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Discovering a Fountain of Joy (Psalm 21:1-7)
16 Plays3 months ago
Have you ever heard of the 16th-century, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon’s search for the fountain of youth? Unfortunately, most historians say that in reality he really didn’t even look for it.
However, I believe that most people really are searching for a fountain of joy more than a fountain of youth. The question is are they looking for joy in the right place?
In John 7:37-39 Jesus spoke of an inner spring that the Holy Spirit places within each believer who trusts Him for salvation. This internal well can overflow with limitless resources of joy (Galatians 5:23-24).
This message is taken from King David’s description written in Psalm 21:1-7 concerning the joy that he discovered in the Lord. We will view this joy from five different vantage points.
1. From the Strength of the Lord, 21:1, 13
2. From the Salvation in the Lord, 21:1, 5
3. From the Supply of the Lord, 21:2
4. From the Sweetness of the Lord, 21:3, 6
5. From the Sovereignty of the Lord, 21:3-4
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Growing in Grace Devotions and Inspirations
Hosted by Pastor Victor Morrison
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam Street
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
http://fbccolumbustx.org/
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to First Baptist Church, Columbus, Texas
00:00:08
Speaker
Welcome to Growing in Grace with Pastor Victor Morrison. This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas. We are praying that God will bless you as you listen to this message. If you would like additional information on worship times and ministries at FBC Columbus, you can find out more at our website, FBCColumbusTX.org. And now take your copy of God's timeless word as Pastor Victor gives today's message.
Debunking the Myth of Ponce de Leon
00:00:43
Speaker
Welcome to Growing in Grace. My name is Victor Morrison. I'm the pastor at First Baptist Church in Columbus, Texas. I'm so glad that you're listening in. um Did you know that legend has it that a 16th century Spanish explorer named Juan Ponce de Leon ah discovered the fountain of youth at a place called saint St. Augustine, Florida in 1513. Do you believe that's true or false?
00:01:10
Speaker
Well, it's false. He didn't discover it, but also people have found that it's also false. He never really looked for it either. But even though I think most modern historians classify this as myth, rather than fact, there is one history professor in Virginia who made the following comment as to why this story continues to circulate out there.
Finding Joy through Faith in Christ
00:01:35
Speaker
Here's what he says. I quote, people are more intrigued by the story of looking
00:01:42
Speaker
and not finding than they are by the idea that the fountain might be out there somewhere. So in other words, it's the whole idea of the search. You know, while a fountain of perpetual youth may be a mere fable, the fountain of joy, I feel like, is a biblical fact.
00:02:04
Speaker
If one's search for joy leads you to faith in Christ, then here's the truth. You will discover the springs of overflowing joy, not just in the next life I'm talking about in this life. You know, there was a tax collector guy named Zacchaeus.
00:02:26
Speaker
And he he'd kind of you abused his position in so many different ways, but he ah was so shocked when Jesus said he wanted to visit in his home. And so in Luke 19.6, it says that he received Jesus joyfully. I believe that everyone who truly turns from their sin and turns in faith to Christ, I believe they always receive him joyfully.
00:02:58
Speaker
You know, the Apostle John records the gracious invitation extended by Christ in John 7.37-39 with these words, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.
00:03:22
Speaker
Now this he said about the spirit whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the spirit had not been given because Jesus was not yet glorified. This whole idea of an internal fountain that's going to bring joy into your life. You know, I believe that david King David was given a glimpse of this amazing internal spiritual fountain that I believe is described in Psalm 21.
Psalm 21: Battle Prayers and Joyful Praise
00:03:56
Speaker
We're going to limit our search just to verses 1 through 7.
00:04:01
Speaker
But I want us to examine this amazing discovery that David made together. Let's do it together today. You know, there seems to be a connection between the prayers offered before a battle, whichever battle it was that is described in Psalm 20 and the praise expressed after that battle that we will discover here in Psalm 21.
00:04:28
Speaker
There are at least three approaches the exposition of this great psalm could take. First, we could take it as a Davidic psalm, which it is. We could take it as a Davidic psalm of praise, rejoicing with David, that God gave him triumph over his foes. That would have been a historical fact. But also, some people view it more prophetically.
