PSALM 4:6-8

1. GOD IS THE SOURCE OF JOY THAT IS REAL AND ABUNDANT:
1. "You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and wine." David knew that God was the source of his joy.
2. Knowing the source of something is helpful.
1. Prospectors try to find the mother lode, the source of the gold for which they seek.
2. When one child sees another with something desirable, a toy or some candy, he may ask, "Where did you get that?" so he can get some as well.
3. In 1906, Marry Mallon was the source of several typhoid outbreaks and when she was found out, she was given the name, Typhoid Mary.
4. When we share the Gospel with others, we are sharing with them the source of forgiveness and eternal life.
5. An old chorus says, "if you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy, let Jesus come into your heart." If you have Jesus, you have God, and He is the source of joy.
3. Many still seek joy in the wrong places.
1. Some seek it in what they can lay their hands on: material things; possessions; toys.
2. Others seek it in what they can enjoy with their senses: physical pleasure, epicurean delights, creature comforts.
3. Others seek it in status and position and popularity.
4. Others seek joy in amusement and leisure and entertainment.
5. Still others seek joy in what happens to them in life. That's seeking circumstantial joy.
6. But someone rightly said that joy is "a transcending, overriding, undergirding tranquility and gladness of heart in spite of circumstances not because of them!" And that joy has its source in God alone. "I will be filled with joy because of You. I will sing praises to Your name, O Most High." Psalm 9:2 (NLT).
4. A few years ago, Betty Furness was said to have been advertising a Westinghouse Refrigerator on live TV. It was one that opened automatically when you touched a certain spot on the door. She touched it and nothing happened. She touched it harder and nothing happened. She touched it even harder and nothing happened. Then a technician was seen crawling across the floor to plug the refrigerator in. It was disconnected from the source of power. Many miss joy because, while they keep pushing to open the door, they are disconnected from its one real source: God.

God is the source of real and abundant joy. And:

2. GOD IS THE SOURCE OF JOY THAT EXCEEDS EARTH'S JOY:
1. "You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and wine." David knew that God was the source of his joy and he knew that the joy God gives exceeds the joy of things others most desire. David knew that the joy of God is better than all the comforts of life.
1. The merriment of worldly people is but a flash in the pan, a fleeting shadow; and even in their hilarity their heart is sorrowful. Solomon wrote "Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, and the end of joy may be grief. The backslider in heart will have his fill of his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied with his." Proverbs 14:13-14 (NASB).
2. The one who trusts God will never have reason to envy the unbelievers their laughter and joy. The grain and wine which seem to mean so much to the world will pass away with use - but the Abundant God provides Abundant joy which endures, surpasses and exceeds earth's joy.
2. Many things seem to bring some sort of joy.
1. Good health.
2. Good relationships.
3. Good expectations.
4. Good children.
5. Good jobs.
6. Good circumstances.
7. Good news.
3. But greater than any, and all, of these is the joy God gives His own. Multiply those good things and subtract God and you subtract joy. Strike all those good things and have God and we will know abundant joy in Him. It is not that God's joy isn't greater than the world's joy; it is that some just miss it in seeking the world's joy.
1. We prefer the physical, material and tangible to the spiritual.
2. We desire the temporal more than the eternal.
3. We seek the earthly rather than the heavenly.
4. We consume things that can ensnare and addict us rather than the things which free and liberate us.
5. We choose what brings us instant gratification ahead of what brings us enduring satisfaction.
4. Some things are just better than other things. God's joy is better than earth's joy. I remember a 1984 Sentra I had. One of the two worst cars I ever owned. When I keyed my CB radio, the engine would die. I pulled into a drive up bank window and the exhaust system fell off. At 16,000 miles the upholstery came apart. When I'd drive really slowly through a parking lot, the engine would surge. Bad, bad Sentra. I now drive a 1999 Prizm, a Toyota Corolla in Chevy skin. It has 121,000 miles. It has original spark plugs, original clutch, original brakes, original everything but battery, tires, and serpentine belt. It still gets over 40 mpg on the highway and runs as good as new. Some things are just better than other things. And God's joy is the best of all things.

God is the source of abundant joy which is better than earth's joy. And, finally:

3. GOD IS THE SOURCE OF JOY THAT GIVES US PEACE:
1. "I will lie down in peace and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe."
2. There are many causes of sleeplessness and restlessness. Among them is a sense of dissatisfaction and discontentment worry and anxiety, stress and distress. When I was a young teen, the cold war was still a threat. I remember going to bed at night and tossing and turning worrying about that dreaded mushroom cloud that would signal a nuclear attack. Worry robbed me of joy and peace and sleep. That is never God's plan for His children.
3. God is the God of joy and the God of peace. A joyful heart is a peaceful heart. A peaceful heart is a restful heart.
1. Solomon said, "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22 (NASB).
2. And, "The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear it if the spirit is crushed?" Proverbs 18:14 (NLT).
3. McGee said, "My friend, do you need a sleeping pill at night? Have you ever tried Psalm 4? It is lots better than any brand of sleeping pill you have used."
4. A little girl was having trouble sleeping. She came into her parent's bedroom and wakened them. Her daddy carried her back to her bedroom and talked soothingly to her and assured her that he loved her and that everything was okay. Then she said, "Daddy, can you love me through the dark?" He hugged her and assured her that whether it was light or dark it made no difference. He loved her even through the dark. Sometimes life seems dark and joyless. But God assures us that it makes no difference. He loves us through the dark times, too. And that should bring us joy. And that should bring us peace. And that should let us say with David, "I will lie down in peace and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe."

Some still don't have God's joy. All of us lack it from time to time. We all experience sadness and depression. But it may be that we lack joy because we have not experienced the right relationship with Jesus that produces joy. A lack of joy may be the result of unconfessed sin. A lack of joy may be the result of a wrong focus. But when the focal point of our desires is right relationship with Jesus, when it is to have God at the center of our lives, when it is to be in His will - He displaces sorrow and weeping with His joy. He waits to do that for you today. Perhaps you've kept Him waiting for years; don't put Him off any longer. His love is amazing and joyful. He wants you to know His joy - but until you receive His greatest expression of love, His Son Jesus, you will go on living without knowing what it is to have joy that comes from God; joy that exceeds anything earth has to offer; joy that brings us peace. Come to that joy as we sing.

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