The Joy-Filled Letter

Call to Worship

To all who are weary and in need of rest

To all who are mourning and longing for comfort

To all who fail and desire strength

To all who sin and need a Savior

We at Moraga Valley open wide our arms

With a welcome from Jesus Christ.

He is the ally to the guilty and failing

He is the comfort to those who are mourning

He is the joy of our hearts

And He is the friend of sinners

So Come, worship Him with us.

Scripture Reading

Philippians 1:21 NIV

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Sermon

Glad you’re joining us this morning! Would you open your Bibles to Paul’s letter to the Philippians?

This morning we’re starting our Fall series through the book of Philippians, a series that we’re titling, The Joy-Filled Life.

Whenever I read the book of Philippians, I feel like I’m reading modern day wisdom literature. Wisdom literature in the Bible are books like Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes — and wisdom literature all work together to answer the burning question that humans have, “what’s the good life?” What is the life that we know we should be living? Or, what does it mean to live well in the world.

Whenever I read Philippians, I get the sense that Paul’s treatment of what the good life is not what we would have expected.

Joy is arguably one of the most prevalent themes throughout this letter, where Paul jumps on this theme about 16 different times — and each time it’s this encouragement to rejoice or to rejoice with or to rejoice in.

Joy, throughout the book of Philippians, isn’t some flighty, feel good, ebb and flow emotion that we might be accustomed to… where we treat joy like it’s the ocean going in and out with the tide, being acted upon by an outside force like the gravitational force of the earth, by the moon.

We tend to only see joy, or have joy, as the result of our circumstances — which are always subject to some kind of outside force. We have left joy up to the whims of how we slept last night, what happens at our next performance review, or whether or not our kids are winning according to someone else’s standard.

Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.

And this is Paul’s treatment to the good life, this is real wisdom for real people… and as I said earlier, it is not what we would have expected, and for that very reason, I think it’s good news for us today.

It was certainly good news for Paul as he wrote it to a group of believers who were going through a variety of challenges. They were enduring suffering, there was conflict amongst two women in the community, and they lived under threat of false teaching that could creep into the church, and to top it off Paul is even writing this from less-than-joyful circumstances. Paul is under house arrest in where he lives under the daily uncertainty that a verdict against him could cost him his life… and yet, throughout this letter, there’s thankfulness, and obedience, and a whole host of other things that we attribute to why someone might be joyful.

Philippians begins to unfold an unlikely, but needed, picture of joy, “the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.”

The Book of Philippians gets its name from the city of Philippi which was named after Philip II of Macedonia, who, oddly enough, named the city after himself. Philippi was a city of incredible honor in the ancient world. It was the site where Marc Antony and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius after they assassinated Julius Caesar. A decade later the city would be rebuilt and given the highest honors a colony in the Roman empire could have.

In every way Philippi became a model for what Roman life could look like outside of Rome. It was ruled by Roman law, reflected Roman life-style, and looked like Rome from its politics, it’s social life, and even how they built buildings.

Paul first visits Philippi in Acts 16 where we see Lydia and her whole family coming to faith in the Lord, and the reason behind why Lydia’s family were of the first converts is because there was probably no Synagogue, and less than 10 male Jews who lived in the city, because you need at least 10 male Jews to have quorum for a gathering at the Synagogue.

When Paul began his preaching ministry throughout various cities, he would go and visit the Jewish Synagogue in town, and he would typically be invited to address the congregation as a visitor from out of town, and then he’d use that as an opportunity to teach that Jesus was Israel’s long-awaited Messiah.

Which is how Paul got to Lydia to introduce her to Jesus — because there was no synagogue, only a Jewish woman, who was visiting from out of town, by the river where people had been gathering to pray and she was ready to hear the gospel.

Philippi was a place where the early church experienced the joy of new life in Christ.

After Lydia, Paul and Silas were on there way to pray with this group that had been gathering down by the river where they met a demon-possessed slave girl, who was being forced to do fortune-telling for money. Here’s how it’s recorded in Acts 16:10-24

Acts 16:10–24 NIV

After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

But… a worship service breaks out in the middle of jail because Paul and Silas were singing to God in the middle of the night. There was a violent earthquake, all of the doors flew open, and everyone’s chains fell off. Listen to how Acts 16 continues in Acts 16:27-34

Acts 16:27–34 NIV

The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

Philippi was a place where the early church experienced the joy of new life in Christ — not when things were going well, not when someone was in control of their own life, but because God had intervened and gave them the gift of His joy through Jesus.

