The Christian Duty of Joy

in the ministry, literally what
he calls his son in the faith, desiring to send young Timothy,
could not, and so sends back to the Philippian believers the
next best thing in Epaphroditus. And his commendation was so enthusiastic
that it was unmistakable what really is going on there. That
the Philippians were taking Epaphroditus somewhat for granted And what
Paul does is in a very gracious and humble way, point out to
them a few features about this believer for which they ought
to recognize and give thanks. And we considered some of those,
the fact that Epaphroditus was a brethren and a fellow worker
and that he was such a faithful servant of Paul’s, Those were
just a few of the things for which the Philippians ought to
recognize and give thanks. But the transition is so abrupt
here that you would almost think that the book is chopped in two
and this verse has nothing to do with that which proceeded.
But I think what transpires in Paul’s mind, if you would go
with me on this, there’s nothing concrete about what I say, but
it’s as if Paul says, look, if I want you to be thankful about
this brother in whom God has worked, God by His grace had
worked gifts and giftedness and faithfulness into this brother,
But if I want you to be thankful for him, how much more thankful
should we be for what God has done? That seems to me to be
the very simple transition between his thoughts on Timothy and Epaphroditus
and his thought here really contained in verse one. Now, the section
that begins essentially is the end of the letter. But if you
know Paul, anyone who can have a hundred word opening there
in the book of Ephesians, Paul’s not going to end this quickly.
He has half the book to go. And yet he says, finally. The subject that will develop
is essentially that about false teachers that were in their midst
and fomenting the the Judaistic tendencies that he had fought
in so many different churches. Dogged him, as we’ve said, in
almost every step. That’s ultimately going to come
into view. But first and foremost, Paul
says, thank God for Epaphroditus. And thank God for God and for
all that He’s done. Look at beginning in verse 1. We’ll read verses 1-4. But verse
1 will be our focus this morning. Finally, my brethren, rejoice
in the Lord. To write the same things again
is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of
the dogs. Beware of the evil workers. Beware
of the false circumcision. For we are the true circumcision
who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus
and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might
have confidence even in the flesh.” either in the middle of this
little verse or at the very end of it, there is a sudden break.
And exactly where you make that break makes a big determination
on exactly how you interpret this, or perhaps your interpretation
makes you place the break in different places. Because if
Paul is referring to what is coming when he says these things,
then you’ve got to make a break in a different place than if
you look back over your shoulder and talk about some of the things
that Paul has already spoken of. I’ll tell you where I make
it in a minute. I think what he’s talking about
in general here is everything that he said up to this point
is encapsulated when he says these things. But there are some
specifics in view. It’s interesting for Paul, as
I said, to say finally, right here in the middle of the book,
because it certainly seems to imply that Paul, as the writer
of this great epistle, is going to bring it to a close. He’s
bringing it in for a landing. Perhaps you’ve had occasion to
fly recently and it always baffles me why they announced 45 minutes
before the flight that we’re approaching our final destination.
Go ahead, take your seats, put your seatbelts on and then you
Wait and wait and wait. And it’s not unlike what Paul
does here. Paul says it’s the end of the letter. This is my
last point. And then he proceeds to give us as much thought and
data and heart as the first two chapters of the epistle. When
he says finally, or the rest, Paul uses a formula that he uses
in a lot of his letters. Essentially, what he wants to
do is move on to a new topic. And as I said, the formula is
common for Paul to use where he kind of glues on to a letter,
almost like a postscript. P.S. In the midst of an epistle,
a new subject, a new thought that he’s going to add on. Paul, no doubt, is approaching
the end of his epistle. going to complete the last main
topic that he wanted to communicate to the Philippians. This main
last topic is the difference between the true genuine gospel
and the false gospel. In Paul’s writings, this word
basically indicates, as I’ve said, the nearness of the close
of an epistle. Essentially, here’s how I think
Paul begins to wrap it up. He basically says the main thrust
of my writing, the main purpose of my writing to you is now ended,
but I want to address one final thing just as I think of it. As I said, Paul uses this device
on regular occasions in his epistles. Ephesians 6.10, Paul says finally,
Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. And
then he really does begin to close up that epistle in 2nd
Corinthians 13, 11, as he nears the end of that letter. Finally,
brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like minded.
