“The Joy of the Lord” Pastor Kim Wenzel
"I have been to Church today, and (Surprisingly) I am
not depressed." – Robert Louis Stevenson.
John 10:10 Jesus came that we might have Life not
sadness.
Neh 8:10 –
Nehemiah said,
“Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have
nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy
of the Lord
is your strength.”
Where do we find
Strength from the Joy?
1.
In the Word of God –
Verse
1-3 1 all the people came
together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher
of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
2 So on the first day of the seventh
month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of
men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as
he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and
others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the
Book of the Law.
2. Worship of God
Neh 8:5-6 5 Ezra opened the
book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as
he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra
praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and
responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
3. Find JOY in the
Will of God
Neh 8:17-18 17 The
whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived
in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had
not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.
18 Day after day, from the first
day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the
festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the
regulation, there was an assembly.
Psalm 51:17
"Restore to me the joy of your
salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me…. The sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
Today's Verse
1 Peter 4:6
For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit
Heavenly Dew
Can I see the dew of Heaven
As it falleth on the summer night?
It cometh so softly down and gently
I cannot behold it with my sight.
But when I go forth in the morning
After a beautiful and cloudless night
I see every leaf line diamonds bright.
So the spirit of God is compared to the light.
And the light shineth where it will,
Some substance is so dull and thick,
While others reflect it, clear and still.
So there are men in whom His brightness cannot be found,
While others gladly receive and reflect it
As mirrowed dew drops in a crown
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