experience a lot of joy in your life.
Do you often rejoice
about what's going on around about you?
You know, the Apostle Paul did.
He writes about it.
In fact, the letter that we're going through now
on Sunday mornings, the book of Philippians,
he used the words joy and rejoice
more in this letter than any other one
that he wrote that we have in our New Testament.
Now, I want you to think about this.
Paul talks about experiencing joy, rejoicing.
But at the same time, as he penned those words,
he was at all times chained to a Roman soldier.
He was at all times under house arrest,
at least for two years.
And he was awaiting trial before Caesar.
He didn't know what the outcome would be,
whether he'd be set free
or whether he would be condemned and executed.
Now, Paul talks a lot about having joy,
rejoicing in that context.
Well, that raises or should raise a red flag to us.
Paul's not using the word joy like we normally use it.
I mean, think about it.
Don't you mostly equate the words joy and happiness?
I mean, I use them.
Most people use them just in normal speech interchangeably.
You know, you wake up in the morning.
Your spouse looks at you.
Smile on his or her face.
What can I fix you for breakfast?
Brings joy to you, doesn't it?
Makes you happy.
If my boys came to me today and said,
we're going to cut down,
we're going to cut up those two little trees
on the edge of the property,
that'd bring a lot of joy to my soul
if they would do that.
We use that word joy and happiness
just without thinking they're the same.
Well, that's not how Paul uses it.
In fact, that's not the way the word is used
in the New Testament.
Paul obviously would not have been happy
about what was going on in his life
as he wrote this book.
At all times, chained to that soldier.
Couldn't leave the place he was renting
and not knowing what his future held
when he stood trial before the emperor.
In the New Testament,
the word joy is not used to describe
feelings of happiness.
Happiness is really an emotion of delight.
We're happy when the people
or the things around about us
are going our way.
People are smiling at us, doing for us.
Everything's going the way that we want it to.
Well, that doesn't always happen, does it?
Those trees on my property
aren't going to get cut up.
Your spouse is not always going to wake up
in the morning with a smile on his or her face
and look at you and say,
good morning, darling.
There's going to be a lot of times in our lives
when we are not happy.
We're not happy about the situation
that we find ourselves in.
And that's just life.
There's nothing wrong with that.
That's just the way life works in this world.
Happiness comes and goes in everyone's life.
It's not a good or bad, right or wrong.
It just is.
But Christian joy is different.
Christian joy is more than an emotion.
It is described in one place
as being a part of the fruit of the Spirit,
something the Holy Spirit works in us
and through us.
Joy in the Bible, in the New Testament,
is really more of an attitude,
a character quality than it is an emotion.
Joy is really the way a lot of commentators
like R.C. Sproul, for example.
They describe joy as being similar to contentment.
Really experiencing peace in your soul
because you know you're right with God.
You're one with Him.
Even the word or the idea of being thankful
goes along with this idea of Christian joy.
Now this means it is not dependent
on what's going on around about us.
We can have Christian joy
even when we are not happy.
And that's what I want us to look at this morning
in Philippians chapter 1.
We're going to begin in verse 19,
or rather verse 18.
Two weeks ago we saw in verses 12 through 18
that Paul found joy in knowing
that the gospel was spreading throughout the area
in spite of the fact that he was in prison.
In fact, he found joy in knowing
that through his being in chains
to those Roman soldiers,
you know, swapping in and out around the clock,
many of those soldiers in the guard,
Caesar's guard,
they were hearing the gospel.
He even found joy in the fact
that he was told there are people preaching
and they're doing it not with good motives.
They're doing it to make you jealous,
to make you envious.
They're out there preaching.
They've got the freedom
and maybe people are responding.
Good things are happening.
But they're doing it, Paul,
to sort of jab you
because you're here confined to this place.
Look now in verse 18,
in light of,
he's in prison,
but people are hearing
through his witness to the soldiers.
The gospel is being preached
even with poor motives.
He says,
What then?
Only that in every way,
whether in pretense or in truth,
Christ is proclaimed,
and in that I rejoice.
Now, let's read on
and see why,
or other reasons why,
Paul rejoiced.
Look in your Bible,
Philippians chapter 1.
Now we're in the middle of verse 18.
That's where a new paragraph begins.
Yes, and I will rejoice.
For I know that through your prayers
and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
this will turn out for my deliverance.
As it is my eager expectation
and hope
that I will not be at all ashamed,
but that with full courage,
now as always,
Christ will be honored in my body,
whether by life or by death.
