THE JOY WELL

      TEXT:
      Neh 8:10  "Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength." KJV

      Neh 8:10  Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." NIV

      INTRODUCTION:
       A. SPURGEON’S ADVICE TO PREACHERS
        1. C.H. Spurgeon in LECTURES TO MY STUDENTS
        2. Sad tones may fit an UNDERTAKER but not someone who
              is called to preach GOOD NEWS!
        3. Spurgeon said there are brethren who DRESS TO LOOK SAD.
          a.  From head to toe they present a tone of sadness and death
          b.  They don’t know how to smile or show joy.
        4. They might as well bury the dead, they’ll "never influence the living."
        5. If you would lead men to heaven, wear heaven on your face

       B. BEEN TO CHURCH AND NOT DEPRESSED
        1. Robert Louis Stevenson once entered in his diary what he
              considered  to be extraordinary thing.
        2. He said,  "I have been to Church today, and (surprisingly) I am
              not  depressed."

       C. NOT SUPPOSED TO GIVE UP JOY TO BE A CHRISTIAN
        1. Some claim you must GIVE UP EVERYTHING to be a Christian.
        2. I always want to stop them and ask a few questions.
           a. Do you mean a husband and wife should separate?
           b. Do you mean a student should give up his studies?
           c. Do you mean a businessman should give up a lawful, honorable
               business to serve the Lord?
        3. What do you mean when you say the Saviour requires me to give up
              EVERYTHING?
        4. Christ never asked me to give up anything except what was sinful.
        5. I didn’t have to give up being HAPPY in order to be a Christian.
        6. The fulness of Christ’s love was never designed to make anyone sad.
        7. Christ only wishes to take from us what is sinful.
        8. He only wishes to remove those things which would hinder our
              highest enjoyment here, and our eternal happiness beyond.
        9. He hasn’t come that you might have sadness, He has come that you
              might have LIFE, and have it more abundantly! (John 10:10)  His
              Spirit is your JOY-WELL!
       10. Who needs an OIL WELL when you have the JOY WELL?

       D. HEBREW FAITH -VS- OTHER EASTERN RELIGIONS
        1. The Jewish Encyclopedia states that no language has as many
              words for  joy and rejoicing as Hebrew.
        2. In the Old Testament there are twenty-seven different words used
              for some aspect of joy.
        3. Hebrew worship sees God as the source of joy.
        4. In contrast, the historic rituals of other Eastern faiths were filled with
               sadness and even human sacrifice.
        5. Psalm 16:11 "Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence
              there  is fullness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures forevermore".

      I. WHERE DOES JOY COME FROM?

       A. NOT FROM TEMPORAL THINGS
           An observant author once wrote:
              "The most miserable people I have known have not been those who
              suffered from catastrophes -- which they could blame on fate or
              accident -- but those who had everything they wanted, except the
              power to enjoy it."

       B. LET ME TELL YOU WHERE JOY IS NOT FOUND!
        1. Not in unbelief --
              Voltaire was a famed infidel, yet he wrote:  "I wish I had never
              been  born."
        2. Not in pleasure --
              Lord Byron lived a life of sinful pleasures, yet he wrote: "The
              worm, the canker, and the grief are mine alone."
        3. Not in money --
              Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of money, yet
              he said on his death bed:  "I suppose I am the most miserable
              man on earth."
        4. Joy is not found in military glory --
              Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Having
              done so, he wept, because, he said, "There are no more worlds to
              conquer."

      II. THE WELLS OF JOY (Genesis 26)

       A. THE PHILISTINES STOPPED UP ALL THE WELLS
        1. They thought this would drive Isaac away.
        2. They attempted to cover up his source of refreshing and strength.
        3. The devil would like to do the same to you.
        4. He wants to stop up your JOY WELL and cover it up.

       B. GOD COMMANDED ISAAC TO REDIG THE WELLS
        1. Some of you need to redig the wells.
        2. You need to uncover the well which the devil has sought to
              hide from you.
        3. Isa 12:3  "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells
              of  salvation."
        4. The devil may try to stop your JOY-WELL up, but you're going to
              unstop those wells.

      III. BIBLE CHARACTERS WITH JOY

       A. SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO
        1. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego rejoiced even though they
              were  being cast into the fire.
        2. Why?
        3. Because they knew they were coming out.

       B. DANIEL
        1. Daniel rejoiced when they bound him and cast him into the lion's den.
        2. Why?
        3. Because he knew he was coming out.
              a. God was sending an angel to give those lions lockjaw.
              b. He knew those lions wouldn’t be interested in what he
                  tasted like.
              c. He knew he was coming out. (Can I have an Amen?)

       C. PAUL AND SILAS (ACTS 16)
        1. Paul and Silas rejoiced when they were cast into prison.
        2. Why?
        3. Because they knew they were coming out!
              a. They cast a demon out of little girl who told fortunes.
              b. Did they bring him a key to the city? No!
              c. They had a riot and tried to kill him over it!
              d. They threw him and Silas in jail.
              e. Did they worry and get depressed? No!
              f. They knew they were coming out!

       D. THEY WERE ON A DIFFERENT FREQUENCY
        1. You can take a dog whistle and blow it real loud and nobody
              will pay any attention to it.
        2. But every dog in the neighborhood will perk up his ears.
        3. The dogs are on a different frequency than we are.
        4. They hear things that we don’t hear.
        5. Christians are on a different frequency from the world.
        6. We are on a frequency that the world doesn't know anything about.
        7. How can we rejoice when everything's going wrong?
        8. We’re hearing something that they can't hear.
              a. They are hearing defeat, but we are hearing VICTORY!
              b. They are hearing sickness and we are hearing HEALING!
              c. They are hearing condemnation and we are hearing MERCY!
              d. They are hearing despair and sadness, we are hearing JOY!
                  Can you say, AMEN!

      IV. YOU NEED TO TRY SOME JOY!

       A. TAKE YOUR MEDICINE
        1. The Bible says: "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine."
        2. You take your medicine.  Take your medication!
        3. God’s got some good stuff for you!
        4. Take three tablespoons three times a day.
              a. Take it when you feel like it!
              b. Take it when you don’t feel like it!
              c. And take it when you don’t know how you feel!

       B. SOMETIMES GOD SENDS A SONG TO GET YOU THROUGH
        1. One of our ladies said "BECAUSE HE LIVES" got her through
              4 years of her life.
        2. Another said the same thing about the song "MAJESTY"!
        3. The song that gets me through the hard times is:
              "He’s my glory and the lifter of my head!"
              He’s my glory and the lifter of my head.
              For thou Oh Lord, art a shield for me!
              My glory and the lifter of my head!"

       C. TAKE THE LONG LOOK!
        1. Some of you are asking, How can I have joy?
        2. The reason you are asking is because you are on the wrong
              frequency.
        3. You are taking the short look at what’s going on.
        4. You need to take the LONG LOOK!
        5. It’s not a thing of me and my four and no more.
        6. It’s a thing of GOD AND ALL HIS SAINTS THROUGHOUT
              ETERNITY!
        7. Psa 30:5 "...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in
              the morning."
        8. Weeping may endure for the night, but JOY COMETH!
              a. Joy is on it’s way!
              b. Everybody say, "Joy cometh!"
              c. If you take the long look, you know that JOY IS COMING!

          JESUS IS HERE!  HE IS YOUR SOURCE OF JOY!
          JOY IS THE FRUIT OF HIS SPIRIT!

          WILL YOU CALL UPON HIS NAME AND ASK HIM TO
          SAVE YOU?  ASK HIM TO GIVE YOU THE JOY OF HIS
          SALVATION.


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