Joy In The Mess

Rejoice In The Lord Who Is Near

12.15.24 [Philippians 4:4-7] River of Life (3rd Sunday of Advent)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Php 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

So simple. So straightforward. So powerful. So appealing, isn't it?

In 1 John, we are told that we 1 Jn 5:3 show love for God by keeping his commands and that his commands are not burdensome. God’s commands are for our good. We know that God strengthens all those he calls, justifies, and sanctifies. But that doesn’t mean that keeping all God’s commands always comes to us easily. Some are real challenges. Honor your father and mother—and all the authorities that God establishes. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have. Make every effort to live at peace with everyone. Love your enemies.

These are commands that challenge us on a deep level. But rejoice? By comparison, that seems like a light lift, right? There are plenty of times when rejoicing doesn’t have to be commanded at all. It’s natural.

We rejoice when we land a great deal shopping or we’re given a free upgrade. We rejoice when we get a promotion at work, or we don’t have to work another day in our lives. We rejoice when we get married. We rejoice when we have kids. We rejoice when those kids move out and get married and we have grandkids and great-grandkids. We rejoice when the weather is beautiful, the vacation is exactly what we needed, or when our favorite teams are doing well. We should rejoice in moments like these. And there are thousands of more reasons why we can rejoice.

But when the Apostle Paul tells us that God wants us to rejoice, he isn’t telling us just to celebrate life when we feel like it, when we’re happy and we know it and we really want to show it. He wants us to Rejoice in the Lord always. Any command of God is a bit like a coin. There are two sides. One side reveals our weakness, our selfishness, and our sin. The other side reveals God’s strength, his wisdom, and his love. This command is no different. There are plenty of times when rejoicing in the Lord feels impossible.

And maybe that is how you are feeling right now. Maybe you are reeling from a whole string of losses and setbacks. You might be trying to recover from plans that blew up in your face. Perhaps you’ve spent too much time inside a hospital—either as a patient or as a visitor. Maybe you’ve laid someone to rest. You might be concerned about your future. Hearing the Apostle Paul command you to (Php. 4:4) Rejoice in the Lord right now seems like an impossibility. Cruel, even.

Even if that’s not where you are right now, you may remember a time like that. Maybe things got so bad that you wondered aloud why God was allowing all this to happen to you. Perhaps you got so mad at God that you stopped praying and even wandered away from worship for a while.

As you think back to those times, the last thing you probably wanted to hear from someone was (Php. 4:4) Rejoice in the Lord always. and again I say: Rejoice! Whenever we are feeling discouraged, demoralized, or defeated it is hard to summon up the strength or create the desire to rejoice. Even when there might be a part of us that wants to. Even when we know we are supposed to. There are moments in life when rejoicing feels impossible.

It is impossible to rejoice always when your reason for rejoicing is tied to your circumstances rather than your status. Circumstances are constantly changing. Status is steady. Static. Consistent. Our status is the reason we rejoice always. Let me illustrate.

Imagine you are headed to someone’s house for a Christmas party. You get in your car and get on the road and it’s wide open. Feels pretty great, right? You’re cranking the tunes and you’re making great time and you’ve got a smile a mile wide. You’re rejoicing!

But then, almost out of nowhere, you don’t just spot some traffic. You see cars at a dead stop. You’re moving so slowly, so infrequently you wonder if you should just turn around and go home. You know you’re going to be late for the Christmas party. Your smile is long gone. Now your teeth are grinding. You’re getting more than a little upset. What’s there to rejoice about?

After traveling a quarter mile in 45 minutes, you see why traffic had ground to a halt. There’s a terrible car accident. A school bus flipped. A minivan is totaled. Three cars are an unrecognizable, mangled mess. As you drive by slowly you can see the shock on the faces of the first responders who are still on scene. How are you feeling when you finally arrive at the party?

You wouldn’t say joyful. Shook up, probably. But strangely appreciative of all kinds of little things you would normally overlook. I bet you’d be a little more grateful to see your loved ones. I bet you wouldn’t be so upset that you’re late. I bet you’d have a little more patience for that one relative who tends to irk you normally. You might even be grateful that the aches and pains you feel when you get up from the chair are all you have. Why is that?

