LIFE PRINCIPLES FROM THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS Life
LIFE PRINCIPLES FROM THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS
Life Principle 10 Choosing to Live a Life of Joy
We launch our next study with only ten words… Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4 4
The problem with most Bible teachers on the subject of joy… Most teachers have drained the emotional aspect of joy from its meaning making it simply an attitude. “Some, wrongly identifying joy as a purely human emotion, find Paul’s twice-repeated command to rejoice puzzling. How, they ask, can people be commanded to produce an emotion? But joy is not a feeling; it is the deep-down confidence that God is in control of everything for the believer’s good and His own glory, and thus all is well no matter what the circumstances. ” Mac. Arthur, J. F. , Jr. (2001). Philippians. Mac. Arthur New Testament Commentary (273). Chicago: Moody Press.
If this were true… Why didn’t the verse read… “Have a deepdown confidence in the Lord; again I will say, have a deep-down confidence in the Lord!” Mac. Arthur 4. 4
But listen to John on Matthew 5. 48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. 48 That perfection is also utterly impossible in man’s own power. To those who wonder how Jesus can demand the impossible, He later says, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19: 26). That which God demands, He provides the power to accomplish. Mac. Arthur, J. F. , Jr. (1985). Matthew. Mac. Arthur New Testament Commentary (350). Chicago: Moody Press.
So why does Mac. Arthur and most good teachers twist the meaning of this verse? Answer: Because the concept of commanding us to switch on the emotion of joy is an enigma to us. It simply does not make sense. How does one do that? But just because it is difficult does not give us permission to change the meaning. Rather we should be enticed to explore what God has in store for us.
Bible terms for joy… The two most used for joy in the Bible are: �The OT Hebrew word ששמח [samach /saw·makh/] Strongs 8055, (used 152 times) and… �The NT Greek word χαίρω (chaírō); Strongs 5463 The meaning of both words is a feeling of great pleasure, happiness, gladness, and delight.
For parents who have had a prodigal… What emotion would you have experienced if a child of yours who was deeply lost would have come back to the Lord? 31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 ‘But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found. ’ ” Luke 15
Part 2 So if rejoice in Philippians 4. 4 is an emotion produced by having a deep-down confidence in the Lord, then what observations purely from just reflecting on the ten words of 4. 4 can one derive?
What observations do you make from this one small verse about joy? The emotion of joy for the Christian is volitional, at least at some level. Apparently we can choose to be joyful. Otherwise this verse is without meaning. Mandatory 2. The verb is in the Greek imperative mood, making it a command God’s will. Reminded 3. Apparently all believers need to be reminded to be joyful as it does not come naturally to us (see also 3. 1). Contrasted 4. This idea stands in contrast to the idea that Christians are to be solemn, serious, and angry all the time because of sin in the world. Volitional 1.
More observations… Source 5. Continual 6. Important 7. Permission 8. Opposite 9. Conundrum 10. The primary source for joy is in God (in the Lord) as opposed to the world. Joy is to continually (always) fill our lives. This directive is of such utmost importance that it is repeated twice for emphasis. Some believers must give themselves permission to have joy. What Paul is commanding is the opposite of most people’s lives including Christians. Goes against human reasoning
Part 3 Why is joy such an important quality to God that He insists that we posses it?
There are several answers, but here is one significant reason… Possessing continual joy is the natural state of man before the fall. It is sin that erodes happiness and joy. To recapture joy we must become more like our Lord in all things.
In the garden… Being in joy is the natural state in which we were created and only sin has robbed us of that which we were created to have and awaits us. There is only one very short verse that describes life in Eden before the fall. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Genesis 2 25 Most unbelievers would not get the implications of this verse. It is not about sun bathing in the buff with one’s significant other. It is about living a life void of shame, guilt, or the consequences of sin. It indicates the true essence of pure joy.
Paul’s day trip to paradise… 3 And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— 4 was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. II Corinthians 12 Perhaps Paul was so preoccupied with joy because he tasted the joy in heaven. He knew what awaited every Christian and wanted them to get ready now.
