Heart 1: Joy in God

If you walked down the street, and you found the average Australian, and you asked them what do they want out of life, they will say something that means “I want to be happy”.

They might say, I want lots of money, because then I can buy whatever I want. I.e. the money will buy me stuff, and stuff will make me happiness.

Or they might say, if they are feeling particularly open and vulnerable, I want to be reconciled with my significant other, my child or my parent. For them restoring the relationship that has broken down will, in their view, make them happy.

Or they might say, I just want to be free. I want to escape from my life and get out of my circumstances. For them a change will bring happiness.

Or again they might say, I just want to retire. I want to stop running the rat race, I want to take to the road and just go. For them, rest will bring happiness.

Or they might say something else again. But in each instance there is something that the person wants, that they think will bring them happiness.

But do you see what each of those types of happiness has in common? They are all external sources of happiness. They are all forms of external circumstances which lead to internal happiness.

But there is a problem with that kind of happiness – it is external. It depends on something outside of you, which can change.

Let’s just take the money example. IF you want to be happy because of money, then if you have lots of money you should be happy right? But what if you lose the money again, then you would be sad.

The external circumstances determine your level of happiness.

But what if there was a way to get the same internal wellbeing that happiness brings you, despite your circumstances?

What if there was a way to have an internally generated state of goodness, that doesn’t depend on what happens outside of yourself?

Well there is, and the Bible calls this thing joy.

Now we have to understand that in the Bible the words for joy and happiness are sometimes used interchangeably. There is obviously an overlap in meaning. When the angel says to the shepherds “I bring you tidings of great joy”, he intends for them to be happy. Or when Jesus says “I tell you there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over the 99 righteous people who need no repentance”, he clearly means happiness.

And so in some contexts joy and happiness are the same thing.

However, there is a definite distinction between the spiritual Joy we are talking about today, and simple happiness in scripture. Jesus himself makes this distinction – in Matthew 5, in the sermon on the mount, Jesus says, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice (in other words have joy), because great is your reward in heaven”…

Biblical Spiritual Joy is also a fruit of the Spirit. It is therefore something that is uniquely Christian. Spiritual joy comes from the Holy Spirit, who lives within the Christian.

The psalmist says something similar in psalm 16:11, where he says to God “you make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”.

In your presence there is fullness of joy. Being in God’s presence is something that is uniquely available to Christians, not to others.

So when we talk about joy today, we are talking about the spiritual joy that is from within, not from our outside circumstances.

And it is this joy that the psalmist discovers in Psalm 66.

And he discovers it in sections

You can have joy when you see God’s for who he is (v1-7)

You can have joy in trouble when you see God’s hand in it (v8-12)

You can have joy in reflecting on God’s faithfulness (v13-20)

So let’s have a look.

You can have joy when you see God for who he is:

You will have joy when you praise God’s for who he is (v1-7)

Psalm 66:1–7 CSB

1 Let the whole earth shout joyfully to God! 2 Sing about the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. 3 Say to God, “How awe-inspiring are your works! Your enemies will cringe before you because of your great strength. 4 The whole earth will worship you and sing praise to you. They will sing praise to your name.” Selah 5 Come and see the wonders of God; his acts for humanity are awe-inspiring. 6 He turned the sea into dry land, and they crossed the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him. 7 He rules forever by his might; he keeps his eye on the nations. The rebellious should not exalt themselves. Selah

Do you see what the psalmist is doing here? He is delighting in God.

His joy, is not dependent on a changable outside circumstance. It is not in his own power, or his wealth, or his health, or his relationships.

His joy comes from an external, but unchangeable source. God himself.

It is when he considers God and his character that he gets this spiritual joy.

As he instructs others to shout joyfully to God, he consider’s God’s character.

One source of Joy is God’s awe-inspiring works.

For the psalmist, this would have included the creation, the works of God’s hands. It would have included establishing Israel as a nation.

God’s works would have included all the miracles and wonders God did when he set Israel apart. It would have included God’s presence among his people in the tabernacle or the temple.

He specifically remembers in v6 how God led Israel through the red sea as he delivered them from egypt, and how they entered into the promised land.

He gets joy when he thinks about how God is sovereignty in control, how he rules over all the nations.

In each and every case, he reflects on who God is, and this causes him to want to sing praise to God, and to get others to praise God too.

Do you see what is going on here? The psalmist looks up from his own situation, and looks to God, and there finds joy.

We are no different. We can have joy in whatever circumstances we are in when we lift our eyes up from ourselves and onto God. When we reflect on and consider the acts of God in our lives too.

You see all the psalmist had was a pointer to Jesus - he could only think about how God saved ISrael out of the clutches of Egypt, when he parted the seas to let them walk thoruhg to safety.

He could think only of when God stopped the flow of the jordan river to let Israel walk throuhg on dry ground.

