Joy is a Choice
Key Passage: Nehemiah 8:10
Date: June 7, 2024
Nehemiah chapter number eight, if you would, please. Nehemiah, chapter number eight. And this is an interesting chapter. It gives such great examples of a church service.
In fact, without rebuilding and planning for them on, I’ve read it with a fresh look and interest in it. The brief chapter, you’ll notice that service, if you will, and they’re on a platform that’s above the people. You’ll notice they have a pulpit of the wood. You’ll notice that… that actually when they read the scripture they stand. The beginning days where church we didn’t do that. I don’t want to do it because everybody else did it, and I was reading to the word, and one that I noticed refresh you, it they were doing it, and I thought, well, if they did it in the book of Nehemiah, we’ve been good enough for us. And I read how that’s why they do it nowadays. They have for years. There’s a great example here in the book of Nehemiah about how to have church service, and how they explain the scriptures, and they understood it and declared it, and they really appear to understand all that great example of the church service here in the book of Nehemiah chapter.
Right, we want to really focus on just a phrase. We’re not trying to twist—in our Sunday school class, Foundations class, we talk about you can’t pull one scripture out and twist it; it was to be able to fit back in the rest of the Bible.
But let me just say this, there’s nothing wrong with pulling the verse out and preaching. That’s typical what you do in preaching. Now, I can try to cover a couple of verses, but we might be here to be here about three if you would mind. How about that? We’ve got a couple of men that said amen, and I noticed her wife’s elbow when they said that too. And the men, when they’re going to be home, they’re going to say, well, it wasn’t true. I want to get home and eat anyway, you know.
But in Nehemiah chapter number 8, we’re going to start in verse number 10. And would you please stand as we’ve got our word together. Nehemiah 8, verse number 10. And it’s going to be a very simple truth. But really, God can use us to change your home and your family and give you strength. And that’s what it’s all about in the end, to live for the Lord.
Nehemiah 8, we’re in verse number 10 of God’s word. The Bible says, “Then he said to them, Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared.” That’s interesting. You preach on that for a while, take care of those that don’t have anything. “For this day is holy unto our Lord.” Watch what he says, “Neither be ye sorry.”
“For the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Amen. I just finished building the wall in 52 days. You know of that. They were having the Feast of the Tabernacles. And they said, now this feast, you said, I want you to cancel your penny card. He said, I want you to have joy.
And that state is just amazing. Well, we’ll read on. Verse number 11, though, so to leave that still. All the people are saying, “Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.”
That’s interesting. Neither be ye grieved. And all the people are waiting, eating, to drink, and send portions to make great mirth because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. And on the second, they were gathered together, the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and believers went unto Ezra, the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.
Just for a while, would you focus with me, and would you ask the Lord to grow us and to give us strength specifically in our homes? How I’m so needed in our homes today. Would you pray with me? To God work on my horse. Father, Lord, would you come? Lord, if I have a desire to impress or preach a good message, all that, Lord, would you take that away, Father? I do pray, would you help someone through your word and do the preaching of it? Father, change us. Would you send your Spirit, Lord? Convicting, challenging, encouraging, giving light. Lord, let us leave with your light shining through us more. Would you do so? Well, thank you for what you do. And Father, we ask for that faith because of Jesus in His grace and Jesus, and we pray. Amen. Thank you for standing in the name of the Shepherd.
I want you just notice a couple words in that little phrase there from verse number 10: “For the joy of the Lord is your…” What’s that next word? Strength. If there ever was a day and time we need strength, it is today. Would you agree with me? You don’t have to look very far. Strength is so needed. Our country and our churches and our lives—strength is so needed.
Well, it’s been a privilege of mine to see the strength of God’s people for years and years. You know, I was in church nine months before I was born. You understand that? I’ve been around all my life. It’s been a blessing to see the strength of God’s people. I think of visiting many of our people in the hospital. And often I’ve gotten to the hospital, and they have that little tray there for your food and whatnot. And often I’ll see the Bible on that. Often I’ll see some gospel tracts on that.
