Psalm 89:15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.

INTRODUCTION

Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound. In this world, we hear many different types of sounds. Even if you search for a quiet place, you will listen to at least the sound of the wind. There are sounds of animals, birds, insects, etc. and even the devil sounds its own sound..

The bible talks about different sounds, and one of those sound is a joyful sound. Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound. Only when we understand that this is a joyful sound we will incline our ears to it.

Jesus said, my people, hear my voice and they will not harken to strange sounds. But many people today hear strange sounds in this world. In the Church, you can listen to the voice of God, the sound of singing and the sound of the bridegroom. Among all these, there is a sound, and blessed are those people who know the joyful sound; they walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.

In the prophetical book of Jeremiah, we read about various sounds.

Jeremiah 33:11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: “Praise the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His mercy endures forever”—and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the LORD.

We see hear the

• The voice of Joy
• The voice of Gladness
• Voice of Bridegroom
• Voice of Bride
• Praising the Lord of Hosts

Very soon, there is going to be a time when all these sounds will cease.

Jeremiah 16:9 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will cause to cease from this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.

Once you hear the joyful sound, there is no place for the church/bride of Christ on this earth. This joyful sound is the sound of the trumpet. It is the sound that will transform us. Today, the New Testament church is waiting for that sound, the joyful sound; in other words, the sound of the Trumpet,  when the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back.

• We hear the sound of the bridegroom, through sermons, through prophecy and in many different ways, He is speaking.
• We hear the sound of the bride praising God, praying, speaking in tongues.
• At the same time, we are waiting for that sound. That sound is different, and it is the joyful sound that will transform our lives.

When 100 people walk together, and when we call a name, that person will immediately turn and look towards the sound. You can hear the voice of the Lord, but you should listen to the joyful sound. Voice of the Lord helps warn you of your living style, lead you in the path of righteousness, encourage you, and change you; it can be a judgment.

The joyful sound is heard only by certain people. If there are ten people together, only those who have prepared themselves as the bride of Christ will listen to that joyful sound. Bible says there will be two in the bed; one will be taken up. What does this mean? One person heard it, and the other person will be sleeping. When God met with Saul in Acts nine, only Saul heard the sound, and others did not hear. When Paul spoke about it in the latter days, I heard the voice, but the others saw the light and saw me falling.

This joyful sound not only calls you; it also transforms you. It transforms you from a natural to a glorious body. That sound will drag you out of this earth and be transformed from earthly to heavenly.

Are we ready to hear the joyful sound?

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

It is mentioned what will happen when Jesus returns. He comes with three sounds.

• With a shout
• Voice of the archangel
• Trumpet of God

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, a transformation takes place in this world.

What should we do hear the Joyful sound?

SOWING

Psalm 126:5 Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy

For a child of God, sowing is essential. If you want to reap, you have to sow.

What you sowed some time ago, you are reaping now. Suppose someone has created a problem in your life and humiliated you or irritated you. Immediately as a child of God, you should think have I created any problem in the past and humiliated anyone? What you have sown before you are reaping now. If you have committed no evil and face a problem now, that shows another person is sowing. When that person’s time comes, they will reap.

Here we read those who sow in tears will reap in joy. What have you sown? You will reap what you sow.

What is the biggest mistake of Absalom? He despised his father’s concubines.

David left ten concubines behind to take care of the palace. Absalom took revenge on David. He defiled all ten concubines in a tent on the palace’s roof in the sight of all Israel. Now Absalom has sown. Now he is hanging in the tree, how many of them hit him and kill him about ten armour bearers of Joab (2 Samuel 18:15). You may sow a tiny seed, but you will reap hugely.

As children of God, we have to be very careful because what we sow, we will reap.

2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Galatians 6:7-9 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

What you sow should reap with joy. There is no use if you sow with tears and reap with tears. You can sow with tears, but you should reap with joy.

In God’s balance, you cannot find fault. Belshazzar knew all that happened to his father, Nebuchadnezzar. Knowingly he sinned against the Lord. Although he had many beautiful and expensive vessels in his palace, he used the temple vessels to drink wine with his concubines. Suddenly, when he was consuming, a finger of a man’s hand appeared and wrote mene mene tekel upharsin. Belshazzar, sitting with all his concubines and drinking from the temple vessel, was terrified, and his legs began to shake. They finally brought Daniel, who was a saint. As soon as he saw it, he knew what was written. By the Word of the Holy One, judgement will be given. Daniel read these words and immediately translated them. That same night, Belshazzar was slain.

