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UNREASONABLE REJOICING
A. Introduction: We live in a world that has been damaged by sin. When Adam, the first man, sinned a
curse of corruption and death infused the human race and the earth, and we daily live with the effects of it.
1. As a result, there is no such thing as a problem free, pain free life in this broken world (Rom 5:12;
John 16:33; etc.). And, although some trials and troubles end quickly and happily, many do not.
a. In some of our recent previous lessons, we’ve been addressing why God doesn’t stop all the
heartache in this world, as we talk about God’s help in the midst of life’s hardships.
b. Most recently, we’ve been making the point that in the midst of every hardship, whether it ends
quickly or lasts for years, God’s provision for us is hope.
2. Hope is a confident expectation of coming good. Hope isn’t necessarily an exhilarating feeling it’s
an assurance that things will get better. And that hope somehow lifts you up in the midst of pain.
a. Hope comes to us from the Bible through the help of the Holy Spirit. The Bible shows us how
God works in the world and gives us examples of real people who got help from Him. Rom 15:4
b. As we read and think about God’s Word, the Holy Spirit enlightens our minds by revealing Jesus
to us through the Scriptures. Jesus is God’s fullest revelation of Himself and His plans for us.
A. The Bible assures us that nothing can come against us that is bigger than God. Thus, for a
Christian, there is no such thing as a hopeless situation because we serve the God of hope.
B. Rom 15:13—May God, the source of hope, fill you with a joy and peace by means of your
faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit (Good News
Bible); May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit (NLT).
3. Paul the apostle instructed Christians to always rejoice in hope (Rom 12:12; Phil 4:4). Last week
we began to talk about what this means and how it helps us in the midst of hardship. We have more
to say in this lesson.

B. The Bible reveals that Almighty God is the Creator and sustainer of all things: All things were created
through him and for him…and in him all things hold together (Col 1:16-17, ESV); He upholds the
universe by the word of his power (Heb 1:3, ESV).
1. The Bible gives us hope by assuring us that God the Creator cares for and provides for the creatures
He created. Ps 136:25; Ps 145:15-16; Matt 6:26; Acts 4:17; etc.
a. God deals in both short-term and long-term provision. He provides for, not just the present, but
also for the future of His creation.
b. Confidence in His short-term provision comes out of knowing God’s long-term provision, or
what His long-term plan is.
1. God’s ultimate purpose and plan is to deliver the entire material creation (man and animal,
and the planet) from captivity to the wickedness, pain, and death that is in the world.
2. Rom 8:21—All creation anticipates the day when it will join God’s children in glorious
freedom from death and decay (NLT).
c. Human beings, unlike other creatures of this world, have a need that is greater than the necessary
provisions of this life (food, clothing, shelter). We are cut off from our Creator.
1. Almighty God created human beings to be His sons and daughters and live in loving
relationship with Him. Sin has disqualified us for God’s family and, without God’s help,
there is nothing that we can do about it.
A. If this need is not remedied, it doesn’t matter how successful, prosperous, healthy, and
happy we are in this life, because we are lost to our created purpose—a forever
relationship with God in this life and the next. Matt 16 :26; Luke 12:16-21
B. God has provided a way of escape from this dire condition. Motivated by love for His

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creation, Almighty God incarnated, died on the Cross, and rose again to open the way for
us to be restored to Him and our created purpose. John 3:16; John 1:12; I Pet 3:18
2. We wrongly presume that loving care and provision from God means Him ending my trouble
now. But God’s primary purpose is not to make this life the highlight of our existence, nor is it
to end all of humanity’s sufferings right now. His purpose is to draw men to Himself so they
can have life after this life.
2. However, the Bible gives us hope in this life by revealing that God is Sovereign. He is the Supreme
power and authority in the universe. God is Omni (which means all). God is Omnipotent (Allpowerful), Omniscient (All-knowing), and Omnipresent (present everywhere at once).
a. Because God is All-powerful, All-knowing, and present everywhere at once, there is nothing that
He does not see—past, present, or future. Nothing surprises Him, and there is no situation for
which He does not already have a plan in mind to work it for good.
b. Because He is Sovereign God is able to cause events, including those He is not behind or
approve of, to serve His ultimate purpose for a family in a perfect world.
c. In the context of obtaining His family, the Bible says God “works out everything in conformity
to the purpose of his will” (Eph 1:11, NIV) and “causes everything to work together for the good
of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Rom 8:28, NLT).