And they may be facing a life or death situation, but they have the strength, even at times like that, to read the word and pass the word out and tell folks about Jesus Christ. And I have loved to see the strength of God’s people. I’ve been with some dear saints of God, and they’re facing death. They know they’re facing death. They’re nearing the end, and they’ll say this—many a time they’ll say, “Pray, I’m ready to go. Ready for God.” And so many are so fearful at that moment. They have strength, and they’re drawing from something. I love to see the strength of God’s people. Maybe sometimes in the midst of tragedy, maybe sometimes when they just lost the one they love so very much. And I’ve seen God’s people just have a supernatural strength. And I love the strength of God’s people. It’s amazing to see sometimes.
It’s a privilege sometimes singing, but then sometimes it’s sad when you see God’s people just strength out of gas, anything, just knock them out of the race, and sometimes just so weak. There are many things that can be put into the formula. This morning, just trying to focus on this one thing, narrow it down—this thing here that God says gives you strength.
Did you notice that phrase, God’s word, back there? And we’re going to say it so many times, I hope. I hope you’re going to go to the restaurant after church, and she’s going to say, “Can I get you something to drink?” And you’re going to say, “The joy of the Lord.” You’re going to say, “What’s that?” Oh, I mean, I’ll take the water of the living. Amen? Amen on the water of the living? How about Dr. Pepper? Sweet tea? Yeah. How about not new? Got a couple of them. We got you on board now. We talk about the Bible, I lost. We talked about food. We got no glory, amen. But the joy of the Lord. Because we got no joy, there is giving us a formula.
Years ago, I was at one of the preachers’ meetings. I had a Nissan Pathfinder at the time. We’d just—I had not been that very long at all. You know, every car you get, you have to find out how far that needle can go past the red. Well, I thought out of that Nissan Pathfinder, it wouldn’t go very below that red. In fact, I found myself from the side world calling. My wife said, “Hey, babe, would you bring me the gas? Take some gas.” I picked up some gas. I broke down on the side of the road. I’m out of gas.
A lot of Christians ride, they’ve got no strength, but they are out of gas. The joy of the Lord is your strength. Can I say sometimes we’re saying, “Well, we’re going to make the difference.” For the most part, it’s not all that, except you have no joy, and that’s why you get no joy. By the way, someone can’t steal your joy. You have to give it up. They can’t steal it from me.
But they’re saying, the joy—if you want strength, you need some joy. Oh, that’s a sad thing when the people of God have lost their shout. You know, it’s a little bit of a sad thing. You said, “We’re not Pentecostals, friend.” Before there ever was a Pentecostal, good old Christians had a shout, friend. Right? Amen.
If I’ve got no joy, I’m losing strength. Let me just very quickly give you four keys to have the joy, the joy of the Lord, so that you have strength to stand in our end times. Four things very quickly here this morning, because I’ve already mentioned food in your mind’s on that food, amen.
Look at verse number 11 there, if you would, please. Verse number 11. Just finished verse number 10: “For the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So the Levites filled all the people saying, “Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.”
Now here’s the thing: Neither be ye grieved. The joy of the Lord. Here’s how to have the joy of the Lord. Here’s how to have joy. In the Bible, someone understood the Lord’s blessedness. You know the verse, Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice.”
Now we’re talking about that rejoice. It doesn’t mean you’re always up here. There’ll be times that rejoice—you choose. Joy is a choice because you work in being a joyous person. It may be harder and easier for others. You see what I would just raise? Temperament. You can change your temperament for Him. You may have to work at it, but it’s a choice you and I make. So I’m going to work at the same of having joy. Fellas, dog, as well. He had a day as a farmer in him. Situation, he said, “Well, that’s not a very good old pound dog anyway,” you know? And he said, “Tell you what, that well don’t produce any water anymore,” and he said, “I’m just going to save all the work,” and he said, “I’m just going to bury it. Get rid of that dog.” Put the dirt in there, you know. He just stepped up a little bit more before long. Life, have a choice how you handle it. It’s amazing. It’s amazing that someone is about to die and they have joy compared to theirs. That’s how they’re hanging. Greedy and mourning, but you don’t live there. Mournful. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Amen. There’s a time to mourn, but you don’t camp out there, for they shall be comforted. That’s the end of it. You don’t get the, you know, the afflicted complex, and that’s always against me. No, no, no, no. God’s commanding him there.
Ever think about Paul and Silas over there in Acts? Acts 16, I believe it is. You all know the story. There is prison for preaching the gospel. You know the story. And at midnight it says, “And at midnight Paul and Silas sang praises.” This is Pastor Paul. All of you right here, all right?
