The Pathway to Serious Joy

Nehemiah 8:9–12 NASB95

9 Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 All the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been made known to them.

INTRO: Do you know what an oxymoron is? It’s when you take two words, which are often opposites, and put them together and somehow it makes sense. I’ll give you some examples:

Jumbo Shrimp

Deafening Silence

Unbiased Opinion

Virtual Reality

Well, today we are addressing what is somewhat of an oxymoron in the life of the church. That is, “Serious Joy”

You see, our faith is a very serious thing. After all, it is life and death! We understand the gravity of one’s lack of faith and we see the importance of demonstrating our faith through devotion, service, and proclamation.

At the same time, if we understand our faith correctly, it is also a very joyous thing.

Jesus told parables about his kingdom. One of them was that of a man who found a buried treasure in a field that did not belong to him. He had no claim to it, yet joyously he sold all he had to purchase the field, treasure included. The point is that what God offers us is something so fantastic that we should be overjoyed to give up everything in order to possess it.

Joy is the serious business of heaven.

C. S. Lewis

So, practically, how do we put these two together?

I’d like to contend that serious joy is the state of being that we should aspire for as Christians. Have you ever experienced it? How does one get there?

Well, even though this might be a difficult concept to reconcile, I’d like to propose that there is indeed a pathway to serious joy and that pathway leads through revival.

A few weeks ago, we walked through the first part of Nehemiah 8, and we explained how we can aim for revival in our worship services. Part of that readiness includes being expectant- knowing that God is working and speaking today.

Today, we pick up in verse 9 and will walk through the Pathway to Serious Joy. I invite you to use your sermon guide as we learn together. Let’s begin.

The pathway to serious joy begins with:

A Reality Check (9-11)

This is where we can see a revival truly begin- When one comes to grasp two very important truths:

The holiness of God & the vileness of our sin.

I want you to notice that just following the explanation of God’s Law, the people were evidently cut to the heart. Look here - 3 times in a matter of 3 verses, it is recorded that the leaders and Levites were telling the people not to weep or grieve. (Review in text)

What do you think they are grieving? Why are they weeping? (READ 9b)

Because they have recognized that they have sinned against God. The people who were set apart by God and called to be His have been living in absolute rebellion and rejection of His Lordship.

The wall that they had just rebuilt proclaimed an identity that every one of these folks failed to grasp… until now.

What else is there to do but to weep over our sinfulness?

I am reminded of how the revival began in Nineveh- Jonah comes rolling through the streets with a simple message- “40 days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

And the King recognized that it was because the people had acted wickedly against God and so he grieved. He put on sack cloth and sat on ashes and called upon the people to grieve and to turn from their wicked ways and call upon God!

This is not unlike the revival that took place on the campus of Asbury College just last year - It just so happened that God’s people were confronted with the reality of God’s holiness and their wickedness, and they fell to their knees, weeping and grieving over their sin!

It’s not unlike what the American church needs to experience today! With people who call themselves Christians flaunting their sin, rejecting God’s very word, and yet others who are just as given over to more so-called ‘respectable sins’.

The folks in Jerusalem at this time were under conviction and friend, it hit hard… it was indeed a very serious thing. But you see, joy was not found in their grieving. Don’t get me wrong, grieving over our sins is a good and necessary thing, but it is not meant to be where we remain. No, grief over sin is a step on the path, not the destination.

The path to serious joy must walk through a reality check and continue to:

A Reconciled Faith (9-11)

I want you to notice that in every occasion that the leaders urged the people not to grieve, this urging was based upon the day being holy.

You see, in the Jewish calendar, the first day of every month was a celebration. This was the festival of trumpets. On festival days, God’s people are called to celebrate and rejoice. They are to eat and share with those less fortunate - kinda like Thanksgiving.

The instructions from the Ezra and the Levites were that grieving was not the appropriate response to the holy day that God had set apart.

So, think with me- how in the world do you get from weeping over your sin to celebrating a festival in honor of the very God you have been transgressing? How can you raise your glass and toast, knowing that the God whose name is on your lips to honor is the same God you have, with the same lips, blasphemed?

