Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry

Do You Have Anything To Rejoice About?

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Church Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2022-01-17

Synopsis: In this sermon, Pastor John Weaver addresses the lack of joy among Christians, arguing that many are ungrateful and weak because they fail to rejoice in the Lord. He teaches that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10) and that rejoicing is a biblical command. He presents three primary reasons for rejoicing: (1) God has enabled us to hear and understand His Word, (2) through Christ we have access to God and are justified, and (3) we rejoice in Christ who made atonement for us. He emphasizes that suffering can be a ministry and a gift, and that believers should rejoice regardless of circumstances, ultimately because their names are written in heaven.

[John Weaver] You'll open your Bibles again to the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah chapter 8 and verse 10. So you'll have 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, 1st and 2nd Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah. So Nehemiah chapter 8 and verse 10. And the title of the message is, Do you have anything to rejoice about." Do you have anything to rejoice about? Note, if you would, please, Nehemiah 8 and verse 10.

[John Weaver] The Bible says this, Then He said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy unto our Lord. Neither be ye sorry, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. I want you to note that phrase, the joy of the Lord is your strength. We will come back for the context just a little bit later. But let me just begin by saying, I believe that most Christians today are the whiniest, the most complaining, griping, bellyaching people on the planet.

[John Weaver] We are basically ungrateful, unthankful, unappreciative of God's mercies toward us, even though he bestows them upon us daily, and yea, even hourly. Most professing Christians are basically disobedient, and sinful, and even rebellious. We do not know how to rejoice in the Lord, and if the joy of the Lord is our strength, we're probably the weakest people on earth. So, clearly then, we are unlike the early Christians.

[John Weaver] When you look at Acts chapter 5, And you find that the apostles were beaten, rebuked, and commanded not to speak anymore in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We read this in verses 40 and 41. And to him they agreed, talking about Gamaliel, and when they had called the apostles and beaten them, they commanded them that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. So they were actually rejoicing that they were beaten and nailed and and commanded not to preach anymore in his name.

[John Weaver] So most of us have never, ever had this principle or this thought enter into our minds that suffering can only be a blessing But suffering can also be a ministry. The Bible says in the book of Philippians chapter 1 and verse 29, for unto you it is given on behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. So he said, unto you it is given. So just like faith is the gift of God, so suffering is the gift of God. And just as if, just as they, not everyone receives the gift of faith, not everyone receives the gift of suffering. The interesting thing in Philippians 1 in verse 29, when he said, For unto you it is given, the word is charizomai, and it means literally to do something or to give something that is pleasant and agreeable, favorable. It means to gratify, to give graciously, and to bestow and to give freely. So God bestows and gives His gift of faith freely and liberally He also bestows and gives His gift of suffering.

[John Weaver] So it is in His mercy and in His grace that He allows us to believe, and it is in His mercy and His grace that He allows some to suffer. And the truth of the matter is this, if we are sick, if we are bedridden, if we are hospitalized, if we are in nursing homes, or if we are suffering in any number of ways, it is possible to suffer for God's honor and God's glory, and it is possible to have suffering as a ministry. In fact, the truth of the matter is, no matter what our physical condition is, we can really thank Him that we're not any worse off than we really are.

[John Weaver] I can tell people, you know, I don't like losing the use of that finger right now, but I am thankful I still have the finger, and I'm thankful I still have the hand and the arm as well. So the point is, it doesn't matter how bad off we are, we can always be a little bit worse.

[John Weaver] Now, in the book of James chapter 5 and verse 10, James wrote this, he said, my brethren, the prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an example of suffering, affliction and patience. So he says, take my brethren, the prophets. And it's interestingly, as you read through, it's interesting as you read through the Bible, especially in the prophets, how many of them suffered and they suffered willingly and many gave their lives willingly as well. And when you stop and think of like Fox's Book of Martyrs, And you think of all the martyrs that were killed, murdered, in so many numerous ways, and yet they died rejoicing. There are many stories even of martyrs who were being burned at the stake. And while they are being burned alive, they're praising the Lord and singing psalms and praying for their enemies as well. So, you know, that would be a ministry of suffering in that sense of the word. The Apostle Paul said something else in the book of Colossians 1 and verse 24.

[John Weaver] Now listen to what he said very carefully. He says, Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you.

[John Weaver] Now, so Paul was suffering for the brethren, for the ministry to the brethren. He says, Who now rejoice in my suffering for you and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is a church. So Paul is rejoicing in the fact that he was being able to suffer for others for whom he was ministering. You have to remember how many times he was beaten, and how many times he was left for dead, night and day in the deep, and all kinds of hunger and famine, and yet he said he was rejoicing in those sufferings. So Paul then was willing to suffer for the sake of the church.

[John Weaver] And so the truth is, unless you and I really grasp this biblical doctrine of suffering, We will abhor it. We will despise it. And we'll certainly want no part of it.

[John Weaver] Now, let's be absolutely honest. Not a person in this room wants to suffer. I don't want to suffer either. Our flesh recoils at that. We don't want to go through suffering. But the truth of the matter is, if God allows it to come upon us, we, of course, can endure it by His grace and do so biblically as well. So, I want you to look, hold in Nehemiah chapter 8, but turn, if you would, to 1 Peter chapter 2, and look, if you would please, at verses 19 and 20. 1 Peter chapter 2, and look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 19. Look what the Bible says, 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 19. He says, For this is thankworthy, If a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully, for what glory is it if when you be buffeted for your faults, you take it patiently? But if when you do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God." In other words, he says very clearly if your suffering is brought upon yourself by your own sins and your own stupidity, there's no glory in that.

[John Weaver] But if our suffering is from doing that which is righteous and holy, then he says, and we endure that patiently, it is acceptable unto God, that is for sure. Now look in 1 Peter 4 and verse 13. 1 Peter 4 and verse 13. He says, but rejoice inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy." So he says we can rejoice in as much as we are partakers of Christ's sufferings.

[John Weaver] So the world hated Christ, it hates us. The world blasphemed Christ, it blasphemes us. The world misunderstood Christ, and of course it misunderstands us as well. You remember that passage in Matthew chapter 5, where our Lord said, blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my name's sake. Listen to what else he said. Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward for so they persecuted the prophets before you. So he says, blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and say all manner of things against you. Note this next word falsely.

[John Weaver] In other words, the false accusations. We're not being blamed for that which is true. We're being blamed for that which is false. So with this understanding in mind and with the fact that the scripture does indeed teach that we can rejoice in our sufferings and suffering can be a ministry and suffering can be endured for God's honor and God's glory. Here's my next question. Have you ever noticed in the Bible all of the commands to rejoice.

[John Weaver] Let me give you just a smattering of them. We're coming back to Nehemiah chapter 8, but look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 16. Deuteronomy 16, and I'll come back with the emphasis on some of this just momentarily. Well again, Deuteronomy chapter 16, and let's begin reading there with verse 11. Deuteronomy 16 verse 11, God says, And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God. Thou and thy son and thy daughter and thy manservant and thy maidservant and the Levite that is within thy gates and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow that are among you in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen, the place is named there. But notice it and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, which is a command. Then if you would turn right over to First Chronicles, 1 Chronicles 16 and verse 10. Right after 1 and 2 Kings, you have 1 and 2 Chronicles. So notice 1 Chronicles 16 and verse 10. Here's what the Scripture says. 1 Chronicles 16 and verse 10, Glory ye in His holy name.

[John Weaver] Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Glory ye in His holy name. let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord."

[John Weaver] Now, let me just give you some quotes because you are familiar with most of these passages that I'm about to quote at this point. But Psalm 32 and verse 11 says this, be glad in the Lord and rejoice ye righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart. So he says be glad in the Lord and rejoice And then when you get to the book of Habakkuk chapter 3 and verse 18, and let me just mention this because obviously you need to know the context of this. Habakkuk is understanding that his nation is about to be judged, and yeah, a lot of them are going to be destroyed. And of course, there's going to be famine, there's going to be death. And Habakkuk says this, though the fruit tree does not blossom, and though there's no calf in the stall, In other words, it's going to be horrible circumstances. He goes on to say in verse 18, yet I will rejoice in the Lord.

[John Weaver] I will glory in the God of my salvation. In light of all the war and all the suffering and all the famine, he said, yet I'm going to rejoice in the Lord. When you get to Philippians chapter three in verse one, the apostle Paul says, finally, my brethren rejoice in the Lord. Then in Philippians four and verse four, Rejoice in the Lord always and again, I say rejoice and then you get to first Thessalonians 5 in verse 16 here He just simply says rejoice evermore now these verses that you and I just read and a few that I just quoted I Would call this just a smattering of the verses that could be found in Scripture there are an awful lot of verses that command us to rejoice and Think about this just for a moment. He said in Nehemiah 8 and verse 10 that the joy of the Lord is your strength. If the joy of the Lord is our strength and we do not have the joy of the Lord, that means then we are in a state of weakness.

[John Weaver] Probably one of the many causes for the weakness of the church of Jesus Christ today is a failure to rejoice in the Lord. Let me point out again, the same would be true individually. Because if you and I do not understand what it means to rejoice in the Lord, and we do not rejoice in the Lord, and if the joy of the Lord is our strength, that means we are getting weaker and weaker and weaker. And may I point out the fact, since there are so many commands in scripture to rejoice in the Lord, a failure to rejoice in the Lord would have to be considered sin in and of itself. And David said, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. Now, let me mention something to you that you may or may not remember.

[John Weaver] Years ago, I preached an entire series on biblical wealth. And in that series, I distinguished for you the three tithes that are mentioned in the scripture. What many people do not know is there's not one tithe that's in the Scripture, but there are three tithes. The first tithe, of course, was the tithe for the Levites and high priests, which was 10%, which went for the furtherance of the Gospel, because those Levites were charged with teaching the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Ezra was the ready scribe in the Law of Moses. So I'm just simply saying that here was the Levitical tithe. The second tithe that is mentioned in the Bible is the poor tithe.

[John Weaver] Now, it too was 10 percent, but it was only taken every three years. So that meant annually it would be three and one-third percent. So now you have 13 and a third percent, which the Israelites would be tithing on every year. But there was a third tithe, and that third tithe was called the tithe of rejoicing. And this tithe of rejoicing was very unusual because Israel had those seven annual feasts, and three times in a year, all the males had to appear before the Lord in the place which He chose, which would be Jerusalem. They had to be there, and the Word of God said, they shall not appear before Me empty. In other words, they had to bring certain things there, not only to serve the Lord, but for themselves.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 14. Deuteronomy 14. We're going to read about this tithe of rejoicing because in this tithe, this was a tithe that you spent upon yourself and upon your family. It did not go to the church. It did not go to the Levites. It did not go to the poor. It was that that you spent on yourself.

[John Weaver] But I must point out that it was always so that you may learn to fear the Lord. It was not a tithe that you would spend going to Disney World. It was a tithe that you would spend going to a Bible conference or a Bible retreat or someplace where you're going to be fellowshipping with God's people and learning about God. For instance, here it is. Look at Deuteronomy 14, and let's begin reading with verse 22. God says, Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and thy flocks. Now here's why, that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always." This is why I'm saying it is a vacation, so to speak, but it is a religious vacation in the sense that you're learning something about God, and to fear and obey Him.

[John Weaver] Now watch verse 24. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it, or the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set His name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee, then thou shalt turn it into money. You'd sell your cow, you'd sell your sheep, you'd sell whatever, turn it into money. Now watch if you would, Bind up the money in that hand and thou shalt go to the place which the Lord thy God shall choose What are you gonna do with that money? Here it is Thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after for oxen a good steak or sheep Mutton or for wine or for strong drink or for whatsoever thy soul desired and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God Now watch and thou shalt rejoice thou and thine household

[John Weaver] So this was the tithe of rejoicing. Now, rejoicing was a command, not only in the Old Testament, but it's also a command in the New Testament. Someone says, well, here's my objection. I really don't have anything to rejoice about. Really? Well, you're alive, are you not? I mean, you have a full stomach, do you not? You have your health, do you not? I mean, let's be honest, you're still able to think.

[John Weaver] and plan and accomplish some goals. You're still able to work, provide for yourself, provide for your family. You're still able to move about freely as you please, basically, at least temporarily. You have that. There's so much that you and I need to be thankful for and should be thankful for. The problem is this. The problem is that we do not have a sufficient reason to rejoice. The problem is, that we're unwilling to rejoice, we're unwilling to be thankful and grateful and appreciative for everything that God does for us and is doing for us. And he does so basically every hour of the day.