00:04:51
Speaker
And so we could view it as a messianic psalm of praise rejoicing over the prophetic revelation of Christ's future, coronation, when he comes back to be king and all of his enemies are defeated.
00:05:08
Speaker
We could, of course, look at this Psalm 21 verses 1 through 7 as a sermonic psalm of praise, as though David is drawing for us an ancient treasure map charting our course to the joy that is found only in Christ.
00:05:30
Speaker
So as we explore this spiritual terrain around the fountain that is mentioned in Psalm 21, I want to keep your focus on words like verse one, rejoices. Also in verse one, exalts. And then dropping down to verse six, glad and the word joy.
00:05:53
Speaker
It's going to be as though it were a spring of joy bubbling up in David's life, in his experience. And he's going to tell us all about it, but he's more more importantly going to tell us how to get there. Do you know that the largest and deepest freshwater spring in the world discharges 300 million gallons of water per day? That's a lot of water.
00:06:19
Speaker
It's the Waukula spring called the Gym of Northwest Florida. It's very near Tallahassee. But if you wanted to observe that spring, the Waukula spring, then you could observe it from a riverboat with a guide that's explaining everything.
00:06:37
Speaker
You could rent a bicycle and be on one of the bike trails that goes around that area. You could go on hiking trails, because the bike trails don't go everywhere that the hiking trail goes. But then you could say, I don't want to be moving. I want to take my time. I want to sit here and observe this. So you could you know reserve one of those picnic areas. Or maybe you'd say, I want to be right all up in it.
00:07:03
Speaker
So you could go swimming in it. Or maybe you could sit in the lodge and go to that restaurant that they say overlooks that Wakula spring and enjoy it. But my point is, you kind of could look at that same spring from different angles. Well, I think when we take David's guided tour around the breathtaking view of the fountain of joy,
00:07:31
Speaker
We can't really enjoy it unless we look at it from about five different vantage points. So that's what I want us to do. Let me read Psalm 21 verses one through seven, and then we'll break it down and stand at each one of those sightseeing locations. And we're just going to enjoy seeing the fountain of joy. O Lord, in your strength, the King rejoices.
00:07:59
Speaker
and in your salvation how greatly he exalts. You have given him his heart's desire and have not withheld the request of his lips, for you meet him with rich blessings. You set a crown of fine gold upon his head. He asked life of you. You gave it to him, length of days, forever and ever.
00:08:25
Speaker
His glory is great through your salvation. Splendor and majesty, you bestow on Him. For you make Him most blessed forever. You make Him glad with the joy of your presence. For the King trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High,
00:08:46
Speaker
He shall not be moved." Wow, great verses, a great psalm. I want to look at it together with you, and I want you to see what I see. Would you first stand with me at verse 1, and we're also going to step over to verse 13, and we're going to view the fountain of joy from the strength of the Lord.
00:09:09
Speaker
You know, verse 1 and verse 13, they form what can be called an envelope psalm. An envelope psalm is when it begins and it ends with the same declaration, with the same observation, with the same prayer, or the same praise. This one begins in verse 1 with these words, O Lord, in your strength.
00:09:32
Speaker
the king rejoices. But now listen to the end of the Psalm. We didn't read this, but in verse 13, he says, be exalted, O Lord, in your strength. We will sing and praise your power. See what I'm talking about? You know, I believe the fact that God, who has limitless strength, makes his strength accessible To us, to we who are so limited in our strength, I think that's fantastic news. That ought to cause us to rejoice greatly. You know, there was a governor of Jerusalem named Nehemiah who urged his people in Nehemiah 8.10 with these words. He said, do not be grieved.
00:10:18
Speaker
For the joy of the Lord is your strength." There's something about God's joy that gives us strength, but there's also, you can flip it and say there's something about God's strength that gives me joy.
Joy and Strength: Transforming Desolation
00:10:34
Speaker
Either way you want to take it is is great, because all I'm saying is there's power.
