Rejoice Always!

Title: Rejoice always!

Text: Philippians 4:1-9

D.T We love one another by changing our mindsets to rejoice in the Lord in all things.

Introduction: (Tell story of losing Newsletter and being unable to recover it) My lack of joy in the moment led me to completely rethink how we approach the idea of “Rejoice always, again I say rejoice.” My original plan was to focus on the infectious nature that joy, and peace through prayer can give. However my focus would shift towards 2 individuals mentioned in the verse prior. The 2 individuals in question also wouldn’t necessarily be feeling particularly joyful. Instead they were in the midst of a disagreement. The more I thought about this passage from the perspective of 2 arguing and fighting individuals, the more clear it became to me that God wanted me to think of this passage from their perspective. Why? Because in light of events which are about to transpire, rejoicing at all times rather than arguing and fighting with others is about to be a relevant issue for churches across the nation.

READ Philippians 4:1-2

Philippians 4:1–2 ESV

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.

We finally meet the 2 arguing individuals, Euodia and Syntyche. We don’t know what they were arguing about, it seems like Paul was intentionally refraining from mentioning why they were fighting.

Perhaps the nature of their argument was theological?

Perhaps the nature of their argument dealt with a personal matter?

Or perhaps their argument was political.

Perhaps the city of Philippi was holding elections

Perhaps they viewed various policies and laws of the Romans?

Maybe they supported different political parties.

Regardless of the nature of their disagreement, Paul's main goal was to settle the argument. This isn't to say what they were arguing about wasn’t important. Rather, Paul believed it was more important to ensure that disunity was eliminated from within the Philippian church as quickly as possible.

Resolving the disagreement wasn’t just the responsibility of Euodia and Syntyche, rather it was the responsibility of the entire church. They were to come alongside these women and help them resolve their differences!

We are intentional about praying for people when they experience tragedy, health concerns, and joys. Are we intentional about praying for people who are in the midst of disagreements? Are we intentional about praying for those who are disagreeing?

The nature of this disagreement served as a catalyst for Paul to give us one of the most famous passages in the book of Philippians. “In light of their disagreement, I want you all to remember this”

READ Philippians 4:4-9

Philippians 4:4–9 ESV

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 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. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

In light of the disagreement of Euodia and Syntyche, I want the rest of you to remember to always rejoice in the and let the world see you as reasonable. Paul knows you can’t just simply tell people “make sure you always rejoice” and leave it at that. If that was the case people would tell Paul, “oh sure, let me get right on that.” Instead Paul calls us to change our mindset. Specifically how to change our mindset to be people who do rejoice in all circumstances. So how do we change our mindset?

We change our mindset through prayer. It’s almost as if Paul knows that fear and anxiety tend to feed off one another. Paul tells us that rather than getting caught up in anxiety, we instead bring what makes us anxious before the lord in prayer. If the future causes you to be anxious, bring that before the lord in prayer. If you kids and family cause you to worry, bring that before the lord in prayer.

This passage has many similarities with Proverbs 3:5-6

Proverbs 3:5–6 ESV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

If we bring our petitions to him in prayer, rather than dwelling on our anxieties, then he will make our paths straight. However the more we let ourselves marinate in anxiety, the more tempted we will be to lean upon our own understanding.

So we must change our mindset to make prayer reactive and instinctive. If something scares you, you jump. If you accidentally grab a hot pan, you let go. If you are being plagued with anxiety, we pray.

This is really hard to pull off, and will require a great deal of practice.

It’s important to realize this, because sometimes this passage is viewed like a magic wand. If I pray instead of being anxious and worried, then poof! It will all be gone. However the moment a person still feels anxious after praying, that’s when they become disheartened

Instead we must realize that changing our mindset to make prayer reactive is a process. Something we struggle and strive to achieve.

However the more we grow in changing our mindset, the more we’ll feel the divine power of Christ guarding our hearts.

We change our mindset by how we think If you have a bowl that is dirty, and filled with dirty water. What happens to the bowl if you put it in the sink and constantly run water into the bowl? Eventually all the dirty water will be replaced by the clean water, and whatever has caused the bowl to be dirty will eventually be gone as well, leaving you with a bowl that is more or less clean. When Paul tells us to think about what’s good in our lives. (Philippians 4:8 list) it’s like putting our minds under a sink and letting a steady stream of godly uplifting commendable things pour into our mind. If we dedicate ourselves to this practice, we may find the intrusive thoughts which build stress, worry, and anxiety will begin to subside. Paul says this in a more succinct way in (Colossians 3:1-2

Colossians 3:1–2 ESV

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Let us change our mindset by placing our thoughts on things above, then perhaps we can rejoice in all things.

Conclusion: Today we conclude our study of what makes up a welcome home. The last pillar to be added was love. Last week we discussed how loving Christ was key to a welcome home. How can we welcome others in the house of the Lord if we don’t love the host? This week it’s loving others. We will be called to love and welcome those whom we disagree with, and those who think of issues differently than us. We rise above those disagreements rejoicing in the Lord together. We love one another by changing our mindsets to be people who rejoice in the Lord in all things.