The Joy Of The Lord

The Lord gives us His JOY each day, but the devil tries to rob us of it each day.

For example, he will make sure each day people will enter our life that take great delight in stripping every ounce of joy that they can extract from our life. They spare no effort:

• They will drive across town if there is something they can do to make our life miserable.

• They will walk in the rain and snow for miles, if there is something they can do to make our life miserable.

• They will spend the last dollar they have, if they can do something to make our life miserable.

Illus: Lizard Thicket a restaurant in Columbia, S.C. have a large sign inside that tells their customers, “Be Nice or Leave”.

Every Christian has had to encounter such people. HOW ARE WE TO TREAT THESE PEOPLE? While we are happy that God’s Word speaks out on some issues, this is an issue we wish the Word of God was silent on.

Why? Because God tells us to do something, and it is the last thing we want to do. Look how he tells us we are supposed to deal with people who try to make our life miserable.

Look at Matthew 5:44, we read, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”

When it comes to people who want to make our life miserable, most of us feel like those disciples that wanted to call fire down from heaven and fry them. But God’s Word tells us we are to pray for them.

While others might be doing everything they can to make our life miserable, each day the Lord Jesus does everything He can do to make our life JOYFUL.

Illus: Bank

Look again at John 15:11, we read, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

The joy we Christians have within us is the JOY OF THE LORD that He has provided for us. NOTICE, it does not say He gives us HIS HAPPINESS! Some folks think that JOY and HAPPINESS are the same, but they are not. Happiness come from happenings.

Illus: Some day we can get up.

• The sun is shining

• There is not a pain in our body

• Even the dog that normally takes one looks at us and growls, is wagging his tail like he is glad to see us

Everything HAPPENS to fall in place, and we find ourselves HAPPY!

Happiness comes from without, but JOY comes from within

Our HAPPINESS depends on HAPPENINGS, but our JOY DEPENDS ON JESUS

I might not be happy about what's happening in my life, and I might even shed some well-deserved tears, but on the inside, I can be joyful because of my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord wants to give us HIS JOY because He LOVES US, and He knows it is critical to our SUCCESS AS A CHRISTIAN.

• As Christians, all kinds of bad things might happen to us that rob us of our HAPPINESS! WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER OUR HAPPINESS

• As we face these many difficult times in life, we need the JOY OF THE LORD! WE HAVE CONTROL OVER OUR JOY!

Illus: Remember when Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls in Jerusalem? He had a great deal of opposition in this endeavor. He literally had people making fun of his ability to do such a job. The men that helped him had to face this ridicule on a daily basis. But notice what Nehemiah said to them.

In Nehemiah 8:10, we read, “Then he said unto them…FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH.”

DID YOU GET THAT? The JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH!

One reason we have so many weak Christians today is because they have allowed the devil to rob them of their joy

• One reason today we have so many Christians who cannot influence people to come to know Christ, is because as they look at the misery in the Christian’s life, they are afraid if they accept the Lord they will be the same way

They have taken a double hit. THE HAPPENINGS OF THE WORLD HAVE ROBBED THEM OF THEIR HAPPINESS, and the DEVIL HAS ROBBED THEM OF THEIR STRENGTH.

You and I can only be effective for Christ if we have the JOY OF THE LORD. Based on the Word of God, we know that it is the will of God for His joy to remain in us.

WHAT KIND OF JOY IS IT?