1. Some of the good we see in this life. We see it in the life of Joseph, Abraham’s greatgrandson. His wicked brothers sold him into slavery. He endured hardship for many years.
But God worked it for good. Joseph ended up in a position of power that saved multiple
people from starvation, including his own father and repentant brothers. Gen 37-50
2. We see it in God’s deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt. As they escaped, they were
trapped at the Red Sea with no way across, and the king of Egypt coming after them with his
army. God parted the Red Sea. Israel crossed over on dry land, and the Egyptian army was
destroyed when the sea closed over them. The problem became the solution. Ex 14:26-31
3. In a previous lesson we pointed out that Jesus said that even though God cares for the creatures He
created, in a fallen world, sparrows fall to the ground and people die. God doesn’t (and we can’t)
stop life’s troubles. But life’s troubles can’t stop God’s ultimate plan us—everlasting life with Him
in a world free from sorrow, loss, and pain (earth renewed and restored). Matt 10:21-31; Rev 21-22
a. You’ve got to have this eternal perspective because, not only can you not avoid troubles in this
life, you will be without the hope you need to sustain you through those troubles.
1. Paul the apostle wrote: I Cor 15:19—And if we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are
the most miserable people in the world (NLT).
2. God doesn’t always deliver people out of hardship. He delivers them in the midst of it by
giving them hope that all will eventually be made right, if not in this life, in the life to come.
b. Peter the apostle wrote to Christians who were experiencing increasing pressures and hardships
because of their faith in Christ (in addition to the struggles and hardships that we all fact in this
broken world). Peter wrote to encourage his readers. He opened his epistle by reminding them
of the eternal hope they have because of what Jesus did for them.
1. I Pet 1:3-4—Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus rose from the dead
(NLT). God has something stored up for you in heaven (an inheritance), where it will never
decay or be ruined or disappear (CEV).
A. Our inheritance is resurrection from the dead so that we can live with God Almighty in
the world He created for us when the Lord Jesus Christ returns from Heaven.
B. Rev 21:4—(At that time God) will remove all of (our) sorrows, and there will be no more
death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever ( NLT).
2. I Pet 1:5-6—God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation,

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because you are trusting in him (NLT). In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, as
was necessary, you have been grieved by various trials (ESV).
4. Peter is not the only apostle who wrote about rejoicing in hard times. Paul wrote: (Live your life)
rejoicing in hope (Rom 12:2, NKJV); Rejoice in the Lord always (Phil 4:4, NKJV).
a. The Greek word that Paul used for rejoice means to be cheerful (as opposed to feel cheerful).
When you cheer yourself, you encourage yourself with the reasons that you have hope.
1. In the midst of the many hardships he endured, Paul described himself as being “sorrowful,
yet always rejoicing” (II Cor 6:10, KJV).
2. Rejoicing is more than an emotional, verbal expression. Rejoicing is an expression of an
attitude, an attitude based on hope. Because you know that nothing can come against you
that is bigger than God, you have hope that everything will eventually be alright.
b. The Bible instructs Christians to rejoice continually. We rejoice because it is the right thing to
do, even when it makes no sense, even when it seems unreasonable.
1. James the apostle wrote the same thing: My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into
various trials (James 1:2, NKJV). James used a form of the same word for rejoice as Paul did.
2. In other words, when you encounter hardship, consider it an occasion to rejoice, to be
cheerful, to encourage yourself with the reasons you have hope.
5. Because of the way you see things (your perspective, your attitude, what you know to be true) you
are able to cheer yourself with the fact that whatever you are facing, it isn’t bigger than God, and He
will get you through until He gets you out. You have hope whether or not it seems like it.
C. Paul, Peter, and James talked about rejoicing when it is unreasonable (makes no sense to your mind or
emotions). Let’s look at an example of unreasonable rejoicing found in the Old Testament–Jeremiah.
1. Jeremiah was a prophet sent by God to the Kingdom of Judah (in the southern part of Israel). Judah as
a nation had abandoned God to worship idols, and was about to be destroyed by the Babylonian Empire.
a. Jeremiah prophesied to Judah in its final years before destruction came. God’s message to His
people through Jeremiah was: Turn back to God, surrender to Babylon, and save your nation.
1. Jeremiah preached the message that God gave him, but it was not received. Jeremiah was
actually despised, persecuted, and jailed for a time by his countrymen for his messages.
A. Judah did not repent, and over a period of several years, all but the poorest people were
deported to Babylon where they remained captive for seventy years.
