Joyful Faith
Sermon Notes
Introduction:
Have you ever attended a game when your team is playing a strong opponent and wins the game after putting up a tough fight? Have you ever been to a show or celebration where you are happy singing, dancing, and cracking funny jokes? You laugh until your ribs begin to hurt. You come out of the winning game or a celebration with smiles all over your face, only to see a big ding on the side of your new car in the parking lot. Or you receive shocking news that your best friend has just passed under a mysterious condition. All the happiness and smiles, and jokes immediately disappear.
Happiness is based on external conditions and circumstances. When these circumstances are favorable, we are happy. When they are not, we are sad. Joy is not dependent on external circumstances but on the condition of the heart. Joy flows from the inside of us to the outside. The joy that emanates from our relationship with Jesus Christ is so powerful that no external force can quench it. To do so is to crush the presence of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit in us. It’s an impossible task. We have joyful faith when joy is anchored in our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, we will reflect on the benefits of our joyful faith in Jesus Christ.
The Big Idea: The Joy of the Lord is our strength in all circumstances.
A brief background of this passage explains how Paul demonstrates the strength that comes from the joy of the Lord. When he visited the believers in Philippi, he preached the word of God and prayed for all. He and Silas were arrested because their preaching were flogged and thrown in prison. In Acts 16, we were told that while in prison chains, they started praying, and singing hymns to God at midnight while the other prisoners listened to them. Suddenly, a violent earthquake shook the prison's foundation; chains came loose, and the prison doors opened. When the jailer saw what happened, he wanted to kill himself, but Paul prayed for him and became a believer.
A few years after this incident, Paul was arrested and sent to Rome to stand trial for his faith before Caesar. He wrote this joyful letter to the believers in Philippi while chained to a Roman soldier. It is believed that he dictated the letter to Timothy, his son in the faith, and Timothy wrote these words down. It is one letter with no rebuke but joy and exhortation to live for Christ. Paul, though in chains, had so much to be thankful for and rejoiced. In Philippians 4:1-3, Paul pleaded with Euodia and Syntyche, two ladies who did not like each other in the church, to reconcile and rejoice because they are all his fellow workers in the Lord. Today, we will glean four principles from the section of scripture from Philippians 4:4-7.
Joyful faith rejoices in the Lord
Joyful faith forbears with others
Joyful faith overcomes anxiety
Joyful faith rests in the peace of God
Joyful faith rejoices in the Lord (v. 4)
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
The word "rejoice" is from the Greek "Chairo" which means joy, delight, gladness, and excitement. It is the direct result of God's grace at work in a person. One can only truly rejoice when the Holy Spirit works in your heart. The presence and work of the Holy Spirit is the true mark of the Christian life.
The world holds that believers have no enjoyment. More surprisingly, some believers teach this position and never use the language of joy. The world rejoices in the creature and shuts out God. Both skeptics and believers know there is no sustained joy in worshipping nature.
The believer rejoices only in the Lord. In this particular situation, rejoicing should be in the Lord and not in any other person or thing. The joy of the Christian is not in his achievements. Still, less is it in himself or his own experiences. Joy continuously decreases when we shift our focus from Christ and his atoning work of salvation.
We look at ourselves, and the imperfections of our work for God fill us with shame and sadness. Pure, lasting joy is found nowhere but "in the Lord." The more we realize Christ as a living and loving personal reality, and the object of our faith and peace, the more we rejoice in him.
Here, rejoicing is commanded as a duty, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and a sign of a spirit-filled life. Joy is a natural result of having peace with God. The believer rejoices in the Lord because He is the I am that I am.
