The Secret to Joy
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Philippians 4:4-13.
So if you have your bibles with you
You can go ahead and turn there now
The instruction within this passage of Scripture
has the potential to be life changing.
So hang onto your “hats and glasses”
as we discover the secret of Joy.
Philippians 4:4-9, (NIV)
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
This is the Word of the Lord
More than any other book of the Bible,
Philippians speaks to us about joy.
But as I have shared before,
the circumstances
surrounding the apostle Paul as he wrote this letter
were dire.
Moreover,
the original recipients,
the Philippian Christians,
were dealing with intense persecution
and were suffering greatly.
Paul was in prison facing possible execution.
These are not the usual circumstances
in which joy is associated.
Oh yay!
I might be fed to the lions today!
Rejoice.
However,
through Paul’s encouraging words to the Philippians,
God has a very important message for us today.
The Secret to Lasting Joy
The Secret to Lasting Joy
1. The secret to lasting joy is not pursuing happy circumstances.
Joy is not an uplifting feeling that comes and goes
as life’s situations allow.
Joy is not just something that some people “get” to have.
No,
Philippians 4:4 states,
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Always?
Always?
Does it really say “always”?
That simple little word gives me so much hope!
Why?
Because it indicates that “always” is possible.
Paul demonstrated
that such lasting joy is real.
From his prison cell
he rejoiced through his dark,
lonely, and painful situation.
The joy Paul had
defies every condition.
We learn in the book of Acts that Paul experienced
incredible hardship as he shared the good news about Jesus.
His encounter with God was so life changing
and so important to him
that he didn’t let anything get in his way
of sharing the wonderful truth of Jesus’ grace
and forgiveness to all who would listen.
Thousands of people came to faith through his efforts
but his ministry efforts
were fraught with difficulty.
He was beaten,
thrown in prison several times,
shipwrecked,
slandered,
persecuted,
and even stoned once and left for dead.
In 2 Corinthians 6: 3-10 he professes (NIV),
We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
Paul’s friends in Philippi
knew of his struggles and sacrifice
and to them he declares,
“rejoice in the Lord- always…
again I say rejoice.”
In other words,
there is a kind of joy that transcends
circumstances and outcomes.
That my friends is the kind of power
Jesus is inviting you to tap into.
Theologian Marshal Segal explains,
“Never settle for a god
who cannot satisfy you in a prison cell.
If you only enjoy God when life seems good,
follow Paul’s joy with me through Philippians
to something more precious than gold,
even much fine gold,
something sweeter than honey —
and anything else you might enjoy in this life.”
End Quote
I hope this message sounds familiar to you church.
We have touched on this in one way or another
throughout this sermon series.
I repeat these truths,
just as Paul repeats them,
because they are some of the hardest to digest
and live out.
We live in a world that tells us to
pursue happiness by obtaining more…
more…
more…
always more…
but more is never enough
to truly satisfy is it church?
It is never enough
to give us lasting joy.
King Solomon seemed to have it all.
All the world praised him for his wisdom.
People came from afar to marvel at his wealth,
his palace, his fine horses,
his chariots, and his gold.
He was handsome and had a harem
full of beautiful wives.
His knowledge was expansive.
Surly, of all men,
Solomon had lasting joy.
At the end of his life
he must have looked back with satisfaction
and said, this is it guys-
if you can get all this
you will have joy.
But no.
The old and dying Solomon confesses,
“’Meaningless! Meaningless!...
Everything is meaningless” (Ecl. 1:1)
He calls his life’s pursuit of happiness and purpose-
meaningless,
like chasing after the wind.
We read his final conclusion
in Ecclesiastes 12:1 and (NIV):
Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”—
Ecclesiastes 12: 6-7
Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the wheel broken at the well,
and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Remember your creator God.
Remember your creator God.
Friends,
the secret to obtaining lasting joy
is not in pursuing happy circumstances.
Instead,
2. The secret to obtaining lasting joy is in drawing near to God.
The world will tell you that God is far away.
He doesn’t care about you or your situation.
He is some distant power.
He is a rule crazy authoritarian
who wants to breath down your neck
and whip you into submission.
They ARE WRONG.
God loves you.
He knows everything about you,
every hidden thought,
every wayward decision, every sin.
And yet
He still wants you.
He wants to lavish you with the kind of love
that nothing and no one else can ever supply.
He wants to be with you in every good moment
and in the depths of your darkest hour.
He wants to use those moments to strengthen you-
to grow you- to empower you
to be more than you could ever imagine.
Thus,
God became one of us,
He died in your place.
Jesus took upon Himself
the penalty of your sin.
Why would He do that?
So that nothing
would be able to separate you from Him.
Friends,
draw near to God
because He is there waiting-
longing to be near to you.
Philippians 4:5b-7 states,
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Talk to Him,
lay your heart bare before Him.
Then as 1 Peter 5:7 urges,
“Cast all your care on Him,
because He cares about you.”
