“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).
Let’s face facts. Life can blindside you. It can kick the stuffing out of you when you least expect. Knock the wind out of you.
But according to Paul, there’s one thing life can’t take away. Our joy in Jesus.
I want to make it clear this isn’t going to be one of those turn-that-frown-upside-down and pretend nothing’s wrong pep talks.
An unexpected sucker punch hurts. No question about it. But God gives us something no one can steal. His joy.
So no matter the situation, the instructions are clear. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (v4).
But according to Paul, there’s one thing life can’t take away. Our joy in Jesus.
I want to make it clear this isn’t going to be one of those turn-that-frown-upside-down and pretend nothing’s wrong pep talks.
An unexpected sucker punch hurts. No question about it. But God gives us something no one can steal. His joy.
So no matter the situation, the instructions are clear. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (v4).
Rejoice. Repeat.
The apostle doesn’t just suggest joy. This isn’t a recommendation. He’s not making a proposal. Nope, it’s a command.
A closer look at the grammar of the original text is in what scholars call the imperative. Paul doesn’t simply hint that joy might be a good idea. He orders it.
Who in the world does this dude think he is to order me to rejoice?
A closer look at the grammar of the original text is in what scholars call the imperative. Paul doesn’t simply hint that joy might be a good idea. He orders it.
Who in the world does this dude think he is to order me to rejoice?
I saw you roll your eyes. That’s okay. I would too. But let’s dive a little deeper at the context of this seemingly crazy command.
First of all, the one doing the writing is Paul. You may have heard of him.
Wrote most of the New Testament. Traveled the Mediterranean Rim telling everyone who would listen about Jesus.
His passion for the Gospel ticked off enough people that he ended up in prison. And that’s where he is as he writes this little letter.
The apostle isn’t sitting seaside sipping on a drink with an umbrella in it. He’s doing hard time in Caesar’s supermax in Rome. Somehow, someway, he has the joy of Jesus in the joint.
First of all, the one doing the writing is Paul. You may have heard of him.
Wrote most of the New Testament. Traveled the Mediterranean Rim telling everyone who would listen about Jesus.
His passion for the Gospel ticked off enough people that he ended up in prison. And that’s where he is as he writes this little letter.
The apostle isn’t sitting seaside sipping on a drink with an umbrella in it. He’s doing hard time in Caesar’s supermax in Rome. Somehow, someway, he has the joy of Jesus in the joint.
You may think he’s encouraging his readers to get over their first world problems. Well, his friends back in Philippi aren’t exactly living the life of leisure either.
Dr. Luke tells us how the Gospel of Jesus turned the city upside down to the point of rioting and mob violence (Acts 16:12-40). Think Ferguson and Baltimore.
A quick check of the map in the back of your Bible tells us Philippi is in Macedonia, just down the road from other churches in Thessalonica and Berea.
In one of his letters to the Corinthians, Paul lets us know what the Lord was up to in the region despite a massive economic downturn.
“We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part” (2Cor 8:1-2).
Did you catch that? “A severe test of affliction…their extreme poverty.” Despite all of that, they had “abundance of joy!”
Dr. Luke tells us how the Gospel of Jesus turned the city upside down to the point of rioting and mob violence (Acts 16:12-40). Think Ferguson and Baltimore.
A quick check of the map in the back of your Bible tells us Philippi is in Macedonia, just down the road from other churches in Thessalonica and Berea.
In one of his letters to the Corinthians, Paul lets us know what the Lord was up to in the region despite a massive economic downturn.
“We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part” (2Cor 8:1-2).
Did you catch that? “A severe test of affliction…their extreme poverty.” Despite all of that, they had “abundance of joy!”
An epistle from Paul in prison. Written to a people in poverty. Still think this joy of Jesus is some sort of joke? No, I didn’t think so either.
The pages of this letter drip with joy. The apostle mentions it one way or another 14 times.
So for those of us who’ve been reading along, this idea of doesn’t come out of left field. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (v4).
As a matter of fact, it’s a variation on what he said to kick things off at the beginning of chapter three. “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord” (Phil 3:1).
Just in case you weren’t paying attention the first time, Paul hammers that nail two more times here in chapter four.
Rejoice. Repeat.
So for those of us who’ve been reading along, this idea of doesn’t come out of left field. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (v4).
As a matter of fact, it’s a variation on what he said to kick things off at the beginning of chapter three. “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord” (Phil 3:1).
Just in case you weren’t paying attention the first time, Paul hammers that nail two more times here in chapter four.
Rejoice. Repeat.
“Rejoice” is the Greek word χαιρω/chairo. It means to be exceedingly glad, delight, be happy, or fully enjoy a state of blessing.
The verb isn’t just a command. It’s also in the present tense. Paul’s order isn’t just a one-and-done gladness.
It’s not something we do once, check off the list and never have to worry about again. The heart of this command is to be exceedingly glad in God…and stay that way!
The verb isn’t just a command. It’s also in the present tense. Paul’s order isn’t just a one-and-done gladness.
It’s not something we do once, check off the list and never have to worry about again. The heart of this command is to be exceedingly glad in God…and stay that way!
As you might imagine, joy in Jesus is one of Paul’s favorite topics. The apostle tells the Thessalonian church just down the road from Philippi, “Rejoice always” (1Th 5:16).
He writes to his buddies in Rome to “rejoice in hope” (Rom 12:12). In other words, there’s no reason to let your circumstances get you down for long. Jesus is coming back. And He’s coming back for you!
