Joy in the Family

Celebrate the Family

Joy in the Family

Jeremiah 33:6-11

Theme: God shows us how to have joy in our homes.

Welcome again to Mountain View Baptist Church. It is a delight to have you here today and we trust we will be able to connect with you. We have connection groups at 10 AM each week where you can connect and grow in your walk with the Lord with people in your life stage. Check out one of those groups while your children or teens are in 10:00 AM Sunday School.

The month of June has been designated here as Celebrate the Family month. We have been going through a series learning about the importance of the family and how to live the Christian life in a time period where the world is trying to re-define what a home is.

We have been dealing with heavy topics so I wanted to finish the month with joy in the family. Having a family or being part of a family is a wonderful joy for all us. If you are single or single parent or a couple or a couple with children, there is great joy in being with family.

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” (3 John 4)

Knowing our family is walking in fellowship with God brings a very special joy given to us from God. It is unfortunate that many families don’t have the joy the Bible speaks of. This does not mean they can’t, but joy is a by-product of knowing God. Joy comes as we grow in a closer relationship with Him.

Mixbook website did a survey last year and said, “1 in 3 Americans say their family only gets together when they absolutely have to. Dining at home, watching TV, and shopping are the most common activities families do together. The average American ranks their family’s happiness 7.3 out of 10. “ (Nov. 20, 2023). Newsweek Feb. 10, 2024 says, “Specifically for this year, 31 percent of Americans said they were somewhat satisfied and 11 percent and 9 percent stay they were somewhat dissatisfied or very dissatisfied respectively” New York times in July 29, 2021 suggested “at least 27 percent of Americans are estranged from a member of their own family and research suggests about 40 percent of Americans have experienced estrangement at some point.”

While it is clear that some families are hurting there is a solution, a way to have restoration and joy in the home. There is a way that is better than walking away from the family. Give God an opportunity to show you how He can work in your home. God has the best way to bring joy.

The chapter opens with the prophet Jeremiah seeking things only God knows. The people had been under the punishment of God for turning away from Him. Jeremiah was asking for God to reveal what would be the future of the nation. Even though the nation was disgraceful and defiled, God would soon heal and cleanse their land and joy would follow here in vv. 6-8. Spiritual healing will take time for the people to recover.

Though the conditions were bad in this chapter, God says there is coming a better future. Perhaps you are here today without any joy in your home or maybe you are watching on Facebook Live, God shows us how we can have joy in our homes. God can heal your home, your broken marriage, or your broken heart. A daily growing relationship with God will begin the restoring process.

God gives us three principles here on how to have joy in your home.

Principle 1. . .

The source of joy

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

This verse shows us that God is the only source of true joy. Many try so many other ways to have joy other than Jesus. They try purchasing a new car or home, a different job, or new location but only Jesus gives you joy.

It is important to differentiate between joy and happiness. Happiness is dependent on outside circumstances. A vacation may bring happiness, a new job may bring happiness, or a new home or a day on the lake may bring happiness. However, these will only be temporary. They will not last very long or bring lasting contentment.

Joy is internal whether you have all the above mention or not. It is possible to go on vacation and be happy without having joy in your heart. Fulness of joy is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. The reason is because of who He is in our lives. He is our Savior by dying on the cross for our sins. He is our comforter when we are at our lowest moments in life. He is our strength when we are weakened by the struggles of life. He is our counselor when we don’t know which way to go. He is our peace when there is conflict around us. He is our hope when we face hopeless conditions. He is our victory when we believe we are losing. He is our coming King.

As we grow in our relationship with Him, joy begins to fill our heart. Nehemiah speaks of joy in his heart. Joy strengthens us.

“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.” (Nehemiah 8:10)

Joy is not to be sought for. You cannot find joy because it is not in a location or in a bottle or in a circumstance. Joy comes from a vibrant, growing relationship with Jesus Christ. It begins when we accept Him as Savior. While believing on Jesus is the only hope of heaven, He also gives us joy as we grow in our relationship with Him.

This is also true of our families. When the family members know Christ, each can experience the joy that Jeremiah speaks about in verse 9. There is a special joy of having a daily walk with Him and knowing He is always there. Families who have the forgiveness of sin will also have a joy the world cannot understand.