What are you sowing today? If you sow in tears, you will reap in joy.

Jesus sowed in suffering but reaped with joy.

Hebrews 12:2 … for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross ….

When you sow in tears, you may wipe your tears away, but it has already gone to the Lord for him to answer. Indeed you will receive the answer for that tear. That is why the bible says those who sow in tears will reap in joy.

Today people cry out to God for children, for material need, but how many cry out for holiness, to grow in faith, church growth, ministry etc., Jesus said, don’t cry for me, cry for you and your children.

PRAISING GOD

Ezra 3:11-12 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy,

There were two groups of people. One group is shouting, and the other group are watching with tears. One is the young generation and the other older generation. The young generation is joyfully shouting. The older generation is looking at it and crying because the foundation is laid to rebuild the temple. Some people were rejoicing in God through praise, and some were rejoicing in God with tears as the temple’s foundation was laid.

We are the temple of the Living God, and we need to have certain foundations to build our temple.

• Salvation – Salvation is God’s second chance for every one of us. We are proclaiming God’s victory over sin in our lives. This truth results in deliverances, healings and restored lives.
• Water Baptism – The ordinance of water baptism by immersion is commanded by the Scriptures. All who repent and believe in Christ as Saviour and Lord are to be baptized in water. They declare they died with Christ and have been raised with Him to walk in the newness of life.
• Holy Spirit Baptism – Baptism in the Holy Spirit provides the believer with an empowering witness and live a life pleasing to God.
• Divine Healing – Our Lord continues to heal today, and it is vital that the Church preach, teach and practise this biblical truth. Scriptures command believers to pray in faith and trust God for the outcome
• Second Coming – As followers of the risen Lord Jesus, we have the assurance of a wonderful hope, reunion with our saved loved ones, and more importantly, with our Saviour.
• Holy Sacrament – The Lord’s Supper, which consists of the elements, bread and the fruit of the vine. It is the symbol of sharing in the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4), a memorial of His suffering, death and a prophecy of His second coming, and fellowship of all believers “till He comes!”

Partaking in the Holy Sacrament is laying the foundation.

• Your spiritual house may be broken,
• your consecration may be broken
• Your temple may be broken.
• Your spiritual life may have fallen away.

We have to partake of the Holy Sacrament to rebuild and establish the foundation of our temple. It is a time to strengthen the foundation.

Dear beloved, if you want to hear the joyful sound in your life, establish your foundation and strengthen it. When you establish the foundation on the sand, waves or winds could destroy it. When you place the foundation on the rock, you will be established and live joyfully.

After coming into spiritual life, your foundations should be correct. If the foundation is not proper when the problems come, you will be shaken and shattered. If your foundation is strong, your future will be right.

God is saying lay the proper foundation, and you will be built up. In a church, communion is essential. Communion is just for you personally. Only those who take part in communion regularly is the member of the body of Christ. The apostolic Church was

Acts 2:42 and they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

All the believers who have taken water baptism should not refrain from taking communion. You can give any reason, but all those reasons are invalid. Your ministry will not be recognised if you are not able to partake in the communion. Your ministry will not be blessed. There will not be life in that ministry.

The New Testament church’s target is the sound of the trumpet. Sings and wonders and miracles are all secondary. What is the point in you running the race and did not hear the sound of the trumpet?

OATH

2 Chronicles 15:14 Then they took an oath before the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams’ horns.

The people are taking an oath before the Lord with a joyful sound. What is their oath? What is the oath they took; with a whole heart, they will seek Him, and with their whole heart, they will serve him. They took the oath with joyful sound.

2 Chronicles 15:12 Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

When they were making such an oath, they were making it with a joyful sound. When you make an oath, you should never change and should not have a hidden agenda. Seek the Lord with a joyful sound. Seek the Lord with your whole heart.

When a person leaves a church, without the Lord showing them, they have gone down in their relationship with the Lord. Their love for God has become cold.

