My friend, you will never truly know what peace is
in your soul until you have completely rested in Jesus Christ for your
salvation (imputed righteousness), and then as a born-again Christian you.
stay close to the Lord in your daily walk (practical righteousness).
Our two text passages of Scripture are just two of many others, which teach Christians why we should continually rejoice in the Lord.
Here are three good reasons for every Christian to rejoice . . .
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We are saved! The biggest reason why Christians should rejoice is because our names are written in Heaven. Amen for that! Luke 10:20, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. When I have a melancholy moment.”
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We will be with Jesus when He returns. 1st Thessalonians 2:19 teaches us to rejoice as Christians because we will be in the presence of our dear Savior when He returns at the Rapture. Even so, come, precious Lord Jesus!!! John 16:22, “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” Of course, no unsaved person can rejoice over either of these things. No unsaved person has their name written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Revelation 20:15). No unsaved person will see Jesus when He returns at the Rapture to gather the saints. When Jesus raised up from the dead, He was only seen by believers. In 1st Corinthians 15:6, the Lord was seen bodily by over 500 brethren at once!
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We have a much better life waiting for us in Heaven. Hebrews 10:34, “For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.”
If you're a genuine born-again Christian, then you know the pain of soul when things aren't right between you and the Lord. We've all been there, because we've all blown it at times. At some point in life, hopefully, every Christian chooses to please the Lord by walking in the Spirit instead of fighting against God by living in willful sin. Amos 3:3, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” It is a wonderful feeling as a born-again Christian to know that there's nothing between you and the Lord. I learned many years ago to be totally honest with God, because if I don't, the only one being deceived is myself.
As a rule, every Christian should learn to just lay it all out on the table before the Lord and be honest. Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” My advice to everyone is to become a Christian (if you're not already) by believing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to have your sins forgiven. That's the first step to pleasing God. The “Gospel” (meaning good news) is three things; namely, Christ DIED ON THE CROSS FOR OUR SINS, He was BURIED, and then He bodily RESURRECTED three days later (1st Corinthians 15:1-4).
If you admit that you're a guilty sinner in the eyes of a holy God, and you receive the Gospel as full-payment for your sins, you are saved immediately, permanently and irrevocably. It is easy to be saved. Eternal life is a totally free gift from God (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9). You can have eternal life simply by taking it through faith in Christ's sacrifice on the cross as the sinless Lamb of God, and His resurrection from the dead three days later. Christ died as our sacrifice, but He victoriously arose as our High Priest, now seated on the Father's right-hand (Romans 8:34; Colossians 3:1-2).
I've often said that no one hates sin as much as God, and no one loves people as much as God. Yes, God loves sinners, because sinners are still people. There's no such thing as a person without sin. Sinless perfection is not obtainable in the flesh (Romans 7:14-25). At best, even the best Christian is still a dirty sinner. God doesn't expect anyone to be spotless and perfect in their behavior. All God asks of us as Christians is that we walk in the Spirit in obedience to the Holy Bible, and He is willing to help us every step of the way. Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Neither I, nor you, can live the Christian life. Jesus lives the Christian life through us.
I am not speaking concerning salvation here. The Lord paid for our sins on the cross, so that we could be presented faultless without spot before God. Jude 1:24, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” Only by the sin-cleansing blood of Jesus Christ can we be made faultless in the eyes of God. The Lord doesn't expect any believer to be perfect, because that is not possible. God simply wants us to get back up when we do fall. Proverb 24:16, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.”
I often feel sorry for the unbelieving world, because at the end of this earthly life, they will spend the rest of eternity in the Lake of Fire. The good news if you're reading this is that it's not too late. God wants to save you, if you'll simply receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior (John 1:12-14). Just believe on the Lord, that He died for your sins and was raised up bodily three days later (John 3:16; 6:28-29). There's no joy like knowing that you're saved and right with the Lord. You too can have that peace, joy and security if you want it.