And everybody knows that that isn’t the absolute end of the
epistle. Second Thessalonians 3, 1, which
he says, Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord
will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it also did with you.
Paul has nearly a third of his letter in front of him there. Paul will wrap up this very epistle
with finally, so when you see finally, Don’t get off track
and don’t say, as the liberals did, that somebody else snuck
in under a cloak of darkness and inserted all these words
into Paul’s thoughts because Paul wanted to wrap it up right
here. Silly. Paul had many things to share
with the Philippians. And the fact that he says, oh,
by the way, and goes on for nearly two chapters is no problem to
us. What Paul wants to address in these little verses, as I’ve
already forecasted for you is the duty of Christian joy. Now, that sounds kind of incongruous,
doesn’t it? Because you would think that
Christian joy is just this thing that upon realizing the depth
of our sin and the salvation that Jesus secured on the cross
on our behalf and that we can pay nothing back. You would think
that the logical response beginning deep in our heart and bubbling
out into all that we do would be joy and unceasing joy. But you and I know otherwise.
You and I know that it doesn’t always work that way. The thoughts
about the day to day living creep in and doubts creep in and frustrations
creep in. Our own sinfulness creeps in. And that’s why I call this the
duty of Christian joy, because that’s the way God presents it.
That’s the way God’s Word lays it out. That it’s a command. If you would, go back to the
passage, chapter 3, verse 1, where we see the expression. And I’m not just talking about
this inner feeling. that we have as Christians, I’m
talking about the outward expression, because that’s what he has in
view. The outward expression of Christian joy is commanded
by God. Look at verse one again. Finally,
my brethren rejoice. And in case you’re curious, it’s
there in the imperative. It is a command. One pastor sadly said that Christianity
is often charged with making men gloomy and morose. You’ve
heard me talk about most Christians. They walk around like they’ve
been weaned on a dill pickle, right? They walk around because
they’re pressed in by external commands, things that Scripture
doesn’t command. And they are pressed in by others. And they are overworked by those
things. And they walk around trying to
apply their view of Christianity on everyone else. And they find
themselves unsuccessful. They are, he goes on to say,
averse to sharing in the innocent pleasures of life. prone to frown
on the enjoyments of others simply because they are enjoyments. You actually have Christians
going about that really have the deep-seated belief that to
enjoy life and to enjoy what God has in this world is wrong
and sinful and inherently indulgent. It goes on. But truth, he says,
cordially and intelligently received, is a perennial spring of joy
for the believer himself, and of sympathy with all true and
innocent happiness of others. We don’t have to look down our
nose when we see a brother or sister enjoying themselves in
Christ. We don’t have to be sour and
dour and cold and dead and lifeless. Christians are sharers, he says,
in this new life of triumphant gladness. Their burden is removed. They have entered into a glorious
liberty. They know indeed the seriousness
of life and their happiness is touched by seriousness. But for
that very reason, It is deep and broad and lasting. We of
all people are supposed to be the most happy and the most joyful. The average non-Christian, the
unregenerate man takes one look at Christians and they just flat
can’t figure us out. To a great degree, it’s a caricature. As I said, they tend to see us
as sour and dour and putting off this law and demanding that
they conform to this thing that they cannot without God’s grace. They see us as killjoys. Right? You’ve heard it. I remember
when I got saved. I tried to go with my friends.
to some of the same places and hang out with them and be around
them, but my mere presence was unwelcome.” The world doesn’t
like the light. The unregenerate man sees the
happiness of Christians as incomprehensible. How could we possibly be happy
when we’re not dabbling in all that the sin in which they’re
indulging? And I mean sinful sin. The unchristian man sees to a
large degree these restraints that a Christian seems to put
on himself. That instead of seeing it as
the liberating thing that it is, living under God’s smile,
the non-christian man sees it as bondage and drudgery The problem
is what he doesn’t see. He doesn’t see any of the goodness
of God. He doesn’t see the communion
that the saint has with God. His own heart will tell him time
and time again that this world cannot yield for him full and
true and lasting happiness. But he doesn’t know where to
find that And he cries out for something
better. But of Christianity, he wants
no part. We as Christians ought to be
the most happy, and I mean truly and outwardly happy. Our happiness
ought to be a testimony. And I fear that we, like many
churches, that many of us are under the burden of life. We’re
under the burden of circumstances. We’re under the burden even of
our own personal struggles, our attitudes, our sinful habits.
We’re under those things and slowly but surely, our joy has
been diminished. It’s there and when we talk about
it, we can rekindle the flame just like blowing on a spark
at the campfire. But when you talk about an outward
exuberance, and a rejoicing, we would have to admit that it
has abated. It is decreased with time, not
flourished. Listen to this. One commentator
outlined the many things in Scripture that are intended to serve as
prompters to our rejoicing. These are the things that God
wants us focusing on because that’s what He told us in His
Word. And as He told us about these things, His desire is that
it will foster our rejoicing, not diminish it. These are the
grounds for rejoicing, if you will, on the part of Christians.
We are to rejoice in the Lord, even which word or which phrase
we’ll consider in a moment. We are to rejoice in His incarnation,
Luke 1.14. His power, Luke 13.17. His presence with the Father
is to be to us a cause for rejoicing, John 14. His presence with them,
John 16. His ultimate triumph, John 8.56. Hearing the Gospel, receiving
the Lord, Our liberty in Christ. Our hope, as Trey alluded to. The prospect of eternal rewards. The observance of godly conduct
in our fellow believers. The proclamation of Christ. The
gospel harvest. Suffering with Christ. The manifestation
of grace. Meeting new and fellow believers. Rejoicing of others is to be
to us a cause of salvation. And on and on and on this list
goes. The joy is supposed to be in
the Lord, and it’s not the joy, as we talked about, of the world.
It’s not the happiness that the world is able to drum up on its
own. It’s the joy that begins deep in our heart and soul and
bubbles out. Joy, said one, is one of the
foremost aspects of the fruit of the Spirit and ought to be
the natural result of the sense of our favor with God through
Christ and a foremost mark of every Christian community. I’m not shaming us, but does
the city see Providence Bible Church as the most Joyful place. I remember we used to mock in
Denver a little church that was called the Happy Church. It was
a charismatic church. And I don’t know that it was
any happier than anywhere, but what a great name for a church.
The Happy Church. The Happy Saints. Paul gives this exhortation to
outward joy. And what he says that we ought
to do, in essence, is remember about our redemption. Rejoice that we are in union
with Christ and that we have an ongoing communion with Him. Paul says this is one of our
highest duties as Christians. One pastor defined it very simply
in these terms. What is this joy? Christian joy
is not a giddy, superficial happiness that can be devastated by illness,
economic difficulties, broken relationships, or the countless
other vicissitudes and disappointments of life. Life is going to fluctuate. You’re going to have trouble.
