Did you miss something, Pastor John?

Something about how we should rejoice in our salvation, not only in the God who saves us.

That's the question today.

Tomorrow we read Psalm 9 together in our Bible reading, and in Psalm 914 we read this plea.

Let me rejoice in your salvation.

That text and others about rejoicing in the gift of our salvation comes to you in the form of a pushback

from a listener and a reader named Matt who lives in Savannah, Georgia.

Pastor John, hello, in one of my all-time favorite books, God is the gospel.

You write that, quote, God himself is the highest, best, final, decisive good of the gospel.

Thus, the gospel is not merely about gifts or blessings, but the best and final gift

of God's love, the enjoyment of God's beauty, an all-encompassing gift calling us to see and

savor the glory of Christ forever. Above all other gifts, the gift must be God himself, you say, because without this,

quote, God is not the greatest treasure, end quote, and the gospel no longer is truly good news. And yet,

and here's my question, the Bible clearly calls us to rejoice in our salvation, in five specific

places, and none of them appear in your book, I don't think. My heart shall rejoice in your

salvation. That's Psalm 13.5. May all who love your salvation continually say, the Lord be

magnified. That's Psalm 40, verse 16. Let me rejoice in your salvation.

Psalm 914 again.

With joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

As Isaiah 12.3.

And I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.

My soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with

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