I believe why the Bible says at midnight—I think they got put in jail before that. They were out preaching. Typically, they kind of closed the streets down around 6 p.m. or something a lot of times. I don’t think it was out late at night. But I think, by the way, they got beaten and tortured for preaching Jesus Christ. And the Bible says at midnight, you know what? I don’t know. Maybe they got thrown in jail at 8 p.m. What happened from 8 to 12? You had to choose to have joy. They may have been completed. Silas might have said, “Paul, you have…” It happened in the night to choose circumstances. And God gives us the word of God to do what He says. And He said, “Rejoice always.”
Interesting story I read. Carol Mayhole. She had—she said she made herself listen to her friend talk about her problems for three hours. And finally asked, “If you were to draw a circle to represent your life, what would be in the center?” Her friend said, “My problems.” A week later, she sat across the hospital from her younger sister, Joy, who had just been diagnosed with acute leukemia. Her sister was perspiring with it. She had bandages encasing her throat from a biopsy they had taken.
Suddenly, a student nurse came in the room, was interviewing people that were terminally ill. And she asked, “Can I help me anyway?” Her sister, that knew she was dying of leukemia, said, “Oh, Jan, let me talk to you for a bit. She said, ‘I’m a bit fearful of the pain and process of dying, but I’m not afraid of death. It’ll just be a change of residence for me.’” She said, “I looked at my sister’s face; it was radiant from within. And she began for the next 45 minutes to share the gospel with that student.”
It’s a choice. If you’re going to have joy, you’re going to have to choose to have joy. And God tells them that, hey, this is the Feast of Tabernacles, and I need to be grieved. And the joy—don’t you forget, the joy of the Lord is your strength. It’s a command.
Now, let’s just look at a couple of other things here. Look at verse number 12, Nehemiah 8, verse number 12.
Four things, four keys: Number one, it’s your choice. Number two, right here, verse number 12: “And all the people went their way to eat and to drink and to send portions.” By the way, eating and drinking—that always gives me a choice. That person died. But I don’t know if people went their way to eat, to eat, to drink, and send portions to make great mirth because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.
Now, notice they were sending this, and they were working on having joy and not being grieved because of the words. And here’s point number two. Four keys to having joy: Number one, since you realize it’s a choice. Number two, your words—the words. Look if you go over in 1 Peter, 1 Peter chapter 3. This is always a convicting verse to me. 1 Peter chapter 3, if you’re going to have joy, you’re going to have to guard what your tongue says. 1 Peter chapter 3, we’re doing verse number 10 of God’s word. A wonderful verse. 1 Peter 3, verse number 10: “For he that will love life…” I don’t know much, but I like to love life. I’ve used this illustration with this verse, but I always think of mine goes back to that. I remember one of my hound dogs I had, and I remember him in the back of my pickup truck, and I was riding down the road, going about 45, something like that. I’m sure I was under the speed limit. I’m teasing. I don’t know how fast it was. And that dog always loved to ride in the back of a pickup truck. And that dog had his head out the side of the pickup truck, and the wind would get inside his mouth and just blow his jaws out. They would just whack. I remember looking out of the side here and just seeing that dog. He’d stick his head out of it, and he was just loving life. He just loved life.
What does the Bible say right there, verse number 10? “For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile.” If you’re going to love life, you’re going to see good days.
If you have been doing that, that’s a good thing. My name is Jimmy. I think what you give me, you know. But you got to watch commercials. And this commercial that keeps coming up on those is this little video camera, mini-cam or something. I can’t remember some kind of a little camera that they are promoting on there, and you put it in your home so if anybody’s breaking in, you can see it, or you can put them outside to monitor the door and whatnot. And if anybody’s coming in the hallway or whatever, rocking your door, you see. It’s not just the doorbell; it’s one of these you put anywhere. You know, I don’t want one of those things in my house, Amy and I. I like some privacy, you know what I’m saying? You can choose your own. But here’s the thing: If we had some kind of recorder in your house, what would be the majority of what we could talk to? What would be the majority? Negative. Your tongue. If you’re going to just love life, if you’re going to enjoy life and see good days—however, it doesn’t say anything about your circumstances as far as seeing good days. You talk about your time.
