Sermon – “Rejoice in the Lord Always”

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. 10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

This morning. I will continue or I’ll complete I’m going to continue but complete the series through Phillip eons. This will be the fifth Sabbath that we’ve worked into the preach from or worked in Philippians and. Chapter two. I had two messages out of there. So this morning will complete with Chapter four rejoice in the Lord always and you know we can all sit back and say you know it is so easy to rejoice. Whenever things are going well in our lives when things are going right. But when times get tough when times are hard when things are going our way it’s not always easy to rejoice is it but we tend to forget the reason for rejoicing our true reason for rejoicing the believer’s joy comes from the Lord who is always nearest no matter the circumstances in our lives. He is always near he will never leave us nor for sake us. So I’m going to go all around this rejoicing thing. The whole sermon this morning is also about. So if Libyans for Versus for through thirteen so on the board. So kids help me out here. So rejoice in the Lord sometimes and again I say in a way that right. Rejoice in the Lord. Always rejoice in the Lord always again I will say rejoice. I might not get any further notice. Paul thought that so important that he repeated it twice. Rejoice in the Lord always and again in case you didn’t get that the first time I say rejoice you think Paul was trying to get a point across here. Yes. Again I say rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men the Lord is at hand be anxious for nothing but in. Anything 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 minds through Christ Jesus. Finally Brother and whatever things are true. Whatever things are noble whatever things are just whatever things are pure whatever things are lovely whatever things or of good report. If there is any virtue if any if there is anything praiseworthy meditate on these things the things which you learned and received and heard and saw and made these do and the God of peace will be with you but I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last. Your care for me has flourished again. There you surely did care but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I know how to be a based on know how to abound everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and to suffer in aid. I can do all things through Christ who through who strengthens me. When you look at that those three verses right there. He has learned to be content. Whenever he has a base when he has little when he is in need and he has learned to be content when he has great amount and you know some might say well. Well that’s easy to be content when you have a bound. But sometimes those that abound need him as much if not more than those that have little because you still need him to guide you and how to be faithful with what he has given you when you abound. So you got to be content when you a base when you have much but it all is through Christ you will never have to content minute. Whether you have little or whether you have. A lot without Christ. There is only one way to be content and that is through Christ. There was a man named Charles Wagner who once said Joy is not a thing. It is in us. I think the Apostle Paul understood that that’s what he’s saying here it is in us it is Christ in us Paul knew what it meant to be filled with joy he knew what it meant to be able to rejoice always. Or passage in Philippians is one that has been quoted so many times it’s such a memorable scripture there are songs written about it. Rejoice in the Lord all ways and again I say rejoined rejoice in the Lord all ways and again I say rejoins rejoined and again I say. The joys of this region and again I say rejoins see we know it is so memorable. I don’t know that I’ve ever broken though a song before you can buy get down with ours a first. I don’t say please never do it again. Please never do it again right. The spite of Paul’s troubles as a Jewish Christian evangelist and church planner he felt the joy of God deep in his heart even while he was in chains. Paul could rejoice in Acts sixteen verse twenty three through twenty five they had been captured for preaching the gospel message had stripes put upon her back and thrown in prison. It says and when they had laid many stripes on them they threw them into prison commanding the jailer to keep them surely having received such a charge he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in stocks. But had midnight. Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the prisoners were listening listening. Wow. Beaten thrown into prison and are saying in rejoicing praising God because while we have been thrown into prison because of our witness for Christ. How many here has a faith that if US thrown in jail for witnessing you could see how I’m going to praise the Lord because I’ve been thrown in jail. All right. I had one hand go up. All right to dance. So if you ever wondered why is it. Why is this some Christian seems to have said great joy. It just flows out of them. I mean it’s just you can see it in and they have great joy. While others seem to have very little joy. While those that have great joy are like Paul because they know that their joy is not connected to the circumstances they are in a man I got in a man out that it’s not because of our circumstances I think Paul as addressing to the Philippine church when he said The Lord is near the Lord is near. That’s where our joy comes from the Lord is near now was Paul saying that the Lord is near is it’s close of the time that he’s coming back or is he. Meaning that the Lord is near in His Spirit the Holy Spirit. I believe he meant that the Holy Spirit is with us. It is near us all the time and Jesus Christ God has drawn near to his people to draw near to his people those who believe in him. You know I believe God’s word to be absolutely true. I believe every word is true because God cannot lie and I believe that this is an inspired word of God so I hold it to be true. I consider it a promise. So if his words tells us that he will be. Neer. I believe that he is with us to be filled with the promises of God is to realize that the joy within us again is not a thing that we can grasp. It’s not that wonderful blessing we may have received but it is something that is inside of us. You do not grab for it it grabs you when the Holy Spirit gets a hold of you it grabs you. It is for this reason that Paul can say Rejoice always pray without ceasing give thanks. In all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Church. I can say that thus saith the Lord. This is the will of God for you that you will rejoice always that you will pray without ceasing that you will give thanks. In all circumstances that first this alone aeons five sixteen to eighteen. That is God’s will for the church. That we were Joyce always we as Christians rejoice because we know the source of our joy. Is not of ourselves. It is not based on our circumstances but our joy comes from the Lord can you say this morning that the joy of the Lord floods my soul fills my soul. Can you say that the some morning. I meant a man I got all of a heads not an air. Thank you that you can say that. That the joy of the Lord floods my soul. You know there are times in our lives truly that will experience such great joy because of some good fortune. We we may have received. You know it may have been a monetary blessing. But it may have been the good news of a coming child. I know that Jennifer has a wonderful dear friend that she and her husband tried for many years to have a child and twenty two the adoption process and everything else to try to. Get a child and then finally she can save the NE have a child. The little child is maybe six months old now. Not even two months old. OK. Not even two months old now but she’s rejoicing. She’s full of joy because they have a new child and I’ll say from personal experience the great joy that I felt whenever I heard those words you’re going to be a grandpa. And I heard those words from both daughters the same day one time you’re going to be a grandpa. And that’s when the two eight year olds were announced. You know great joy in my heart great joy in our hearts. I think she knew before I did she didn’t let on. But you know it could be that new job gives us great joy it can bring us joy it could be a new relationship that we’ve experienced I could go on and on there are so many things that can bring us joy but our joy in a service sometimes can be turned from joy one day to sadness the very next can it. Because today we can experience some good news. Tomorrow we might have a tragedy in our lives an accident or an illness that we just found out about that can happen. That’s why our true joy that able the ability to rejoice comes from something that’s in our hearts something deep in our hearts it comes from that personal relationship with Jesus Christ the joy of knowing that we are redeemed by him that he paid the price for ma debt for your debt that we are redeemed by the Blood of Jesus Christ the joy in anticipation of the promise of eternal life gives us joy. That’s something that no one can take away from us. You know the devil might try to steal many things away from us by. I’m here today to tell you there is one thing you cannot take and that is your faith he cannot take that assurance that we have in Jesus Christ he might destroy this body but he cannot take your salvation away from you. He cannot take it so you have that promise of eternal life. If you have Jesus Christ in your heart today. Sure you of that because what God’s Word declares it. You know I’ve heard of some wonderful things going on here recently I’ve heard testimony of a person that had a loved one in the hospital and they were out walking just trying to get their mind around things the person was actually hooked up to the ventilator thanks what the testimony I heard say was out walkin and some members of the church the church out. So you know where I mean or seen that person are you OK. He said well I have a loved one. They just opened up and shared what was going on. They said Can we put you on or paralysed and they did and they prayed with that person right there the very next day that person was off the ventilator and on the road to recovery that person went back to that church and shared. We received a miracle. We had a was visiting with a former pastor of ours and his wife who’s a pastor and they were sharing how they were out to dinner before they. Made their or placed the order they said we’re praying people. Is there anything you’d like for us to pray with you about. And this person opened up and said Yeah she was going through a tragedy in her life. I think in a relationship and this opens up and they prayed with her right there with a seen her out at a different and a different setting that she come runnin up and shared what the Lord had done and their lives how he brought healing into that relationship. God is doing a wonderful thing. God is working. God is moving and church we want to be a part of it be faithful to pray be faithful to ask people can we pray with you. What do you need you need prayer. God is doing a new thing I think he’s doing a great thing. Yes we want to be a part of it but all the signs all the signs that we may see and hear about that we may do. There are magnificent and they deserve praise they he deserves the receive the honor for and it’s an awesome thing God is an awesome powerful god but Jesus said do not rejoice in these things do not rejoice about the pair that you received over the enemy. Listen to what Jesus said we should rejoice about. Luke ten seventeen through twenty. And Jesus had given the disciples power to go out in he’ll go out and deliver from the enemy then the seventy return with joy saying Lord even the demons are subject to was in your name and he said to them. I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold I give you the authority to trample to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you but Jesus says this. Nevertheless do not read Joyce in this that the spirits are subject to you but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. How do you rejoice because your names are written in the Outlands book of life. To be in that number the lands book of life is all the success. All the joy that any one needs. We need not strive for because it is already being given to us as a gift. Amen is a Gift of The Promise when we set our minds on the things above and not on the temporal things of this earth. We will find that true joy. We will be able to rejoice in all things when we set our minds on the things of heaven when we seek our true home our heavenly home and not this home. We will experience true joy when Christians lose the ability to celebrate the joy of joy in life they have missed the greatest blessing of our faith. When Jesus preached a sermon on the Mount. He says something very surprised. Into his listeners and Matthew five eleven three twelve blessid or you want people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely Oh my count. How many people would get mad at this point when people revalue when people persecute you. Thank you. How many is going to get mad and get upset. I hope you would say yes I would because Jesus says Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven for in the same way they persecuted a prophets who were before you. They were they persecuted the prophet so we should rejoice. As Paul did when were persecuted Isaiah sixty one ten says I will greatly rejoice in the Lord my soul shall be joyful in my God for He has clothed me with the garment of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness as a bridegroom deck of himself with ornaments and as a bride adorn of herself with her jewels. He has he has closed us. It is HIS righteousness that is closed to us the MADE US whole made us whiter than snow we can rejoice in that and Soames ninety six I was saying to the Lord a new song saying to the Lord all the earth saying to the Lord bless his name proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day declare his glory among the nations His wonders among all peoples for the Lord is GREAT and greatly to be praised. He is to be feared. Above all gods for all the gods of the peoples are idols. But the Lord made the heavens honor and majesty or before him strength and beauty or in his sanctuary give to the Lord of families of the peoples give to the Lord glory and strength give to the Lord the. Laurie do his name. Bring an offer and comment to his chords. Oh worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness tremble before him all the earth our faith in Christ is our source of joy. It is how we rejoice without the Lord that would really be a reason to rejoice. But with him. There is countless reasons to rejoice countless reasons to be thankful countless reasons to be content and to be at peace because we truly think of what he has in store for us the things this world will grow strangely do when we set our minds on the things he has prepared verses eight nine that are read flip INS is vital to have the ability to rejoice always Finally Brother whatever things are true. Whatever things are noble whatever things are just whatever things are pure whatever things are lovely whatever things are of good report. If there is any virtue. If there is anything praiseworthy meditate on these things. Think about that for a moment. Meditate on these things we are to meditate upon the Word of God When we meditate upon that daily. We’ve all probably went through a spell where we’ve felt like we’re out in the desert. It’s kind of driving really not hearing from you lately or well would probably be shocked he says well you haven’t Oh my word lately have you because when we meditate upon the word of the Lord when we meditate in prayer speaking to him and listening to him he is faithful he will fill us. He will give us that newness. That understanding it will give us at peace in our heart that passes all understanding. Paul said the things which you have learned to receive and heard in May and saw in me these do and the peace of God will be with you do you want to overcome the stress overcome the worry you want to overcome the burdens and the cares that weigh you down then meditate upon the things of God and you ever calm all the sayings that come against you. Again first us and said Rejoice always and pray without ceasing give thanks. In all circumstances for this is the will of God and Christ Jesus for you. The inspiring thought here is to rejoice to pray and to give thanks that those three things be in your heart today. Rejoice pray and give thanks. Rejoice always pray without ceasing give thanks. In all circumstances that tell us a great deal about the will of God three important areas of our lives don’t think they are simple commands very simple commands but they’re not always the easiest thing to do because we are busy people we need to take time about out of our schedules are busy schedules and make time for God you know he will fill us He will bless us through the Holy Spirit He will give us understanding not just pray that will be so filled with a spear that will just bubble and flow out of us to those around us that they will experience or see the joy that we have and wanted to pray without ceasing can we be in an attitude of prayer. Always always speaking to him. Yes we can even in the business of work or traveling. Or do whatever we do we can be praying to God we can be listening listening to what he has a say and all circumstances give thanks. You know as I was thinking about this message and about giving God praise and rejoice in all circumstances I thought of a a dear uncle of mine is passed away about nine years ago nine or ten years ago and I’ll call Richard and. You know I’ll call Richard I had a very good relationship a close relationship I worked with him for a number of years and we just always got along very very well we just. You know. Joy to be in his company and he’d enjoy being a model Thank you kind of treat me like a son. And well Richard didn’t always live the kind of life that he should have lived. He wasn’t always a believer. And he got prostate cancer but during that time I mean there were times in his life where he would start going to church but he you know had that maybe the outward appearance but inside wasn’t where he should have been put it that way. But during that time of his illness he had a true conversion. I mean you know when there’s a true conversion he truly accepted Christ believed as the savior repented of the sins. And we would go to visit with him often during his illness and just talk of. Reach grips or and talk with them pray pray with them. One thing all Richard said is that touch me. He says I wouldn’t trade this last year and a half. For all the rest of my life back. That is the ability to rejoice and all circumstances. That’s just a simple example to rejoice in all circumstances because he knew the most important thing and that is that relationship with Jesus Christ. Rejoice. We can rejoice as Jesus said because our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life Revelations twenty twelve says and I saw the dead small and great stand before God and books are open and another book was opened. Which is the Book of Life and The Dead were judge according to their works but the things were by the things which are written in the book in Revelation twenty one twenty seven. But there shall by no means enter in anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie. But only those who are written and the Lamb’s Book of Life. And in Revelations three revelation. Karen corrects me. The tendency to say Revelations Revelation three five. I’ll just read couple verses you have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments and they shall walk with me in white for they are worthy He who overcomes shall be closed in white garment and will not and I will not blot out his name from the book of life but I will confess his name before my father and before his angels. There is a key there overcomes. Overcomes if we overcome if we continue in him. If we remain faithful to Him if we abide in Him. He will confess us before the father he will not blot out our names from the lands book of life. If your name is written that lands a book of life. And we can say to anybody and everybody only you know because you know what’s in here. You know what you have done you know that if you repent of your sins and confess Christ and believe on him. That your name is written in that book. If your name is written in that book you can rejoice and remain and abide in Him That is the word to rebuy to abide in to remain to remain faithful to him and I assure you he will remain faithful to you because he will not blot out your name. We can rejoice in that amen.