“THE JOY OF GODLY RELATIONSHIPS” Phil. 1:1-11
FBCF – 8/2/20
Jon Daniels
INTRO – “I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart…” – Kid’s song from years ago.
More recently, King & Country released a song a couple of years ago entitled, “I Choose Joy.” In a world that is getting crazier by the moment, their encouragement in this song is for us to choose joy over despair & discouragement & defeat. That’s good advice, especially in our day.
I read about a conference at a Presbyterian church where people were given helium filled balloons and told to release them at some point in the service when they felt like expressing the joy in their hearts. Since Presbyterians are known to be a bit more formal in their worship, they weren't really free to say "Hallelujah, Praise the Lord." So, this would be a quiet way to express their joy. All through the service balloons rose toward the ceiling, but when it was over 1/3 of the balloons were still unreleased.
Listen friends, we need to learn to let our balloons go! We need to learn to choose joy, to express our joy, to understand what joy is & where it comes from. Today, we are starting a new series of messages called “Joy in the Journey” that is going to be focused on joy.
EXPLANATION – Open your Bibles to Phil. 1:1-11.
Psalm 16:11 tells us that, in God’s presence, there is fullness of joy. Then Jesus, as He was drawing close to His death on a cruel Roman cross, said in John 15:11, “I have told you this so that you may be filled w/ my joy. Yes, your cup of joy will overflow” (TLB). Then Paul wrote in Gal. 5:16 that the “fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control.”
So, why do so many Christians live under a dark cloud of disappointment & disillusionment when they could be walking in the sunshine of joy? What has robbed so many of us of our joy that is rightfully & Scripturally ours? That’s what Paul wrote about in AD 62 when he wrote this letter from a Roman prison cell. Of all the people who had reason to NOT be filled w/ joy, it was Paul at this time as he awaited his trial – acquittal or beheading. And yet, that’s exactly what he focused on all throughout this letter, mentioning joy, or rejoicing, or gladness 15-20 times.
Paul’s secret is found in another word that is used at least 10 times in Philippians – “mind.” “Think” used 5 times, & “remember” used once – at least 16 times. The secret is found in the way we think – our attitudes, our thought patterns.
- What consumes our thoughts?
- What are we filling our minds with?
- What kind of attitude toward life do we have?
Paul was not encouraging a shallow, worldly, self-help, “Power of Positive Thinking” kind of attitude that blindly says, “Everything is just going to turn out alright.” He was encouraging his readers to take a hard look at who they’re letting joy-stealing circumstances, joy-stealing people, & joy-stealing sin corrode & corrupt their minds. There’s a better way! Through a personal & passionate relationship w/ Jesus, we can truly “Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS!” This is what we will explore in this “Joy in the Journey” series. And today, we begin w/ “The Joy of Godly Relationships.”
APPLICATION – There is great joy in having Godly relationships within the Body of Christ.
There’s a word in v. 5 that the ESV translates “partnership.” It’s the Greek word koinonia. It means “fellowship.” Usually, when we think about the word “fellowship” in church, we think about a party, or a social gathering, or a meal – “dinner on the grounds.” Might say, “We enjoyed fellowshipping with our friends,” or “That was some good fellowship time when we were playing golf…or on vacation…or shopping.” But that word means more than just a time of social interaction. It means to be in agreement w/ one another, united in purpose, & serving alongside one another.
Fellowship is all about the “one another’s” in the NT. There are about 60 “one another” verses in the NT. And when we look at this passage in Philippians we can see these “one another” aspects of fellowship. FELLOWSHIP MEANS:
- We are thankful for one another – v. 3
- We pray for one another – v. 4
- We partner w/ one another – v. 5
- We see God working in one another – v. 6
- We are unified w/ one another – v. 7
- We yearn for one another – v. 8
- We love one another more & more – v. 9
- We live in holiness for one another – v. 10
- We see Jesus in one another – v. 11
Our koinonia w/ one another is based on our koinonia w/ Jesus. 1 John 6:7 – “…if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship w/ one another…” So, here are 4 things we need to say to one another & mean what we say as we strive to experience the joy of Godly relationships:
I’M THINKING ABOUT YOU – v. 3 – “…in all my remembrance of you…” –
- “…every time I remember you…” (NIV)
- “…every time I think of you…” (GNT)
This is not one of those times when we flippantly say, “Hey man, I’m thinking about you.” This is more than that. It’s not that they just happen to cross your mind. It’s that you are genuinely concerned about them.
- Concerned about their walk w/ the Lord
- Concerned about their family life
- Concerned about their physical health & their emotional well-being
And that’s so important in building Godly relationships. The Christian life is not meant to be lived alone b/c the moment you give your life to Christ, you instantaneously gain a whole multitude of brothers & sisters that you’ll be with for all eternity.
- Who are you thinking about right now that needs to hear you say to them, “I’m thinking about you.”
- Write their name down right now
I’M THANKFUL FOR YOU – v. 3 – “I thank my God…”
Old song we used to sing – “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God…” One of the main reasons to be glad to be a part of the family of God is b/c of all these folks seated around you right now. Aren’t you thankful that God has placed these people in your life at this very moment?
Paul was so thankful for his Christian brothers & sisters in the church at Philippi. They had been so faithful in their love for him.
- They partnered w/ him in ministry & helped him financially – v. 5
- They prayed for him – v. 19
- They encouraged him & comforted him – 2:1-2
Paul had much to be thankful for w/ these believers in this church. And you & I have people in our lives that we need to be thankful for as well.
- Who are you thankful for right now?
- Write their name down & make a point to tell them how thankful you are for them.
I’M PRAYING FOR YOU – v. 4
Paul knew that one of the most important, most essential, & most loving things we can do for one another is to pray for each other. Don’t ever sell this short! Sometimes when we say, “All I can do is pray,” we feel like we’ve failed our friends. But praying for them is a HUGE thing to do for them! Never minimize the power & impact of praying for someone!
This is called intercessory prayer. It’s where you stand in the gap for someone & bring them before the Lord in prayer. One definition describes intercession as "holy, believing, persevering prayer whereby someone pleads with God on behalf of another or others who desperately need God's intervention."
- ALL of us who are Christ-followers are called to be intercessors. We are ALL called to pray for others.
- 1 Sam. 12:23 – “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.”
- Who do you need to pray for? Write their name down & let them know that you are praying for them.
I’M YEARNING FOR YOU – v. 8
Paul’s relationship w/ the Philippians wasn’t just some shallow, “surfacey” relationship. He “yearned” for them – had deep affection for them; a deep, intense desire for that relationship.
Our relationship w/ our brothers & sister in Christ needs have that depth – that yearning w/ a deep affection & desire:
- To be in a right relationship w/ you
- To see you growing & walking w/ the Lord
- To serve w/ you
Who are you yearning for? Who do you long to see truly walking w/ the Lord? Write their name down.
CONCLUSION
All of these relationships start w/ the most important relationship that anyone can have – a relationship w/ Jesus Christ. If you’ve never made that commitment to Him & entered into that relationship, why don’t you do it today – right now?
