Rejoice in the Lord

Good morning again.

Oh, that was weak.

It is sweet when we have a snowy day and there's still folks here, so thank you for being here.

My name is Matthew Capone and I'm the assistant pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church.

And it's my joy, as always, to bring God's word to you.

A special welcome if you are new or visiting with us.

We're glad you're here.

And we're glad you're here, not because you are filling a seat on a snowy day,

but because we are following Jesus together as one community.

And we're convinced that there is no one so good that they don't need God's grace.

And no one so bad that they can't have it.

And so we're glad that you're here because we believe that God has something to say to everyone.

And so everyone needs to hear what God has to say in his word.

If you have been with us, you know that we're in the book of Philippians.

Philippians is a letter, as I've said before.

It's a letter that's written to a church in the first century that was in a city called Philippi,

which is in modern-day Macedonia.

And this letter was written to a church that was very much like our church.

And this church was in a city that was very much like our city.

And so just as Paul had many things to say to the church in Philippi,

so this letter still has many things to say to us, as we've seen.

And I've talked a lot about the fact that this letter emphasizes our partnership in the gospel together.

But Philippians is more commonly known not as the book of partnership in the gospel,

but people actually talk about it as the book of joy.

Now, I'm convinced that it is primarily about partnership in the gospel,

but the word joy appears more times in this book than it does in any other book in the New Testament.

Joy and then the verb to rejoice.

And it seems to be an emphasis in Paul's thought.

And so as we get to the end of the book of Philippians,

it's hard to believe we're actually in chapter 4.

I snuck in one verse from chapter 4 last week,

and then we're starting full on in chapter 4 this week.

We're finally going to look a little bit at Paul and what he believes about joy,

what he tells this church about joy.

Now, one of my personal quirks, you might call it,

is that I have a little bit of a fascination with survivalists.

Now, don't get worried.

I'm not preparing for the end of the world in a physical sense.

I'm not preparing for the collapse of society.

I just personally find it very interesting.

And survivalists, as you may know, are people who are preparing for this.

They're preparing for society to break down unexpectedly.

And so they want to be ready at any moment.

They want to make sure wherever they're at,

whether they're at their grocery store,

whether they're at their house, they're prepared.

They don't have to go out and get anything.

They have everything they need around them.

So I find this fascinating and all the things that they do to prepare.

One of the things that's most important if you're a survivalist

is you have to make sure that you have a source of fire.

And this is more complicated than it sounds

because fire is really tied to the circumstance.

You have certain types of burners that might work outside,

but they're only going to work when there's low wind.

You might have other types of fire that are going to work

unless there's moisture in the air,

so they're not going to work in the snow.

And so one of the great tasks of a survivalist

is to find a source of fire that will work anywhere.

And there's all kinds of ways you can do this.

We might think that a strike anywhere match would work,

but that just means that the match would start.

It doesn't mean it's going to stay lit if there's a lot of wind.

And so there's all kinds of products that you can find

that will help you start a fire no matter where you are.

Some of them are these little pieces of cloth

that are soaked in gasoline,

so even when they get wet, they'll light up for you,

and you can have your flint and tinder there,

and you can start a fire wherever you're at.

But the goal is that no matter where you are,

no matter the circumstances,

if you're a survivalist,

you want to make sure you are able to have fire

because that's going to be one of the most important things

for your survival.

And so what we're going to see here in chapter 4

is that for Paul, joy is a type of fire

that can be lit anywhere.

That joy, as opposed to happiness,

is something that is not bound by the circumstance.

It's something that the Christian can have

no matter where they are.

No matter what's going on in their own personal lives,

no matter what's going on in the world around them,

Paul wants this church in Philippi

to have joy.

We've seen before plenty of reasons

they would not have joy.

They have people who are teaching things

that are wrong about the gospel.

They're having divisions within their own church.

We found it in chapter 1.

There are people who are opposing them.

There's opposition,

folks who are making it hard for them

to live life as Christians in the Roman Empire.

And yet Paul is going to tell us

in verse 4 here of chapter 4,

rejoice in the Lord always.

