July 26, 2020
Sun AM
Nehemiah 8:1-13
If you want the bible to work for you, you have to start showing it some reverence! These people listened to the speaker read the Bible for 6-7 hours on their feet. They wept when they heard the words of the law. Why? Because they had drifted so far from it. They had been in Babylon for 70 years and adapted to it. They saw how far they drifted and began to weep. God was in that place. Even in the midst of their sorrow, God saw the potential in their willingness to change. He can work with willingness. The word of God works!
The joy from God gives you strength! You can have joy and be glad because you’ve got the Lord! You have something that the world don’t have! You have to know who you are and what belongs to you! The joy of the Lord is your strength! God wants us to be full of joy and life and faith! He wants us to be healthy, spirit, soul, and body!
Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Research shows that there are 4 foundational emotions. 3 of which are negative. 1 positive.
- Fear
- Anger
- Sadness
- Joy
This teaches us that if we don’t consciously cultivate joy, we risk living a life dominated by fear, anger, and sadness. You have to work harder to have joy than the other emotions. The Holy Spirit is THE spirit of Joy. He doesn’t know anything but joy. You won’t be happy and have joy, by sitting around doing nothing. The bible says in Galatians, “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, and peace…” That’s the first 3 fruits. Fruit has to be cultivated! Start with a smile! If anyone on this whole planet ought to be happy and joyful, it’s God’s people! It ought to be you!
Isaiah 43:18-21 “Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.
The beast of the field will honor Me,
The jackals and the ostriches,
Because I give waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My people, My chosen.
21 This people I have formed for Myself;
They shall declare My praise.
Don’t set your mind on the past. God will do a NEW thing! This is the day the Lord has made! Rejoice and be glad in it! Not just on Sundays at church! You are a new creature in Christ Jesus. You live under a new covenant. The former things have passed away, and all things have become new. People don’t have to live in darkness anymore! You don’t have to be sad anymore! Because this is the day the Lord has made! He put you in it! Darkness has no authority over you! You’ve been set free! You don’t just praise on Sunday mornings, you do it on Monday morning when the world is trying to sing the blues to you. A Christian can choose joy every day!
John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
In us is God’s joy. He gave us His peace and His joy. His joy comes to you, when you heed His word. Don’t allow the worlds mess to get on you! It will affect you mentally, physically, and emotionally. Come before God with a thankful and joyful heart. In several places in the Bible it instructs us to “laugh at famine and destruction.” In today’s world there is a lot of famine and destruction. But no one is laughing. What this means is, in the face of terrible circumstances, laugh. Don’t wait for everything to be going perfectly to laugh. God is in heaven laughing at darkness and destruction, because He knows how it turns out! He is the author. When you know how it’s going to turn out, you can laugh too. In the face of your problems you can believe God and laugh and know it will turn out for your good. The joy of the Lord is your strength! It is fuel for your faith! It’s a joy to serve God. He wants us to be happy!