Good morning. If you will join
me in turning to Psalm 118. Psalm 118. Our text will be verse 24. This is the day which the Lord
hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in
it. For our Bible study, I want us
to rejoice and be glad. This verse, I usually think of
this verse and tell myself, stop complaining. But this time I
saw more than just that. Not only should we stop our complaining,
we should. But this verse gives us much
reason to rejoice and be glad. There are three things I want
us to see that I hope can make us truly rejoice and be glad
this day. May God enable us. to rejoice. The first thing I see is God's
sovereignty. Rejoice and be glad in God's
sovereignty. This is the day which the Lord
hath made. God made this day. This is a
special day. God made this day. What a beautiful
day. We worship the true and living
God. Does that make you rejoice? There's
a lot of false gods. We worship the true and living
God. We worship the God whom the psalmist said is in the heavens.
Our God is in the heavens. And our God is great. Our God
is great and greatly to be praised. We worship the triune God, God
the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And unlike
us, our God is eternal. Our God had no beginning and
he has no end. Our God is the creator of everything. In the beginning, God, that's
where it all began. Everything we believe starts
right there in the beginning, God. Created the heaven and the
earth. Remember now thy creator. Oh,
we'd be so wise to remember our creator in our youth. God alone
is great. You know, often this flesh convinces
us, we're great. We're not great. God created
the heaven and the earth, and God formed man of the dust of
the ground. And we've not gotten any better.
There's a verse that says, he knoweth our frame, he remembereth
that we are dust. We're still just dust. Still
just us, we've not improved. Ecclesiastes 5 verse 2 says,
God is in heaven and thou upon earth, therefore let thy words
be few. Let's stop our complaining. We
are nothing, God alone is great. Turn over with me to Isaiah chapter
45. We're gonna do a bit of turning
this morning. Isaiah chapter 45. Look with me at verse 18. For thus saith the Lord that
created the heavens, God himself that formed the earth and made
it, he hath established it. He created it not in vain. He formed it to be inhabited.
I am the Lord, and there is none else. There is just one God. There is just one Sovereign. Let us rejoice and be glad in
the fact that we worship the true God, the true Sovereign. Turn over with me to Nahum chapter
1. It's after Micah before Habakkuk. Nahum chapter 1. Not only Is God truly God? Not only is God the sovereign,
God has his way. God has his way, and how we ought
to rejoice to know that. Nahum chapter one, and look with
me at verse three. The Lord is slow to anger, and
great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. The
Lord hath his way. in the whirlwind and in the storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet. How glorious. How glorious. The Lord hath his way. He's always
had his way. He has his way right now, and
he always will have his way. Praise his name. Praise his name. I'm so glad the Lord has his
way. You know what his way is? We just read it. Slow to anger. I'm so glad our Lord is slow
to anger. What is his way? Great in power. He alone has
all power and all authority. But not only do we rejoice in
those things, I rejoice to know that he will not at all acquit
the wicked. Well, how can you say that? Trust me, I'm aware
somewhat of the fact that I am wicked. This flesh is wicked,
totally wicked. Well, the reason I rejoice in
this fact that God will not at all acquit the wicked is this.
Our God is a just God. That means our God only does
that which is right. Our God is righteous. Our God
is a just God. But not only that, our God is
a savior. Our God actually, truly, really
saves. And I rejoice. Our God is just,
righteous, and holy. Turn to Isaiah chapter 6. Isaiah chapter six, verse three. And one cried unto another, the
angels, one cried unto another and said, Holy, holy, holy is
the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his
glory. And the post of the door moved
at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with
smoke. Then said I, woe is me. For I am undone, because I am
a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean
lips. For mine eyes have seen the King,
the Lord of hosts. If our eyes ever see the King,
we're going to cry like Isaiah, woe is me. I'm undone. Woe is me. The Lord Jesus Christ
is King. He's my King. He's our King.
