Rejoice

If you've not been here for the whole series, you can download it on Facebook or on YouTube. And I would encourage you to do that as we've been looking at each of these characteristics. In 1 Corinthians chapter 13, begin with verse number four. It says that charity or love sufferth long and is kind. Charity envieth not. charity vaunted not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinkketh no evil, rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeeth all things, endureth all things, charity or love never fails.

And so we want to continue looking at these characteristics of love. And we're looking at verse number six, that rejoice not in iniquity, but rejoice in the truth. We're going to put those two two characteristics together here. And as I said earlier, the word rejoice, the first word rejoice comes from the Greek word chario where we get our word cheerful from. Okay, so rejoice or be cheerful. And then the second word there rejoice not rejoice in the truth. That word is a compound word which means to embrace cheerfully and uh to greet one another. So don't greet iniquity, but embrace the truth might be one way you could read this passage.

A and so we want to look at that and take and and realizing that love has choices to make. You're either going to choose iniquity or you're going to choose the truth. Door number one or door number two. Put a marker in 1 Corinthians 13 and go to the book of Proverbs chapter Proverbs chapter 9. Proverbs chapter 9. I want you to see here the choice that the the simple person has to make. Here in Proverbs chapter 9, there's two choices in Proverbs 9 and:es 1-4. The Bible says, "Wisdom hath builded her house. She had heuned out her seven pillars. She hath killed her beast. She had mingled her wine.

She had also furnished her table. She had sent forth her maidens. She crith upon the highest places of the city." Now listen. Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither. As for him that wantth understanding, she saith to him. So here wisdom is at at her door saying, "Listen, come on in. I've prepared a great feast for you. We're going to have a great time of rejoicing, and I want to invite you to come into the house of wisdom." But then if you go down a little bit further in that passage and look at verse number 13, it says, "A foolish woman is clamorous. She is simple and knoweth nothing. For she sent at the door of her house on a seat in the high place of the city to call passengers who go right on their ways.

Who so is simple, let him turn in hither. And as for him that wandeth understand, she saith to him, stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant, but he knoweth not that the dead are there, and that her guests are in the depths of hell. And so here the foolish woman is standing in her doorway calling that same young man saying, "Listen, I want you to come in the way of pleasure of the world. I want you to come in the way of foolishness." And so we have a choice. Door number one or door number two. Are we going to go the way of wisdom? Are you going to choose iniquity? Or are you going to go the way of uh I'm sorry, way of wisdom and choose uh to um embrace the truth or you going to go the way of iniquity and choose foolishness as well?

You you have a choice. door number one or door number two. And one of the things that we need to realize is that in our relationships with other people, and that's what we're talking about with love is our relationships with others. Turn over to Proverbs chapter 13 and look at verse number 20. Proverbs chapter 13 verse number 20. The first way to make sure that you have good relationships is choose the right relationships. In in Proverbs chapter 13 verse number 20, he says, "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." And so in life, we have a choice.

Am I going to go the way of iniquity? Am I going to choose the door of of foolishness, or am I going to ch am I going to choose people that are that are fools to be my companions? Or am I going to go on door number two and choose the way of wisdom and choose the right way and and choosing to be with wise people? And you understand that if you want to have the right kind of relationships, choose the right kind of people to have a relationship with. Make sure you have the right relationships. And then look at Proverbs chap 22 and look at verses 24 and 25. Proverbs chap 22 and:es 24 and 25. The Bible says, "Make no friendship with an angry man and with a furious man, thou shalt not go, lest thou learn his ways and get a snare to thy soul."

Again, if you hang around people that are always angry and always mad about something and always upset about something, then that's going to affect you as well. And and so you become like those that you hang out with. And and that's one of the things that we need to realize. You hang out with the wrong people, that's what you're going to become like as well. And so we need to choose the right people to have the right kind of relationships with. Door number one or door number two, the way of wisdom or the way of of foolishness and iniquity. But Luke chapter 6:35 says this. But love ye your enemies and do good and lend hope hoping for nothing again and your reward shall be great and you shall be the children of the highest for he's kind unto the unthankful to the evil.

