Rejoice in the Lord Always

Introduction

Today, we are going to look together at a passage taken from the Epistle to the Philippians.

This letter is one of the most personal letters written by the Apostle Paul, but it is also one of those that has, on many occasions, lifted me up in times of doubt, weariness, and trial.

The Apostle Paul wrote this letter while he was imprisoned in Rome, around A.D. 62, to the church in Philippi, which he had founded several years earlier during his second missionary journey.

Although Paul was in prison, this letter is filled with joy, gratitude, and hope. Indeed, joy is one of the central themes of the epistle. Yet this joy is not founded upon favorable circumstances. It finds its source in Jesus Christ and in the certainty of the sovereignty of God.

Throughout this letter, Paul encourages believers to stand firm in the faith, to live in unity, humility, and love, to follow the example of Christ, and to faithfully continue the Christian race despite difficulties and opposition.

As he comes to chapter 4, Paul concludes his epistle with several practical exhortations intended to strengthen the church. He calls believers to rejoice in the Lord, to show gentleness toward all people, to replace anxiety with prayer, and to live in the peace of God.

Let us now look together at what the Lord desires to teach us through this passage. Here we discover how a believer can know true joy and deep peace, even in the midst of trials, by living in complete trust in the Lord.

Teaching

Reading of the Passage – “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ” Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV)

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” v.4

Does God Want Us to Be Happy?

Happiness often depends on circumstances and is influenced by our emotions and feelings. If we obtain what we desire, we are happy. If we lose it, our happiness disappears. Biblical joy, however, is rooted in faith in God, in His character, in His promises, and in the salvation that He has granted to us through Jesus Christ.

God’s highest purpose is not simply our comfort or our well-being, but to make us increasingly conformed to Christ for the glory of His name. This remains true even when we go through trials in this world. Yet it is precisely by pursuing Him and living for Him that believers discover a lasting joy, one that surpasses temporary pleasures and remains even in the midst of suffering.

This is exactly what Paul teaches us in this first verse. While he himself is imprisoned, he exhorts believers to rejoice. Not in their circumstances, not in their emotions, but in the Lord.

This joy is not a passing emotion. It is the fruit of a deep trust in God, in His sovereignty, His goodness, and His promises. That is why Paul, despite his imprisonment and suffering, can say: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

So then, what does it mean to rejoice always in the Lord?

Biblical joy is the Spirit-enabled confidence of the believer in God, flowing from the assurance that we are loved by God our Father. This truth leads us to love Him regardless of what may happen in our lives.

When we rejoice in the midst of our sufferings, we reflect Christ. In those moments, God is at work in our sanctification in order to change us and transform us so that we may become increasingly conformed to the perfect image of Christ.

The word always means at all times and in every circumstance of life in this world, for this world is not our final home. As believers redeemed by the blood of Jesus, we eagerly await our eternal home with Christ.

Yet our joy is not found only in what God is accomplishing in our lives today. It is also found in the hope of the glory to come. As the Apostle Paul says: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” Colossians 1:27 (ESV)

The hope of the glory to come, when we will be with Christ for all eternity. Therefore, our joy is not found in circumstances, but in the Lord Himself, in His promises, and in the firm assurance that we belong to Him forever.

“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand” v.5

Yes, even in the midst of the various trials of life, preserving « reasonableness » or in some  Bible versions « gentleness » is a sign of the powerful and supernatural work of the Holy Spirit within us. 

Without His work, it would be impossible for us to respond in such a manner to the difficulties and injustices that we may encounter. In fact, it is one of the fruits of the Spirit produced when God is at work in our lives.

Our testimony before men also has an important impact on the way we represent Christ and His Gospel.

We glorify God not only through our words, but also through our manner of living and acting. It is often in the most difficult moments that the reality of our faith, our submission to Christ, and our belonging to Him are made evident.

The fact that the Apostle Paul adds, “The Lord is at hand,” reminds us of the hope of Christ’s return. The perspective of His second coming, when He will return to judge the world and fully deliver His people, was a constant reality for the first Christians.

No one knows the day or the hour of His return. As Jesus teaches: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” Matthew 24:36 (ESV)

And again: “But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” Matthew 24:43-44 (ESV)

However, we are called to live in expectation of that meeting, remaining faithful until the end. Like the Apostle Paul himself, we must persevere in the faith until the end of our race.