And his decrees always come to pass. Turn to Ecclesiastes chapter
8. Ecclesiastes chapter 8 and look
at verse 4. Where the word of a king is,
there is power. Take out the italics. Where the
word of a king, power. The Lord is king. And who may
say unto him, what doest thou? Don't you love that? The Lord
is king. Lift up, lift up thy voice, great
is he. Great is he. Nebuchadnezzar found
that out, didn't he? When he learned who the king
of heaven is, this is what he had to say. He said, he doeth
according to his will in the army of heaven. and among the
inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say
unto him, what doest thou? Oh, that makes my heart rejoice,
and that makes me so glad. God is sovereign, and God has
his way. The second thing I want us to
rejoice in is God's providence. I was trying to think of a definition
for God's providence, and this is This is the best I got. God's
providence is the unfolding of his will. He said, my counsel
shall stand. I will do all my pleasure. That's
his providence. This is the day, today. is the day which the Lord hath
made. I want us to rejoice and be glad today. I don't know about you, but I
take most days for granted, when the fact of the matter is, every
day is important, because the scriptures say God makes every
day, and nothing God makes is insignificant. We should make
the most of it. I pray that God will help us
to make the most of this day. And I'm so glad we're gathered
here around his word with his people to worship him. What better
way to spend a day? And I just want to point this
out. We know not what shall be on tomorrow. If we have tomorrow,
we know not what a day may bring forth. I don't know. I don't
know what's going to happen when I walk out these doors today.
But whatever happens when we walk out these doors today, let
us thank our God for it and let us worship him. And if God is
willing, let us come back tonight and worship him again. One of
our hymns says, I am not skilled to understand what God hath willed,
what God hath planned. I only know at his right hand
is one who is my savior. Let us rejoice to know that at
God's right hand is one who is our savior. Oh, let us be glad. We have a savior seated at the
throne of God, the right hand of God on high. Let us trust
him. Let us trust him and let us rejoice.
Another hymn we sing, it says, this is my father's world. Oh,
let me never forget that though the wrong seems off so strong,
and it does, God is the ruler yet. You know, I can lay down
at night and go to sleep knowing that, knowing that our God is
on his throne. Let's never forget that. Let
us rejoice in our God's daily providence for us. You know,
there's in 1 Thessalonians 5, it says, Rejoice evermore, pray
without ceasing, in everything give thanks. For this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I pray God will cause us
to truly give thanks, rejoice, and be glad. Turn with me to
Romans chapter eight. Not only should we rejoice in
God's daily providence for us, how we ought to rejoice in God's
eternal purpose. And I don't know a verse that
shows us his purpose more clearly than this right here, Romans
8, verse 28. And we know, praise God, we know. And we know
that all things work together for good to them that love God
to them who are the called according to his purpose. You know, I feel
the need to say this because these words get mentioned all
the time. Oh, well, it just so happened. No such thing. I mean,
I say it too. But there's no such thing as
it just so happened. Nothing just happens. There's no such
thing as an accident. If there was an accident, then
God's not in control. And we know what it means when
we say, oh, well, I had an accident. We know what it means. But nothing
just happens. There's no accidents. There's
no good luck, bad luck. Nothing's left to chance. And
that's why I can rejoice, because we know that all things work
together for good. God is working all things together.
Doesn't that make you rejoice? Knowing that nothing just happens,
God's working everything that's happening as part of God working
all things together for good. For good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose. It makes me rejoice
to know that there is a people who love God. There is a people,
what the scriptures refers to as the called. and they are the
called according to God Almighty's purpose. Look at verse 29. We'll
see what this purpose was. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brethren. What is God's
purpose? God purposed to save a people
from their sins. That is why he predestinated
a people to be conformed to the image of his son. The only way
we could ever be accepted is in his son. God is well pleased
with his son, and only with him, that his son might be the firstborn
among many brethren. God would have many brethren,
and Christ must be the firstborn among all those brethren. This
verse tells us that salvation is in his son, in Christ. How glorious. Look at verse 30. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. And whom he called, them he also
justified. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified. From start to finish, salvation
is of the Lord. He predestinated. He called,
He justified, He glorified. Where does that leave me? What
part do we play? Here's the part we play. We love
Him because He first loved us. We read what our God has graciously
declared in His word. We say amen and we rejoice and
we're glad. Look at verse 31. What shall
we then say to these things? Oh, well, that's not fair. I
just told you God is just. God only does that which is right.