I want you to note that last phrase,
whether by life or by death.
As we go through this,
this whole section,
verses 18 through 26,
we're going to look at verses 18 through 20 today,
21 through 26 next week.
Paul doesn't really know
how this is going to turn out.
That's important to understand.
As you go on and read,
he has some strong feelings
that when he goes before Caesar,
he's going to be set free.
He's going to be able to continue his work.
He's going to be able to,
you know, help the Philippian Christians,
but he doesn't know for sure.
Only God knows the future.
And so he's just putting it in his hands.
These verses show us
that Paul was rejoicing
over how God was going to work out
his future well-being.
Here's the first point.
We can rejoice over the fact
that God will bring about our future
and ultimate well-being.
Look at it again.
Verse,
last part of verse 18 and 19.
Yes, and I will rejoice
for I know that through your prayers
and help of the spirit of Jesus Christ,
this will turn out for my deliverance.
We can have joy,
not happiness,
but joy if we'll keep in mind
God's always working in our lives
and he is going to bring about our future
and ultimate well-being.
Paul says he is rejoicing over the fact
that he's going to eventually be,
look at that word,
delivered from his imprisonment.
The actual word is my deliverance.
Now, the word translated deliverance here
is more often than not
translated with the word salvation
in other parts of the New Testament.
That raises the question.
When this and most of the major translations
use the word deliverance here,
when Paul talks about
this deliverance,
is he talking about being delivered
from prison,
getting out, having freedom,
or is he talking about
ultimate deliverance
and being in the presence of the Lord
free from all the stress
of life in this world?
Now,
Paul has been talking about
his imprisonment
in chapter one
already.
In fact,
he uses the word or phrase
my imprisonment
or some translations say
my chains
four times
in chapter one.
So it makes sense
that he's thinking about
his deliverance is going to be,
he's going to be set free
from prison.
But on the other hand,
in this section,
he makes it clear
that he knows
that death
is a real possibility.
Look at these verses.
Verse 20,
whether by life
or by death.
In verse 21,
to die
is gain.
Verse 23,
to depart
and be
with
Christ.
He knows
death's a possibility.
Well,
we can't resolve
this 100%
no matter what.
Either way,
Paul can rejoice.
Then one way
or another,
God is going
to take care
of him.
That's what
his thought is.
If he is found
innocent and set free,
he's going to continue
to serve the Lord
faithfully
and find joy
in that.
if he is found
guilty
and executed,
he will
immediately
be in the presence
of the Lord
and all of the
worries and stress
and suffering
he's experienced
will be a thing
of the past.
So he can look
at that
with joy.
Now remember
how we're using
the word,
how the New Testament
uses the word.
Paul finds
true joy,
contentment,
being at peace
in his soul.
All hell
may be breaking
loose all around
about you,
but you have
a sense of peace,
of contentment
in your soul
because you're
right with God,
you're trusting God,
you are in his
hands.
That's the kind
of joy
that comes
when we know
that God
is going to
take care of us.
no matter
what,
no matter how
he does that.
Now,
can you ever
rejoice like that?
Do you know
what he's talking
about?
Do you know
it from experience?
Do you have
confidence
that God's
going to bring
about your
future
and ultimate
well-being?
If you're going
through a difficult
time right now,
right this
minute,
are you
trusting God
with the
outcome
regardless of
what it might
be?
Regardless of
how difficult
it might
be?
You know,
if you knew
what was going
to happen down
the road,
it'd be easier
to do that,
wouldn't it?
But we don't
know.
No one
does.
It's just a
rarity in the
Bible or in
our lives
that we ever
know how our
difficulty is
going to turn
out in
advance.
If you're
dealing with a
difficult situation
right now related
to your job,
is it going to
continue?
Maybe there's
some family
issues you're
struggling with.
Maybe it's
your health.
And right
now,
it could go
either way.
You just
don't know.
You can't
see.
Well,
don't expect
God to show
you how it's
going to turn
out.
I personally
think it's a
waste of your
breath to pray,
Lord, help me
to know what's
going to happen.
That's just
not the way
God works
most of the
time.
That's not
the way it
worked out
for Paul.
He has a
feeling what's
going to
happen.
But he
doesn't know
for sure because
he keeps on
talking about
he may die.
We all have
to deal with
our present
difficulties,
our present
circumstances the
same way,
one day at a
time.
