“Nevertheless,
Rejoice!” (Phil 4:4-7)
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The Gift of New Hope III -
How Long Will
Joy Last?
Today is the third
Sunday of Advent. This morning we did light the third rose Advent Candle – the
Candle of Joy, and we recognize “Christ is our joy!” Today we will explore what
the joy of the Lord is. Normally, it is said, “Joy expires.” People say, “If we
have a good meal, we are joyful for a day. If we have our hair done, we are
joyful for a week. If we buy a new car, we are joyful for a month.” What do you
think? Does it make sense? Joy seems to be short-lived. One minute we
can be on top of the world, and the next minute in the pit of despair. Have you
experienced that?
Rejoice Always?
This week’s
lectionary passages tell us about what is joy. In particular, in Philippians 4
the Bible exhorts us to “rejoice always.” When we read this scripture,
we think that’s impossible. We think it’s another one of those “suggestions”
from the Bible that doesn’t make sense in real life. But “being joyful always”
was not impossible for the apostle Paul. He did live his life in a constant
state of joy, and he wanted to help other Christians to live in that joy as
well.
Advent season has returned.
There is joy all around. But as for me, personally, I found myself that I was
not that joyful. Rather, I was heavy hearted. I was burdened. I was pulled in
different directions. One of the church family members even said to me, “Cheer
up! You should be more joyful.” I really wanted to be joyful, but it was hard for
me. But as I meditated on today’s scripture during the week, God restored my
soul. He restored my joy. In Philippians 4 Paul tells us how to take practical
steps to live a life filled with joy. If we look at Paul’s life, he did not
live a problem-free life. His life was not easy. While he was writing the
letter to the Philippians, he was in Roman prison. In fact, as a political
prisoner, he was facing possible execution at any time. His life was
unpredictable, unstable, and filled with sufferings and tribulations. But if we
read the book of Philippians, at least nineteen times in this four chapters
Paul mentions joy, rejoicing, or gladness. Here is my question: What was the
secret to Paul’s joy?
What Was the Secret
to Paul’s Joy?
We can find a clue
in his own saying in verse 4: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Paul’s
ability to be joyful always was because of the source of his joy. He
revealed that his joy was “in the Lord” rather than in the difficult,
constantly changing circumstances or people. He did place his confidence and hope
in the character of God. And he found joy there. There are many attributes of
God, but particularly, Paul focused on one of them: the nearness of God.
He says to us, “You can rejoice always because the Lord is near!” Here
Paul may talk about the Second Coming. But he may also want to emphasize God’s
character, God’s nearness. God is near us now! Our God is not a distant God. Our
God is near us. He is a very present help in trouble (Ps. 46:1). In the Old
Testament, God revealed himself to His people in a pillar of cloud and a pillar
of fire in the wilderness. Exodus 13:21-22 says, “GOD went ahead of them
in a Pillar of Cloud during the day to guide them on the way, and at
night in a Pillar of Fire to give them light; thus they could travel both day
and night. The Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night never
left the people” (MSG). God was near His people 24/7. He himself walked
along with them all the time. And not only that, but also he did go before them
and guide them. In Deuteronomy 1:33, Moses says, “God goes before you looking
for the best places to camp, guiding you with a pillar of fire by night and a
pillar of cloud by day” (NLT). The Lord is our guide. Each day he makes a way
for us. He is near us. He is in control of our lives. That’s the reality of God’s
nearness. Paul placed all his confidence in this character of God: “The Lord is
near!” And he was able to live a life full of joy.
Worry: The
Joy-Stealer
But at the same
time, Paul was well aware that there are joy-stealers. In Philippians there are
four joy-stealers: circumstances (ch.1), people (ch.2), things (ch.3) and worry
(ch.4). And worry is the greatest thief of joy. What is worry? The Greek word
translated “anxious” in verse 6 means “to be pulled in different directions.”[1]
Our hopes pull us in one direction; our fears pull us the opposite direction,
and we are pulled apart! When our heart is divided, we worry. That worry steals
our joy. So Paul provides two spiritual strategies to have victory over worry,
divided heart, divided soul.
Speak to God
Paul’s first
strategy is to speak to God. Paul says, “Rejoice
always because the Lord is near.” Then, he says, “Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God.” Here I would like to specifically emphasize the phrase, “in
everything.” We have a tendency to pray in crisis. We have a tendency to pray
about the big things, but not the little things. But the Bible says, “Speak to
God about everything!” Why is it so important to talk to God about
everything? It is because when we talk to God about everything that concerns us,
worry cannot steal our joy. When we talk to God about everything, God gives us
the undivided heart, the secure mind, that is, the peace of God. That peace
guards our hearts and our minds and enables us to be at peace, and even to rejoice
in the midst of chaos.
A friend of mine
has a son, whose name is Jason. When he was younger, 3 or 4 years old, he hated
to go to hospital. One time Jason’s philtrum has swollen up. But Jason didn’t
want to go to hospital. After a week it got worse. Jason’s parents found that
it was due to gum infections. It was kind of getting serious. They decided to
take Jason to the hospital. As soon as Jason saw a doctor, he was terrified. He
grabbed his dad’s leg and said, “Daddy, let’s go home now!” But, Jason’s dad said
nothing. Instead, he held Jason tight in his arms until the treatment was done.
During the treatment, Jason kept saying to the doctor, “I hate you!” In this
situation there is no use in trying to explain why Jason needs shots and
treatment. He would never understand. The best way is to hold him close and
give him assurance, “It is ok. I am with you.” Every time you have something
that concerns you, cry out to God. Every time you are depressed by difficult circumstances,
people, things, and worry, talk to God about it. Do “breath prayer.” And he
will restore his joy in you.
Speak to
Yourself
Paul’s second
strategy is to speak to his own soul. In Philippians
4:4 Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” This
is the imperative mood. From a Christian point of view, to rejoice is a
command, not a suggestion. Here Paul is saying, “You must and can rejoice
always!” To rejoice is a privilege as a Christian. We need to preach this to
our own souls. Pastor Martyn Lloyd-Jones described the importance of preaching
to ourselves: “Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due
to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?
Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You
have not originated them but they are talking to you, they bring back the
problems of yesterday.”[2]
Nothing is more important in your mind than preaching the gospel to yourself.
So when you feel that God is distant, when you feel you are forsaken, when you
don’t feel joy, you can take these two practical steps: pray to God and preach
to yourself.
If you read the
Book of Psalms, you will notice that quite a few prayers in the Psalms actually
consist of this structure: pray to God and preach to the psalmist’s own soul.
Psalm 42 and 43 (in many Hebrew manuscripts they constitute one psalm) is one
of them. This psalm is written by the descendants of Korah. Who is Korah? Korah
was one of the leaders who rose up against Moses and was killed by God (Num
16). But in this midst of God’s judgment, we can find God’s mercy and
compassion. If we keep reading Numbers, in Numbers 26 the Bibles tells us about
Korah’s descendants. Numbers 26:9-11 says, “This Dathan and Abiram are the same
community leaders who conspired with Korah against Moses and Aaron,
rebelling against the LORD. But the earth opened up its mouth and swallowed
them with Korah, and fire devoured 250 of their followers. This served as
a warning to the entire nation of Israel
Nevertheless,
Rejoice!
When you feel
forsaken, when you don’t feel joy, you have two great practical steps to take:
Talk to God and talk to yourself. Pray about everything to God who is near you
at hand. The Lord is near! Preach this to yourself: Rejoice in the Lord always.
I will say it again, O my soul, Rejoice!
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