[John Weaver] So what I want to do is this. I want to show you from the scripture three things in which you and I must absolutely rejoice in and be thankful for. So I want you to go back in your Bibles to the book of Nehemiah chapter 8. And let's begin reading there with verse 1. The very first thing, and the very first reason to rejoice, is that you have been enabled to hear and understand the Word of God. Look at verse 1, And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate. And they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation, both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate, from morning until midday, and they were standing, before the men and the women and those that could understand, and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

[John Weaver] And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattathiah, and Shema, Ananiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, Maaseiah, and on his right hand, and on his left hand, Paddaiah, Mishael, Malkiah, and Hashem, and Hashbananah, Zechariah, and Mishelah. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people. And when he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up of their hands, and they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

[John Weaver] Also, Jeshua, and Benny, and Sherubbiah, Jamin, Aqab, Shabbatai, Hodeidah, Messiah, Khalidah, Azariah, Josabath, Hanun, Peliah, and the Levites. Now watch what these Levites did. They caused the people to understand the law, and the people stood in their place." Now, hang on. So, they read in the book of the law of God distinctly, that's exposition, and gave the sense, that's explanation, and caused them to understand the reading, that's application. And Nehemiah, which is the Tershatha, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Levites had taught the people, said unto all the people, this day is holy unto the Lord your God. Mourn not nor weep, For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.

[John Weaver] Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them, for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy unto our Lord. Neither be ye angry, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy, neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth. Why?

[John Weaver] because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests and the Levites and Ezra, the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. These people were rejoicing and celebrating because they understood the word of God. You know, I believe that And I'm talking about real, true believers. We've heard the Word of God so often that we have a great tendency to take the Word of God for granted.

[John Weaver] We don't really appreciate it. It's kind of like in 1 Samuel 3, the Bible says in that particular time, the Word of the Lord was precious in those days. There was no open vision. In other words, there was no open preaching. There was no open teaching. And so anytime anybody could get to the Word of God, it was counted exceedingly precious. That which makes something precious and valuable is scarcity. And today, most Christians have heard the scripture so much and so often, they really do not pay any attention to it.

[John Weaver] They merely simply take it for granted. Moreover, let me point something out. Most people today really do not want the Word of God. They do not want truth. They do not want understanding. So if God, in His sovereignty, has providentially placed you in a position to hear the Word of God and gave you grace to understand the Word of God, you have something to rejoice in. And you've got to think about this. If God had not opened your understanding, if God had not given you truth, if God had not enabled you to understand, you would be a heathen today.

[John Weaver] Now let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 13. Matthew chapter 13, and we'll begin reading there at verse 10. Matthew 13, look in verse 10. Matthew 13, verse 10, because our Lord is teaching in parables, and He just taught the parable of the sower. So, in Matthew 13, verse 10, And the disciples came and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

[John Weaver] Now a parable is something that can be very difficult to understand. Here's the answer that He gave. And he answered and said to them, because it is given, that's a gift, it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance, but whosoever hath not from him shall be taken away, even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables, because they seeing see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which said, By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand, and seeing you shall see, and you shall not perceive. Why? For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

[John Weaver] Then he says this, But blessed are your eyes, for they see, And your ears, for they hear, now watch this, for verily I say unto you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see and have not seen them, and to hear those things which you hear and have not heard them." Wow. So, Lord, why are you speaking in parables? He says, because to you it is given to know and to understand, and to them it is not given."

[John Weaver] So let me ask you a question. Has the Lord opened your understanding? Has the Lord opened your eyes so that you could see and understand the Word of God as He did His disciples in Luke chapter 24 and verse 45 where the Bible says, then opened He their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures? How about this one? Has your heart been opened to receive the word of God as the heart of Lydia? In Acts chapter 16 in verse 14, the Bible said, And a certain woman by the name of Lydia, a seller of purple of the city of Tyre, Tyre, whose heart the Lord opened so that or with the result that she attended unto the things which are spoken by Paul. So God opened the understanding of his disciples and he opened the heart of Lydia.

[John Weaver] How can you not be thankful and how can you not rejoice in the fact that God did not leave you in your ignorance and your stupidity? If God had not opened our understanding, we would still be lost and believing some of the worst lies and deceptions imaginable. Let me tell you something. I don't know everything. I don't know everything about the Bible. I don't claim to know everything about the Bible. In fact, the truth is, I never will know anything about everything about the Bible in this life, and neither will any man. But I'll tell you this, for what I do know, I'm thankful. For that bit that God has opened my eyes to see and my heart to receive and my mind to understand, I'm thankful. I have the degree of light that God in His grace and mercy has given unto me. You have the degree of light that God has given unto you. And whatever degree of light that is, at least we're not left in our ignorance and our stupidity. At least we know something about God and something about His Word and His truth.

[John Weaver] And we need to learn to be thankful for that. Now, the very first reason to rejoice is that God has not left us alone. He has not left us to ourselves. He's not left us in our ignorance and our stupidity. He's opened our minds that we may receive the truth of God. Now, I'm going to show you two truths that are vitally connected with this first truth.

[John Weaver] So I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 5 and verse 1. Romans 5 and verses 1 and 2. The second reason to rejoice is that through His Word and grace, We have access to the one true God. Now, I want you to look at what the Apostle Paul wrote in the first two verses of Romans 5. He says, Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, here's his word again, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

[John Weaver] Now, this passage deals with justification. Justification alone is reason to rejoice. Our standing before the law of God has been made perfect in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're no longer under condemnation. We're no longer counted or imputed as sinners. Now we're counted and imputed as righteous in Jesus Christ. We are now justified. We're now pronounced legally innocent. from all of our transgressions and violations of the law of God. So we stand before the judge of all the earth in Jesus Christ, just as though we had never, ever sinned. Now, justification does something else. Justification brings us peace with God. Now, the Bible speaks about the peace with God and also the peace of God. But when we're talking about peace with God, it simply means this. We're no longer rebels. We're no longer fighting against God.

[John Weaver] We have thrown down our weapons of warfare, and we have submitted to Him. We're not fighting. We're not arguing. We're not confronting or frothing in rage or anger. No, no, no. What we're doing is we're submitting and saying, yes, you are God of gods, King of kings, Lord of lords, and you have the absolute right to rule my life. You have an absolute right to tell me how to live and how not to live. You have the absolute right to tell me what to say and what not to say. You have the absolute right to lay down the rules for my life. We acknowledge Him as King. And once we have peace with God, hey, we are now willing to abide by His law. I do not want any other God. I do not want an image of anything in my house. I do not want to profane His name. I do not want to violate His Sabbath. I do not want to dishonor my father and my mother. I do not want to murder.

[John Weaver] I do not want to commit adultery. I do not want to steal. I do not want to bear false witness. I do not want to covet." In other words, all I'm saying is this, we understand with peace with God, we're now throwing down our weapons of warfare and saying, Lord, we are yours. You have the absolute right to rule our lives. Now, I want you to watch this. He said, therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, but something else, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. So we have access into this grace. Well, who is the source of grace? Who is the author of grace? It's God the Father.

[John Weaver] So if you would turn in your Bibles, holding Romans 5, but turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 10 Hebrews chapter 10 and notice if you would be getting there with verse 19 Hebrews 10 and verse 19 watch carefully here's a very important word he says having therefore brethren boldness to enter to the holiest by the blood of Jesus now you remember that in the Old Testament the holiest of all was only entered into once a year, and that only by the high priest, and then not without blood. Now he tells us in Christ Jesus, we have boldness to enter into the holiness by the blood of Jesus.

[John Weaver] In other words, we may freely and fully and frequently and boldly come to our heavenly Father. He says in verse 20, we come by a new and living way which you have consecrated for us through the veil, that is His flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." In other words, we now may boldly come to our Heavenly Father.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn right back to Hebrews 6. Hebrews 6, look at verses 19 and 20. Hebrews 6, verses 19 and 20.

[John Weaver] He says, Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil? Whether the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest forever after the order of the Melchizedek.

[John Weaver] Now, why is it that we can go into the holiest of all, Bole? And the answer is because that's where the Lord Jesus Christ is. He is our forerunner. He is our head, and where He is, we already are. So just stop and think about this momentarily. Here's a principle. Just as surely as Jesus Christ is in the presence of the Father, just as surely as Jesus Christ is seated on the right hand of God, just that surely our hope of glory is sealed in absolutely certain And sure, why? We are in Him. The Father has accepted His work. The Father has raised Him from the dead. The Father has seated Him in His own right hand. He will accept us because He has accepted His Son and we are in Him. Think about this.

[John Weaver] If you cannot rejoice in the fact that God has opened your eyes to see. If you cannot rejoice in the fact that God has opened your ears to hear, if you cannot rejoice in the fact that God has opened your heart to receive, if you cannot rejoice in the fact that God has justified you, if you cannot rejoice in the fact that you have peace with God, if you cannot rejoice in the fact that you now have free access where you may boldly come to the Father, If you cannot rejoice in these things, you may not even be a Christian.

[John Weaver] You need to check your salvation. Because God has not left us to our ignorance. He has not left us in our stupidity. There is no reason for a child of God not to rejoice. So watch this. In Nehemiah 8, he laid the Foundation when he said the joy of the Lord is your strength that joy came from understanding the Word of God The understanding of Word of God leads us to see the access that we have to God the Father Through the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, there's a third truth. I told you all this was tied together So look in Romans 5 verses 10 and 11 Here's the third reason to rejoice. And it is intimately tied to the two preceding truths. We rejoice in Jesus Christ, who has made the atonement for us. In Romans 5, verses 10 and 11. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled we shall be saved by His life. And not only so, but we also join God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. So we have heard, learned and understood the word of truth. And we were justified by faith and made peace with God through Jesus Christ and have free access to him. Why and how? And the answer is the why is because of Jesus Christ and the how is because of the person and the work of Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ that has reconciled us to the Father. So I want you to note in verse 10, he talks about being reconciled.

[John Weaver] In verse 11, he says, we've now received the atonement. You can understand the word atonement by just simply saying at one minute. We are one with the Father through Jesus Christ. But this word atonement is also translated as reconciliation. So we have a reconciliation, that is, we have been restored to favor. Here, you understand this, here's a husband and wife and they get into an argument and they separate and she goes home to mom and daddy and he stays at the house. And a pastor or someone gets involved and works everything out and then you say they're now reconciled so they come back together as husband and wife.

[John Weaver] Well, stop and think about it like this. It was in the garden that we sinned, that we fled, that we deserted, and now Jesus Christ has made the atonement. He's reconciled us and brought us back to favor with God the Father.

[John Weaver] Now, let me give you a quote. Here is what Spurgeon said about the atonement. He said, and I quote, Christ has made the atonement for us. and God has accepted that atonement on our behalf. We also have received it ourselves, and now we are glad in God. Glad that there is a God, glad that there is such a God, and glad that He is our God and Father in Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, the word glad is a wonderful word, but the Scripture indicates something far more than gladness. For the word joy, it's qacha'omai, and it actually means to glory, to rejoice in, to boast in, listen to this, and to exult in. What are you doing when you are exulting? Basically, you're jumping up and down with joy. Kind of like a little child. A little child's been wanting a toy, wanting a toy, wanting a toy, and finally, dad or mom buys that toy, and you can just see that child as he sees the toy. He's jumping up and down, clapping his hands, his eyes are shining. He's squealing and screaming because he's so happy. Well, that's exactly what this word means. Let me show you.

[John Weaver] If you'll look in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 1, 1 Peter chapter 1, and look, if you would please, at verse 8. 1 Peter 1 and verse 8. He says, talking about Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love, and whom though now you see him not yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. When is the last time that you were so joyous and so joyful for what Jesus Christ has done for you, that you were so thrilled, you were just unable to speak. That's what he says. We rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

[John Weaver] Every day should be a day of rejoicing for the child of God. regardless of our circumstances, regardless of the situation. It doesn't matter if war comes its way, or famine, or foul weather, or drought. We still have plenty in which to rejoice. We understand. We hear. We believe. We've received. We bow before Him. Even if it's the day of our death, we still have something to rejoice in because now we may see Him face to face.