00:10:40
Speaker
in God's joy. If you were to look at Psalm 84 verses 5 and 6, you would read these words about joy. Blessed or happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs. The early rain also covers it with pools.
00:11:05
Speaker
That place of baka was a place of weeping. That's what the word baka means. But it would be a place that's really dry. And so trees that weep, as it were, maybe the gum that's in the tree, the sap, it it comes out of the bark as though it were weeping. Well, that's the whole idea of even though a guy is going to walk through a valley of weeping where it's dry and all these kind of things,
00:11:36
Speaker
The fact that he goes through there, he makes it a place of springs. Is that the way that your friends view your Christian life? I mean, when you come into the room, people say, Joy, just showed up.
00:11:50
Speaker
You know, even when Jesus was suffering on the cross, He experienced joy, as is stated clearly in Hebrews 12 too, where it says, "...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." If I understand correctly what that's saying to me is saying that what kept Jesus moving forward toward the cross was looking beyond the cross and seeing all of us saved and seeing that the Father had a seat saved for the Son of God right at His right hand.
00:12:31
Speaker
You know, I believe that the strength of Almighty God should be like a fountain of joy in each of our lives. But that's not the only vantage point of this fountain of joy. I want you also to see, secondly, view to view this fountain of joy from the salvation of the Lord. You know, He says, in your salvation, how greatly the King exalts That's verse one. But he brings this whole idea of salvation up again in verse five. Do you remember it when I read it earlier? It says in verse five, his glory is great.
00:13:11
Speaker
through your salvation. Splendor and majesty, you bestow on him." This is a coronation psalm.
Joy in Salvation and Scripture
00:13:20
Speaker
This is talking about what David experienced whenever God anointed him. He appointed him to be the king. And he said, you know what? I have such joy in my heart because God has saved me. He has rescued me. I want you to listen to something that the prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 12, chapter 12, verse 3. He says, with joy, you will draw from the wells of salvation. Isn't that neat? You know you reach down in a well with a bucket, you roll that that rope up, and when it comes up, it's got water in it.
00:14:01
Speaker
But what about salvation? When you put your faith and your trust in Jesus Christ, you turn from sin, trust Him in what He did for you on the cross, you know what comes up in the bucket?
00:14:13
Speaker
Joy, man. Joy. If you're looking for joy, it's found in Christ. As a matter of fact, Jesus told three parables in one chapter. If you want to see these three parables, just go to Luke 15. All three parables are about salvation, but there's something specific about salvation that He's wanting to communicate to us.
00:14:36
Speaker
And that something specific is joy. It says that there was a man who had a lost lamb, a sheep, had strayed away from the fold, so he goes looking for it. And when he found it, you know what it says in Luke 15.5? He came back with that little lamb across his shoulders, and it says he was rejoicing.
00:14:56
Speaker
There was a woman who lost a piece of silver. She couldn't find it. Silver coin was gone. So she cleaned her house and swept it until she finally found it, perhaps underneath the table, underneath the chair, underneath the bed. We don't know. But when she found it, she says to her friends and her neighbors, I want you to come over here and rejoice with me because I found what was lost.
00:15:22
Speaker
And then there's a lost son, the lost son straight away. He went and spent his inheritance, uh, foolishly in the big city and comes back to the father, empty handed, beaten down and broken. But when he comes back, he could not believe how the father was so happy to see him. He embraced him. He said, here, let me put the best road we have and let me put this ring on you and let's put some shoes on those feet and let's kill the fatted calf.
