Greater Joy

Psalm 4

Central Idea of the Text:  That because of the grumblings of the people David cries out for God to show mercy and open the people’s eyes to the Joy that God has given David.

Central Idea of the Sermon:  That because of God’s great mercy we can consistently have joy in our lives

Specific Objective:  To open people’s eyes to the revelation of Joy.

Introduction:  Isn’t it awesome to see all these Boys and Girls today?  God has really blessed Fortress with a beautiful abundance of boys and girls.  It brings Joy to my heart to see them sing praises to the Lord and know that there are Mom’s and Dad’s who have dedicated their children to the Lord.  Now in three months we will be welcoming our first into the world and I am extremely excited about holding my baby girl in my arms.  But at the same time I also have my concerns.  It also makes me envious of the carefree, fun,  happy, life of a child.  There are moments in life where you find some of that joy that they seem to so freely possess in glimpses and spurts. But today we want to talk about more than just glimpses of this Joy, we want to understand how to achieve and possess even Greater Joy.

TS:  As adults we can’t expect to not have the responsibilities of life upon us, but we can find strength in God’s word to face whatever comes our way. 

 As a whole people are pessimistic.  (Psalm 4:6)

Exp:  Our expectations are never for the silver lining we are forever carrying around umbrellas, because when it rains, it pours.  It’s nothing new!  Whether it’s a person, place or thing we usually find something to get upset about.  Today the bulk of our text is going to come from Psalm 4.  David is king of Israel and there are some people who aren’t happy about the current situation and David is writing out a psalm to the Lord.  In verse 6 he says that “Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?” The people are wanting someone to place the blame on for the situation that they are in.  They are unhappy with things and they want things to change.  Because it’s not really their fault it’s definitely someone elses. 

Ill.  Have you ever been with a child and you walk out of the room for only a second and when  you get back into the room something has been dropped or spilt?   When you ask

the child what happened they have no idea.  But it definitely wasn’t them.

App.  That’s what is happening.  The people are unhappy and they are looking for a substitute to make them happy again.  Many times when people are unhappy they search for substitutes. Why do you think that shows like the bachelor and bachelorette are so popular?  It gives us an escape from “the norm” and a chance to wish and dream for something “greater”  But in reality searching for fillers only ends in brief spurts of momentary happiness.  Only 1 out of 17 of the seasons of the bachelor/bachelorette have ended in marriage. 

TS:  The bad thing about those things is that they only divert our attention for a moment.

David discovered that the Joy that the Lord gives is more than a momentary experience. (Psalm 4:7)

Exp:  David was considered a man after God’s own heart.  David writes some very personal words when he says that you have filled my heart with greater Joy.  The pinnacle of someone’s life back then was to be full and to have something to drink.  There wasn’t too many things greater than that. Because of droughts and famines those were the luxuries that people were complaining that they did not receive.  But David tells God very intimately that even greater than that is the Joy that you have put within my own heart. He’s having a conversation with God where he is re-assuring that to David God is more valuable than what others deem “Happiness”.  When you come to an understanding of the personal liberation of having an intimate relationship with God your heart begins to swell with knowing that there is an even greater experience.

Ill.  Andrew Uribe (Testimony)

App.  Happiness is momentary and situational.  Once you discover that no matter what life may bring at you that God is the one who brings you the Greatest Joy. Whatever season your in won’t matter.  Your joy should not be dependent upon external influences, but rather on the sweet presence of God that is flowing from inside of you. 

TS:  Satan knows if he can steal your joy he will also take your peace

Peace comes with the Joy of the Lord. (Psalm 4:8)

Exp: Peace is a by-product of Joy. David’s concerns are met by the faithfulness of God taking care of him.  David learned many years before Galatians 5:22 was written what the fruit of the spirit was. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. He doesn’t ask God to shut the people up who are concerned about his ability.  He doesn’t ask God to take away the talk and gossip.  He simply says that because of his trust in the Lord and the Joy that has been birthed from that he will sleep in peace.  He knows that his Joy cannot be taken because it wasn’t found in his position or situation.  It was found in Christ alone.

Ill.  As a parent I’m already wanting what’s best for my child. I want to be able to provide anything that my child needs (notice I didn’t say anything they want). My Parents buying me things I needed.  As my daughter grows up I want her to honestly believe that I can beat any other Dad up.  I want her to believe that I am the smartest Daddy in the world and I want her to know that I will never leave her no matter what happens.  As I was in wal-mart the other day there was a little girl who was with her mom and she was calling for her daddy because he had walked to another part of the store.  I want my child to miss me when I’m gone.  I want her to live a full, happy life. Do i know there will be painful learning experiences along the way?  Of course, but I’ll be with her every step of the way.

App.  That’s exactly what David realized. Life would happen, but he took Joy in knowing that whatever he encountered that God was with him through it all and that brought him an even greater Joy than what the world could offer. He learned that happiness depended on happenings, but greater joy depended on Jesus.

TS:  You may have alot of things to think about, but you have nothing to worry about.

Conclusion: Today if you’ve lost the joy that you once had God wants to restore it to you.  Sleepless nights, unhappiness, is not the life that God intended for you or intends for you to have today.  A sure sign of not having the joy of the Lord is worry, stress, depression.  God wants to free you from that this morning. 

Pastor Justin Weaver, Student Ministries Pastor, Fortress Church