Here's a good
thought.
We can.
You and I
can.
We don't have
to be super
saints like
like an
apostle Paul.
A few weeks
ago,
Lisa, my
wife Lisa's
older sister,
her husband
died.
He was 67
years old.
He was
diagnosed with
a lung
disease three
or four years
ago that they
said was
fatal.
there was
nothing that
really could
be done to
prevent it
from destroying
his lungs.
On top of
that, he
developed lung
cancer and
had never
smoked.
Well, he
went through
this process.
He went
through chemo.
He went
through a lot
of processes,
but over
time, his
physical
condition
deteriorated.
His lungs
stopped
functioning.
About
three or
four months
ago,
he shared
something on
Facebook
that's sort
of like
what Paul is
sharing here
about confidence.
you see, his
name's John.
John was a
Christian, but
John was a
regular guy
kind of
Christian, like
us in this
room.
He was
actively involved
in his church.
He taught
Sunday school.
He was a
deacon.
He worked
what you call
a regular
job.
If he was a
member of our
church, he
just fit in,
fit in in any
Sunday school.
class.
Blend in.
People would
like him.
He'd laugh
a lot.
A regular
guy, dying
from a lung
disease and
lung cancer.
And he put
something like
this, I'm
paraphrasing this,
on Facebook.
It was read to
me because I
am not on it.
But he said
that he had
complete assurance
of his salvation.
He had his
faith in Jesus
Christ.
He appreciated
people's prayers
and concern.
He basically
gave an
explanation of
the gospel.
He said, in
effect, I'm
right with God.
I have no
doubts.
And I want to
encourage you,
if you're not a
Christian, to put
your faith and
trust in Jesus.
He was telling
the world,
telling everybody
that he knew,
that he kept up
with, that he
kept up with him,
I'm okay.
I have the
utmost confidence
that God's going
to take care of
me, that my
ultimate end is
in his hands
and whatever
it is, and
most likely he
knew, I mean,
it's death.
He was okay
with it.
He was ready
and he was a
witness to other
people.
That's what Paul
is really trying
to show us.
We can have
joy, not
happiness, but
joy, inner
peace, a sense
of contentment
with the way
it is.
If we're God's
children, we
can be confident
he's going to
bring about our
ultimate good and
future well-being.
But here's what we
need to understand.
God defines for
us what our
future well-being
is.
God tells us how
he's going to
bring it about.
Look at this.
God works all
things for our
good, Romans 8,
28.
And we know
that in all
things, God
works for the
good of those
who love him,
who've been
called according
to his purpose.
God works in
Paul's
imprisonment,
in your
difficulty,
in your
concern.
He works for
ultimate good.
But then,
God tells us
what that ultimate
good is.
The very next
verse, Romans 8, 29.
For those whom
he foreknew,
he also predestined
to be conformed
to the image
of his son.
God's goal
in all of life
is to develop
Christ-like
character in
us who are
Christians.
God's
ultimate
good
for each
one of us
is to develop
Christ-like
character in us.
It is not
that we all
be healthy
or wealthy
or have
an easy
life.
It's not
that everybody's
even going to
have a long
life or an
average life.
Now, let me
say,
sometimes
God,
just out of
his grace,
will make
us healthy.
Some of you
in this room,
you've always
been healthy.
Some of you
have never been
in a hospital.
rarely ever
gone to the
doctor.
You thank
God.
That's just a
blessing.
Sometimes God
does that.
Sometimes he
makes some
of his people
wealthy.
And if you've
been faithful
to God
in the way
that you've
worked and
saved and
invested and
given,
and he's
made you
wealthy,
thank him.
It's a
blessing.
Some people
life's just
sort of easy.
You have
good health,
you have a
good job,
you have a
good family,
everybody loves
one another,
nobody just
rebels,
bad things
just haven't
happened in
your life to
this point.
Thank him.
It's a
blessing.
But at the
same time,
that is not
God's ultimate
goal for you.
God's ultimate
goal is that we
develop Christ-like
character and
for most people
it's through
hardship,
it's through
difficulty,
it's through a
life that's not
easy,
it's through not
having everything
you want,
not being
wealthy,
not being always
healthy.
What we've got to
learn to do as
Christians is to
let God determine,
I mean he does
determine it,
we've got to
accept what God
determines is for
our ultimate
well-being to be.