And so we want to choose the right kind of people to be companions with. But sometimes uh maybe that situation is hard. Brother um brother Miller was talking to teens about how he had a friend that had chosen the wrong direction. A good best friend all the way through school, but later in life he chose the wrong direction, but he didn't stop being his friend. And we need to understand that we get around some people that maybe are people that are doing the wrong thing and going the wrong direction. And the Bible says to love our enemies. You know, you've heard the old say saying, keep your enemies close.

and and and you want to keep them close in the way of trying to reach out to them. So often when we choose iniquity, what happens is we choose to to reject that person instead of loving that person and helping them become the person they need to be. And and in Matthew 18 and verse number 15, the Bible says, "Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou has gained thy brother." And and so when we have a problem with somebody, I can either choose to to let that iniquity come between me and that person or I can choose to love that person and and reach out and embrace them and and love them even though they are my enemy per se in and how they're acting.

See, I need to overcome them with love. In Romans 12 19- 21 it says, "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath, for it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, sayeth the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirsts, give him drink. For in this thou shalt heap coals of fire in his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." You see, God says, "Listen, you're it's not your job to to have vengeance against that person. It's not your job to get back at that person, whatever they've done to you." He said, "You need to He says, you need to love that person.

If they hunger, feed them, thirst, give them the water. You need to reach out to that person and love them." See, so often what happens in our relationships is is we want to be God's instrument of revenge. You know, that person hurt me and I'm going to get them back. And that's rejoicing in iniquity, not rejoicing in the truth. I I don't want to get revenge on that person, that's God's job. By the way, God will do a better job than you ever will. If you want to get revenge on somebody for something they've done to you, the best thing you do is be nice to them and let God take care of the vengeance because God will do better than you ever will.

You see, you need to give place to the wrath is what it says here in this verse. He says, "But rather give place onto wrath." It doesn't mean go ahead and let your anger take over and say I'm going to get that person for what they did. But it's to give place onto the wrath of God. It's realizing that God will take care of me and I don't need to be God's instrument of vengeance. I need to be God's instrument of love. And so when you have a problem with somebody, it it is to love them and embrace that person and help love them into becoming the person that God wants them to be. help love them into becoming that that brother that you can gain.

In Philippians chapter 4 and verse number two, there was two ladies in the church that were having problems with each other. And it says, "I beseech yodius. I I beseech Sectathy that they be of the same mind in the Lord." See, these were two ladies that were in conflict with each other over some issue and some problem they had with each other. And they were causing dissension in the church. They were causing problems in their in their group of friends. And and Paul said, "Listen, you guys need to be in the same mind in the Lord." And and it's not coincidental. Just a couple verses later in Philippians 4:4, it says, "Rejoice in the Lord always."

And again, I say, "Rejoice." And that's the same word we see here in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 to rejoice not in iniquity. Don't hold on to those hurts. Don't embrace that hurt that that person did. And that's what we do so often. somebody says something and somebody does something to hurt me. And and I just kind of embrace that and hold on to that hurt instead of letting it go to rejoice not in iniquity but rejoice in the truth to find that truth in our relationship that truth that only God can bring us. And and so we want to we want to rejoice not in iniquity. And and the idea here is to say goodbye to iniquity.

You know the word the second word there means to greet. If we're going to greet and welcome the truth, then we've got to say goodbye to iniquity in our lives. You see, in James chapter 4 and verse number four, the Bible says, "You adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Where whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God?" A and so we need to be careful in our lives not to not to friend the world. We've got to make a choice. I don't want to I don't want that iniquity of the world. But I don't want to be a part of the world system.

I don't want to be a part of that. Now, you know what it means to friend somebody, right? Not too long back, I got a friend request on my Facebook page, and I'll put it up here on the screen. Uh, really Ranka wanted to be my friend. Now, I looked at that and I decided real quickly, I'd rather be friends with my wife. And so, I just deleted her off that. I don't know if you ever gotten ones like that or not, but this kind of random fishing for it, you know. Uh but the problem is this is what it means there. Don't be friends with iniquity. Don't don't be friends with the world. Don't be a part of that system.