Let me point you to a key phrase in v. 10b - “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Now, what’s interesting here is that in the Hebrew, the word translated ‘strength’ literally means ‘stronghold’ or ‘fortress; refuge’

So, if we can insert the literal meaning, the joy of Yahweh is our refuge, our safety. Let me explain how this works using a picture that you might be more familiar with:

The cross of Jesus.

When we look at the cross from one perspective, we see the wrath of God being displayed against the sins of His people. It’s intense, gory, difficult to look at. Indeed, the cross is a picture of God’s righteous judgment that awaits all who reject Christ as Lord.

But from another perspective, we see the cross as our salvation, for through it, we are forgiven and reconciled. It is the picture of grace that the debt of our sin has been paid for! From this perspective, it is the most beautiful demonstration of love ever known.

God has built a refuge- a stronghold of safety that we know as forgiveness and love - acceptance and the fullness of pleasure at his right hand (Ps. 16:11)

John Piper said, “The fear of God without joy in God, is no refuge from the wrath of God. God’s holiness is the purity and perfection not only of his justice but also of his mercy and grace. And cowering people do not magnify the glory of grace.”

This is the second phase of revival; when we come to understand the grace and mercy of God in light of the reality of our sin and His holiness.

Only then can we embrace the gift of salvation that is offered by through faith. Only then can we see the shimmering hope of a God who calls us to Himself, in spite of our failures. Only then can we see the seriousness of our transgressions and the seriousness of our God who nailed those transgressions to his cross.

This reconciled faith allows us to dry our tears from the reality check, and we are well on our way down the path to serious joy.

For those in Jerusalem, the light was beginning to dawn. The Word of God was becoming clear, which afforded them:

A Rested Jubilee (12)

(READ)

Here we see that the people were able to leave the square, eat and take portions to the poor, and celebrate.

This celebration was no small affair- this was a great festival. They were able to truly celebrate as God’s people.

How? They understood God’s Word.

Were they perfect? NO! Did they never sin again? NO!

But, they rested in God’s promises. They believed that God’s Word was true and that His ways were good.

This is where we can see the effects of revival. Jesus declared, Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

That rest is not simply a rest from the chores of this life, it’s a rest that we, in Christ, are part of an unshakeable, eternal kingdom! That our king is unbeatable and unchanging! That the trials and troubles of this life cannot even begin to compare to the glory that will be revealed in eternity.

That though our feet are on the corrupted earth, we breathe heaven’s air, for God’s Spirit lives in us! It is the rest of one who has been sealed with God’s Holy Spirit and thus shares in the rejoicing that even the angels cannot comprehend.

Let me tell you, folks- There is a serious joy when you have found security in the Gospel of Jesus Christ… when you are confident of the provision made on your behalf, when you know that the God of all creation knows your name and has called you his own! That when you stand before the One True Judge, your name is written in the Lamb’s book of Life!

[Prodigal Son]

I can’t help but be reminded of the parable of the prodigal son- this young man wasted every dime he had on the worthless, temporary pleasures of the world. And, coming home, with his head hung low, he was met by the loving arms of his father.

He was embraced, a robe put on his back, a ring placed on his finger, a feast held in his honor- not because he deserved it, but because the Father declared it!

The prodigal son is neither a backslider nor a sinner. The prodigal son is the human race; they went out to the pigsty in Adam and came back in Christ, My Son.

A. W. Tozer; David E. Fessenden

There is serious joy when you can see that the sovereign God of the universe has placed you in this place at this time for His purpose and even when things are frustrating, you can rest in his plan because it is so much better than ours!

There is serious joy when we understand that God doesn’t do things part-way. On the cross, Jesus declared “IT IS FINISHED!” That assures me that I have a refuge prepared by God! I have salvation purchased by God! And I have everlasting life secured by God! That is serious joy!

Folks, I wonder- do you have that kind of serious joy? It comes as we walk the path of revival.

Maybe you are here this morning and you have been hit hard with a reality check… hey- that’s a good place to start. Friend, you need Jesus. You need his grace and forgiveness. In our final hymn, won’t you come; walk the path through revival to serious joy.

[PRAY]

Discuss: How can grief over sin hinder our worship?

Discuss: What does it mean “the joy of the LORD is your ‘stronghold’?

Discuss: Can you celebrate in confidence regarding your faith? Why?