Again, I will say rejoice.

And it's that word always

that lets us know for Paul,

joy is the strike-anywhere match of the Christian.

It's the thing that the Christian

should be able to access

at any point in their lives,

no matter what's going on around them.

And so our big question today is this,

how do we find joy as a Christian?

It was challenging for the Philippians

in their circumstances,

challenging for us as well.

We face things that are similar.

We also find difficulties in relationships,

just like the Philippians did.

We find it at times hard

to be Christians in this world.

And we also just face

the everyday challenges of life,

fear about what might happen in the future,

the loss of things that are valuable to us,

things that are easy to take away our happiness

but should not take away our joy.

And so how do we find joy

as a Christian in this life?

We're in Philippians chapter four.

We're starting in verse one.

And remember that this is God's word

and God tells us that his word

is more precious than gold,

even the finest gold,

and that it is sweeter than honey,

even honey that comes straight

from the honeycomb.

And so we're gonna read now,

starting with verse one in chapter four.

Please read with me.

Therefore, my brothers,

whom I love and long for,

my joy and crown,

stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

I entreat Aeodia and I entreat Syntyche

to agree in the Lord.

Yes, I ask you also, true companion,

help these women

who have labored side by side with me

in the gospel,

together with Clement

and the rest of my fellow workers,

whose names are in the book of life.

Verse four.

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.

Verse eight.

Finally, brothers,

whatever is true,

whatever is honorable,

whatever is just,

whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely,

whatever is commendable,

if there is any excellence,

if there is anything worthy of praise,

think about these things.

What you have learned and received

and heard and seen in me,

practice these things

and the God of peace will be with you.

Please pray with me

as we come to this portion of God's word.

Dear Father in heaven,

we thank you that your word

is like a fire on a cold day.

It warms us.

It sustains us.

It keeps us alive.

We ask that you would do that now,

that you would send your word

to do what you did

at the beginning of creation,

that you would send it

to bring things that are not alive,

alive.

That you'd take what's dead

and you'd raise it up again.

We ask that for ourselves,

that you would come

and you would change us.

We ask that you do it by your word.

And so we ask all these things

in the name of your son.

Amen.

Amen.

So how do we find joy

in any circumstance?

Paul tells us immediately,

he cuts to the point here

in verse one.

Therefore my brothers,

whom I love and long for,

my joy and crown,

stand firm thus in the Lord,

my beloved.

And so we're going to hear something

that we've heard

all throughout the book of Philippians.

Paul, first and foremost,

here finds joy

in the people who are around him.

He finds joy

in his fellow believers.

He finds joy

in these people he's labored with

side by side

for the sake of the gospel.

This is everything we've seen

in chapters one and two especially.

And some in chapter three as well.

Paul's joy,

his ability

to have joy,

even when,

remember,

Paul is writing this letter

from house arrest in Rome.

He's facing the possibility

of a death sentence.

And so he is not someone

who is looking from the sidelines,

telling other people

to have joy,

but Paul has real skin

in the game here.

And as he faces

uncertain circumstances,

even about his own life,

he looks to these people

in Philippi

who have labored

side by side with him

as people who bring him joy.

That no matter

what is happening

in his life,

he knows that he has

these other Christians

with him

who are striving

and seeking

for the same goal

that we talked about

in chapter three.

For the same treasure

of what we talked about

in chapter one.

And so that no matter

what is happening,

he has them with him

to remind him,

to bring him joy.

But if this sounds

a little pie in the sky,

if it sounds too repetitious

for what we said before,

Paul is not unaware

of the difficulties of this.

He knows that we find

joy in relationships,

and yet it's in the very

next verse

that he talks about

the difficulty

of relationships.

It turns out

that there are

two people

in the congregation

at Philippi

who are not getting along,

and they're not getting along

to such an extent

that the whole congregation

knows about it.

Paul does not have

any trouble naming them

in this letter,

and so our guess is that

the congregation

is not unaware of this.

