Sermon by Delyth Mayhew, MRBC Felixstowe, 29th July 2018
Reading Psalm 98
What fills your heart with joy?
Is it a celebration – a birthday – a wedding anniversary (ours in 2 days’ time - 42 years –and 5 years since we moved into our house here in Felixstowe)
Is it success - an achievement – a new job, good exam results, doing something you didn’t think you could
Is it a beautiful sunset, or birdsong, or a lovely flower
Is it a glorious piece of music that moves you greatly
Is it being appreciated ..........
Is it news of healing in the face of sickness
Is it the report of peace in troubles places in the world
Is it the news of an end to worries
There are times in our lives when our hearts swell with joy –
And how do we express it?
Loudly, exuberantly – when England managed to do quite well in the World Cup!
Party, celebration
Talk to everyone about it – spread the joy
Quietly - storing away the memory
With gratitude – maybe prayerfully
IN this psalm the writer is reflecting on all that God has done –
marvellous things he says
he has worked salvation
he has made it known among the nations
He remembers God’s love for Israel and how faithful He has been
The world has seen the salvation of God – and can be in no doubt that it is God who has done these things.
So he calls the earth to rejoice – to celebrate – to shout for joy – to burst into jubilant song – to make music- loud music!
Now that’s the way to express joy!!
The trouble with us these days is that we are rather loathe to do such a thing – unless of course you’re at Ipswich Town on a Saturday when they manage to score a goal – or when Wales wins a rugby game.
But, singing our praises to God?
Joy is a major part of who God is! He lives in joy! Heaven is a place of joy.
SLIDE Luke 15 verse 10-
I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Heaven celebrates!
Isn’t that an amazing picture.
Throughout the centuries, this call to rejoice, to celebrate God’s goodness has not changed.
David danced before the Lord – celebrating and rejoicing
Solomon – assembles choirs and trumpeters and people to parade in a grand praise celebration at the dedication of the new temple on Jerusalem
Mary – sang for joy at what God was doing in her life, for the great gift that was to come
Paul and Silas, though bruised and bleeding from a beating and persecution for proclaiming Jesus, sang hymns of praise late in the evening in their prison cell
The psalms are full of exhortations to rejoice –
5 verse 11
But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
28 verse 7
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.
66 verse 1/2
Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious.
92 verse 4
For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
*********************************************************************************************************
And Christ is our great joy bringer –
He shows us God’s grace and incredible love
We are blessed because of God’s great gift of His son
We are redeemed and forgiven because of him
We are loved because of God
Jesus changes lives
He can turn sorrow into laughter
He gives us a new perspective on life
A hope and a future – a future with Him –where there will be no more sorrow and no more suffering
He walks with us through all of life’s hills and valleys, through bad times and good – He helps us to see the path He has laid out for us, He helps us to see the light ahead – and carries us when we feel we cannot go on.
WE KNOW ALL THIS – BUT!
Joy is something we all long for, but it often seems hard to grab hold of.
We all know there are times when joy seems absent from our lives – joy in life, and joy in Christ.
Times when the pressures are too much to bear, and we may find ourselves crying out
“Why Lord, why?”
It’s certainly hard to praise God when all of life seems to be in shambles – we feel like saying “Thanks for nothing, God!”
We know that even the most mature of God’s people experience periods of joylessness.
Job 3 – 11 Job wished he’d never been born
Why did I not perish at birth,
and die as I came from the womb?
Psalm 55 – 6-8 David prayed to be taken to a place where he would not have to deal with reality
Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 I would flee far away
and stay in the desert
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.”
1 Kings 19 – 3-5 Elijah fled into the desert and asked God to take his life
He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”
****************************************************************************************************************
If these men struggled- is it any surprise that we do too.
Yet we know that experiencing Joy should be part of every Christian ‘s life.
Joy is a fruit of the Holy spirit – produced by God’s work in us - and it IS part of God’s will for us.
Joy is a gift from God – and is what we feel in response to it.
It comes when we are aware of God’s grace and learn to bask in the sun of His favour!
We must never forget that God is our Father – God is our creator, our provider (as we sang earlier) – he loves us so much – his desire is to bring us joy - He is a good God and wants only what is best for us.
So – How CAN we experience consistent joy in our Christian lives?
The main way to experience joy is to focus on God.
Rather than dwelling on our problems and difficulties, or those things that are destroying our peace and contentment – we should dwell on God.
I once did a course of study on “Practising the presence of god” - taking time each day to just be in his presence .
As the song says
“not rushing away”
IN PRAYER
We shouldn’t try to deny our problems, our unhappiness, our negative emotions – we are human and they are part of our human nature, unfortunately, -and we will feel these things.
But we should follow the example of the psalmist and pour out our heart to God.
We can tell Him bluntly all the things that trouble us, that ail us (He knows anyway)
Then we submit these things to Him
Remember who He is
And be happy in Him
So many of the psalms begin as cries to God for help – but end with songs of praise to Him for his love and care and salvation –even when all seemed dark.