You've got to choose the the love of God and to be around the right kind of people in your lives. Uh don't love the world. 1 John 2 15- 16. Love not the world. Neither things are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father but of the world. and and we can't love. We can't rejoice in iniquity. We've got to rejoice in the truth. And that means we need to flee sin in 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 11. But thou, oh man of God, flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life where to thou are also called and have professed a good profession before many witnesses. You see, what he wants us to do is to flee sin. But folks, if we're going to flee sin, we've got to also follow after righteousness. The problem is if we flee sin without following righteousness, sin will just keep on following us. Uh the problem with a lot of Christians is they flee sin, but they leave a forwarding address. They say, "I'm not going to do that right now, but I'll be over here." and they kind of leave a forwarding address and sin follows them around.

Uh, you know, when you follow after righteousness, when you follow after God, then sin's not going to follow you because it's not going to follow God. And so, we've got to flee the sin and we've got to follow the righteousness to to rejoice not in iniquity, but rejoice in the truth. Go over to First Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2 and look at verses 19- 23. 1 Peter chapter 2 and verses 19- 23. Rejoice in not iniquity means saying goodbye to injustices. In s in 1 Peter chapter 2 19, for this is thankworthy. If a man for conscience sake towards God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it when you be buffeted for your faults, you shall take it patiently?

But if when you do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently. This is acceptable with God. For even here onto were you called because Christ also suffered for us. Leave it as example that we should follow his steps. Who did no sin neither was guile found his mouth who when he was reviled reviled not again. When he suffered he threatened not but commit himself to judge him that judges righteously. He says listen when you're when you're hurt and when somebody does an injustice against you how do you react to that? You see so often we kind of rejoice iniquity. we get all mad and upset and we embrace that hurt and we hold on to it instead of rejoicing the truth instead of saying I want I

want to have the right kind of relationship here and the the truth really is is we're not exactly like Christ because often times most of the time when there's a problem we're part of the problem Jesus never was but you and I are one of the things I have found when I've got a problem with somebody else there's a percentage in there somewhere there's it may be 50/50 it's half their problem and half my problem. It may be 40 60. It may be even 9010. But I need to take ownership of what my problem is. This is the truth of what my part of the problem is. And take ownership of that. Embrace that truth, but not embrace that iniquity, not embrace that hurt and that injustice.

Look at 1 Peter chapter 3 and look at verses 8 and n. Finally, be all of one mind, having compassion one of another. Love as brethren, be pitiful. Be courteous. Not rendering evil for evil or railing for railing, but contrary-wise blessing knowing that you're there and too called that you should inherit a blessing. Contrary-wise, instead of giving back what you got is to give back a blessing. See, not to rejoice in iniquity and hold on to embrace it and be angry and hold on to that wrath, but let the wrath go and say, "I'm going to give that wrath to God because he will do vengeance as vengeance is needed and I am going to love this person and I'm going to embrace the truth."

You see, contrarywise is is we have a struggle that goes on within us. In Galatians 5 16-1 17, this I say then, walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the spirit, the spirit against the flesh and these are the contrary to one to the other so that you cannot do the things that you would. And so often that battle goes on in a relationship and and something happens that hurts me and and I want to embrace that hurt and I want to hold on to that injustice and and and I I don't want to get get that resolve with that person and and instead of saying you know what I'm going to go with the truth of God's word and I'm going to rejoice in truth not in iniquity and I'm going to build the right kind of relationship and and we need to make sure that we do that and that's why later on it says in Galatians 5 22-2 it talks about the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

Against such there is no law. And they that are spirits have they walk in the spirit also. And we need to walk in that spirit. See folks, don't hold on. Don't embrace that injustice. Don't embrace that hurt. Let that go and say goodbye to the hurt and goodbye to the injustice and and embrace the truth of God's word. Don't embrace the hurt or the anger. In Ephesians 4:es 31 and 32, it says, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you to all malice and be kind one another, tend your hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake forgiven you."

You see, when you hold on to that bitterness, it becomes wrath and it becomes anger. It becomes clamor. It just keeps building up more and more when we embrace the iniquity, when we embrace the hurts. And there's some of you in this room that you've got somebody that's hurt you and you've just kind it's become almost like it's a part of you and you carry it with you everywhere you go and you've embraced that. And whenever you see that person, that's the first thing you think about. And when you go to bed at night, you think about what they did to you. And when you get up in the morning, you think about what you did to you.

