"EASTER JOY" Psalm 30:4-5

Psalm 30:4-5 Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Theme: EASTER JOY Dear fellow redeemed in Christ Jesus, who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised again because of our justification, Joy is certainly something we all want in our lives. But what is it that brings you joy in your life? New babies and expectant mothers bring us joy in our lives. Weddings of friends and family bring us great joy - especially when we like both the bride AND the groom. At this time of year, green buds in a field bring joy to a farmer. Coming home to a clean house or not having to worry about Sunday dinner, would bring joy to any mother’s heart. We all want to have lives filled with joy. As Christians, joy is to be a defining characteristic, a fruit of the Spirit who is at work in us. The Scriptures speak at length about the joy that is ours. Just in the book of Psalms alone, the word joy or rejoice is used 75 times. The Kingdom of God is described by Paul as “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 14:17) In our Epistle Lesson from 1 Peter last Sunday we heard, “Though now you do not see (Jesus), yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” (1 Pt 1:8) Paul writes to the Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil 4:4) The unique thing about Christian joy is that it is even present amidst adversity, suffering, and persecution. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said this, “Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.” (Lk 6:22-23) Jesus speaks of “leaping for joy” when you are persecuted and reviled because you believe and confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Joy is a main part of the lives of Christians. Yet, would you say you have much joy in your life? Do other people describe you as being full of joy? Are we always rejoicing in the Lord, as Paul says? When we reflect on our lives it seems that there is more sorrow than joy, more hardship than happiness. When we get bogged down by the sorrows and hardships of this life, that we need to go back to the empty tomb on Easter. It is there that we find our joy, our joy that knows no limits, our joy that has no end, because Jesus is risen! He is risen, indeed! Let us this morning examine the words of Psalm 30 and consider our “Easter Joy.” May the Holy Spirit fill us with His joy! Many Christian holy days give us joy. The birth of our Savior brings us joy. We even sing, “Joy to the World” as we celebrate His birth. We even call the day on which Jesus died “GOOD” Friday, because He died to pay for our sins and purchase our redemption. So even that day brings us some joy, albeit mixed with sorrow as well. But can there be any more joyous day for the Christian than Easter? Easter, the day when our Savior rose triumphantly from the dead, assuring us that our sins are forgiven and that we too shall rise. Certainly there is great joy on Easter. But there wasn’t a lot of joy on that first Easter, was there. There were no beautiful music pieces being played or choral pieces being sung. There were no “Hallelujahs” on that first Easter. That first Easter was somber, terrifying and confusing. Can you imagine what that weekend would have been like for the apostles, followers, and friends of Jesus? While Scripture never explicitly tells us what the apostles and followers of Jesus were doing from Good Friday to Easter Sunday or how they felt, we can piece together a pretty good picture. There would certainly have been feelings of tremendous sorrow at the loss of such a great man. And the horrible way in which He suffered and died, was even worse. Along with the sorrow and grief, there was probably also a great deal of guilt. Guilt for abandoning Jesus when He was arrested. Guilt for not speaking up when innocent Jesus was condemned. Guilt, especially for Peter, who swore up and down that he didn’t even know who Jesus was. Along with the sorrow and guilt, there was also a feeling of confusion and disappointment from the followers of Jesus. In our Gospel lesson this morning, we heard just that from those two disciples on the road to Emmaus. As they spoke to a man they did not realize was Jesus, they said to Him, “We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.” (Lk 24:21) They were hoping He was going to free Israel, but when He died, their hope died with Him. To them, Jesus had failed in what THEY wanted Him to accomplish. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning,” we read in our text. There was no doubt a great deal of weeping from that first Easter weekend. But on Easter, when the tomb was empty, when angels announced that Jesus had risen from the dead, there should have been great joy. But there wasn’t. There was worry and confusion. Mary Magdalene thought that somebody had stolen the body of Jesus. When the women came and told the disciples about the empty tomb, the angels, and seeing Jesus, Luke records that “their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.” Where was their Easter joy? Had they kept their minds focused in the words and promises of Jesus, their weeping would have seemed like it endured for only a short night. They probably would still have wept over Jesus. After all there was still the guilt and shame for abandoning and denying Jesus. There also would have been sorrow over seeing all that Jesus endured. But if they had they kept their minds focused on the words and promises of Jesus joy would have come on Easter morning. Then the women would have never wasted their money buying spices to embalm a body that was no longer dead. Then they would have all gone to see that the tomb was empty as Jesus rose just as He said He would. Even though they forgot, ignored, or did not believe the promises of Jesus to rise from the dead, that did not stop God. Paul writes, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Tim 2:13) Even if we falter and fail, that does not mean God will. In fact, God can’t falter or fail. He