But we have so much more to reflect on, so much more to be joyful about.

We too can thank God and praise him in joy for his awe inspiring works, for his creation. But we have been saved out of the clutches of a power much greater than Egypt. In Jesus Christ we have been saved from our very sin, the sin that meant we would have to die. And not only that, in standing in our place, Jesus opened up the door for us to enter into a promisedl land far better than the land of Canaan.

We get to enter into eternal life through him. We were facing and eternity suffering God’s wrath. But when we believe in Jesus, we have eternal life in abundance at the feast of heaven. We will stand with the great thronging worshippers around the throne of Jesus himself.

Those are the mighty works of God we have to reflect on. And for the christian, that reality can never be stolen or taken away. Neither death nor life, nor angels or principalities, nor the present nor the future, nor any powers, not height or depth or anything else in all creation will be able to seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

You want to have joy in your life - think about that!

How much more certain and sure is that truth, than the fleeting security wealth can give us.

How much more freeing that is, than a trip around australia without having to worry about work.

How much more restful that is, than quitting your job in retirement.

How much more solid that is, than any relationship you can have with any person here on earth.

If your Joy is found in what God has already done for you in Jesus Christ, no one can steal it from you.

You might still be unhappy with your circumstances, but you won’t be unjoyful.

If you want joy - think about Jesus and all he has done for you. Remember God for his mighty acts.

Thats the first thing we need to see. You will have joy when you praise God for who he is.

But what about when you are going through a difficult time? What about when you are in circumstances that really deeply hurt? what about the painful seasons of life, where you go through stuff that really deeply suck. What about those seasons in life when trouble comes and just doesn’t want to go away. What do you do then? Where is your joy then?

Well v8-12 gives us the answer.

You will have joy in trouble when you see God’s hand in it (v8-15)

Psalm 66:8–12 CSB

8 Bless our God, you peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard. 9 He keeps us alive and does not allow our feet to slip. 10 For you, God, tested us; you refined us as silver is refined. 11 You lured us into a trap; you placed burdens on our backs. 12 You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us out to abundance.

Psalm 66:13–15 CSB

13 I will enter your house with burnt offerings; I will pay you my vows 14 that my lips promised and my mouth spoke during my distress. 15 I will offer you fattened sheep as burnt offerings, with the fragrant smoke of rams; I will sacrifice bulls with goats. Selah

You can live with joy in the middle of trouble because there is always something to be thankful for.

Now pay attention to what the psalmist says. He is still telling people to praise God, to let the sound of his praise be heard.

why?

Because he keeps us alive and will not let our feet slip.

When?

When God in our translation lured them into a trap, and put burdens on their backs.

When he allowed people to ride over their heads, when they went through fire and water.

This is a terrible position to be in. He is talking about all the trails they as a people have gone through.

Now we can’t know for sure what trail he is talkiong about here. It could be the exile Israel eventually endured, it could be one of the many times the nation of Israel got attacked and punished for their rebellion against God.

Regardless, he sees God’s hand in the affliction he suffers.

But he does so in a way that is helpful and upbuilding.

Now notice, this is radically different from the way humans tend to handle suffering in the world.

We tend to deal with suffering and hardship in one of two different ways.

The first way is to be consumed by it. This happens when the suffering takes the place of God. We focus on it, we think about it, it shapes our lives and directs our steps. It might be that someone did great damage to us, that we suffered a deep trauma, and this becomes then the themetune of our lives. Because the suffering is so great, it can the single thing that defines you as a person.

But on the other hand, and this I think is far more common in our society. We pretend the suffering doesn’t exist. WE just don’t want to think about it.

We downplay it. We take on the stiff upper lip, we downplay how difficult life really is. WE pretend things don’t hurt as badly as they do, and we do this, because we don’t know how to deal with suffering. And deep down we know that the people we are speaking to, also don’t really know how to deal with suffering.

And so we just pretend that it doesn’t exist.

But notice what Scripture does here. Notice the way the psalmist deals with his suffering his trail.

He certainly doesn’t pretend his suffering doesn’t exist. It is very real. IT has caused him great pain. And he says so. He talks about how it was like peopel riding over his head. He talks about the pain as searing as a fire, as suffocating as drowning. He felt like he was stuck in a trap in a prison.

I mean he lets loose. He doens’t pretent his suffering doesn’t exist.

But nor does he doesn’t let it define him. He is not his suffering. In the middle of his suffering, he calls on people to praise God,

why?

Because God has kept him alive. He approaches his suffering with thankfulness. He finds something for which to be thankful. Even if it is only that God has brought him throuhg the suffering.

He talks about how he went through the fire and through the water.

But he processes it like the prophet isaiah does in Isaiah 43:2

Isaiah 43:2 CSB

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you and the rivers will not overwhelm you, When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched and the flame will not burn you.

