Unshakeable Joy

Scripture Invitation

As we prepare our hearts for God's Word, I summon your prayerful consideration to the book of Philippians chapter 4

Bible Passage

Philippians 4:4–7 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.

INTRODUCTION

Church, the Apostle Paul wrote these powerful words while chained in a Roman prison!

Not sitting in a comfortable office with air conditioning!

Not relaxing in his favorite recliner with his feet up!

But CHAINED in a PRISON CELL!

The same man who had been beaten, shipwrecked, and stoned nearly to death!

The same man who had faced opposition at every turn!

The same man who carried what he called "a thorn in my flesh"!

Yet from that dark, damp prison cell comes this audacious command - "REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS!"

And in case you missed it, he says, "I WILL SAY IT AGAIN: REJOICE!"

Paul wasn't suggesting that we occasionally rejoice when everything's going well!

He wasn't recommending joy as an option for the spiritually elite!

He was COMMANDING all believers to maintain a consistent posture of joy REGARDLESS of circumstances!

Can I get a witness in here today?

Application

Now listen here, beloved - we need to understand what biblical joy actually is!

Joy isn't the same as happiness!

Happiness depends on what HAPPENS!

When good things happen, you're happy!

When bad things happen, you're sad!

But JOY - oh, JOY is something deeper!

Something richer!

Something that flows from the Spirit of the living God!

Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of your life!

Joy is the quiet confidence that ultimately everything will work out for His glory!

Joy is determined to praise God in every storm because you know He's still on the throne!

The world can't give you this joy, and the world can't take it away!

Paul says, "REJOICE IN THE LORD!"

Not in your circumstances!

Not in your bank account!

Not in your health!

Not in people's opinions!

But IN THE LORD!

When you rejoice IN THE LORD, you're saying, "My God is bigger than my problems!"

When you rejoice IN THE LORD, you're declaring, "My God is faithful when everything else fails!"

When you rejoice IN THE LORD, you're testifying, "My God turns mourning into dancing!"

Church, Paul knew something about suffering!

He wasn't writing from some ivory tower!

In 2 Corinthians 11, he listed his credentials of suffering:

Five times he received 39 lashes!

Three times beaten with rods!

Once he was stoned!

Three times shipwrecked!

A night and day adrift at sea!

Yet this same man says from his PRISON CELL - "REJOICE ALWAYS!"

How can we cultivate this kind of unshakeable joy?

First, we must remember that God is SOVEREIGN!

Nothing happens in your life that doesn't pass through His hands first!

Job, who lost everything - & I MEAN EVERYTHING - declared, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him!"

The prophet Habakkuk proclaimed, "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior!"

Secondly, we must practice GRATITUDE!

Look at verse 6: "but in every situation, by prayer and petition, WITH THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God."

Even in your pain, you can find something to be thankful for!

There's always a hallelujah somewhere in your situation!

I don't care how dark the night is, there's always something to praise God for!

Your trial may be heavy, but your God is heavier!

Your problem may be big, but your God is bigger!

Thirdly, we must maintain PROPER PERSPECTIVE!

Paul says, "The Lord is near!"

Your suffering is temporary, but God's presence is permanent!

Your pain has an expiration date, but God's promises are eternal!

Your tears may flow for a night, but joy comes in the morning!

Church, we serve a God who specializes in bringing beauty from ashes!

The same God who raised Lazarus from the grave can resurrect joy in your spirit!

The same God who parted the Red Sea can make a way where there seems to be no way!

The same God who provided manna in the wilderness can sustain you in your desert season!

Let me tell you a story!

A few years back, a Pastor visited a sister in the hospital.

Cancer had ravaged her body.

The doctors had given her weeks to live.

But when he walked into that room, she was SINGING praises to God!

He said, "Sister, how can you sing in this condition?"

She looked at him with eyes full of peace and said, "Pastor, either God's gonna heal me on this side, or He's gonna heal me on the other side. Either way, I WIN!"

THAT'S unshakeable joy!

It's not denying the reality of pain!

It's not pretending everything is fine when it's not!

It's choosing to focus on God's faithfulness rather than your fearfulness!

It's choosing to believe God's promises rather than your problems!

And notice what verse 7 promises: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will GUARD your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

That word "guard" is a military term!

It means to stand watch like a marine!

When you choose joy in your suffering, God posts His peace as a guard around your heart and mind!

The enemy may attack your body, your finances, your relationships - but he cannot penetrate the peace of God that stands guard over your heart and mind!

I don't know what you're going through today!

Maybe you got bad news from the doctor!

Maybe your marriage is hanging by a thread!

Maybe your child has gone astray!

Maybe you lost your job!

Maybe bill collectors are calling day and night!

But I came to tell SOMEBODY today that your JOY is not determined by your SITUATION!

Your JOY is determined by your SAVIOR!

And your Savior has OVERCOME THE WORLD!

CLOSING & APPEAL

As I close, remember that joy is not the absence of suffering, but the presence of God in the midst of it!

So no matter what you're walking through today:

Despite the diagnosis you received, there is joy in Jesus!

Despite the bills that are piling up, there is joy in Jesus!

Despite the betrayal you've experienced, there is joy in Jesus!

Despite the rejection that broke your heart, there is joy in Jesus!

Despite the dreams that haven't come true, there is joy in Jesus!

Despite the depression that tries to consume you, there is joy in Jesus!

Despite the failure that makes you feel ashamed, there is joy in Jesus!

Inspite of the grief that weighs heavy on your soul, there is joy in Jesus!

Despite the loneliness that keeps you up at night, there is joy in Jesus!

Despite the addiction that has you bound, there is joy in Jesus!

Despite the fear that paralyzes your progress, there is joy in Jesus!

Despite the uncertainty of the future, there is joy in Jesus!

Despite the mistakes of your past, there is joy in Jesus!

Joy unspeakable and full of glory!

Joy that the world didn't give and the world can't take away!

Joy that flows like a river in the desert places!

Joy that sings in the midnight hour!

Joy that dances in the rain!

Joy that laughs at the impossible!

Joy that stands firm when everything else is shaking!

Hallelujah, there is JOY in Jesus!

And that joy, my brothers and sisters, that joy will be your STRENGTH!

That joy will be your WEAPON!

That joy will be your WITNESS!

That joy will be your WARFARE!

That joy will be your WORSHIP!

So I challenge you today - CHOOSE JOY!

Not because your circumstances deserve it, But because your God commands it, Your spirit requires it, And your testimony demands it!

REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS! AND AGAIN I SAY, REJOICE!