Find Your Joy In Christ Alone.

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Introduction:
As we continue with our Worship of the Lord this morning by coming to the study of His word together, I want to invite you to turn with me to Philippians 4:2-9 with me as we near the end of this great little book.
Before we read, though, let’s take a moment and pray together asking God to open our hearts to His word. This is a good practice to do any time you go to open the Word. We need the Holy Spirit to help us see and understand what is written in these pages.
Let’s pray together.
Hear the Word of the Lord this morning. Take it for what it is. We are hearing from God. Listen to Him.
I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you (Php 4:2–9).
What is so amazing about this section of Scripture is that many of the ideas that Paul has been talking about throughout the letter in a general way… he begins to apply them to very really concert ways in the church.
Just to give you an idea so that we can tie these things together, let me give you a real quick recap of what we have looked at so far in this letter.
The Grace of God
Paul’s Love For the Church
Advancement of the Gospel
Living as Citizens of Heaven
Having the Mind of Christ
Living as Lights in This Dark World
Following Godly Examples
Righteousness With God Comes Through Faith In Jesus Christ.
We Press On Toward the Goal.
This is what we have seen so far in this study. This might be a short little book, but there are so many important truths that we need to hear as we seek to follow Christ together.
And what we have happening here in this section that we are going to study, is Paul is just going to start laying down command after command to the church as he tries to help them apply what he has been saying to their lives.
Body:
Let’s walk through this section together. Look down at verses 2-3 with me.
2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life (Php 4:2–3).
I love how open and honest the Bible is with us. First as foremost, this is as a side note, if you were trying to make up something, would you air your dirty landury for everyone to read about? I think not. We would want to paint the best possible picture we could of our movement. That is what attracts people....not…come and join our messed up dysfunctional group. Who would want to join in with that?
But yet, what we see in these verses is the fact that the Bible is just being real with us. When you get a bunch of people together in a group.... let me be more specific here… when you get a bunch of sinners… even redeemed sinners.... in a group together… you are going to have problems. No church is going to be perfect. We are flawed and messed up, broken people, who are often trying to do our best to walk with Jesus.
And what we see here in these verses is Paul addressing one of the issues that was within this Church. Here we have two church ladies fighting and upset about something. Can you picture this? Who would ever thought that there would be a disagreement in the church? Yea right! We know that these things happen…but I want you to notice how Paul addresses the situation.
He first calls both women to what? They are called to agree in the Lord. They are to remember that their first priority is that of their love for Jesus Christ.
And what is so fascinating here, is that we do not know what their disagreement was. Now, we do know a few things. First, we know that their disagreement was not over anything that was related to salvation.... like this was not a gospel issue. If it was a Gospel issue… Paul would address it. Paul has no problem correcting errors when he sees them. Secondly, the word that Paul uses for the word agree here in this verse is actual the same word in the Greek that he was telling the church to have the mind of Christ back in 2:1-11. Whatever the issue was, it was something that they both needed to lay down and take on the Mind of Christ.
But notice here, that this is something that they are not required to do on their own. Paul ask’s a member of the church, we don’t know exactly who was to get involved here, to step in and help these women. We do know that this letter was address to the elders and the deacons....so maybe it was one of the Pastors. We simply do not know, but what we do know is that there are times when a disagreement may be so bad in a church that instead of running away....both parties need to come together with Pastoral oversight and work these things out.
These women were instrumental to the work of the church… like many ladies are in even our church. These women were personally known to Paul and had labored side by side with him in the Gospel. He even says that their names are in the book of life…he is sure of their salvation. Paul wants to see these ladies to continue in the Gospel ministry. He wants them to come together in the Lord and to agree. To lay this issue down. To deal with it so that the Gospel would not be hindered.
I am reminded of the word from Phil 1:27 when you think about what Paul is saying here...
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel (Php 1:27).
It is so easy to look at this situation and think.... well it must not have been a big deal. I am sure that they will get over it. Church unity must be a priority for those who follow Christ. This is not a light matter.
We are called to forgive as Jesus has forgiven us. Church unity is what is a testimony to the World that Jesus is who he says he is. Reconciliation with one another is so important to Jesus that he actually says this in Matthew 5:23-24.
23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Mt 5:23–24).
Disunity, bitterness, fighting, arguing… all of these things are issues that must be worked out in the local church if we are going to live a life that is seeking after Christ.
Before we go any further with this study… I want you to ask yourself....
Is there anyone that I need to forgive or be reconciled?
Is there anything that I am doing here that might cause disunity in the Church?
The reason I want us to ask these questions is because all of us who are in this room are co-labores in the Gospel. We are a team. We are to be working together to reach the Lost and make disciples of Jesus Christ. We are in this together,each and every one of us who bears the name of Christ.
The next command that we see here in this text is found down in verse 4.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice (Php 4:4).
This command is really simply to find here in the text. What is the church to do?
