Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church, located in Kernersville, North Carolina. Our subject is help. I have lost my joy.
We've been dealing with different subjects, as you know, and I appreciate all the good. comments and feedback and different things. But this one is a big one. Of all that I will probably deal with In this Heaven Help Us series, we've dealt with the fact of help. I'm worried, help I'm overwhelmed.
all these different things, but We want to talk today about Help I Have Lost My Joy. This is probably the one. that I struggle with. Um the most. Maybe you struggle with different things.
This tends to be What I struggle with. I think I learned as a young man in ministry that you just get up and do what you have to do. and you have difficult days. And I think back when I first became the pastor and transition with Brother Joe, Caden was at Chapel Hill Hospital there for a little over four months.
So I was there during the week. I drive back here and preach one of the other services on Sunday and then transitioned into that. And, you know, you're bearing a lot, your heart's broken and different things, and you're going through turmoil. But, you know, we're going to get up Sunday morning. We're going to preach.
You're going to try to be as fresh as I can. We're going to keep preaching as important. And so, you know, it's never been struggling to get up and do what you need to do. My struggle has been having joy while you do it. Does that make sense?
Anyone else here at Kerwin deal with that? You've learned because of your character that you're going to do what you need to do. But making sure you have joy when you do it. is a totally different thing. Losing your joy is something that happens to a lot of Christians a lot of the time.
There are so many things that can cause it, so many things that contribute to it. Let me put it this way: when we have the joy of the Lord, we can feel spiritually unstoppable. But when we don't. we can feel utterly exhausted. We feel like the fire has gone out and all that's left is smoke.
We feel saved but stuck. Forgiven? but fruitless. We feel drained, defeated. Um Depressed oftentimes.
We can feel powerless in our prayers. purposeless in our service and passionless in our worship. I was writing some things down this week. How I feel sometimes. I can feel cold in spirit.
confused in my mind. crushed in my heart. We can feel weak. in the walk, weary in the work. and washed up in our worship.
I can feel like Life's just going through the motions. I can feel like joy just leaped out of my soul somewhere. along the way. We can feel like our get up and go got up and went. We can feel like some things, and this is the big one I wrote down about me.
We can feel like something's missing even when everything's going right. You know, it's one thing you lose your joy when everything's going wrong. But sometimes everything can go right. And there's still something missing. And um I want you to, I think I put this down for us to show when we lose our joy.
It's not that our salvation is gone. What it is, is that somehow, somewhere, either our fellowship, our focus, or our faith. has been broken. And it's somewhere in those categories: either our fellowship with the Lord, our focus in life, or Our faith has been broken. A.W.
Tozer said this.
Now, I could give you a lot of quotes today, and I'm not going to. But this one stuck out to me. This is a thinker's quote, I guess. The Christian owes it to the world. to be supernaturally joyful.
This is what Tozier said. Listen to this. As Christians, We owe it to the world. for us to be joyful. Because we represent Christ.
And so it's something that the world needs to see. They might not see Christ, but they might see a person. whose faith has been put in Christ. And they need to see joy. in our lives.
So, we want to talk about this, and let me just go ahead and let you know right now: this is Homecoming Sunday, and I know that, but. Um Kind of pretend like you're sitting there in a desk. This is going to be some teaching time. Just going to be honest with you. This is a subject that we just got to give you some scripture.
We've got to give you some principles. All the tear-jerking stories. Um listen. That might give you a good feeling, but that's not going to change you. You're going to need what the Bible says about joy.
So, I'm going to deal with two areas. Why we lose our joy. And how do we get our joy back, okay? Let's start first with why we lose our joy. Let's pray.
Lord, I love you. You've literally made it clear in your word that your joy is our strength.
So when we lose that. We lose our strength. Um It can become our kryptonite, Lord. I just pray that you would help us today as we look at your word. Help us to understand the subject.
And Lord, help us to admit when we're there. Help us to admit. And I've lost my joy. What used to Bring me joy doesn't anymore. The joy I used to have no matter what happened.
is now not even there when everything I want to happen happens.
So, God, I pray that you would help us. Lord, I've seen people change churches to try to find joy. I've seen people change mates to try to find joy. I've seen People change jobs. People change all kinds of things.
trying to get their joy back.
So God, I pray you would help us today. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's understand it. Why we lose our joy.
Number one is many times because of sin. And this doesn't mean that you have every one of these things in your life, but I'm going to give you a list of things here that is a good indication. Of somewhere in here is why you've lost your joy, okay? This is what we would call the defilement of sin. Sin always stills joy.
Because joy is the fruit of a clean heart. Yeah. Psalm 51, 10, and we read it. Create in me a clean heart, oh God. And look at verse 12, restore unto me the joy.
So to restore the joy, it has to start with creating a clean heart.