[John Weaver] And now our joy will be eternally filled. That is for sure. Let me give you a quote by John Calvin. And I want to add something to this quote, change a few words, but I want you to listen to what he said. For until men recognize that they owe everything to God, and that they are nourished by His fatherly care, that He is the author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond Him, they will never yield Him willing service. Nay, unless they establish their complete happiness in Him, they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to Him." So what has Calvin just said? until we recognize that everything that we have that is good comes from God, our Father, that He nourishes us, that He takes care of us. He says, until we recognize that, we will never fully and genuinely give ourselves to Him. That is absolutely true. But let me give you this. I would add this to that. Unless We recognize that everything that we are, and everything that we have, and everything that we ever will be, and everything that we ever will have, is only because of Him, by Him, through Him, and ultimately to Him.

[John Weaver] We will never, ever really rejoice in Him the way we should. The reason you and I do not rejoice the way we should is because we're not as appreciative and as grateful and as thankful as we should be for His kind and gracious providence. You know, the Bible says in 1 John 4 and verse 10, here in His love, Not that we loved Him, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. And then He said it like this in 1 John 4 and verse 19. We love Him because He first loved us. Each time you tell the Lord that you love Him, you need to always thank Him for first loving you and allowing you to love him. Because had he not loved you first, you would never love him. And had he not sent his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be the propitiation for our sins, you would still never have loved him for you would have never have known him. We do have plenty in which to rejoice.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn to one last passage. I want you to turn or at least next to the last passage. I want you to turn to the book of Luke, if you would. Chapter 10. Luke chapter 10. And I want you to see what our Lord says. Luke chapter 10. And let's begin reading there with verse 17. Luke 10 and verse 17. Our Lord had sent out 70 of his disciples.

[John Weaver] And the 70 returned again with joy. saying, Lord, even the devils are subject to us through thy name. And he said to them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Here it is. Notwithstanding in this, rejoice not. Notwithstanding in this, rejoice not. that the spirits are subject unto you, but rejoice rather because your names are written in heaven. Is that not something in which to rejoice on a daily basis, that our names are in the Lamb's book of life?

[John Weaver] Let me make a couple of applications. The first one is this. If we are genuine children of God, and our ears have been opened, our eyes have been opened, our hearts have been receptive of the Word of God, we've been justified by faith, we have peace with God, we have full access to God our Father, all because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. We've been reconciled unto Him through Jesus Christ. We should not fear. As children of God, we should not be discouraged.

[John Weaver] We should not be downcast. We should not be depressed. There is so much in which we should be thankful and grateful and appreciative. We must learn to glory in His name, in His person, in His work. We need to learn to exalt, to jump up and down in everything that He's done for us. I have known a lot of people, a number that had real problems with depression, discouragement.

[John Weaver] Now, Alice can tell you, I am hardly ever, ever discouraged. Maybe that's the way the Lord made me, I do not know. I'm hardly ever depressed. But I will tell you one thing, if you ever get downcast, if you ever get discouraged, If you ever get depressed, do not give in to those thoughts. Do not give in to those feelings. What you need to do is start praising the Lord and thanking Him for every possible thing that you can think of.

[John Weaver] And within just a few minutes, your attitude will have changed immensely. And in other words, we need to learn to praise and to rejoice in the Lord and not give in to our feelings and not give in to circumstances, not give in to situations. We have to learn to rejoice in Him.

[John Weaver] Now here's the second application, and I want you to turn in your Bible, if you would, to the book of Isaiah chapter 65. I'm sorry, Isaiah 66. Isaiah 66. Because you've heard the old adage, he who laughs last, laughs best. Do you realize that we are going to have the last laugh? It will be a laugh of eternal joy. For look at what the scripture says in Isaiah 66 in verse 5. He says, Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word. Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified. But he, the Lord, shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed." When the Lord appears, I want it to be for my joy, because I want it to be found in obedience to Him, and I want to be found praising Him. We have a whole year ahead of us if the Lord allows us to live.

[John Weaver] Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could learn to just praise Him on a daily basis? And David said three times a day, will I pray? And he did. You may have three times a specific prayer, but you could also have three times of specific praise as well and thankfulness. Make sure that you learn to rejoice in the Lord. We have so much to rejoice about. And if we think we have nothing, at least we can thank him that our names are written and the Lamb's Book of Life.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. And Lord, we confess our sin of failing to rejoice in Thee. We acknowledge, Lord, our own weaknesses, our own deficiencies, our own faults, our own sins, disobediences, and rebellions. Lord, help us to rejoice in Thee. Help us, Lord, to be more thankful, more grateful, more appreciative.

[John Weaver] And to praise you for your goodness to us. On a daily basis. Give us, Lord. A desire to praise and glorify thy name. Thou did say, whosoever offered the praise glorified me. So, Lord, may we not only praise thee, but rejoice and all that you have done for us through the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

[John Weaver] you

Do You Have Anything To Rejoice About?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	p6w1tsFbUPw
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
Genre	Sermon
Date	2022-01-17
Dictation Name
Book	Book 040: Church Order and Worship - Volume 2 — Chapter 39
Source Timed Segments	72

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Problem of Joyless Christians

Most Christians are ungrateful and weak because they do not rejoice in the Lord, unlike the early Christians who rejoiced in suffering.

You'll open your Bibles again to the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah chapter 8 and verse 10. So you'll have 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, 1st and 2nd Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah. So Nehemiah chapter 8 and verse 10. And the title of the message is, "Do you have anything to rejoice about?" Do you have anything to rejoice about? Note, if you would, please, Nehemiah 8 and verse 10. The Bible says this,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 8:10

"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy unto our Lord. Neither be ye sorry, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

I want you to note that phrase,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 8:10

"the joy of the Lord is your strength."

We will come back for the context just a little bit later. But let me just begin by saying, I believe that most Christians today are the whiniest, the most complaining, griping, bellyaching people on the planet.

We are basically ungrateful, unthankful, unappreciative of God's mercies toward us, even though he bestows them upon us daily, and yea, even hourly. Most professing Christians are basically disobedient, and sinful, and even rebellious. We do not know how to rejoice in the Lord, and if the joy of the Lord is our strength, we're probably the weakest people on earth. So, clearly then, we are unlike the early Christians.

When you look at Acts chapter 5, and you find that the apostles were beaten, rebuked, and commanded not to speak anymore in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We read this in verses 40 and 41:

Scripture Reading — Acts 5:40-41

"And to him they agreed,"

talking about Gamaliel,

Scripture Reading — Acts 5:40-41

"and when they had called the apostles and beaten them, they commanded them that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name."

So they were actually rejoicing that they were beaten and nailed and commanded not to preach anymore in his name.

Suffering as a Gift and Ministry

Suffering is a gift from God (Philippians 1:29) and can be a ministry; believers can rejoice in suffering as the apostles did.

So most of us have never, ever had this principle or this thought enter into our minds that suffering can only be a blessing. But suffering can also be a ministry. The Bible says in the book of Philippians chapter 1 and verse 29,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 1:29

"For unto you it is given on behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake."

So he said,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 1:29

"unto you it is given."

So just like faith is the gift of God, so suffering is the gift of God. And just as not everyone receives the gift of faith, not everyone receives the gift of suffering. The interesting thing in Philippians 1 and verse 29, when he said,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 1:29

"For unto you it is given,"

the word is charizomai, and it means literally to do something or to give something that is pleasant and agreeable, favorable. It means to gratify, to give graciously, and to bestow and to give freely. So God bestows and gives His gift of faith freely and liberally. He also bestows and gives His gift of suffering.

So it is in His mercy and in His grace that He allows us to believe, and it is in His mercy and His grace that He allows some to suffer. And the truth of the matter is this, if we are sick, if we are bedridden, if we are hospitalized, if we are in nursing homes, or if we are suffering in any number of ways, it is possible to suffer for God's honor and God's glory, and it is possible to have suffering as a ministry. In fact, the truth of the matter is, no matter what our physical condition is, we can really thank Him that we're not any worse off than we really are. I can tell people, you know, I don't like losing the use of that finger right now, but I am thankful I still have the finger, and I'm thankful I still have the hand and the arm as well. So the point is, it doesn't matter how bad off we are, we can always be a little bit worse.

Now, in the book of James chapter 5 and verse 10, James wrote this, he said,

Scripture Reading — James 5:10

"My brethren, take the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering, affliction and patience."

So he says, take my brethren, the prophets. And it's interesting as you read through the Bible, especially in the prophets, how many of them suffered and they suffered willingly and many gave their lives willingly as well. And when you stop and think of like Fox's Book of Martyrs, and you think of all the martyrs that were killed, murdered, in so many numerous ways, and yet they died rejoicing. There are many stories even of martyrs who were being burned at the stake. And while they are being burned alive, they're praising the Lord and singing psalms and praying for their enemies as well. So, you know, that would be a ministry of suffering in that sense of the word. The Apostle Paul said something else in the book of Colossians 1 and verse 24.

Now listen to what he said very carefully. He says, "Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you." Now, so Paul was suffering for the brethren, for the ministry to the brethren. He says, "Who now rejoice in my suffering for you and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church." So Paul is rejoicing in the fact that he was being able to suffer for others for whom he was ministering. You have to remember how many times he was beaten, and how many times he was left for dead, night and day in the deep, and all kinds of hunger and famine, and yet he said he was rejoicing in those sufferings. So Paul then was willing to suffer for the sake of the church.

And so the truth is, unless you and I really grasp this biblical doctrine of suffering, we will abhor it. We will despise it. And we'll certainly want no part of it. Now, let's be absolutely honest. Not a person in this room wants to suffer. I don't want to suffer either. Our flesh recoils at that. We don't want to go through suffering. But the truth of the matter is, if God allows it to come upon us, we, of course, can endure it by His grace and do so biblically as well. So, I want you to look, hold in Nehemiah chapter 8, but turn, if you would, to 1 Peter chapter 2, and look, if you would please, at verses 19 and 20. 1 Peter chapter 2, and look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 19. Look what the Bible says, 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 19. He says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 2:19-20

"For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God."

In other words, he says very clearly if your suffering is brought upon yourself by your own sins and your own stupidity, there's no glory in that.

Biblical Commands to Rejoice

Scripture repeatedly commands believers to rejoice, and failure to do so is sin that leads to weakness.

Let me give you just a smattering of them. We're coming back to Nehemiah chapter 8, but look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 16. Deuteronomy 16, and I'll come back with the emphasis on some of this just momentarily. Well again, Deuteronomy chapter 16, and let's begin reading there with verse 11. Deuteronomy 16 verse 11, God says,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 16:11

"And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there."

But notice it:

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 16:11

"and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God,"

which is a command. Then if you would turn right over to 1 Chronicles, 1 Chronicles 16 and verse 10. Right after 1 and 2 Kings, you have 1 and 2 Chronicles. So notice 1 Chronicles 16 and verse 10. Here's what the Scripture says. 1 Chronicles 16 and verse 10, "Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord."

"Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord." Now, let me just give you some quotes because you are familiar with most of these passages that I'm about to quote at this point. But Psalm 32 and verse 11 says this,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 32:11

"Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart."

So he says be glad in the Lord and rejoice. And then when you get to the book of Habakkuk chapter 3 and verse 18, and let me just mention this because obviously you need to know the context of this. Habakkuk is understanding that his nation is about to be judged, and yea, a lot of them are going to be destroyed. And of course, there's going to be famine, there's going to be death. And Habakkuk says this, though the fruit tree does not blossom, and though there's no calf in the stall, in other words, it's going to be horrible circumstances. He goes on to say in verse 18, "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

In light of all the war and all the suffering and all the famine, he said, yet I'm going to rejoice in the Lord. When you get to Philippians chapter 3 in verse 1, the apostle Paul says,

Scripture Reading — Habakkuk 3:18

"Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord."

Then in Philippians 4 and verse 4,

Scripture Reading — Habakkuk 3:18

"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice."

And then you get to 1 Thessalonians 5 in verse 16, he just simply says, "Rejoice evermore." Now these verses that you and I just read and a few that I just quoted, I would call this just a smattering of the verses that could be found in Scripture. There are an awful lot of verses that command us to rejoice. And think about this just for a moment. He said in Nehemiah 8 and verse 10 that the joy of the Lord is your strength. If the joy of the Lord is our strength and we do not have the joy of the Lord, that means then we are in a state of weakness.

