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WEEKLY
Volume 4 Number 6
5 July 2009
A Joyful Heart
(Message delivered by Rev Hien Nguyen at the
Worship Service, 2:00 pm, July 5, 09)
Text: Phil 4:4
Do you really have a joyful heart?
Many feel sad in self-pity as they have neither good-looking appearance,
nor talents, nor good health, nor wealth, nor jobs, nor careers, nor
friends, etc. How can we still have joy in such situations?
Last week we learnt about a loving
heart, the best gift of God and the first fruit of the Holy Spirit,
which is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Gal
5:22-23). Today we are learning about a joyful heart. Many like a joyful
heart but ignore a loving heart, and they fail to understand that
without a true love for God and His Word, they cannot have a true and
lasting joy. God is the Source of all blessings, including joy and
peace, so if you and I fail to love Him, seek Him, rely on Him, submit
to Him and His Word, and keep a living fellowship with Him, we shall
miss all the spiritual blessings with His peace and joy. May God
graciously help you and me to have a loving heart first and then a
joyful heart.
Worldly Joy and Godly Joy
Worldly Joy:
We are usually joyful and happy when we have whom or what we love,
desire or dream of in this world: a life partner, a good friend, a
scholarship, a degree, a good job, promotion, a new house, a new car, a
new modern or high-tech device, an overseas holiday, and so on. It is
not a sin when we enjoy what God has given to us, but if our joy is
based on anyone or anything in this world, we shall be disappointed
because it will not last long. Life in this world is not as simple and
easy as we think, and many things in this world may easily take away our
temporary joy: tiredness or illness, disharmony and arguments in family,
difficulties, troubles or trials in life, stress at work, a broken
relationship with others, hypocrisy or a double life exposed,
misunderstanding, hatred, envy, covetousness, selfishness, hot temper,
etc.
Sooner or later we shall learn by
experience that neither anyone nor anything in this world can give you
and me a true and lasting joy, happiness and satisfaction: neither loved
ones, nor fame, nor wealth, nor power, nor high positions in society,
nor popularity, nor overseas holidays, nor sports, nor entertainments,
nor worldly pleasures, etc. King Solomon was known as the wealthiest and
wisest king, but he shared his experience, “all was vanity and
vexation of spirit” (Eccl 2:11).
Our Lord Jesus Christ confirms, “Whosoever drinketh of this water
shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I
shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him
shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life”
(John 4:13-14).
Godly Joy:
It is a great blessing when you and I have a pure joy from God, our
Creator, a joy that does not derive from anyone or anything in this
world, but from God Himself. Godly love will produce godly joy,
“Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth” (1 Cor
13:5). God is true and endures for ever, and if He fills our hearts with
His joy, we may rejoice in Him and in His truth in all situations of
life, even in difficulties and in trials, “My brethren, count it all
joy when ye fall into divers temptations” including testing and
trials (James 1:2). No one can take God’s joy away from us, “I will
see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh
from you” (John 16:22). Perhaps, you say, “That godly joy is only a
theory. When you encounter difficulties, problems, and trials, you will
find out that you cannot rejoice at all!” That is true if you and I do
not have the Lord Himself, who does not only teaches us to rejoice in
Him all the time (Phil 4:4) but also gives us His glorious power so that
we may endure all difficulties and trials with joyfulness,
“Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all
patience and longsuffering with joyfulness” (Col 1:11). That
glorious joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, “For the
kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost”
(Rom 14:17; cf. Gal 5:22). Paul was in prison in Rome for the sake of
the Gospel, but he rejoiced in the Lord and encouraged the brethren in
Philippi to rejoice in the Lord all the time (Phil 4:4, 10). The
brethren in Thessalonica had the same joy of the Holy Spirit in their
affliction, “And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having
received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost” (1
Thess 1:6).
A joyful heart in all situations is
very precious and necessary for you and me. Why? God’s Word says, “A
merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the
bones” (Prov 17:22). Exactly, whether you and I like it or not, a
heart full of worries, stress, sadness, complaint, bitterness, anger,
envy, vengeance, etc., is very harmful to our health: losing good
appetite and sound sleep, having headaches, having problems with our
hearts, livers, bones, stomach, nerve system, digestive system, etc.,
while a joyful heart is a good remedy, increasing our strength, “for
the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Neh 8:10). Keeping our heart
joyful at all times is wise. Then, how can you and I have a joyful
heart?
How to Have a Joyful Heart
Seek God and His Word First:
Surely knowing and
believing that God is the Source of all blessings including joy, we
shall seek Him and His Word first, “For God giveth to a man that is
good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy” (Eccl 2:26). Are
you and I living a good life according to God’s Word to please Him?
God’s Word says, “they that are in the flesh cannot please God”
(Rom 8:8) and “there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Rom
3:12). Living according to the flesh is living according to our sinful
human nature. The best that our human nature can produce is only like
filthy rags before the holy God, “But we are all as an unclean thing,
and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isa 64:6).
Therefore, you and I truly need the Saviour Jesus Christ to cleanse our
hearts from sins and then invite Him to rule our hearts and lives.
Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us,
“But seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you”
(Matt 6:33). Do you and I wisely seek God and His Word first every day?
When the children of Israel returned home from their exile in Babylon to
rebuild the temple of Jerusalem, and they wept when they saw the ruins
of the temple; however, they “separated themselves unto them from the
filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel,
did eat, And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with
joy: for the LORD had made them joyful” (Ezra 6:21-22). Dear
friends, the Lord our God is able to make you and me joyful. The
presence of the Lord in your hearts and lives is the true and lasting
Source of joy and satisfaction even though you and I may not have the
luxurious things that others have, “Thou hast put gladness in my
heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine
increased” (Ps 4:7), and “Let all those that seek thee rejoice
and be glad in thee” (Ps 40:16).
Then, when you feel bored or sad,
instead of seeking temporary pleasures in this world to soothe your
sadness away by watching TV, reading novels or magazines, going out with
friends, etc., just confine yourself in a room, wholeheartedly seek God
in prayer and read His Word, and surely as the Lord our God is living
and true, He will fill your heart with His joy, the joy in His holy
presence as David experienced, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life:
in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures
for evermore” (Ps 16:11), and “I rejoice at thy word, as one that
findeth great spoil” (Ps 119:162).
Die to Self and Look unto the Lord:
Seeking God and His Word first requires you and me to die to our “self”
so that we will not look at ourselves or others but look unto the Lord
alone, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who
for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb
12:2). A selfish person who only thinks of himself will feel lonely and
sad when he is ignored. A person who only wants to promote himself will
envy and be not happy when he sees others smarter, better, richer, or
more beautiful, successful, and popular, not to mention when he is
criticized or despised. A person who only wants to do his own will will
be disappointed when the things happening to him is contrary to his
expectation. A person who only wants to do what he likes regardless of
others, even the Lord and His Word, will never be joyful as he is living
against his Creator, the Source of all the blessings. It is really
miserable to be enslaved to one’s own self. As human nature is sinful,
to be a slave of one’s self is to be a slave of one’s sinful nature. A
slave cannot truly have a joyful heart until he is set free, “The
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can
know it?” (Jer 17:9). The Lord Jesus says, “Whosoever committeth
sin is the servant of sin… If the Son (Jesus) therefore
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed… ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:34, 36, 32). A
joyful heart is a heart that is delivered from the bondage of sins and
self. Only the Lord and His Word (the Truth) are able to make you and me
free so that we may turn our hearts unto the Lord Jesus Christ, our
Source of Joy.
Keep a Living Fellowship with God:
Acknowledging that
the Lord Himself, a living Divine Person, is our Source of Life, Power
and Joy, we shall easily count all things but loss (Phil 3:8-9) in order
to maintain a living fellowship with Him. As the Lord is holy and is
Light, we have to be holy and walking in His light of truth, love and
holiness. That means you and I have to practice Biblical Separation. Sin
and worldliness always separate us from the Lord, so we have to separate
ourselves from sin and worldliness to maintain a living fellowship with
Him. Thank God and praise the Lord that the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ is able to keep you and me clean all the time when we keep
walking in His light, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
Rejoice in the Lord All the Time:
This is God’s
command for you and me “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say,
Rejoice” (Phil 4:4), and “Rejoice evermore” (1 Thess 5:16).
This command is in the present tense, denoting, “Keep on rejoicing in
the Lord.” Then, the Lord commands you and me to keep on rejoicing in
Him all the time, rejoicing because of Him, who has loved, saved,
protected, guided and taken care of us and not because of anything in
this sinful world. Failing to do this command is sin before God. How do
you feel if the ones you love are not joyful when they see you and meet
you? How do you feel if the ones you love are not happy to read the
letter you have written to them? Many a time we have grieved the Lord
our God when we fail to rejoice in Him or to read His Word. It is more
serious to those who criticise and cast doubt on God’s Word! May God
help you and me to rejoice in Him all the time because we enjoy His
presence (Ps 16:11), His Word, His salvation, goodness and mercy, “I
rejoice at thy word…my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation… I
will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy” (Ps 119:162; 13:5; 31:7), and
because our names are written in heaven, “Notwithstanding in this
rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice,
because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).
Conclusion
Dear friends, it is really a blessing
for you and me when we sincerely repent of our sins, humbly trust in the
Lord and walk after Him, and are saved, regenerated, and given power to
live according to His holy Word. A joyful heart is precious as a good
remedy, so let us remember that we do need a true and lasting joy and
that the Lord Himself is the Source of all blessings and Joy. It is wise
for you and me to keep on seeking Him and His Word, dying to self and
looking unto the Lord, maintaining a living fellowship with the Lord,
and rejoicing in the Lord all the time even when we have nothing or when
we are in difficulties and trials. Then the Lord will honour our faith
in Him and our choice of Him as our Joy by filling our hearts with His
glorious and unspeakable joy and make us joyful in all situations. Do
you and I have a joyful heart now? “Although… Yet I will rejoice in
the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my
strength” (Hab 3:17-19), and “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). Amen.
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