TEN MOST WANTED

“THE JOYFUL MAN”
or
“UNCLOGGING THE DRAIN”

Nehemiah 8: In the days of Nehemiah the walls and gates of Jerusalem were rebuilt against the will of their enemies who were their own kin.
When the task was completed Nehemiah and Ezra gathered the people together by the water gate (v 3). Every one was attentive.
Ezra the scribe stood behind a pulpit. He first blessed the Lord (v 6). When he did the people answered him by saying, “Amen, Amen and they lifted up their hands to heaven and bowed their heads and faces to the ground and worshipped the LORD.
Then when Ezra read the Word of God the people began to weep and mourn (v 9). Why?
The people were honest with themselves. They realize they had not obeyed the word of God. This is good. When one’s heart is stale and sinful before there can be joy there must be weeping. Psalms 31: 5 …weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Nehemiah then tells them to stop weeping. Look at Nehemiah 8:10:

10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
If you continue to read this chapter you will discover than when the people began to obey God’s word there was very great gladness (v 17).

Joy is different from a joke.
I’ve been told a thousand jokes and most of them I don’t remember.
--In a time of sorrow or stress jokes will do you no good but joy is a gift from God placed within your heart that gives you delight and peace.
For some people if there child knocks a homerun it gives them joy.
Other parents rejoice if they bring home all A’s on their report card.
Still others are joyful over money or a job.
To a couple in love; watching a beautiful purple sunrise over a mountain peak would be spectacular.
Different things bring love and joy to different people.

I tell you that story because the greatest magnetism spiritually speaking in this world is love and the second greatest attraction a Christian can display to a lost world is joy.

Let’s look at three ways of obtaining joy.
If you went to the doctor and he said to you, “Your heart is clogged. The main artery is 90% clogged. The second one is 75% clogged and the third is 50% clogged. Then the doctor says, Let me tell you what you need to do to clean them out. Would you obey?
In most people’s life their joy pump is all clogged up. A person needs to clean those three clogged lines out.

FIRST – You must dwell on Joyful Scriptures.
The doctor takes reaches in his pocket and pulls out his little prescription pad and he writes.
Lacking joy, need Vitamin J (joy). Four times daily take four scriptures to meditate on every four hours, with an eight ounce glass of meditation.

Illustration: I often thought it would be wise for business to do this. People that smoke 5 cigarettes a day take at lease 5 minutes for each break.
Wouldn’t be great if businesses that were Christians told their employees that were Christians that 5 times a day you have to take a break and read and meditate on 5 scriptures for 5 minutes.
I’ll tell you what would happen. You would have a lot of happy people.

First, Take a look at Joyful Scriptures.
Psalms 5: 11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
Three words are used to express joy here:
1 - Rejoice means to express joy or to celebrate.
This is what the children of Israel were doing when Ezra was blessing or exalting the Lord.
2 - Shout for joy means to celebrate or to be exuberant. David tells why we should shout for joy. It is because our Lord defendest them from their enemy.
3 - Joyful means to be pleasant, happy, elated, thrilled and glad.
Anyone and everyone who loves the Lord should have joy.
I have met so many good Christians that in the midst of sorrow they have joy.
In the midst of disease they have joy, in the midst of great trials, they have a peace, a calm a joy because they are walking in His will.

What is joy? Joy is a delight, a happiness, a pleasure but more.
-It is an ecstasy, an elation a thrill you sense in your soul.
-It is a wonder and amazement God gives you. But it is more.
-It is a satisfaction, a contentment, a peace that this world know nothing about.
In the first century one of the troubling sights to wicked Nero when he fed the Christians to his lions was they sang songs to God as the stood in the coliseum awaiting death.


THANKSGIVING GRATEFULNESS
Psalms 100:1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

I – Make a joyful noise. Sing – Testify – laugh
“Noise” is the Hebrew word Ruha.
It means to shout, raise a sound, and give a blast or applause.
We don’t need praise teams, we need praise time.
We need God’s children to praise Him because He is the Lord.
I know parents love their kids but I think if we showed as much love and joy to others about the Lord as we do when our kids are playing ball we might influence folks for Christ.

 God said, “Make a joyful noise. Make a glad, elated, jubilant shout to Him. Why? Because He is the Lord, He is worthy.
 Picture your kid batting and the count is 3 and 2. You say, “Come on baby, you can do it. Come up get a hit. Come on, keep the eye on the ball.” And if they do well you shout and if they make an out you encourage them. Shouldn’t we show that same joy for the Lord and others?


2a – 2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

“Serve” is the Hebrew word “Abad.” It means to perform and function.
“Gladness is the Hebrew word “Simchah.” It means joyfully, with pleasure, yea with exceeding pleasure.