So, sin can cause us to lose our joy. Let me give you.
Some other verses. Look at Isaiah 59, 2. It's on the screen for you. Your iniquities have separated. Between you and your God.
And if the joy of the Lord is our strength and our sin separates us from closeness with the Lord, that's how we lose our joy. Look at Psalm 32. This is a Psalm of David. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. Whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, listen to this. David is saying, when I tried to hide it, when I kept silence, my bones waxed old. Through my roaring all the day long. In other words, I aged.
Because of this. Notice this: for day and night thy hand was heavy upon me. My moisture. Literally, talking about fruitfulness is turned into the drought of summer. Cela Okay, now watch the change.
David says now. I acknowledge my sin unto thee. I've got to get this right. And mine iniquity have I not hit. I hit it, and my bones waxed old.
Have I not hit it? I said, I will confess my transgression unto the Lord. And notice what always happens when you do. Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Sila.
So what we do is we think about why am I here and feeling like this? And now we're thinking about this is what changed it.
Okay? You cannot have, listen to this. You cannot have the joy of salvation. While holding on to the sin that cost salvation's price.
So, you can't enjoy the salvation you have when you know you're holding on to what made Jesus die in the first place.
Okay, number two. is we can often lose our joy because of selfishness. This is what we call the distraction. of self. When we become self-focused instead of Christ-focused, our joy automatically fades.
Now, look at Philippians chapter 2. And this is kind of, we'll pick out some verses two to four. Fulfill ye my joy. Notice this, that ye be like-minded. Look not every man on his own things.
But every man also on the things of other. We're talking about fulfill ye my joy. How do we have joy in our life? By not just focusing on me. But by focusing on the things of others.
Everybody got it? Say amen.
So joy comes from, obviously we know Jesus first. Others second. Ourself first. When self becomes first, joy becomes last.
Okay. James 3.16. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. What is envying strife? Selfishness.
I envy. You know, we get on social media. I wish I could do it. I wish I had that. Look at that.
Here they are posting. They're traveling here. They're on this cruise. They're doing this. They're doing that.
If you're not careful, it can start making you get selfish. You're like, how am I selfish, preacher? I'm not the one doing it. No, you're the one lusting after it. You're the one wanting it.
You're the one design. You're the one discontent now that you're not there. And may I say, one of the best things you could possibly do is quit looking at what everybody else is doing. Because we can become very self-centered.
Well, it's not fair. I've never gotten to do that. We become this. Woe is me. Galatians 5:26.
Let us not be desirous of vain glory. What's that mean?
Somebody else got glory, I didn't. That's selfish. provoking one another, envying one another. Self-centered people are rarely spirit-filled. And they're never joy-filled.
Selfishness. Now we don't want to admit it. Listen to me. But this is one of the main reasons. Why I lose my joy.
And it might be one of the main reasons why you lose your joy. We don't want to say we're selfish. But we sure can be. Number three. because of sorrow.
Now this is not something you can control necessarily. This is what I call the discouragement. of circumstances. And maybe where selfishness doesn't get some people, circumstances gets the others. Look at John chapter 16, verse 20.
Ye shall weep and lament. Here's what's interesting. Jesus says here You are going to weep, you are going to lament, mourn, but the world shall rejoice. He said that there's times that you, as believers, you're going to have sorrow when it seems like everybody else. is joyful.
Notice this, and ye shall be sorrowful.
So Jesus never denies sorrow's reality, but he promises joy's return. Yeah, ye shall be sorrowful, he says. Notice this, but your sorrow shall be turned. Into joy. You can't control.
Some of the things that have happened to you. Listen, Eddie and Mary can't control it, they go to the doctor and find out this news. Yes, it's natural to to to mourn to Sorrow about this, fear, all these different things. But Jesus says, listen, yeah, you will be sorrowful. But Jesus is saying, I can turn that into joy.
Sorrow may suppress for a season, but it cannot steal from you what's rooted in the Savior.
Okay, number four. More I could say to all these, we can almost make a series out of each one of these. Uh but we're not. Because you wouldn't put up with it. All right, number four.
because of satanic oppression. This is what I call the deception. of the enemy. You know, sometimes, listen to me. It's not circumstances that really do happen.
It's Satan convincing you about what might happen. It's Satan scaring you with what could happen. It's Satan getting you angry with what you think somebody might do. Look at John chapter 10 and verse 10. It's on the screen for you.
Look at this: the thief cometh not. but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. Jesus said, I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. What does it mean to have life more abundantly? It means life with joy.
If you don't have joy, you can have life, but you don't have it abundantly.
So, what he's talking about here is joy. That is the Christian, we can have life more abundant. That means we have more things, it means that we have abundant life, we have life with joy. And that is way more abundant than just having life. And unfortunately, there's a lot of people in church that just have life.