Paul could therefore declare: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing” 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV)

This is the hope of the believer: to live for Christ today while awaiting His glorious return, and to do so with the joy that this firm conviction brings.

“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” v.6

The Apostle Paul, himself in chains and probably living under terrible conditions, continues to encourage and strengthen believers through words of brotherly love, like a spiritual father speaking to his children in the Lord. 

He is the one who planted this church and who knows the surrounding difficulties, both politically and socially oppressive. This constant persecution existed because believers were united together in Christ.

“Do not be anxious about anything” shows that all these things are temporary: afflictions and sufferings. The best is yet to come, and deliverance is near. God’s providence is also a never-ending fact among His people, as Jesus always reminds of not been worried about tomorrow right?

Then comes this powerful call to prayer toward God. When Paul says, “let your requests be made known to God,” he calls us to pray in the midst of our weaknesses and afflictions. But not only that, for he also speaks of prayers, supplications, and thanksgivings, which place the believer in three different positions before God.

Prayer is a direct dialogue with God, something that should be practiced in simplicity and at any moment. It should not be seen as a task or a duty, but rather as a way of life.

But supplication or a petition is different. It speaks of a fervent and earnest prayer addressed to God in our needs. It may be accompanied by tears and lamentations, showing our complete dependence upon Him and our involvement with both body and soul. 

David was well known for this kind of supplication, among all the Psalms he wrote praying and seeking God for forgiveness or even essential spiritual needs to move forward in his life.

This also may remind us of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, praying with such intensity that His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground, as He perfectly submitted Himself to the will of His Father (Luke 22:44).

Thirdly, thanksgivings are an attitude of gratitude toward God. They consist of thanking God for His blessings, for His person, for His promises, for His salvation, and for everything that He accomplishes in our lives.

Here we can see this attitude of heart and dependence upon God, the action taken in order to maintain this relationship with our Creator through the Spirit who lives within us, the One who is the Comforter of our souls and who leads us where Christ desires us to be and what He desires us to do.

Jesus said to His disciples: “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me” John 15:26 (ESV)

As believers, we are no longer alone, for God is with us and lives within us to guide us according to His holy and perfect sovereignty, so that everything accomplished in us may glorify Him, the one true God of all things in heaven and on earth.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” v.7

The peace of God is a gift, and it is very significant here. The Apostle Paul often speaks about peace. The picture here is that of a guard protecting a city. Since Philippi was a Roman colony with many soldiers, the Philippians believers would easily understand this image.

Paul teaches that the peace of God stands guard over our hearts and minds, protecting us from anxiety, fear, and worry. 

This reminds us of what the Psalmist says: “The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore” Psalm 121:7-8 (ESV)

In the same way, God watches over His people, guarding their hearts and minds through the peace that is found in Jesus Christ, for this peace is not the peace that the world gives. 

As Jesus teaches His disciples: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you” John 14:27 (ESV)

What is being described here is an inward, lasting, and above all supernatural peace. It is the peace that is manifested in the life of the believer when he submits himself to the Holy Spirit, when he does not live in the darkness of the world, when he sets himself apart to read and meditate upon the Word of God, the peace that illuminates the soul and is nourished by this water of eternal life.

The Apostle Paul also tells us that this peace “surpasses all understanding.” Therefore, it must not be confused with a purely human understanding influenced by material things, circumstances, or outward comfort.

The peace of God surpasses the reasoning and values of this world. It is understood and experienced through the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, leading him to live according to the values of the Kingdom of God rather than those of the world.

It is something that neither money, nor education, nor human wisdom can provide, but only the grace of God.

Yes, the heart is the place where this peace must dwell, from which our thoughts will arise. When our hearts remain in Christ, our thoughts are likewise guarded in Him.

And the thoughts that proceed from the heart are the product of whatever fills the heart. If our hearts remain in Jesus Christ, then our thoughts will also be directed toward Him, provided that we keep our eyes fixed upon Him.

This is the promise of God for those who belong to Him: a peace that the world can neither give nor take away, a peace that guards our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.

Conclusion

To conclude my message today, I would like to quote the first verse of this chapter, which Paul writes with a deep sense of truth and conviction: "Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. » Philippians 4:1 (ESV)

This verse says it all and summarizes what we have been looking at today. We must stand firm in the Lord, with love for one another, joy, and unity, facing all circumstances together as living testimonies of the truth, while waiting for His glorious return.