And now because he has walked through the fire, he can say with more zeal than ever before. Bless our God, you peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard.

He recognises that God has tested him, and that through this trail, through this fire, he has been refined.

He has walked through the refiners fire, and his suffering, while he may not have understood it at the time, has purified him.

Throughout the new testament we see this same theme. James 1:2-4 tells us that we should consider it what? Pure Joy, when we face all kinds of trails. Why, because it produces perseverance, it strenghtens our faith.

Romans 8:28 puts it this way

Romans 8:28 CSB

28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

Here is the takeaway truth: You can have joy in the middle of your suffering, when you realise that God’s hand is in it. Your suffering, your trails all have purpose. They all have meaning. And that is somethign only the Christian can say - we are the only people for whom our suffering is not a punishment becasue we have upset God.

Our suffering is not just some random occurance that happens by chance in this pointless universe.

No God is sovereignly in control of our suffering, and out trails, and he will use our suffering to refine our faith and our lives.

As one commentator puts it:

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 5: Psalms (Revised Edition) Commentary

But faith is not faith unless it has been tried like silver and gold

Take heart my friends, your suffering is not meaninless. You can have joy, even while being unhappy in suffering, when you realise that God’s hand is in it.

So We will ahve joy when we praise God for who he is, and we will have joy in our suffering when we realise God is using it for his purposes.

Finally, we learn this week, that we can have joy when we reflect on God’s faithfulness.

You can have joy in reflecting on God’s faithfulness (v16-20)

Psalm 66:16–20 CSB

16 Come and listen, all who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me. 17 I cried out to him with my mouth, and praise was on my tongue. 18 If I had been aware of malice in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 19 However, God has listened; he has paid attention to the sound of my prayer. 20 Blessed be God! He has not turned away my prayer or turned his faithful love from me.

The final part of our psalm reminds us of God’s faithfulness in our lives, and how when we reflect on what God has done for us personally, we are filled with Joy.

Notice what the psalmist does here. He invites people and he says - come and listen all who fear God, and I will tell you what he has done for me.

He then goes on to tell everyone who will listen that God listened to his prayers, that he ultimately saved him, and that he did not turn away his faithful love from the psalmist.

He tells people his testimony.

Friends, this is the ultimate source of our joy.

You see, because we are human, the other two ways in which we can live with Joy can fail us sometiems.

Sometimes we are so overwhelmed, so deep in the depths, so covered by and drowing under the weight of all that is happening in our lives, that thinking of God’s power and character, doesn’t cut it. Our joy does not return.

Sometimes our suffering can feel so great that we find it difficult to appreciate the truth that God is using it to refine us. In fact that truth might even sound harsh and callous - how dare God cause me so much suffering just to purify me.

How do we protect our hearts from that kind of thinking?

What is the antidote to the all consuming bitterness in our hearts?

It is thinking and reflecting on the fact that God has not kept his faithful love from you.

Dispite your sin, despite your rebellion, despite the fact that even now we hold on to old hurts and old pains instead of laying them down before the foot of the cross.

Do you want to start living a life of joy again?

Then turn your eyes again to the faithful love of God, displayed for all to see in Jesus.

It is the deep spring from which all joy ultimately comes. Turn your thoughts again to what God has done for us in Christ.

Take your next step in Joy when you realise that it is actually true that God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son, that whoever believes in him would not perish, but have eternal life.

If you are a believer - that is true of you.

When this becomes the themetune of our thoughts, when this becomes the inner dialogue that runs through our minds, do you know what happens to us?

We become people of joy.

WE become gracious, as God has been gracious to in Christ. Those small things that bother us so much, become less important in light of who JEsus is.

Those people that have hurt us or disappointed us, once again start looking like our brothers and sisters in christ.

And the forgiveness that we never thought we would be able to give, becomes possible again.

Because the more central JEsus is to who you are, the more like Jesus you can be to others. And the more you are like Jesus, the more you will consider God’s character and have Joy. The more like Jesus you are the more you will ahve joy in the middle of your troubles. And the more you will share your joy with those around you.

This process happens step by step and it is a slow growth in Joy that Christians all throuhgout the ages have experienced.

I want to leave you this morning with this poem by a famous reformed pastor named Richard Baxer, a Christian who lived in the 1600s . He writes about how he matures in his own joy as he follows Jesus.

Perhaps this will be helpful to you.

"A Joyful Song of Christ's Abiding Presence" by Richard Baxter:

Lord, what is life to me, If it were not for Thee, If I should lose my faith in Thee, What could my life but sadness be?

But with Thy presence near, My path is bright and clear, I'm filled with joy and hope and love, And peace descends from heaven above

If I should lose my faith in Thee, what could my life but sadness be?

Amen