• He inspected his photo and complained to the clerk who took his picture, "I was standing in line so long; I ended up looking like I am mad in this picture."
• The clerk looked at his picture closely. "It's okay," he reassured the man. "That's how you're going to look when the policemen pull you over and give you a ticket for speeding."
It does not matter where you go:
• You can hear people complaining about their jobs
• You can hear people complaining about their taxes
• You can hear people complaining about the schools their children attend
• You can hear people complaining about the traffic
• You can hear people complaining about the way their food is cooked
• You can hear people complaining about people’s workmanship
So, why should we be shocked to see these same people come to church and complain about the church?
I find it is interesting to see how some people can always find things to rejoice about, and other people can never find anything to rejoice about.
Let me illustrate:
Illus: You can have people who attend the same church, and you will find some:
• Are so excited about their church they are constantly inviting all their family members and friends to attend with them
• Others the only time they take time to talk to their family and friends about the church is to complain about the church.
Illus: It reminds me of a man that joined a monastery, and one of the rules of the group was that you were only allowed to speak two words every ten years.
• At the end of ten years he said, "Bad food!"
• Ten more years went by and he said, "Hard bed!"
• Finally, on his 30th anniversary he thundered out, "I quit!"
The priest in charge responded, "Well, you might as well quit, for the last thirty years all you have done has complained."
This is true of so many people. There is so much good they could talk about, but they choose to complain.
Complaining not only makes the life of the complainer miserable, it also makes the life of those who have to listen to them miserable.
Illus: Mark Twain said, “Don't complain and talk about all your problems--80 percent of people doesn’t care; the other 20 percent will think you deserve them.”
Illus: Charles Spurgeon told this story. “A heavy wagon was being dragged along a country lane by a team of oxen. The axles groaned and creaked terribly, when the oxen turning around thus addressed the wheels, "Hey there, why do you make so much noise? We bear all the labor, and we -- not you -- ought to cry out!" Those complain first in our churches do the least.
Illus: Someone said, “The gift of grumbling is largely dispensed among those who have no other talents.”
• When we YIELD to all kinds of complaining, it will destroy our testimony and bring misery to ourselves and to others.
• When we YIELD to all kinds of complaining we become a lonely person because NO ONE wants to hang out with a complainer.
How much better it is to remain true to the Lord Jesus Christ and live a life of rejoicing!
Let’s look at some of the REASONS FOR REJOICING AS CHRISTIANS.
We should REJOICE IN CHRIST BECAUSE…
I.WE HAVE A LIVELY HOPE
One of the saddest things in the world is to be without hope. Some people feel that they have little hope for their future in this life. They wish and even pray for better days, but poverty, sickness and turmoil rob them of a good life.
Throughout the world millions can only dream of the prosperous life we have in our country.
Even in this country, many want to have confidence about their future, but no matter what they do it seems to elude them.
Illus: We can see a man smiling without legs or without hands, but we can't see a man smiling without hope! - Mehmet Murat Ildan
A situation may be so perilous that men lose hope.
• When Paul and the other passengers were caught in a dangerous storm at sea and we read in Acts 27:20 “Neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat upon us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up”
• In Acts 16:25-34 a jailer started to commit suicide because he believed he would be killed anyway. That man ended up becoming a Christian.
• It is even worse to have no hope of the hereafter. Paul told the Christians at Thessalonica not to “sorrow as others who have no hope” (I Thess. 4:13).
Jesus came to give hope. In Matt. 4:16). He said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”
It is no wonder that the Bible says Christ is “our hope” (I Tim. 1:1).
Illus: This is one of the reasons it is so sad for the sinner. He lives every day without hope. He does not know when he will breathe that last breath and be plunged into everlasting damnation.
But we Christians live a life of HOPE. We do not know when our hearts will beat for the last time, but we know what the scripture says, TO BE ABSENT FROM THE BODY IS TO BE PRESENT WITH THE LOR!!!
Why should we rejoice?
Look at 1 Pet. 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto A LIVELY HOPE by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
Notice, our hope is a LIVELY HOPE.
WHY IS OUR HOPE A LIVELY HOPE?
The Word of God tells us it is because in I Peter 1:3 because of “…the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Illus: Had Christ not risen from the grave, we would be without hope.
Illus: Had he not been raised from the dead, every one of us would die one day and we would be no better off than our pets which have died.
