The Catalysts for Joy Philippians: Week Two Sunday, August 7, 2016 Text: Philippians 1:3-8 What is joy? If you were to go to Webster s dictionary you would see that joy is defined as the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. In other words, you have joy when you re happy because things are going well for you. Is this not what the world teaches us? Is this not the definition that people cling to? Is this not what those around you every day are trying their best to obtain? How many people do you know who are willing to do whatever they can to obtain happiness? Worse yet, how many believers have accepted this definition of joy? How many Christians will do whatever they can in order to obtain happiness? How many Christians have said, as a justification for a life that is contrary to the Scriptures, I deserve to be happy? Yet, in all their efforts to obtain the world s definition of joy, they continue to be feel empty, unsatisfied, and joyless. Take a look at this clip from a 60 minutes interview with Tom Brady (Play Video). How many people do you know who would say the same thing? How many people could summarize their life with the words of the song I still haven t found what I m looking for. I want you to know this morning that authentic, joy the joy that Jesus promises all who follow Him, is much deeper, much richer, and much more promising than any type of joy the world knows. The joy found in Christ can best be defined by saying that joy is not a feeling. Joy is an unshakeable confidence, an unwavering assurance, an inexplicable peace, and an enduring contentment that holds up regardless of your circumstance or situation. This is they joy that we see in the life of Paul throughout the book of Philippians. This is the joy that is promised to all those who are in Christ. In other words, if you re saved then this joy has already been deposited in full into your life. You already have all the joy you need. But sometimes we need a little catalyst so that we can realize that joy. A catalyst doesn t create joy; a catalyst is only an agent that provokes us to experience the joy that we ve already received. Our text today is part of a prayer that Paul prayed for his brothers and sisters in Philippi. I want to show you, from this prayer, three catalysts for joy. These are three things that will help you live out the joy of your salvation. Philippians 1:3 8 3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 7 Even as it is meet for me
to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. 8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. There are some observations we can make about how Paul felt about this particular church. It is clear that Paul was very thankful for them. As a matter of fact, every time he thought of the believers at Philippi, it evoked a feeling of gratitude in him. He was thankful for them. He loved them. He was tender toward them. They certainly were not perfect. As a matter of fact, he had to warn them about false teachers in this letter, and he had to admonish them for some division in the body that was affecting their unity. However, they were very special to Paul and he wanted them to know how he felt about them and God wanted us to know how Paul felt about them. Not only was Paul thankful for them, but he also prayed for them always, and in every prayer of mine for you all. They were not on his heart and mind some of the time, they were on his heart and mind all of the time. He was always petitioning God on their behalf and he did so with joy. For Paul, it wasn t a burden to lift up these people in prayer, it was something that he did with joy (first time joy is mentioned in this letter). Paul wrote that it was a joy to think about you, and it was a joy to pray for you. What was the catalyst for Paul s attitude? I think verse 5-8 answer that question because in those verses we see that I. Fellowship Is a Catalyst for Joy vs. 5 Paul thanked God for them, and prayed joyfully for them because he had enjoyed fellowship with them. Let me see if I can illustrate this. How many of you find it easier to pray for your children, or your closest friends, than to pray for someone you barely know? I find it easy to pray for the Taylors, and the Cooleys. God brings them to my mind often. I m thankful for them, and I lift them up to God with joy because I know them. I know their vision, and the purpose that they are striving to live out. I have fellowship with them. But I have to remind myself to pray for those who I don t know, those who I ve not had the opportunity to spend time with. My point is simple, it s easier to pray for those you have fellowship with. Now, in order for any of this to make sense we have to understand what the word fellowship means. Fellowship is the Greek word koinonia, and it is not a church pot-luck lunch, or a picnic although fellowship can happen at those kind of events. Fellowship actually means that two or more people share something in common. partnership. It has the idea of a When Paul wrote this letter, the word was often tied to commercial life. So if Forrest and Bubba decided to by a shrimping boat together, and start a shrimping business, they would have entered into a fellowship, or a partnership. They would have shared a common purpose, and they would have invested themselves to make
sure their vision would become a reality, and their little company would accomplish what it was created to accomplish. In other words, fellowship is a self-sacrificing conformity to a shared vision. Summer Olympic competition began yesterday, and when I was trying to think of something that could really illustrate the idea behind this word the idea that Paul was trying to convey to the Philippians, and to us, I thought of a scene from the movie Miracle. Miracle is the story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team that defeated the team from Soviet Union, and went on to win the gold medal in those games. The team was made up of a bunch of individuals when they introduced themselves they would give their name, and the school they played for. In the early days it seemed as if they were playing for themselves. They didn t have the same purpose or a shared vision. During one exhibition game, the boys didn t put forth a great effort, and were distracted by the girls in the stands. When the game was over, Herb Brooks, the coach of the team, made the boys line up and sprint skate across the rink. He made them do this over and over again they were falling down, they were throwing up, they were completely exhausted. Then, one of the players introduced himself but this time it was different. This time the player said that he played for the United States of America. The coach then let the boys off the ice. Herb Brooks knew something he knew they could never succeed as a team unless they had a shared purpose, unless they knew that they needed each other, and they were going after the same thing. Paul s partnership, or fellowship with the Philippians wasn t about a nation it was in the gospel of Jesus Christ. They shared a common purpose, it was to make the gospel known in the world. Together they were moved to make sure that others would hear the life-changing, life-giving message of the gospel. Together they would sacrifice whatever was necessary to ensure their purpose was fulfilled. Listen, if there is no common purpose, then there will be no joy in that relationship. If this church is all about the gospel, and you re not you re going to be miserable here. Why? Because you don t share the same purpose as those around you. The opposite is also true, if you live for the gospel, and those around you do not, then there will not be joy in that relationship. Why? Because they don t share the same purpose with you. This is one of the reasons Calvary must always be on the same page. We can t be about peripheral issues. We can t be concerned about the things Jesus is not concerned about. We must always be about the gospel because this is our commonality, this is our basis of fellowship, this is what we are partners for. Paul had joy when he remembered them because he knew that he was not alone. Not only was there a common purpose, but there was a committed relationship. Notice, he said from the first day until now. From the time Paul began ministry in Philippi until the time he wrote this letter, and probably beyond, there was not a time when they did not share the same purpose. There was not a time when there was not fellowship between them. As a matter of fact, Paul would later write that he wanted to go to heaven, but he also knew that it was better for him to be with them for their progress and joy in the faith.