The expression "rejoice in the Lord always" suggests a constant state of joy. A Christian's joy is not an occasional feeling or sentiment but a continuous emotion. Rejoicing always sounds like an impossible thing to do. How can we continuously rejoice when faced with sin, suffering, pain, hurts, and sorrow? A quick reflection on God’s work in our lives changes everything:
-When we think about the change God has performed in us;
-when think about the ample provisions of the gospel every moment available to us;
-when we reflect on the bright prospects before us, which even the present distresses cannot dim;
-when we remember the infinite ability of the Lord to accomplish all that he has promised us, our joy overflows continuously. Are you struggling to rejoice? Focus on the goodness of the Lord.
We face all manner of difficulties in life, and the enemy attacks at every corner of our life. What holds us up is our joy in Christ Jesus. God is always the same, and the believer's relation to him is unalterable. If Paul, amid disappointment, imprisonment, and suffering, would rejoice and did rejoice, then so may we. Paul in pain and suffering, repeated "And again, I will say rejoice." It is the Christian's privilege to rejoice always.
In Paul's closing remarks to the believers at Thessalonica, he encourages them to be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus (1Thess.5;16-18).
“Our power of rejoicing in the Lord is fair test of our moral and spiritual condition. Is a Christian’s main support under the trials of life. Is one of the great … forces of the Christian life” H. P. Liddon.
The joy of the Lord is our strength in all circumstances, and I pray today that the Lord will energize your joyful faith and fill you with joy everlasting.
Joyful faith forbears with others (v. 5)
“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”
The word “gentleness” is the same word used for forbearance, longsuffering, or moderation. We are to practice forbearance, not only toward other Christians but towards the world, even toward the enemies of the gospel.
Rejoicing in the Lord is an outward expression of our inner emotions, but forbearance is restraining ourselves from acting according to our instinct. It is the control of one’s self, self-control, or self-mastery. It is the free spirit that does not insist on the last ounce of every single situation. It is the ability to distinguish what matters and what does not and not be easily offended or put off. The reason for this restraint is that the Lord is near. We will unpack that shortly.
I must say upfront that forbearance is not about good nature, psychology, or temperament. It is different from what we may call looseness, flabbiness, and lack of definition. At the beginning of the chapter, the apostle commanded the believers to stand fast in the Lord in verse 3. So it is not free pass for others to do whatever they want with us but demonstration of self-control.
Unfortunately, sometimes Christians are most unbending and exacting at all times. We cannot cherish hard feelings toward others if we are always rejoicing in the Lord. Christians should be notorious for gentleness and forbearance with others. Those we come into contact with should know and feel our tolerance and forbearance.
We should be prepared to yield up what may be our own rights and to endure wrong rather than dishonor Christ and give a false presentation of his nature and love. This forbearance manifests itself in patience, sometimes as integrity, at other times as justice, forbearance, goodness, etc.
The expression the “Lord is near” is a profound theological statement. The early church believers had a vivid sense of the coming of Christ and were taught to have it in sight constantly. We lose much spiritual power when we hold the coming of Christ in the distant future. The coming of the Lord should remind us of the need to be moderate and show mercies to all men, even to our enemies. The great judge (Jesus Christ) is coming who will rectify all inequalities and address all wrongs.
The Christian spirit is the highest equity one can ever experience because joyful faith forbears with others and produces inner strength. The joy of the Lord is our strength in all circumstances.
Joyful faith in Jesus overcomes anxiety (v. 6)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
The Greek word for "anxiety" means "to be drawn in different directions." Anxiety pulls us apart. It is to be uneasy in mind, disquieting and to have tormenting thoughts.
Anxiety stifles our creativity, sucks our energy, and leaves us dry. Anytime we face anxiety, it creates unbelief and weakens our faith. It steals our joy and excitement and robs us of our effectiveness today and tomorrow.
-We become anxious about whether our marriages will survive, when our loved ones travel, we are anxious whether they will come back safely.
-A doctor requests a lab test, and we are anxious about the results.
-Parents are anxious whether their children will do well in school or turn out well.
Anxiety has crippled many people and still holds many of us captive, yet Paul says,
“Do not be anxious about anything…” It is almost irresponsible to tell the average person not to be anxious. It is dangerous to tell someone what they are worried about may not happen—what if it happens—and that's where the anxiety comes in.