And you've held on to that. And you need to say goodbye to that injustice. And you need to get say goodbye to that bitterness. And you need to say goodbye to those hurts. And you need to embrace the truth of God's word. And that means that we need to be willing to cover that iniquity. We need to be willing to cover the iniquity. Go to second Peter chapter 3. Second Peter chapter 3. Chapter 4, I believe. I'm sorry. Second Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter chapter 4. I wrote down the wrong reference here, so I'm trying to find my place here again. 1 Peter chapter 4, it says in verse number eight, "And above all things, have fervent charity among yourselves, for charity shall cover the multitude of sins."

You see, God says, listen, instead of embracing that sin, cover it. Now, covering it doesn't mean you ignore it. Covering it doesn't mean you don't deal with the problem. I'm not talking about any of that. We're going to deal with that a little bit more later on in this study. But this is the point. You remember you remember back in the Old Testament when Noah got drunk and laid naked before his sons. You remember how that um how that Noah's son Ham went in there and saw his father's nakedness. So what did he do? He came out immediately and told his brothers. But his brothers, what they did is they grabbed the blanket and they walked in backwards and they covered up their dad's iniquity.

They covered up what he had done. They didn't want to see their dad that way. They didn't want to remember their dad that way. They didn't want to embarrass him further than he already embarrassed himself. And and they covered up that iniquity. And folks, that's what you've got to be willing to do. You've got to be willing to not focus on that hurt and cover it up and say, "I'm not going to focus on that. I'm going to focus on God." and and and to rejoice not iniquity, not to embrace it and and don't repeat it as well. In Proverbs 17:9, it says, "He that coverth the transgression seeketh love, but he that repeatth the matter separateth very very friends."

When you repeat that iniquity, that hurt over and over again, you know what you're doing? You're giving life to it. When you tell somebody else, you've given it more life. When you keep repeating it over and over in your mind, you're giving life to it. You're keeping it alive rather than saying, "You know what? I want to smother this. I I don't want to embrace it. I don't want to hold on to it." And when you gossip and talk to other people now, there's a time to talk to somebody about a problem. The Bible says if you got a problem with something, go to them oneonone. And if they don't listen to you, bring somebody else with you.

There's also time to go in for counseling and get get counsel and guidance in how to deal with a problem you're having with somebody, whether it's your spouse or your children or your parents or some friend that you might have. But there's never a time for gossip. There's never a time for complaining. There's never a time for whining. And and and not only not to do it with other people, but even to do it in your own mind because when you keep repeating it over and over again, you're giving it life. and and you knew you wanted it to die. You want it to go away. So, we need to rejoice not in the iniquity, but to rejoice the in the truth, to embrace the truth.

Go to Proverbs chapter 4. Proverbs chapter 4 and verses 5-9. Proverbs chapter 4, beginning verse number five. Get wisdom, get understanding, forget it not, neither decline thy word the words of my mouth. For forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee. Love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing. Get wisdom with all thy getting. Get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee. She shall bring thee to honor when thou dost embrace her. See, we want to in verse number nine, she shall give to thine head an ornament of grace, a crown of glory shall deliver to embracing the truth, embracing the right things in your life.

That's what you want to do. It starts by embracing the gospel. In Ephesians 1:es 13-14, it says, "Whom you also trusted after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and who also after you believed, you were sealed with that holy spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until redemption of the person possession of the praise of his glory." Have you embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ? You say, "Well, pastor, what is the gospel?" in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 14 and 15. Um, I'm sorry. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Turn over there. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verses 1-4.

It says, "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you've received, and wherein you stand, by which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received. How that Christ died for our sins according to scriptures and that he's buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. You see that's the gospel that Jesus died and was buried and rose again. That he died to save you from your sins and that he wants to embrace you.

In 2 Corinthians chapter 5 14 and 15 it says for the love of Christ constrainth us because we thus judge that if one died for all then we're all dead and that he died for all that that they which live shall not live henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them and rose again. You see God's love wants to embrace you. He wants to grab hold of you and never let go of you and and just hold on to you tightly. Let me see if I can illustrate that here. I'm going to use Ricky. Ricky, come on up here. Um, this is what happens when you sit in the front row with the pastor. But you got Ricky here.

