He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord. How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

                                                                                                                     Psalm 40:2-4 

I believe it’s time for the church to openly exhibit their excitement about Jesus to a watching world. This may challenge some because it seems so foreign to the “live and let live” mentality of today’s culture. But I believe there is value in openly expressing gratitude to God. When we do, I believe God is pleased, we are blessed and strengthened, and others will see the love of God accurately displayed. So today, I will give you three reasons why all believers in Jesus should be rejoicing…and publicly at that.

(1) As Christians, God has brought us up out of the pit of destruction.

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

                                                                                                            Colossians 1:13-14 

You might have noticed in the Psalm that all of the reasons for rejoicing are actually responses to actions God has already taken. “He brought me up out of the pit…He set my feet upon a rock…He put a new song in my mouth” are all examples of God’s redemptive work. Paul echoes this truth by reminding us that, “God has rescued us and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son.” In Jesus we have redemption (atoning for a fault or mistake, deliverance) and forgiveness. If you are saved, Jesus has atoned for all of your sin so you are now free to live in absolute forgiveness from God the Father (whether you feel that way or not). That should be reason enough for the church to get to the business of worship, but there is more.

(2) As Christians, God has set our feet upon a rock, which is Jesus.

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

                                                                                                            Romans 9:30-33

In Paul’s excellent summary of Romans 9, he reminds us that salvation and righteousness are not to be pursued by works but are received only through trusting in Jesus’ completed work on the cross. That is what it means to have our feet on solid rock. Jesus is that solid rock. This passage reminds us that the problem with the 1^st century Jews was that they stumbled over this rock because they could not comprehend how God could redeem apart from works of the Law. The rock intended for salvation became an offense to them thus causing them to miss out on salvation, righteousness, and spiritual freedom. The same effect is still seen today for those who are seeking God’s approval through their own efforts. But for those who stop “working” for their salvation and trust Jesus’ obedience on the cross 100% of the time, abundant life and freedom become spiritual realities. So we’ve been saved from destruction and we have a solid spiritual foundation given to us through Jesus Christ, what more do we need to sing praises to God? Well, I’ll give you one more.

(3) As Christians, God has put a new song in our mouths.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

                                                                                                       Colossians 3:16 

A nice companion verse to John 3:16 is Colossians 3:16. In this passage we see the final reason to openly worship God and acknowledge Him…it encourages others. Before this can happen, “the word of Christ must richly dwell in us.” It’s difficult to be physically healthy if you don’t eat. It’s equally as difficult to be spiritually healthy if you don’t spend time in the Bible. For the word of Christ to richly dwell in us, we must make the study of His word a priority in our lives. Once we do, we are ready to admonish others. Admonishing is to encourage others and to move them toward greater spiritual growth. In our modern culture, we are often left with the idea that one’s spiritual life is a private matter and not the business of anyone else. But Paul speaks a different message. Our willingness to share our own experiences with each other (especially in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs) provides a gateway for fostering spiritual growth and health. You can tell when you run into someone who is truly thankful. I find these people tremendously encouraging!

So there it is…three reasons to worship a God so wonderful this week. The psalmist ends the passage by making a connection between being blessed and trusting in God…so I will do the same. 

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.

                                                                                                                 Jeremiah 17:7-8