must succeed every time, because He is God. The angels said as much on Easter morning, “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.” (Mt 28:6) Even though the followers of Jesus did not appreciate it at the time, there was joy in the morning, just as Jesus had said there would be. So often we feel like we are stuck between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Guilt, confusion, and sorrow are a big part of our lives. Like the followers of Jesus on that Saturday, these things affect the joy that is ours in our risen Lord. Maybe we made a sinful choice and our conscience is continually reminding us and accusing us of our sins. Maybe we were out with friends, and rather than letting the light of our faith shine, like Peter we denied knowing the Lord by our actions. A guilty conscience removes any joy we might have in our lives. When the weeping over sin happens, remember Easter. Listen again to the words of our text, “His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” The anger of God against our sin has already been handed out. God poured out His wrath on Jesus as He laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Weeping over our sin should now only endure for a short time. That phrase “endure for a night” carries a pretty neat word picture in the Hebrew. It is a word that might be used of a traveler who needs lodging at the inn. He needs a place to stay only for the night and then he is going to move on. So it should be with weeping over our sins. After a short stay it should move on. Joy comes in the morning - at the break of day. The joy comes when the light of the Gospel shines in our hearts. When we hear that Jesus has already suffered and died for our sins and God raised Him for our justification. Easter is God’s declaration to us that we are “not guilty” in His sight. Now the favor of God in Christ Jesus is for a lifetime. There is Easter joy for the guilty conscience! Sometimes confusion affects our joy. Certainly from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, the followers of Jesus were confused as to what was going on. And that confusion drowned out any joy that might have been theirs. We are confused as to why God is allowing certain things to happen in our lives, much like the disciples might have wondered how God could allow such horrible things to happen to Jesus. We are confused as to why we, the Children of God, are suffering while we see the ungodly and heathen prospering. We are confused why God is sending the weather He is sending, preventing us from being able to farm as much land as we might normally be able to. When confusion tries to drown out your joy, return to the promises of Jesus. There was no reason why the followers of Jesus should have been confused as to what was going on Good Friday or Easter Sunday. Jesus told them exactly what was going to take place. He told them He was going to be betrayed. He told them He was going to suffer. He told them the Gentiles were going to crucify Him. He told them He was going to die. But He also told them that He was going to rise on the third day. Joy came in the morning, just as Jesus said it would. When we keep our eyes on Jesus and listen to His Word, it drives away the fog of confusion. Jesus rose from the dead, just as He said He would. And if Jesus rose from the dead it means that every other promise He has made He will do. Though you may not be able to plant all of your crops, though it cause you great financial hardship, Jesus rose from the dead and has promised in His Word, “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8:28) Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning! Or maybe we have no joy because of sorrow that is present in our lives. Maybe we are suffering or someone close to us is suffering. Certainly we have no joy in our own suffering or seeing someone else suffer, much as the friends of Jesus suffered heartache after they saw what happened to Him. Maybe a loved one has died or is close to death. Again we find as little joy in death as the friends of Jesus had in His cruel death. Whatever may be bringing you sorrow in your life, keep going back to the empty tomb of Easter and there you will find joy. There you will not find the dead body of Jesus to anoint with your spices of sorrow. He is risen! But in the midst of your suffering, remember Easter and there find your joy. He has conquered the mightiest of enemies - death. These bodies are our temporary dwelling - much like tents were for the Children of Israel in the wilderness. They were looking forward to a permanent home in the Promised Land. We too look forward to our permanent dwelling in the Promised Land of heaven. Jesus’ resurrection means that these mortal bodies will one day put on immortality. These corruptible bodies will put on incorruption. (1 Cor 15:53-54) Yet, while we are here, in these bodies of sin and death, there will be death, there will be suffering, there will be sorrow. And sorrow tries to chase Easter joy out of your heart, remember, JESUS IS RISEN! He dies no more! Death no longer has power over Him. And in Christ we too shall live! We have this promise from our risen Lord, that in heaven, "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (Rev 21:4) There is our Easter joy! Weeping may endure for a night. I may take up lodging for the evening. But when the first beams of the Gospel rise in your hearts, it chases away the weeping and joy breaks through the clouds. The joy of Easter. The joy of knowing, “My Redeemer Lives!” The joy of knowing, “He has risen, as He said He would!” The joy of knowing that Jesus was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised again because of our justification. The joy of knowing, “Because Jesus lives, we too shall live!” Therefore, lift up your voices and lives in rejoicing, for Jesus lives! “Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His. And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.” Thanks be to our risen Lord. Amen.