Philippians 4:4-13 Rejoice in the Lord, always, and again I say rejoice. I can still remember singing that song at camp and on witness teams we sang it as a round Rejoice in the Lord, always, and again, I say, rejoice. Having the joy of the Lord is a dominant theme of Scripture and a wonderful description of the Christian life. Just think how many songs and hymns contain the word joy. Can you name any: He touched me and O, the joy that floods my soul. Joy to the World, In the Garden and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other as ever known. Spirit song. Sing this song with gladness as your hearts are filled with joy, lift your hands in sweet surrender to his name, hymn Joyful joyful we adore thee. Of course the one we used to sing in SS I ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, where, down in my heart, where? Down in my heart of course we used to like singing the many different verses to that song probably one of the favorites as a kid and if the devil doesn t like it, he can sit of a tack, ouch! Or try to get as many words as we could like I ve got the wonderful love of my blessed Redeemer, way down in the depths of my heart! As a follower of Jesus Christ, this characteristic is a distinguishing mark of the Christian that when people see us, they should see and experience the joy of the Lord in us. This is the pervading theme of the apostle Paul in the book of Philippians. Christians should be a rejoicing people. Rejoice in the Lord, always and then for emphasis he repeats it and again I say rejoice. For Paul, to rejoice was essential to living the Christian life. Paul begins his letter to the Philippians saying: I always pray with joy. To the Galatians he says that joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit. List the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. This morning, I want us to take a closer look at Philippians chapter 4 to notice some of the important points that are made about this characteristic of having the joy of the Lord. My prayer is that as we are attentive to Paul s instruction, it Page 1 of 6
will help us to live in the spirit of joy that people will see us as rejoicing Christians. One of the first things I notice when I look at this chapter is how Paul phrases these words: Rejoice in the Lord, always, and again I say rejoice. You remember your English grammar what is the mood expressed: Right, the imperative mood. This is a command That s the imperative mood like when mom says to her child: Clean up your room. Or the boss to her employee. Get to work on time! Usually there s an exclamation point after those sentences because it s a command with emphasis something that needs to be heard. So Paul is saying Rejoice in the Lord! That our rejoicing is not supposed to be an option. Not supposed to be a maybe tomorrow kind of experience. No, rejoicing is an integral part of who we are as followers of Jesus Christ. I know what you re thinking there are days, and there are times I just don t feel like rejoicing. I don t always feel that joy. Here is a 2 nd point that is critical to our understanding of Christian joy. Joy is not dependent on feelings or human emotion. Joy is a description of a condition, it is a state of being and you know what that condition is? It is a condition based on our relationship with the Lord. It s not how we feel, but rather our abiding relationship with Jesus Christ that makes the difference. That s why Paul could state this as a command. That s why he could insert the word ALWAYS because we all know we don t always feel joyful. Let s admit it, folks, there are times when we feel downright miserable My rejoicing in the Lord is not based on how I feel, but rather that deep sense of awareness that I m in a relationship with Jesus, my Savior. One of the things I have been looking forward to after my years of being a superintendent and now getting back to ministry in the local church is the opportunity to be part of marriage ceremonies. Weddings are times of celebration and great joy. I had the privilege just yesterday to share in a marriage service with Pastor Hey Young for Matt and Anna Law. One thing that is always part of the marriage ceremony is the statement of vows. Couples use a number of different vows, but the most common is the traditional vows that have been used for a number of years. In the name of God, I take you to have and Page 2 of 6
to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow. Powerful and meaningful words that describe a deep commitment to each other. And what do you notice about these vows my commitment to my spouse is not based on feelings or human emotion, but rather it is based on my commitment to the covenant I make. It is based on the relationship we now cultivate, not on human emotion or outward circumstances. And so it is with the Joy of the Lord it is based on my relationship with Jesus Christ. There will be times, and sometimes even seasons when I may not particularly feel that joy. There may even be those times when I not feeling especially close to the Lord. But I am reminded of who I am in Jesus Christ, and whose I am in Jesus Christ. This is so important to our understanding about rejoicing that we see the importance of focusing on our relationship with the Lord and not our circumstances. Like we shared last week, circumstances can get us down we can feel afflicted, perplexed, struck down, and if we allow them too, our problems and troubles can steal our joy. We can get so wrapped up in what is pulling us down, we forget to keep our focus on who can lift us up. You get a picture of Paul s motivation when you go back a chapter and read chapter 3. This is Paul s desire: I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in Christ s sufferings. Facing difficult situations was not uncommon for Paul but he actually states it as something that allowed him to share in the sufferings of Christ. You really get a picture of it when you see Paul and Silas under accusation and dragged before the authorities in Philippi then beaten with rods, given a severe flogging, and then chained in prison. And you pick up the story in Acts 16 and its about midnight and you see Paul and Silas in prison. And you would expect to see two guys Upset, complaining, dejected, defeated, asking God why did He put them in such a terrible place? But what are they doing? They are praying and singing hymns to God! I would like to say that is what I would be doing, but I think they must have had a much stronger faith than I have, but I hope my faith would be strong enough, that even if I didn t feel Page 3 of 6