I'm going to embrace him. All right. I'm going to hold on to him. I'm not going to let him go. And that's what God wants to do. He wants to embrace you. He wants to take you as one of his own and give you eternal life and not let you go. Have you got a hold of God? Does God have a hold of you in salvation? Have you embraced the gospel? Because he wants to embrace you and hold on to you as well. You see, the Bible tells us that that he wants to hold us in in a group hug. In John 10:es 28-30, it says, "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." You see, when God's got a hold of you, he's not going to let go. When God's got a hold of you, it's not only it's not only God the Father, but the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. In 1 John 5 12 and 13, it says, "He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." And God wants you to embrace the truth of the gospel.

He wants you to be able to know that he's never going to let you go. He will never leave you nor forsake you. And there's nobody that can take you away from him. You know, many of you know we're planning a trip coming up here in just two weeks. We're going to be going to Europe. Uh it's kind of a trip of a lifetime. And we've been um watching a lot of YouTube videos about traveling in Europe and everything. And almost everyone we've watched has said, "You got to watch out for pickpockets." And my wife is getting more and more paranoid about our trip down, you know, and and I told her, "Listen, we want to be we want to be careful, but we don't want to be paranoid, okay?

And so she's got that bag that you can't cut through. It hangs in front of you. We've got those hiding belts where you put money and credit cards in. And and we got all kinds of things we're doing, but you know what? The pickpocket might be able to take my credit card, but they can't take my salvation." That's good. because God's got a hold of me and he ain't letting go. And do you know that God's got a hold of you? Do you know that you've got a hold of salvation? Do you know that you have Jesus Christ as your personal savior? That you're going to heaven and your sins are forgiven. God wants you to embrace the gospel.

But God also wants you to embrace the truth. Rejoice not iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. And it's God's word which is truth. John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them through truth. Thy word is truth." Folks, we've been going through a whole series on 1 Corinthians 13, a whole series on love. But I'm afraid there's still some people out there been listening to serious say, "Well, pastor, that sounds good, but it won't work on my situation." But the truth is the truth. And if you'll embrace the truth of 1 Corinthians chapter 13, it can change your marriage. It can change your relationship with your family.

It can change your relationship with others around you. And folks, here's the thing. Do you understand? If it doesn't change them, the person you have the problem with, you know who's going to change? You. I tell people all the time, either your situation is going to change either way. Whether it changes or doesn't change, you need one constant, and that's God. No matter what happens, you need God in your life. And we need to embrace the truth of God's word. If it's the truth, we should embrace it. Second Timothy 2:15, study to show self approved unto God, a work of that need not be shamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Problem is, most of us have a nodding acquaintance with our Bible, but we don't embrace it. You know what I mean by that? There's certain people if you met them at the mall or somebody and you saw them, you'd walk by and go, "Hey, how's it?" And you keep on walking, right? You're nodding acquaintances. But there's other people if you're walking through the mall and you saw them, you would stop and say, "Hey, good to see you." You give each other a hug and a kiss and and stand there and talk for a while, right? Which is your Bible? Is your Bible got a nodding acquaintance at your house? Just Yeah, there's my Bible.

Or have you embraced it? to study it. I hope that many of you are taking this series that we're doing and using it to go back and re review these notes and to go back and look at 1 Corinthians 13 more and go back and and memorize it and meditate upon it so that you can apply in your life to embrace these truths in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 13. This cause also, thank we God, without ceasing. Because when you receive the word of God, which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of men, but as in truth, the word of God, which effectually workketh also in you that believeth. And that's what I hope with this series that you've received it not as just some nice words that Pastor Wayne has put together, but you receive this as the word of God that will transform your relationships and will transform your life, that will transform your marriage in every area of your life.

You need embrace these truths. Rejoice not in iniquity. Don't hold on to the hurts, the bitterness, the anger. You got a choice. Door number one or door number two. Are you going to choose the way of wisdom and truth? Or are you going to change choose the way of iniquity and foolishness? It's a choice you have to make in your relationships. So don't hold on to that bitterness. Don't embrace that hurt. Let it go. give it over to the wrath of God. If it needs to be punished, God will take care of it and choose to love that person instead. Choose the truth which will set you free. Third John 1:es 3 and 4 says this, "For I rejoice greatly when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee.

Even as thou walkest in truth, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. And my prayer throughout this series has been this, that God would take the truth of 1 Corinthians 13, charity or love, and use it to transform you in your life, in your relationships. Let's bow prayer.