With your whole heart, love the Lord. Make this decision with a joyful sound.

WORSHIPPING

Isaiah 44:23 Bing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And glorified Himself in Israel.

Because God has saved you, you have to praise God with a joyful sound. When you go to heaven, you will hear joyful sounds always. Singing is an essential aspect of every Christian, and that will continue in heaven. The fallen angel was a God worshipper before it fell (Ezekiel 28:13).

Psalm 81:1 Sing aloud to God our strength; Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.

Psalm 47:1 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!

When it comes to the time to sing, sing with a joyful sound. Sing for the Lord; worship the Lord with all your heart. Get filled in the Holy Spirit and sing unto the Lord. There is no silence in heaven. According to heaven, there is only ½ hour of silence (Revelation 8:1)

Sing well. Sing for Jesus, Worship Jesus. be joyful. Rejoice evermore. Hear songs of praise at home. Lift the name of Jesus.

What did Paul and Silas do when they were in prison? They praised God and sang, then the foundation of the prison was shaken by God.

• Revealing there is hope in singing.
• Revealing there is a desire for singing.
• Revealing the decision and consecration for the song.

If you want to hear the trumpet sound, you have to sing joyfully. The first thing the devil will tie-up is your mouth. When he ties your tongue, you will not praise God and sing. Maybe you are singing, but there is no joy. When the tongues are untied, they can glorify God.

The Lord has healed me, saved me; how can I be silent. Dear people of God, if you become joyful in singing and praising God, you will hear the joyful sound on that day.

SHOUT OF THE KING

Number 23:21 “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The LORD his God is with him, And the shout of a King is among them

As far as Balak was concerned, Israel was kingless, leaderless, a mass of unshepherded people. But Balaam proclaimed God was among Israel. They had a more excellent king than Balak, and the shout, passionate and commitment to their God was among them. Israel would be victorious over Balak, Moab, and Midian. To the world, Christ’s Church seems to be a leaderless mass and repeatedly seeks to curse us. But we have a King, King Jesus, and he is among us. We will be victorious. Let the world hear our shout, our shout for King Jesus.

REJOICE IN THE TABERNACLE OF RIGHTEOUS

Psalm 118:15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; …

A believer in Jesus Christ will always be finding joy because we are happy people in the Lord. Amen.

Your home is the tabernacle of the righteous and filled with the presence of God. Everyone in your household is children of God. So there is rejoicing in the home.

• There is rejoicing of the father because the Lord saved him
• There is rejoicing of the mother because she has her heart to pray, be open to hear and receive the Word of God and bring the family together in the Lord.
• There is rejoicing of the children, as they offer their little prayers, and as they talk of Jesus, whom their soul loves.

Happiness and rejoicing are in the tabernacle of the righteous. It should be a happy occasion when we meet as a family to sing praises, read the Word of God, and pray together.

When our homes are full of praises, it drives out the dullness and removes evil. The voice of rejoicing and salvation will be in your tabernacles by constant cheerfulness, no matter what life throws at you. God give you more and more of this spirit in all your households! The whole Church shall be blessed when every family is happy in the Lord and His great salvation.

We should rejoice in God, with our families, for all that the Lord has done for us in conquering sin, Satan, death and hell. Christ hath held captivity captive; therefore, let us sing unto the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously.

• When you see great sinners converted,
• When the drunkards are delivered from addiction,
• When the swearer washes out their filthy mouth and sings the praises of God,
• When a hardened, irreligious, sceptical man bows like a child at Jesus’ feet,

Should we rejoice and praise God with the shout of the King at the family altar?

CONCLUSION

• Sowing
• Oath
• Worshipping
• The shout of the King
• Rejoicing in the tabernacle

If you sow in tears, you will reap with joy. When you lay your foundation, you are joyful. Make an oath with joyful sound. For your salvation, applaud God with a joyful sound. If you rejoice, the city will be joyful. When the wickedness in your life departs, you will rejoice. There is a shout of the king in your life. You have to lift this joyful sound in your house. Balaam said you could not defeat them because the shout of the king is within them.

When we practice all these sounds, then one day, you will hear the sound of the trumpet.

Isaiah 89:15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound.

When the trumpet sounds, we will be transformed.