Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
THEME: Joy and peace
AIM: The theme of joy has been frequent in Paul’s letter to the Philippian church (Phil 1:8, 2:2, and 3:1). To write the same things may refer to what he has previously taught them: to delight in suffering and triumphs.
INTRO: Today, Christians are not immune to sadness and its effects but we can change our approach by recounting our list of God’s goodness in our lives.
REJOICING ONCE AND FOR ALL TIME
We show that we are happy over our unexpected victories and triumph from weariness.
a. We rejoice in the Lord with love and respect as we proclaim His work and ponder on what He has done. One illustration is the many wonders and miracles done by God in the early church through Philip despite the ruthless persecution of Christians than by Saul which resulted in tumultuous joy in the city (Acts 8:7F). The psalmist says, “The righteous shall be glad in the Lord and trust in Him and all the upright in heart” (Psalms 64:10)
b. One way of expressing our cheerfulness is through our hymns for God. We praise the Father in heaven for his wisdom and power through musical cries. In our joy, we proclaim God’s omnipotence and holiness. Psalms 104:34 says, “May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord.”
REJOICING AGAIN AND AGAIN
We express our joy or delight for the great pleasure and satisfaction in God.
a. We rejoice over a good and productive result and those we won by achievement as a reward of our labors. We must make merry over all good things which the Lord, our God has given us. Forms of Christian merrymaking includes singing, dancing, jocund feasting, fellowship dinner, laughing, bantering and jesting that suggests clean and virtuous fun along with a stimulation of godly conviviality or friendliness. Moises wrote in Deuteronomy 26:11, “So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given you and your house…”
b. The new life of faith is subjected to many trials before the fullness of our salvation. Christians, therefore, must first experience suffering and death. But our lives must be filled with celebration of God’s goodness and mercy. In our troubles and pain, we are still enabled to thank God for the gift of life. Peter writes “You love Him although you have not seen Him and you believed Him although yu do not now see Him. So you rejoice with great and glorious joy which words cannot express” (1 Peter 1:8)
CONCLUSION: We may be facing loneliness or pain and feeling poor and powerless as we pick on our own burden. Let us dedicate our lives for that reason each day rejoicing in the Lord and find ourselves untouched and unharmed by time and circumstances.