Paul's not going to take

something that's private

and make it public,

and so this congregation,

these people who are

meant to find joy

from each other,

have gotten to a point

in conflict where everyone

knows about this disagreement.

And so we see here

in verse 2,

I entreat Aodia

and I entreat Syntyche

to agree in the Lord.

Yes, I ask you also,

true companion,

help these women

who have labored

side by side

with me in the gospel,

together with Clement

and the rest of my fellow workers

whose names

are in the book of life.

In other words,

we have had partnership together.

This reference to the book of life

is something that people

in the Jewish time

would use to refer to someone

who had proven their worth

by standing in times

of persecution.

In other words,

you have experienced

the joy that I have now

with you,

you've experienced

the partnership,

and so do everything

that I've told you

in chapter 2 and chapter 1.

Especially in chapter 2,

this agree in the Lord

is the exact same language

we saw at the beginning

of chapter 2

when Paul told them

to think the same thing.

And it's the similar language

that was used

to describe Timothy.

Timothy was someone

who thought the same way

that Paul did.

And so this thinking

the same way,

this agreeing in the Lord

is everything

that we've talked about before.

That Aodia and Syntyche

need to agree

that what matters

more than anything else

is the gospel.

That they need to agree

that other people's needs

are more important

than their own

so that they can set aside

what's driving them apart.

By the way,

Paul is very realistic

about conflict in the church.

He understands

the need for a mediator here.

He doesn't take sides.

He doesn't believe

there's a right answer.

He just tells them

they need to figure it out.

So the kind of conflict

here that's going on

is not about

something that Paul

believes there's

a correct conclusion to,

except the conclusion

of them agreeing

with each other,

them realizing

what's important

and what's not important.

And so Paul's not

unaware of

the struggle

of relationship,

but he also sees it

as a source of joy

and this is where

the secret comes in.

Remember in verse 4

he says rejoice.

This is not just

generic rejoicing,

but rejoice

specifically in the Lord.

And that's the same thing

he tells these women

to do,

to agree in the Lord.

In other words,

this joy is not

simply something

that comes from

relationships in general,

but it comes from

relationships that are

headed in the same direction.

It comes from

relationships that are

headed towards the gospel

and it's actually

going in that same direction

that allows these women

to agree.

It's this common

partnership,

this common mission

that's going to allow

them to do what they

would otherwise

be unable to do.

There was a singer

and songwriter

named Clarence Carter

who made music

during the time

of Jim Crow

and he experienced

all the horrors

of racism

during that time.

He was African American

as he was interacting

with people

who were white.

He had to do

certain things

and bear with

certain things.

And yet he said this

as a musician.

There was one place

where he experienced

things that were different.

He said,

when I was a boy,

if I met a white boy,

I had to say,

this is Mr. Robert

or Mr. Jimmy.

But in the studio,

we got away from all that.

It was Jimmy.

It was Robert.

You just worked together.

You never thought

about who was white

and who was black.

You thought about

the common thing

and it was the music.

In other words,

everything outside

of the music studio

was filled with

conflict for him.

But there was one place

where he was able

to overcome that

and it was the place

where there was a focus

that everyone was driven to

that was more important

than the things

that were going outside.

And so what Paul

is telling us

is that we can find

joy in relationships.

Not in a pie-in-the-sky way.

Not in a Hallmark movie way.

But we can find joy

in relationships

because the church

should be the one place

where people can come

and overcome

the conflicts they have

outside of the church.

That this should be the place

where people can see

that there's one thing

that matters

and it's being in the Lord.

And so all the things

that they have to fight around,

the things that don't matter,

they can let go of

in the church.

They can let go

of differences

in personality

and upbringing

and preferences

because they're strung together,

bound together

in the Lord.

And so that's why

Paul can tell us

in verse 4,

rejoice in the Lord.

Because this joy,

first of all,

is in our relationships

with each other

as and only as

we're pursuing

the gospel together.

And so again,

we see the themes

we've seen over and over

that this joy

is not disconnected

from our partnership

in the gospel

and that our partnership

cannot be

outside of the gospel.

You thought about

the common thing

and it was the music.