like rejoicing, I could at least inwardly rejoice because of what Christ means to me and what Christ has done for me. There is a third key principle that we have to get hold of when it comes to rejoicing. Joy not only comes from our relationship with the Lord, but also the knowledge that my trials, my challenges, my difficult circumstances are the means God uses to strengthen our character. Look with me to the first part of the book of James my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. Consider it nothing but joy! God uses our tough situations to shape us, God uses our difficult circumstances to refine us, to deepen our faith. Listen to Nehemiah s wonderful statement: The joy of the Lord is my strength. When we are feeling like the burdens of life are too heavy this becomes our mantra: the joy of the Lord is my strength. When we go through those times when we don t feel like rejoicing the joy of the Lord is my strength it is that deep awareness of my spiritual condition, a condition not based on feelings, but on my relationship with the Lord that becomes my strength in times of adversity. Edward Lindenman wrote a book called: Thinking in the Future Tense. In the book he describes our society as a cafeteria culture. We have many options and different ways to live our lives. There are many choices we can make. And he says there is this tendency to shy away from life s more challenging experiences and disciplines and to seek only those experiences that bring immediate pleasure and gratification. That same mentality can become a part of how we think as Christians. We want to think of the Christian life as only happiness, as a life without struggle or problems. We have a harder time thinking about considering the place of disciplines, trials and testings it is not part of the spiritual diet we are always willing to partake of. But God wants to use all of our circumstances to shape us, to strengthen our faith, and that is cause for rejoicing. The vital thing to get a hold of is that God is with us in these trials and can use them to make us more like Page 4 of 6
Christ. So Paul urges his hearers: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And when we do this, we receive this wonderful promise: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. In his book, The Applause of Heaven, Max Lacado tells the story of Robert Reed. Robert is a man who hands are twisted. and feet are useless. He can t bathe himself or feed himself. He can t brush his teeth, or comb his hair. His shirts are held together by strips of Velcro. Robert has cerebral palsy. Even though he can t drive a car, or ride a bike or go for a walk, it didn t keep him from graduating from high school, it didn t keep him from attending Abilene Christian University, from which he graduated with a degree in Latin. Having cerebral palsy didn t prevent him from teaching at a St. Louis junior college or from becoming a missionary in Portugal. He moved to Lisbon in 1972, rented a hotel room and began studying Portuguese. He found a restaurant owner who would feed him after the rush hour and a tutor who would instruct him in the language. He then stationed himself in the park, where he distributed brochures about Christ. Within 6 years he led 70 people to the Lord, one of whom became his wife, Rosa. Robert was someone who could have seen his challenges as overwhelming. He could have asked for sympathy or pity, but he did just the opposite. When he would give his testimony, he would hold his bent hand up in the air and proclaim, I have everything I need for joy! I have everything I need for joy! What witness and what a testimony! The final principle about rejoicing I want to lift up this morning is this: To maintain a spirit of rejoicing, we must look at how we fill out minds. Developing the practice of rejoicing requires keeping our focus on positive virtues. We know how easy it is to let the negativity of this world affect our thinking. You know what I m talking about It s so much easier to be a complainer rather than asking God to help you through a problem. Or we allow negative voices tell us we aren t worth much, rather than seeing who we are as God s unique creation. Or we let the values of this world become our values rather than lifting up those things that matter to God. That s why the apostle Paul gives such an exhaustive Page 5 of 6
list of adjectives in verse 8. Whatever is true, Whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise think about these things. That s the key to rejoicing filling our minds, programming our brains with these positive virtues, not the negative stuff we hear everyday. I want to be a rejoicing Christian. These principles can help us get there: Rejoicing is about your relationship with Jesus Christ, not your feelings. Joy is not based on circumstances, it is a spiritual condition based on being a child of God. See your trials and struggles as a means to strengthen your faith as James says: count it nothing but joy. And Finally fill your mind with good things rather than the negative voices of the world. When I can adhere to these principles I truly can follow the command: Rejoice in the Lord, always. And again I say, Rejoice! Page 6 of 6