Illus: For example, one of the reasons that it hurts when we lose a pet is that we know we will never see that pet again. We have fond memories of these pets, but that is all we have, because we will never see them again because they do not have a SOUL.
Illus: If Christ had not risen from the grave, we would go to the grave side to bury our love ones, with the realization that we will never see them again.
But because the body of Christ was resurrected, He said in John 14:19, “…Because I live, ye shall live also.”
This is why we have a LIVELY HOPE!!!
WHAT KIND OF LIVELY HOPE DO WE HAVE?
It is a…
A. PURIFYING HOPE
1 John 3:3 “And every man that hath THIS HOPE in him PURIFIETH HIMSELF, even as he is pure.”
A lot of folks PROFESS to have this LIVELY HOPE, but their lives do not reflect they have it!!!
You see, when we truly believe in something, what we believe motivates us to do something.
Illus: For example, if someone came running into this auditorium and started yelling Fire! Fire! Fire! This would be some alarming news, and we would have to make a decision immediately!!!
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger tells the story when he was principal of a Christian school they would have fire drills.
The students love to take turn running into the class rooms hollering fire, fire, fire!
One young boy in the grammar school begged to let him run down the hall hollering fire! Fire! Fire!
When the fire drill took place the whole student body was outside waiting for one class to come out for the fire drill, but they never came out.
Dr. Belger went into the building to find out why they were not coming out?
The teacher said, “I did not know we were having a fire drill, when he opened the door and softly said fire! Fire! Fire! He said it so low I could not hear him and I told him to get out of the class before I sent him to the office to get a spanking.”
Once we hear SOMEONE holler Fire! Fire! Fire! We have to decide immediately, “Do I really believe what this individual is saying?”
• If we decide we do not, we would sit there
• But if we truly believed in what this individual is saying, it would motivate us to get up and go to the nearest exit, and leave the building immediately.
I want to remind you that if you believe in something, it will motivate you to act on what you believe.
• And if you truly believe that Christ CAME, DIED, WAS BURIED, and WAS RAISED TO LIFE AGAIN so that you can have eternal life this belief will motivate you to accept Him as your Savior immediately.
• And if you truly believe that Christ CAME, DIED, WAS BURIED, and WAS RAISED TO LIFE AGAIN and Christ have the best life for you, not the devil you would accept the Lord Jesus immediately!!!
You see, the reason sinners do not accept the Lord is because the devil has convinced them that the devil has the best life for them, SO THEY CHOOSE TO FOLLOW HIM!!!
But I must remind you that hell is full of people who have foolishly made that same decision.
If you really believe that in the next few minutes your heart might stop and you would go to a burning hell you would accept the Lord immediately.
I am sad to say this, but as a lost person you had better hope that heart of your keeps beating because as a sinner that is exactly where you will go!
When you truly believe in something IT MOTIVATE YOU TO DO SOMETHING!!!
The Bible tells us this LIVELY HOPE we have in Christ will motivate us to do something.
Look at again at 1 John 3:3 “And every man that hath THIS HOPE in him PURIFIETH HIMSELF, even as he is pure.”
As we walk with the Lord day-by-day in this lively hope, we purify ourselves, even as He is pure.
But notice the responsibility of purifying ourselves falls on us.
A lot of folks are WAITING for God to purify them, and God is waiting for them to purify themselves.
WHY DOES GOD PUT THE RESPONSIBILITY ON US?
Because He created every one of us as free moral agents.
We are created so that we can choose between GOOD and EVIL, HEAVEN OR HELL!!!
• We blame our sins on everybody we can blame them on, but the Bible says the reason we sin is because of our own choosing.
That is why there will be a Judgment day and we will stand before our Creator alone because we alone made those decision to obey or dis-obey God every day He bless us with.
Today we have some…
• They blame their sins on God made me a homosexuals
• They blame their sins on God made me a transgender. He put me in the wrong body!!! God has never made a mistake and put someone in the wrong body as the transgender claim. God created only males and females.
Look at James 1:13-14, we read, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.”
It would be wrong for God to hold us accountable for our sins if we had no choice. But we do have a choice, and that is why God holds us responsible.
And that is exactly why God said, “And every man that hath THIS HOPE in him PURIFIETH HIMSELF, even as he is pure.”
Illus: In England there's a paper factory that makes the finest stationery that's made.
• One day, a man touring the factory asked what it was made from. He was shown a huge pile of old rags. He was told the rag content is what determined the quality of the paper.
