Philippians 4: 4-7
Rejoice in the Context of Present Difficulties
Philippians
is known as a book on rejoicing because Paul wrote concerning this theme many times
in the book. Joy is a very important driving force in our lives. The book of
Proverbs speaks of the healing effect of joy: “A joyful heart is good medicine”
(Prov 17:22). Worrying is the cause of many diseases but rejoicing brings good
health and cure illnesses. What then is true happiness? Where can we acquire
it?
From the
following verses in Philippians, we can observe several scenarios whereby we can
rejoice.
Phil 1:3-6 – Every
time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Wherever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy,
for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the
time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the
good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on
the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Whenever Paul
prayed for the Philippians, he did so with a heart filled with joy, because the
Philippians were, in one accord, prospering in the gospel, growing and maturing
in the Lord. Being a partner to Paul, they had contributed through their
practical help when Paul was in Philippi and through their financial support
when he was in prison.
As we help
our ministers, missionaries, and evangelists through prayer, hospitality, and
financial gifts, we become partners with them in spreading the gospel message.
When others think about you, what comes to their minds? Are you remembered with
joy by them? Do your acts of kindness lift up others?
And Paul was
also confident that God would continue
his good work in them. Paul trusts that God will continue to bless and use
Philippians mightily; as a result, he is filled with joy each time he prays for
Philippians! Even if the church now is undergoing difficulty, God is faithful;
he will never leave his church. He will continue to sustain the church. We can take
comfort from God’s faithfulness.
In Phil
1:15-18, we discover a strange phenomenon. Paul knew that in Philippians, some
were preaching to build their own reputation, taking advantage of his
imprisonment to try to make a name for themselves. Regardless of the motives of
these preachers, Paul rejoiced that
the Good News was being preached.
Paul looked
at it from a positive perspective, Phil
1:18 – But that doesn’t matter, whether their motives are false or genuine,
the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice.
Paul had an
amazingly selfless attitude. He did everything for the Lord alone and was not
calculative. Some Christians serve for the wrong reasons. Yet we should be glad
if God uses their effort and message, regardless of their motives. This is a lesson that everyone who serves the
Lord ought to learn. This is the secret
to joyful ministry.
Besides, we are
told that Paul is filled with joy whenever he sees his brothers and sisters in
Christ having unity. This unity in the church comes not easy. It is achieved by
congregation living a humble life, caring and respecting each other. Such a joy
of seeing the church in unity is the greatest reward for any servant of the
Lord.
For Phil 2:1-4, - Is there any encouragement from belonging
to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit?
Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one
another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish;
don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than
ourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in
others, too.
Many
Christians live only to make a good impression on others or to please
themselves. But selfishness brings discord. Paul therefore stressed spiritual
unity, asking the Philippians to love one another and to be one in spirit and
purpose.
“Is there…?”
These rhetorical questions expect positive answers. When we work together,
caring for the problems of others as if they were our problems, we demonstrates
Christ’s example of putting others first, and we experience unity. Don’t be so
concerned about making a good impression or meeting your own needs that you
strain relationships in God’s family. Selfishness can ruin a church, but
genuine humility can build it.
Being humble
involves having a true perspective about ourselves. It does not mean that we
should put ourselves down. Before God, we are sinners, saved only God’s grace,
but we are saved and therefore have great worth in God’s kingdom.
We are to lay
aside selfishness and threat others with respect and common courtesy.
Considering others’ interests as more important than our own links us with
Christ, who was a true example of humility. Jesus Christ was humble, willing to
give up his rights in order to obey God and serve people. We would be overflowed with joy if we start to live in
harmony and love!
Phil 2: 17-18 – But I will rejoice even if I lose my
life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful
service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. Yes,
you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.
Both Jews and
pagans often poured out a libation of wine wither on a sacrifice or at the base
of the altar in honour of the deity. Paul regarded his life as a sacrifice to
God. Even if he had to die, Paul was content, knowing that he had helped the
Philippians live for Christ. His faithful service for the sake of the church is
a cause for rejoicing because nothing done for God is in vain.
More than
that, he was also able to encourage the
brothers and sisters to rejoice rather than worry for his sake. He writes,
“Yes, you should rejoice, and I will
share your joy.”
When you are
totally committed to serving Christ, sacrificing to build the faith of others, it will bring a joyous reward.
Phil 3:1 – Whatever
happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired
of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard our faith. Watch out for
those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be
circumcise to be saved.