He was committed to them, they were committed to him, and together they were committed to Christ and the gospel. The result there was joy. Let me ask you, have you ever considered the fact that God saved you, and put you into this church for your joy, and for the joy of others around you? Have you ever considered the fact that our fellowship together in the gospel was meant by God to be a catalyst for joy in your life? Sometimes we get distracted by some things. We look around us and we don t have the experience that we want on Sundays, or we feel as if we can have everything we need if it s just me and Jesus we don t need the fellowship of other believers. Or maybe we struggle with, what Bonhoeffer called a wis h dream idea of what we think the church ought to be but we often get disenfranchised with the church because it will never live up to our expectations. So the temptation is to try to live out the joy of our salvation outside of the fellowship of the church yet Paul counted his fellowship with the believers at Philippi as a catalyst for his joy. Not only was fellowship a catalyst for joy, but we also see that... II. Spiritual Growth is a Catalyst for Joy vs. 6-7 Let me show you a miserable church. The most miserable gathering of believers you will ever experience is a church in which there is no discernable spiritual growth taking place. The people are miserable because those who are in Christ are designed to grow. It is God s revealed wi ll that His people grow in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Not only are the people miserable, but the pastors are miserable. Why? Because they don t see the fruit of their labor. But that was not the case with the church at Philippi. The people were growing, and Paul was rejoicing. Why? Paul was absolutely convinced that God had begun a good work in them. Paul was a witness he was there when they took those first steps, when God began to carry out an action in them. He said that he was right (meet) to think this about them (vs. 7) because they also were partakers of God s grace. Paul was there when Lydia and her family trusted Christ. Paul was the one who cast the demon out of the little slave girl. Paul was there when the jailor asks the question what must I do to be saved, and he was there when that man, and his entire family gave their lives to Christ. He spent time encouraging the brothers before he had to leave.
Then, after Paul left he experienced their good works. He said that they were with him they did not abandon him when he was thrown into prison. They were not ashamed of him they did not disassociate themselves from him. As a matter of fact, they stood with him in the defense and confirmation of the gospel (partners together, fellowship). They cared for his needs, they prayed for him (vs. 19). They sent someone to him to encourage him (2:25), and they sacrificed to provide an offering for him (4:15-16, 18). You see, they were saved unto good works, and they did good works. Their works convinced Paul that God had actually begun something in them so long ago. Paul was absolutely convinced that God would complete the work He started in them. The word will perform means that there will be a time when God will complete what He had started. This is an indicative statement it is a promise. There was no reason to think that the spiritual journey that those people were on would not be brought to completion. Paul was confident of their justification. Paul was confident of their sanctification. Paul was confident of their eventual glorification. This brought him great thanksgiving and joy. John said: I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth (3 John 1:4). Listen, there is great joy in my life when I hear that a member of this church is growing in Christ. There is great joy in my life when see a member of this church living out the good works they were saved to perform. That should not be true only of the pastor. Parents our greatest joy should not come from seeing our children succeed on the field, on the court, or in the classroom. Our greatest joy should come from seeing that God has begun a good work in them, and that they are growing in Christ. Christians, great joy should be sparked when we see spiritual growth in each other. There should be rejoicing when God moves in the heart and life of those around us. When we know those around us are saved, and are being conformed to the image of Christ there should be rejoicing! But there is another side to that coin. How can we rejoice when we don t see spiritual growth? However, that was not a problem with Paul their growth in Christ was a catalyst for joy in Paul s life. Lastly III. Christian Love is a Catalyst for Joy vs. 8 Paul had them in his heart he delighted in them. He poured out his life for them, they gave up much for him.
As a result, he longed for them with the affection of Christ. Paul was united with Christ, and he shared Christ s love for the church. It was not sentiment; it was a deep affection for his partners in the gospel. When we have the love of Christ, we will have love for one another. When we love one another, that affection serves as a catalyst for joy in our lives.