Are you burdened this morning?
Are you facing a load you cannot carry on your own?
Today is the day to surrender it to God.
I promise you,
God is big enough,
He is strong enough to carry it for you.
Friends,
allow Him to defend you
and know that He can replace
your fear and anxiety
with a real
lasting peace. (pause)
There is a secret to contentment
that we touched on a few weeks ago
Paul revisits it again here
Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV),
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Paul is not talking about
“the power of positive thinking”
“the power of positive thinking”
as if inside of us
we have some godlike quality on our own
that we just need to tap into
to do all things well.
No. as pastor and speaker
Louie Giglio shares,
“It’s not coming out of the power of positive thinking,
its coming out of the power of positive rooting.
(long pause to let them digest that)
It’s not coming out of
I’ll just think positive thoughts
and then I’ll be more joyful,
no its coming from someone who is saying
‘I was in prison at midnight
beat up for my faith.
And I still had joy.
I still had what I needed.
You know why?
Because God,
allows me to experience through Christ
the strength I need
no matter what’s going on.
I’ve been hungry and I have been well fed.
I’ve been in plenty and I’ve been in need.
I’ve been up against it
and I’ve been moving in the power of the Spirit.
I know what it’s like to be shipwrecked on Malta.
I know what its like to be under house arrest,
to go through the struggle,
and I am telling you
there is a secret
and the secret is this-
I can do ANYTHING through Christ
who gives me strength.’
The message this morning isn’t
that you need to get enough strength
to be joyful.
The message is that
Jesus is enough strength for you.”
End Quote
Draw near to Him church.
Draw near. (long pause)
Drawing near to God,
allowing Jesus to guard your heart and mind
is key to living out the rest of the instructions
in our passage this morning
which does include instructions
to engage in positive thinking.
But take note of the order of
3. The next secret to obtaining lasting joy is telling yourself the truth.
Paul’s directions.
Paul’s directions.
First,
1. Allow Jesus to guard your heart and mind.
Draw near to Him and allow Him to empower you.
Second,
2. Engage in positive- truthful thinking.
Read again with me Philippians 4:8-9, (NIV)
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
You see church
Throughout his letter,
Paul reveals the importance of maintaining
a balance between allowing God to work in us
and our need to respond to that work.
Philippians 2:13 indicates,
for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
“For it is God who works in you
to will and to act
in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
That brings us to our final point this morning,
3. The next secret to obtaining lasting joy is telling yourself the truth.
William Backus
and Marie Chapian’s opening to their book,
Telling Yourself the Truth,
is truly meaningful
and so I want to read it to you:
“There’s something in all of our lives
we’d like to change.
Nobody’s life circumstances are perfect.
But what are we telling ourselves
about these circumstances?
A few years ago, a man we’ll call Jerry
was a wreck of a man.
He was a Christian
and had believed in God most of his life.
Now however,
after 15 years of marriage,
he was forced to live alone,
separated from his family
and facing a divorce he didn’t want.
He thought it was the end of the world.
He was really miserable.
He spent many evenings
trying to anesthetize his painful feelings
with liquor.
He was so unhappy
he wanted to die
because he just couldn’t see
any other way out of such sad circumstances.
Finally, he decided to see
a Christian psychotherapist for help.
Once in therapy,
he gradually began to see
that his life didn’t have to be over.
He stopped thinking about taking his own life,
and his faith in God began to stretch.
He started thinking of God
as a giver of good.
He came to know Him in a new dimension,
and little by little,
his life changed.
He explained it this way.
‘One day while I sat groveling in my sorrows,
I listened to the words I had been telling myself,
things like,
Oh what’s the use?
I’m all alone.
Nobody loves me or cares about me.
Nobody wants to be with me.
I’m rejected and useless…
Suddenly I was shocked.
I thought,
what am I telling myself anyhow?’
Jerry questioned his self-talk.
He recognized something radically wrong
with what he had been telling himself
and realized his depression was not due
to his impending divorce or circumstances,
but what he was telling himself about it.
As a result
he began to change the sentences he said to himself.
This took some hard work
and determination on his part.
It wasn’t easy at first,
but because he refused to be a ‘chump’
to a pack of self-destroying lies,
he taught himself to confess the truth-
Instead of telling himself
I’m a failure and no good.
He Said
My marriage failed,
But I am deeply loved by God.
Therefore, I am important.
Instead of telling himself
I’m so lonely and miserable.
He Said
God is always with me.
I may feel lonely
But I am never truly alone.
Instead of telling himself
I’m separated from my family
and there’s no joy anymore for me.
He Said
I’m separated from my family
And that hurts.
But I can function even though I hurt.
He also stopped drinking completely.
He argued with the destructive sentences
he had been telling himself.
‘I may feel lonely
but I am never truly alone.
God is with me.’
He told himself the truth
and used his situation
as an opportunity to celebrate,
enjoy, and revel
in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in his life.