And when we
will, if we will
develop the
spiritual maturity
to accept that,
like Paul,
like my
brother-in-law
John,
we will be
able to rejoice
that God is
working in our
lives to bring
about our
future and
ultimate well-being
regardless of
what that might
mean.
Not being
healed,
dying,
it happens.
There's something
else we see in
that Paul,
in Paul,
that we need to
learn to rejoice
about.
Look at this,
we can rejoice
over how God
brings about our
future and
ultimate well-being.
Read these verses
again with me.
Yes, and I will
rejoice, for I
know that through
your prayers and
the help of the
Spirit of Jesus
Christ, this will
turn out for my
deliverance.
I want to stop
there for right
now.
Paul is rejoicing
in the process that
God uses to bring
about our future
well-being.
Look at that
process.
God works through
the prayers of
His people.
Look at that.
Paul, the great
apostle, the one
in whom God
worked to give us
scripture, he says,
for I know that
through your prayers
this will turn out
for my deliverance.
In our first study
of the book of
Philippians, back on
January the 3rd, we
looked at how Paul
explained God
sovereignly works in
our lives from the
beginning to continue
and to the end to
bring about our
salvation and His
good work in us.
It's in Philippians
1, 6.
It's not on the
screen.
He says, and I am
sure of this, that
He who began a good
work in you will
bring it to
completion at the
day of Jesus
Christ.
Paul taught more
about the sovereignty
of God in his
letters than any
other New Testament
writer.
But Paul equally
believed in our
responsibility as
Christians to be
faithful to God, to
cooperate, to obey
Him.
This verse shows
that Paul believed
strongly in the power
of prayer.
Paul, on many
occasions throughout
his letters, asked
for and expected
other Christians to
pray for him.
You hear, listen to
this.
Paul believed that
God worked His
sovereign plan through
the prayers of His
people.
We need to be asking
people to pray for
us as we go through
our difficulties.
We need to pray for
our difficulties.
We need to pray for
our difficulties.
We need to pray for
people who are going
through their
difficulties.
But listen to this.
We need to pray for a
whole lot more than
physical healing or
physical deliverance from
a problem.
We need to pray for
ourselves and for other
people to develop that
Christ-like character, to
become spiritually mature.
We need to pray for
people, your children,
your grandchildren,
people in your Sunday
school class, your
Christian friends.
Pray for them to be able
to have strong beliefs,
real convictions, and
stand firm on them in
every situation.
And never compromise,
never back down, never
be ashamed of the truth
that God makes clear in
His Word.
And we need to pray for
one another and seek
prayer.
We need the prayers that
we'll be faithful like
this until God calls us
home.
That we'll finish the race
all the way.
Is that how you're
praying for your family
members?
I want to tell you,
this is a totally true
statement.
The whole time I've been
married and had
children, I have prayed
more for my wife and
children, now daughters-in-law
and grandchildren.
I've prayed more about
their spiritual well-being
when you put it all
together than have their
physical well-being.
I've prayed more for
our church family,
our spiritual well-being,
your spiritual well-being,
more than the other
things.
Now, I certainly pray for
my family concerning all
kinds of things, including
physical situations.
I've prayed long and hard
about specific circumstances,
asking God to change, to
bring about this or that
result.
I've prayed that for some
of you.
Specific things about
physical things,
situations.
But even more than that,
like Paul, we need to learn
to pray for spiritual growth,
spiritual maturity.
I want you to pray that for
me.
I really do.
I want you to pray that for
every leader in this church.
They want you to do that as
well.
One other thought along this
line, don't ever give up
praying for your unsaved
family members and friends.
If you haven't gotten it yet
or haven't done it yet,
read my article in the
newsletter this week.
It tells the story about a
man and his wife who prayed
for his father-in-law for
32 years, witnessed to him in
all kinds of ways, got other
people involved.
And it was only after 32
years that that man showed
any interest and by God's
grace eventually was saved.
We cannot give up.
God works through our
prayers and look at this.
God works through the Holy
Spirit.
He says, for I know that
through your prayers and the
help of the Spirit of Jesus
Christ.
In the New Testament, the
Holy Spirit is called by
different names.
Sometimes he's called like
this, the Spirit of Jesus
Christ.
Sometimes the Spirit of
Christ.
Sometimes the Spirit of God.
Paul's emphasis here is not
on the name of the Holy
Spirit, but on his power.
It's the Holy Spirit living
within us as Christians.
He's the one that supplies
us with the spiritual strength
that we need.