Paul’s letter to the Philippians has much to say about joy
Even though Paul wrote it from prison.
Chapter 4 verses 4 – 8.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
This gives us clear guidelines for experiencing joy in our Christian life
We see here the importance of
praising God
Remembering who He is
Praying about our worries
Keeping our minds focussed on the good things of God.
We can experience joy when we intentionally praise – always giving God praise and thanksgiving first when we pray.
We will experience joy as we come closer to God in prayer..
IN HIS WORD
Then Psalm 19 – reminds us that the study of God’s word will bring joy – again we are focussing our attention on Him and not on the things of the world.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
Jesus himself gave us instructions regarding joy
John 15 verses 9 – 11
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete
IN OBEDIENCE
Jesus calls us to live in obedience to God, keeping His commands , focussing on him at all times.
When we answer the call to follow Jesus, we undertake to obey his commands, to follow the path laid down for us.
And as we do that, as we try to be what God wants us to be, we will know joy in our service to Him in this world, and it will bring joy to God’s heart.
So what else should we want to do?
************************************************************************************************************
One of the best ways of experiencing joy in the Christian life is THROUGH COMMUNITY.
God gave Elijah rest - and then sent Elisha to help him
We too need friends that we can share our troubles with
Ecclesiastes 4 verse 9 – 10
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
And in Hebrews 10
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another
We are joined here in MRBC into a community – a family of believers – with them we can hold firm to our faith – trusting always in God.
We can encourage each other – help to carry burdens – remind each other of the truth of the gospel – strengthen each other to carry on.
Joy is meant to be the hallmark of the Christian life – a fruit of the Spirit and a gift from God.
We receive this gift when we focus on who God is, meet with Him through prayer and in His word, and rely on the community of believers He has provided for us.
And as that joy fills us, we will want to give back to Him in praise and worship.
We can express our joy, and celebrate – because our awesome God has drawn us to himself, has connected with us, has made us part of His family, and given us a hope and a future with Him.
And as we praise and thank Him and celebrate His gift to us, we will bring joy to His heart.
PRAYER
Questions for Discussion
Read Psalm 98
1. What does the psalm say about God’s activity in making known, announcing and revealing His salvation? Can you think of other places in Scripture which speak of these things?
2. Verse 1 encourages us to sing a new song. What do you think that means to us today?
Read Psalm 42.
3. Delyth talked about those times when life seems dark and joy is far away, and we then need to focus on God. Does this psalm confirm this and so encourage us?
4. What has brought you joy in your Christian life? Have you learned anything from these 2 psalms that will help you to know that joy throughout the years to come?
Reading Psalm 98
What fills your heart with joy?
Is it a celebration – a birthday – a wedding anniversary (ours in 2 days’ time - 42 years –and 5 years since we moved into our house here in Felixstowe)
Is it success - an achievement – a new job, good exam results, doing something you didn’t think you could
Is it a beautiful sunset, or birdsong, or a lovely flower
Is it a glorious piece of music that moves you greatly
Is it being appreciated ..........
Is it news of healing in the face of sickness
Is it the report of peace in troubles places in the world
Is it the news of an end to worries
There are times in our lives when our hearts swell with joy –
And how do we express it?
Loudly, exuberantly – when England managed to do quite well in the World Cup!
Party, celebration
Talk to everyone about it – spread the joy
Quietly - storing away the memory
With gratitude – maybe prayerfully
IN this psalm the writer is reflecting on all that God has done –
marvellous things he says
he has worked salvation
he has made it known among the nations
He remembers God’s love for Israel and how faithful He has been
The world has seen the salvation of God – and can be in no doubt that it is God who has done these things.
So he calls the earth to rejoice – to celebrate – to shout for joy – to burst into jubilant song – to make music- loud music!
Now that’s the way to express joy!!
The trouble with us these days is that we are rather loathe to do such a thing – unless of course you’re at Ipswich Town on a Saturday when they manage to score a goal – or when Wales wins a rugby game.
But, singing our praises to God?
Joy is a major part of who God is! He lives in joy! Heaven is a place of joy.
SLIDE Luke 15 verse 10-
I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Heaven celebrates!
Isn’t that an amazing picture.
Throughout the centuries, this call to rejoice, to celebrate God’s goodness has not changed.
David danced before the Lord – celebrating and rejoicing
Solomon – assembles choirs and trumpeters and people to parade in a grand praise celebration at the dedication of the new temple on Jerusalem
Mary – sang for joy at what God was doing in her life, for the great gift that was to come
Paul and Silas, though bruised and bleeding from a beating and persecution for proclaiming Jesus, sang hymns of praise late in the evening in their prison cell
The psalms are full of exhortations to rejoice –
5 verse 11
But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
28 verse 7
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.
66 verse 1/2
Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious.