B. Then, in August of 586 BC the Babylonians crushed Judah. They pulled down the walls of
the capital city, Jerusalem, and burned the great Temple built by Solomon to the ground.
2. Jeremiah survived the attack, but was taken captive by fellow countrymen who fled to Egypt and
took the prophet with them. Jeremiah prophesied for about five more years and died in Egypt.
b. Jeremiah was a righteous man who obeyed the Lord and proclaimed the messages that God gave
him. Not only was he rejected, he suffered the consequences of the actions of the ungodly people
all around him. He witnessed the horror of his people under siege (which led to starvation and
disease), the destruction of God’s city and Temple. Life in a fallen world is not easy, nor is it fair.
2. Following this tragedy, Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations. To lament means to cry out in grief,
to mourn aloud. In this short book we get insight into Jeremiah’s state of mind.
a. In Lamentations, the prophet expressed the deep emotions of someone who has witnesses a horrific
tragedy—the enslavement and slaughter of his people, the great city and Temple of God destroyed,
and the complete despair and hopelessness of those who survived. Note these passages.
1, Lam 3:18-20—I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is
lost!” The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never
forget this awful time, as I grieve this loss (NLT).

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2. Lam 3:21-23—Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The unfailing love of the Lord
never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his
faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh every day (NLT).
A. in the original language (Hebrew), “dare to hope when I remember this”, has the idea of
recall to mind. Jeremiah chose to remember God’s goodness in the midst of horror.
B. Jeremiah cheered or encouraged himself. Lam 3:23—But I will call this to mind, as my
reason to have hope (NAB); Then I remember something that fills me with hope (CEV).
3. Lam 3:24-26—I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The
Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. So is it good to wait quietly for
salvation from the Lord (NLT),
b. This is unreasonable rejoicing. In his circumstance, there was no reason to rejoice. Yet, despite
how he felt because of what he was witnessing and experiencing, Jeremiah chose to cheer himself by
calling to mind the reasons he had hope. This was an unreasonable response. He rejoiced.
3. Unreasonable rejoicing comes from understanding the difference between short-term and long-term
provision (or salvation) from the Lord. Short-term means blessing and results in this life. Those come
to an end. Long term means eternal blessing and results that outlast this life, and never come to an end.
a. Jer 29:11 is a favorite verse that many take as a promise for short-term blessing: For I know the
thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace, and
not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome (Amp).
b. Let’s get the context of the verse. It’s in a message that God gave Jeremiah for the people who had
already been exiled to Babylon prior to the destruction of Jerusalem. Note the message:
1. Jer 29:4-10—Settle down in Babylon, build homes and plant gardens, raise families. Work, and
pray for the peace of your captors. You will be in Babylon for seventy years. Then I will bring
you home. In other words, I’ll provide for you in this trial, but it won’t end quickly.
2. Then comes Jer 29:11, the verse that people use as their promise that they are going to find a
mate, or have a dream house, or get a promotion on the job. I don’t want to limit God in
anyone’s life. Those things may be part of God’s short-term provision for you. But maybe not.
3. This verse is not about short-term provision. It makes a much greater promise. No matter what
you face in this life, no matter the loss or calamity, there is hope, in your final outcome.
c. This is long-term (future) provision, and it gave Jeremiah hope in a hopeless situation, enabling him
to say “I will quietly wait for the salvation of God”. Jeremiah is now in Heaven enjoying his
inheritance (seeing His Lord). He is waiting to return to earth with Jesus for the final installment of
his inheritance (resurrection from the dead), so he can live here again—this time forever.
4. Jeremiah’s response to calamity was not an emotional response. This it was an attitude (perspective or
view of reality) was based on hope that was inspired by the Word of God, and it enabled him to rejoice
D. Conclusion: God has called us to become His sons and daughters through faith in Jesus. In doing so, God
has given us a hope, not just for this life, but for the life to come.
1. Paul prayed for Christians: My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand
the hope that was given you when God chose you (to become his son or daughter) (Eph 1:18, CEV).
2. Both short-term and long-term hope come from God’s Word. Short-term hope: God has promised that
He will get us through until He gets us out. Long-term hope: God has promised that there is reunion,
restoration, and recovery awaiting us. One day, all will be made right.
3. Therefore, we can rejoice always, even when it is unreasonable. We can cheer ourselves with the
reasons we have hope. Because we serve the God of hope, even when it is hopeless, we have hope.
Much more next week!