This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on April 13th 2025 by Dr. Ranjit Rodrigues. For the audio & video please click here. For the worship please click here.This morning, I want to say that if you love Jesus, then
nothing happens by chance.
If we are followers of Jesus, God makes everything beautiful
at the right time. God has a great plan and good will for us which he is
steadily bringing to pass.
If I tell you God's will for you then that would make me a
fortune teller. It is God who reveals His plans for you to you. I'm going to
tell you how you can find God's will for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV - [16] Rejoice always,
[17] pray continually, [18] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s
will for you in Christ Jesus.
Today I'm offering you a treasure which is the Joy of the
Lord, a map to the treasure and a key to open the treasure which is
gratitude.
3 things are sure to lead you to the Lord -
1.
Rejoice
2.
Pray
3. Give thanks
1.
The Joy of the Lord is our treasure
Rejoice always is a powerful command. I tend
to confuse happiness and joy.
Happiness is an emotion which
goes up and down and it depends on our circumstances.
Joy of the Lord is a deep inner
conviction that because of who I am in Christ all is well in my soul.
It is knowing deep within that
your sins are forgiven; best life is designed for you and God has good plans
for your life.
We may wonder if Joy is even
possible.
Nehemiah was asked to go to a
place where walls were burnt and then build everything. It looked
impossible.
But he could do it with strategy.
He knew it was not by his strength but with God's. He encouraged the people
saying, "the Joy of the Lord is your strength".
I encourage you, rejoice in the
Lord always. This is a command, not a suggestion. When we rejoice in God,
miracles happen.
Paul and Silas started singing
when they were thrown into prison. As they sang, their chains are broken. When
we rejoice in the Lord, God does miracles.
You may say "I don't know
how to access this joy" It is possible only by having a relationship with
God.
If you haven't accepted Jesus
yet, you can do it in a minute by acknowledging that you are a sinner and then
receive Jesus.
2.
Prayer is the map to the treasure
Pray continuously without ceasing.
What is prayer? It is communicating with God.
So, communicate with God
continually.
Airline pilots use 1 in 60 rule -
if you deviate from the set path by 1 degree, in 60 miles, it leads you away by
1 mile from the destination.
What would keep us on course even
during the storms of our lives? It is our constant relationship with God.
We see that great leaders fall.
The reason is that somewhere they went off the course by 1 degree.
Stay in continual contact with
Jesus in prayer.
Continual prayer is needed for a
continual course correction.
When Jesus called the disciples,
all of them responded with a Yes. This is because Jesus spent time with the
Father in prayer.
Daniel knelt and prayed 3 times a day. When you start doing it, you will see God doing amazing things.
3.
Gratitude is the key to open the treasure
Give thanks in all circumstances.
Philippians 4:6 NIV -
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Once Matthew Henry was robbed and
he wrote about it in his diary. He wrote it this way -
Let me be thankful that he didn't
rob me before.
Let me be thankful that he didn't
take my life.
I'm thankful that it wasn't much
that he took from me.
I'm thankful that it was him but
not me who robbed.
We must constantly fill our minds
with gratitude.
Application:
1.
Make it a choice to rejoice daily. It is a
spiritual discipline.
2.
Integrate prayer in your daily routine. Set at
least 3 alarms in a day in order to pray
3.
Integrate gratitude in your conversations with
one another
4.
Joy isn't joy until we given it. Tell others how
to access the joy of the Lord
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