Jesus taught extensively about anxiety in Matthew 6:25-34. "Who of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to their life?" He taught that life is more important than food and the body more than clothes. Factually, the future is not ours; why be anxious about it? The past is done with, and regrets about it are unavailing. We know our future is secured in Jesus Christ and provided for, for God is a great provider of the future.
Song: "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, Because He lives all fear is gone, And now I know he holds the future, And life is worth a living just because he lives." Joyful faith in Jesus overcomes anxiety. The Lord commands us to cast our cares on him because he cares for us.
Prayer: Prayer should be the first response to anxiety: Paul admonished the Philippians to bring everything in every situation to God in prayer. In all kinds of prayer with thanksgiving, we should present our request to God. Through this guidance, Paul showed the Christians in Philippi how to pray. Some will say I have prayed and prayed, and nothing happened. What we really mean is that we have been complaining about our situation to God. When we pray, we come face-to-face with God and worship him, for he is in our lives.
Psalm 100 teaches us to enter his gates with thanksgiving in our hearts and into his courts with praise. Then we can present our request to him and thank him, believing that he heard us.
Anxiety depreciates the value of all our past blessings and dims our vision of the benefits we now possess. Prayer helps us to reflect on the goodness of God and how far God has brought us. Our hearts are filled with thanksgiving and gratitude to God when we count our blessings and name them individually. There is no anxiety that God cannot heal, and he does so by guarding the doorways of hearts and minds.
Joyful faith rests in the peace of God (v. 7)
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
The heart is the seat of our emotions and the central part of our personality. The mind refers to our thoughts, where the prolific cause of anxiety occurs—the things we think about and cherish in our hearts can trigger anxiety in our lives. It is the Greek word “Eirene” peace from which we get the English name Irene.
When we present our request to God, Paul did not say he would banish or remove them. He did not say every evil thing will immediately stop when we pray. Instead, the peace of God will keep us safe from these things which are keeping us awake and stealing our joy. It is not you who will keep these issues causing the anxiety out-it is the Lord.
When we pray and submit our anxieties and challenges to God, he answers prayers, and the "peace of God," which passes understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The "peace of God" keeps all the stuff outside, and we remain inside enjoying perfect peace. When we present our request to God, he hears us.
It is a special kind of peace. You cannot understand it, imagine it, or even believe it, but it is there, and it's real. In the midst of this peace Paul could say, "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose." If God "did not spare his only begotten son but gave him up for us all, how shall he not also freely give us all things" (Romans 8:28, 32). He hears us because we are so valuable to him; he cares about us and everything that concerns us.
We can rest in the peace of God after we have presented our request to him because we are confident that he will never leave or forsake us. The peace of God will keep us no matter the circumstance and will pull us through situations where we are helpless.
One exciting thing about this passage is that joy, forbearance, and peace are all fruits of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit takes control of our lives, he gives jus oy, forbearance, and peace. Both skeptics and believers know that we have no power to rejoice, forbear with others and live in peace than the supernatural power of God. It all comes from Jesus Christ. A dynamic relationship with him is the beginning of true joy. Without him, every form of joy we experience is short-lived. The joy of the Lord is our strength in all circumstances and that joy is undermined when we are in contentions with other and cannot forbear, it is undermined when we are anxious about life challenges, it is undermined when we lack the peace of God.
1. Have the anxieties and challenges of the world stolen your joy? You can take them to God in prayer today.
2. Are you struggling to restrain yourself and forbear with others, especially your loved ones, spouse, daughter, son, etc.? You can take this struggle to God in prayer.
3. Are you troubled with thoughts of destruction, worthlessness, and hopelessness? The peace of God can guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
It doesn't matter whether you are a skeptic or a believer; the joy of the Lord can be your strength in every circumstance is only you Jesus Christ room in your life and surrender to him.