A Life of
Nobility: Attaining Joy
I.
Why do we need joy?
A.
The joy of the LORD is your strength.(Neh )
B.
A merry heart doeth good like medicine (Pr
17:22a)
1.
A broken spirit dries the bones. (Pr 17:22b)
2.
Anxiety causes depression. (Pr12:25)
3.
By sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
(Pr15:13b)
4.
A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance. (Pr
15:13a)
5.
It is said that a joyful heart can prolong life.
II.
How to attain joy?
A.
There were three kinds of trees in the Garden of
Eden:
1.
tree of life;
2.
tree of knowledge of good and evil;
3.
Other trees.
There are three kinds of joy in
this life:
1.
spiritual joy.
2.
sinful pleasure;
3.
Other joys/earthly joys.
B.
Not sinful pleasure. (Heb 11:25)
1.
Moses gave up the sinful pleasures of the
palace.
2.
Solomon tried to satisfy himself with sinful pleasures,
yet he felt empty. (Ecc 2:1-3)
3.
Sinful pleasures only last for a short time.
(Jb20:5)
C.
The joy under the sun.
1.
Eating and drinking. (Ecc
2:24; 5:18f)
a.
This was a gift in the Garden of Eden. Man did
not need to labor for it.
b.
The older people become, the more they enjoy
eating and drinking. Ex. Isaac in his old age.
2.
Rejoice in his own works (Ecc
3:22)
a.
Do what you like, or like what you do.
b.
Jesus said “My food is to do the
will of him who sent me.” (Jn 4:34)
3.
The one who promotes peace has joy (Pr 12:20)
a.
There is nothing better for a man to do than to
do good deeds in his life. (Ecc 3:12)
b.
Loving others is the reason of joy.
4.
In days of prosperity, be joyful. (Ecc 7:14)
a.
All were joyful when David killed Goliath.
b.
All were joyful when Israel overpowered her enemies. (Est 8:5-17)
5.
A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth.
(Pr15:23)
a.
A good answer is as good as kissing. (Pr 24:26)
b.
It is like a golden apple in a silver net. (Pr
25:11)
c.
Jesus used one sentence to solve many problems
in his life.
(a)
Shall He pay taxes?
(b)
Shall He judge a sinful woman to be stoned to
death?
D.
The joy above the sun – a satisfactory joy.
1.
To receive the salvation of God.
a.
The jailer. (Ac16:34)
b.
The eunuch. (Ac 8:39)
2.
The word of God is like honey and gold to man.
(Ps 19:7-11)
a.
Your words were found and I ate them. And your
words to me were the joy and the delight of my heart. (Jer15:16)
b.
It feels like a good breeze blowing in the
springtime to me.
3.
The Lord Himself is our greatest joy. (Is 29:19)
a.
Moses’
greatest joy was to behold God’s glory. (Exo 33:18)
b.
David’s greatest joy was to behold God’s face.
(Ps 17:14f)
c.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has
nothing I desire besides you.(Ps 73:25f)
d.
Why are some seminars in the USA so welcoming?
Because in these seminars, people can see God face to face in their prayers.
4.
Spiritual fellowship. (1Jn 1:4)
a.
A new commandment was given to us: love one
another like Jesus loved us. (Jn13:34f)
b.
One can shed tears when sending off brothers and
sisters even though it could be the first time they’ve seen each other.
