can't remember any times I ever saw my parents fight. I'm sure they did, I'm just saying I didn't witness it. I enjoyed the company of my family, but I said in my heart, well, you know, I just don't like it here. Why? Because I was waiting for events to determine my joy. Now as an adult, I look back and I realize, oh, that's aside from the point. But the joy of the Lord will always have a constant, a constant effect on the lives of people. These wives and children rejoice Because daddy's rejoicing. Tell you dad, this is a little challenge, I know it's not second Sunday in June. We need to rejoice. Dads must take that leadership to rejoice. Listen to me. Too often dear old mom's carrying a burden that is not her biblical duty to carry. She's leading the home spiritually. The mom's getting all the kids together. Lead boot, kicking them in the car, you know. Getting them going. Mom's having the devotions. Mom's having the prayer times. Mom's doing this with the children. Mom's doing that with the children. And I'm thankful for mom sitting there. That ought to be the pace setter of the spiritual involvement of the home. Now let me reflect on the other side of that for a moment. Dad can't be the driver. It's not my business to dad to drive my family. It's my business to lead my family. And there's a great distinction between a driving dictator and a loving leader. They rejoice greatly because of the joy that came from the hearts of dear old dad. You know, by virtue, I think the children were joyful because not only how dad, but how mom responded. And I think there were other Christians, other Christians that were impacted as well. Joy is important because of its offer, because of its effect. But let me give you one other thing. Notice the end of verse 43. So that the joy of Jerusalem, and look at this phrase, was heard, what does it say? even if far off. I think joy is important because of its ability. Two great accomplishments that joy will bring in the life of any believer. Joy, in these believers rather, joy first brought about the rebuilding of Jerusalem and then second it brought about the testimony of God's faithfulness to his people. I think today it's applicable to you and I. Why is it so important that Christians are supernaturally joyful? Because it will impact a society. I am not I am not a bitter Baptist. I am not an ornery Christian. I am excited about living a biblical truth. I walked down the community, I got the wrong mail in my box this week in our postal service. I apologize to postal workers, but it's horrendous. This letter came from across the country and it had my address on it, but it was to a lady that lived down the street and I didn't want to put it back in the post office box because it would take her six months to get it back and I didn't want to do that. And I thought also it gave me a great idea to meet one of my neighbors. So I took my information. So I was going to Valley Baptist Church. If you're going to knock on the door, you might as well slip all you can in there. And I had this information. I knocked on that door four times. Four times the door opened, threw wide open, and there was these big man-eating dogs. I was holding little Molly in my arm and I had Lucas and Mary behind me and Lucas was gnawing on a piece of ice and when that dog jumped up and went, they fell off backwards and little Molly was like, and I won't tell you what I was doing inside. About that time the guy said, hold on one minute. Get back over here and there's something going on in the house. Things are falling and carrying on. These two big dogs are being corralled. I just think a man with a mean dog doesn't want anything I've got to sell. And he opened the door, and this guy had a waist about that big around with a chest about that big around. Wooly booger guy, you know. He said, yeah. And it was worth a thousand words that I cannot convey. Before I could get anything out of my mouth, I was holding little Molly. She went, hi. And this big woolly booger melted. Now I know that my beautiful complexion is what really broke the ice. But the point I'm conveying is joy of the Lord has a great ability. Got in a conversation with him and he said, I see you around here all the time. I said, I live here. He said, you're out walking. I said, yes, sir, I'm out walking. Oh, he's got your three kids. And your three kids, boy, they just seem to got it together. I said, well, thank you. And he went on to compliment. Apparently, he's been watching me for a year and a half. He's lived there for 20-something years. I thought, this is fantastic. We begin to talk. And I gave him that information and he told me, he said, come over and visit any time you will. Now, it's the joy of the Lord. I don't need to be a bull, whip-lashing, bad-mouthing Baptist. I'm a joyful Baptist. Why? Because my heart's been changed. 16 years I grew up in a Baptist home with great standards and Bible and music and everything else. But I was not happy. But since Jesus came into my heart, what a wonderful change in my life has been born. I'm joyful. The world looks and says, I don't know why. And I say, ask me and I'll tell you why. Joy has an impactful ability in the lives of a Christian to pronounce greatly and eternally the wondrous truths of Jesus Christ. Now imagine as all the kingdoms around Jerusalem looked. A conquered country that had her greatest and brightest herded off like simple cattle to a faraway land. Back comes a cup-bearing Ezra. Ezra rebuilding with it portions of the temple. And Nehemiah, the great, roars! But they were still a conquered country. And all the people around Jerusalem beyond said, did you hear what happened in Jerusalem? The joy of the Lord is important to your life because of its ability. I wonder sometimes why Christians do not seem to have the power and churches do not seem to have the power. And I think ultimately it's because the joy left long ago. When God's joy checks out of your life, so does his power. So does his strength. And it won't be long once the joy is gone that we're resolved to nothing. a stand or feet.