Yeah. Satan cannot take your salvation, but he can steal your song. Look at 1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be viligent, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. He's going to use everything in your life, if he can, to steal your joy.
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles. Of the devil. Listen to me: the devil loves a discouraged Christian because a discouraged Christian is Satan's best advertisement. Did you hear me?
A discouraged Christian is Satan's best advertisement. Number five, because of separation. See, that's why I don't want to be separated, but not that kind of separation, all right? This is a distance from God's presence. We're not talking about us being separate from the world.
We're talking about here us being separate from closeness with Christ. What's our verse? Look at this, Psalm 16, 11. It doesn't get any plainer in thy presence. It's fullness of joy.
At thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore. If joy is found in his presence, it's lost in his absence.
So oftentimes you and I lose our joy. Look at me, just real quick, because we're not close to Christ. Whenever you had the most joy in your life, you were closest to Christ. Whenever you have lost your joy, it means not that, oh, bad things have happened, it doesn't mean bad circumstances, it doesn't mean all that. It means that I have lost my closeness with Christ.
And there's a lot of things that can make that happen. But it's separation. Look at what James 4:8. You know, it draws nigh to God, He'll draw nigh to you. Isaiah 12, therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of what?
Salvation. Your salvation is an endless source of joy.
Somebody needs to tell our face that. And I'm talking about me. You ever been walking somewhere or even in church somebody comes up and they go, Are you okay? And I want to say I was to you, just asked me that, and I want to slap you in the face. I'm fine.
You ever just walk somewhere and somebody goes, Everything okay? Anything wrong? Yeah, I guess. Hey, as a pastor, I hate to hear that.
Somebody would come up and say, Are you okay? I'm like, What do I not know? Did I get voted out?
Something happened? I don't know. What does it mean? It means that, listen, our salvation is It is a well, look at me, that we can constantly draw out joy. What happens?
We get away from Christ. We begin to lose our joy. Separation. Notice number six because of strain.
Some of you identify with this. This is what I call the drain of service. without fellowship. The drain of service. What does it mean?
Well, we just said when you and I separate, when we get a distance from Christ. That literally that separation turns into strain. Because now I'm working and serving without that fellowship with Christ. And so that now, look at me, now what used to be something I enjoy doing something for God now becomes a job. I used to love to come play in the orchestra.
Now it's an obligation. I used to love singing in the choir.
Now it's, we've got to practice again. I used to love helping in the class.
Now I'm just, what in the world? I used to love Can't wait to get to church.
Now I'm picking apart everything about this church.
Now strain. Luke 10. Look at... Beginning in verse 40, y'all know the story about Mary and Martha. I've preached on it many times, but it says, Martha was cumbered.
about much serving. Mary hath chosen that good part, Jesus said, which shall not be taken away from her. You all know here's Mary and Martha, and Jesus is coming over to the house, and obviously, Martha is working, busy, fixing everything, getting everything ready. Mary is in there sitting at Jesus' feet, fellowshipping with him. Guess who got stressed out?
Well, obviously, preacher, she's the one working. Look at me, who was she working for? Who was she making the meal for? Jesus Who was she busy for? Jesus So, I mean, if I'm doing it for Jesus, I ought to enjoy it.
She was doing it for Jesus, and she got cumbered. She was frustrated, ill. It wasn't something she was doing for anybody else. She was doing it for Jesus. And you and I can get the same way when we do something for Jesus.
What does this mean? It means that even service for Jesus became cumbersome. Even that can become a strain. Isaiah 40:31, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Galatians, let us not be weary in well-doing, and that can happen.
For in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Listen, when our devotion becomes duty, joy becomes a casualty of that service. That's why we can have a church with a lot of people and a lot of ministries. and very little joy. Yeah.
This is the hardest thing as a pastor. There's a lot of problems that I can fix. My mind, now, everything in life, my staff laugh at me. Whatever they bring up, I'm thinking of how it could go wrong. Whatever they mentioned, hey, we could do this, and I'm thinking of every liability problem, everything that could possibly, and I don't like to think negatively, but that's my job as a pastor.
If I don't think that way and we do it and something bad happens, guess who's going to get blamed? Not the staff member that wanted to do it. The pastor that allowed it to happen. And so, my mind, I have to always think of what could go wrong with all these things. If you and I are not careful.
Service could become a drain and the hardest problem for a pastor to fix. There's a lot of things I can try to avoid, and I can try to stay away from, and I can try to look ahead. But I have found myself many times at this very church sensing and realizing joy is not here. And I don't know how to bring that back. I can sit here some sunny nights and realize I don't see joy within a mile of this place right now.
Oh, but the instruments are playing. Choir is singing, people are sitting. Staring. Sleeping. But they're here.