Probably one of the many causes for the weakness of the church of Jesus Christ today is a failure to rejoice in the Lord. Let me point out again, the same would be true individually. Because if you and I do not understand what it means to rejoice in the Lord, and we do not rejoice in the Lord, and if the joy of the Lord is our strength, that means we are getting weaker and weaker and weaker. And may I point out the fact, since there are so many commands in scripture to rejoice in the Lord, a failure to rejoice in the Lord would have to be considered sin in and of itself. And David said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Now, let me mention something to you that you may or may not remember.

The Tithe of Rejoicing

The Old Testament included a tithe specifically for rejoicing before the Lord, teaching that rejoicing is a commanded act of worship.

Years ago, I preached an entire series on biblical wealth. And in that series, I distinguished for you the three tithes that are mentioned in the scripture. What many people do not know is there's not one tithe that's in the Scripture, but there are three tithes. The first tithe, of course, was the tithe for the Levites and high priests, which was 10%, which went for the furtherance of the Gospel, because those Levites were charged with teaching the Word of God. Ezra was the ready scribe in the Law of Moses. So I'm just simply saying that here was the Levitical tithe. The second tithe that is mentioned in the Bible is the poor tithe.

Now, it too was 10 percent, but it was only taken every three years. So that meant annually it would be three and one-third percent. So now you have 13 and a third percent, which the Israelites would be tithing on every year. But there was a third tithe, and that third tithe was called the tithe of rejoicing. And this tithe of rejoicing was very unusual because Israel had those seven annual feasts, and three times in a year, all the males had to appear before the Lord in the place which He chose, which would be Jerusalem. They had to be there, and the Word of God said, they shall not appear before Me empty. In other words, they had to bring certain things there, not only to serve the Lord, but for themselves.

Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 14. Deuteronomy 14. We're going to read about this tithe of rejoicing because in this tithe, this was a tithe that you spent upon yourself and upon your family. It did not go to the church. It did not go to the Levites. It did not go to the poor. It was that that you spent on yourself.

But I must point out that it was always so that you may learn to fear the Lord. It was not a tithe that you would spend going to Disney World. It was a tithe that you would spend going to a Bible conference or a Bible retreat or someplace where you're going to be fellowshipping with God's people and learning about God. For instance, here it is. Look at Deuteronomy 14, and let's begin reading with verse 22. God says,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 14:22-26

"Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always."

This is why I'm saying it is a vacation, so to speak, but it is a religious vacation in the sense that you're learning something about God, and to fear and obey Him.

Now watch verse 24. "And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money." You'd sell your cow, you'd sell your sheep, you'd sell whatever, turn it into money. Now watch if you would, "And thou shalt bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose." What are you gonna do with that money? Here it is: "And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household."

So this was the tithe of rejoicing. Now, rejoicing was a command, not only in the Old Testament, but it's also a command in the New Testament. Someone says, well, here's my objection. I really don't have anything to rejoice about. Really? Well, you're alive, are you not? I mean, you have a full stomach, do you not? You have your health, do you not? I mean, let's be honest, you're still able to think.

First Reason to Rejoice: Understanding God's Word

We should rejoice that God has opened our eyes and hearts to understand Scripture, as the Israelites did in Nehemiah 8.

So what I want to do is this. I want to show you from the scripture three things in which you and I must absolutely rejoice in and be thankful for. So I want you to go back in your Bibles to the book of Nehemiah chapter 8. And let's begin reading there with verse 1. The very first thing, and the very first reason to rejoice, is that you have been enabled to hear and understand the Word of God. Look at verse 1, "And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law."

"And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground." "Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place." Now, hang on. "So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading." And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, "This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law."

"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth." Why? because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. These people were rejoicing and celebrating because they understood the word of God. You know, I believe that—and I'm talking about real, true believers—we've heard the Word of God so often that we have a great tendency to take the Word of God for granted.

We don't really appreciate it. It's kind of like in 1 Samuel 3, the Bible says in that particular time, the Word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. In other words, there was no open preaching. There was no open teaching. And so anytime anybody could get to the Word of God, it was counted exceedingly precious. That which makes something precious and valuable is scarcity. And today, most Christians have heard the scripture so much and so often, they really do not pay any attention to it.

They merely simply take it for granted. Moreover, let me point something out. Most people today really do not want the Word of God. They do not want truth. They do not want understanding. So if God, in His sovereignty, has providentially placed you in a position to hear the Word of God and gave you grace to understand the Word of God, you have something to rejoice in. And you've got to think about this. If God had not opened your understanding, if God had not given you truth, if God had not enabled you to understand, you would be a heathen today.

Now let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 13. Matthew chapter 13, and we'll begin reading there at verse 10. Matthew 13, look in verse 10. Matthew 13, verse 10, because our Lord is teaching in parables, and He just taught the parable of the sower. So, in Matthew 13, verse 10, "And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?"

Now a parable is something that can be very difficult to understand. Here's the answer that He gave. "He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

Then he says this, "But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." Wow. So, Lord, why are you speaking in parables? He says, because to you it is given to know and to understand, and to them it is not given.

So let me ask you a question. Has the Lord opened your understanding? Has the Lord opened your eyes so that you could see and understand the Word of God as He did His disciples in Luke chapter 24 and verse 45 where the Bible says, "Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures"? How about this one? Has your heart been opened to receive the word of God as the heart of Lydia? In Acts chapter 16 in verse 14, the Bible said,

Scripture Reading — Acts 16:14

"And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul."

So God opened the understanding of his disciples and he opened the heart of Lydia. How can you not be thankful and how can you not rejoice in the fact that God did not leave you in your ignorance and your stupidity? If God had not opened our understanding, we would still be lost and believing some of the worst lies and deceptions imaginable. Let me tell you something. I don't know everything. I don't know everything about the Bible. I don't claim to know everything about the Bible. In fact, the truth is, I never will know everything about the Bible in this life, and neither will any man. But I'll tell you this, for what I do know, I'm thankful. For that bit that God has opened my eyes to see and my heart to receive and my mind to understand, I'm thankful. I have the degree of light that God in His grace and mercy has given unto me. You have the degree of light that God has given unto you. And whatever degree of light that is, at least we're not left in our ignorance and our stupidity. At least we know something about God and something about His Word and His truth.

And we need to learn to be thankful for that. Now, the very first reason to rejoice is that God has not left us alone. He has not left us to ourselves. He's not left us in our ignorance and our stupidity. He's opened our minds that we may receive the truth of God. Now, I'm going to show you two truths that are vitally connected with this first truth.

Second Reason to Rejoice: Access to God through Justification

Through faith we are justified, have peace with God, and bold access to the Father, which is cause for rejoicing.

So I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 5 and verse 1. Romans 5 and verses 1 and 2. The second reason to rejoice is that through His Word and grace, we have access to the one true God. Now, I want you to look at what the Apostle Paul wrote in the first two verses of Romans 5. He says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

Now, this passage deals with justification. Justification alone is reason to rejoice. Our standing before the law of God has been made perfect in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're no longer under condemnation. We're no longer counted or imputed as sinners. Now we're counted and imputed as righteous in Jesus Christ. We are now justified. We're now pronounced legally innocent from all of our transgressions and violations of the law of God. So we stand before the judge of all the earth in Jesus Christ, just as though we had never, ever sinned. Now, justification does something else. Justification brings us peace with God. Now, the Bible speaks about the peace with God and also the peace of God. But when we're talking about peace with God, it simply means this. We're no longer rebels. We're no longer fighting against God.

We have thrown down our weapons of warfare, and we have submitted to Him. We're not fighting. We're not arguing. We're not confronting or frothing in rage or anger. No, no, no. What we're doing is we're submitting and saying, yes, you are God of gods, King of kings, Lord of lords, and you have the absolute right to rule my life. You have an absolute right to tell me how to live and how not to live. You have the absolute right to tell me what to say and what not to say. You have the absolute right to lay down the rules for my life. We acknowledge Him as King. And once we have peace with God, hey, we are now willing to abide by His law. I do not want any other God. I do not want an image of anything in my house. I do not want to profane His name. I do not want to violate His Sabbath. I do not want to dishonor my father and my mother. I do not want to murder.

I do not want to commit adultery. I do not want to steal. I do not want to bear false witness. I do not want to covet. In other words, all I'm saying is this, we understand with peace with God, we're now throwing down our weapons of warfare and saying, Lord, we are yours. You have the absolute right to rule our lives. Now, I want you to watch this. He said, "Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," but something else, "by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." So we have access into this grace. Well, who is the source of grace? Who is the author of grace? It's God the Father.

Scripture Reading — Romans 5:1-2, 10-11

So if you would turn in your Bibles, holding Romans 5, but turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10 and notice if you would be getting there with verse 19. Hebrews 10 and verse 19, watch carefully, here's a very important word. He says, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus." Now you remember that in the Old Testament the holiest of all was only entered into once a year, and that only by the high priest, and then not without blood. Now he tells us in Christ Jesus, we have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. In other words, we may freely and fully and frequently and boldly come to our heavenly Father. He says in verse 20, "By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." In other words, we now may boldly come to our Heavenly Father.

Now, I want you to turn right back to Hebrews 6. Hebrews 6, look at verses 19 and 20. Hebrews 6, verses 19 and 20.

He says, "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." Now, why is it that we can go into the holiest of all, boldly? And the answer is because that's where the Lord Jesus Christ is. He is our forerunner. He is our head, and where He is, we already are. So just stop and think about this momentarily. Here's a principle. Just as surely as Jesus Christ is in the presence of the Father, just as surely as Jesus Christ is seated on the right hand of God, just that surely our hope of glory is sealed in absolutely certain and sure. Why? We are in Him. The Father has accepted His work. The Father has raised Him from the dead. The Father has seated Him in His own right hand. He will accept us because He has accepted His Son and we are in Him. Think about this.

If you cannot rejoice in the fact that God has opened your eyes to see, if you cannot rejoice in the fact that God has opened your ears to hear, if you cannot rejoice in the fact that God has opened your heart to receive, if you cannot rejoice in the fact that God has justified you, if you cannot rejoice in the fact that you have peace with God, if you cannot rejoice in the fact that you now have free access where you may boldly come to the Father, if you cannot rejoice in these things, you may not even be a Christian.

Third Reason to Rejoice: The Atonement of Christ

We rejoice in Christ who reconciled us to God and made atonement; our joy should be unspeakable and full of glory.

Now, there's a third truth. I told you all this was tied together. So look in Romans 5 verses 10 and 11. Here's the third reason to rejoice. And it is intimately tied to the two preceding truths. We rejoice in Jesus Christ, who has made the atonement for us. In Romans 5, verses 10 and 11:

Scripture Reading — Romans 5:1-2, 10-11

"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement."

So we have heard, learned and understood the word of truth. And we were justified by faith and made peace with God through Jesus Christ and have free access to him. Why and how? And the answer is the why is because of Jesus Christ and the how is because of the person and the work of Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ that has reconciled us to the Father. So I want you to note in verse 10, he talks about being reconciled.

In verse 11, he says, we've now received the atonement. You can understand the word atonement by just simply saying at-one-ment. We are one with the Father through Jesus Christ. But this word atonement is also translated as reconciliation. So we have a reconciliation, that is, we have been restored to favor. Here, you understand this, here's a husband and wife and they get into an argument and they separate and she goes home to mom and daddy and he stays at the house. And a pastor or someone gets involved and works everything out and then you say they're now reconciled so they come back together as husband and wife.

Well, stop and think about it like this. It was in the garden that we sinned, that we fled, that we deserted, and now Jesus Christ has made the atonement. He's reconciled us and brought us back to favor with God the Father. Now, let me give you a quote. Here is what Spurgeon said about the atonement. He said, and I quote, "Christ has made the atonement for us, and God has accepted that atonement on our behalf. We also have received it ourselves, and now we are glad in God. Glad that there is a God, glad that there is such a God, and glad that He is our God and Father in Jesus Christ."

Now, the word glad is a wonderful word, but the Scripture indicates something far more than gladness. For the word joy, it's kauchaomai, and it actually means to glory, to rejoice in, to boast in, listen to this, and to exult in. What are you doing when you are exulting? Basically, you're jumping up and down with joy. Kind of like a little child. A little child's been wanting a toy, wanting a toy, wanting a toy, and finally, dad or mom buys that toy, and you can just see that child as he sees the toy. He's jumping up and down, clapping his hands, his eyes are shining. He's squealing and screaming because he's so happy. Well, that's exactly what this word means. Let me show you.