And so for the Christian

in the church,

as we're finding joy,

as we have this fire source,

this strike anywhere match,

we think about

the common thing,

which is the gospel.

And so that's how

we find joy

in our relationships

with one another.

But it's not just

the partnership.

Within we see,

we finally come to verse 4,

rejoice in the Lord always.

Again, I will say rejoice.

Let your reasonableness

be known to everyone.

The Lord is at hand.

Now when Paul says

reasonableness here,

it could be better translated as

patience or forbearance.

Let your ability

to know what matters

and what doesn't matter

be known to everyone.

And how are you going to do it?

Well, the Lord is at hand.

And this means two things.

One, that God's presence

is with us.

And two,

that his second coming

is near.

And the focus here

in Philippians

is definitely

on God's presence,

but the primary focus

is on God's second coming,

on Jesus' return to the earth.

Remember,

we've talked before

in chapter 3,

verses 20 and 21,

we saw that Jesus

is coming back

and he's bringing

a heavenly citizenship.

And so how we agree

in the Lord first

is by letting our patience

be known to everyone,

our forbearance,

our reasonableness.

But second,

knowing that Jesus

is returning soon.

And so that helps us

prioritize what matters

and what doesn't matter.

I had a member

of my family

who at one point,

he was diagnosed

and believed

that he was heading

down the road of cancer.

He was convinced

that his end

was very near.

That it was at hand.

And so the first thing

he did was begin

to figure out

what mattered

and what didn't.

Suddenly it became

very clear

which relationships

were priorities

and which ones were not.

It became clear

which possessions

were priorities

and which were not.

He began clearing through

things that he owned

because he didn't want

other people after him

to have to do that for him.

Now in this particular situation

that did not happen.

This diagnosis

turned out not to be true.

That individual

is still alive

living a full life.

But the reality,

the realization

that the end

might be near

forced priorities

to become clear.

And so Paul is saying

look,

Jesus is coming back soon.

And so let that be

the measure stick

by which you figure out

your priorities.

Let that be

how you figure out

what is worth fighting about

and what is not.

Let that be

your attitude

towards the people

around you.

That is how you find

joy in relationships.

You agree in the Lord

as you realize

that he is at hand.

He's coming back.

And so that helps you know

what matters

and what doesn't.

And so it's not just

our relationships

with others

that bring us joy.

It's also our relationship

with God.

We see that in verses

six and seven.

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.

And so Paul says here

the opposite of anxiety

is prayer.

Now it's important

to know what Paul means

when he talks about anxiety.

There are all different

types of anxiety.

Paul actually says

in other letters

that he is anxious

about people.

And so it seems

that Paul has a category

for types of anxiety

that are okay

and types of anxiety

that are not.

When Paul says

that he's anxious

about someone

what he really means

is I'm concerned for them.

I care for them.

I want the best for them.

And so he talks

at various points

about his anxiety

for the various churches

that he has helped

and that he pastors.

But here when Paul

says anxiety

what he's talking about

is the fear

that comes

when we refuse

to trust other people

and when we refuse

to trust God.

The anxiety

that Paul is talking

about here

is the fear

that comes from

refusing to trust

other people

and refusing

to trust God.

The fear

that pushes us

to try to manage

the things around us

that causes our lives

to shrink

because we choose

rather than living

our lives

we want to control

that we want to make sure

there's nothing unexpected

that could ever happen.

We think about

everything bad

that might happen

in the future

and then adjust

our lives

in light of that

not in light

of the fact

that the Lord

is at hand.

And so Paul's told us

that we find our joy

in relationships

with others

but we also find

our joy

in our relationship

with God

because God

is the one

that we can bring

our concerns to

in prayer.

We can tell him

about the things

that we're anxious about.

We can take the things

that we're anxious about

and recognize

that our control

is limited.

We are actually

powerless

in many situations

and so trying

and working hard

to control things

that we cannot control

is not just a mistake

it's actually

a form of evil.

It's a form

of denying God

of believing

that he's not

who he says he is.

