Don't Wait. Shout Now!

Don’t Wait. Shout Now!

Matthew 23:37-39; Psalms 126:1-6

Israel missed the time of their visitation. They could have had the Lord Jesus Christ in their midst and enjoyed the benefits of His Presence. Praise the Lord that we haven’t missed our day of visitation, and we don’t have to wait for some future time to shout. We can shout now! No matter what we’re facing in life, our God is so good that we can still shout for joy in the midst of it all (Psalms 126:1-6)! We can face each new day with a shout of joy. We know that our God is with us and can deliver whatever happens. That makes us glad. You can face the unknown with a spirit of gladness.

1. David was Glad:

a. David said the source of his gladness is the goodness of the Lord. This gladness of heart found its expression from dancing in the street when he brought home the Ark of the Covenant to writing praise songs, singing, and playing the harp. David praised God for His blessings and urged the nation to praise God because His goodness made him glad. Does God’s goodness make you glad today? Your time of visitation is now; don’t miss it!

2. David was Joyful:

a. The first way we stay joyful is when our blessings overwhelm us. There are times when we are overwhelmed by the goodness and mercy of God (Psalm 20:5-9). The second way to stay joyful is when we celebrate our victories. When we remember where God brought us from and rejoice that God has been faithful and will be faithful to the end. The third and greatest way we stay joyful is by looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Psalm 121:1-5; Lamentations 3:22-23).

3. The Doctrine of Rejoicing:

a. David said, “I will rejoice and be glad in thee.” Paul wrote in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” In the word “rejoice,” the "re" prefix means something is about to be done again. To "Re" anything means we will do it and do it ONE MORE TIME! Habakkuk 3:18 says, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” He’s saying I will have the same amount of joy in the present that I had in the past and on into the future! Habakkuk says he will rejoice and joy in the Lord. This is the Doctrine of Rejoicing. It’s celebrating and praising God in the hard times just as much as we have in the good times because our God hasn’t changed just because our circumstances did! We don’t have to wait until the battle is over; we can shout now (Psalm 107; Numbers 23:19-23).

4. Shout for Jesus:

a. When Jesus came into Jerusalem, a lot of shouting was happening! Well, He’s here! He’s alive! If the Lord has been good to you, shout for joy! When you count your blessings, shout for joy! Whenever you think about how God picked you up and turned you around, shout for joy! Just the thought of Jesus ought to make you want to shout! Shout for Who He is and what He has done! Shout for what we know He’s going to do! Shout because He is GOOD; we just can’t help it!

b. We don’t have to wait for some future time. Christ has come! He is here! We can shout for joy and RIGHT NOW and say, “BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!” He’s still blessing! He’s still healing! He’s still delivering! He’s still on the Throne! And praise God, He’s coming again to gather us unto Himself!