2b – Come before his presence with singing.
The Hebrew word for “Presence” speaks of God’s countenance, his face.
You can’t come before His presence with sin and therefore many folks don’t have a song or joy because they have unconfessed sin.
Sweet water and bitter water can’t both exist in the same cup.

When you come before the Lord humbly with your sins confessed you have a song and a testimony. Thus, we saw that in Nehemiah.
The word singing is ren-aw-naw.' It means a joyful voice, triumph voice.

3a – 3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
“Know” is the word Yada.
It means, “understand and know what it means that Jehovah is yiour God. Just one things it means is you are protected by and provided for by the Creator of the Universe and you need not fear.
What did David mean?
David was also saying, don’t believe the foolish philosophies of this world.
-The Greeks preached that the many gods of the heavens, like Zeus and others are the giver and sustainer of life.
-Today, the foolish teaching of the world is evolution.
- The wise person knows that it is God who made man.
God says, I want you to know where you came from. You came from your creator.

Then He says, I want you to know where you are going… 3c – “…we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
You are his sheep. John 10: 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
If Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, then your eternal destiny is Heaven. I know in whom I have believeth and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

4a – Enter into his gates with thanksgiving
The “gates” represent the outward courtyard of a man’s house. That represents God’s world.
Walk through God’s world with a heart filled with thanksgiving.
The Hebrew word for thanksgiving is Towdah. It can be translated confession, praise or thanksgiving.
A thankful heart is a confessed heart. It is a heart that praises God.
And a heart filled with gracious, kind and generous thoughts.

4b – …and into his courts with praise -
Now when we leave the gardens of God’s world and enter His holy courts of worship, we should do so with Praise. This word for praise here means adoration and admiration.
Adoration and admiration comes from a close relationship with someone.
Listen to people’s testimony. Some people say, I thank God for my children or I thank God for my mate or for my church and all of this is very good. We should be thankful for all God has given us.

But praise is different. When someone has been in God’s courts in His presence, that person comes out praising Him.
We praise Him for his eternal, unconditional love.
We praise Him for his faithfulness. We praise Him for His holiness.
We praise Him for his kindness and forgiveness.
We praise Him for His Son and Salvation.

4c – “…be thankful unto him…”
Show him your thankfulness. Tell Him that you appreciate life, breath, and liberty.
Thank Him for the Holy Spirit, the Bible, Church, freedom and liberty.

The lost world isn’t going to praise Him. God deserves the praise of His Saints.”
-Tell others what great things the Lord hath done for you.
-Tell me one great thing God has done for you.
--Has he saved you? Has he secured you? Has he satisfied you?
Has he forgiven you? Has he favored you? Has he fellowshipped with you? Then….

4d – “…and bless his name…”
Bless means to salute, to praise, to kneel down to testify too.

Now all four of these attributes are the outflow of a heart of love and joy.
Thanksgiving and praise, thankfulness and blessing his name are joyful attributes that comes from a joyful person.

5 God is good – “All the time.” 5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
God will love and forgive you if you in humility will ask.
And you can always depend on His Word. It is truth.
Mercy -- Checed – pronounced kheh'-sed -- His goodness, kindness, faithfulness.

SECOND – You must dwell on Joyful Sayings.

Laughter is part of a Christian’s life. To hear quaint sayings and useful sayings bring us joy. Listen to nine statements that are joyfully true.
1. All people smile in the same language.
2. Never miss an opportunity to make others happy even if you have to leave them alone to do it.
3. Be cheerful. Of all the things you wear your facial expression is the most important.
4. What sunshine is to flowers; smiles are to humanity.
5. If you want to be happy, begin where you are. Don’t wait for some rapture, that’s future and far, Begin to be joyous, begin to be glad, And soon you’ll forget that you ever were sad.
6. It takes both sunshine and rain to make a rainbow.
7. Realize that what happens around us is largely outside of our control. But how we react to it is within our control.
8. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without first putting it on yourself.
9. Happiness consists not in possessing much, but in being content with what we now possess. He who wants little always has enough.


Church Bulletin Bloopers - Part II
1. The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The Congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
2. Thursday night Potluck Supper. Prayer and medication to follow.
3. The rosebud on the altar this morning is to announce the birth of David, the sin of the Rev. and Mrs. Adams.
4. At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.
5. The senior choir invites any member of the congregation who enjoys sinning to join the choir.
6. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
7. The pastor, to the members of Women's ministries: "I thank you for your thighs and offerings."
(Joyful Scriptures; Joyful Sayings and…)

THIRDLY – You must dwell on Joyful Stories.
"The Plays"
Playbook for the Game of Life
God’s word is the “playbook for the game of life” if you want to call life a game. To many people, life is survival from one day to the next.
To others it is a war. Some people call life an amusement, a sport but to most life is an event.
What takes place in “life” will determine if you win or lose the game or your soul.
I want to do something different today. I want to divide you into two groups. You on my right side is Group one. You on my left side is group two.
Group one you are from the University of California.
Group two you are from Stanford University.
You are all football fans for the next few minutes.
I want you to really have some enthusiasm for your team.
Group one who is your university? “California”
Group two, who is your university? “Stanford”

Who here has ever head of “THE PLAY?”
"The Play" is the “ONE PLAY” that many believe was the greatest play ever played in the game of football -- anywhere, anytime.
Can anyone here this morning tell me who played in "The Play?" Right: California vs. Stanford.

