Real Joy

Good morning, I'm John, if you haven't met me, I'm one of the staff here.

We have been sitting under Paul's teaching over many weeks now, through Romans and now in Philippians.

And what kind of Christian would you say Paul is?

Let's do a word cloud.

The way it works is if you open your camera and point to this QR code, you'll get to your page.

Or if you actually open your browser and just type minti.com and then the number is 1964-3376.

Don't worry if you don't have a phone, this is an exercise that you can actually ask people next to you to do it for you.

So, Wendy, maybe you can go to that page when you're ready.

Oh, okay.

It's building in.

So, if you don't have a phone, just ask the person next to you to put it for you.

You can put it multiple times, as many as you like.

Whatever comes to your mind and as often as you like.

So, hardcore, faithful, good, loving, humble, passionate.

Wow, it's going well.

Going really, really well.

So, what kind of Christian is Paul to your mind?

So, if you're in that blank, going, okay, wow, it's different.

You still doing it?

Still having fun?

It's getting bigger.

Getting harder to read the word.

Okay, let's pause there.

Okay.

What would you say about someone that's in this room?

How about me?

So, Wendy, if you go back just on your keyboard, go to the right arrow.

Yes.

John Lau is such a word Christian.

You can be brutally honest, okay, or as kind and nice as you want.

I'm ready to eat any humble pie that you throw at me for breakfast this morning.

And it will be good for my personal growth, okay?

Teddy bear.

Wow.

It's very flattering.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All good.

Now, we're going to go back to the presented slide.

You can look at the result later on.

It actually, once you've done it, you've got a few days to go back to look at it.

And you can feel free to keep going in, putting John Lau is such a word.

So, give some time for Wendy to...

Cool.

Finally, if you put your name...

We go back to the...

Yeah.

If you put your name at the beginning of this sentence,

what would you use in a space before Christian to describe your own life?

That's for you to think through.

In Paul's letter to the Philippians, the word grace and thanks come from the same roots in the original language of joy.

So, if you highlight those words and the related words like gracious, give thanks, rejoice with, or rejoice,

as you read the letter of Philippians,

it's very convincing that the theme of this letter of Philippians is joy,

which James has...

our assistant minister have pointed out for us the last two weeks.

Paul was in prison when he wrote the letter, but even as a prisoner, he was filled with joy,

which permeated his letters.

But that being said, we just read chapter 3.

Do you notice how many times the word related to joy appears?

In the whole chapter of chapter 3.

Once.

Right at the very beginning.

Rejoice in the Lord.

Once.

In the whole chapter.

This lack of occurrence does not mean I'm very bad at counting,

or have contradicted myself about the theme of the letter,

but it served to reveal a secret, the secret of Paul's joy.

The secret of Paul's joy was his relationship with Jesus Christ.

The proof is in the letter of Philippians,

which begins and ends with the name of Jesus.

And Paul mentioned his beloved Savior 40 times in the letter,

and 10 times in this chapter 3,

which average at least once every two verses.

The reason for Paul's joy was his relationship with Christ.

And we have observed two chapters of how Paul's joy was tested in Rome's prison.

Now, and how he held on to destroy his Savior Jesus.

If Paul's relationship to his Master Jesus Christ

could bring him joy under those conditions,

then surely we who also love the Savior

can learn to rejoice in any of our difficult times.

And if you do not know Jesus,

as Nick had pointed out before,

I hope you'll get to know him soon

and share that joy.

The last few years have not been easy for many people.

And I will be okay even to say that

the last few years have been difficult for many people.

However, difficult times should not prove to be our cute joys.

But there are things that we must watch out for

which will kill our joy.

So let's check out a few of the cute joys today

and look at the real joy that Paul wants us to know.

Please turn again back to chapter 3 of Philippians

and we are reading from verse 1 to 4.

Further, my brothers and sisters,

rejoice in the Lord.

It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again

and it is a safeguard for you.

Watch out for those dogs,

those evildoers,

those mutilators of the flesh.

For it is we who are the circumcision,

we who serve God by his Spirit,

who boasts in Christ Jesus

and who put no confidence in the flesh,

though I myself have reason for such confidence.

If you look back on the word cloud

about what kind of Christian Paul is,

I wonder how many words are related to joy.

I think verse 2 to 4 here

should have more of my image of Paul

hard line, strong word, and very to the point.

But Paul was never harsh.

