Waiting for His return... (3)

Joy instead of mourning...

This morning, we’ll look at joy.

When we think of joy, we often think of happiness.

Joy is...

Closely related to gladness and happiness, although

joy is more a state of being than an emotion;

a result of choice.

Many of us have heard and even quoted,

The joy of the Lord is your strength.

This is found in Nehemiah 8. As we look at the background of this verse, we see that there was mourning and weeping. “Why?”, you might ask.

The southern kingdom of Israel had been in captivity or exile for many years. Can you imagine returning to the place that you had been born and raised, only to find overwhelming destruction? Broken walls, a burned out city, and what once was a well kept landscape was only rubble and devastation. We can watch footage of war-torn places that once were tourist attractions, but can hardly imagine the grief of its inhabitants.

The Governor, Nehemiah, instructed Ezra, the priest, to read the Book of the Law. He stood on a platform. Picture this, six men on each side stood as he opened the Book of the Law and began to read.

Genesis 1:1–3 NIV

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

He read from morning to noon.

Exodus 20:3–17 NIV

“You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Maybe they had heard excerpts of the Pentateuch and maybe not, tears began to roll down their cheeks as they heard God’s word. Probably much regret as the promises of God that they neglected were read.

Deuteronomy 28:3–14 NIV

You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

As they wept, Nehemiah spoke up and instructed them,

Nehemiah 8:9–10 (NIV)

...“This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

No matter what regret you may have, no matter what trial or sorrow that you may carry, the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Let’s pray as we look at today’s Scripture.

Jesus quoted only part of this as He read it in the temple, so we will break this up into two parts.

Let’s do the same.

Isaiah 61:1–2 (NIV)

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor...

After Jesus made this declaration,

Luke 4:20–21 NIV

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

When Jesus came to earth, He didn’t come to be an infant on a postcard, He came to set us free from the power of sin in our lives. He walked this earth just like any other human, and even though He was tempted just like us, He yielded to God’s plan and purpose for His life.

What was God’s plan?

It was to bring joy to the world.

Luke 4:18–19 NIV

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

All this, was accomplished on the cross. We have the Good News because Jesus paid for our sins, and rose from the dead. Jesus healed the sick, releases captives from their chains of addiction, opens blind eyes, and gives us spiritual life. Apart from Him, we can do nothing.

Let’s look at the second part of Isaiah’s prophecy.

Isaiah 61:2–4 (NIV)

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

...and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

Some of this prophecy points to a future day. As we look to the Second Coming of Christ, we know that there is much devastation that will take place.

Wars and rumours of war...

Famines and earthquakes...

Apostasy and betrayal...

Hatred and increase in wickedness...

In the last half of the Great Tribulation the wrath of God will be poured out on the earth.

Revelation 6:12–17 NIV

I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

Since we are in a time where God’s has poured out His grace and mercy, many can mock and shake their fist at God. He relents. He graciously calls the sinner to repent, and turn from their sin. Patiently He waits, eventually, He will come and judge the living and the dead.

Verse 2 ends with a short statement

To comfort all who mourn...

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 NIV

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

God has promised that He comforts those who mourn.

Grieving is part of life. Since sin entered the world, death and loss have joined it. We are called to mourn with those who mourn. Awkward silence can be difficult, because of this, we often search for the right words, and all too often we stumble and stammer as we try to help. Silence can be golden. As we show compassion, God comforts.

When Jesus comes, He will take sadness away for those who believe and replace it with joy.

How does God provide for those who grieve?

He gives:

1. A crown of beauty for ashes

It was customary to put on sackcloth and ashes during times of mourning. Instead of ashes we will wear a crown.

2. The oil of joy for mourning...

Psalm 30:5 NLT

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

When we are tempted to wonder if God cares, when we wonder if He is there, He will strengthen us and He will carry us as we live life.

3. The garment of praise...

God gives us the garment of praise of heaviness and despair.

Something happens when we praise the Lord. When we fix our gaze on our Lord and Saviour, when we take our eyes off of our circumstances and get them on the only one who has the power to change our circumstances. Something happens.

SING PRAISE

We can get victory over hardships by singing praise to the Lord.

"My mouth is filled with Your praise...all day long." Ps. 71:8 NAS

Roger Bennett, pianist and songwriter died in 2007. Prior to his death he wrote on his website:

Our enemy stalks us exactly the way the Bible describes, as a roaring lion. He hides in the bushes waiting for any sign of weakness. Then he strikes. He didn't strike me physically. He struck a more critical part -- my joy...confidence...and hope. Every thought turned towards heaven bounced back like it was made of brass. Every time I tried to look on the bright side, I ended up imagining a dark future. Then he threw his most effective dart -- doubt. "You call yourself a Christian. What a hypocrite! You're more afraid than ever...more filled with despair. So much for your faith, Mr. Gospel Singer!" I believed every thing he said. I tried everything I knew to pull out of it...I thought if I dozed off it would pass...but the clock seemed to move in slow motion. Sleep was nowhere near. I tried to lose myself in the Bible, but the words blurred and I couldn't make sense of them."

Then Bennett had an epiphany, as he thought about Paul and Silas in prison. "They didn't despair," he wrote: "They sang praises ... One after another...old songs came to me and I sang them to my empty room. It wasn't a great performance, but it may be the most powerful blessing I've received." The Palmist wrote, "My mouth is filled with Your praise...all day long. (Ray Ellis, SC)

Why does God provide for us in our time of grief?

Two things:

So that we may be oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord.

Psalm 1:3 NIV

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.

He plants us to bring glory to His name. When people see that God is at work in our lives, it brings hope that He can work in their lives. This brings glory to God.

Speaking of Israel, verse 4 brings hope.

Isaiah 61:4 NIV

They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

Spiritually speaking, there are many whose lives have been devastated, damaged, and destroyed. God can restore what the enemy has stolen. He can give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of despair. As we commit, and surrender our lives to Christ He can make something beautiful out of our lives.

Let’s pray.

Romans 15:13 NIV

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.