THE JOY OF SALVATION.
MEMORISE:
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: 1 Peter 1:8
READ: Psalm 16:8-11
8 I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
MESSAGE:
Our God is a cheerful God and that is why joy is fruit of the Spirit. Psalm 100:4 says when you come into His presence, you are to do so with praise.
"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name." Psalm 100:4
You cannot praise someone with a frown on your face. In other words, when you come to His presence, you are to come cheerfully. This also implies that if you are always cheerfully praising Him, then you would be living constantly in His presence. God loves being around cheerful people. That is why the moment you give your life to Christ and He starts living within you, He will give you joy.
A Professor who I had just led to Christ came to me one day and asked "I hope it is not a problem that since I became born again, I have been feeling this joy within me. I don't even know why, but somehow, I have just been happy''. I said, "That is not a problem; it is God's presence within you that is making you joyful". Do you still feel the same joy that you felt when you became born again? If the joy is gone, then you need to check to be sure the salvation is still there. When David lost his salvation, he wrote in Psalm 51:12:
"Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit."
Are you glad whenever it is time to go to Church? Are you excited to be in God's presence, or do you have to be cajoled before you can go to Church? I remember when I got born again and would watch illiterate market women answering questions during Sunday School with Scripture quotations I had never read. I determined that I had to know the word of God. I was always excited to go for Bible Study. Up until now, that excitement has not reduced. When I hear someone preaching the word, I listen with rapt attention and even take notes. Do sermons still shake you? Are you still excited to learn more from the Bible? Can you, like David say:
"I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the LORD." Psalm 122:1
Does the word of God still excite you or are you growing cold?
PRAYER POINT:
Father, don't let me ever recover from the excitement of being in Your presence, in the mighty name of Jesus.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 14-15
HYMN 3: BE GLAD IN THE LORD AND REJOICE.
1. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice,
All ye that are upright in heart;
And ye that have made Him your choice,
Bid sadness and sorrow depart.
o Refrain:
Rejoice, rejoice,
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice;
Rejoice, rejoice,
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice.
2. Be joyful, for He is the Lord
On earth and in Heaven supreme;
He fashions and rules by His word—
The “Mighty” and “Strong” to redeem.
3. What though in the conflict for right
Your enemies almost prevail?
God’s armies, just hid from your sight,
Are more than the foes which assail.
4. Though darkness surround you by day,
Your sky by the night be o’ercast,
Let nothing your spirit dismay,
But trust till the danger is past.
5. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice,
His praises proclaiming in song;
Let gratefulness give all a voice,
The loud hallelujahs prolong!
