Serving the Lord with Gladness 1987

I'd like to read today, I guess none of us need to read it, but I'm going to read it anyway. This is a verse and a half from Psalm number 100, which we all know. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness. That one? I just couldn't miss that. It's beautiful.

Serve the Lord with gladness. That's one of the most practical commands in the whole scripture. Because no one is going to serve the Lord very long, or with any effectiveness, if they're not glad to do it.

The angel Gabriel comes to Mary and says, you're going to conceive in your womb, you're going to bear a child, a son, and you're going to call his name Jesus. And Mary's response is, behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be of meat to me according to your will. Meaning, really, she's saying, here I am, I'm your servant, I'm glad to be your servant.

And this isn't exactly easy, this isn't going to be the most simple pregnancy in the world. It's going to have all kinds of confusion with it, and problems, it might threaten her marriage, it will very likely threaten her reputation. But Mary is willing and glad.

Glad! My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Glad to do it. And then we think of the apostle Paul.

Undoubtedly one of the most, if not the most fruitful servant of Jesus that ever lived. Listen to the catalog of trials and tribulations this man went through, reading from 2 Corinthians chapter 11, starting at verse 23. He's kind of rebuking the Corinthians, and he's saying about these Judaizers over here who are pushing them around, Are they servants of Christ? I'm a better one.

I'm talking like a madman. With far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews, forty lashes less one.

Three times I've been beaten with rods, once I was stoned. Three times I've been shipwrecked. A night and a day I've been adrift at sea.

On frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brethren. In toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And apart from other things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches.

What's he saying? He's saying, I don't know how much more of this I can stand. Don't dump any more on me, Lord. No.

This man was glad to do it. He'd do it all again. And it was this gladness that was with him all through those trials that kept him going and that made this man fruitful.

Our Lord went to the cross. Did this depress him? From Hebrews 12, 2, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Even in the face of the cross, even with the prospect of going into total darkness, sinking down into death under the weight of our sin, he rejoices to do the will of his Father. Glad to do it. Always glad to do it.

Who, for the joy that was set before him, one time the disciples set food before him, they come back from the village in Samaria, and here's Jesus talking to this woman at the well. She leaves her water jar and goes back to the city, and the disciples say, Rabbi, eat. And Jesus says, I have food to eat that you know nothing about.

Did somebody bring him food? Don't tell me you ate lunch from this Gentile woman. My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. My joy is to serve my Father.

That's my meat and drink. Now, we've been talking for months about what it means to be a prophetic church. That we're all prophets.

We're all servants of God. The minute our sins are forgiven, the minute we're washed in the blood of the Lamb, we're immediately put to work in the vineyard. The problem is that we tend, many of us, to get weary.

It's too hot, too cold, the grapes are hard to pick. Nobody appreciates what I'm doing. Besides, many of our comrades have given up the despair, or they've fainted from weariness.

The word of the Lord to this congregation today, to us, is that if we are having trouble, we're getting tired, it's because we're making it hard for ourselves. He has ordained that we should be able always, and in all circumstances, to serve him with gladness. His joy is to be our strength.

We are to like being servants of God. Do you like being a servant of God? Are you having fun? And I mean, I used to get disgusted with this fellow who was saying, it's fun to be a Christian, you know, and I thought, but you know, there's an element of truth to that. You know, it's certainly a lot better than saying, oh, it's so hard to be a Christian.

You know, is it your meat and drink to serve the Lord? Now, our problem is that instead of being driven by that gladness through trial, tribulation, persecution, hard days, on and on, most of us are allowing ourselves to be driven by three things that will never get us to the end of the journey. Guilt, fear, and the Christian itch. Most of us know what it is to be driven by guilt.

You know, I really don't want to do this, but I know if I don't, I'm going to feel guilty, so I will. And it doesn't matter whether it's our daily prayers, or gathering with the saints, or sharing some money with people who have need of it, somebody who needs it, or speaking a word of encouragement to somebody on the job who's really down, if we do this out of guilt, out of obligation, we'll do it for a while. But after a while, pretty soon, we'll get tired of it, sick of it.