• The man had a difficult time believing such beautiful stationery could come from old rags.
• In 6 weeks he received a package of paper from the company, with his initials embossed on it.
• On the 1st page were written the words: "Dirty Rags, Transformed."
The same is true of the Christian life. And if we have this LIVELY HOPE in Christ we will purify ourselves to become like him. We will allow Him to take the filthy rags of our righteousness and turn them into something beautiful for Him to use.
IT IS A...
A. PURIFYING HOPE,
But also, it is a…
B. PERSONAL HOPE
The television program, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”, became successful from the first time it aired. One of the reasons is because we all like to see good things happen to people.
Illus: When someone gives their final answer and gives the right answer, and wins a million dollars, we all get excited for them.
But I want to confess to you that I am glad when good things happen to others, but I am even gladder when good things happen to me.
For example,
• I rejoice when others come to know the Lord as their Savior. I am happy for them.
• But I rejoice even more because the Lord saved me, and gave me this LIVELY HOPE that we have in Christ Jesus.
Look at Col. 1:27 “To whom God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY.”
Christ is in others, but Paul said He is in us Gentiles also. He said, “…Christ IN YOU, the HOPE OF GLORY.”
The truth of the indwelling of the believer is something wonderful. The Lord is IN US!
• HE IS NOT JUST IN THE WORLD
• HE IS NOT JUST NEAR US
• HE IS IN US
Oh, how we PERSONALLY REJOICE that we have in us the ETERNAL SON OF GOD.
Romans 5:17, we read, “For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in LIFE BY ONE, Jesus Christ.”
From Adam we all receive DEATH, but from Christ we all receive LIFE.
And that hope is this; we are IN CHRIST and He says “Because I live, ye shall live also.”
Death could not keep Him in the ground! Hallelujah! It also cannot keep us in the ground.
We as Christians have every right to rejoice because we have hope the lost world does not have
What kind of hope is it?
It is a…
A.PURIFYING HOPE
B. PERSONAL HOPE
C.POWERFUL HOPE
Look at 1 Pet. 1:5, we read, “Who are KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Sometimes you can ask people if they are saved, and they will tell you, “Preacher, I am trying to hang on!” Let me assure you, as hard as you may try, you cannot hang on!
Christianity is not a HANG ON RELIGION!!!
Illus: Suppose you had a three-year-old son on your back, and you are going to have to walk across a river that is about 3 to 4 feet deep. The water is very swift, and you turn to your three year old son and say, “Son, hang on, because if you do not, you will perish!”
No, you would not put that responsibility in the lap of that three year old, you know they could not hang on. You would take the responsibility and you would hang on to them.
HOW ARE WE KEPT?
Notice what Peter said, “Who are KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD…”
We all can rejoice in OUR HELP because we are in the arms of almighty God.
We cannot hang on, but he can hang on to us.
Look at the word “Kept” in 1 Peter 1:5 who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Illus: When Noah was living and the flood came God did not put a peg on the side of that ark and told him to HANG ON OR ELSE HE WILL PERISHED.
The Bible tells us he went into that ark (Who represent Christ) and GOD SHUT THE DOOR!
When the Lord saves us we are IN CHRIST, in other words God has shut the door and we are safe in Christ.
Look at 1 Pet. 1:5, we read, “Who are KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Sometimes you can ask people if they are saved, and they will tell you, “Preacher, I am trying to hang on!” Let me assure you, as hard as you may try, you cannot hang on!
Christianity is not a HANG ON RELIGION!!!
Illus: Suppose you had a three-year-old son on your back, and you are going to have to walk across a river that is about 4 to 5 five feet deep. The water is very swift, and you turn to your three year old son and say, “Son, hang on, because if you do not, you will perish!”
No, you would not put that responsibility in the lap of that three year old, you know they could not hang on. You would take the responsibility and you would hang on to them.
Notice what Peter said, “Who are KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD…”
We all can rejoice in OUR HELP because we are in the arms of almighty God.
We cannot hang on, but he can hang on to us.
Look at the word “Kept” in 1 Peter 1:5 who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Illus: When Noah was living and the flood came God did not put a peg on the side of that ark and told him to HANG ON OR ELSE HE WILL PERISHED.
The Bible tells us he went into that ark (Who represent Christ) and GOD SHUT THE DOOR!
When the Lord saves us we are IN CHRIST, in other words God has shut the door and we are safe in Christ.
