Living Joyfully With Christ Series

“Living Joyfully”

Philippians Sermon Series, Part 14

Philippians 4:1-23

Introduction

- Throughout this series we’ve seen several aspects of living joyously

-- All of them surround the simple concept that we live because we love Him

-- It is the outpouring of our hearts because of who Jesus is to us

- Mike gave a great explanation of joy and how it compares to “happiness”

-- Happiness (is external) - depends on what is happening

-- Joy is from within - does not change by our external surroundings

-- The joy of the Lord is internal; placed by the HS, given to us as encouragement

- Today, we conclude our series with three charges to the Christian

-- These charges are timeless; this means we can stand on them today and forever

- I really got to thinking about how to end this, and Chapter 4 was just perfect

-- Rather than taking it apart, let’s just read it, and then hear what God has for us

-- I believe it is in the application that we see our need for living faithfully for Him

- Read Philippians 4:1-23

∆ Point 1 - Stay Unified (1-3)

- Christians have a common bond and frame of mind … but what is it?

-- IMP: JESUS! More though: We have a belief and a hope of eternal life

-- APP: This should drive us to live constant in our walk with God

- But, there is difference of gifts and talents that we have; we are part of a body

-- However, are we not renewed but the same Spirit? Do we not have Christ?

-- Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

-- 2 Corinthians 4:16, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”

- If we are, then are of like mind; we have a common bond; we have unity

-- We must continue to resist the urge to turn on one another and stand firm

- This is easier said than done (especially in today’s microwave society)

-- It is TOO easy to give up, to turn away, and to justify our sins, isn’t it? (v2)

-- Too easy to compare ourselves to one another and refuse to repent

-- Too easy to argue and give up on one another as these two women did

- What Paul is writing is really challenging us to be different today … WHY?

- IMP: We are to stand firm, hold to Christ’s grace, and depend on Him!

- Let believers be of one mind, and ready to help each other

-- Paul knew how helpful we could be to one another (v3b) see “contended”

-- These women stood by his side to be of service; to aid in the ministry work

- He knew how comfortable it is to have the help of one another

-- APP: We should be looking for ways to do that; to rejoice that we are together

-- More so, take comfort that our names are found in the book of Life (v3c)

-- IMP: There is none greater than Jesus; so we are to equally SERVE one another

- Joy found in God is one of the greatest rewards in the Christian life

-- Christians need to be again and again called to it; reminded of how good it is

-- The world is looking at how we handle challenges; how we respond to struggle

-- They are looking at how we handle difficulties of life; do we handle life well?

∆ Point 2 – Rejoice (4-9)

- So to us, there is proclamation: handle everything with JOY (v4)

-- “REJOICE!” That means even in the bad times we proclaim “He is good”

- We ought to be consistent; to live upright before God seeking Him first

-- APP: v5, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”

- FACT: God’s Day of Judgment will soon arrive for all on this Earth

- FACT: It is NOT our job to ensure people are “pre-judged” before that time

- Our place in living joyfully is: Love God, Love People

-- To live completely for Him, taking everything to God in prayer (life-long)

- Our joy in Him ought to outweigh our sorrow in our circumstances

-- We must let the world see how we deal with good times AND bad times

-- This is our witness, this is how we must live, and this is v6-7 in a nutshell!

- We must also join thanksgivings with prayers and supplications

-- We must seek supplies of God, but celebrate the mercies we have received

-- God doesn’t need to be told our wants or desires; he already knows them