I'm getting out of this vineyard. I'm tired of it. Who can live like this? And it's absolutely true.

Who can live like that? Who can live forever doing what we do because we're guilty if we don't do it? That'll never get us there. Most of us also know what it's like to try to serve God out of fear. Now, granted, we're living in a world where people are much less driven by fear of the consequences of their actions, whether it's the consequences from God, or the police, or their neighbors and friends.

But most of us are still, we have a fear in us that keeps us from going too far. And that's a good thing. It'll keep you from slandering somebody or committing adultery or murder.

But it will never, that fear will never drive you into the presence of God daily, or draw you together with the saints, or move you to show mercy. He who fears is not made perfect in love. He who fears cannot serve the Lord with gladness.

And most of us know something about, from our experience, this thing which could be called the Christian itch. Meaning that I have a, I got an itch and I have to find something to scratch it. Some new experience.

Some new doctrine. Some new way of serving God. Some new form of church life.

Some new way of worship. If I have the fullness of the Holy Spirit, I have all I need. See, but now I got the fullness of the Holy Spirit, but I get the itch.

Now I gotta have the fullness of the Holy Spirit as one of the latter rain saints. I want the latter rain Holy Spirit. You know, we got the Pentecost, now we got latter rain.

So now I'm a latter rain saint. I got the latter rain Holy Spirit. I'm doing pretty well for a while.

And after a while that wears out. I got some itch again. Now I'm gonna be one of the manifested sons of God.

You know, the whole creation waits with eager longing for the manifestation of the sons of God. And now I'm gonna get after that. I'm gonna be a manifested son of God.

Sometimes I can look through my hand and see right through it. Because I'm a manifested son of God. And that does it for a while.

And pretty soon, that's not enough. Now I wanna have holy oil appear in my, the palms of my hands every time I pray. And it goes on and on and on and on.

Most church growth among American evangelicals is not bringing people from the world into the kingdom. It's moving them from church to church. Trying to satisfy the itch.

I found it! Hallelujah! Now I know how to worship God. I found the real doctrine. It lasts for three years.

Then on I go again. Gotta find another one. And it'll go on until I know what it means to serve the Lord with gladness.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, O ye land! Serve the Lord with gladness. The Lord God has made it possible for us to serve Him with gladness. That's exactly why Jesus came.

This is precisely why He died on the cross. In order to wash away with His own blood. The day works.

Of guilt, fear, and the Christian itch. So that we can serve Him with gladness. Reading from Hebrews chapter 9 verse 12.

Jesus entered once for all into the holy place. Taking not the blood of goats and calves, but His own blood. Thus securing eternal redemption.

For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer. Sanctifies for the purification of the flesh. How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered Himself.

Without blemish to God. Purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. So the blood of the land applied to our lives.

Washes away the guilt. And the fear. And the itch.

So that we can really serve God. And have a wonderful time doing it. As prophets of God.

Which is what we are. There are three places where we are called upon. By Him.

To serve Him. And in each of these three places. We need to get off the treadmill of dead works.

So that we can serve Him with gladness. First, we need to serve the Lord with gladness before His throne in worship. Second, we need to serve the Lord with gladness in the body.

Where He has placed us to wash feet and strengthen the brethren. And third, we need to serve the Lord with gladness out there in the real everyday world. Where He has anointed us to be His prophets.

First, we need to serve the Lord with gladness before His throne in worship. Starting with our prayer life. Our prayer life can be alive and wonderful and joyful.

But it also can become really heavy. And really gloomy. And full of righteous self-pity.

Oh, if only others could pray like me. If only others knew how to intercede the way I do. Oh, it's such a burden.

It's such a burden because it's dead. Wait. Coming from a dead heart.

Producing dead works. So we need constantly to take our prayer life to the cross. And let it get bathed in the blood of the Lamb.