He spoke strongly and compassionately

on some issue to safeguard his audience

because it can become a matter of life and death.

Paul gave a strong warning about a group of people.

He called them dogs,

evildoers,

and mutilators of the flesh.

They claimed to serve God by their teaching

and boastful

and put confidence in their flesh.

Further down in verse 18 to 19,

he said,

For as I have often told you before and now,

tell you again even with tears.

Many live as enemy of the cross of Christ.

Their destiny is destruction,

their God is their stomach,

and their glory is in their shame.

Their mind is set on earthy things.

Verse 9 hinted that they are people with a righteousness

that comes from the law,

from how well they observe the law

and make sure others follow them

in relying on their merit.

Paul gets very hard line about this intruder of faith.

Legalists that legalistically follow the law,

they are joy killers

that Philippians and believers of God

need to be aware of.

Legalism and those that bring such teaching

is the first kill joy.

God has warned his people throughout the Bible

to be aware of people or false teachers

that are not of him.

In Isaiah 56, verse 10 to 11,

Isaiah 56:10–11

God says,

Israel's watchmen are blind.

They all lack knowledge.

They are all mute dogs.

They cannot bark.

They lie around and dream.

They love to sleep.

They are dogs with mighty appetites.

They never have enough.

They are shepherds who lack understanding.

They all turn to their own way.

They seek their own gain.

The people that Paul was warning the Philippians about

were teaching a form of work salvation,

where people must work for their own redemption

and believe that their seal in influencing others

others to follow them was part of their being accepted by God.

They required the believers to become a Jew

by circumcision to be saved.

They were a mutilator of the flesh of their brothers.

Their teaching is not the gospel

because it was teaching of a Jesus plus something.

In this case, circumcision

and observing rituals for salvation.

A legalistic mindset

is one of the earthly mindset

that Paul refers to in verse 19.

Legalism is pursuing good works

to earn God's favor to save oneself,

which is not unique in Paul's time.

It is the backbone of all kinds of religion.

It is in the air we breathe in this fallen world.

It is so easy to fall into the trap

of relying on good works

and not believing that God justified us

by our faith alone.

So Paul needs to warn believers strongly.

A pastor once said,

the essence of legalism

is when faith is not the engine of obedience.

We are not operating with faith

when we work hard to earn God's favor.

Let me say that again.

We are not operating with faith

when we work hard to earn God's favor.

We might not say it out loud,

but our actions and ways of life

are saying that we must add

to the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

His work wasn't enough.

Therefore, we must work to make God happy.

We must take it into our own hands

to be accepted by God.

Most new Christians,

especially those that become one later in life

or are not born into a Christian family,

have a kind of legalistic way

of what it means to be a Christian.

I know I did.

We seem to believe

if I surrender myself to Jesus,

He comes to me and saves me

and forgives my sin,

but I have got to stay surrendered to Him.

I have got to keep being committed

or He would somehow withdraw from me.

A legalistic mindset

or legalism is the first killjoy.

It treats relations with God

as a religious activity.

I believe the pandemic

had turned the manifestation

of legalism on its head.

Instead of doing more

to make us holy in front of God,

we are also tired and stressed out

that we are looking to do the bare minimum

and crave a 1C and 3P life.

People think that

they will bring them joy,

but they are the cute joys.

Are you looking for a 1C and 3P life?

A comfortable,

pressurable,

predictable,

and problem-free life.

And what are you giving up

to get them?

We bargain with God

about our time

to build a relationship with Him

vertically

and with others horizontally.

As He's saying,

as long as I make it to Sunday church

or have watched church online,

I tick the attendance box with God

and give money

and God should be happy with me.

Don't expect me to stay

and reach out to others

to have a real relationship.

I have no time for that.

We end up judging God's goodness

based on how well life works out for us

rather than on what He has done

and is still doing

to make good on His redemptive promise.

Some Nehemiahistic believers

may come to a realization

years later

after they find themselves

falling way down

where even praying to God

become hard.

And they realize

my relationship with God

has got to be based on something

beside the state of my heart,

my prayer life,

or how holy I am.

It has to have

an objective basis

that doesn't change.

And that's when they discover

that they are saved

through the faith in Christ,

not through their works.

If you are believers,

have you had your moment

of realization yet?

What word did you put down

to describe your Christian life earlier?

One way to tell

whether you are Nehemiahistic or not

is when you look at

your Christian life,

does your heart fill up with joy?

