I try to walk everyday, and I take my dog Jug with me. He hears my voice inside the house, and he stands by the door until I come out. He is visually impaired, yet somehow he knows I am taking him for a walk. He must smell the leash in my hand. Immediately he starts to yelp, bark and run in circles around me. He is so happy. It almost seems that there is a smile on his face when he is barking. He continues to run two feet in front of me and return to me barking and jumping in the air. It is quite evident how happy he is to go walking with me. Eventually he calms down and trots happily out the driveway because he is walking with his master.
As we walked, the verse from Philippians came to mind, “Rejoice in the Lord alway and again I say rejoice.” It is interesting how the Lord used the actions of my dog to teach me about a simple attitude of rejoicing. I decided to do a word study on the phrase, “rejoice in the Lord.” Here are some of the results. It is amazing how these definitions describe my dog’s behavior when he was anticipating my presence with him.
Ps 33:1 Rejoice -i.e. to shout (usually for joy):–aloud for joy, cry out, be joyful (greatly, make to) rejoice, (cause to) shout (for joy), (cause to) sing (aloud, for joy, out), triumph.
Ps 97:1 and Isa 41:16- Rejoice-a primitive root; properly, to spin round (under the influence of any violent emotion), i.e. usually rejoice, or (as cringing) fear:–be glad, joy, be joyful, rejoice.
Isa 61:10 Rejoice- a primitive root; to be bright, i.e. cheerful:–be glad, X greatly, joy, make mirth, rejoice.
Joe 2:23 rejoice- a primitive root; probably to brighten up, i.e. (figuratively) be (causatively, make) blithe or gleesome:–cheer up, be (make) glad, (have, make) joy(-ful), be (make) merry, (cause to, make to) rejoice, X very.
Hab 3:18 rejoice- primitive root; to jump for joy, i.e. exult:–be joyful, rejoice, triumph.
We learned from the sermon series on “Christ is All, Christ is All in All” that Christ is ever present with us. He resides within the believer. He is wholly present, everywhere and all the time. He is our sufficiency. As believers our attitude should be one of “shouting or singing with joy.” Knowing that Christ dwells within us should make us spin around with such happiness. We should have an attitude of victory over sin and allow no opportunity for self defeat. Our countenance should reflect bright cheerfulness. As believers we can rejoice in the fact that our Master is always with us, and He will never leave us or forsake us. He is our All! He is All we need, All we want and All we have.
Ps 46:1,”God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” This verse helps demonstrate the theological truth that “Christ is All and in All”. As discussed in a previous blog we discovered that Christ is the believer’s refuge, and that God had established “cities of refuge” for people who had accidentally killed someone. We also see that Christ is a very “present” help in trouble. He was “present” when David’s life was being threatened by King Saul, his son Absalom and in battle. He was “present” when David as a lad volunteered to fight Goliath, the Philistine giant.
God tells Joshua in Jos 1:9″ Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” What a very comforting and encouraging thought to know that God is with you wherever you are.
Another example would be when God led the Israelites out of Egypt. He went before them in the day with a pillar of cloud and at night with a pillar of fire. They could see his presence.
In John 14: 18-23, Christ promises not to leave us comfortless, but to make his abode with us. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. While He can’t be seen, He is there because scripture says so. There is no reason to fear because the Eternal, Holy God indwells the believer. When the trials of the world are overwhelming flee to Christ who is the believer’s refuge. He is a very present help in trouble. There is no need to feel pinned in, overwhelmed or defeated. Christ is always near and always hears the cry of the saint. Scripture testifies of that intimate, personal assurance that Christ is present.
Our text for this foxhole prayer was 2 Chronicles 18:31. King Jehoshaphat was not to align himself with King Ahab, and he did anyway. God was not obligated to hear Jehoshaphat’s prayer since he was in direct disobedience to the LORD. However, when Jehoshaphat cried out(shriek out in anguish), the LORD surrounded him with a Rock, the stone of help as illustrated in 2 Samuel 22: 2-3, 47, 1Samuel 7:12. The word stone in those verses is the same word help in 2 Chronicles 18:31. When Jehoshaphat shrieked in anguish, God came himself. He didn’t deliver him from a distance, but was there with Jehoshaphat in the battle surrounding him as a Rock. God is our Rock, Shield, Refuge and Savior.
Later in the service we offered up prayers for our soldiers, past and present who have given their lives as the utimate sacrifice for the freedoms we gratefully enjoy. Those freedoms include the freedom of speech and freedom of religion, to worship as we choose. We prayed for the soldiers who serve now and all families who have lost someone for freedom’s sake. May the God of comfort give the families peace and heal their broken hearts. May God encourage those soldiers who endure extreme pain and disability. May he heal their bodies, minds and families. We the people of Grace Baptist Church are deeply thankful for you and pray for you. May God be your refuge, strength and Savior.
There are three prominent religious errors which our nation faces.
1. We fail to acknowledge our iniquity.
2. We, as a nation have changed our God. Jeremiah 2:11 “Hath a nation changed their Gods which are yet no gods?”
3. We have made the truth into a lie and made a lie, truth.
We dare not be counted among those who are spiritually deaf. Life and eternal life is at stake!
Hear the full context of this message “A Deaf Ministry” at http://BiblicallyTrue.com
The title of today’s sermon in the worship service was “Honeymoon to Honeymoan.” It was a description of the relationship with God and Israel and then carried through to a description of Christ and the Church. I want to focus on the relationship with Christ and modern day Christianity. The “Honeymoan” aspect of the relationship is a picture of our own culture. Pastor Kaminski stated that one of the reasons for the “Honeymoan” stage is because Christianity is obsessed with being culturally relevant. It seems we as Christians are more concerned with fitting into society than with being committed to the covenant we have with Christ. As Christians we are to be separate from the world because we are strangers here, we are not of this world. When there is no obvious difference between our behavior and that of the world, then communication has broken down between the groom, Christ, and the bride, the Church or believers. Pastor asked this question, ” Does the Lord seem to be somewhere else?” “If God does not seem close, then who moved?” In Re 2:4 Christ says to the church at Ephesus, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” And then to the church at Laodicea in Re 3:20 Christ says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” It is apparent that the one who has moved out of the relationship is the church or believer. God didn’t move, He is always the same as stated in Heb 13:8,” Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
Does Christ seem aloof ? Do other things take priority over prayer, Bible study and worship? Is God just along for the ride or is He the driving force in your life? Have you been walking in the flesh more than in the spirit? If so, examine your heart and mind. If Christ is knocking at the door, open the door and renew your relationship with Him.