And so there's

no special explanation

here.

there's times

when I have to dare

to be boring

and dare to be simple

as one of my professors

loved to say.

And so this is

very simple.

Paul is saying

if you're anxious

pray about the things

you're anxious about.

But don't just do that.

Do it with thanksgiving.

Because Paul knows

something that

physiologists now

also understand

which is that

the part of our brain

that carries anxiety

is the same part

that carries joy.

And so it's actually

impossible

for your brain

to be experiencing

anxiety and joy

at the same time.

And so Paul's secret here

for experiencing joy

in any circumstance

is twofold.

One,

write down the things

you're anxious about

and pray about them.

And two,

write down the things

you're grateful for

and pray about them.

And this is not

just some

modern advice

about having

a gratitude journal.

This is actually

what God's people

have done

throughout all time.

It's what we see

in the Psalms

over and over again.

The psalmist

when he's crying out to God

when he's experiencing

something that causes

him anxiety

when he feels threatened

by forces outside

of his control.

Often what he'll do

in the middle of the psalm

is list all the ways

that God has taken care

of him in the past.

And so part of

the Christian life

is keeping a list

of the things

that God has done

to guide us

and protect us

and provide for us

in the past.

I know some families

who will,

when something happens

that's worthy

of thanksgiving,

they'll write it down

on a card

and then they'll put it

in a jar or a bucket.

And so when they're

facing anxiety,

when they're facing

uncertainty about the future,

they'll take them out

and they'll remember

all the things

they'd forgotten

in the past,

places where they saw

God's hand clearly

in their lives

intervening and working.

And that reminds them

of what anxiety

wants them to forget,

reminds them that God

has not forgotten them,

that God is still

in control,

and that while it seems

like things around them

have changed,

God has not.

And so that's the peace

that Paul talks about

in verse 7,

the peace which surpasses

all understanding

that will guard your hearts

and your minds

in Christ Jesus.

Now it's not a coincidence

that Paul uses

the word guard.

Paul, if you're familiar

with his life,

was very familiar

with what it was like

to be in prison.

Now in this situation,

he's probably under

house arrest,

so his experience

with guards

is a little bit less,

but Paul knows

that a guard's job

is to keep anything

from getting to the prisoner.

And so Paul is telling us

that the secret to joy

is to let

our remembering

of God's provision

for us

in the past

be the guard

of our minds

as we're tempted

to shrink

the world around us

so that we can control it,

as we're tempted

to believe

the lies of anxiety

about worst case scenarios

that could potentially

happen sometime

in the future,

instead we're called

to remember

what God has done

in the past.

And that will serve

as a guard

over our minds.

It will keep us

from believing

the lies of anxiety,

believing the lie

that we cannot trust God,

first of all.

We cannot trust

his people,

second of all.

there's a truth

that a man once spoke

that big things

make

push out small things.

And that's what

Paul is telling us here.

He's going to tell us again

in this final section.

Big things push out

small things.

The big reality

of our relationships

with other people

push out

the fears

and anxieties

that press in on us.

the big reality

of God's providence

and sovereignty

pushes out

the small realities

that steal our joy.

And so that's what

Paul is going to end with

here

in verses 8 and 9.

We've seen first

that we find our joy

in our relationships

with others

and not just our relationships

in general

but specifically

in the Lord.

Secondly,

we find our joy

in prayer.

This is not just

some mindfulness practice

but it's our joy

that we find

in the Lord

because we know

that he hears

and he listens to us.

And then we're going to see

that we find our joy

in all

of the things

that are in this world

that God has given us

that reflect his glory

and his beauty.

And so we see in verse 8,

finally brothers,

whatever is true,

whatever is honorable,

whatever is just,

whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely,

whatever is commendable,

if there is any excellence,

if there is anything

worthy of praise,

think about these things.

Now Paul is not giving us

discrete categories here.

There are not things

that are on the one hand

true but not honorable

or pure but not lovely.

We're not meant to

take these

and subtract them,

make them into separate lists.

Paul gives us

this crescendo

of adjectives

because he wants

to tell us,

look,

anything

that reflects God

and his goodness

and his justice

and his beauty.

