Some people use laughter as a mask to hide the pain they feel inside. This is nothing new. As a matter of fact, the Bible tells us that even in laughter, the heart may sorrow. Sometimes the visible disguise is not the invisible reality.
Sermon Title: #LOL
Sermon Text: PROVERBS 14:13
Sermon Series: #HASHTAG
By: BRO. ARNOLD ALO
Sermon Notes:
Proverbs 14:13 (NASB)
13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the end of joy may be grief.
Laughter can be a mask that we use to hide the pain we feel inside. A smile can mask our sadness.
Three lessons from Proverbs 14:13
Your God Knows You Well.
Proverbs 14: 13
13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the end of joy may be grief.
Psalm 34:18
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are [a]crushed in spirit.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-14
1 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven— 2 A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. 3 A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. 4 A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. 5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. 6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away. 7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. 8 A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace. 9 What benefit is there for the worker from that in which he labors? 10 I have seen the task which God has given the sons of mankind with which to [a]occupy themselves. 11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, without the possibility that mankind will find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; 13 moreover, that every person who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it. And God has so worked, that people will [b]fear Him.
Your God knows you. God knows you even better than you know yourself. He created you.
Your Face Isn’t Reliable.
Our faces are not reliable. We can cover up what we are really feeling with our facial expressions.
Proverbs 14:13a
13a Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in [a]any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Proverbs 27:17
17 As iron sharpens iron,
So one person sharpens another.
Happiness depends on happenings. Joy comes from Jesus.
1 Peter 3:8
8 [a]To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, [b]loving, compassionate, and humble;
Your God know you so well. Your face is not reliable.
Your Beginning May Not Be Your End.
Proverbs 14:13b
13b And the end of joy may be grief.
Nothing should be judged by its initial enticement.
Luke 16:20-25
20 And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to be fed from the scraps which fell from the rich man’s table; not only that, the dogs also were coming and licking his sores. 22 Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to [a]Abraham’s arms; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 And in Hades he raised his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his [b]arms. 24 And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.
Matthew 7:13-14
20 And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to be fed from the scraps which fell from the rich man’s table; not only that, the dogs also were coming and licking his sores. 22 Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to [a]Abraham’s arms; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 And in Hades he raised his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his [b]arms. 24 And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.
ENDING THOUGHT:
Instead of Laugh Out Loud, how about Live On Lastingly! #LOL will now mean that we want a great ending – to live forever in Heaven! We can declare, putting less importance on Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok, that what we have is a life! Not just a life but eternal life. A life of joy in the Lord!