II. WE HAVE A HEAVENLY HOPE
When people move into a new home, it is an exciting time in their life. But listen, one of these days we are going to move into our new eternal home in heaven.
Look at 1 Pet. 1:4 “To AN INHERITANCE incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,”
HOW DID WE GET THIS NEW HOME?
• It certainly is not something we purchased
• The Bible says it is something we inherited
You see, people receive an inheritance, not because they worked for it, but
Simply because of someone else.
Illus: In Columbia, South Carolina, a man was pastor of a small congregation. He loved his people and they loved him. One of the few families he had was an elderly couple, and they were very wealthy, and when the both of them died, they left their large, beautiful home to this preacher and his wife. Because of the goodness of these people’s hearts, they inherited this beautiful home. They never worked for it one day, but because of someone else, they inherited it.
The same can be said of us, the children of God. We have never worked for salvation a day of our lives, but because of Him, we have inherited our NEW HOME in heaven.
WHAT KIND OF HOME DID WE INHERIT?
Look again at 1 Pet. 1:4 “To AN INHERITANCE incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,”
The scripture says it is one that:
• Is Undefiled
• Fadeth not away
• Is “…reserved in heaven for you”
1 Pet. 4:13 “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.”
REJOICE that one day you will see the GLORY OF THE LORD!
Illus: Years ago, when Elvis Pressley came to Columbia, South Carolina, people literally camped out for days before the ticket office began to sell tickets. They wanted to make sure that they could see him. And when he arrived and came out before a packed-out Coliseum, that crowd went berserk!!!
That reception is nothing compared to what it is going to be like when folks see the Lord for the first time.
Illus: The songwriter had this in mind when he wrote that beautiful song, “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus!”
Humor: Some of the old dead Baptist who have never shouted a day in their life will be shouting all over heaven
Illus: I like what the song writer said, “One glimpse of his dear face, all sorrows will erase!
The reason heaven will be heaven, is because of the PERSON of the Lord Jesus, who will be the center of attention.
Illus: Have you ever stood…
• Beside a governor who is over a whole state (I have)
• Beside a president who is over a whole country (I have)
• Beside a senator or congress man (I have)
• Beside a famous actor (I have)
• Beside a famous athlete (I have)
But listen one day we will stand beside the CREATOR of the UNIVERSE!!!
After all, the Bible tells us that when we are absent from our earthly bodies, we’ll be present with our Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). No doubt it will be overwhelming!!!
We will be able to…
• Gaze upon the contours of His face.
• See the color of His eyes and hair.
• Look at the wounds on His hands and feet and in His side.
• Hear the tone of His voice.
• Touch Him and feel His touch.
When we first see Jesus, what will our response be?
The Bible reveals how some people responded when they saw God in the heavenly realm.
• When Isaiah saw the Lord, sitting on a throne, high and lifted up he said in Isaiah 6:5 then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
• When John had a vision of Jesus in heaven, he was so overcome that he fell at Jesus’ feet as if he were dead. Look at Revelation 1:17 and when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
So, how will we respond?
What will it be like to see Jesus?
I don’t know, but it’s awesome to think about it.
Illus: Because until then, like the song says, “I can only imagine.”
And as I do, I’m guessing that, like Isaiah and John, I’ll be astounded and overcome, too.
When we stand before Jesus, we’ll be surrounded by His glory and majesty.
There will be no question that He is the One above all things – the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
We rejoice because in Heaven our NEW HOME CHRIST WILL is the center of attention, no doubt about that!
But when men and women arrived at this GLORIOUS PLACE, they are going to understand what the word “Awesome” really means.
Our heavenly home will be glorious because the Lord prepared it for us.
Rev. 21:10,11 “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.”
Rev. 21:22, 23 “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
John 14:2, 3 “In my father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
As Christians WE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO REJOICE BECAUSE OF OUR LIVELY HOPE!!!
Conclusion:
God is so good, and there is so much to rejoice about.
• You see when it comes to our eternal rewards, the Lord tells us to “Purify ourselves, even as he is pure.”
• But when it comes to our salvation, we are kept by the Power of God.
Phil. 4:4 says clearly, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again, I say, rejoice.”
If anybody on this earth has a right to REJOICE, it is the CHILD OF GOD!!!
Because we have a…
I. WE HAVE A LIVELY HOPE
A. PURIFYING HOPE
B. PERSONAL HOPE
C. POWERFUL HOPE
II. WE HAVE A HEAVENLY HOPE