If you'll look in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 1, 1 Peter chapter 1, and look, if you would please, at verse 8. 1 Peter 1 and verse 8. He says, talking about Jesus Christ, "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." When is the last time that you were so joyous and so joyful for what Jesus Christ has done for you, that you were so thrilled, you were just unable to speak. That's what he says. We rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Every day should be a day of rejoicing for the child of God. regardless of our circumstances, regardless of the situation. It doesn't matter if war comes its way, or famine, or foul weather, or drought. We still have plenty in which to rejoice. We understand. We hear. We believe. We've received. We bow before Him. Even if it's the day of our death, we still have something to rejoice in because now we may see Him face to face.

Applications: Rejoice in Your Salvation

Believers should not fear or be discouraged; we must praise God daily and remember our names are written in heaven.

And now our joy will be eternally filled. That is for sure. Let me give you a quote by John Calvin. And I want to add something to this quote, change a few words, but I want you to listen to what he said. "For until men recognize that they owe everything to God, and that they are nourished by His fatherly care, that He is the author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond Him, they will never yield Him willing service. Nay, unless they establish their complete happiness in Him, they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to Him." So what has Calvin just said? Until we recognize that everything that we have that is good comes from God, our Father, that He nourishes us, that He takes care of us. He says, until we recognize that, we will never fully and genuinely give ourselves to Him. That is absolutely true. But let me give you this. I would add this to that. Unless we recognize that everything that we are, and everything that we have, and everything that we ever will be, and everything that we ever will have, is only because of Him, by Him, through Him, and ultimately to Him.

We will never, ever really rejoice in Him the way we should. The reason you and I do not rejoice the way we should is because we're not as appreciative and as grateful and as thankful as we should be for His kind and gracious providence. You know, the Bible says in 1 John 4 and verse 10, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." And then He said it like this in 1 John 4 and verse 19, "We love him, because he first loved us." Each time you tell the Lord that you love Him, you need to always thank Him for first loving you and allowing you to love him. Because had he not loved you first, you would never love him. And had he not sent his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be the propitiation for our sins, you would still never have loved him for you would have never have known him. We do have plenty in which to rejoice.

I want you to turn to one last passage. I want you to turn or at least next to the last passage. I want you to turn to the book of Luke, if you would. Chapter 10. Luke chapter 10. And I want you to see what our Lord says. Luke chapter 10. And let's begin reading there with verse 17. Luke 10 and verse 17. Our Lord had sent out 70 of his disciples.

"And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." Is that not something in which to rejoice on a daily basis, that our names are in the Lamb's book of life? Let me make a couple of applications. The first one is this. If we are genuine children of God, and our ears have been opened, our eyes have been opened, our hearts have been receptive of the Word of God, we've been justified by faith, we have peace with God, we have full access to God our Father, all because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. We've been reconciled unto Him through Jesus Christ. We should not fear. As children of God, we should not be discouraged.

We should not be downcast. We should not be depressed. There is so much in which we should be thankful and grateful and appreciative. We must learn to glory in His name, in His person, in His work. We need to learn to exalt, to jump up and down in everything that He's done for us. I have known a lot of people, a number that had real problems with depression, discouragement.

Now, Alice can tell you, I am hardly ever, ever discouraged. Maybe that's the way the Lord made me, I do not know. I'm hardly ever depressed. But I will tell you one thing, if you ever get downcast, if you ever get discouraged, if you ever get depressed, do not give in to those thoughts. Do not give in to those feelings. What you need to do is start praising the Lord and thanking Him for every possible thing that you can think of. And within just a few minutes, your attitude will have changed immensely. And in other words, we need to learn to praise and to rejoice in the Lord and not give in to our feelings and not give in to circumstances, not give in to situations. We have to learn to rejoice in Him.

Now here's the second application, and I want you to turn in your Bible, if you would, to the book of Isaiah chapter 65. I'm sorry, Isaiah 66. Isaiah 66. Because you've heard the old adage, he who laughs last, laughs best. Do you realize that we are going to have the last laugh? It will be a laugh of eternal joy. For look at what the scripture says in Isaiah 66 in verse 5. He says, "Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed." When the Lord appears, I want it to be for my joy, because I want it to be found in obedience to Him, and I want to be found praising Him. We have a whole year ahead of us if the Lord allows us to live.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could learn to just praise Him on a daily basis? And David said three times a day, will I pray? And he did. You may have three times a specific prayer, but you could also have three times of specific praise as well and thankfulness. Make sure that you learn to rejoice in the Lord. We have so much to rejoice about. And if we think we have nothing, at least we can thank him that our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Joy as Strength and Command

Summary: The joy of the Lord is the believer's strength, and Scripture commands rejoicing; failure to rejoice is sin that leads to weakness.

Evidence: Nehemiah 8:10 says 'the joy of the Lord is your strength.' Multiple commands to rejoice are cited (Deuteronomy 16:11, Philippians 4:4, etc.).

Suffering as a Gift and Ministry

Summary: Suffering is a gracious gift from God (Philippians 1:29) and can be a ministry; believers can rejoice in suffering as the apostles did.

Evidence: Philippians 1:29 uses charizomai, meaning to give graciously. Acts 5:41 shows apostles rejoicing after being beaten.

Rejoicing in Understanding God's Word

Summary: God's enabling us to hear and understand Scripture is a primary reason for rejoicing, as seen in Nehemiah 8.

Evidence: Nehemiah 8:12 says the people rejoiced because they understood the words declared to them.

Rejoicing in Justification and Access to God

Summary: Justification by faith brings peace with God and bold access to the Father, which are profound reasons for joy.

Evidence: Romans 5:1-2 says we have peace with God and access into grace, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Rejoicing in Christ's Atonement

Summary: The atonement of Christ reconciles us to God and is the ultimate ground for rejoicing with unspeakable joy.

Evidence: Romans 5:11 says we joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the atonement.

Ingratitude as the Root of Joylessness

Summary: Christians fail to rejoice because they are ungrateful and do not recognize that all good comes from God.

Evidence: Calvin quote: until men recognize they owe everything to God, they will never yield Him willing service.

Key Arguments

Joy is a biblical command, not optional

Summary: Scripture contains many commands to rejoice; therefore, failure to rejoice is disobedience and sin.

Evidence: Deuteronomy 16:11, Philippians 4:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:16 are cited as commands.

Suffering is a gift to be received with joy

Summary: Philippians 1:29 teaches that suffering is given graciously, just like faith; thus believers can rejoice in it.

Evidence: The word charizomai in Philippians 1:29 means to give graciously and freely.

Understanding Scripture is a sovereign gift

Summary: God must open eyes and hearts to understand His Word; this is a reason for rejoicing, not taking it for granted.

Evidence: Matthew 13:11 says it is given to disciples to know mysteries; Luke 24:45 says Jesus opened their understanding.

Justification and access to God are grounds for joy

Summary: Being justified by faith, having peace with God, and bold access to the Father are foundational reasons for rejoicing.

Evidence: Romans 5:1-2 and Hebrews 10:19-22 describe justification and access.

Christ's atonement is the ultimate reason for joy

Summary: Reconciliation through Christ's atonement should produce unspeakable joy, as our names are written in heaven.

Evidence: Romans 5:11, 1 Peter 1:8, Luke 10:20 are cited.

Joylessness indicates possible spiritual problem

Summary: If a person cannot rejoice in these truths, they may not be a Christian; joy is a mark of genuine faith.

Evidence: Statement: 'If you cannot rejoice in these things, you may not even be a Christian.'

Scripture References

Nehemiah 8:10

Context: The joy of the Lord is your strength; the central text of the sermon.

Acts 5:40-41

Context: Apostles rejoiced after being beaten for preaching Christ.

Philippians 1:29

Context: Suffering is given as a gift on behalf of Christ.

James 5:10

Context: Prophets as examples of suffering and patience.

Colossians 1:24

Context: Paul rejoices in his sufferings for the church.

1 Peter 2:19-20

Context: Suffering for doing well is acceptable to God.

1 Peter 4:13

Context: Rejoice as partakers of Christ's sufferings.

Matthew 5:11-12

Context: Rejoice when persecuted falsely for Christ's sake.

Deuteronomy 16:11

Context: Command to rejoice before the Lord.

1 Chronicles 16:10

Context: Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

Psalm 32:11

Context: Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, ye righteous.

Habakkuk 3:18

Context: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord despite calamity.

Philippians 3:1; 4:4

Context: Rejoice in the Lord alway.

1 Thessalonians 5:16

Context: Rejoice evermore.

Deuteronomy 14:22-26

Context: The tithe of rejoicing; spending on oneself to learn to fear the Lord.

Nehemiah 8:1-12

Context: People rejoiced because they understood the Word of God.

Matthew 13:10-17

Context: It is given to disciples to know mysteries; others do not understand.

Luke 24:45

Context: Jesus opened their understanding to understand Scriptures.

Acts 16:14

Context: The Lord opened Lydia's heart to attend to Paul's words.

Romans 5:1-2, 10-11

Context: Justification, peace with God, access, and joy in God through Christ.

Historical References

Fox's Book of Martyrs

Context: Mentioned as containing stories of martyrs who died rejoicing, singing psalms while being burned.

John Calvin

Context: Quoted on the necessity of recognizing God as the source of all good to yield willing service.

Charles Spurgeon

Context: Quoted on the atonement: Christ made atonement, God accepted it, and we are glad in God.

Important Quotes

the joy of the Lord is your strength

Significance: Central verse of the sermon; foundation for the argument that joy is essential for spiritual strength.

I believe that most Christians today are the whiniest, the most complaining, griping, bellyaching people on the planet.

Significance: Provocative opening statement diagnosing the problem of joylessness in the church.

For unto you it is given on behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.

Significance: Key verse establishing suffering as a gracious gift from God.

But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Significance: Encouragement to rejoice in sharing Christ's sufferings, looking to future glory.

Christ has made the atonement for us, and God has accepted that atonement on our behalf. We also have received it ourselves, and now we are glad in God. Glad that there is a God, glad that there is such a God, and glad that He is our God and Father in Jesus Christ.

Significance: Spurgeon's quote summarizing the joy of the atonement.

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Significance: Describes the inexpressible joy of believers in Christ.

Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Significance: Jesus' directive to find ultimate joy in salvation, not in power over demons.

Discussion Questions

Why does the speaker say that most Christians are the 'whiniest' people, and do you agree? What evidence do you see?

Context: Introduction where the speaker diagnoses the problem of joylessness.

How can suffering be considered a gift from God, and what does it mean to have suffering as a ministry?

Context: Discussion of Philippians 1:29 and the concept of suffering as charizomai.

What are the three tithes mentioned in Scripture, and what was the purpose of the 'tithe of rejoicing'?

Context: Explanation of the tithe of rejoicing in Deuteronomy 14.

Why is understanding the Word of God a reason for rejoicing, and how can we avoid taking it for granted?

Context: First reason to rejoice from Nehemiah 8.

What does it mean to have 'peace with God' and 'access by faith'? How should these truths affect our daily joy?

Context: Second reason to rejoice from Romans 5:1-2.

How does the atonement of Christ produce 'joy unspeakable'? What does it mean to 'joy in God'?

Context: Third reason to rejoice from Romans 5:11 and 1 Peter 1:8.

The speaker says if you cannot rejoice in these truths, you may not be a Christian. Do you think joy is an essential mark of genuine faith? Why or why not?

Context: Application section challenging listeners to examine their salvation.

What practical steps can we take to 'rejoice evermore' even in difficult circumstances?

Context: Final applications and call to praise God daily.

Applications

Rejoice in Understanding Scripture

Summary: Thank God daily for opening your eyes and heart to understand His Word; do not take it for granted.

Evidence: Nehemiah 8:12 shows the people rejoiced because they understood the words; Matthew 13:11 says it is given to disciples to know mysteries.

Rejoice in Justification and Access to God

Summary: Regularly remind yourself that you are justified, have peace with God, and can boldly approach the Father through Christ.

Evidence: Romans 5:1-2 and Hebrews 10:19-22 describe these privileges.

Rejoice in Christ's Atonement

Summary: Focus on the finished work of Christ and the fact that your name is written in heaven as the ultimate source of joy.