He supplies us with wisdom,
with guidance.
He's the one that works in us
to enable us to develop
Christ-like character.
He's the one that gives us the
spiritual strength and
sometimes physical and
emotional strength to
persevere, to be faithful,
to not give up.
You know, in Romans chapter 8,
Paul even talks about how the
Holy Spirit helps us to pray.
Sometimes when we're too weak or
we just don't know how to pray,
He intercedes for us.
That's going on right now in
your life.
If you're a Christian, the Holy
Spirit lives within you.
And Paul also says in Romans 8,
that the Holy Spirit doesn't live
in you, you're not a Christian.
We can think of Him as our
resident teacher,
our equipper, our energizer,
our encourager.
We can't live the Christian life
on our own.
It is impossible.
But the news is we don't have to.
God has put His Spirit in us.
All we need to do is choose to
cooperate with Him.
Cooperate as He works.
Think about it like this.
We need to learn to be sensitive
to the actual presence of the
Holy Spirit.
Be aware of His convicting,
His encouraging,
and then obedient to His
leadership.
For example,
if you're a Christian,
haven't you at times
just been made aware
that something that you were
thinking,
something you were feeling,
something you were wanting to say
was just wrong,
and you shouldn't do it.
That was the Holy Spirit
causing you to realize
don't act on that thought.
Don't fulfill those desires.
Close your mouth.
Don't say it.
But you have to cooperate
with Him
and do what He's saying.
The Holy Spirit also does
positive things.
He makes us aware
of what's right.
Sometimes something that needs
to be said
to encourage somebody.
Something that we actually
need to do
to please God.
And what we need to do
is when He prompts us
to do something,
say something,
we need to do it
as part of being obedient
to His leadership.
The Holy Spirit will guide us
in the way that we think,
the way that we feel,
things we want to say,
things we want to do.
Sometimes He'll check us.
Don't.
Sometimes He'll prompt us.
That's right.
But what we have to do
is we're sensitive to Him
doing this.
We have to then obey Him.
God works in our lives
through the prayers
of other Christians,
through the power
of the Holy Spirit.
And then,
we're going to look at this
next week,
but I will just show this.
God works through
our faithful efforts.
That's in verse 20.
That'll be a part
of what we look at next week.
Everybody really wants
to be happy, don't they?
I mean,
if you don't want to be happy,
something's wrong with you.
I'm serious.
You got a problem
if you don't really want
to be happy.
And if you don't want
to be happy,
I can't help you.
You need somebody
that's a real counselor.
If you don't have the desire
to be happy
and make other people happy.
But the truth is,
we want to be that,
but no one is always happy.
Because happiness
is based on our circumstances
being what we want them to be.
Life's just not that way,
is it?
We can't always be happy,
but we can always experience joy.
We can be content.
We can be at peace
with God
no matter what's going on
around us.
We can be joyful people
by trusting God
to work in our lives
for ultimate good
and for our eternal well-being.
Ask God to help you work.
Ask God to work in your life
that way now.
I want to encourage you
to do that.
Or if you would say,
you know,
I struggle like everybody else,
but I do experience
a lot of Christian joy.
Thank God.
Thank God for that gift.
If you're not experiencing
the kind of joy
we're talking about,
ask other Christians
that you know,
that you have confidence in,
to pray for you this way.
It's far more important
for you to ask somebody
to pray for you
to have joy,
to develop Christian character,
than it is for them
to pray for you
to get well
from some kind of sickness.
By God's grace,
we can experience joy
in this world,
even in the midst
of a pandemic,
and all the uncertainty,
and all the unhappiness
that it brings.
In fact,
let's just bow right now
and ask God
to help us
to experience
Christian joy and more.
Would you join with me?
Dear God,
help us to see right now
what needs to take place
in our lives
to experience
this joy,
this contentment,
this peace in our soul
that Paul
experienced
and prayed for others
to experience.
Help us, Father,
to seek that from you.
Help us, Father,
to request
that kind of prayer
from other Christians.
And Lord,
help us to cooperate
with the Holy Spirit
as He works in us
to enable us
to be more joyful.
Father,
help us all right now
to know what we need to do
than to make the confession,
the commitment,
or whatever it is
we need to do.
And just with our
heads bowed,
eyes closed,
and attitude to prayer,
let's all do that.
Seek
to respond to God
as He speaks to us
so that we can
be Christians
who experience
real joy
in our lives.
Amen.