0911-25S
THE DUTY OF REJOICING
(Philippians 4:4-9)
SUBJECT:
F.C.F:
PROPOSITION:
INTRODUCTION:
A. Two avid hunters also happened to be
construction workers for the same company. As they
were walking to their jobsite, one suddenly said,
“Duck!” The other thought, “I’m not going to fall for
that one. There are no ducks around here.” He then
bumped his head on a low beam. Even though he
was warned, he failed to “duck.”
B. One of the reasons why I am convinced
that the Bible is truly the Word of God and not just
the word of men is that it is so surprising. We find in
Scripture numerous occasions where the text declares
what we would least expect it to say, sometimes
seemingly to the point of absurdity. And yet upon
further reflection, it actually raises us to a new level
of understanding revealing the very mind of God
which is unavailable from any other source.
We find this in the text I have selected for this
Thanksgiving Eve service. The main verb in the text
is an imperative, so we should understand this to be a
command: “4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I
will say, Rejoice.”
I. REJOICE.
A. What’s surprising here is that God
commands us to rejoice. And then, lest we miss the
point, St. Paul repeats it, “again I will say, Rejoice.”
I would define “rejoice” as “to be genuinely happy
and to express that happiness openly.” This
command is surprising because it seems so utterly
unnecessary. God commands us to be happy, and
then to act like it. Doesn’t that strike you as
exceedingly odd? Why does God have to command
anyone to be happy? Don’t people naturally what to
be happy? Isn’t it the heart’s desire of every person to
be happy? Why command people to do what they
want most of all? You might as well command a dog
to chase a rabbit or a squirrel to collect nuts and dart
out in front of cars. Nobody has to order a child to
eat his candy or to play video games.
My memory is fading a bit since I turned 50,
but I seem to recall that as a child, I never had to be
commanded to loaf around or waste time. Nobody
had to order me to mess up my room, to watch too
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much TV, or not do my homework. All those things
came very naturally to me, and I must say that I was
quite good at them.
B. So why does God command us to be
happy and to act like it? The reason is twofold: first,
because we live in a severely broken world; and
second, because we are severely broken people.
1. This world has been ruined and its bent is
to lead us into misery. When our first parents
rebelled against God they brought sin and misery
(and death!) into the world. So something has gone
terribly wrong. In its present form, this world is not
able to provide deep and lasting happiness; in fact,
the design of this damaged world is create anguish
and despair.
We find this in demonstrated in the first
chapter of Philippians (verse 7). After expressing his
affection for them, Paul notes: “It is right for me to
feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my
heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,
both in my imprisonment and in the defense and
confirmation of the gospel.” Paul is writing to them
from prison. You see, in a perfect world those who
go about doing the most good would be praised and
rewarded. Paul here, in preaching the Gospel of
Jesus Christ, the best possible news of hope and
reconciliation, instead gets kicked in the teeth. He
gets thrown into prison and threatened with death.
So you can see that something has gone wrong. This
world is not really aiming at our happiness, not in its
present, broken condition.
2. But the truth is that we are not really
geared for happiness either. Sin has ruined us as
well. WE don’t naturally gravitate toward joy. Our
human nature has likewise fallen. All people born
into the world have been stricken with a kind of
spiritual insanity due to sin. We find this also
addressed in Paul’s letter to the Philippians (2:14-15):
“14 Do all things without grumbling or questioning,
15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children
of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and
twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights
in the world….” Notice that Paul has to command
even God’s people to quit “grumbling and
questioning” or complaining. He knows that many
people would rather dwell in the miserable dungeon
of grousing and griping rather than be happy and live
like it. That’s what a “crooked and twisted
generation” is like.
And we find that sort of thing in full swing
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0911-25S
when we turn to the media, for example. There are
countless talk shows where people take great delight
in complaining, relishing opportunities to be outraged
and to accuse people and demand action. It’s almost
as though they want to be miserable. It’s almost as
though they would have to be commanded to be
happy and act like it. Well, actually it isn’t
ALMOST like that, it’s exactly like that. And so
God’s word must command us: “4 Rejoice in the
Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”
II. REJOICE IN THE LORD.
A. What makes this command possible, even
inviting, is the object of our rejoicing. Rejoice IN
THE LORD. As we said, this world is not really
capable of providing lasting joy since it has been
hopelessly broken by sin. And God does not
command us to somehow try to rejoice in this broken
world, pretending that all is well and ignoring the
pain and disappointment of this world. In other
words, God does not call us to a heroic exercise in
irrational denial. God calls us to rejoice in him. “In
the world you will have tribulation,” Jesus warned,
“But take heart;” he said, “I have overcome the
world.” (John 16:33) So if we look to the world, we
will feel the full weight of that tribulation. Instead
we need to look to the Lord Jesus Christ, who
experienced firsthand the world’s tribulation on the
cross, but who got the last word three days later when
he rose from the grave victorious.
A scene from the old 1951 film version of
Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol sticks in my
head. Tiny Tim, the sickly, impoverished, little
disabled boy is longingly looking in the window of a
toy store. He marvels at the remarkable toys, none of
which he could ever hope to possess for himself. He
laughs at the smiling, bouncing clown-like jack-inthe-box puppet. Then he notices the storekeeper
wrapping up one of those splendid toys: some other
boy is going to get one, and he knows he never will.