Is your obedience

motivated by your faith in Christ

and the grace of God?

All kinds of religions surround us.

If you listen to or follow them,

their teaching will eventually

become our kill joys

and kill us.

Their teaching manifested

in different kinds of isms

and mentalities.

So let me list out a few.

Consumerism.

People become religious shoppers

and they don't have

operational loyalty

to the plan of God.

Looking for a comfortable

religious experience

that meets their failed needs,

have no problem moving

when they are dissatisfied,

and end up moving

from one dissatisfaction

to another

and kill their joy.

The good is good enough mentality.

People are easily satisfied

and thankful

for the changes

that grace has brought

into their life.

A bit of biblical literacy

and knowledge about God,

a slightly better marriage,

a little personal spiritual growth,

or so on,

are good enough.

They quit seeking

and pursuing God,

but God is far from finishing

with transforming His people.

This kind of mentality

kills a chance

to experience

transforming joy.

And these bad things

can work mentality.

People work to make

the best out of

what God says

is not good.

For example,

a married couple

learns to negotiate

one another's idolatries

and end up having

their own thing

outside their marriage

rather than working

towards a truly

godly marriage.

Their marriage life

is no longer alive

but dead,

let alone enjoyable.

And the fourth one,

event versus process

mentality.

We all want

instant fix.

People want God

to do the good things

He promised,

but do not want

to persevere

through a lifelong process

to get them.

We want God's work

to be an event

rather than a process.

When it's not,

our commitment

begins to lag

and we have no joy

in growing together

and belonging

to each other.

And et cetera,

et cetera.

Humans

are sinners

living in a fallen world.

We were made

to glorify God

with our life,

but we rebelled

against God's plan

and bent on glorifying

ourselves.

A Christian,

a believer of God,

would understand

this predicament

a little bit better

than someone

who does not believe

in God,

but is by no way

completely free

of this peril.

The list of kill joys

can go on and on

in this world

we are living in.

We can let this

fourth mindset

or many others

kill your joy

or take up the safeguard

that Paul lived

with the Philippians

to rejoice in the Lord

for real joy

is Jesus Christ.

If we go back

to chapter 3,

between verse 7

to 14,

Paul repeated

the idea

to consider

loss

and take hold

of three times.

And between

these two ideas,

there are

verse 10

and 11,

which say,

I want to know

Christ,

yes,

the power

of his resurrection

and the participation

in his sufferings

become like him

in his death

and so,

somehow,

attending to the

resurrection of the dead.

To know Christ

is what Paul

wants to do

at this point

in his life,

not because he's

stuck in a prison

and cannot go anywhere.

He looks over his life

before he met Jesus

and over the 30 years

that he has been living

to make Jesus known,

he concludes that

to consider

whatever things

that were gained to him,

his physical ancestry,

his religious orthodoxy,

his spiritual activities,

his morality

and social status,

loss

because of Christ.

He said in verse 8,

what is more,

I consider everything

a loss

because of the suppressing

worth of knowing

Christ Jesus,

my Lord.

For whose sake

I have lost all things,

I consider them garbage

that I may gain Christ

and be fine in him,

not having a righteousness

of my own

that comes from the law,

but that which is

through faith in Christ.

to gain Christ

and be fine in him,

make sitting

in a dark prison cell

of Rome

not just unbearable,

but enjoyable.

Paul is thanking God

for putting him in prison,

for the opportunity

to look back

on his past

and recount all the situation

that Christ

has taken him through.

And to consider

the possibility

of the future

where he can press on

to take hold

of what Christ Jesus

took hold of him.

Not that I have already

obtained all this

or have already

arrived at my goal,

but I press on

to take hold of that

for which Christ Jesus

took hold of me.

Brothers and sisters,

I do not consider myself

yet to have taken hold of it,

but one thing I do,

forgetting what is behind

and straining towards

what is ahead,

I press on

towards the goal

to win the prize

for which God

has called me

heavenward in Jesus Christ.

Paul wants to know

Christ deeply

by experiencing Christ

with his life,

even after being

Christ's ambassador

for 30 years.

He wants to know

the power of Christ's

resurrection

and participation

in his suffering

and becoming like him

in his death.

Paul decides

to know Christ

better and develop

Christ's likeness

in his life

until his last breath.

The prize that he

is pressing on towards

is to permeate

Christ Jesus

through his life.