Set your mind on that.

When you're tempted

to be filled

with fear and anxiety,

when you're tempted

to lose your joy,

set your minds

not on things

that are destructive

but set your mind

on the things

that God has made

and do it

wherever you find it.

He says,

whatever is just,

whatever is pure.

In other words,

as you look around

the world,

you will see things

that reflect God

and his goodness

and you'll see it

in the church.

You'll also see it

outside the church

because everyone,

even if they've rebelled

against God,

is still made

in his image.

They can't escape

the fact that God

created them.

And so we'll see

both people

who are Christians

and non-Christians

doing things

that reflect

God's goodness.

It might not be

in a specific way,

it might not be

in a way

that's meant

or intended

to bring glory

to God.

But think about it

this way.

If you have

a child,

they're going

to look like you

in some way

whether they want

to or not.

And so there's

beauty all around

the world

and that is part

of the great

big thing

that will push

out the small things.

And so when we're

tempted to be afraid

and we're tempted

to give up on joy,

it is right,

it is good and right

for us to drive

west along

South Academy

and see the mountains

and be overcome

by their beauty

because that's one

of the ways

that God reminds us

of his goodness

in the midst

of this world.

It is right

as we're discouraged

about the things

that are going on

in our own family

to look at the marriages

that God has given us

in our church

that are healthy

and have hope.

It is good and right

as we feel

the darkness

of this world

pressing in on us

to read a story

that reminds us

that there's a narrative

to this life

that God's in control

and that he has not

given us up.

And so we have

great big things

that push out

little small things.

Finally, Paul reminds us

that it's not just

an action of remembering

and thinking

but it's an act

of doing.

And so he ends

with verse 9.

What you have learned

and received

and heard

and seen in me

practice these things

and the God of peace

will be with you.

And so we see

at the end of verse 8

think about these things

and the middle of verse 9

practice these things.

That those two

are two sides

of the same coin.

That as we think

more and more

about what is good

and true

and lovely

we can practice

more and more.

And as we practice

more and more

we be able to think

more and more.

Paul again

is also emphasizing

what we've talked about

over and over.

He presents himself

as a model here

just as he did

in chapter 3

explicitly

in verse 17

just as he did

in chapter 2

implicitly

with Timothy

and Epaphroditus.

He's tying back

to what we saw

at the beginning

of this chapter

in the first few verses.

In the end

you've been given

the people around you

to walk with you.

And so how do we find

joy

in any circumstance?

How do we find joy

in the midst of our lives

even when it seems

like darkness

and evil

is pressing in on us?

First we find it

in the people around us

and not just in them

generically

but specifically

as we are

in the Lord with them

as we pursue

the same treasure together.

So we find it

in our relationship

with others.

We find it

in our relationship

with God

as we take the things

that cause us to fear

and we give them to him.

We find it

as we take the things

that he's done for us

and we remind ourselves

of them.

And finally

we find joy

as we look around

the world around us

even as we look out

on a snowy day

on the mountains

at least as you all

look out on the mountains

on a snowy day.

Oh, sorry.

As I look out on you

on a snowy day.

Those are the big things

the great things

that God uses

to push out

the small things.

that when we see

how great

and glorious

those things are

we will realize

how small

everything else is

by comparison.

And so that's what

we're about to sing now

in our closing hymn.

It starts out this way.

Jesus,

I am resting,

resting

in the joy

of what thou art.

Thy beauty

fills my soul.

that God's given us

the beautiful things

in this world

to remind us

of his goodness.

That his goodness

is greater

than the darkness.

And then we see

in the chorus

why we bring things

to him in prayer

because we find out

the greatness

of his loving heart.

And so we can pray

to him asking

that he would

fill us around

with blessings

because thine

is love indeed.

So please pray with me.

Dear Father in heaven,

we thank you

that you have given us

big, great things

to push out

little and small things.

We ask that you

remind us of it.

You put it into our hearts

more and more

as you make us

look more and more

like Jesus.

We ask all these things

in the name of your son.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.