“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:” (1 Peter 1:8)

Maybe you are here today and you have a spouse or child who does not know Christ. The Bible tells us to pray for them that God might open their eyes to the truth of salvation. I know you would want them to know the joy of the Lord.

There was a family in Fairfield who came with their four children faithfully. His wife started missing and all he said was she was having a heart problem. I thought he meant her physical heart but he meant her spiritual heart. He came faithfully to church and in about three months she came back and go right with the Lord. Later I asked her why did she come back. Her words were: “I was totally miserable without God being in my life.”

Jeremiah speaks of returning to their home and restoring the relationship in v. 7. How is your walk with the Lord? Have you lost the joy? The lack of joy is the result of a broken relationship with Jesus Christ.

Principle 2. . .

The promise of forgiveness vv. 8-9

God’s restoration with His people promises forgiveness when they turn to Him. He says He will cleanse them from all iniquity. Iniquity means a guilt that is caused by sin. Guilt can rob us of so much joy in our lives. When you have guilt from unforgiven sin, you will have no joy in your life. Christians can lose their joy because of iniquity

When David sinned with Bathsheba, he lost his joy.

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, And blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit.” (Psalm 51:7–12)

God promises forgiveness and cleansing. This will bring joy to them v.9a. There is something very refreshing to know you have been forgiven. When you have the forgiveness with God, you can approach His throne in total confidence, you can serve Him by His grace, and you can praise God with a heart of peace.

Maybe some of you or some families here have gotten away from God, maybe a dad or mom or teenager, God promises He will forgive. As you restore that relationship with God, joy will come as you re-connect with God.

Joy is infectious and this joy will be a testimony to all nations. One of the reasons why the world lures people into its grips is because it has an outward look of smiles and happinesses. I see some Christians who never smile. We need to have the joy of the Lord in our lives and our families. Joy will be in our families and when we have joy in our families, our children will want to see us and bring our grandchildren for us.

This joy will enable us to be a witness to others v. 9-they shall fear and tremble. They will recognize that God is alive and real. It would be foolish to ignore or turn away from God.

I recently heard NBA legend Charles Barkley speak of his early success. He said, “many people look at life by saying I want more money, a bigger house, and a big car. I had all those at 25 years of age. Even though I had them, there has to be something more in life and I didn’t know that it was.” Let me tell you, Charles. It is Jesus and Him alone.

Families who have a living, vibrant relationship with Jesus will have joy which is a witness to their neighbors, friends, and family members. A person who has experienced the joy of forgiveness and removal of guilt will be assured of joy in their lives. A family who has experienced forgiveness with God will have joy in their homes.

Jeremiah is seeking God for the forgiveness of God for the sinful nation. God promises not only forgiveness, but cleansing and joy.

Principle 3. . .

The worship of God vv. 10-11

Verse 10 speaks of the empty cities where no life is. God transforms families which brings life to the streets of the city. City without people is a place with no joy. Churches without people or families are empty shells of what could have been. A ghost town if you were to put it in the modern-day vernacular. People will often visit ghost towns to learn about the memories of the past and those who died there with the city.

When we worship God, the Holy Spirit gives us life and joy. He gives life and joy to the family as well-to the bride and to the bridegroom. The passage is referring here to the work of God in our homes giving us joy and gladness. We want God to work in our individual lives, in our families, in our church, and in our community. He will work as we obey Him. The result of God working is praise.

We give praise to the Lord. Give praise to Him for being good. God is good all the time. Every time He is good. He is good to our country, He is good to our communities, He is good to our families, and He is good to each of us.

What about your family? Is God working in your lives? Do you know Him today as your personal Savior? Today would be a great day to call upon Jesus to forgive you of your sins and ask Him to be your personal Savior.

Maybe Christian families may need to come and decide to seek His forgiveness. Will come today and ask Him to forgive you. You may have had happiness but you have not had joy. Your barometer is on low today. Jesus is the only Source of true joy. Maybe a mom, a dad, a teenager, God is speaking to. Will you come and ask God restore unto you the joy of salvation?