92 verse 4
For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
*********************************************************************************************************
And Christ is our great joy bringer –
He shows us God’s grace and incredible love
We are blessed because of God’s great gift of His son
We are redeemed and forgiven because of him
We are loved because of God
Jesus changes lives
He can turn sorrow into laughter
He gives us a new perspective on life
A hope and a future – a future with Him –where there will be no more sorrow and no more suffering
He walks with us through all of life’s hills and valleys, through bad times and good – He helps us to see the path He has laid out for us, He helps us to see the light ahead – and carries us when we feel we cannot go on.
WE KNOW ALL THIS – BUT!
Joy is something we all long for, but it often seems hard to grab hold of.
We all know there are times when joy seems absent from our lives – joy in life, and joy in Christ.
Times when the pressures are too much to bear, and we may find ourselves crying out
“Why Lord, why?”
It’s certainly hard to praise God when all of life seems to be in shambles – we feel like saying “Thanks for nothing, God!”
We know that even the most mature of God’s people experience periods of joylessness.
Job 3 – 11 Job wished he’d never been born
Why did I not perish at birth,
and die as I came from the womb?
Psalm 55 – 6-8 David prayed to be taken to a place where he would not have to deal with reality
Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 I would flee far away
and stay in the desert
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.”
1 Kings 19 – 3-5 Elijah fled into the desert and asked God to take his life
He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”
****************************************************************************************************************
If these men struggled- is it any surprise that we do too.
Yet we know that experiencing Joy should be part of every Christian ‘s life.
Joy is a fruit of the Holy spirit – produced by God’s work in us - and it IS part of God’s will for us.
Joy is a gift from God – and is what we feel in response to it.
It comes when we are aware of God’s grace and learn to bask in the sun of His favour!
We must never forget that God is our Father – God is our creator, our provider (as we sang earlier) – he loves us so much – his desire is to bring us joy - He is a good God and wants only what is best for us.
So – How CAN we experience consistent joy in our Christian lives?
The main way to experience joy is to focus on God.
Rather than dwelling on our problems and difficulties, or those things that are destroying our peace and contentment – we should dwell on God.
I once did a course of study on “Practising the presence of god” - taking time each day to just be in his presence .
As the song says
“not rushing away”
IN PRAYER
We shouldn’t try to deny our problems, our unhappiness, our negative emotions – we are human and they are part of our human nature, unfortunately, -and we will feel these things.
But we should follow the example of the psalmist and pour out our heart to God.
We can tell Him bluntly all the things that trouble us, that ail us (He knows anyway)
Then we submit these things to Him
Remember who He is
And be happy in Him
So many of the psalms begin as cries to God for help – but end with songs of praise to Him for his love and care and salvation –even when all seemed dark.
Paul’s letter to the Philippians has much to say about joy
Even though Paul wrote it from prison.
Chapter 4 verses 4 – 8.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
This gives us clear guidelines for experiencing joy in our Christian life
We see here the importance of
praising God
Remembering who He is
Praying about our worries
Keeping our minds focussed on the good things of God.
We can experience joy when we intentionally praise – always giving God praise and thanksgiving first when we pray.
We will experience joy as we come closer to God in prayer..
IN HIS WORD
Then Psalm 19 – reminds us that the study of God’s word will bring joy – again we are focussing our attention on Him and not on the things of the world.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
Jesus himself gave us instructions regarding joy
John 15 verses 9 – 11
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete
IN OBEDIENCE
Jesus calls us to live in obedience to God, keeping His commands , focussing on him at all times.
When we answer the call to follow Jesus, we undertake to obey his commands, to follow the path laid down for us.
And as we do that, as we try to be what God wants us to be, we will know joy in our service to Him in this world, and it will bring joy to God’s heart.
So what else should we want to do?
************************************************************************************************************
One of the best ways of experiencing joy in the Christian life is THROUGH COMMUNITY.
God gave Elijah rest - and then sent Elisha to help him
We too need friends that we can share our troubles with
Ecclesiastes 4 verse 9 – 10
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
And in Hebrews 10
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another
We are joined here in MRBC into a community – a family of believers – with them we can hold firm to our faith – trusting always in God.
We can encourage each other – help to carry burdens – remind each other of the truth of the gospel – strengthen each other to carry on.
Joy is meant to be the hallmark of the Christian life – a fruit of the Spirit and a gift from God.
We receive this gift when we focus on who God is, meet with Him through prayer and in His word, and rely on the community of believers He has provided for us.
And as that joy fills us, we will want to give back to Him in praise and worship.
We can express our joy, and celebrate – because our awesome God has drawn us to himself, has connected with us, has made us part of His family, and given us a hope and a future with Him.
And as we praise and thank Him and celebrate His gift to us, we will bring joy to His heart.
PRAYER
Questions for Discussion
Read Psalm 98
1. What does the psalm say about God’s activity in making known, announcing and revealing His salvation? Can you think of other places in Scripture which speak of these things?
2. Verse 1 encourages us to sing a new song. What do you think that means to us today?
Read Psalm 42.
3. Delyth talked about those times when life seems dark and joy is far away, and we then need to focus on God. Does this psalm confirm this and so encourage us?
4. What has brought you joy in your Christian life? Have you learned anything from these 2 psalms that will help you to know that joy throughout the years to come?