00:15:52
Speaker
Boy, it was such a great time of celebrating and rejoicing. But then there was the older brother. He wasn't happy. But the father goes out to that older brother and he says, look, my son was lost and now he's found. It's fitting to celebrate and be glad. And so that's what he says in Luke 15, 32. But let me tell you something else. The Lord makes it so crystal clear and he says, whenever a sinner, just one, one sinner repents and turns to the father,
00:16:26
Speaker
The joy in heaven, the joy before the angels is off the charts. I encourage you to read those three parables sometimes because they remind us that with the well of salvation comes this incredible joy that you can bring up. As a matter of fact, that Old Testament prophet Habakkuk in chapter three, verses 17 to 19,
00:16:50
Speaker
He says, you know what, even though the fig tree doesn't blossom, there's no fruit on the vines, the produce of the olive has failed, the fields have yielded no food, the flock has been cut off from the fold, and I have no herd in the stalls. Still, I can rejoice. How can a guy rejoice with something like that? Rejoicing in the Lord taking joy in the God of my salvation. That's why he could do that. There's something about this fountain of joy. I'm not talking about a fountain of happiness that depends on what happens. I'm talking about
00:17:30
Speaker
A fountain of joy that's related to your salvation in Christ. Wow. Well, that's just three of the observation points. We got to hurry along. this is ah This is an incredible view. I want you to see thirdly from the vantage point of the supply of the Lord. He says in verse two, you have given him. So this is something God had blessed David with. You have given him his heart's desire and have not withheld the request of his lips.
00:18:00
Speaker
I want you to listen closely to a related verse, a cross-reference found in the New Testament in Philippians 4.19. and my god will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in christ jesus Wow.
00:18:19
Speaker
I'm just so thankful that God supplies our needs.
Generosity and Joy in Adversity
00:18:23
Speaker
And do you know what the very next verse does? He cuts loose on giving glory to God. He says in Philippians 4, 20, to our God and Father be glory forever and ever, amen.
00:18:36
Speaker
it's It's just amazing, isn't it, to see how faithful God is to take care of us and to supply our need and to provide for us. Sometimes we're amazed at how He chooses to do it. I tell you how He's chosen to do it in my life. There have been times that those who have very little were instruments, they were vessels, they were funnels of God's amazing grace to me. And that's why 2 Corinthians 8, 2, speaking of the impoverished churches of Macedonia, it really speaks to me, it connects with me. Because it says, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy
00:19:19
Speaker
and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. Let me tell you, it's amazing. You know, whenever God supplies our need, is what 2 Corinthians 9, 10 through 15 would say, whenever God supplies our need so that we can share with others and in turn meet their needs, you know what happens? People get so joyful, they start thanking God. And they start saying, thank you, Jesus, for using this person in my life
00:19:52
Speaker
to be a conduit of your supply. I just think that the supply of the Lord, that's another, that's a whole nother way of looking at the fountain of joy. But related to that, I would call it the sweetness of the Lord. Verse three and verse six speak of God's blessings. It says, for you meet him, this is meet David, meet the king,
00:20:16
Speaker
with rich blessings. The New King James translation says, with the blessings of goodness. The New American Standard Bible says, for you meet him with the blessing of good things. Has God given you some good things in your life? You know, verse six says, for you make him most blessed forever. You make him glad with the joy of your presence. You know, I love that old hymn, great is thy faithfulness.
00:20:46
Speaker
I especially like the third verse of Thomas Chisholm's song. It's breathtaking when you read these words, when you sing them with others, so pardon for sin and a peace that endureth. Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Blessings all mine with 10,000 beside." Did you hear what he started doing? He started listing his blessings, pardon for sin, peace that endureth, the presence of God, the power of God for today, bright hope, positive things for tomorrow. But you know what he finally says at the end? Blessings all mine with 10,000 besides these.
00:21:35
Speaker
Listen, if you and I were to sit down and make a list of all the good things that God has done to us, I think it would really sweeten the water. I think what we would begin to say is, you know what, I may have tough times today,
00:21:50
Speaker
But through my lifetime, God has been so good to me, and I just want to praise Him. oh I should have joy and not sadness with all that He has done. You know, Ephesians 1.3 refers to these limitless blessings that we have in Christ with these words, that he who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Can you count those?
00:22:16
Speaker
Do you know how many He means by every? I don't have a clue. I've been studying the Bible a long time, but I could never count all the blessings, the spiritual blessings that are in heavenly places.
00:22:29
Speaker
No wonder David wrote of the sweetness of the Lord in his life. In Psalm 16, two verses, verse six says, he looks at his life and he thinks, you know what, I've been on down a lot of roads. But he said, here's how I describe them.