This is right. This is good. God is holy. What
shall we say to these things? Here's what we'll say. If God
be for us, who can be against us? What does it matter if God
be for us, if the Lord is for us? Nothing else matters. That's all that matters. Be still
my soul. The Lord is on thy side. Whatever
comes, bear it patiently, looking to Christ. And look at verse
32, this is so glorious. He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Why would God spare not his own
son, his only begotten son? Why would he do that and deliver
him up for unworthy sinners. Why would he do that? Why would
God freely give unworthy sinners all things in Christ? Why would
God do that? If you recall Lazarus, when Martha
Mary sent unto the Lord and said, he whom thou lovest is sick.
Here's what the Lord said. This is why, this is why God
did that. This is why God gave his only begotten son. Our Lord
said, this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God,
that the son of God might be glorified thereby. the purpose of eternity, the
purpose of all things. God purposed to save a people
from their sins for this reason, that the Son of God might be
glorified thereby. That's why God has magnified
his word, magnified the Lord Jesus Christ above all his name.
Let's return back to our text. This is the day which the Lord
hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in
it. Let us rejoice in our God's sovereignty, knowing thy God
reigneth. Let us rejoice in God's providence
and his purpose, knowing that he's working all things together
for the good of his people and the glory of his name. And let
us rejoice in God's promises to his own. This verse is a promise. We have this promise. This is
the day. If we have a thousand more years
on this earth, which we won't, but if this earth
is here for a thousand more years, it'll still be the day that the
Lord hath made. So here's the promise in that. There's never
going to be a day where God ceases to be God. There's never going
to be a day where God is not on his throne ruling and reigning
and doing all things for good. There's never going to be a day
that God does not have his way. And there will never be the day
that God's purpose can be thwarted. There's never going to be the
day. As Gabe told us a week or two ago, why are you so sad?
Why are we so sad? Why do we get so downcast? Rejoice and be glad in the Lord's
promises to his people. Now I want to close by showing
us seven precious promises in the book of John. We'll start
in John chapter six. John chapter six. When I was a young boy, my favorite
song that we sang in church was Standing on the Promises. And here I am at age 26, and
this is all my hope. I'm standing on the promises
of God my Savior. That's all my hope. John chapter
6, verse 35 says, And Jesus said unto them, I am
the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Don't you love that? Blessed
are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for
they shall be filled. Look at verse 37. All that the
Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me
I will in no wise cast out. Our Lord said in Matthew 11,
come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Look down at verse 47. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread
of life. He that believeth on me hath
everlasting life. He that hath the Son, there's
only one thing I need, that's Christ the Son. He that hath
the Son hath life. Look at John chapter 7, verse
37. In the last day, that great day
of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst,
let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the
scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living
water. Are you thirsty? Oh, everyone
that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. Christ is the river that
never shall run dry. Turn over to John chapter 10. John 10, verse 27. Our Lord said, My sheep hear
my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto
them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me,
is greater than all. and no man is able to pluck them
out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." What
a promise. I give unto them the free gift
of salvation. I give unto them eternal life,
and they shall never perish. Praise God. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. John 11. John 11, verse 25. I mentioned Lazarus. Lazarus has
died. And our Lord is talking to Martha. Jesus said unto her,
I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live. and whosoever liveth
and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? Believest
thou this? Here's what Ephesians chapter
two verse one says, and you hath he quickened who were dead in
trespasses and sins. What a promise, what a promise.
And the last promise I want us to see is found in John chapter
14. John chapter 14, verse 1. This is our Lord speaking again.
He said, let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also
in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that
where I am, there ye may be also. Our heart is often troubled,
is it not? Hear the voice of our Savior. Let not your heart
be troubled. Let not your heart be troubled. I go to prepare a place for you.
He went to the cross. We never will. We never have
to. He died for our sins. We never will. He bore the wrath
of God in our place. We won't have to. He went to
prepare a place for us. And I just, I want to read verse
three again. This just makes me rejoice. If I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again, praise God, and receive
you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. It's not
the many mansions that I'm looking forward to. It's being received
by my Savior, being with Him forever. What a promise. I pray God will enable us to
rejoice and be glad in these precious promises, in his purpose,
his providence, in the fact that our God is God. Our God is the
sovereign. And in these precious promises,
I pray that we can all honestly say, this is the day. This is
the day in which the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be
glad in it. All right, you're dismissed.