His face is downcast. But then he looks back at the
smiling clown puppet, and he smiles and laughs
again. “In the world you will have tribulation. But
take heart; I have overcome the world.” If we look
only to this broken world, we will indeed be
downcast. But if we look to the Lord Jesus,
everything changes. So we must rejoice in the Lord.
B. Jesus came to his disciples one night as
they were stranded in the middle of the lake, vainly
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pulling against a stormy headwind. Jesus came to
them walking on the water, and when he identified
himself, Peter said, “Lord, if it is you, command me
to come to you on the water.” Jesus said, “Come.”
And at first Peter was walking on the water. As long
as he looked to Jesus he was safe. But when he
looked away at the wind and the waves, he began to
sink, and Jesus had to rescue him.
C. We must rejoice in the Lord. I think Paul
means that to be exclusive. We must rejoice in the
Lord ALONE. Now that does not mean that we must
refuse to be happy as we receive and enjoy the Lord’s
blessings. A couple should be quite happy at their
wedding or when their child is born. We should
rejoice when we receive a pay raise or a good crop or
a good report card. But we dare not rejoice in any of
these blessings. That would be stopping short of the
true goal. We cannot make any of our changing
circumstances the ground of our rejoicing for two
reasons. For one thing, those circumstances will
change. This world is incapable of granting lasting
joy and happiness. But, more seriously, that which
we most deeply rejoice in is our god. If we rejoice in
our finances or family or future dreams, or in our
accomplishments or awards or achievements, if any
of these becomes the ground of our joy, then it has
become an idol.
In Luke 10 our Lord Jesus Christ sent out 72
disciples on a preaching tour of the cities and hamlets
of Judea. He gave them authority to heal the sick and
cast out evil spirits. When they returned, they were
overjoyed, saying, “Lord, even the demons are
subject to us in your name!” (vs. 17) And Jesus
replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on
serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the
enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless,
do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to
you, but rejoice that your names are written in
heaven.” Do not rejoice in your circumstances, even
something as marvelous as great success and power
in ministry! Rather, rejoice in the Lord, in the
unchanging reality of what he has done for you in
Christ, in his reconciling work on the cross.
“17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is
from above, coming down from the Father of lights
with whom there is no variation or shadow due to
change.” (James 1:17) We rightly give thanks and
praise God for all his good gifts, but we rejoice in the
Lord alone, for he alone changes not.
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But you notice that Paul doesn’t stop there.
He says,
III. REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS.
A. That’s where it becomes exceedingly
difficult. “ALWAYS? Rejoice in the Lord when I
have a car accident, or lose my job, or can’t get my
crop out of the field, or have a sick child (or sick
parent), or experience a break-up? Does God really
expect me to be giddy and carefree at my dear
husband’s funeral?” No, that is not what Paul is
saying.
B. Elsewhere he addresses this very subject
of how believers should act at funerals. Paul writes
to the beloved church in Thessalonica. Apparently
some dear believers had died since Paul first
preached the gospel there, and the Christians were
assuming that they were lost because they passed
before Christ returned. So Paul teaches them the
proper perspective. “4:13 But we do not want you to
be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep,
that you may not grieve as others do who have no
hope.” Many have pointed out that Paul does not
here prohibit grieving at the death of beloved fellow
Christians. Rather, he forbids the kind of hopeless,
despairing grieving which was practiced by their
pagan neighbors who truly had no hope.
So disturbing and discouraging events will
often take place in this broken world. And they will
often plunge us into alarm and grief and sadness.
That is to be expected. But we must fight our way
back to joy. While not denying the full impact of
such tribulations, we must also not deny the power
and promise of almighty God.
C. Look how Paul fights for them using truth
to restore the joy of these grieving Christians. He
reminds them of God’s truth. He doesn’t ignore the
sadness of death, but he rather declares the hope of
Christ and his resurrection. “14 For since we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through
Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen
asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from
the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the
coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have
fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend
from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of
an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of
God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then
we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up
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together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in
the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18
Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
Therefore use these certain and unchangeable truths
to restore the wounded joy of your fellow believers.
CONCLUSION
“Rejoice in the Lord always.”
“Rejoice.” It’s an imperative. God
commands us to rejoice, because this world would
forbid us, and because we would not naturally do so
on our own.
“Rejoice in the Lord.” A broken world can
never satisfy. But the all-sufficient Lord of glory can
never disappoint.
“Rejoice in the Lord always.” Use God’s
truth, his power and promise to fight your way back
to joy. “In the world you will have tribulation. But
take heart;” Jesus said, “I have overcome the
world.”
One of the popular songs in the church from a
couple of decades ago is the chorus, “Awesome
God.” It may seem simple and repetitive, but it also
possesses a kind of profundity.
Our God is an awesome God,
He reigns from heaven above
with wisdom, power, and love,
our God is an awesome God.
God reigns from heaven above with wisdom,
power, and love. God’s wisdom means he knows
what he’s doing. His power means he can do
whatever he pleases. And his love means that what
he pleases to do is only what is best for his people.
Can you trust that God? Can you rest in his
wisdom, stand firm in his power, and have faith in his
love? Then “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will
say, Rejoice.”

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