Evidence: Romans 5:11, Luke 10:20, and 1 Peter 1:8 emphasize joy in salvation.

Combat Discouragement with Praise

Summary: When feeling downcast, deliberately praise and thank God for every blessing you can think of; do not give in to negative feelings.

Evidence: The speaker's personal testimony and exhortation to praise instead of giving in to depression.

View Suffering as a Gift and Ministry

Summary: When suffering comes, remember it is graciously given by God and can be used for His glory; seek to rejoice in it as the apostles did.

Evidence: Philippians 1:29 and Acts 5:41 show suffering as a gift and cause for rejoicing.

Practice Daily Rejoicing

Summary: Establish regular times of praise and thanksgiving each day, following David's example of praying three times a day.

Evidence: The speaker suggests having specific times of praise, referencing David's practice.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T17:20:45Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T08:10:43Z

Clean Transcript

Do You Have Anything To Rejoice About?

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

You'll open your Bibles again to the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah chapter 8 and verse 10. So you'll have 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, 1st and 2nd Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah. So Nehemiah chapter 8 and verse 10. And the title of the message is, "Do you have anything to rejoice about?" Do you have anything to rejoice about? Note, if you would, please, Nehemiah 8 and verse 10.
#1 | 0:11 to 0:45 | cleaned
The Bible says this, "Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy unto our Lord. Neither be ye sorry, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." I want you to note that phrase, "the joy of the Lord is your strength." We will come back for the context just a little bit later. But let me just begin by saying, I believe that most Christians today are the whiniest, the most complaining, griping, bellyaching people on the planet.
#2 | 0:45 to 1:23 | cleaned
We are basically ungrateful, unthankful, unappreciative of God's mercies toward us, even though he bestows them upon us daily, and yea, even hourly. Most professing Christians are basically disobedient, and sinful, and even rebellious. We do not know how to rejoice in the Lord, and if the joy of the Lord is our strength, we're probably the weakest people on earth. So, clearly then, we are unlike the early Christians.
#3 | 1:24 to 1:58 | cleaned
When you look at Acts chapter 5, and you find that the apostles were beaten, rebuked, and commanded not to speak anymore in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We read this in verses 40 and 41: "And to him they agreed," talking about Gamaliel, "and when they had called the apostles and beaten them, they commanded them that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." So they were actually rejoicing that they were beaten and nailed and commanded not to preach anymore in his name.
#4 | 1:59 to 2:46 | cleaned
So most of us have never, ever had this principle or this thought enter into our minds that suffering can only be a blessing. But suffering can also be a ministry. The Bible says in the book of Philippians chapter 1 and verse 29, "For unto you it is given on behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." So he said, "unto you it is given." So just like faith is the gift of God, so suffering is the gift of God. And just as not everyone receives the gift of faith, not everyone receives the gift of suffering. The interesting thing in Philippians 1 and verse 29, when he said, "For unto you it is given," the word is charizomai, and it means literally to do something or to give something that is pleasant and agreeable, favorable. It means to gratify, to give graciously, and to bestow and to give freely. So God bestows and gives His gift of faith freely and liberally. He also bestows and gives His gift of suffering.
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So it is in His mercy and in His grace that He allows us to believe, and it is in His mercy and His grace that He allows some to suffer. And the truth of the matter is this, if we are sick, if we are bedridden, if we are hospitalized, if we are in nursing homes, or if we are suffering in any number of ways, it is possible to suffer for God's honor and God's glory, and it is possible to have suffering as a ministry. In fact, the truth of the matter is, no matter what our physical condition is, we can really thank Him that we're not any worse off than we really are.
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I can tell people, you know, I don't like losing the use of that finger right now, but I am thankful I still have the finger, and I'm thankful I still have the hand and the arm as well. So the point is, it doesn't matter how bad off we are, we can always be a little bit worse.
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Now, in the book of James chapter 5 and verse 10, James wrote this, he said, "My brethren, take the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering, affliction and patience." So he says, take my brethren, the prophets. And it's interesting as you read through the Bible, especially in the prophets, how many of them suffered and they suffered willingly and many gave their lives willingly as well. And when you stop and think of like Fox's Book of Martyrs, and you think of all the martyrs that were killed, murdered, in so many numerous ways, and yet they died rejoicing. There are many stories even of martyrs who were being burned at the stake. And while they are being burned alive, they're praising the Lord and singing psalms and praying for their enemies as well. So, you know, that would be a ministry of suffering in that sense of the word. The Apostle Paul said something else in the book of Colossians 1 and verse 24.
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Now listen to what he said very carefully. He says, "Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you."
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Now, so Paul was suffering for the brethren, for the ministry to the brethren. He says, "Who now rejoice in my suffering for you and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church." So Paul is rejoicing in the fact that he was being able to suffer for others for whom he was ministering. You have to remember how many times he was beaten, and how many times he was left for dead, night and day in the deep, and all kinds of hunger and famine, and yet he said he was rejoicing in those sufferings. So Paul then was willing to suffer for the sake of the church.
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And so the truth is, unless you and I really grasp this biblical doctrine of suffering, we will abhor it. We will despise it. And we'll certainly want no part of it.
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Now, let's be absolutely honest. Not a person in this room wants to suffer. I don't want to suffer either. Our flesh recoils at that. We don't want to go through suffering. But the truth of the matter is, if God allows it to come upon us, we, of course, can endure it by His grace and do so biblically as well. So, I want you to look, hold in Nehemiah chapter 8, but turn, if you would, to 1 Peter chapter 2, and look, if you would please, at verses 19 and 20. 1 Peter chapter 2, and look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 19. Look what the Bible says, 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 19. He says, "For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God." In other words, he says very clearly if your suffering is brought upon yourself by your own sins and your own stupidity, there's no glory in that.
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But if our suffering is from doing that which is righteous and holy, then he says, and we endure that patiently, it is acceptable unto God, that is for sure. Now look in 1 Peter 4 and verse 13. 1 Peter 4 and verse 13. He says, "But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." So he says we can rejoice inasmuch as we are partakers of Christ's sufferings.
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So the world hated Christ, it hates us. The world blasphemed Christ, it blasphemes us. The world misunderstood Christ, and of course it misunderstands us as well. You remember that passage in Matthew chapter 5, where our Lord said, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." Listen to what else he said. "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." So he says, blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and say all manner of things against you. Note this next word falsely.
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In other words, the false accusations. We're not being blamed for that which is true. We're being blamed for that which is false. So with this understanding in mind and with the fact that the scripture does indeed teach that we can rejoice in our sufferings and suffering can be a ministry and suffering can be endured for God's honor and God's glory. Here's my next question. Have you ever noticed in the Bible all of the commands to rejoice?
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Let me give you just a smattering of them. We're coming back to Nehemiah chapter 8, but look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 16. Deuteronomy 16, and I'll come back with the emphasis on some of this just momentarily. Well again, Deuteronomy chapter 16, and let's begin reading there with verse 11. Deuteronomy 16 verse 11, God says, "And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there." But notice it: "and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God," which is a command. Then if you would turn right over to 1 Chronicles, 1 Chronicles 16 and verse 10. Right after 1 and 2 Kings, you have 1 and 2 Chronicles. So notice 1 Chronicles 16 and verse 10. Here's what the Scripture says. 1 Chronicles 16 and verse 10, "Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord."
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"Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord."
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Now, let me just give you some quotes because you are familiar with most of these passages that I'm about to quote at this point. But Psalm 32 and verse 11 says this, "Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." So he says be glad in the Lord and rejoice. And then when you get to the book of Habakkuk chapter 3 and verse 18, and let me just mention this because obviously you need to know the context of this. Habakkuk is understanding that his nation is about to be judged, and yea, a lot of them are going to be destroyed. And of course, there's going to be famine, there's going to be death. And Habakkuk says this, though the fruit tree does not blossom, and though there's no calf in the stall, in other words, it's going to be horrible circumstances. He goes on to say in verse 18, "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."
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In light of all the war and all the suffering and all the famine, he said, yet I'm going to rejoice in the Lord. When you get to Philippians chapter 3 in verse 1, the apostle Paul says, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord." Then in Philippians 4 and verse 4, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." And then you get to 1 Thessalonians 5 in verse 16, he just simply says, "Rejoice evermore." Now these verses that you and I just read and a few that I just quoted, I would call this just a smattering of the verses that could be found in Scripture. There are an awful lot of verses that command us to rejoice. And think about this just for a moment. He said in Nehemiah 8 and verse 10 that the joy of the Lord is your strength. If the joy of the Lord is our strength and we do not have the joy of the Lord, that means then we are in a state of weakness.
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Probably one of the many causes for the weakness of the church of Jesus Christ today is a failure to rejoice in the Lord. Let me point out again, the same would be true individually. Because if you and I do not understand what it means to rejoice in the Lord, and we do not rejoice in the Lord, and if the joy of the Lord is our strength, that means we are getting weaker and weaker and weaker. And may I point out the fact, since there are so many commands in scripture to rejoice in the Lord, a failure to rejoice in the Lord would have to be considered sin in and of itself. And David said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Now, let me mention something to you that you may or may not remember.
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Years ago, I preached an entire series on biblical wealth. And in that series, I distinguished for you the three tithes that are mentioned in the scripture. What many people do not know is there's not one tithe that's in the Scripture, but there are three tithes. The first tithe, of course, was the tithe for the Levites and high priests, which was 10%, which went for the furtherance of the Gospel, because those Levites were charged with teaching the Word of God.
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Ezra was the ready scribe in the Law of Moses. So I'm just simply saying that here was the Levitical tithe. The second tithe that is mentioned in the Bible is the poor tithe.
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Now, it too was 10 percent, but it was only taken every three years. So that meant annually it would be three and one-third percent. So now you have 13 and a third percent, which the Israelites would be tithing on every year. But there was a third tithe, and that third tithe was called the tithe of rejoicing. And this tithe of rejoicing was very unusual because Israel had those seven annual feasts, and three times in a year, all the males had to appear before the Lord in the place which He chose, which would be Jerusalem. They had to be there, and the Word of God said, they shall not appear before Me empty. In other words, they had to bring certain things there, not only to serve the Lord, but for themselves.
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Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 14. Deuteronomy 14. We're going to read about this tithe of rejoicing because in this tithe, this was a tithe that you spent upon yourself and upon your family. It did not go to the church. It did not go to the Levites. It did not go to the poor. It was that that you spent on yourself.
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But I must point out that it was always so that you may learn to fear the Lord. It was not a tithe that you would spend going to Disney World. It was a tithe that you would spend going to a Bible conference or a Bible retreat or someplace where you're going to be fellowshipping with God's people and learning about God. For instance, here it is. Look at Deuteronomy 14, and let's begin reading with verse 22. God says, "Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always." This is why I'm saying it is a vacation, so to speak, but it is a religious vacation in the sense that you're learning something about God, and to fear and obey Him.
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Now watch verse 24. "And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money." You'd sell your cow, you'd sell your sheep, you'd sell whatever, turn it into money. Now watch if you would, "And thou shalt bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose." What are you gonna do with that money? Here it is: "And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household."
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So this was the tithe of rejoicing. Now, rejoicing was a command, not only in the Old Testament, but it's also a command in the New Testament. Someone says, well, here's my objection. I really don't have anything to rejoice about. Really? Well, you're alive, are you not? I mean, you have a full stomach, do you not? You have your health, do you not? I mean, let's be honest, you're still able to think.
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and plan and accomplish some goals. You're still able to work, provide for yourself, provide for your family. You're still able to move about freely as you please, basically, at least temporarily. You have that. There's so much that you and I need to be thankful for and should be thankful for. The problem is this. The problem is that we do not have a sufficient reason to rejoice. The problem is, that we're unwilling to rejoice, we're unwilling to be thankful and grateful and appreciative for everything that God does for us and is doing for us. And he does so basically every hour of the day.
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So what I want to do is this. I want to show you from the scripture three things in which you and I must absolutely rejoice in and be thankful for. So I want you to go back in your Bibles to the book of Nehemiah chapter 8. And let's begin reading there with verse 1. The very first thing, and the very first reason to rejoice, is that you have been enabled to hear and understand the Word of God. Look at verse 1, "And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law."
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"And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground."
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"Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place." Now, hang on. "So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading." And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, "This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law."
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"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth." Why?
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because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. These people were rejoicing and celebrating because they understood the word of God. You know, I believe that—and I'm talking about real, true believers—we've heard the Word of God so often that we have a great tendency to take the Word of God for granted.
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We don't really appreciate it. It's kind of like in 1 Samuel 3, the Bible says in that particular time, the Word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. In other words, there was no open preaching. There was no open teaching. And so anytime anybody could get to the Word of God, it was counted exceedingly precious. That which makes something precious and valuable is scarcity. And today, most Christians have heard the scripture so much and so often, they really do not pay any attention to it.
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They merely simply take it for granted. Moreover, let me point something out. Most people today really do not want the Word of God. They do not want truth. They do not want understanding. So if God, in His sovereignty, has providentially placed you in a position to hear the Word of God and gave you grace to understand the Word of God, you have something to rejoice in. And you've got to think about this. If God had not opened your understanding, if God had not given you truth, if God had not enabled you to understand, you would be a heathen today.
