Havasu Christian Church
May 18, 2025
Philippians 4:4-7
“Rejoice? REALLY?”
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
INTRO: Isn’t it interesting that Paul writes these words right after “calling out” his two friends who have been fighting?
Maybe this is a little bit of salve for the wound. Perhaps he saves this part of the letter till now so that these ladies can hear this and realize that they have a lot to be joyful about!
(I) Rejoice!
a. In case you haven’t noticed, the words Joy and Rejoice are all over the book of Philippians!
i. Rejoice is found 9 times in Philippians
ii. Joy is found 7 times in Philippians
b. Paul talks about rejoicing, but he’s in Prison, and the people he’s writing to are being persecuted! How does this work?
i. First off, what do these words NOT mean?
1. Is it “airheaded” optimism?
a. “I know we’re going off a cliff, but I’m sure that there’s a heap of marshmallows at the bottom to cushion our fall!”
i. NOPE! Not that!
2. Is it the idea that God “owes me” and is going to give me health and wealth, while fulfilling all my wants and desires?”
a. NOPE! God doesn’t “OWE” me or you anything!
3. Maybe God is a cosmic vending machine?
a. Your “prayer in the name of Jesus” does not obligate God to do whatever you want Him to do.
If none of these things are true, how can Paul tell the Philippian Church and us that we MUST rejoice?
c. What DO these words really mean?
i. Looking in a couple of commentaries, I got a clearer picture.
Usage: The verb χαίρω (chairō) is used in the New Testament to express joy, gladness, or delight. It often conveys a sense of inner happiness or contentment, sometimes in response to a specific event or circumstance, and at other times as a general state of being.
This verb is foundational in understanding the Christian experience of joy, which is often depicted as a fruit of the Spirit and a response to the work of God in the life of believers.
Joy as Feeling. Joy is a feeling called forth by well-being, success, or good fortune. A person automatically experiences it because of certain favorable circumstances. The feeling of joy cannot be commanded.
1. Sometimes, the word means simply joy based on external circumstances.
a. A child is born.
b. A promotion at work.
c. A tax refund.
2. In Scripture, it more often is based in the contentment we feel because we are in God’s hands.
χαίρω (chairō) is not limited to positive circumstances; it is also used to describe the joy that believers can experience even in trials and suffering. In 1 Peter 4:13, believers are encouraged to "rejoice insofar as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory" This highlights the paradoxical nature of Christian joy, which transcends external circumstances and is anchored in the hope of future glory.
3. Because we are “in God’s hands, we have joy that is based not on current circumstances, but our future with the Lord!
Joy as Action. There is a joy that Scripture commands. That joy is action that can be engaged in regardless of how the person feels. Proverbs 5:18 tells the reader to rejoice in the wife of his youth, without reference to what she may be like. Christ instructed his disciples to rejoice when they were persecuted, reviled, and slandered (Mt 5:11, 12). The apostle Paul commanded continuous rejoicing (Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16). James said Christians are to consider it all joy when they fall into various trials because such testing produces endurance (Jamess 1:2). I Peter 4:13 seems to include both action and emotion when it says, “But rejoice [the action] in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad [the emotion] when his glory is revealed.” Joy in adverse circumstances is possible only as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, who is present in every Christian Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
4. To rejoice is a choice!
a. We rejoice IN THE LORD!
i. Again, because we trust God, we can choose to be joyful, regardless of the circumstances.
a. We can even do this when our world is crashing down around our ears.
(II) Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
a. What do we mean by a “gentle spirit?
i. not insisting on every right of letter of law or custom, yielding, gentle, kind, tolerant, courteous.
1. Sounds a lot like “biblical love.”
a. Loving others “in spite of.”
b. Not because you are incapable of asserting yourself and demanding your own way, but putting someone else ahead of yourself.
i. Jesus was an example of this.
1. Could have asserted His authority, but chose instead to die for us!
c. We are encouraged to do this by the fact that “the Lord is near.”’