But I'm just going to tell you. How many of you know exactly what I'm talking about? You can sense, I'm beginning to sense it right now, that there's no joy in the. As a pastor, I can't just Boom, make joy show up. Because I don't have your joy.
You have your joy. It's Christ in you, the hope of glory. Number seven. because of storms. Fear can drown joy out.
when your faith begins to falter. This is what I call the disturbance of fear. storms that show up in your life. Matthew 14:30, look at this. But when he saw the wind boisterous, speaking of Peter, He was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
You all know this: Peter's walking on the water, the only other person besides Jesus, obviously. And here's Peter taking a step of faith. The man, he's walking on water, and then all of a sudden, but when the wind got boisterous, he's looking now at his storm instead of his Savior, and he begins to sink. And as he begins to sink, he says, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou notice doubt?
Doubt what?
Well, you doubted the Savior. He didn't doubt. The the boat He didn't doubt the water.
Well, what did he doubt?
Well, when the storm came, he began to doubt. the ability of a savior. And that's what you and I do. Isaiah 26, 3, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace. whose mind is stayed on thee.
Philippians. For be careful for nothing. Don't be overburdened by all these. Notice this, and the peace of God. Shall keep your hearts and minds.
What you notice last because of stagnation? How do you and I lose our joy? Because we stop growing.
Now, this is probably the most widespread, rampant reason for loss of joy in a church. When believers stop growing, joy begins to wither away. This is what I call the decline of spiritual growth. Stagnation. And For some reason, with us Christians, there comes a point in our life where we kind of have a lot, we're growing, we take a lot in, and all of a sudden we think now that we have a lot in, we're okay.
Second Peter 3:18, but grow in grace. And the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Spiritual growth produces spiritual gladness. When our walk with God stalls, our joy stagnates. John 15, 11.
These things have I spoken unto you. These things, the word of God. Growth. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you. Amen.
So, what is it? What do we see here? He says, My word. My joy. And that's how your joy stays.
Not because of your effort or your words or your joy, it's all his joy. Psalm 1, verse 2: His delight is in the law of the Lord, God's Word. When your delight is in the law, the word of God, you grow. When I stay in the word of God, that's how I grow. Notice this, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
So I'm sure there's others, but I've given you enough to chew on for a while.
So let me go right to how do we get our joy back.
So there's a lot of information, preacher. Yeah, but I'm going to be honest with you. I just don't see the need to turn this into a three-week series and tell you a whole bunch of stories and illustrations. I'm just going to give you the facts of God's Word. Are you okay with that on Homecoming Sunday?
Okay. Psalm 51 that we read as we began, David said, Restore unto me the joy. How do I get it back? John 15, 11, these things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain. How do I get it?
It's not just that I can get it back, but I can keep it. Philippians 4, rejoice in the Lord. Always. And again I say, rejoice. What does rejoice mean?
It means to joice again. It means to get your joy back again. Rejoice.
Okay. Some Christians need to just joice. They've never done it. It's not about getting it back, they've never tried it. Anybody here named Joyce?
Anybody?
Okay, I don't. It's a pretty name. How do I get your joy back? Number one. Repentance.
Amen. Repentance. What did David say? Restore unto me. The joy of my salvation.
Yeah. He said, restore unto me the joy of... Thy salvation. Isaiah 55, let the wicked forsake his way. And he will have mercy.
upon him. Listen to me. If joy left when sin entered, it returns when sin is confessed. David here, what did he say? Restore unto me the what?
He did not say, restore unto me thy salvation. That means you could get saved and then lose your salvation and get saved again because I didn't do everything just right and because I didn't, you know, I didn't follow everyone, and I didn't follow the word of God, and I messed up. No, but then David would have to say, Restore unto me thy salvation. He doesn't say that. He says, restore unto me the joy.
Listen, if anybody would have lost his salvation because of doing something wrong, it would have been David. Yeah. Bathsheba having her husband murdered, all these different things. No, David said, Restore unto me the joy. That means even though I messed up, salvation stayed, but restore unto me the joy of thy.
He doesn't say, God, give me a new salvation. He says, God, bring back the joy of that salvation.
So, what happens here?
Well, it means, number one, you confess your sin honestly. Gave you a passage if you want to look it up on your own study. Number two, come to him humbly. Number three, continue in him faithfully. This is what repentance is.
A very simple definition. You confess your sin honestly, you come to him humbly, and you continue with him. That means, I confess my sin, I come to him, but then I go right back to it. That what repentance, okay? Repentance is, I confess it, I come to him, but I continue with him.
I change directions. All right, listen to me. You can't regain joy while holding on to the market. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast. The Kirkwin Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina.
You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192 or via the web. at Kerwin Baptist Church.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin Broadcast today. God bless you.
