Sermon # 32 - A Life That God Rejoices Over Series

We read in Zephaniah 3:17, “The LORD your God is mighty in your midst; He will save; He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest in His love; He rejoices over you with singing.” (AFV)

We also read in Psalm 2:4, “From his throne in heaven the Lord laughs and mocks their feeble plans.” (GNB)

It is also written in Genesis 6:6, “And the Lord had sorrow because he had made man on the earth, and grief was in his heart.” (BBE)

When we look at the above three verses we observe three kinds of emotions that the Lord reveals to us. The God who created the heavens and the earth, created man in His own image. To have the image of God implies that just as God has emotions, man too was created with the ability to feel various emotions.

In Zephaniah 3:17 we read that God is happy, and rejoices over His people. Psalm 2:4 depicts to us a God who laughs and mocks at man for his feeble plans. However, in Genesis 6:6 we see that God is sorrowful, and grieved that He had made man on the earth.

Many people think that the Christian life of holiness is a boring and dismal life, but truly it is a joyful life that God calls us to. As we study these three emotions that God expressed, we must realize that God’s love is unchanging over all of His creation. Nonetheless, when God looks at all that mankind is involved in, His emotions are varied. In order to understand this let us consider the way a father and mother love their children. Though they love their children a lot, depending on what the children so, sometimes they are delighted over them, and at other times they do feel sadness about certain behavior.

As we go through this message, I hope each of us will be able to evaluate if God rejoices over us, is mocking at us or is grieved with us.

God rejoices over us

Parents rejoice over their children when they fulfill their expectations of them. When children are doing well in life, are disciplined, and are a good example to others, parents are thrilled. So also, when we walk in ways that are pleasing to God, live according to His expectations, and do things that are delightful to Him, the Lord too is jubilant over us.

God laughs at us

Oftentimes we forget that there is a God above, and do things that are gratifying to us. So often we are like little children who think they can do things without their parent’s knowledge. A story is told of a little child who was instructed by her mother to not eat sugar as the child had a craving for it. One day when the Mom had gone out, the child managed to get hold of the sugar container, and ate the sugar. Being a child she spilt sugar all over the place, and also had her mouth covered with sugar. On returning when Mom asked the child if she took the sugar, and the little girl denied it. Obviously this humored her Mom who could see the trails of sugar all over the place. So too, there are many who think they are smarter than God, and think they can accomplish everything because of who they are, who they know, or what they possess. God would truly jeer at such for they do not realize that there is an all-knowing God who is above all.

King Herod had Peter arrested, and even scheduled a date for his execution. The Lord must have looked down, and mocked at Herod. Remember that the beginning, and the end of a man are all in God’s hands. Man can make many plans, but God’s purpose alone will prevail in the end. Saul thought that he could apprehend and persecute all those believed, and followed Jesus. God must have scorned at Saul, for He knew that Saul would be stopped in his tracks on the way to Damascus. The prophet Jonah was called, and instructed by God to go and preach against the city of Nineveh. Jonah thought he could disobey God when he undertook the voyage on a ship to Tarshish. God must have laughed at Jonah when He sent the furious storm, and got the prophet back on track. So when God observes our childish behavior and disobedience, He can’t help but laugh at us.

God grieves over us

We read in Genesis 6:6 that God regretted for having made man, and He was grieved. It is therefore crucial that we ask ourselves if we make God glad, or if our deeds make him laugh at us, or if what we are doing makes Him mourn over us.