Living Joyfully For Jesus

Introduction

Good morning, brothers and sisters!

What a joyful day it is for us to be gathering together as a church family.

Context

Exposition

READ verses 1-2

Paul begins his letter with a normal introduction and greeting. In our modern day, we usually put our names at the end of an email or a letter, but the ancient world put their names in the beginning. If you do not know Paul, he was formerly known as Saul. He was a Pharisee who murdered Christians in the book of Acts, but Jesus Christ revealed Himself to Paul and he became a Christian. He also introduces another person called Timothy. Timothy was a disciple of Paul, and Paul wrote letters to Timothy in 1 and 2 Timothy while Timothy was pastoring at a church. So, this letter is a normal greeting to the Christians, known as saints. This is not the same as Roman Catholic teaching on saints. Did you know that all Christians are called “saints?” If you’re a Christian, then you are a saint. To be a saint, it means to be holy. In other words, being a Christian means being holy, set apart from the world and for God and His purposes. As saints, Christians are called to be holy as God is holy.

Verses 3-6

Joyous Thanksgiving

One of the problems that I think we have in our culture is the obsession of self. We are generally more narcissistic. We care about our image. We care about our education status. We care about our popularity. And I think, a lot of young people do stuff to gain attention, such as eating tide pods, doing crazy pranks to gain views on youtube and so forth. Paul wrote this letter in prison. He was suffering in prison for his Christian faith. He has all the reason to complain and ask people to pity him. He has many reasons to think about his comfort and his image. However, surprisingly countercultural, if you read through this portion of Scripture, Paul does not even think about himself. Rather, he thinks about others. In verse 4, you may notice that he prays “with joy.” So, in verses 3-6, the 1st point we learn is that living joyfully for Jesus is accompanied with joyous thanksgiving.

In verses 3-4, we learn that joyous thanksgiving is thankful remembrance of others. Notice who Paul thanks. He thanks God. Paul thanks God because God is at work in the Philippians life. He thanks God because it is God who is growing the Christian community in Philippi. What does Paul thank God for? Paul thanks God for PEOPLE. We give thanks for many things in our life. I think most of the time, we thank God for THINGS, which is not wrong. However, how often do you thank God for people? How often do you thank God for your parents? How often do you thank God for your leaders? In fact, do you even thank God for anything or do you simply take his gifts for granted? May I encourage you to always thank God in all circumstances. Also, may I encourage you to start thanking God for people in your life.

In verses 5, we learn that joyous thanksgiving is thankful partnership/fellowship with each other. Paul thanks God for the Philippians because of their partnership in the gospel. Partnership is the same as Fellowship. Fellowship means having mutual interests and commonality of something. Christians gather together for fellowship because of their common relationship with God, common conviction of the gospel, unity in spreading the message of Jesus to the world. As we see here, Paul and the Philippians have fellowship in what? In the Gospel!. Let me keep it simple and remind you: the gospel is the saving message of Jesus Christ. We were born into sin. We were dead in our sins. We commit sins against God. Because of our sins, we were separated from a relationship with God. Because of sin, we need to pay a penalty, which is eternal hell. However, God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners, He sent Jesus Christ into the world to die for our sins on the cross and to pay the penalty for our sins. On the third day, He rose again from the grave and eventually ascended back into heaven. Jesus calls everyone to repent of their sins and to place their faith in Jesus Christ in order to have their sins forgiven and be saved. This is a message that demands our response. That’s the gospel. And it is this gospel that all Christians should have mutual interest and commonality. It is the true gospel where all Christians are united in. So, if you gather together on Sunday or Friday, let me remind you to gather with the mindset that you are here to fellowship in the gospel with other Christians.

In verse 6, we learn that joyous thanksgiving is thankful confidence in God’s work in our lives. When it says “He who began a good work in you,” Paul meant that the good work is the work of conversion, when you became a Christian, when God cause you to be born-again. This is the confidence we can have in God in our salvation. If you have truly trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then have confidence that He will help you to persevere in your faith as you walk with Him faithfully until you meet Jesus face to face. That is Paul’s joyous thanksgiving.

Verses 7-8

The second point I want to make is that living joyfully for Jesus is accompanied with Joyous Affection. We learn that Joyous Affection is Affection from the heart for each other. Let us read verse 7a. Why does Paul have such an affection for the Philippians? Why does Paul hold them dearly to his heart? God used Paul to spread the message of Jesus in Philippi. And, by God’s grace, the church of Philippi grew! So, it is generally true that you will hold in your heart very dearly to those who came to know Jesus Christ under your influence. It is true! I’ve seen people became Christians through my work and influence, and I love and treasure them very dearly. Like you guys, I treasure you very deeply and I think about you guys quite often. For those of you who help out with GO2 or VBS, you may experienced a deep joy and love for the kids who desire to know God because God used you to influence them. Affection for others should not just be those under our influence, but we should have a deep affection for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. These may be odd questions, but they do demand a response, “Do you love each other? Do you hold each other dearly? Do you enjoy spending time with each other and cultivating that affection for each other?” Some of you may feel that you don’t fit in and aren’t drawn to this youth group. Some of you may feel that you have a different personality so you don’t have that affection. But, consider this, what if it is not your personality that primarily draws you closer to each other, but God, the Bible, Gospel, and spiritual life that bring you guys together? I long for a day when the youth group gathers together not just for fun or entertainment, but gathers together because you guys hunger for God and His Word. If you guys hunger for the same thing, then I think that would draw you guys closer together because that’s what Christian living looks like.

