Walk in joy
Walking in Joy.doc SD20
September 23, 2007 File E
WALKING IN JOY
Principles for maintaining your joy
Philippians 3:1-11
“Finally brothers, REJOICE in the Lord! It is not trouble for me to write the same thing to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.”
NLT “Whatever happens, dear brothers and sisters, may the Lord give you joy. I never get tired of telling you this. I am doing this for your own good.”
Joy is the watchword of Philippians!
In the verses that follow we find some principles that help us maintain our joy---help us have a joyful walk
Paul is about to give them some stern warnings and also reveal the dark side of his own past—some warning that will help protect their joyful attitudes…
So they must hear again the importance of being people of outrageous joy! People who laugh in the face of the devil…
No! They don’t ignore, nor do they minimize life’s evils
But they are learning to rejoice in spite of…
Paul again addresses some issues that can rob us of our joy and he gives us some timeless principles for maintaining a joyful attitude…
It comes in the form of warning and encouragement…
Here are three safeguards for protecting your joy!
1. Resist legalistic attitudes
vv-2-3 (GN) Watch out for those who do evil, those dogs, men who insist on cutting the body. …we worship God by his Spirit, and rejoice in our life in Christ Jesus. We do not put any trust in external ceremonies.”
There were those in Philippi (as there are those today) who will attempt to add their own list of “extra biblical” requirements to the performance of religious duty---and call it the way of salvation.
In Paul’s day they said that even the gentiles had to go through certain ceremonies of cleansing (such as circumcision) in order to be truly saved…
Paul is serious about this—he calls them “dogs”
They were Christian Pharisees—who laid extra requirements on people that had nothing to do with salvation or growth or the matters of the heart
It was outward religion without inward change!
It was ritual without reality
It was tradition without value
It was rules without reason
It was law without grace
That is what legalism is
Setting yourself up for failure because you cannot keep the very rules you have set for yourself—thinking they will make you more loveable in God’s sight…more acceptable!
And then you look at others who are not living up to your standards and judging their level of spiritual growth and commitment by your standard rather than encouraging them through God’s word and the message of grace and mercy which have come through Jesus Christ
Today it comes in the form of doing certain religious observations—or if it is not in the form of requirements for salvation we think that in order to receive God’s unmerited favor we have to somehow earn it!
As if a child has to grow up before he can be loved by his father…
Paul reveals his own background in order to illustrate the danger of legalism--
He gives us five examples:
1. You begin to trust in rituals v.5 “circumcised the 8th day”
We have our own rituals today. Baptism, communion, catechism, baby dedicated, regular church attendance. If you fall into this trap, trusting these for your salvation, you're in trouble.
There is nothing at all wrong with them—but you cannot count on the ritual to get you to heaven—or even to make you acceptable to God—you don’t’ get baptized to make God love you—you do it because it honors Him and simply is the right thing to do --- When you love the Lord you obey the Lord!
2. You trust in race or heritage v.5 “of the tribe of Benjamin, of the stock of Israel,”
Benjamin was the purest tribe. Paul was named after the first king, Saul, who was a Benjamite. Paul says he used to trust in his heritage.
Have you ever heard anyone say, "Daddy's a Christian... My mom was a believer... My uncle was a pastor." You can get religion by osmosis but you can't get Christ by osmosis.
You are not a Christian because you were raised by Christian parents—your Mom and Dad cannot give you a relationship with God! Your heritage or race will not gain you favor with God---it is your life and responsibility to develop faith in God and trust Christ s your savior and live what you believe!
3. You trust in religion v.5 “a Hebrew of Hebrews,…”
Paul was a religious person. Jesus has nothing to do with religion except He's 100% opposed to it. Religion is man's attempt to get to God. Works.
Jesus Christ is God's attempt to get to man.
That's a relationship and that's a big difference.
4. You trust in rules v.5 “in regard to the law, a Pharisee…”
Paul kept all the rules. We use the term Pharisee as a synonym of hypocrite—but there were many sincere people who thought that by keeping all the rules and making others keep the rules they could earn favor with God
The Pharisees of Jesus’ day had taken the 10 commandments and expanded them to 619…Nobody could keep track of them much less obey all of them…
And they were legalists! A Pharisee would not even eat an egg if it were laid on the Sabbath, because that was work…
I am surprised they didn’t stone the chicken for working on the Sabbath.
What rules do you have that you think will get you on an inside track with God???
5. You trust in your reputation (legalistic attitudes) v6 “concerning zeal, persecuting the church, concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless…”
Today we have people saying, "I read the Bible, I witness, I go to church..." That's legalism.
The point is there is nothing wrong with any of these things. The problem is thinking that they give me points with God.
And they don't. He loves you unconditionally.
The point is -- Christianity is not a list of negatives—
“don’t do this or that!”
There are some warnings that God gives for our protection but it is all for our GOOD!!!!
If Christianity were a bunch of don’t then a dead person would qualify as a Christian -- they don’t do anything!
Romans 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit."
Here is a safeguard to put in your life:
Live every day by grace!
Grace is the key to joy. The two words go together. They have the same root word in Greek.
To realize that everything God does in you and through you is by grace, rather than working for it and earning it. Grace is the secret of joy.
