Whatever Happened to Joy?
God yearns for believers to serve with joy and gladness, and the sacrifice of Christ is the key to experiencing this joy.
David Wilkerson emphasizes the importance of serving the Lord with joy and gladness, lamenting the despair that has overtaken many believers. He highlights that true joy comes from understanding the significance of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, which brings freedom from fear and bondage. Wilkerson points out that many Christians lack knowledge of this truth, which hinders their ability to rejoice in God's forgiveness. He encourages believers to embrace the joy that God desires for them, as expressed in Scripture, and to recognize that they are called to live in liberty and abundance of joy. Ultimately, he reminds us that God yearns to be enjoyed by His people.
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The Holy Spirit yearns to bring God's people back to serving the Lord with joy and gladness. How grieved heaven must be to witness the wet blanket of despair and sadness that has fallen upon multitudes of believers.
The Psalmist declared, "Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 144:15).
Isaiah said, "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation" (Isaiah 12:3).
When the Holy Spirit began to deal with me on the matter of serving him with joy, I had a difficult time facing the seriousness of the subject. I did not fully understand God's attitude. I wondered how important it could be compared to all the heartbreaking problems in the world today.
Few Christians have the knowledge of the truth about liberty and the life-freeing sacrifice at Calvary! They have never allowed the cross to set them free from all fear and bondage. We cannot rejoice and be exceedingly glad in our relationship with the Lord when we have a poor or limited knowledge of what happened at the cross.
You need not understand all the doctrines of atonement, reconciliation, propitiation, grace, sanctification, etc. All you need to know in order to live joyfully unto the Lord is this one foundational truth: GOD WAS COMPLETELY SATISFIED WITH CHRIST'S SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS!
It was all that was needed! God now willingly--joyfully--forgives all who repent.
To not rejoice in Christ's forgiveness is to doubt his full payment of our sins! Let the Spirit give you an understanding of this truth--we are called to liberty. God wants us to have an abundance of joy, a joy that is full and complete. Pressed down and running over!
God's Word makes it perfectly clear that he yearns to be enjoyed by his saints.
"That they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves..." (John 17:13).
"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (Isaiah 35:10).
Sermon Outline
- I. The Importance of Serving the Lord with Joy
- A. The Holy Spirit yearns for believers to serve with joy and gladness
- B. Despair and sadness have fallen upon many believers
- II. The Foundation of Joy
- A. God's attitude towards believers is one of joy and forgiveness
- B. The cross sets us free from fear and bondage
- III. Understanding the Cross
- A. The sacrifice of Christ is the key to joy
- B. We don't need to understand all doctrines to live joyfully
- IV. The Call to Liberty
- A. We are called to live in the abundance of God's joy
- B. God wants us to have a full and complete joy
Key Quotes
“GOD WAS COMPLETELY SATISFIED WITH CHRIST'S SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS!” — David Wilkerson
“That they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves... (John 17:13)” — David Wilkerson
“And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Isaiah 35:10)” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- We must understand the sacrifice of Christ in order to live joyfully unto the Lord.
- God wants us to have an abundance of joy, a joy that is full and complete.
- We are called to live in the liberty that Christ has provided for us.