Rejoice in the LORD!
Scripture Reading: Psalm 33:1-12
1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
4 For the word of the LORD is right,
And all His work is done in truth.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;[a]
He lays up the deep in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
This is our most righteous purpose; to rejoice in the LORD! Psalm 118:24 - This is
the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. The Bible tells us
to rejoice all over the place. Rejoicing is a good thing, right?
Psalm 5:11 - But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
So, why aren’t more people rejoicing in Him? I remember watching the cable
channel Spirit TV and there was a video that was going around asking people the
question, ‘What makes you rejoice?’ Some of the people who answered rejoiced in
different things. Some people rejoiced in different people, and some even said they
rejoiced in God. There was this one lady that said something that made my heart
sad for her every time I heard it. She said, “What makes you think I rejoice?” How
sad?
Philippians 4:4 - Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
It’s not just a command here that we are to rejoice, but scripture repeats itself
immediately by saying it again. When we were up in Orlando at the Youth Pastors’
Conference a man named Francis Chan commented on this passage. He reminded
us that nowhere else is a command repeated like this. It doesn’t say do not murder,
and I say again, do not murder. So, as important as it is for us not to murder, it is
more important for us to rejoice.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
We were created to rejoice in Him. That is our purpose. Have you ever heard of
duct tape? It’s that super sticky gray tape that seems to do just about anything.
Every year they have duct tape festivals and people win prizes for coming up with
innovative new ways to use duct tape. I remember when Hurricane Andrew was
coming. We had a window air conditioner that my husband Jeff had installed a bit
haphazardly without the proper materials to secure it properly. There was an ill-
fitting piece of wood on the outside, and inside we only had a piece of a large
cardboard box held to the inside of the window with….. you guessed it, duct tape!
As what turned out to be one of the most devastating hurricanes ever to come
through South Florida, our window breathed. But you know what? That duct tape
held!
Duct tape can do so very many things but do you know one of the one things duct
tape cannot do? Duct tape cannot be used on air conditioning and heating ducts.
Ironically, the one thing it was created to do, it can’t at all. Maybe that’s why it has
the need to overcompensate by trying to do so much other stuff? Well, we
(mankind) were made to rejoice in God. Unfortunately, there are so many who are
not doing that but are trying to do so much else to compensate. They want to climb
the highest mountain, or make more money than anyone else, or have lots of stuff,
or lots of relationships to make them feel like they are fulfilling something. When in
reality the one thing they need to do well is rejoice in Him.
Psalm 40:16 - Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let such as love Your salvation say continually,
“The LORD be magnified!”
When we rejoice in Him, there is nothing that can take our joy away.
Psalm 20:4-5
4 May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,
And fulfill all your purpose.
5 We will rejoice in your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.
He wants us to have our heart’s desire and to fulfill all our purpose. He doesn’t
want us to be like duct tape fulfilling everything but our purpose. Maybe that’s why
so many people who seem to have down so much that we think they should be
happy and satisfied, are secretly miserable inside. But when we rejoice in our
salvation, our rejoicing is sure.
Yesterday, as we were driving down I-95, I noticed a pile of metal in what looked like
some kind of junkyard. I wondered how many things in that scrap heap had made
people rejoice. How many new cars had ended up there? How many new
appliances were there? Had the people who rejoiced in those things lost their joy
because those things ended up there? Because if you rejoice in that new car,
guess what? That new car can get stolen or wrecked or even just have the
‘newness’ wear off. What happens to your joy then? If you rejoice in people like
your spouse or your friends or some kind of superstar, then guess what? That
person can let you down or leave you or die, and then what becomes of your joy?
This is why we are not to find out joy in perishable things; things that are not forever.
Luke 10:17-20
17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are
subject to us in Your name.”
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and
over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20
Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but
rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Yeshua told His disciples not to rejoice in their power received from Him to defeat
the enemy, but to rejoice that their names are written in heaven. You see, that’s
someone that cannot be taken away; that is not perishable. If you truly recognize
how valuable that free gift of salvation is, what could ever make you lose your joy?
Deuteronomy 26:8-11
8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an
outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 9 He has
brought us to this place and has given us this land, “a land flowing with milk
and honey”; 10 and now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land
which you, O LORD, have given me.’
“Then you shall set it before the LORD your God, and worship before the
LORD your God. 11 So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the LORD
your God has given to you and your house, you and the Levite and the
stranger who is among you.
Each one of us was in bondage in Egypt, which represents our sin. Then God
reach out His mighty hand to bring us out of that and into His kingdom. We should
rejoice in every good thing He has given us.
Deuteronomy 10:10-12
10 But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the LORD
your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies
round about, so that you dwell in safety, 11 then there will be the place where
the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all
that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the
heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to
the LORD. 12 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your
sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who
is within your gates, since he has no portion nor inheritance with you.
Once we come over our own spiritual Jordan, and come into the good land He gives
us, and find rest and safety in Him, then we will rejoice before Him. We and our
whole household shall rejoice. That is what He wants for us.
Proverbs 23:24-25
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And he who begets a wise child will delight in him.
25 Let your father and your mother be glad,
And let her who bore you rejoice.
He will rejoice as we rejoice.
Other Scriptures:
1 Samuel 2:1 - And Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the LORD;
My horn is exalted in the LORD.
I smile at my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
1 Chronicles 16:31-34
31 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”
32 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field rejoice, and all that is in it.