I’ve been successful at it. I was born in Tennessee, grew up a lot in Florida. So snow is, you know, I didn’t grow up with a whole lot of snow. My wife always wants, you know, she’s dreaming of a white Christmas. I say, “Yeah, that means the white sand of Florida for Christmas.” My life’s up north, and she likes all this snow.
And I’ve had to—I’ve been watching. It is really, I can’t enjoy the snow. I really can. In fact, this snow I’ve enjoyed pretty good. It’s just covered everything. It’s been amazing how white it has been. Some of you men, I know some of the others too, we got a little sunburn from shoveling out in the snow all day yesterday, you know, and you never think about the reflection in the snow, you know. And it’s just been so white. And here’s the thing: If I talk about how bad the snow is, how old it is, I hate the snow. Not unfortunately, I don’t know a little bit—I’m confessing here. Now we look out in the field, we’ve got horses, not ours, but there are two horses behind some horses out there. I was up at my mom’s house, and we saw the red bird in the midst of the white everywhere, and no least the lead. It’s just…
I’ve been trying to think a lot about over there, Psalm 51:3. He says, “Hey, if the Lord washes you, He can make you whiter than snow.” I’ve been trying to mention that a lot: whiter than snow. My old sinful heart, He can make that little sinful heart whiter than snow. And I watch, according to how I talk about the snow, is according to how much I’ve enjoyed it. Northerners say, “Well, it would be nice.” But coming in…
James 3 talks about your tongue. If I consider a big old ship and that rudder on the back of the ship, it’ll turn that ship. Strength in my life is so much about what my tongue says. By the way, we’re going to preach tonight on the end times with Israel and all that. That’s very true. But if I talk about how bad this world is all the time, I’m not going to have the strength to stand in our day and time. The leading Christians standing right there. Very crucial.
Number one, they said these four things, four keys to have joy. Number one, realize that it’s your choice. Number two, talk—it’s what I talk about, talking about the good things. And then number three: Look at verse number 13, back over Nehemiah chapter 8. Look at verse number 13. Nehemiah, verse number 13. And the Bible there says that on the second day, they were gathered together, the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and believers went unto Ezra, even to understand the words of the law.
We’re talking about your tongue, the words, plural. I think understanding—understanding something has to do with your thinking about it. And by the way, good preaching, I’ve already said this, is about a church service, basically. It’s not so high-brow and so many words you don’t understand. One of the other preachers trying to say, “You don’t understand it.” All right, but he’s bringing it down to our level and preaching the word, but you’re bored and you’re improving your group. That’s what you’re understood. But here’s the thing: Understanding, you do that with your mind. I have a bigger little—it is mine, not much up there, you know—but you understand.
Now, number three: What you’re thinking about. And he said, “Don’t you have to draw the Lord.” I always be grieved. And you just talk about, “Hey, they understood the word,” as what they were thinking about the Bible. On the upside, I must learn to control my mind. What about Philippians 4:6 and 7 over there? It tells you to do these five things. In verse number 7, he says, “The peace of God, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, Lord.” Doesn’t that verse number… Finally, my brother, is whatsoever things are true, honest, that has to be honorable, honest, just, and pure, and lovely, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise.
Strength, magnanimous, and you have a strength to do what you know is right to do. And it goes in my real joy of the work, just being a witness for Jesus Christ. Another place, he’s standing in the Lord, King Agrippa, in his own trial over there. And he says this little phrase—it’s just, it’s interesting. He says this; it’s in Acts 26, verse number 2. He says this: He said, “I think myself happy.” I want to finish, and he says, “I think myself happy because I shall answer for myself this day before they can touch me concerning all things whereof I am accused of the Jews.” But as you notice, he says, “I think myself happy.” He goes on and explains his thoughts—what he’s thinking about. But your thoughts…
Lamentations chapter 3. Jeremiah there, he lost his hope. Look over there, what we did before, but look one more time as we debate about whether to go over there. Look over Lamentations chapter 3. If you’ve been with this for a long time, I can never remember—never heard it talked about. So I would please…
It shows this point so well. Lamentations chapter 3. And look at verse number 18. Lamentations, book of Lamentations, book of lamenting. God wrote His destruction on Jerusalem. They’re lamenting about it. And look at Lamentations 3, look at verse number 18: “I said, my strength and my hope is perished from the Lord.”
