REJOICE IN THE LORD

ZEPHANIAH 3:14-20

PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7

LUKE 3:7-18

The theme for our reflection is “Rejoice in the Lord” A person referred to as Lord is one who has power or authority over His subjects or followers. It is a great joy to have Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. The following reasons for which we rejoice in Jesus as our Lord shall be discussed in our reflection:

1. We rejoice in the Lord becuase He has power to overcome our enemies and restore our fortunes

2. We rejoice in the Lord for He listens to our prayers and grants us peace.

3. We rejoice in the Lord becuase He forgives us our sins and grants us eternal.

Firstly, we must rejoice because Jesus our Lord has the power to overcome our enemies and restore us to wholeness. This was Prophet Zephaniah’s message to the Israelites, that those who are faithful to God shall witness His salvation and restoration. “Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the LORD.” (Zephaniah 3:19-20). My dear friend, fear not but have faith and rejoice in the Lord because He has power over your oppressors, haters or enemies. It is His will to see you happy and on earth therefore trust the Lord even in challenges times for at His own appointed time your weeping shall turn to joy and your loss shall turn to gain and restoration. Remember, people like Abraham, Joseph, Hannah, David and the woman with the issue of blood for many year, all this people went through hard and challenging times, some of them were threatened by their enemies, laughed at by their enemies but at the end God dealt with their enemies and restored the fortunes of His faithful servants. My dear fear, may your faith be increased and may you rejoice in the Lord during this Advent season for He has promised that “…I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes…” (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

Secondly, we must rejoice in the Lord becuase He has the power to grant us what we ask for in prayer and grants us His peace. It is for this reason Paul admonishes the Philippians that “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7) Advent is a season of hope and joy because the Lord’s will for your life is being fulfilled and His peace shall be with you and sustain you until His second coming.

Thirdly, for those of us who are lost through sin, we must also rejoice in the Lord becuase He has the power to forgive our sins when we genuinely repent. This was the message of John the Baptist in preparing the way for the coming and commencement of the earthly Ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ even as he warned the people of the impending eternal destruction of unrepentant sinners. (Luke 3: 7-14) “John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”(Luke 3:16-17) My dear friend you cannot rejoice in the Lord if you keep living in sin, as we oberve the Advent season I invite you to rededicate your life to Christ through genuine repentance so that you may experience true peace and joy of having Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.

In conclusion my dear friend, rejoice in the Lord becuase He has the power to overcome your enemies and retore you from a state of despair to joy, rejoice in the Lord becuase has the power to answer your prayers and grant you peace, and last but not the least, rejoice in the Lord becuase he has power to forgive your sins and save you from eternal destruction to eternal life. May the grace of God continue to abide with us so that we may always rejoice in Him. Amen

Jean-Paul Agidi (Rev)