For if the blood. If the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls. And the ashes of an heifer.

Sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh. How much more shall the blood of the Lamb. Who through the eternal spirit.

Offered himself without blemish to God. Purify your conscience from dead works. To serve the living God.

Jesus opened the way right into the presence of the Father. Took all the burden. Washed away the guilt.

Now all we need to do today. Is follow Him. Get in behind Him.

Right into the presence of the Father. Stand before the mercy seat. Lift up your hands if you like.

And worship Him with joy. And praise Him with gladness. And lay your knees before Him with confidence.

And intercede for the saints with thanksgiving. And pray for the nations and the leaders of the nations. Knowing that the spirit of the Lord is moving through your prayers.

To bring healing to the earth. As a sign of the coming glory. We need.

To serve the Lord with gladness. In the body. Where He has placed us.

To wash feet. And to strengthen the brethren. The issue is not.

Are my needs being met? The issue is. Am I washing feet? Now our body life also can become. And somber.

And gloomy. And dead. Often it does.

Oh here it is Sunday. And I know I should be with the saints. And I'll be there.

But I sure am getting tired of this. What good is it doing? We need to take our body life. To the cross.

And bathe it in the blood of the Lamb. Our body life also. For if.

The sprinkling of defiled persons. With the blood of goats and bulls. And the ashes of a heifer.

Sanctifies it for the purification of the flesh. How much more shall the blood of the Lamb. Who through the eternal spirit.

Offered himself. Offered himself without spot to God. Purify your conscience from dead works.

To serve the living God. So that washed in the blood of the Lamb. This assembly right now.

Can be living service to God. Glorious service to God. Life.

We become then a sacrament to each other. We become an encouragement to each other. Jesus himself stands in our midst.

And floods us with his presence. And his power. Because we're one.

From many many many backgrounds. We become one in him. And we wash each other's feet.

And we bear each other's burdens. And now he floods us with joy. And our hearts overflow with gladness.

And in that gladness. We go out into that harvest. And we reap.

A harvest which we and others. Have sowed with tears. We need to serve the Lord with gladness.

Out there in the real everyday world. Where God has anointed us. And ordained us to be his prophets.

And we all have a trouble time with that. Just this witnessing thing gets to be a real chore. I know I should do it.

But I sure don't feel like it. And it doesn't seem to work. Nobody wants to listen to me.

But I will. I'm going to speak the truth. It's my duty to speak the truth.

So the words drop out of our mouths like stones. And our deeds take on a hard synthetic appearance. Which is really what they should have.

That way. Coming out that way. And nothing happens.

And the reason is we need to take our prophetic life. Our prophetic life. Our ministry.

Which God has called us to exercise. Out there. Bring it to the cross.

And bathe it in the blood of the lamb. This too. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons.

With the blood of goats and bulls. And the ashes of a heifer. Is going to make them clean.

How much more shall the blood of Christ. Through the eternal spirit. Offered himself without spot to God.

Purify your conscience. From dead works as prophets out there. To serve the living God.

As prophets out there. So now we go out. We go out with joy.

And gladness. And we take the only message of hope there is. The only freedom there is.

The only genuine healing there is. The only peace that can be found. And we minister it.

We give it. We serve with it. We give it away generously.

How can we possibly. Bring good news. To the wounded ones.

And not have joy. How can we possibly. Bring sight to the blind.

And healing to the sick. And life to the dead. And not have joy.

Make a joyful noise. Unto the Lord. All ye lands.

You great multitude. Which no man could number. Of every nation and people.

And kindred and tongue. Gathered before the throne. Make a joyful noise.

Serve him with gladness. May the Lord. Who is in our midst right now.

Wash. The guilt. The fear.

And the itch. Out of all of us. So that we.

Today. Can go forth with gladness. Can go forth.

Under his power. And serve him out there. With unspeakable joy.

Okay. Let's just take a little time. In silence before God.

Let his spirit speak to our hearts.