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Now let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 13. Matthew chapter 13, and we'll begin reading there at verse 10. Matthew 13, look in verse 10. Matthew 13, verse 10, because our Lord is teaching in parables, and He just taught the parable of the sower. So, in Matthew 13, verse 10, "And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?"
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Now a parable is something that can be very difficult to understand. Here's the answer that He gave. "He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."
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Then he says this, "But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." Wow. So, Lord, why are you speaking in parables? He says, because to you it is given to know and to understand, and to them it is not given.
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So let me ask you a question. Has the Lord opened your understanding? Has the Lord opened your eyes so that you could see and understand the Word of God as He did His disciples in Luke chapter 24 and verse 45 where the Bible says, "Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures"? How about this one? Has your heart been opened to receive the word of God as the heart of Lydia? In Acts chapter 16 in verse 14, the Bible said, "And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul." So God opened the understanding of his disciples and he opened the heart of Lydia.
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How can you not be thankful and how can you not rejoice in the fact that God did not leave you in your ignorance and your stupidity? If God had not opened our understanding, we would still be lost and believing some of the worst lies and deceptions imaginable. Let me tell you something. I don't know everything. I don't know everything about the Bible. I don't claim to know everything about the Bible. In fact, the truth is, I never will know everything about the Bible in this life, and neither will any man. But I'll tell you this, for what I do know, I'm thankful. For that bit that God has opened my eyes to see and my heart to receive and my mind to understand, I'm thankful. I have the degree of light that God in His grace and mercy has given unto me. You have the degree of light that God has given unto you. And whatever degree of light that is, at least we're not left in our ignorance and our stupidity. At least we know something about God and something about His Word and His truth.
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And we need to learn to be thankful for that. Now, the very first reason to rejoice is that God has not left us alone. He has not left us to ourselves. He's not left us in our ignorance and our stupidity. He's opened our minds that we may receive the truth of God. Now, I'm going to show you two truths that are vitally connected with this first truth.
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So I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 5 and verse 1. Romans 5 and verses 1 and 2. The second reason to rejoice is that through His Word and grace, we have access to the one true God. Now, I want you to look at what the Apostle Paul wrote in the first two verses of Romans 5. He says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
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Now, this passage deals with justification. Justification alone is reason to rejoice. Our standing before the law of God has been made perfect in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're no longer under condemnation. We're no longer counted or imputed as sinners. Now we're counted and imputed as righteous in Jesus Christ. We are now justified. We're now pronounced legally innocent from all of our transgressions and violations of the law of God. So we stand before the judge of all the earth in Jesus Christ, just as though we had never, ever sinned. Now, justification does something else. Justification brings us peace with God. Now, the Bible speaks about the peace with God and also the peace of God. But when we're talking about peace with God, it simply means this. We're no longer rebels. We're no longer fighting against God.
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We have thrown down our weapons of warfare, and we have submitted to Him. We're not fighting. We're not arguing. We're not confronting or frothing in rage or anger. No, no, no. What we're doing is we're submitting and saying, yes, you are God of gods, King of kings, Lord of lords, and you have the absolute right to rule my life. You have an absolute right to tell me how to live and how not to live. You have the absolute right to tell me what to say and what not to say. You have the absolute right to lay down the rules for my life. We acknowledge Him as King. And once we have peace with God, hey, we are now willing to abide by His law. I do not want any other God. I do not want an image of anything in my house. I do not want to profane His name. I do not want to violate His Sabbath. I do not want to dishonor my father and my mother. I do not want to murder.
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I do not want to commit adultery. I do not want to steal. I do not want to bear false witness. I do not want to covet. In other words, all I'm saying is this, we understand with peace with God, we're now throwing down our weapons of warfare and saying, Lord, we are yours. You have the absolute right to rule our lives. Now, I want you to watch this. He said, "Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," but something else, "by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." So we have access into this grace. Well, who is the source of grace? Who is the author of grace? It's God the Father.
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So if you would turn in your Bibles, holding Romans 5, but turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10 and notice if you would be getting there with verse 19. Hebrews 10 and verse 19, watch carefully, here's a very important word. He says, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus." Now you remember that in the Old Testament the holiest of all was only entered into once a year, and that only by the high priest, and then not without blood. Now he tells us in Christ Jesus, we have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
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In other words, we may freely and fully and frequently and boldly come to our heavenly Father. He says in verse 20, "By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." In other words, we now may boldly come to our Heavenly Father.
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Now, I want you to turn right back to Hebrews 6. Hebrews 6, look at verses 19 and 20. Hebrews 6, verses 19 and 20.
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He says, "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."
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Now, why is it that we can go into the holiest of all, boldly? And the answer is because that's where the Lord Jesus Christ is. He is our forerunner. He is our head, and where He is, we already are. So just stop and think about this momentarily. Here's a principle. Just as surely as Jesus Christ is in the presence of the Father, just as surely as Jesus Christ is seated on the right hand of God, just that surely our hope of glory is sealed in absolutely certain and sure. Why? We are in Him. The Father has accepted His work. The Father has raised Him from the dead. The Father has seated Him in His own right hand. He will accept us because He has accepted His Son and we are in Him. Think about this.
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If you cannot rejoice in the fact that God has opened your eyes to see, if you cannot rejoice in the fact that God has opened your ears to hear, if you cannot rejoice in the fact that God has opened your heart to receive, if you cannot rejoice in the fact that God has justified you, if you cannot rejoice in the fact that you have peace with God, if you cannot rejoice in the fact that you now have free access where you may boldly come to the Father, if you cannot rejoice in these things, you may not even be a Christian.
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You need to check your salvation. Because God has not left us to our ignorance. He has not left us in our stupidity. There is no reason for a child of God not to rejoice. So watch this. In Nehemiah 8, he laid the foundation when he said the joy of the Lord is your strength. That joy came from understanding the Word of God. The understanding of the Word of God leads us to see the access that we have to God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Now, there's a third truth. I told you all this was tied together. So look in Romans 5 verses 10 and 11. Here's the third reason to rejoice. And it is intimately tied to the two preceding truths. We rejoice in Jesus Christ, who has made the atonement for us. In Romans 5, verses 10 and 11: "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." So we have heard, learned and understood the word of truth. And we were justified by faith and made peace with God through Jesus Christ and have free access to him. Why and how? And the answer is the why is because of Jesus Christ and the how is because of the person and the work of Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ that has reconciled us to the Father. So I want you to note in verse 10, he talks about being reconciled.
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In verse 11, he says, we've now received the atonement. You can understand the word atonement by just simply saying at-one-ment. We are one with the Father through Jesus Christ. But this word atonement is also translated as reconciliation. So we have a reconciliation, that is, we have been restored to favor. Here, you understand this, here's a husband and wife and they get into an argument and they separate and she goes home to mom and daddy and he stays at the house. And a pastor or someone gets involved and works everything out and then you say they're now reconciled so they come back together as husband and wife.
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Well, stop and think about it like this. It was in the garden that we sinned, that we fled, that we deserted, and now Jesus Christ has made the atonement. He's reconciled us and brought us back to favor with God the Father.
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Now, let me give you a quote. Here is what Spurgeon said about the atonement. He said, and I quote, "Christ has made the atonement for us, and God has accepted that atonement on our behalf. We also have received it ourselves, and now we are glad in God. Glad that there is a God, glad that there is such a God, and glad that He is our God and Father in Jesus Christ."
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Now, the word glad is a wonderful word, but the Scripture indicates something far more than gladness. For the word joy, it's kauchaomai, and it actually means to glory, to rejoice in, to boast in, listen to this, and to exult in. What are you doing when you are exulting? Basically, you're jumping up and down with joy. Kind of like a little child. A little child's been wanting a toy, wanting a toy, wanting a toy, and finally, dad or mom buys that toy, and you can just see that child as he sees the toy. He's jumping up and down, clapping his hands, his eyes are shining. He's squealing and screaming because he's so happy. Well, that's exactly what this word means. Let me show you.
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If you'll look in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 1, 1 Peter chapter 1, and look, if you would please, at verse 8. 1 Peter 1 and verse 8. He says, talking about Jesus Christ, "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." When is the last time that you were so joyous and so joyful for what Jesus Christ has done for you, that you were so thrilled, you were just unable to speak. That's what he says. We rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
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Every day should be a day of rejoicing for the child of God. regardless of our circumstances, regardless of the situation. It doesn't matter if war comes its way, or famine, or foul weather, or drought. We still have plenty in which to rejoice. We understand. We hear. We believe. We've received. We bow before Him. Even if it's the day of our death, we still have something to rejoice in because now we may see Him face to face.
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And now our joy will be eternally filled. That is for sure. Let me give you a quote by John Calvin. And I want to add something to this quote, change a few words, but I want you to listen to what he said. "For until men recognize that they owe everything to God, and that they are nourished by His fatherly care, that He is the author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond Him, they will never yield Him willing service. Nay, unless they establish their complete happiness in Him, they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to Him." So what has Calvin just said? Until we recognize that everything that we have that is good comes from God, our Father, that He nourishes us, that He takes care of us. He says, until we recognize that, we will never fully and genuinely give ourselves to Him. That is absolutely true. But let me give you this. I would add this to that. Unless we recognize that everything that we are, and everything that we have, and everything that we ever will be, and everything that we ever will have, is only because of Him, by Him, through Him, and ultimately to Him.
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We will never, ever really rejoice in Him the way we should. The reason you and I do not rejoice the way we should is because we're not as appreciative and as grateful and as thankful as we should be for His kind and gracious providence. You know, the Bible says in 1 John 4 and verse 10, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." And then He said it like this in 1 John 4 and verse 19, "We love him, because he first loved us." Each time you tell the Lord that you love Him, you need to always thank Him for first loving you and allowing you to love him. Because had he not loved you first, you would never love him. And had he not sent his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be the propitiation for our sins, you would still never have loved him for you would have never have known him. We do have plenty in which to rejoice.
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I want you to turn to one last passage. I want you to turn or at least next to the last passage. I want you to turn to the book of Luke, if you would. Chapter 10. Luke chapter 10. And I want you to see what our Lord says. Luke chapter 10. And let's begin reading there with verse 17. Luke 10 and verse 17. Our Lord had sent out 70 of his disciples.
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"And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." Is that not something in which to rejoice on a daily basis, that our names are in the Lamb's book of life?
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Let me make a couple of applications. The first one is this. If we are genuine children of God, and our ears have been opened, our eyes have been opened, our hearts have been receptive of the Word of God, we've been justified by faith, we have peace with God, we have full access to God our Father, all because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. We've been reconciled unto Him through Jesus Christ. We should not fear. As children of God, we should not be discouraged.
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We should not be downcast. We should not be depressed. There is so much in which we should be thankful and grateful and appreciative. We must learn to glory in His name, in His person, in His work. We need to learn to exalt, to jump up and down in everything that He's done for us. I have known a lot of people, a number that had real problems with depression, discouragement.
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Now, Alice can tell you, I am hardly ever, ever discouraged. Maybe that's the way the Lord made me, I do not know. I'm hardly ever depressed. But I will tell you one thing, if you ever get downcast, if you ever get discouraged, if you ever get depressed, do not give in to those thoughts. Do not give in to those feelings. What you need to do is start praising the Lord and thanking Him for every possible thing that you can think of.
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And within just a few minutes, your attitude will have changed immensely. And in other words, we need to learn to praise and to rejoice in the Lord and not give in to our feelings and not give in to circumstances, not give in to situations. We have to learn to rejoice in Him.
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Now here's the second application, and I want you to turn in your Bible, if you would, to the book of Isaiah chapter 65. I'm sorry, Isaiah 66. Isaiah 66. Because you've heard the old adage, he who laughs last, laughs best. Do you realize that we are going to have the last laugh? It will be a laugh of eternal joy. For look at what the scripture says in Isaiah 66 in verse 5. He says, "Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed." When the Lord appears, I want it to be for my joy, because I want it to be found in obedience to Him, and I want to be found praising Him. We have a whole year ahead of us if the Lord allows us to live.
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Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could learn to just praise Him on a daily basis? And David said three times a day, will I pray? And he did. You may have three times a specific prayer, but you could also have three times of specific praise as well and thankfulness. Make sure that you learn to rejoice in the Lord. We have so much to rejoice about. And if we think we have nothing, at least we can thank him that our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. And Lord, we confess our sin of failing to rejoice in Thee. We acknowledge, Lord, our own weaknesses, our own deficiencies, our own faults, our own sins, disobediences, and rebellions. Lord, help us to rejoice in Thee. Help us, Lord, to be more thankful, more grateful, more appreciative.
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And to praise you for your goodness to us on a daily basis. Give us, Lord, a desire to praise and glorify thy name. Thou did say, whoso offereth praise glorifieth me. So, Lord, may we not only praise thee, but rejoice in all that you have done for us through the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
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you
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T17:20:45Z

Do You Have Anything To Rejoice About?