Now, he’s discouraged. Remembering—notice that’s what he’s thinking about—remembering my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. He’s having an old-fashioned, first-class weeping part. What is doing? My soul, Lamentations 3:20: “My soul had them still in remembrance and is humbled in me.” He’s thinking about all these bad things. He said, “I’ve got no hope. It’s perished, and I’ve got no strength,” and just the misery of it all.
And then verse number 21, everything changes. “This I call to mind, therefore have I hope.” Circumstances didn’t change. The situation didn’t change. It was high of destruction and judgment, but he changed what he was thinking about. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed because His compassion has not failed. And here every morning, great is Thy faithfulness. He’s standing there, and actually judgment had come on Jerusalem—heaps of just rubble, and there’s ashes, and there’s dead bodies. And he said, “Man, I just lost all hope.” And he said, “Now I changed my thinking.” Circumstances still the same, but he changed his thinking. He said, “Now I got hope.” He said, “It wasn’t for the Lord’s mercies, nobody would be left. We would all be consumed.” Every day, every morning, great is Thy faithfulness. It’s all about—the thing that changed was his thinking. If you’re going to have the joy, being by the grace of God, but you’re going to hinder it greater because you’re going to thank Him. If my mom and dad’s life is horrible, literally, what does your mind dwell on? “I think myself happy.” Much to mind, therefore I have—all things are true, honest, pure, just, lovely, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise. All so wonderful with it, when in God’s speaking, I just had the joy.
That was the choice: what you talk about, what you think about. Let’s look at the last key, number four. We’re done, and we’ll get that state meeting rare. I like to tell you Dr. Pepper…
I’m getting a couple of you woke up all of a sudden. Went back over to Nehemiah one more time. Verse number 10. Nehemiah, verse number 10. Bottom, last part of the verse. Nehemiah 8, verse number 10. He says, “For the joy of the…” Now, here’s the thing. If I get my joy from how could our country do? And I’m there with you, friend. I’m battling into it. I’m not trying to act like I get it all again, preacher that means. And by the way, God’s used that to get a lot of us our eyes warm.
But the joy of—if I get my joy because everything’s going my way, well, sometimes it does, but a lot of times it doesn’t. Now, sometimes God will give—I call it the middleman—He’ll give me a blessing. There’s nothing wrong; you get some joy out of that. And here’s the thing: You’ve got to realize that are the sources. God’s been so good, but God did this, God did it. Or it’s all about the thing—the joy of God. If my eyes rejoice, because it’s not on all these things, it’s in the Lord. And sometimes God gives us so many blessings, and sometimes that draws us to look at them maybe more than we should. And God sometimes has to take them away to get us back. But if I have the joy of the Lord, He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The joy of the Lord is my strength. I got a lesson. One of our men sent me a text a couple of weeks ago. Myself, too, were battling this thing about the election and all that. And I would think it has a little bit of reference to do with that, but he said, “I got a reminder for me.” And it was a little sticking up with John 16:33 from there. Great verse. Maybe it’s a 35 part, but a little note, and this is the verse: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you might have peace. In the world, you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome it.” And I like it. That man, which was trying to get joy by holding onto the joy of the Lord—hey, you’re going to have the joy, friend. Somewhere along the line, you ought to get joy out of the Lord. Is your joy anchored in the Lord?
If my joy is in the Lord, the joy of the Lord—hey, young people, can I have you say for young people, it’s your joy in the Lord because it’ll, it’ll—no matter what happens, no matter how crazy it gets, the Lord will always be there. You’ll have the anchor that holds.
