Sermon Tone Analysis

THE READING -

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PRAYER

INTRODUCTION

[Illus] The man walked up to my uncle in his front yard and asked, “When you stand before God and he asks you, ‘Why should I let you into my heaven,’ what will you say?”

The answer to that question reveals where our confidence is when it comes to salvation.

Some people appeal to future knowledge.

“Oh, I think I’ll know when the time comes.”

But what makes them so sure?

Some people appeal to moral record.

“Oh, I think I’m a pretty good person so, I think God is going to let me in.” (This is really nothing more than sinful pride in one’s moral identity or good works.)

Some people appeal to moral record.

“Oh, I think God will let me in.

I’m a pretty good person.”

But how do you know?

Others though appeal to religious record.

“Oh, I was baptized.

I went to church.

My daddy was a pastor.

One time, I even read the Bible all the way through.”

(There is sinful pride here as well, but here the sinful pride is in one’s religious good works and that can really trip some people up.)

Others though appeal to religious record.

“Oh, I was baptized.

I went to church.

My daddy was a pastor.

One time, I even read the Bible all the way through.”

But are you certain that you’ve done enough?

[Inter] Are you confident that you will go to Heaven?

What is the grounds for your confidence?

Another way of asking this question is, If you got into Heaven, what would be your reason for rejoicing?

[Context] This morning we come to a new section in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi.

The word “finally” at the beginning of sounds like the letter is coming to a close but Paul wrote more after this “finally” than he did before it.

The word could be translated as “moreover” or “furthermore” and that’s what Paul meant as he moved into a new section of material.

No, by God’s grace, Paul still had more to write for the benefit of the Philippians then as well as for us this morning.

[CIT] This morning we’ll look at verses 1-3 in which Paul commanded the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord, warned them against those who would rob them of that joy, and revealed to them the identity and practices of those who rejoice in the Lord.

[PROP] As we study these verses we’ll see that faith in Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected is the only sure grounds of our confidence, the only true reason for our rejoicing in salvation now and in Heaven to come.

Another way of asking this question, What is your reason for rejoicing?

[TS] {see below}

MAJOR IDEAS

First, let’s notice THE COMMAND: Rejoice in the Lord (v. 1a).

[Exp]

[Exp] This is a clear command that God issues to every Christian, to all of Paul’s brothers and sisters in Christ.

We followers of Jesus are to express our joy, express our gladness, or express our happiness in the Lord Jesus.

[Exp]

That phrase “in the Lord” is an important qualification on this command.

We are not just called to rejoice but to rejoice in the Lord!

How do we do that?

First, let’s think about how we don’t do that.

We don’t rejoice in the Lord by looking to our circumstances.

Most people are slaves to their circumstances.

If their circumstances are good, they’re happy.

If their circumstances are bad, they’re sad.

If they’re enjoying their jobs or marriages, they rejoice.

But if they’re not enjoying those things, they get the mopes.

But rejoicing in the Lord Jesus is to set our joy on a circumstance that will never change; namely, that Jesus lived perfectly, died sacrificially, and rose triumphantly to save us from our sins and bring glory to his Father!

When the house burns down, you won’t be “happy in the house,” but you can be “happy in the Lord” because Jesus lived, died, and rose for you!

That circumstance will never change, so rejoice in the Lord!

We also don’t rejoice in the Lord by looking to others.

People are notoriously unreliable creatures.

Just after they promise to come through, they fail to show up.

Now, it’s not always our fault that we are notoriously unreliable.

We are creatures and we often lack the power to keep our promises no matter what.

I might promise to pick up the kids, but something as simple as a flat tire could keep me from keeping that promise.

That’s why its foolish to set your joy and happiness on other people.

Either intentionally or unintentionally they will let you down.

But rejoicing in the Lord Jesus is to set our joy on Someone who will never let us down.

After all, he lived the perfect life before God that we should have lived.

Although he had no sin, he died the death for our sins that we should have died.

He rose from the dead to newness of life so that through faith in him we too can be counted as dead to sin and alive to God!

Jesus is the One who never lets us down, so rejoice in the Lord!

And we don’t rejoice in the Lord by looking to ourselves.

This is the worst place to find your joy and happiness!

Do you know what the common factor is in all my failures?

ME! I’m the problem!

If you don’t see this about yourself then you are blinded by sinful pride and it will take a miracle of God for your to see yourself for the wretch you are, but you should ask him for that miracle anyway.

You should pray, “Lord, show me that I’m the problem so that I quit looking to my self for happiness and joy and gladness.”

Jesus, however, is not a wretch.

He died to save wretches, but he’s not a wretch.

He has never failed.

He has never gone to sleep with regrets.

He doesn’t look back on mistakes he’s made because he has made no mistakes.

He died for our imperfection but HE IS PERFECT, so rejoice in the Lord!

Now, the specific grounds of our rejoicing in the Lord Jesus is found - this is what we are rejoicing in when we rejoice in the Lord.

Paul writes, “(to) be found in (Jesus)...

Oh this is it!

This is the gospel!

The good news!

That we sinners are declared righteous (i.e., declared perfect) before God, not by keeping the law, but through faith in the perfect Son of God, Jesus Christ, who “knew no sin” but became sin on the cross “so that in (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God,” ().

This is the Doctrine of Justification and it our grounds for rejoicing!

Justification is “God’s declaring a sinful person to be ‘just’ on the basis of the righteousness of Jesus Christ,” (Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms).

Now, if you want to marvel at the justification that God has provided for us in Jesus Christ, you need to read Romans.

Listen to a few excerpts...

Romans 3:23-

Romans 3:21-

Romans 4:25

Romans 5:16-18

[App] This justification - this being declared righteous - through faith in Jesus Christ is the grounds for our confidence in salvation!

[Illus]

It’s the reason we are commanded to rejoice in the Lord!

[App]