33 Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the LORD,
For He is coming to judge the earth.[b]
34 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Matthew 5:11-12
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of
evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for
great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were
before you.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date March 23, 2008
Scripture Reading: Psalm 33:1-12
1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
4 For the word of the LORD is right,
And all His work is done in truth.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;[a]
He lays up the deep in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
This is our most righteous purpose; to rejoice in the LORD! Psalm 118:24 - This is
the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. The Bible tells us
to rejoice all over the place. Rejoicing is a good thing, right?
Psalm 5:11 - But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
So, why aren’t more people rejoicing in Him? I remember watching the cable
channel Spirit TV and there was a video that was going around asking people the
question, ‘What makes you rejoice?’ Some of the people who answered rejoiced in
different things. Some people rejoiced in different people, and some even said they
rejoiced in God. There was this one lady that said something that made my heart
sad for her every time I heard it. She said, “What makes you think I rejoice?” How
sad?
Philippians 4:4 - Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
It’s not just a command here that we are to rejoice, but scripture repeats itself
immediately by saying it again. When we were up in Orlando at the Youth Pastors’
Conference a man named Francis Chan commented on this passage. He reminded
us that nowhere else is a command repeated like this. It doesn’t say do not murder,
and I say again, do not murder. So, as important as it is for us not to murder, it is
more important for us to rejoice.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
We were created to rejoice in Him. That is our purpose. Have you ever heard of
duct tape? It’s that super sticky gray tape that seems to do just about anything.
Every year they have duct tape festivals and people win prizes for coming up with
innovative new ways to use duct tape. I remember when Hurricane Andrew was
coming. We had a window air conditioner that my husband Jeff had installed a bit
haphazardly without the proper materials to secure it properly. There was an ill-
fitting piece of wood on the outside, and inside we only had a piece of a large
cardboard box held to the inside of the window with….. you guessed it, duct tape!
As what turned out to be one of the most devastating hurricanes ever to come
through South Florida, our window breathed. But you know what? That duct tape
held!
Duct tape can do so very many things but do you know one of the one things duct
tape cannot do? Duct tape cannot be used on air conditioning and heating ducts.
Ironically, the one thing it was created to do, it can’t at all. Maybe that’s why it has
the need to overcompensate by trying to do so much other stuff? Well, we
(mankind) were made to rejoice in God. Unfortunately, there are so many who are
not doing that but are trying to do so much else to compensate. They want to climb
the highest mountain, or make more money than anyone else, or have lots of stuff,
or lots of relationships to make them feel like they are fulfilling something. When in
reality the one thing they need to do well is rejoice in Him.
Psalm 40:16 - Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let such as love Your salvation say continually,
“The LORD be magnified!”
When we rejoice in Him, there is nothing that can take our joy away.
Psalm 20:4-5
4 May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,
And fulfill all your purpose.
5 We will rejoice in your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.
He wants us to have our heart’s desire and to fulfill all our purpose. He doesn’t
want us to be like duct tape fulfilling everything but our purpose. Maybe that’s why
so many people who seem to have down so much that we think they should be
happy and satisfied, are secretly miserable inside. But when we rejoice in our
salvation, our rejoicing is sure.
Yesterday, as we were driving down I-95, I noticed a pile of metal in what looked like
some kind of junkyard. I wondered how many things in that scrap heap had made
people rejoice. How many new cars had ended up there? How many new
appliances were there? Had the people who rejoiced in those things lost their joy
because those things ended up there? Because if you rejoice in that new car,
guess what? That new car can get stolen or wrecked or even just have the
‘newness’ wear off. What happens to your joy then? If you rejoice in people like
your spouse or your friends or some kind of superstar, then guess what? That
person can let you down or leave you or die, and then what becomes of your joy?
This is why we are not to find out joy in perishable things; things that are not forever.
Luke 10:17-20
17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are
subject to us in Your name.”
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and
over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20
Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but
rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Yeshua told His disciples not to rejoice in their power received from Him to defeat
the enemy, but to rejoice that their names are written in heaven. You see, that’s
someone that cannot be taken away; that is not perishable. If you truly recognize
how valuable that free gift of salvation is, what could ever make you lose your joy?
Deuteronomy 26:8-11
8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an
outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 9 He has
brought us to this place and has given us this land, “a land flowing with milk
and honey”; 10 and now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land
which you, O LORD, have given me.’
“Then you shall set it before the LORD your God, and worship before the
LORD your God. 11 So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the LORD
your God has given to you and your house, you and the Levite and the
stranger who is among you.
Each one of us was in bondage in Egypt, which represents our sin. Then God
reach out His mighty hand to bring us out of that and into His kingdom. We should
rejoice in every good thing He has given us.
Deuteronomy 10:10-12
10 But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the LORD
your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies
round about, so that you dwell in safety, 11 then there will be the place where
the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all
that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the
heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to
the LORD. 12 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your
sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who
is within your gates, since he has no portion nor inheritance with you.
Once we come over our own spiritual Jordan, and come into the good land He gives
us, and find rest and safety in Him, then we will rejoice before Him. We and our
whole household shall rejoice. That is what He wants for us.
Proverbs 23:24-25
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And he who begets a wise child will delight in him.
25 Let your father and your mother be glad,
And let her who bore you rejoice.
He will rejoice as we rejoice.
Other Scriptures:
1 Samuel 2:1 - And Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the LORD;
My horn is exalted in the LORD.
I smile at my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
1 Chronicles 16:31-34
31 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”
32 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field rejoice, and all that is in it.
33 Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the LORD,
For He is coming to judge the earth.[b]
34 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Matthew 5:11-12
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of
evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for
great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were
before you.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date March 23, 2008