Rejoice Always…. he doesn’t just say it once he says it twice in this verse. Think about this for a moment, how hard is this command to obey? You and I are to Rejoice Always? That means in anything and through anything. This is a very specific and general command. It is specific because it tells us what to do. It is general because it doesn’t give us an exclusion clause.  It doesn’t say…Rejoice if things are going well for you. Rejoice if everything is working out just find and your life is going the way you wanted it. It does not say Rejoice Always... Unless you don’t really feel like it at this time. Unless you are in a crazy amount of pain. Unless your world is falling apart and you don’t know what in the world you are going to do. Unless you are in prison, and you have guards chained to you night and day....like Paul did.  You don’t see that in this text, and you shouldn’t expect to see this in this text.
This apostle Paul, the guy writing this letter, is writing this letter from PRISON! Things have not worked out well for him. I am sure that this was not what he had pictured his life to be. I’m sure when he was a Kid and people asked him what he wanted to do when he grew up… I am sure his response was not…. I WANT TO BE A PRISONER. No one thinks like that!! But yet, that is exactly what is going on in his life at this moment….. I don’t know about you…but I would find it hard to be joyful in that moment. But here is what we see in this letter from Paul…listen to his words
Philippians 1:18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, (Phi 1:18 ESV)
Philippians 2:17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. (Phi 2:17 ESV)
Philippians 2:18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. (Phi 2:18 ESV)
Philippians 2:28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. (Phi 2:28 ESV)
Philippians 3:1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. (Phi 3:1 ESV)
The Apostle Paul finds Joy in the midst of his trials… and he is telling the Philippians, and God is telling us that we need to Rejoice Always.  This is both in the good times and the bad times. I say good times because when things are going well for us… how often do we take the time to Rejoice in the Lord? If things are going well… we typically just keep going about our day. Things are good. Life is great. I am going to keep doing what I am doing because nothing is slowing me down. But what if we took the time to stop…. Pause just for a moment to thank the Lord who deserves all Thanks and to Rejoice in Him?
In the same way… when things are not going well for us…when life is not going so well… when things are not working out the way we expected or wanted them to…. we must find the time to stop… pause and learn to Rejoice in the Lord…. We have to find something that we can rejoice in in those moments.
Here is the reality for us…. we tend to think that Joy is the same as happiness, and it's not. Here is how one person put it and I found it so helpful for myself. Here is what he said, “Since joy is commanded, it is not a feeling like happiness. It is a mental attitude, a life stance. Whereas happiness depends on what happens, joy does not. Joy derives from a conviction that, despite present circumstances, God is in control and will save those who belong to Christ. Joy derives from the Philippians’ union with Christ, the promise of the resurrection, and their partnership with one another.”
There is where we need to learn to rejoice.  We have to be convinced…. It must be our conviction… that no matter what we are going through, either good or bad, God is the one who is in control and is worthy of our Praise in those moments. Christ has given us much to rejoice in.
We can Rejoice in....
Our Salvation Through Christ.
Our Union With God.
The Hope of Eternal Life.
Belonging to the Family of God.
We must learn to Rejoice Always.
The next command that we find here in the text is found in verse 5. 
5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; (Php 4:5).
Other translations say “Let your gentleness or graciousness be known to everyone.” This is the idea of when everything around you is going out of control…. You seem to be calm, cool, and collected... Or, everything is going your way…. And you are not all big-headed about it. You have this gentleness about you that is uncommon. If people see this in you, guess what is going to happen… they are going to ask you about it… and thus you will have an opportunity to tell them why you are this way…. And it is not because you are an awesome person…. It is because God has done a great work in your life and has changed you and has given you a different perspective on life.
Think about how different this is for us in America. We seldom think…I want to be know for my reasonableness. D.A Carson explained it this way (Quote on pg. 107)
How do we do this? How do you and I walk through this life living with gentleness or graciousness with others?  He tells. He gives us the motivation factor that we need. “CHRIST IS NEAR.” There is some disagreement on what does this exactly mean. Is Paul talking Spiritually here, as in “Christ is near you… in your heart.”? Or,  is Paul talking about the fact that Jesus Christ could come back at any moment? I think both of those could be true, and that Paul left if general for this very reason. Shouldn’t we be gracious with others because Christ is walking with us day by day? Shouldn’t we live life with the understanding that Christ could come back at any moment? Absolutely!!! Christ with His people and the hope that we have with Him coming back should change how we look and react in our circumstances and people should notice a difference about Christians if they are trusting in the God of the universe.
Think about this. How different would you act if you knew Christ was coming back today? What do you want to be doing when Jesus comes back again? Or, what if, Jesus were to walk into this room, how would He change the atmosphere? What kind of things would you want to be doing if you knew Jesus could walk in at any moment?
There is something that living with the realization that Jesus is near....because the reality is…Jesus is here in our midst. Christ is near to all who call out to Him and are in a right relationship with Him. Christ is near.. but there is something about when that is our focus… that causes us to live differently. And this is something that we need to keep in mind at all times.
Jesus is Near to Those Who Have Trusted Him....So Be Gracious in All Things.
Paul doesn’t stop there though. He continues.. Look at verses 6-7 with me.
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Php 4:6–7).
