This idea runs right through the Bible in relation to worship. Suppose we are presented with a hymn which is about the suffering and death of Christ. It is going to review Calvary, the cross, and the work that has been done for us. If we were in the majority of Anglican churches – not all, but the majority of them – the organ would drop down to a whisper, and everybody would sing under their breath, very, very softly, and sadly. On the other hand, if you go to an old-fashioned Nonconformist chapel, and you will find the people will certainly be tinged with sorrow that our sin nailed Christ to Calvary's cross, but they see it as a triumphant act. He has born away our sin and atoned for it and risen from the dead. We are not mourning him. He has triumphed in this work, and achieved the salvation of untold millions, and he is now on high at the right hand of God, so sing out. What a difference! So when we sing, ‘When I survey the wondrous cross’, we sing with praise and wonder and amazement.
Are you seeking the Lord and your heart is very sincere and you long for him and for salvation? But you behave like the person who is given a tablet by the doctor to make them better, and the moment they take it, they are checking their pulse to see if they are any better, and wondering if they can feel any sign of recovery. You come to the Lord, you have given your life to Christ, you've repented of your sin: don't let the devil bring you to believe it's all lost and hopeless, and you can't find him and you don't know him. Just take a look at what has happened to you. Only a few months ago you didn't want to come to church, and now your greatest anxiety is that you think you can't get into the kingdom, and it is what you want most of all. You are so anxious to feel assured and certain that your saved. Don't you see, God has already done a mighty work in your life. He has changed all your interests and your desires. Can't you see the work of grace is underway? Now you owe him your praise, and you have got to come to him and thank him for what he's done, and build up your faith. Your assignment now is to trust him and live by faith.
It is the same if you are a Christian and you found the Lord some years ago, and now the devil has caught you out, and he comes to you with unfailing regularity, and he says, ‘I don't think you are a Christian, I don't think you are saved’, and you are listening to him and you are believing him, and so you have what we call an assurance problem, and you spend much more of your time thinking of all the indications that you are not a Christian, instead of reflecting on the indications that you are. Don’t weep; think of what God has done. Do you think that you came to him because you were so smart and, unlike all other people, you had the good sense to feel your need of Christ? Remind yourself: all this only happened because he worked in your heart. Otherwise you would never have felt your need of him, never have desired him.
‘The joy of the Lord is our strength.’ It is strength against temptation, for we can reject what Satan offers us with greater force when we know that what we already have in the Lord is greater than anything he can offer us in this world. Joy in the world will not last, but joy in the Lord is joy in one who never fails, who has far more to show to us than we have yet seen of his glory. Sorrow may be necessary for a time, to bring us back to the reality of what we are and have done, but it should not be our normal demeanour. We have received much that does not allow us to remain sorrowful, if we properly understand our status in Christ. Too much sorrow will weaken us, but joy in the Lord focuses on what lies ahead where we should be looking.