Because your eyes have been opened once again to your status. You might be late, but you’re alive. You might not always enjoy the company you keep, but you rejoice that you’ve been kept safe. A frightening brush with death helps you recognize what’s really important.

But that fades too quickly, doesn’t it? Because circumstances eclipse status too easily. That’s why Paul reminds us to rejoice (Php. 4:4) in the Lord. Our joy is because the (Php. 4:5) the Lord is near. We rejoice because we are surrounded by (Php. 4:7) the peace of God.

The Lord has come near to save us. He remains near to encourage us. And he will come nearer still to bring us to be with him in heaven. That is why we rejoice. Because, by God’s grace, we are found in the Lord. Because he has acquired the most precious thing a person can possess—the peace of God. Only when we know we have peace with God can we rejoice in the Lord always.

God himself came near so that we would have reason to rejoice. Remember how his birth was announced that night in Bethlehem?

Angels lit up the night sky. One spoke to the shepherds. (Lk. 2:10) Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. What was that good news that caused great joy for all the people? The Lord had come near. (Lk. 2:11) Today in the town of David, a reason for all to rejoice had been revealed. A Savior has been born to you. He is Christ, the Lord. Christ the Lord had come near to save sinners. The angels rejoiced and praised God by saying (Lk. 2:14) Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to men on whom his favor rests. You know what happened next. The shepherds hurried, because they were filled with joy. And they saw that the Lord had come near. They saw their Savior in swaddling cloths. The Lord was just lying there in the manger. They were filled with joy. Their joy was so intoxicating they likely woke people up from a dead sleep. And they were amazed. And their joy didn’t subside. Even when the shepherd went back to their fields, they continued (Lk. 2:20) glorifying and praising God for all he had done.

That Savior lived the life you could not. He rejoiced in righteousness in moments and ways none of us have or could have. He rejoiced in every moment spent in God’s Word or in God’s house with God’s people. He rejoiced in late nights spent praying to his heavenly Father. He rejoiced in rejecting every temptation—never once feeling that sinful regret we are so accustomed to dealing with when we rebuff unrighteousness. Jesus rejoiced in preaching the truth—even when he was personally rejected. Jesus even rejoiced in suffering and dying for our sins. (Heb. 12:2) For the joy set before Jesus he endured the cross, scorning its shame so that we would have the peace of God.

This is why we rejoice. Because the peace that God has promised has been purchased by the Son of God and conferred upon each of us through faith. Because this Lord rose from the dead and came to his disciples with a message: peace. I have won peace and I give it to you freely.

Because the Lord has come near, we have incredible security. Because the Lord remains near, we are encouraged. We are joyful because we are peace-filled. We rejoice always because we have been loved unconditionally and accepted eternally. No matter what happens to you—good or bad—you know that God loves you. You know that regardless of how much or how little you accomplish in a day, in a week, or in a lifetime, Christ has accomplished everything necessary for your salvation. You know that even when you feel like you are (2 Cor. 4:16) wasting away, God has promised you an eternal glory that surpasses anything you can even begin to conceive of. So rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say: Rejoice!

And there is an incredible thing that happens when you rejoice in the Lord. Not only do you become more content, more joyful, more grateful—you become more winsome. Think about it. When you see someone who is truly happy, you’re often moved to be happy for them, right? When you meet someone who is enduringly joyful—someone who has seen hard times and been through dark valleys—and yet through it all they keep glorifying and praising God for all that he has done, it stands out. That was Paul’s witness in Philippi.

There are so many people in this world, and in our community, who are on the hunt for a reason to rejoice. They maybe think joy will come when they get the right stuff, when they find the right people, or when they’ve accomplished the right things—but you know right where to point them. The Lord. The Lord who brought joy into this world. The Lord who bought peace with his holy precious blood. (Neh. 8:10)The joy of the Lord is our strength; the strength of the Lord is our joy. The Lord who guards your heart and mind has given you a reason to rejoice. So rejoice in the Lord. Always. Amen.