How hard is this to follow? He says that there is nothing in this life you are to worry about. Real quick, let me explain…. there are two different types of anxiety in our world. There is the medical anxiety. This is caused because your body is not working the way that it was designed to…and then there is the anxiety of everyday life. These are the things that weigh heavy on your heart and mind. These are the things that you cannot stop thinking about. These are the things that keep you up at night.
Paul says that you and I are not to worry about anything at all…. There is nothing in this life that we are to worry about…. Instead, and this is where we see the next command comes in “But in everything”….notice the general terms that is being used here… don’t worry about anything… in everything, through “prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God.” Paul leaves no room for us to exclude anything from our worries or our prayers. We are to take it all to God. We are to come before Him, beg Him, and thank Him for what He has done in our lives as we trust Him with whatever it is that we are bringing before Him.
One person put it this way, “The way to be anxious about nothing is to be prayerful about everything.”
The result, when we bring everything to God and stop worrying about it, is we get the peace of God, which exceeds all human experience. We can’t explain it. It isn’t something that we muster up…but it is a sense of being secure. It is knowing that everything is going to be ok.  Here is what happens when the Peace of God comes…it guards your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
Think about that for a moment. When you are going through anxiety and you are worrying about something, what is normally affected? Your heart and your mind. You can’t stop thinking about whatever it is…. Maybe it is something that weighs you down and you feel a certain way… but either case worry takes place in these two places, but when we are coming before God…. He gives us His Peace to guard and protect these. The text continues with two more commands which guide us in this life.
The next command is found in verse 8. Not only are we to present our request to God in prayer, but look at what Paul does here in this verse.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Php 4:8.)
He talks about a complete mind change. We are not to focus on the things that bring us worry, but we are to dwell on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, moral excellence, praiseworthy. He tells us to fix our minds on Godly things…. That is the command here.
What things can you think of that would fit into these categories?
Last command is found in verse 9.
9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you (Php 4:9).
Paul tells them to DO. He tells them to copy Him. Whether that be things that they have heard from him through his teaching or the things that they have seen in his life,  they are to follow his pattern for life.
This is a tall order to say to someone else. Follow me as I follow Christ. Do what I am doing. Do what I have been saying. This takes everything to a whole new level, but yet Paul is so bold and confident in his walk with Christ that He can say to them…. Look… just do as I have done.. follow me. 
I wonder, can we say the same thing to anyone? Is there anyone in your life that you can look to and say to them… follow me as I am following Christ?
Here is the result, look at the bottom of verse 9 with me quickly. Notice the change here… it is no longer the peace of God, but now Paul talks about the God of Peace will be with you. God will not just give you something and send you on your way, but God gives you the very best… He gives you Himself.
Conclusion:
As we think about this section of Scripture, I believe Paul is painting a picture for us that we need to be mindful of. One of the greatest desires of humanity is to have Joy. To live a life of total and complete Joy. As we have said, Joy is different than happiness. We know that we are never going to be happy all of the time. Each and every one of us will go through difficult times and struggles that weigh heavy on our hearts and minds. But, that does not mean that we cannot have Joy in our lives.
Main Point: To Live a Life of Joy, We Must Learn to Rejoice Always!!!
How Do We Rejoice Always?
We Reconcile Relationship In The Lord.
We Learn to Focus On What God Has Done For Us.
Run To God With Our Greatest Worry.
We Trust God in All Circumstances.
We Focus Our Minds On Godly Things.
We Practice Godly Living Always.
I am not saying these things are easy or light. Many days these things will be some of the hardest things that we do. Life is hard. We get so easily distracted. Our hearts are fickle. We often want to run for comfort and ease…but the things of this world will never satisfy your heart. You need more.
And what this passage promises to you this morning is that as you run to Christ in prayer and as you seek to live for God…
Christ Will Be With You.
He Will Give You Peace.
He Will Give You Himself.
This is the only way to find peace in this life. Peace in this life only comes through Christ.
What that means then, that without Christ you will not have peace. There will always be this desire that something is not right. And you will continue to seek for more and more.
Listen to me. If you have not accepted Christ as your savior… if you do not know Him in a personal way. If he is something that you are considering.... or think that you can appease Him by coming to church on Sunday mornings.... then you have missed the point. Christ died because you are an enemy of God. You are not at Peace with God… you are at war because of your sins. But God, in His great love for you, made a way for you to be forgiven by sending Jesus to the earth to go to the cross and die for your sins. Jesus took the wrath of God and died in the place of humanity, and then rose three days later defeating sin and death. If you want this Peace that we are talking about this morning… then Christ calls you to come to Him. Come and give Him your life. Repent and trust in Jesus this morning.
And if you have been following Christ, but you have lost your Joy and Peace, I want to invite you.... come to Him today. Renewal and revival has to start with us. Let Christ work in your heart this morning. Renew your walk with Him. Lay down those things that you have been carrying…and come to him.
Find Your Joy In Christ Alone.
As we get ready to close out in singing together, I want to invite you to the front. Do not leave this place until you know that you know that you know that you too can have the Peace of God by trusting in Christ today.
Let’s pray together.
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