And he says it cannot possibly damage your joy and your outward
expression of that joy in rejoicing. Instead, it flows from the deep,
unshakable confidence that God is eternally in control of every
aspect of life for the good of His beloved children. What a
cause for rejoicing that is. A confidence rooted in the knowledge
of His Word, God’s character, the saving work of Christ, the
sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, divine providence, spiritual
blessings, the promise of future glory, answered prayer, Christian
fellowship, all cause believers to rejoice. They should. And it should be an ongoing attitude. It should affect all that we
do. Paul had brought up this theme of rejoicing from the earliest
moments of his writing to the Philippians. It is a theme of
Philippians, as we’ll come back to in a minute. But in addition
to the repeated theme in the Philippians, the epistle to the
Philippians, the word in the imperative is used repeatedly
throughout Scripture. no less than ten places in the
New Testament, you’ll find this word in the imperative, rejoice,
as a command. And it gives it the flavor of
an order. It gives it the flavor of a command,
or if you will, a duty. That this is what God expects
of Christians. I just want to take you on a
brief tour. And we’re going to flip fast. We’re going to cover them
all, all ten. I just gave you one, so relax. Philippians 3, 1 is one. Go to
Matthew 5, chapter 12, if you would. In the context of the Sermon
on the Mount, of being persecuted and facing difficulty and trouble
and trial, Matthew 5.12, Jesus says this, Rejoice and be glad. It’s like a double command to
us. Be very exuberant in your worship
and in the expression of your deep-seated joy. Rejoice and
be glad for your reward in heaven is great. In the same way, they
persecuted the prophets who were before you. And what is in view
here is great exaltation, delight in God, and just an attitude
that flows and touches everyone around you. If you would, Luke
chapter 10. Luke chapter 10. The apostles come back and they’re
amazed at what God’s doing in them and through them. And Jesus
says this, Luke 10, verse 20, Nevertheless, do not rejoice
in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that
your names are recorded in heaven. I’m asking you, saints, You have
placed your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. By His good grace,
He drew you to Himself, and your names are recorded in the Book
of Heaven. Is that not a cause of rejoicing? That when this feeble and troubled
world is ended, you have eternal life? That’s what it means. One pastor said of this little
passage, by this, Jesus meant that the disciples couldn’t seek
their permanent ground for joy in the fact that the demons were
subject to them, but in the fact that through God’s grace, their
names were written on the heavenly registers. What a glorious thing
he told them. And it’s true of us, if you would,
2 Corinthians at the end of that book, chapter 13. In 2 Corinthians 13, it occurs
again in the imperative, another reiteration of this command for
us to let our joy be outward, to let it bubble up and bubble
out. Finally, brethren, rejoice! Be made complete, be comforted,
be like-minded, live in peace, and the God of love and peace
will be with you. What a beautiful capstone to
that very intricate epistle. So many different themes. But
when Paul sums it all up, he says, you know what? You have
great cause to let it out and to praise God and to worship
Him for all that He’s done. Let me give you three. I just
gave you three. Let me give you three. You don’t
have to turn because we’ve already seen them. Philippians 2.18,
I urge you, rejoice in the imperative. Rejoice in the same way and share
your joy with Me. Philippians 4.4, which verse
we’ll get to, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say,
rejoice. Turn, if you would, to 1 Thessalonians
5.16. 1 Thessalonians 5.16 How much more
simple can it get? Rejoice always. Don’t let your earthly circumstances
steal your joy. Don’t let your illness, don’t
let your frustrations with your struggle against the flesh, don’t
let any of that diminish your outward expression of Christian
joy. It can’t happen. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing in everything.
Give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. It was a paradox and it had to
have come as a paradox to the Thessalonian believers under
great persecution, not unlike with the Philippians and those
to whom Peter was writing. Already facing desperate persecution. And what Paul says here to the
Thessalonians is that this sorrow that is endured for Christ’s
sake opens up new fountains of joy. That there’s no cause for
ceasing in our praise, in the outward expression of joy. We
should do it all the more. 1 Peter 4. 1 Peter 4. wherein Peter utters the same
exact thought. Persecution and struggle and
frustration cannot, should not, must not diminish our rejoicing. 1 Peter 4.13 To the degree that
you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing. Don’t let
it stop. There, the command is quite simple.
He’s seen it before and it cannot stop. It must continue. We are
to rejoice. Christians shouldn’t only be
patient and yield themselves under these sufferings and difficulties,
but they should use them as active motivators for an ongoing praise
service to God. The trouble is, with many, many
Christians don’t express themselves with spiritual joy. And maybe
it has even been diminished to the point where you would even
wonder whether it’s there at all. One pastor outlined these
simple suggestions for a lack of Christian joy. He said, in
some, the defect is in great measure due to temperament. They
just kind of hover below the center line. They just always
seem to be kind of grumpy. He put Thomas in this category.
Of him, he said, a man evidently by natural constitution, moody,
prone to look on the worst side of things, unable to see the
springs of happiness which God had opened in his very midst.