1. Perhaps it’s reminding us that Jesus could return at any moment.
a. That is certainly an encouragement to be gentle with others.
2. Maybe this is telling us that God is right here with us!
David Meese Concert. Mom only allowed classical music in the house. Her car had a really bad muffler. She would leave, they would play Beatles tunes. When they heard the muffler, they would go back to classical. “God doesn’t have a bad muffler!”
If we live our lives trusting God and living in a way that puts others first, it will be much easier to do the next thing.
(III) Be anxious for nothing!
a. Anxious: to be apprehensive, have anxiety, be anxious, be (unduly) concerned.
b. Most of the things we spend our time worrying about never happen.
i. “Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” Corrie Ten Boom
ii. “Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” Marcus Aurelius
iii. “The more you pray, the less you'll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. You'll feel more patient and less pressured.” Rick Warren
iv. “Whatever is going to happen will happen, whether we worry or not.”
Ana Monnar
v. “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them have never happened.” Mark Twain
c. How can we kick our worry habit?
i. Put it in God’s hands.
1. For some, this isn’t too hard.
2. For others, it’s really difficult!
a. The key, as it is with many things, is practice!
When I first started playing the bass guitar, I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to pick the strings with two fingers. Now, I occasionally use three fingers. I have also gotten faster.
b. We may have to hand something over to the Lord 50 times a day. But eventually, that will be 40, then 30, then 29, and eventually, it becomes second nature.
c. We just keep “circling back to TRUST!
(IV) You will have God’s peace!
a. Once again, it’s about trusting God!
i. Without this key piece, the rest doesn’t work.
1. God wants us to trust Him! When we do, the rest follows!
b. This peace is beyond comprehension!
i. The world looks at our peace and they are blown away!
1. They can’t begin to understand how we can be at peace, even when our world is crashing down around us.
ii. Sometimes WE look at our peace and WE are blown away!
c. This peace is a gift from God!
i. We have a part in it, but KNOWING that God is absolutely trustworthy, makes it possible.
ii. God’s part IS BEING absolutely trustworthy, and working with our hearts through the Holy Spirit, to help us understand and accept this!
There have been times in my life when I’ve just had to say, “I don’t see how any good can come out of this, but You promised, so I’m counting on it!”
d. This peace deals with your emotions. (heart)
i. The Lord works to help you with these feelings of fear, dread, and hopelessness.
1. Don’t give in! The Lord is there!
e. This peace deals with your mind.
i. Logic and reason.
1. The Lord helps us see the difference between problems that are real, and those that are imaginary!
2. He helps us see whether this is a problem that I can do something about, or one that I have no control over.
f. This peace is rooted in belonging to Jesus!
i. If Jesus really has control, we can have this peace.
ii. If Jesus really is our Lord, we don’t have to worry!
iii. If Jesus is really our Savior, I can have peace, no matter what the world throws at me. You can too!
iv. If Jesus is our Lord and Savior, We can have the JOY that only the Lord can give!
Conclusion: JOY! Real JOY, belongs to the Christian.
· We are told by God, through the Apostle Paul that we are to rejoice!
o We have a lot to rejoice about, don’t we?
§ We have God’s care for us in this life, and we have eternity WITH God in our near future!
o We can have this kind of Joy, because we serve a God that we can trust!
§ ABSOLUTELY TRUST!
· He’s got this!
· He’s got YOU!
o We can even rejoice when we are suffering.
James 1:2–4 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
§ The knowledge that there is a purpose to our suffering makes Joy possible.
· That purpose is our growth!
· As you live your joyful life, don’t forget to live in a tolerant and giving way towards others.
o That “forbearing” spirit needs to be evident in how we treat others.
§ I guess that is even true at 4 way stops.
· We have the privilege of having peace, no matter what kind of circumstances we find ourselves in.
o Peace the world won’t understand.
o Peace you may not even understand.
o Peace that comes from trusting God.
o Peace that His Holy Spirit helps us to live in and with.
· This all leads us to be a witness to the power of Jesus, right in front of the people who know us, and even the people who don’t!