The Church’s wedding day. . . “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. ” 9 Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. ’ ” And he said to me, “These are true words of God. ” Revelation 19 7 This is a reference to the marriage feast of the Lamb. As the Church enters the eternal state is likened to the wedding of all weddings, when Christ the husband weds the Church His bride. Celebration and a wedding party pursues that is full of happiness, joy, and gladness that will last an eternity.
Three words explode with emotional joy… �Rejoice is the Greek χαίρω (chaí-rō); Strongs 5463, meaning to rejoice, and to be glad �Glad is ἀγαλλιάω (ag-a-lli-áō); Strongs 21, meaning to leap, to exult, to show one’s joy by leaping and skipping denoting excessive or ecstatic joy and delight. �Blessed is μακάριος (mak-ár-ios); Strongs 3107, meaning possessing the favor of God, to be happy or blissful.
Part 4 So as a Christian, why is living a life of joy so difficult? The answer is that we tend to look for our source of joy in all the wrong places
The road map to joy is to be found in the things of God, not the things of the world. Let’s examine Paul’s use of the terms joy and rejoice in Philippians to see if this really holds water.
There are sixteen references to joy in Philippians. Let’s look at each one and determine what is the underlying idea for each joy reference…
Reference: 1 3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy (1) in my every prayer for you all, 5 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. Philippians 1 Joy came to Paul as a result of people that he shared Christ with becoming Christians and then growing in their faith.
Reference: 2 -3 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice (2). Yes, and I will rejoice (3), Philippians 1 Paul derived joy from the evangelism explosion that took place in Rome because of his imprisonment. Even the dysfunctional behavior by immature Christians who were witnessing because they were sinfully competing with Paul did not shut off Paul’s joy because God still used it.
Reference: 4 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy (4) in the faith, Philippians 1 25 Paul knew heaven trumped this life by far. But he would let heaven wait while he stuck around helping the Philippians progress in their faith and grow in joy. In other words, their spiritual growth and level of joy was a major value to Paul.
Reference: 5 make my joy (5) complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Philippians 2 2 Disunity in the church was a major joy robber to believers. So Paul addresses the subject time and again.
Reference: 6 -9 But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice (6) and share my joy (7) with you all. 18 You too, I urge you, rejoice (8) in the same way and share your joy (9) with me. Philippians 2 17 Even in light of persecution Paul chooses joy over depression. He also realizes that sharing with other believers both enhances his joy and their joy. He knows this is unnatural so he instructs the Philippians do the same with him.
Reference: 10 -11 28 Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice (10) and I may be less concerned about you. 29 Receive him then in the Lord with all joy (11), and hold men like him in high regard; Philippians 2 Paul is worried about the Philippians and so he has decided to send Timothy on an 800 journey to them to relieve his concern. He wants them to receive Timothy with God’s blessing and also in spiritual gladness because his coming is a spiritual gift to them.
Reference: 12 Finally, my brethren, rejoice (12) in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. 1 Philippians 3 Apparently joy for most of us has a short shelf life. Therefore believers must be reminded over and over to chose joy. This reminder actually is a safety mechanism. Why? When Christians are not full of joy they are vulnerable to spiritual defeat.
Reference: 13 Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy (13) and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. Philippians 4 4: 1 In many ways this is a repeat from earlier in Philippians. Because Paul truly believed the gospel message, and he believed that he was instrumental in both the Philippians salvation and growth, and because he believed this brought eternal glory to God, thus he calls them his “joy. ”
Reference: 14 -15 Rejoice (14) in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice (15)! Philippians 4 4 As Paul is nearing the end of his letter to the Philippians, he gives a shot gun approach to various important instructions. Among them, Paul instructs twice that they chose joy. That is make a volitional and emotional choice to be glad as a result of God’s abundant blessings.
Reference: 16 But I rejoiced (16) in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Philippians 4 10 Paul indicates that when Epaphroditus brought the Philippian’s financial gift to him that it brought along with it emotional joy. Not only for the gift but also for what the gift represented, the Philippians love and Christian maturity.
- Slides: 31