It’s interesting, one of the New Testament books. Jesus sent out His disciples, and He gave them power over the demons. They cast out demons. Can you imagine how those apostles must have felt? Oh, they cast out demons! Oh, man, I got some power here! Look at this! They cast a demon out. Well, they came back rejoicing to the Lord. Let me read it for you; I can’t quote it either. Luke 10:20: “Notwithstanding in this, rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”
That never changes. It’s never finished. Security in Christ. And He said, “Hey, let your joy be anchored in that.” Go into heaven. O’Curorses, he used to say, “I can take a lot on.” Did you count? We’re not here today, but a man that she brought up a young lady with her, a friend of hers, Andre, to church. Andre came and brought her dad; his name was Lee. I’ve got to go visiting Lee, her dad, the visitor at church. He went to this house and was in his living room, and he’s a pilot, and Mr. Paulkington said they said, “Pastor, I want to tell you a story.” He said, “I went for an interview one time,” and he said that the man said, “Sir, how many flight hours do you have?” He said, “I have 10,000 flight hours.” He said, “How many incidents have you had?” He said, “Zero, none.” And he said, “Pastor, that guy said, ‘I don’t know how you are! Why? Why would you want to hire me? I had 10,000 flight hours and not one incident!’” He said, “Because you would do it.” And he said, “Pastor, and I kept in mind the details.” I think he’d had a heart attack and some other health issues. He said, "I knew I wanted to save him. I wrote it to do it, and God before… We got on our knees in his living room there by the coffee table there. He prayed that Jesus Christ would be his Savior. His name was written down. Amen.
He came for several years to church. I remember Lee Paulkington, and Lee Paulkington did something. And in the end, he had skin cancer; he had this harsh treatment. He came in, and you could tell he was a lot weaker. But Lee Paulkington—well, here’s the thing: For years, Lee talked to do a prayer for his wife to get saved. He always—never got to meet her. She never came out and let me talk with her. And that’s the big thing. Couldn’t get her to church, but Lee and his daughter, who brought him to church, would pray for her mom, their wife, to get saved. And she said, “What this Christmas…” The daughter Paul had talked her about—when all was going on, she called and she said, “Mom’s at Vanderbilt. She’s got caught up with Jesus. She’s about to pass. Talk to you. She wants to say anything.”
I’m just riding in my truck, hands-free, and the truck connected. So I called up the number they gave me, and Mrs. Paulkington was on the line. She didn’t want to get saved so bad—she may have been saved already. I did my best to try to find out, but she just wanted to make sure she wanted to be saved. So I’m going to do the gospel with her. And I mean, she was just gasping prayer. But I said, “You don’t have to pray out loud. You believe in your heart, and the righteousness—and Jesus knows your heart—and you have to receive in the mouth. Tell me you ask Jesus Christ to be Savior, but you don’t have to pray out loud.” She didn’t have to ask you to pray, but she wanted to get saved so bad, I let her lead in the prayer. And she prayed out loud. You could just hear her gasp, and she said, “Amen.” She wanted to ask the Lord to save her. I pulled over in the parking lot by the fire station here. She’s just a wonderful experience. God wrote to put my lap out in New Day, and she sweetly was saved. She was shedding tears over in that line with all the eyes. She had her in just a sweet time. Yesterday, the daughter called me about a week or two ago. An old lady—she got to go back. She had to see him. She was talking to them, and she couldn’t talk a whole lot at that point, but remember we sang in the sweet by and by? You could see her mouth moving in the word. And no sweet time. Yesterday, I heard from my mother. She said, “Pastor, her mom’s passed.” I called on the line. She said, “Pastor, it’s amazing. Four years ago to the day, four years later, real close to the same time.”
About a week or so ago, she said, “Pastor, isn’t it a sin? My mom and I wanted to commit suicide, but my mom was wanting to die. Is that a sin?” And I texted her, gave her some words, but also Paul. He said, “I’m ready. I’d rather depart.” I’m striving to preach too. “I’m ready to depart this morning.” I said, “That’s not a sin. She knows where she’s going.”
Here I say the whole thing: Even if the worst thing this world is going to get them, that joy—why I was talking to me—you know, he said, “I’m ready to go. I want to leave.” By the way, their daughter, Andre, had a partner who gets saved. She’s one of the brothers named in church. In fact, a man—she’s not here today—but a man is one of the rewards. You know, there are five crowns of rejoicing. One of those is a crown of rejoicing. That crown was given to those that bring people to Jesus Christ. So Lee Paulkington, and he was ready to go. When he got close to that, he didn’t get mad; he had joy. Mrs. Paulkington didn’t have joy; she is ready to go. And Andre, the daughter, had joy because she didn’t have a partner in the same [situation]. He didn’t have joy. It’s the difference in the world—the joy with what’s before you and then how you’re going to go on.