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this sermon, Pastor John Weaver addresses the lack of joy among Christians, arguing that many are ungrateful and weak because they fail to rejoice in the Lord. He teaches that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10) and that rejoicing is a biblical command. He presents three primary reasons for rejoicing: (1) God has enabled us to hear and understand His Word, (2) through Christ we have access to God and are justified, and (3) we rejoice in Christ who made atonement for us. He emphasizes that suffering can be a ministry and a gift, and that believers should rejoice regardless of circumstances, ultimately because their names are written in heaven.

Introduction: The Problem of Joyless Christians

Most Christians are ungrateful and weak because they do not rejoice in the Lord, unlike the early Christians who rejoiced in suffering.

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 8:10

"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy unto our Lord. Neither be ye sorry, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

I want you to note that phrase,

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 8:10

"the joy of the Lord is your strength."

When you look at Acts chapter 5, and you find that the apostles were beaten, rebuked, and commanded not to speak anymore in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We read this in verses 40 and 41:

Scripture Reading — Acts 5:40-41

"And to him they agreed,"

talking about Gamaliel,

Scripture Reading — Acts 5:40-41

"and when they had called the apostles and beaten them, they commanded them that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name."

So they were actually rejoicing that they were beaten and nailed and commanded not to preach anymore in his name.

Suffering as a Gift and Ministry

Suffering is a gift from God (Philippians 1:29) and can be a ministry; believers can rejoice in suffering as the apostles did.

Scripture Reading — Philippians 1:29

"For unto you it is given on behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake."

So he said,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 1:29

"unto you it is given."

Scripture Reading — Philippians 1:29

"For unto you it is given,"

Now, in the book of James chapter 5 and verse 10, James wrote this, he said,

Scripture Reading — James 5:10

"My brethren, take the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering, affliction and patience."

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 2:19-20

"For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God."

In other words, he says very clearly if your suffering is brought upon yourself by your own sins and your own stupidity, there's no glory in that.

Biblical Commands to Rejoice

Scripture repeatedly commands believers to rejoice, and failure to do so is sin that leads to weakness.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 16:11

"And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there."

But notice it:

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 16:11

"and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God,"

Scripture Reading — Psalm 32:11

"Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart."

In light of all the war and all the suffering and all the famine, he said, yet I'm going to rejoice in the Lord. When you get to Philippians chapter 3 in verse 1, the apostle Paul says,

Scripture Reading — Habakkuk 3:18

"Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord."

Then in Philippians 4 and verse 4,

Scripture Reading — Habakkuk 3:18

"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice."

The Tithe of Rejoicing

The Old Testament included a tithe specifically for rejoicing before the Lord, teaching that rejoicing is a commanded act of worship.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 14:22-26

"Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always."

This is why I'm saying it is a vacation, so to speak, but it is a religious vacation in the sense that you're learning something about God, and to fear and obey Him.

First Reason to Rejoice: Understanding God's Word

We should rejoice that God has opened our eyes and hearts to understand Scripture, as the Israelites did in Nehemiah 8.

Scripture Reading — Acts 16:14

"And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul."

Second Reason to Rejoice: Access to God through Justification

Through faith we are justified, have peace with God, and bold access to the Father, which is cause for rejoicing.

Scripture Reading — Romans 5:1-2, 10-11

So if you would turn in your Bibles, holding Romans 5, but turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10 and notice if you would be getting there with verse 19. Hebrews 10 and verse 19, watch carefully, here's a very important word. He says, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus." Now you remember that in the Old Testament the holiest of all was only entered into once a year, and that only by the high priest, and then not without blood. Now he tells us in Christ Jesus, we have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. In other words, we may freely and fully and frequently and boldly come to our heavenly Father. He says in verse 20, "By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." In other words, we now may boldly come to our Heavenly Father.

Now, I want you to turn right back to Hebrews 6. Hebrews 6, look at verses 19 and 20. Hebrews 6, verses 19 and 20.

Third Reason to Rejoice: The Atonement of Christ

We rejoice in Christ who reconciled us to God and made atonement; our joy should be unspeakable and full of glory.

Scripture Reading — Romans 5:1-2, 10-11

"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement."

Applications: Rejoice in Your Salvation

Believers should not fear or be discouraged; we must praise God daily and remember our names are written in heaven.

Do You Have Anything To Rejoice About?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	p6w1tsFbUPw
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
Genre	Sermon
Date	2022-01-17
Dictation Name
Book	Book 040: Church Order and Worship - Volume 2 — Chapter 39
Source Timed Segments	72

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Problem of Joyless Christians: Most Christians are ungrateful and weak because they do not rejoice in the Lord, unlike the early Christians who rejoiced in suffering.
Suffering as a Gift and Ministry: Suffering is a gift from God (Philippians 1:29) and can be a ministry; believers can rejoice in suffering as the apostles did.
Biblical Commands to Rejoice: Scripture repeatedly commands believers to rejoice, and failure to do so is sin that leads to weakness.
The Tithe of Rejoicing: The Old Testament included a tithe specifically for rejoicing before the Lord, teaching that rejoicing is a commanded act of worship.
First Reason to Rejoice: Understanding God's Word: We should rejoice that God has opened our eyes and hearts to understand Scripture, as the Israelites did in Nehemiah 8.
Second Reason to Rejoice: Access to God through Justification: Through faith we are justified, have peace with God, and bold access to the Father, which is cause for rejoicing.
Third Reason to Rejoice: The Atonement of Christ: We rejoice in Christ who reconciled us to God and made atonement; our joy should be unspeakable and full of glory.
Applications: Rejoice in Your Salvation: Believers should not fear or be discouraged; we must praise God daily and remember our names are written in heaven.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Joy is a biblical command, not optional

Scripture contains many commands to rejoice; therefore, failure to rejoice is disobedience and sin.

Deuteronomy 16:11, Philippians 4:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:16 are cited as commands.

Suffering is a gift to be received with joy

Philippians 1:29 teaches that suffering is given graciously, just like faith; thus believers can rejoice in it.

The word charizomai in Philippians 1:29 means to give graciously and freely.

Understanding Scripture is a sovereign gift

God must open eyes and hearts to understand His Word; this is a reason for rejoicing, not taking it for granted.

Matthew 13:11 says it is given to disciples to know mysteries; Luke 24:45 says Jesus opened their understanding.

Justification and access to God are grounds for joy

Being justified by faith, having peace with God, and bold access to the Father are foundational reasons for rejoicing.

Romans 5:1-2 and Hebrews 10:19-22 describe justification and access.

Christ's atonement is the ultimate reason for joy

Reconciliation through Christ's atonement should produce unspeakable joy, as our names are written in heaven.

Romans 5:11, 1 Peter 1:8, Luke 10:20 are cited.

Joylessness indicates possible spiritual problem

If a person cannot rejoice in these truths, they may not be a Christian; joy is a mark of genuine faith.

Statement: 'If you cannot rejoice in these things, you may not even be a Christian.'

Scripture References

Nehemiah 8:10: The joy of the Lord is your strength; the central text of the sermon.
Acts 5:40-41: Apostles rejoiced after being beaten for preaching Christ.
Philippians 1:29: Suffering is given as a gift on behalf of Christ.
James 5:10: Prophets as examples of suffering and patience.
Colossians 1:24: Paul rejoices in his sufferings for the church.
1 Peter 2:19-20: Suffering for doing well is acceptable to God.
1 Peter 4:13: Rejoice as partakers of Christ's sufferings.
Matthew 5:11-12: Rejoice when persecuted falsely for Christ's sake.
Deuteronomy 16:11: Command to rejoice before the Lord.
1 Chronicles 16:10: Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
Psalm 32:11: Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, ye righteous.
Habakkuk 3:18: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord despite calamity.
Philippians 3:1; 4:4: Rejoice in the Lord alway.
1 Thessalonians 5:16: Rejoice evermore.
Deuteronomy 14:22-26: The tithe of rejoicing; spending on oneself to learn to fear the Lord.
Nehemiah 8:1-12: People rejoiced because they understood the Word of God.
Matthew 13:10-17: It is given to disciples to know mysteries; others do not understand.
Luke 24:45: Jesus opened their understanding to understand Scriptures.
Acts 16:14: The Lord opened Lydia's heart to attend to Paul's words.
Romans 5:1-2, 10-11: Justification, peace with God, access, and joy in God through Christ.

Historical References

Fox's Book of Martyrs: Mentioned as containing stories of martyrs who died rejoicing, singing psalms while being burned.
John Calvin: Quoted on the necessity of recognizing God as the source of all good to yield willing service.
Charles Spurgeon: Quoted on the atonement: Christ made atonement, God accepted it, and we are glad in God.

Important Quotes

the joy of the Lord is your strength

Central verse of the sermon; foundation for the argument that joy is essential for spiritual strength.

I believe that most Christians today are the whiniest, the most complaining, griping, bellyaching people on the planet.

Provocative opening statement diagnosing the problem of joylessness in the church.

For unto you it is given on behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.

Key verse establishing suffering as a gracious gift from God.

But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Encouragement to rejoice in sharing Christ's sufferings, looking to future glory.

Christ has made the atonement for us, and God has accepted that atonement on our behalf. We also have received it ourselves, and now we are glad in God. Glad that there is a God, glad that there is such a God, and glad that He is our God and Father in Jesus Christ.

Spurgeon's quote summarizing the joy of the atonement.

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Describes the inexpressible joy of believers in Christ.

Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Jesus' directive to find ultimate joy in salvation, not in power over demons.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

Why does the speaker say that most Christians are the 'whiniest' people, and do you agree? What evidence do you see?

[Context]

Introduction where the speaker diagnoses the problem of joylessness.

[Question]

How can suffering be considered a gift from God, and what does it mean to have suffering as a ministry?

[Context]

Discussion of Philippians 1:29 and the concept of suffering as charizomai.

[Question]

What are the three tithes mentioned in Scripture, and what was the purpose of the 'tithe of rejoicing'?

[Context]

Explanation of the tithe of rejoicing in Deuteronomy 14.

[Question]

Why is understanding the Word of God a reason for rejoicing, and how can we avoid taking it for granted?

[Context]

First reason to rejoice from Nehemiah 8.

[Question]

What does it mean to have 'peace with God' and 'access by faith'? How should these truths affect our daily joy?

[Context]

Second reason to rejoice from Romans 5:1-2.

[Question]

How does the atonement of Christ produce 'joy unspeakable'? What does it mean to 'joy in God'?

[Context]

Third reason to rejoice from Romans 5:11 and 1 Peter 1:8.

[Question]

The speaker says if you cannot rejoice in these truths, you may not be a Christian. Do you think joy is an essential mark of genuine faith? Why or why not?

[Context]

Application section challenging listeners to examine their salvation.

[Question]

What practical steps can we take to 'rejoice evermore' even in difficult circumstances?

[Context]

Final applications and call to praise God daily.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T08:10:43Z