So when Paul writes to the church in Philippi, they know a thing or two, first hand, of what joy looks like, the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.

I want to then take you to what is considered as the key verse in all of Philippians, a widely quoted phrase from Paul, towards the end of the first chapter. Look with me at Philippians 1:21

Philippians 1:21 (NIV)

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Paul has just reminded his friends in Philippi that he is in chains, and he’s uncertain of His future, yet He trust in what God is going to do. He says a couple of verses before 21, in verse 18-20, Philippians 1:18-20

Philippians 1:18–20 NIV

But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

Paul’s aim is to make much of Jesus, who He trusts is going to work this whole thing out, and he knows — no matter how this shakes out, Jesus is going to win, He’s going to get all the glory… which is how we get to Philippians 1:21.

Paul is about to begin a list of pro’s and con’s — of what are the good’s and bad’s about the trial that He’s going to face in Rome before the Emperor about His unwavering commitment to Jesus.

To give you a long story, short… this is what He comes up with: either way, it’s a win-win for Paul, but He knows the church in Philippi need him to continue living, and he says in verse 24, Philippians 1:24-26

Philippians 1:24–26 (NIV)

but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

Paul’s commitment is astounding. He chooses joy. If it were up to him, which it’s not, he’d choose to live, because he wants to help them keep growing in the joy of their faith.

Can you imagine the impact of this letter being read aloud in front of other believers? Can you imagine what that does to their faith?

Can you imagine the level of encouragement it gives to the church, that when faced with impossible odds, that you trust in the Lord when it’s so very clear that you’re not in control of your life?

This week I’ve been stewing on Proverbs 3:5-6

Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.

I had seen a video this week from Bible teacher Megan Marshman, who works largely with Lake Hume Bible Camp, where she talked about the cliche verses of the Bible, the ones we quote, but we miss the depth.

In the video she talked about the real invitation to trust deeply in what God was doing, because there’s no real value in our autonomy… and that’s always where we go first.

Megan Marshman, she says, we do this when we use phrases like, “I’m just trying to figure things out…” — any of us ever use that phrase? And in this video, she just laughs, and talks about why we allow other Christians to talk like this, because if we said it any other way, it would be absurd…

What would you say to someone who said, “I’m just trying to control my life.” We’d go, “Good luck with that because it ain’t ever going to happen.”

We need constant invitations not to trust in ourselves, but to trust in the Lord.

Paul’s ability to pinpoint Jesus in the middle of impossible circumstances has got to be one of the most wisdom filled things I’ve ever read, it’s got to be one of the most faith fueling and encouraging things I’ve ever studied, and frankly it causes me to look at my life and go, “in life or death, I see you Jesus, and what you’ve done.”

Joy is the by product of what is uniquely found in what God has accomplished through Jesus Christ, that the one who went to the cross, who would bear my shame, who would be raised from the dead, counts every detail of my life worthy of His control. It is the by product of not having any other choice but to entrust myself to Jesus, and making the moment-by-moment choice to turn to Him.

JI Packer said it like this:

Joy is not an accident of temperament or an unpredictable providence; joy is a matter of choice.

J. I. Packer

The invitation to Paul’s treatment concerning joy — to live is Christ, and to die is gain — is a life of unrivaled dependence on Jesus.

Paul can give these words — when the reality is anything but good — because he trusts in Jesus. And towards the ends of Philippians, he goes a step further. In Philippians 4:4-5, as he’s giving his closing remarks, he ends with this short sentence of why Jesus is worthy of that trust…

Philippians 4:4–5 (NIV)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

He says, “The Lord is near.”

Paul has not been abandoned in his circumstance, He has been deeply encouraged, not because the Lord is far, busy with something else, but because the Lord is near.

Joshua 1:9 seems appropriate to bring to mind here…

Joshua 1:9 NIV

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

And the Hebrew of that last phrase, “for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go,” is more like… “every where you step, I’m with you.”

Everywhere Paul goes, in chains or in freedom, He is near.

Everywhere you go, in good or bad, as you journey with Jesus, He is near.

Joy ceases to be joy when it ceases to be ‘in the Lord’.

J. Alec Motyer

Near Jesus, in the Lord, is where Paul is — not when it’s easy, not when it’s going his way, and that’s where He gets His joy.

Throughout this series in Philippians may we be helped more clearly to see that we have the settled assurance that God, through what He has done through Jesus Christ, is in control of all the details of our lives, and may we receive the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and may we be determined to praise God in every situation — so that we might live the joy-filled life.