Rejoice in the Lord! (A message of word and song) Biblical Focus: Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice.

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1 Page 1 of 5 Rejoice in the Lord! (A message of word and song) Biblical Focus: Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice. Hymn of Praise: #57 O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing Prayer Hymn: #351 Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior (verse 1) Scripture Lesson: I Thessalonians 5: Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. Introduction: A few weeks ago, Pastor Bob gave us a message that he called Hymn Sing in which he told us about some of the common hymns that we ourselves may have used to learn scripture, doctrine or to simply sing praise to God. Today s message many may think of as Hymn Sing: The Sequel. As with any sequel, I have doubled up on the special effects by asking my friends and brothers from the Baugo Bay Gospel Singers to help me. But you need not be shy, if you know the songs, you are more than welcome to join in.

2 Page 2 of 5 What does it mean to rejoice? The dictionary tells us: to be glad, take delight And God s word tells us that we are to do that always Seems like a pretty tall order. Let s take a look at some seasons in our lives and with the help of scripture and some inspired songs how we can indeed Rejoice always Rejoice when things are going well! This seems like an easy thing to do, but if you are anything like me or the ancient Jewish nation we begin to believe our own press. Instead of acknowledging and rejoicing in the Lord, pride sets in and we begin to believe that the good times are a result of our effort alone. If you recall the history of the nation of Israel, this response didn t work too well for them and it continues to not work well for us. So how can we remember to rejoice in the Lord, to praise Him for the good times? Simple, as the song says: Just a Little Talk with Jesus (Baugo Bay Sings) If your prayer life is regular you will learn how to rejoice and not just ask for things Rejoice when things are going terrible! If you are alive, there are seasons in your life that you just want to skip over. We pray to God for an ending and we are quick to

3 Page 3 of 5 offer Him all of our wisdom as to how He can best remedy the situation. Hopefully, as you continue on your Christian walk, you learn to consult the Operator s Manual. When I finally did that I learned more about David, the king before he was rich and famous. He was a fugitive running and hiding from King Saul. During that time he wrote many of the inspirational readings that we know as the Psalms. Psalm 13 gives us an example of how David rejoiced: Psalm 13 1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? 3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, 4 and my enemy will say, I have overcome him, and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

4 Page 4 of 5 5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing the Lord s praise, for He has been good to me. From this passage we get a clue about rejoicing, and this next song will help further the point God Will Take Care of You (Baugo Bay Sings) Rejoice during a time of loss. So you ve lost a dear friend, a parent, some even a child. A difficult time for those of us left. How do you rejoice during these times. Rejoicing is possible if you know where they have gone. Have you shared your love of Jesus? Did they accept? If so, their death can be a time of rejoicing and celebration as we hear in this medley of songs about what happens after death. Up and Away (Baugo Bay Sings) Conclusion: So when God commands us to Rejoice always He is not telling us to rejoice in your trouble or in death or as in David s case because someone was out to kill him. In fact, David gave us the right way to rejoice, despite all he went through he chose to

5 Page 5 of 5 rejoice in the Lord and His salvation. In all things, rejoice in the Lord! In His Light (Baugo Bay Sings) There will not be a Hymn of Response Words of Wisdom We end as we began: Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice. Benediction Psalm 96: Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. 12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. 13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for He comes, He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.