How many of us are like Thomas? In other believers, he says,
spiritual gloom is caused by a defective apprehension of the
fullness and freeness of the gospel. The glorious liberty
of the children of God is by these, but partially understood,
they honestly feel like they have to earn their way. How many
people saw the mission? You remember the mission? That
movie opens and I realized that I do some Catholic overtones
to it. But it opens with this scene
where he’s climbing this mountain with a pack on his back, representing
the sin that he carried, trying to work his way to heaven. There are far too many Christians
that continue to try to work their way to heaven instead of
just rejoicing. There’s nothing we can add to
it. Thirdly, he says, in a lamentably
large number of instances, the lack of joy is to a feeble spirituality
and to the entertainment of sin. Check your hearts. What prevents
us from doing that which God commands? Rejoicing. We are commanded to rejoice.
The expression of Christian joy is commanded by God, secondly.
Secondly, it is a mark of divine enablement. It is a mark of divine
enablement. Look again at the passage. Finally,
my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. And what he reminds us of in
that simple phrase is that everything for the Christian is in the sphere
of, in the realm of having already been touched by the Lord God
Himself. He placed us in this realm. It’s
His doing. We are His. And the only real
rejoicing that can come about is that which is in the Lord.
All true rejoicing is Christian rejoicing. This modifying phrase, said one,
doesn’t mean on account of Christ or as becomes Christians, but
it defines the sphere and the character of the joy The Christian
religion is not to be a morose system, stifling every spring
of cheerfulness in the heart. It lifts the spirit out of the
thrall and misery of sin. It elevates it to the enjoyment
of divine favor and the possession of the divine image. There is
a luxury in that sorrow which weeps tears of genuine contrition,
because that’s what erupts. in praise and rejoicing. This exhortation to rejoice was
designed as a positive preventative to become entangled in false
teaching and all this other stuff that was pressing down on the
Philippians. Paul’s concerned for them gravely.
Paul’s very concerned for them. That their joy was seeping out.
by the gallons and by the buckets, that these false teachers were
actually gaining ground because if they could get them in that
sullen mood, they could press upon them any duty, even the
earning of their own salvation. So, one said that a divine joy
truly divine joy is possible for the believer, and only the
believer, in spite of his adversaries, and in spite of his struggles
or difficulties. The Christian can rejoice in
the Lord. It’s His fellowship. It’s His
love. It’s His grace. It’s the knowledge
of His dominion over our lives. The fact that we are in Him is
a cause of rejoicing. So often in this epistle already,
if you’re familiar with the opening of the epistle to the Philippians,
that phrase is repeated, in Him, in Christ, in Christ Jesus, over
and over again. Paul desperately wanted Christians
to realize that it’s not about us anymore being somehow detached
from God. We are now placed literally in
Him. And any rejoicing is an eruption
of joy because of a divine enablement in the heart and life of a Christian.
A Christian who has come by faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ is said to be in the Lord. And it is
because of that indwelling spirit that we have wisdom and that
we have knowledge of God, that we know the Word of God and that
we have this prompter, this joy, this worship. There’s a third consideration
here with regards to the duty of Christian joy. The expression
of Christian joy is commanded by God, it’s a mark of divine
enablement, and it is worthy, Paul says, of reiteration. Look at the verse again. Finally,
my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again
is no trouble to me.” There were those that wrangled over what
these things means. Some thought that he was going
ahead. They look ahead and they say,
well, he’s preparing to talk about the Judaizers. And maybe
the Philippians thought, okay already, Paul, we’ve heard it.
Maybe you’ve told us about it in another letter. You’ve told
us about it every time we’ve ever talked to you. We know already.
Enough is enough. The same things, what are the
things about which Paul is speaking? A number of answers were proposed.
One said that the things that I have, they are things rather
that Paul had said by word of mouth. It’s certainly a possibility. We have absolutely no way of
verifying it. None whatsoever. Secondly, there
were things that I had Epaphroditus tell you, almost like the telephone,
you know, where you whisper in someone’s ear and then Epaphroditus
goes to Philippi and he tells them what Paul told him. That’s
possible. We have absolutely no way of
verifying it. Some suggested that it was a
previous letter and the arguments, I mean, on some of these arguments
are just excellent work by great and godly men. I just don’t think
that’s what’s going on here. Paul says to write the same things.