But as followers of Christ, we shouldn’t force feed our euphoria down everyone’s throats. “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15).
He writes to his buddies in Rome to “rejoice in hope” (Rom 12:12). In other words, there’s no reason to let your circumstances get you down for long. Jesus is coming back. And He’s coming back for you!
But as followers of Christ, we shouldn’t force feed our euphoria down everyone’s throats. “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15).
The joy of the Lord is one of the major themes throughout the entire Bible. Don’t make the mistake of thinking the OT is nothing but wrath and judgment of an angry God.
Joy is on page after page from Genesis to Malachi (Lev 23:40; Dt 12:12; 1Sam 2:1; 1Chr 16:31; Ez 6:22).
Yahweh tells His chosen people to party down as a way of remembering His goodness toward them. “You shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the LORD your God has blessed you” (Dt 12:7).
The Psalms is a discography of God’s greatest hits. It’s no surprise that it’s full of songs of joy. Pharrell’s “Happy” may be a nice little tune. But compared to the Psalms, “Party Rock Anthem” pales in comparison.
Joy is on page after page from Genesis to Malachi (Lev 23:40; Dt 12:12; 1Sam 2:1; 1Chr 16:31; Ez 6:22).
Yahweh tells His chosen people to party down as a way of remembering His goodness toward them. “You shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the LORD your God has blessed you” (Dt 12:7).
The Psalms is a discography of God’s greatest hits. It’s no surprise that it’s full of songs of joy. Pharrell’s “Happy” may be a nice little tune. But compared to the Psalms, “Party Rock Anthem” pales in comparison.
King David drops one of my favorite lyrics in the Psalm 37. “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps 37:4).
In other words, when we find our joy in God Himself, He’ll make sure to give you more of Him! Dive into the deep end of your relationship with the Lord! There’s no better place to be!
As a matter of fact, Paul just told us how he’s put everything else on the back burner of his life in order to get more of Jesus (Phil 3:7-11).
In other words, when we find our joy in God Himself, He’ll make sure to give you more of Him! Dive into the deep end of your relationship with the Lord! There’s no better place to be!
As a matter of fact, Paul just told us how he’s put everything else on the back burner of his life in order to get more of Jesus (Phil 3:7-11).
The apostle doesn’t want anyone to miss the joy so he says it one more time. “Again I will say, rejoice” (v4). The command so nice he says it twice.
Robertson believes he repeats the order of joy for emphasis in spite of discouragements. In other words, it’s never a bad idea to keep reminding each other of the joy we have in Jesus when the getting blindsided by a broken world.
It’s one of the big reasons we need each other as we follow Christ. I’m desperate to have others getting my eyes off my problems and onto my Savior. Maybe you don’t. I know I do.
Robertson believes he repeats the order of joy for emphasis in spite of discouragements. In other words, it’s never a bad idea to keep reminding each other of the joy we have in Jesus when the getting blindsided by a broken world.
It’s one of the big reasons we need each other as we follow Christ. I’m desperate to have others getting my eyes off my problems and onto my Savior. Maybe you don’t. I know I do.
But how in the world does Paul have the gall to COMMAND me to rejoice? How is that possible?
Did you realize that God’s Spirit is actually producing joy in you right here, right now? You see, joy ranks number two in the fruit of the Spirit just behind love (Gal 5:22-23)!
So we don’t have to stir up phony happiness. There’s no chance of longterm joy without Him. God grows His joy in you and me. And He keeps growing it. That gives us the ability to rejoice and repeat.
Did you realize that God’s Spirit is actually producing joy in you right here, right now? You see, joy ranks number two in the fruit of the Spirit just behind love (Gal 5:22-23)!
So we don’t have to stir up phony happiness. There’s no chance of longterm joy without Him. God grows His joy in you and me. And He keeps growing it. That gives us the ability to rejoice and repeat.
This isn’t just a phony the-glass-is-always-half-full-and-somebody-is-going-top-it-off attitude. Paul calls us to a joy “in the Lord” (v4).
A moment ago, Paul told Euodia and Synthyche to stop their Philippian Family Feud and “to agree in the Lord” (Phil 4:2).
When we agree in who Jesus is and what He has done for us, it won’t be long before the fighting stops and the party begins. When our joy is connected to our Savior and not our circumstances, it never stops.
A moment ago, Paul told Euodia and Synthyche to stop their Philippian Family Feud and “to agree in the Lord” (Phil 4:2).
When we agree in who Jesus is and what He has done for us, it won’t be long before the fighting stops and the party begins. When our joy is connected to our Savior and not our circumstances, it never stops.
Just in case you’re keeping score, here’s a list of places NOT to find your joy. Not in marriage. Not in sex. Not in kids. Not in career. Not in vacations. Not TV (especially NOT in reality TV!). Not in movies. Not in drugs. Not in alcohol.
God designed us to find our longterm joy in one place. In one Person. In. The. Lord.
God designed us to find our longterm joy in one place. In one Person. In. The. Lord.
Once again, our friends over in The Message have a fabulous fresh take on this verse. “Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean revel in Him!” (v4 The Message).
Celebrate God. All the time. Really party in your heart because of who He is and all He’s done. And when you get done, do it all over again.
Celebrate God. All the time. Really party in your heart because of who He is and all He’s done. And when you get done, do it all over again.
Rejoice. Repeat.
©2015
Jay Jennings
©2015
Jay Jennings
No comments:
Post a Comment