Can anyone tell me the year of "The Play.?" “1982”
Can anyone tell me what was so special about "The Play?"

Here is the story: With 53 seconds left in the game, Stanford was down 17-19.
They couldn’t seem to get the ball out of their own back field. They were stuck. Three plays in a roll and they lost yardage. It was fourth down and 17 yards to go.
The Stanford QB had one more shot. Does anyone know who he was? (John Elway).
Anyway he miraculously rallied and got the first down.
The Stanford crowd went crazy, shouting and hollering.
Stanford began there marched down the field. Every few yards they gained the crowd cheered.
In four plays they got to the 18 yard line, with eight seconds to go. They called on the field goal kicker. Everyone was screaming (Stanford vans are you excited). The ball was snapped 8,7,6,5,4 seconds to go and the official throws his arms in the air. It was good.
Stanford had won the game, 20-19. The crowed went crazy. The band filled the inzone. Fans poured on the sidelines. When the final four second would tick off they would flood the field and lift up their team in hysteria.
With four seconds to go Stanford had to kick off so the remaining four seconds could tick off the clock.
But this is where the game became The Game.
California picked up Stanford's kicked ball on the 39 yard line.
As the last second clicked off the clock Cal started running up field.
The first runner was grabbed and started to go down. At the last moment before he hit the ground he managed to pitch the ball to a second runner, who ran down-field until he hit a brick wall of Stanford linebackers.
Once again, just before he hit the ground at the 10 yard line he pitched the ball to a teammate, who carried the football through a field flooded with Stanford fans already celebrating the victory that was not to be.
As California crossed the goal line, the crowd dissolved into hysteria. California had won the game, 25-20, on a play that would never be repeated. "The Play" is still unbelievable.

Let me now tell you “The Play” of all time. Jesus was ahead. He had scorned in the Wilderness of Temptation. He had scorned in life. He had scorned in the Garden of Gethsemane. For 33 ½ years it seemed Jesus was ahead but in the last fleeing seconds, Satan turned the tide of humanity against Christ.
He was arrested and dragged from His garden of prayer. He was beaten and falsely accused. Though Pilate found him innocent he pronounced his death sentence.
He was nailed to the cross and there he died. The cohorts of hell ran upon the field crying victory, shouting, partying, laughing and singing praises to their king. The inzone of hell was filled with screaming fans.
And with only three ticks on the clock, yea 3 days and 3 nights, something unbelievable happened.
I call it the “Greatest Play of all time.”
The earth rumbled, the mountains quaked, the angels descended and the stone on his tomb was rolled away.
He wasn’t dead. He was alive. Jesus had conquered death. Jesus had conquered hell. Jesus had conquered Satan and rose victorious.
That was the play of all plays.

A few months ago Bobby Anderson stood up and gave his testimony and told how he got saved. He was religious. He had made a profession earlier in life but he wasn’t saved. Then under the conviction of God’s Spirit Bobby ask Christ to be his savior. That is a joyful story.

Jay Martin stood up a few months ago and gave glory to God for healing him of a cancerous tumor he had on his liver. He gave glory to God because of prayer and a quart of carrot juice a day.
We rejoiced over that.

Sandra and Ryan Marks stood in the pulpit a few weeks ago and told how when they obeyed God’s spirit and ask the church to anoint Sandra with oil, how God did more than relive some pain. He allowed them to conceive and Sandra now is carrying their first baby.

Mike and Charlene walked down the old broad leading to hell for many years, then one day the light and love of God pierced their souls and they gave their lives to Jesus Christ.
A few years ago, Mike was shot with a 38 and was only seconds from death but God spared his life. Charlene lives by faith every week because of physical problems, but they come with a smile and an encouraging word. That is a joyful story.

Yea, the joy of the Lord gives me strength.
Parents let me give you a must play at home.
1 – Dads, Moms, smile at your kids. It tells them you love them, you are happy in life, you love god and everything is alright in life.
2 – Touch them. Put your arm around your boy’s shoulder. Stroke your girls hair. Give them love.
3 – Never go alone on an errand. Scott told me that once a week Samantha takes one of the children out to shop and whatever. And they long for that special time.
4 – Speaks words of encouragement. “You did a good job.” I’m so happy to have a son or daughter like you.”
5 – Take them out for breakfast or a meal, just you two. It makes them feel special.