00:22:46
Speaker
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. Indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. Has God been good to you? Don't you have a beautiful inheritance? Haven't some of those lines fallen for you also in pleasant places? Psalm 1611 says, you make known to me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
00:23:17
Speaker
I'm telling you, the best is yet to be, because when we get into His presence, He says, there's nothing but fullness of joy there.
Understanding Joy from Multiple Perspectives
00:23:26
Speaker
And that should make us happy now in this present time, knowing where we're going, where we're headed in the future in Christ. Oh, listen, the sweetness of the Lord is a great vantage point to look at that ah fountain of joy. But the supply of the Lord is also a wonderful vantage point of looking at the fountain of joy and the salvation of the Lord. How about the strength of the Lord? All of those are great. But let me close, as David does in these verses 3 and 4, with the sovereignty of the Lord. I think that also should take a load off. or Do you know that you don't have to control all of life?
00:24:07
Speaker
You don't have to control all of life. You don't have to control all of the world. You don't have to control the universe. We're not the center of the universe. God is. And that's why he says in verse 3, David's just become the king. He's just now being coronated and they're placing the crown on his head. But you know who he saw? Placing the crown on his head. You know who he saw? Giving him an opportunity like that in his life?
00:24:35
Speaker
He says in verse 3, you set a crown of fine gold upon his head Have we ever stopped to think that all the opportunities, all the platforms, all the accolades, all the trophies that we've ever been given, they've all been handed to us by a sovereign God. Even our ability to gain those things have been given to us. That's why he says in verse 4, he asked life of you and you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever.
00:25:07
Speaker
You know, I think that God's sovereignty over life takes us to the heights, whether it's a king, you know, some people I've heard this say, you know, some people have said of missionaries, you'd have to step down to be a king. So it's not always to be a king, but just being a dad, being a husband, being a wife, being a mother, these are great heights that the sovereign God has handed to you and to me, but there's also His sovereignty gives us the length of life. What does that mean that we will live forever and ever and ever? Well, we don't even know yet, do we? It's just life that will not end. That's all we can say.
00:25:49
Speaker
You know, one time John the Baptist was with his disciples and they saw a big crowd following Jesus now. They used to follow John the Baptist, but now they're over there following Jesus. And they were kind of getting a little restless about it. But here's what John said, listen closely and you'll hear the sovereignty of God behind this statement. In John 3.27, it says, John answered, a person cannot receive even one thing.
00:26:17
Speaker
unless it is given him from heaven. I bet you didn't know that heaven was in charge of your life that much. You know what I think? I believe that knowing the sovereign control that God has over all of life, you know what it does? It displaces. It drives out. It casts out.
00:26:39
Speaker
Destructive things like envy and jealousy and pride and worry, stress, and you know what it replaces them with?
Acknowledging God's Blessings and Sovereignty
00:26:48
Speaker
Peace, joy, contentment, love, humility, hope, courage, yeah all of those things. It is no wonder.
00:26:57
Speaker
that David, in his prayer of gratitude in 2 Samuel 7, 18 through 19, when he looked at all that God had entrusted to him, he said these words, Who am I, O Lord God?
00:27:10
Speaker
And what is my house that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God." Wow. I close with just asking you sometime, why don't you go back and listen to a praise song that's kind of old now, but casting crowns put the song out. It's called, Who Am I? I love that song because even though it talks about a lot of things that we're running out of as humans,
00:27:39
Speaker
It does say, but who am I? And he closes by saying, I'm yours. What better place to be? Listen, we got a lot that we can be thankful for. Why don't we give thanks to him today? Lord, I thank you so much that in Christ, we discover the fountain of joy. We don't have to go searching for it, rambling through all the things that this world says we got to do, we got to have in order to have joy.
00:28:06
Speaker
We have joy in Christ. We have joy in Christ because we belong to Christ. We have joy in Christ because he laid down his life for each one of us to forgive us of our sins and to take us to heaven when we die. Thank you, Jesus, for this fountain of joy. It's in his name we pray, amen. Friend, you have a great day today. You think about that fountain of joy. God bless.
00:28:43
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church, located at 1700 Milan Street, Columbus, Texas.