REJOICING IN GOD

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." (Romans 5:8-11)

Devotion 1 of 4

The true "joy of the Lord" is not common among professed believers. This condition is the result of flawed and deficient views of God.

THE PROPER OBJECT OF OUR JOY

We "joy in God," or "rejoice in the Lord." He Himself is both the Object and the Reason for spiritual joy. We do not rejoice in our achievements: they are too small to produce such elevated feelings. It takes more than a lively tune or an expression of human love to make the heart truly rejoice! Neither can such rejoicing be accomplished by the threatening thunders of law. One might well stand before you and charge you to rejoice because you have to. But if you are not acquainted with God, if He has not been revealed to you through the Lord Jesus Christ, you are impotent to fulfill the demand! It is tragic beyond words that God has been largely left out of the contemporary church. Many congregations hear more about duty than about their heavenly Father, while others are exposed to human need more than to Divine provision. This condition is most serious. It is the reason for the lamentable state of spiritually weak congregations. How can such a circumstance have arisen, when so much is said of God in His revelation. Jesus is the Son OF GOD (Mark 1:1). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit OF GOD (Rom. 8:14). The holy angels are the angels OF GOD (Luke 12:8). The Gospel is the Gospel OF GOD (Rom. 1:1). The Gospel is the power OF GOD (Rom. 1:16). The righteousness revealed through the Gospel is the righteousness OF GOD (Rom. 1:17). The goodness that constrains men to repent is the goodness OF GOD (Rom. 2:4). The glory from which we have fallen is the glory OF GOD (Rom. 3:23). The promises that constrain us are the promises OF GOD (2 Cor. 1:20). The love which is shed abroad in our hearts is the love OF GOD (Rom. 5:5). The grace which transforms us is the grace OF GOD (Rom. 5:15). Eternal life is itself the gift OF GOD (Rom. 6:23). What more can we say? Jesus was put to death in the flesh, and made alive in the Spirit that He might bring us TO GOD (1 Pet. 3:18). Through His death Christ has reconciled us TO GOD (Rom. 5:10). It certainly should not surprise us, therefore, that God Himself is the Object of our joy. We delight in Him--in His Person! In what He has done! In what He has promised! The all-encompassing subject of our focus is God Himself. It is not your duty. It is not how you are received by your peers. It is not the novelty of prophetic Scripture. It is not the intrigue of Divine direction. In short, it is not the blessing, but the Blesser that is the proper Object of joy. If there were no God, there could be no spiritual joy. Were God to "hide Himself" (Isa. 45:15) thoroughly, despair would dominate all believers, just as surely as it did Job.

REJOICING IN GOD PRESUMES HE HAS BEEN REVEALED

It is not possible to rejoice in an unknown God. This is the reason for the moroseness of heathen religions. Their chants and their grotesque idols betray the poverty of their religion. They have an "unknown God!" The only way they can experience relief from the oppressing effects of their religion is to pass into an imposed state of unconsciousness. Such trances have never, nor can they ever, produce the joy of the Lord. An unknown God is the travesty of modern religion. It is the reason for the depressing conditions that exist in religion. But such things ought not to be! Our text tells us that we "joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation)" (Rom. 5:11). How weighty is the verse! It is the contemplation of God Himself that causes us to rejoice. That contemplation has resulted from our entrance into fellowship with Christ Jesus, God's Son. The reception of the reconciliation is the experience that has produced the joy. That this could be accomplished without the involvement of the mind and conscience is absurd. Revelation--the transforming revelation of God--occurs within the rational part of man. The blinding light that struck down Saul of Tarsus was not as powerful as the revelation, "I am Jesus . . ." (Acts 9:5). The miraculous earthquake that shook the Philippian jail did not have the impact of the Gospel Paul preached to the jailor and his house. Transformation comes through perception and insight, aspects of revelation. PRAYER POINT: Father, make Yourself known to me through the Word, through my meditation, through preaching, and through every facet of my life. Open my eyes to behold Your Person, Your Son, and Your salvation. I will rejoice in You!

-- TOMORROW: GOD HAS MADE HIMSELF KNOWN --