And what I take it to mean is everything that he said up till
now, all of chapter one and all of chapter two, but specifically
this command, this reminder to rejoice. Philippians 1.4 says
that he was always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for
you all. Paul wanted the believers in
Philippi to know that joy and rejoicing was good and okay and
right and natural and commanded. Philippians 1.18, Paul brings
it up again. What then? Only that in every
way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed,
and in this I will rejoice. Yes, I will rejoice. Philippians
2.17, which verses are very near. The thought is very near and
repeated already. Paul says, even if I’m being
poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service
of your faith, I rejoice and I share my joy with you all.
You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your
joy with me. Those are the same things about
which Paul’s talking about. In chapter 4, verse 1 and 4 and
10, Paul’s not done with the theme of joy and rejoicing. He
wants the Philippians like no other book that he ever wrote.
He wants these people to know that joy is an absolute necessity
for Christians. This exuberant, overflowing joy
is commanded by God. And Paul says, it’s no trouble
to me. No trouble to me to keep on reminding you of these things,
because the ministry is a ministry of reminders, isn’t it? When
I come up here, very little that I ever say is anything new or
unique or novel. Be careful when it is. My ministry,
like Paul’s ministry, like Peter’s ministry, is just a ministry
of reminders. Paul said it this way, 1 Corinthians
4.17, For this reason, I’ve sent you Timothy, who is my beloved
and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my
ways, which are in Christ Jesus.” To Timothy. To Timothy. This
is the ministry that Paul entrusted to him. 1 Timothy 2.14. Pardon me. 1 Timothy 3.1. It
is a trustworthy statement. And you know what? I’ve got wrong references. In
two places, Paul tells Timothy that he was to remind the saints
that his ministry was a ministry of reminders. Peter says the
same thing. Therefore, I will always be ready
to remind you of these things. His ministry was a ministry of
reminders. Fourthly, as we close, the Christian duty of joy And
this expression of Christian joy, commanded by God, a mark
of divine enablement, worthy of reiteration, that it was such
a noble and godly cause that Paul said to keep on talking
about it was okay for him, wasn’t burdensome for him, and it is
protective. No wonder he was so eager to
constantly remind them of this duty of rejoicing Because it
was protective of the Philippians themselves, as we’ll see in the
weeks to come. If their joy abated, if they
began to be sullen and morose about their Christian faith,
and doubting, and giving in to the pressures of life, and failing
in essence to exercise the celebration of their Christianity, they were
in a very dangerous position. The very next phrases will go
into the consideration of false teachers in their midst. Paul
knew that it was a safe thing for his readers, that he should
constantly keep truths before them, constantly stir them up
in new ways and with greater intensity to rejoicing. Because
the greater the freshness that this Divine truth could be illustrated
the better always because in that way, their interest in it
would be constantly maintained. One pastor said it this way,
regardless of how much a Christian may be interested in various
lines of religious speculation. And boy, isn’t that the case?
As you think of so many of the books for sale in the so-called
Christian bookstores. It’s speculation. It’s all this
stuff. It’s, you know, book after book after book. But the best
stuff is the pure stuff. God’s Word is the best stuff. That’s what we really need. That’s
what he says. It’s so fascinating how many
people are drawn to these controversies and speculations. He goes on. And he says, yet he lives spiritually
through loving and believing the contemplation of those grand
central truths which have become commonplace in our religious
knowledge. The craving for novelty and originality,
which is particularly apt to beset both preachers and hearers,
so full of sensationalism, passes very easily from the innocent
to the morbid. He says, you know what? In the
final end, it does you no good. None. But it’s a safeguard, he says,
to be reminded of how necessary it is to rejoice in the Lord,
to count our blessings, to think back on our salvation and all
that went into it. Christ’s suffering on our behalf. The application of his blood
to our very lives. the fact that we walk with Him
and we have others in this earth to walk with, rejoice in the
Lord. Let’s pray. Our merciful King, we bow before
You and thank You for the reminder. We become too intellectual, too
cold, too matter-of-fact. to a degree too doubting, too
overcome, too frustrated to fulfill this simple but great command. To rejoice in the Lord. Restore
it to us, our gracious God. Restore it to us by your grace.
We pray these things in Jesus’ name.