It's like saying

Apostle Paul

is such a Christian

without needing

any adjective

because he lives

and breathes Christ.

The knowledge

of the person

of Jesus Christ

sets Christianity

apart from all religion.

our faith

is not one

of system,

doctrines,

regulations,

or ritual.

Christian faith

is a personal

and intimate faith.

Christian knows

a person

who has changed

their lives

and they live

in fellowship

with him.

He lives

with each Christian

by his spirit

and we can know him

better and better

as we walk

with him daily.

As Nick

has suggested earlier,

as you read his word

every day.

If you call yourself

a Christian,

do you have

a personal

and intimate faith

with Christ?

Have you been

getting to know him

better and better

each day?

Have you been

observing a religion

like what the rest

of the world are?

Or are you enjoying

your relationship

with God?

Real joy

is only fun

in relationship

with God,

so consider

and take hold

of Christ.

Paul wants

to participate

in Christ's suffering

and keep maturing

in his knowledge

of Christ.

Paul has set

himself and others

as examples

of Christ's followers,

as those

that have

taken hold

of Christ

and are being

like-minded

with him.

He calls

in verse 17

to join together,

he calls us

in verse 17

to join together

in following

their examples

as our model

to keep our eyes

on how they live.

When thinking

about example

of faithful followers

of God,

I cannot but think

of Hebrews

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11 and 12

with the list

of names

including

Moses,

Enot,

Abraham,

Joseph,

and Rahab,

such a great

crowd

of witnesses.

And Hebrews

11 and 13

said,

all these people

were still

living by faith

when they died.

They did not

receive the things

promised.

They only saw

them and welcomed

them from a distance

admitting that

they were foreigners

and strangers

on earth.

In verse 32

to 38

of Hebrews 11,

give us,

the readers,

a vivid picture

that those people

are not afraid

to suffer

for their faith.

And I find

something

that's very

encouraging to me

in verse 39

to 40.

These,

which is those

people,

were all

commanded

for their faith,

yet none

of them

received

what had

been promised

them.

Since God

had planted

something better

for us,

so that only

together with

us would

they be

made perfect.

Since God

had planted

something better

for us,

the readers,

so that only

together with

us,

those who

come to

believe in

God after

seeing their

example,

would their

faith be

perfect?

We are

the key

to their

maturity

in faith

of being

made perfect.

Together with

Christ,

we are the

keys for

all these

people's

maturing in

faith.

You

made

Moses,

Abraham's

faith,

perfect,

perfect as

you watch

and imitate

his way

of life.

You

made

Paul's

faith

perfect as

you pursued

knowing Christ's

life,

what he

does.

That is so

incredible and

glorious.

I'm lost for a word

when I think of

that.

When I think of

God using me

to make perfect

the faith of all

those faithful

people in the

Bible,

that fills

my heart with

joy.

Paul said

back in

Philippians 3,

20 to 21,

that our

citizenship is

in heaven and

we eagerly

await a

savior from

there, the

Lord Jesus

Christ, who

by the power

that enables

him to bring

everything under

his control

will transform

our lowly

bodies so

that they

may be like

his glorious

body.

Transformed to

be like his

heavenly savior,

the Lord

Jesus, is

what Paul

eagerly

awaits and

is what

gives him

hope and

joy even

in the

prison of

Rome.

He is

certain that

by the

power that

enables Jesus

to bring

everything under

his control,

Jesus will

transform our

lowly bodies

to be like

his glorious

resurrected

body.

Paul's

certainty

comes from

the fact that

God alone

made him

right, not

by anything

he has or

could have

done.

is that

what you

are looking

forward to

and living

for?

Real joy

is knowing

Christ and

being known

by God.

Real joy

is pressing

on to

become more

like Christ

daily in

suffering and

maturing.

Many

earthly

mindsets

will capture

us and

kill our

joy if we

do not

watch out

for them.

Let's

join with

Paul and

others,

all these

faithful people

in the

Bible to

rejoice in

the Lord

and wait

for our

transformation

in Christ.

I hope

whatever you

have filled

for that

space in

front of

Christians in

your sentence

at the beginning

of today's

sermon will

become words

related to

joy, that

people will

see that you

are a

Christian, one

that permeates

joy.

May God

make it clear

to you and

mature to

the point

that you

can take

such a

view to

rejoice in

the Lord and

take hold of

Christ, the

one that

has taken

hold of

you.