I read to by their eyes and pulled. You said, “Preacher, I need to settle it that my name is written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I need to trust Christ.” That… I’m not going to say, “But I’m not going to trust.” I’m not going. I’m not going. I’m not going. I’m not going. I’m not. I’m not. I’m not. You’re not. You can have the joy of the Lord. I’m not going to give you what I need to give you. You can have the joy of the Lord, but for sure you’re going to heaven in Christ.
God bless you. Maybe even this morning is that prayer that God spoke from my heart. I need to choose. You need to make that choice. It’s a command to rejoice. I’ve got to work with that name. God spoke to my heart. I don’t want to just put the neutral and just go the little overall, and the flesh goes negative and bad. And now I need to enjoy joy. God’s word in my heart. I need to work for this thing. I have a joy. The gospel, the word about that section is when you slip your hand to the bridge, I need to work with that thing. If you beat through my hands up, my hands up. God bless you. God bless you. I need to work in the same having joy. Joy, can I emphasize in your homes? Soaking in your homes. Your homes have been joy.
Maybe here this morning. Thank you so much. You can put your hands down. Maybe go this morning. I said, “Preacher, I realize some of those keys I need to work at: my tongue, my mind, what I’m thinking about. Need to get my eyes on the Lord.” And pray, God, God spoke to my heart about some of those keys, and I’m going to work at these things: it’s my tongue and my mind, or my eyes on the Lord.
“Preacher, it spoke to my heart about my morals.” Is that you this morning? Slip in the head, I will work at those things. God bless you. God bless you. Me too, me too, me too. If I ask your spouse, if I ask your children, if you ask your mom and dad, what would they say? Do you have the joy of the Lord? Do you work at that thing? Do you work at it day in and day out? Continue rejoicing in the Lord always. “Preacher, I need to work at that thing.” If that’s you this morning, just looking at me and anybody else, anybody else. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. I need to work at it. Thank you. God bless you.
Would you please stand? Would you please stand with your head? Let’s just come down to the altar. God bless you. Let’s just come down to the Lord. I’m so thankful for you. I’ve got no reason to meet now and move the joy that’s great. Maybe just come. I want to rejoice in a little bit this morning. Do not say we’d love to be in helping that. Come now. Let’s just get our eyes, our mind on the Lord in the next few minutes of the great, great way. Would you do that? Let’s pray. You come, be obedient to the Lord. Father, Lord, we do thank you so much for your goodness. Lord, help us to rejoice. Help us to choose that joy, Father. Help our tongue, help our mind, help our eyes. Father, bless the next few minutes. Lord, turn our hearts and our minds, our thoughts to You and the right things. Lord, help us that joy in Your stream. We’ll thank You, Lord, for what You do. In Jesus, we pray. Amen. Would you come as we sing? We’ll be able to you for the Lord.
Let me tell you, so often that Satan will use us, and tragedy happens, and we have to deal with tragedy, and there’s a time of mourning, this proper time. But Satan loves to get us in the rut. And all we talk about is that tragedy. And all we think about is that tough thing that happened. And our eyes get off the Lord and get on the tragedy. I understand that you have to deal with it. The friends say, love to get us in that rut. That’s part of this feast that they were having there in the beginning of Nehemiah chapter. Great Feast of Tabernacles. I just want you to get your mind off of that. It’s a holy day. Don’t want you to be grieved. Let’s get our eyes back on the Lord. Let’s talk about it. Let’s understand scripture. Let’s think about that. And the joy of the Lord, and your strength comes back.
Would you ask the Lord to just kind of give us a reset? Let’s get our eyes, our joy back from the Lord. Would you do that as we sing another verse?
We have two thoughts that we’re done. I know you want to go eat; I do too. Two thoughts: Make your list of the good things in your mind. Write it down. And the devil’s, you’ll put thoughts in your mind. You can do that Acts 5:3. You can do that. And get that list out. Think on those things. “I’m not going to think on that,” or you say that more you think about it. Get these good things written down. And then make it good for some of us husbands and wives. Maybe even your children, it’s a family to get together. All right, let’s get delivered. Let’s make a pact. We’re going to start talking about the thing. Maybe let’s move through my and say, let’s just start. Let’s work at this thing. Nobody’s perfect at it. Just crazy. Let’s work at this thing. Change your home. Bring a sweet spirit to your home.
Original File: Joy is a choice - Pastor Paul Chisgar Sunday AM 22121