Let us read verse 7b. We learn that joyous affection is affection from fellowship. Look at the word “partakers.” So, you have partnership and partakers...in the original language, which is Greek, both are the same root family as Fellowship. Paul holds the Philippians dearly to his heart because of their fellowship with Paul. Here, Paul describes what fellowship looks like. It is suffering together for Christ and His message of the gospel. The Philippians were fellowshipping with Paul during his imprisonment, defense, and confirmation of the gospel. Notice the word, “of grace.” Suffering is God’s grace (not saving grace). Suffering is a gift from God. We see that Philippians 1:29. It is God’s grace because God, in His divine plan, uses suffering to mold us spiritually and our character to become more like Jesus Christ. Just, how did the Philippians fellowship with Paul during his suffering? In Philippians 4:15-16, we see that the Philippians offered prayer for Paul and financial gifts. Perhaps, they were remembering Paul in prison as if they were in prison with him. What must tie Christians together is this passion and joy for the gospel. Nothing else is strong enough to hold us together. Being a Christian means taking pleasure and joy in God who reigns supreme over your life because He rescued you through the message of the Gospel. Make God and the Gospel the reason for your thankfulness, gladness, joy in your fellowship with one another.

Let us read verse 8. We learn that joyous affection is affection that comes from Jesus Christ. As of now, you heard me talk about affection and joy, but maybe some of you are confused as to how Paul can be so affectionate and joyful for the Philippians while he’s in prison. Was he faking his joy? Was he pretentious and idealistic? No. Paul wrote verse 8 through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God ultimately knows if Paul was being pretentious. He says, “God is my witness.” God is watching me. God can testify my words and my deeds. Paul might say, “If you don’t believe me, then God can testify that I yearn for you. I’m not lying!” Why does he say God is my witness? Paul was, in a sense, making an oath or a promise to the Philippians that he has a deep affection for them. Paul longs and yearns for all the Christians at Philippi. Look at Philippians 4:1. He says the same thing. But, where does that affection and joy come from? Paul says, “affection of Christ Jesus.” In other words, Paul is saying that Paul holds them dearly with Christ’s affection. When Paul shows the Philippians a deep affection, it is as if Christ was showing the Philippians that same deep affection. How? Paul is so advanced in his relationship with Christ that it is as if Christ were expressing His love to the Philippians through Paul. It is as if Christ took over Paul. Paul’s affection is exactly the same as Christ’s affection. Paul’s joy is exactly the same as Christ’s joy. That is why biblical joy is not something earthly, and it does not come from within our emotions. Paul’s joy comes from something from the outside. The Holy Spirit gives Paul the joy in Christ in the bearing of the fruit of the Spirit. Remember, joy is the fruit of the Spirit. Joy and affection is not something we can naturally muster in ourselves. It is a kind of joy distinct and different from the world. This joy comes from God. That’s why, even when Christians like Paul go through suffering, hardships, trials, they can experience a deep sense of joy, not in their circumstances, but in God in the midsts of tough times. Are you joyful in God despite the fact that you don’t always get what you get or when you go through sorrows or suffering? Paul is able to be joyful because, in reality, suffering is temporary...earthly life is temporary. There is something more glorious and joyful in the future because He can spend eternity with Jesus Christ. That’s why I exhort you to be joyful because knowing Jesus Christ is eternally and infinitely better than all of our earthly possessions...and Paul will talk about that in chapter 3. That is Paul’s joyous affection.

Verse 9-11

Finally, the third point I want to make is that living joyfully for Jesus is accompanied with Joyous Prayer. Let’s read verses 9-11 because this is Paul’s prayer for the Philippians and for all the Christians.

There are four items we need to consider in Paul’s joyous prayer. First, prayer for abundant love (v.9a). Second, prayer for spiritual knowledge and insight (v.9b). Third, prayer for knowing what is excellent and for purity (v.10a). Fourth, prayer for the coming of Jesus Christ (v.10b - 11). Let me ask you a question: Do you pray like this? Have you ever prayed like this? Paul tells us that there are things more important than our day-to-day needs. Paul tells us that there are things more important to pray about than passing our test, than having a good day in school, and than getting into a good university. Paul does not give the Philippians prayer requests (I’m not saying prayer request is wrong)...rather, again, we see that Paul is thinking about others by praying for the Philippians.

Do you pray for each other that your love for God and for each other would abound and grow? Do you pray for each other that your knowledge of God would increase so that you have the wisdom to discern? Do you pray for each other’s purity? Do you pray that Christ will come back and that you look forward to Him? Please reflect on those questions.

We wrap up this lesson by considering the last phrase. From verses 3-11, Paul teaches us that living joyfully for Jesus is accompanied by joyous thanksgiving, joyous affection, and joyous prayer. He teaches us all this not for his own benefit, not primarily for the Philippians’ benefit, but it is “to the glory and praise of God.” He wrote this passage for the glory of God, to please God, to praise God for what God is doing in the life of Paul and in the Philippians.

Application

1. True fellowship is deeply rooted in God. That’s what joyful living looks like. As I mentioned, it is the passion for the gospel that ties Christians together. So, how can you grow in your passion for the gospel?

Pray. Ask God in faith to give you that passion.

Read the Bible. Discuss how the message of Jesus Christ affects our daily life

Be utterly confidence that the gospel is the only message that saves and gets you into heaven.

Before meeting together next week, pray and ask God to bless our conversations, and that the

conversation we have would honoring to God.

2. Biblical joy comes from God. When we see God, He displays His glory in creation, He displays His love in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, He displays His truth in the Scriptures. And when we see God, it should elevate and affect our hearts to be affectionate for Jesus Christ. When we see Christ, may we say, “God is awesome! God is glorious! God is beautiful!” Indeed, nothing else matter because my joy here on earth is found in Jesus Christ!