Paul was the super-legalist and he realized that it was nothing but a pile of rubbish---all that he had done to gain God’s favor was worthless---
2. REEVALUATE YOUR ACTIVITIES
A lot of people are looking for joy in all the wrong places. He compares the value of religion to the value of a relationship to Christ. There is no comparison. He had been a very religious
person, but he was lost.
V. 7-8 "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ."
All the things he talked about he considered complete loss, worthless.
The translators here are being polite, delicate. "Garbage" and "rubbish" are not the words. The word in Greek is the word for "dung", "manure".
SAFEGUARD #2: KEEP YOUR PRIORITIES IN PERSPECTIVE
There was so much that Paul did that he now considered worthless.
What are we doing to day that will end up on the dung heap of tomorrow???
We must keep our priorities in perspective!
It is hard to keep the important thing the important thing in a world that keeps drawing us way to values that are worthless…things that with the passing of time will be of no value.
“Store up for yourself treasure in heaven”
[Video clip]
Know what is important! Don't lose your joy over things that really don't count. The number one reason people lose their joy is they misplace their priorities. They get too involved in things that really aren't that important.
In v. 8, Paul points out that life consists of trade-offs. That's an important lesson you must learn in life. He said he gave up something in order to gain something else.
He gave up his religion in order to have a relationship.
As I said, the number one reason why people don't have joy is misplaced priorities. They are afraid that they are going to have to give up something in order to become a Christian. And they're right! When you come to Jesus Christ you give up everything you've got. Otherwise you're not a real Christian.
It is total commitment.
And then you've never had it so good! What I got is worth more than everything I gave up.
You give up guilt and gain a clear conscious.
You give up worry and gain a power for living.
You give up frustration and lack of purpose in life and
gain real meaning and purpose in life.
You give up going to hell and gain going to heaven.
You gave up trying to solve all your problems in your own power and gain having the resources of God to help solve your problems.
That's a pretty good trade-off!
Jim Elliot said, "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep for that which he cannot lose."
What are you afraid of giving up for God? If you become a Christian, get really committed to Christ, really live for Jesus Christ, what are you afraid is going to change in your life that you
don't want to give up?
Whatever that is, that is the very thing that is robbing your joy.
3. (lastly) REFOCUS YOUR AMBITIONS
v.10 I want to KNOW Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his suffering, becoming like him in his death.”
Joy comes from knowing Christ better and better!
When we cease developing our relationship with Christ!
When we stop the disciplines of the Christian life!
When we neglect our personal devotional time with Him!
…WE ARE LIMITING OUR CAPACITY FOR JOY AND GIVING PLACE FOR THE ENEMY TO ATTACK US.
Paul says the number one goal of his life—is not to win the world, or build great churches, or make a name that will be remembered or to write the NT…He says the number one goal is to know Christ!
The Amplified version describes this value more clearly. "For my determined purpose is that I may know Christ -- that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with
Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more strongly and more clearly."
This kind of knowledge is personal and progressive -- it's continual and ongoing.
There is a big difference between knowing and knowing about.
SAFEGUARD #3: GET TO KNOW CHRIST BETTER AND BETTER.
Never stop growing and developing your relationship with Christ.
The moment we stop growing, we're going to start lose our joy.
Paul is nearing the end of his life. He has known Christ for years, but the one passion that resonates in his heart now is not past experience but present desire!
He wants to know Him more! Better!
Where is your desire!
How is your joy??? Have you been losing your joy? Has your relationship with Christ become dull, routine, no life in it???
Is one of these kill-joys the culprit?
Legalism? Have you been substituting rules and regulations and duty and service, … “If I do this God will love me more…”
Let me ask you a question? Have you really put your trust in Christ???
You attend church. You tithe and give to good causes. Your good deeds far outweigh your bad ones…but let me ask you…Have you put your trust in Christ??? Do you trust Him today???
Maybe you've never trusted Christ because you're a religious person. You're trusting religious heritage. Maybe you're trusting in keeping the rules. But Paul says when it comes to knowing
Christ none of that really counts.
You can be religious and not know Christ!!!
Have you actually talked to Him and began a relationship with Him through faith in his sacrifice and faith in His word???
Materialism can make your joy go away too?
Have you been losing joy because you are looking to stuff and things to fill the void---it hasn’t worked has it?
Isn’t it time to ask the Lord to fill you with the Holy Spirit and with Joy!
The joy of the Lord is your strength
v.1 “finally brothers and sister, rejoice in the Lord!”
Jesus, I want to know you!
Take the time!
Talk to Him!
Trust him fully!
WALKING IN JOY
(Principles for maintaining joy)
Philippians 3:1-11
"Finally my brothers, REJOICE in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same thing to you again, and it is a safeguard for you." (vs. 1)
THREE SAFEGUARDS FOR KEEPING YOUR JOY
I. RESIST ______________________________
"Watch out for those who do evil, those dogs, men who insist on cutting the body. ... we worship God by his Spirit, and rejoice in our life in Christ Jesus. We do not put any trust in external ceremonies." vs. 2-3 (GN)
SAFEGUARD #1:
Paul's Background: vs. 4-6 -- Five Examples of legalism:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
II.REEVALUATE________________________________
"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ..."vs. 7-8
SAFEGUARD #2:
III. REFOCUS_________________________________________
"I want to KNOW Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his suffering, becoming like him in his death." v. 10
SAFEGUARD #3:
