Message of the Month

                                                        11/01/09

When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, whereof we are glad. Bring back our captivity (prosperity), Oh Lord, as the streams of the south. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalm 126)

Psalm 126 is a Psalm of happiness. Happy were the people. Their mouths were filled with joy, laughter, and singing. Happiness seems to be the goal of everyone, but it is so elusive and fleeting. We see so many people that are happy and then the next time we see them they are in emotional depths. Yes, happiness is so fleeting.

What is happiness? Happiness is not easy to define. Philosophers have wrestled with the definition. There are as many definitions as there are people. Some relate happiness to things, some to virtue, some to pleasure, and some to the good life. Most people define happiness as a by-product of something else. If people could only have a new car, or home, or fill in the blank, they would be happy. But they find that when they get what ever they have striven for, they need to move on to the next level of want to maintain that feeling they call happiness. Life becomes an ever-climbing level of wants, and yet happiness eludes them. Psalm 126 is a song of happiness. It describes three cornerstones of happiness.

When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. (Psalm 126:1-2) It was like a dream; freedom was theirs. The first cornerstone of happiness is freedom. Most people think they are free when in reality they are in bondage to sin. They think they enjoy their sin. They think they enjoy their habits, passions, and lifestyles, but, in reality there is no real happiness in bondage. They are in bondage to hopelessness. They only know uncertainty. What is the economy doing? What is the world situation? They only know change, fear and guilt.

We, as Christians, have found the answer. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19) Jesus has come to set us free. Jesus has come to release us from fear, brokenheartedness, disease, oppression, and captivity. That’s the good news of the gospel. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. (John 8:32) What is the truth? And Jesus said to him, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) Jesus did not say that He knew the truth and would share it with us, He said that He was the truth. If we really know Jesus, we will make Him the Lord of our life, and we will have freedom. Freedom in Christ enables us. It enables us to become all that we can be. He frees us from the bondage of the fall of mankind. He frees us of our base nature and our lost soul. However, we must never forget the cost of that freedom. It cost Jesus Christ His all. It cost Him His home in Heaven, His honor, His life. All God had to do to deliver other saints out of predicaments in the Old Testament was to send angels. To deliver you God sent His Son. Our freedom is free, but it is not cheap. Some time ago I was in the Bible bookstore looking for a small cheap cross for my key chain. It dawned upon me that too many of us are looking for a cheap cross to set us free. There is no cheap cross. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy , acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1) Not only did it cost Jesus His all, but we also are to present ourselves as living sacrifices. The cross of Christ is not cheap, but it gives us freedom.

The first cornerstone of happiness is freedom. The second cornerstone is fullness. Bring back our captivity (possessions), Oh Lord, as the streams in the south. (Psalm 126:4) Now the writer moves to the restoration of all things. He uses the restoration of the rivers in the south as an example. He is talking about the rivers in the Negev desert, the dry country. Part of the year the rivers are dry, dusty riverbeds, but God always restores them and they become full.

The dry, empty riverbeds are a picture of our world today. For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountains of living water, and have hewn themselves cisterns – broken cisterns that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:13) Israel had turned away from the living water of God and had tried to be their own source. This is an exact picture of America today. Our society has turned from the living God to be their own salvation. Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise they became fools. (Romans 1:21-22). Our society has traveled the same dry riverbed for some time now. We need to fall on our knees and ask God to restore our rivers of life. We must make righteous decisions in all we do including when we vote next Tuesday. We must not turn away from God’s living water thinking we have a better way just because it is appealing to our ears. If we will turn back to God, we will again see blessing after blessing. This applies to America as a country and it also applies to our personal life as well. There is no reason for us to drink at broken cisterns or to travel in dry riverbeds. We can experience the fullness of living water within our innermost being day by day. We can experience the fullness of Christ. Yes, happiness is the fullness of Christ. We will have the fullness of the Spirit, the fullness of the Word of God, and the fullness of faith. Then God will fill your dry riverbeds. He will fill them with blessing, with love, and with hope. God will give you hope for your life and hope for your loved ones. He will set you free from the enemy of your soul and deliver you from emptiness. Yes, happiness is fullness.

The first cornerstone of happiness is freedom, the second is fullness, and the third is fruitfulness. First, Jesus Christ sets you free from the bondage of sin and despair. Then as you seek Christ you find that fullness begins to take hold and grows within you. Then comes fruitfulness. This is a gradual process. Freedom is God’s work. Fullness is the Spirit’s work. Fruitfulness is a work that includes man. Someone must plow, sow, water, and reap.

In the first part of Psalm 126 there is laughter. In the last part there is weeping. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. (Psalm 126: 6) But that weeping is turned to happiness by reaping the harvest. God works in a variety of ways. God does not work according to any formula, nor according to any doctrine, but according to His will. We often try to put God into a box. We tell God how we want our prayers answered and then only look in that direction. The concept of sowing and reaping is expressed here by the Psalmist. It is a fundamental truth of life. Whatsoever a man sows that he shall also reap. (Gal 6:7) But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. (II Corinth. 9:6-7) Paul tells us that if we have a small planting, we will have a small harvest. If we sow unto corruption, we will reap corruption. We must sow unto morality, unto love, unto obedience to God and His word. Isaiah. 53:3 tells us that our Lord was a man of sorrow. Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they rejected Him. Paul shed tears over the lost. Jeremiah wept over Israel. It’s okay to weep over our lost loved ones, friends, and even our nation. When we sow the seed, we water it with tears and prayers. God will give the harvest in due time and we can sing with the psalmist bringing in the sheaves. A fruitful life is a happy life.

What kind of fruit is Christ looking for? Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among other Gentiles. (Romans 1:13) Paul wanted souls among the Gentiles as fruit. We need to witness both verbally and by our lives. We need to share what Christ has done for us when the Holy Spirit gives us the opportunity. We need to live lives that are a witness. We need to live so that when the lost look at us, they want to have what you have. We need to live our lives so that when the lost look at us they see Jesus. Jesus Christ in us may be the only Christ they will ever see.

Sowing is a serious business. The sower went forth weeping. In the face of sorrow he still sowed the seed. We can’t harvest if we sit and do nothing. We must go forth. We must partner with others in the ministry. I may not be able to go to Uganda to minister, but I can help send someone else. I can help pay for a well or a house as a witness for Christ to the lost. Remember we labor together. Some plant, some water and some reap the harvest, but all produce the fruit. We must sow into the Kingdom of God. We must sow God’s word. We must spread it. We must live it. We must sow financially into the Kingdom of God. God says to prove Him in Malachi 3:6-12. Tithe to your church ,and you will receive back over and over.

A fruitful life is a happy life because you are experiencing God’s power in you. You are fulfilling your potential. You are serving others. You are serving God.

In Christ, freedom is happiness, freedom from bondage, freedom from sin, freedom from hopelessness. In Christ, fullness is happiness. There is a life full of God’s power, a life full of victory, and a life full of living water. In Christ fruitfulness is happiness. Your life is making a difference. Those tears will turn to joy. Turn to Christ and start sowing in the Kingdom of God today.