Walking As Disciples in the Presence of the LORD

Walking As Disciples in the Presence of the LORD

Overwhelmed? The Secret To A Life Of Joy—Psalm 126

FOCUS: Psalm 126 provides insight into how we can live in this world with hearts full of joy as we

consider the provision of God from our past and the promises He has made for our future

and the way He turns our hardships into something good

FUNCTION: We will step towards real joy by taking inventory of what God has already done in our

lives to provide restoration, and by seeking out the promises He gives for our future

I.GIVE BLESSING

A.The Lord bless you and keep you

B.The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you

C.The Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you peace

II.Intro: What is the secret to living with joy?

A.Jesus teaches about being the vine & us being the branches in John 15

1.He teaches of the necessity for us to abide in Him w/His words abiding in us

2.This will glorify the Father and enable us to bear fruit (V. 8)

3.One fruit Jesus specifically names is that of joy (V. 11)

B.God wants us to experience life to the fullest & provides instruction so we can

1.In fact, it is one of the things the Israelites sang about in their journey to Jerusalem

2.Read Psalm 126:1-6—Right in the middle is the statement, “We are joyful!” (V. 3)

a.V. 1-3 is in past tense and V. 4-6 is in future tense

b.A song about the secret to a life of joy! (Knowing what to look back at & forward to)

III.There are a lot of things that will try to strip away our joy

A.Israel wound up in captivity & look at the emotion expressed in Psalm 137:1-4

1.They were captives due to their own poor choices & sinful behavior

2.What would ever help them find joy, peace & hope again?

3.This is where Psalm 126 begins (V. 1)—They find joy in a God who restores!

B.God has quite a history of restoration!

1.He had a plan for this before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4-5)

2.Even removing them from the Garden was not meant to be permanent—Return to the Tree

3.THIS IS WHAT THEY ARE SINGING ABOUT IN PSALM 126:2-3

a.Look at the joy! Look at the witness to other nations!

b.It is truly a dream come true (V. 1)

c.God never gave up on them

C.We have the same reason to sing with joy!

1.What is your personal history with Him?

2.How often do you take time to reflect upon what God has done to restore you?

3.But that is nor all—He wants us to have an expectation that He will continue to be the same

IV.Look at what they sing about in the back half of Psalm 126

A.They pray for God to “restore their fortunes”—He who provides streams in the desert (V. 4)

1.There are still desert/harsh conditions, but He provides hope & moves harshness to blessing

2.The streams are about making the desert fertile ground

a.He has also been doing this since the beginning (history)—Gen. 2:5

b.It is who God is! Constantly bring Good News!

B.The mandate was to be fruitful & multiply—from the beginning

1.Mankind’s choices kept turning the good into a curse

2.But restoration is what God does!

a.(126:5-6)—Weeping @ the time of planting—Rejoicing @ the harvest

b.This is the story of life!

c.We have been given a history to show us & future promises to empower us

C.Balloons Over Flame—Filled with the presence of God enables joy even when facing trials

V.INVITATION