Preaching From Philippians #9

Notice, he says, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord…”

• We can understand someone who is not in jail writing to someone in jail trying to get them to do this.

• It is unusual for a fellow who is in jail to be encouraging to those who are free to do this.

This passage of scripture is helpful to us because it tells us some of the things that Paul considered to be important and what he had learned in the Christian life. For example, this passage reveals:

I. PAUL’S REJOICING

In a previous chapter, Paul dealt with the problem of having what we call “SUNSHINE” friends. That is, when things are going great they are there for us.

Illus: Dr. Odell Belger says this kind of friend remind him of the time when he was a young man and his parents planted a large garden each year. There were people you would not see for months, but when harvest time came, you could almost bet your life they would be coming to visit. The strange thing about it was that when they came, they always came with a sack or a wash tub in the trunk of their cars.

Paul had some friends like that. When things got tough, they put as much distance as they could between themselves and Paul. For example:

• Look at 2 Timothy 4:10 “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.”

• Look at Philippians 2:1 “For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.”

But now, Paul gets his mind off such people and says to those who loved the Lord and who loved him, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord…”

Paul was a great servant because he went through the hard times but he refused to stay there.

• There are some folks who lost a good job and they have never gotten over it.

• There are some folks who have had a bad experience in the church and they have never gotten over it.

• There are some folks who have gone through a bad divorce and they have never gotten over it.

• There are some folks who have been deceived by a friend and they have never gotten over it.

• There are some pastors who have been mistreated by a congregation and they have never gotten over it.

Listen, we all have had bad situations occur in our life.

Illus: I know sometimes some of the movie stars appear on television and they act like they have the perfect life. They want you to think they do not have a problem in the world. But remember, THEY ARE ACTORS AND ACTRESSES. When they give this false impression, they are probably doing some of their best acting.

Illus: Our life is like driving a car down the highway.

• It is nice to drive down nice smooth roads

• Sometimes we are forced to drive down bumpy roads

• Sometimes we drive down roads that are so bad we get stuck in the mud

BUT ONCE WE GET STUCK, WE DO NOT STAY THERE, we get out of our car and find some way to get out of the mud.

Paul could have stayed behind bars and moaned and groaned about the INJUSTICE he had suffered, and the disloyalty of his friends, but he got over it!

In fact, Paul is in better shape than those who are on the outside of the prison, and he is writing to them and saying, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord…”

Notice, he is not rejoicing in the fact that he is behind bars, that is nothing to rejoice about. He said, “REJOICE, IN THE LORD.”

When you and I can not find anything good in our life to rejoice about, we can ALWAYS find something to rejoice about IN THE LORD. If we look for the worst in everything, we should not be surprised if we find it. But if we look for the best, we will also find that.

Paul was a great servant because even in a prison cell he could REJOICE IN THE LORD!

But notice, evidently Paul had written to them about rejoicing before. Look at verse 1 again, we read, “…To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.”

We Christians have to be continually reminded to REJOICE IN THE LORD.

If we rejoice in the things of the world, our emotions will be like a roller coaster. That is:

• You can buy a new house today and rejoice over it, but in six months you might be cursing the day you signed on the dotted line.