Paul warns
the people to watch out for there are some “dogs” and evil people in the church
who will divide the church, yet believers ought not to be affected by these
matters. Instead, they should rejoice in
the Lord and not losing the testimony of joy. Pay attention to the positive
examples that are set before us, move closer to the goal the Lord has set for
us, and wait for His return.
Phil 4:1 – Therefore,
my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see
you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
Staying true
means steadfastly resisting the negative influences of temptation, false
teaching or persecution. It requires perseverance when we are challenged or
opposed. Don’t lose heart or give up. God promises to gives us strength of
character. With the Holy Spirit’s help and with the help of fellow believers,
you can stay true to the Lord.
Being able to
witness the growth of the brothers and sisters and their staying true to the
Lord was a source of joy and pride for
Paul. I believe this is the same for every servant of the Lord. Conversely,
the lack of growth or the lack of firm standing in the Lord among the brothers
and sisters will bring anxiety to any of the Lord’s servants.
In the church
today just like that of Philippians, there are relational problems among the
people. Paul addresses this problem in Philippians and writes a few words of
encouragement.
Phil 4:2-3 – Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please,
because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. And I ask you, my
true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling
others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my
co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of life.
These two
women had been workers for Christ in the church. Their broken relationship was
no small matter, because many had become believers through their efforts. It is
possible to believe in Christ, work hard for his Kingdom, and yet have broken
relationships with others who are committed to the same cause. But there is no
excuse for remaining un-reconciled.
Do you need
to be reconciled to someone today? If you are facing a conflict you can’t
resolve, don’t let the tension build into an explosion. Don’t withdraw or
resort to cruel power plays. Don’t stand idly by and wait for the dispute to
resolve itself. Instead, seek the help of those known for peacemaking.
We are the
God’s people whose names written in the Book of life. We are destined to
receive eternal. As God’s people, we are
to resolve the conflict so that we could live joyfully together.
That is why Paul
again exhorted us to rejoice in the Lord and start praying to God in the
following verses 4-7, – Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it
again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.
Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray
about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
It seems
strange that a man in prison would be telling a church to rejoice. But Paul’s
attitude teaches us an important lesson: our inner attitudes do not have to
reflect our outward circumstances. Paul was full of joy because he knew that no
matter what happened to him, Jesus Christ was with him.
Several times
in this letter Paul urged the Philippians to be joyful, probably because they
needed to hear this. It’s easy to get discouraged about unpleasant
circumstances or to take unimportant events too seriously. If you haven’t been
joyful lately, you may not be looking at life from the right perspective.
Ultimate joy
comes from Christ dwelling within us. Christ is near, and at his second coming
we will fully realize this ultimate joy. He who lives within us will fulfil his
final purposes for us.
We are to be
considerate (reasonable, fair minded, and charitable) to others. This means we
are not to seek revenge against those who treat us unfairly, nor are we to be
overly vocal about our personal rights.
Imagine never
worrying about anything! It seems like impossibility; we all have worries on
the job, in our homes, at school. But Paul’s advice is to turn our worries in
to prayers. Do you want to worry less? Then pray more! Whenever you start to
worry, stop and pray.
God’s peace
is different from the world’s peace. True peace is not found in positive
thinking, in absence of conflict, or in good feelings. It comes from knowing
that God is in control. Our citizenship in Christ’ Kingdom is sure, our destiny
is set, and we can have victory over sin. Let God’s peace guard your heart
against anxiety.
Conclusion
From the
passages above, we can observe that Paul’s joy was not affected by the
unfavourable circumstances around him. He wrote the epistle to the Philippians while
in prison and facing the enemies attacks. He saw that there were false teachers
and human conflict in Philippians.
It is clear
that Paul was able to face every challenge with a joyful heart. Such a
transcendent joy was due to his firm belief in the Lord who had called him, and
also due to the partnership and fellowship with brothers and sisters in church
for doing God’s ministries. He also firmly believed that God will finish His
good works in the Church for God is sovereign over everything and that
everything is under God’s control. Paul also instructed the congregation to
live in harmony and love so that joy would overflow them.
While we were
still sinners and enemies of God, He prepared salvation for us. God has caused
us to be in His beloved Son. He has forgiven us of our past transgressions so
that we may be reconciled to Him and become people of the new creation. We are
now God’s children. Our futures are guaranteed by Christ despite present
difficulties. We stand on firm foundation. God has given us His Holy Spirit to
live in us and to guide us. God has given us the hope of eternal life. We
cannot but rejoice as a community faith! We rejoice. We always rejoice. Let’s be always thankful.