His circumstance hadn’t changed,
but what he told himself changed!
He discovered that he had been telling himself
a lot of lies, straight from the devil.”
End Quote
The author of deception,
the enemy of our soul,
is very good at his craft.
It is unbelievable
the amount of pain and suffering we experience
due to deceptive thinking.
These misbeliefs are often the cause
of our emotional and behavioral problems such as:
Depression
Anger
Anxiety
Lack of Self Control
Self Hate
Spirit of Suicide and
Fear of Change
Persistent painful feelings
and addictions
are contrary to God’s will.
He does not want us to suffer.
God wants us to have lasting joy!
(Look up at your bunch of colorful balloons)
Balloons make me think of joy.
I remember when my son was little,
the joy he would get playing with balloons
was wonderful.
This morning,
consider how your joy is impacted
by the lies you have been telling yourself …
(Take ahold of one of the balloons
and pop it after each lie bellow)
-The tired stay at home Mom
tells herself after having lost it
for the third time that day,
“My children make me furious.
No wonder I have such a low tolerance level.
It’s not my fault I lose my temper at them.” (POP)
-The stressed-out husband tells himself
as his mind wanders to lustful thoughts
for the tenth time that day,
“This is normal for men.
It’s not my fault, I was born this way.” (POP)
-The wife who worries that her husband is being unfaithful.
She tells herself,
“If I were slim
he’d never look at other women.
I am just not enough for him.
I can’t lose weight
when every day
he wants me to cook him fattening foods.
It’s impossible.” (POP)
-“I’m just not good enough.
They will always think ill of me.
I should just stop trying.” (POP)
-“Life is just too hard.
They would all be better off
if I were dead.” (POP)
NO-NO-NO-NO!
Lies.
Don’t you believe them.
Romans 12:2 states,
Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.
So right about now
you probably have one of your fabulous questions,
“But pastor
how do I do that,
how do I change my thinking?
I am so glad you asked.
Here are
Three possible steps to winning your personal battle for truth:
Three possible steps to winning your personal battle for truth:
i. Locate your deceptive thoughts.
ii. Remove them.
iii. Replace your deceptive thoughts with God’s truth.
In our earlier story about Jerry
we were introduced to a man
overwhelmed by depression
as he faced the fall out of an unwanted divorce.
Thankfully,
Jerry identified the lies he had been believing:
I’m a failure and no good.
I’m so lonely and miserable.
I’m separated from my family and there’s no joy anymore for me.
Locating or recognizing the lies
that you are telling yourself as Jerry did is not easy.
No one else can do it for you.
You can’t just push an ‘easy’ button
and presto
your misbeliefs are gone.
Transforming your life will take the hard work
of changing the lies and misbeliefs
which your life experiences
have taught you to accept.
Thankfully,
we never have to go through
this difficult process alone!
Because as we learned earlier
in Philippians 4:5,
“The Lord is near.”
Jesus will be with you
and strengthen you
every step of the way.
Removing the lies that you identify
isn’t easy either.
One technique that has helped me
is actually a combination of both
removing the lies
and replacing them with truth.
I start by cutting deceptive thinking short.
When I realize that the thoughts I am experiencing
at any given time are untrue,
I cut them short
and then replace them with God’s truth instead.
I find repeating scripture to myself
to be the most effective.
I call this the,
“Put off-
Put on technique.”
For example…
The lie I struggle with the most
is that “I am not enough.”
My experiences since childhood
have reinforced this untruth.
So when my son turns to his mother
to help him understand his schoolwork
instead of asking me,
the lies start playing in my head…
“See even your son thinks
you are inadequate.
At 13 he is already disappointed by you.
Because you ARE a disappointment.
You just aren’t good enough.
You don’t deserve his admiration.”
The longer I allow the thought process to continue
the worse the accusations and feelings
of inadequacies become.
So I must use the ‘put off-
put on technique’
when the first lie runs through my head.
I Locate the lie:
“see even your son
thinks you are inadequate,”
Then ‘put off’ the lie
by cutting that train of thought short.
Next
I replace the lie
with God’s truth.
Such as:
“God has loved me
with an everlasting love
and drawn me with loving kindness.”
And:
“There is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
And, “In my weakness
He is made strong.”
I then remind myself of the truth
concerning the situation,
“Your son loves you.
It is wonderful
that he has such a close relationship
with his mother.
It is a great thing
that he has such an amazing woman
to pour into his life.”
By cutting the lies off
as soon as I recognize them,
I stop myself
from spending an afternoon of brooding
and instead,
I get the joy
of watching my son
and my wife
spend time together.
Instead of the lies that steal your joy,
“brothers and sisters,
whatever is true,
whatever is noble,
whatever is right,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable—
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
think about such things.”
And like a flood,
God will fill you with Joy
(open the box and let the balloons flood out and into the air.
Take a long pause so people can enjoy the spectacle of them floating up).
Let us pray
