"Rejoice!"

The book of Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Philippi, the first European church mentioned in the book of Acts. That story occurs in Acts 16.

Paul and Silas had been visiting the churches established earlier when Timothy joined them. From there they wanted to take the gospel further into Asia, but God would not let them go. Instead, the Lord sent them across the Aegean Sea to Macedonia, which is in modern day Greece.

They ended up in Philippi, a major city in the region and a Roman colony with almost no Jewish presence. Since there was no synagogue, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and (apparently) Luke went to a place of prayer along the river and shared the gospel with the women who met there. Some of them believed and a congregation of Christ-followers was established.

You may remember the story of the slave girl with a spirit of divination who followed along after Paul, crying out, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation!” She did this for days and days and it must have been pretty disruptive, because Paul eventually turned to the girl and cast that spirit out of her. Of course, since her owners made a living from her fortune-telling they were more than a little upset. Never mind the poor girl who was now free of a tormenting spirit, they had lost their easy income and had Paul and Silas illegally beaten and cast into prison for being Jewish troublemakers.

Perhaps you know that story as well? Paul and Silas are in prison, praying and singing hymns to God, with the other prisoners listening to them. Suddenly, a great earthquake shook the prison and the doors came flying open. But, rather than escape, all of the prisoners stayed. Paul even kept the keeper of the prison from killing himself, shared the gospel with him and his whole household, and they also became believers.

All of this, and more, happened in the city of Philippi. These are the people Paul is writing to as he sits in another prison a dozen or so years later. They have remained faithful to him, even when other churches have begun to wander from the truth. They have supported him financially and emotionally. In fact, Paul uses their sacrificial generosity as an example to other churches.

The Philippians even sent Epaphroditus on the dangerous journey to encourage Paul, a journey that almost cost him his life. Therefore, hearing of the seed of disunity being sown in their midst, Paul transcends his own life-and-death circumstances and writes these Philippians in order to encourage them to stand firm in the gospel and be united in love.

This was an important reminder for them, not simply because of the particular conflict mentioned in the letter, but because the people of the city itself had a long history of mixed values, beliefs, and backgrounds. They were “civilized” Greeks, barbarian Thracians (known for their fierceness in battle), immigrant Egyptians, aristocratic Romans, merchant Thyatirans, and rural Phrygians from modern-day Turkey. They were rich and poor, ‘modern’ and traditional, cultured and plain…

In a lot of ways the Philippians were like us.

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Paul’s life was characterized by hardship and suffering for the Lord. His situation when he writes this letter is no exception.

He is in prison, awaiting a trial that could cost him his life. He is concerned for the church in Philippi and for Epaphroditus, their emissary who fell ill and almost died bringing the church’s gift of support to Paul. He knows that the church is anxious for him as well. (Remember, this is in the days before electronic communication, or even a postal system. News and updates could take weeks.). Not only does the church not know how Paul and Epaphroditus are fairing, but, other so-called preachers of the gospel have come in and taken advantage of the situation to bring themselves glory. These teachers have perverted the gospel and might lead the Christians in Philippi away from the truth.

Therefore, Paul writes this letter to reassure them that all the suffering he is enduring is bringing fruit to God’s Kingdom, and to charge them to stand fast in the true gospel and be united in the midst of conflict and suffering.

Paul assures the Philippians that “God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:6)

Then, he instructs them in Philippians1:27-30: (Good News Translation, See Note Below)

"Now, the important thing is that your way of life should be as the gospel of Christ requires, so that, whether or not I am able to go and see you, I will hear that you are standing firm with one common purpose and that with only one desire you are fighting together for the faith of the gospel.  Don't be afraid of your enemies; always be courageous, and this will prove to them that they will lose and that you will win, because it is God who gives you the victory.  For you have been given the privilege of serving Christ, not only by believing in him, but also by suffering for him.  Now you can take part with me in the battle. It is the same battle you saw me fighting in the past, and as you hear, the one I am fighting still."

 

In the midst of dark times, there is hope. All they need to do is to stand firm in the gospel and be united in the love of God.

You may be familiar with Romans 8:28, where Paul offers the same assurance in another way. He says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (NASB) 

He doesn’t say everything that happens in our lives as followers of Jesus is good. In fact, Jesus himself promised that we would suffer for his name’s sake; that the world would hate us just as it hated him and we would face persecutions because of the sacrifices we make in His name.

He doesn’t say that all things are good, but that God works all things “for good”. Paul’s suffering wasn’t good. Epaphraditus falling ill and almost dying wasn’t good. False teachers coming into the church wasn’t good. But, taking part in the battle is good. It is a privilege reserved for those who serve Christ.

Sometimes suffering comes. Sometimes our lives fall apart. Sometimes the cloud is so dark that it seems impossible to find the silver lining. Sometimes it feels like no one else could possibly understand what we are feeling, what we are going through, or why we react the way we do to our situation.

These things are hard to bear. So, when Paul tells the believers in Philippi to stand firm in the gospel and be united in the love of God, I’m sure someone hearing that didn’t think it was possible. If I was there, I might think, “Man, that sounds great, but HOW am I supposed to do that? I’ve got real issues. My life is coming apart at the seams. I need that hope, but I don’t think I can stand anymore. I’m about out of endurance. What’s the secret?”

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Many of you know about our recent experience in the Neonatal ICU in Fort Worth with our daughter. She was born 4 months early and almost did not survive. She weighed only 1 lb, 2 ounces when she was born, and faced life-and-death trials every day for months.

Many of you have been praying for her regularly. Hopefully, you also know she is now doing amazing. Jesus has a plan for her life and has multiplied miracles to bring her through this time healthy and strong.

What you probably do not know is that this has been one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. I have a beautiful, intelligent, healthy little girl, but the battle we’ve faced to get to this point has been terrible.

Ahava is our 6^th child. We lost the other 5.

We also had a little girl we adopted, but her birth parents changed their minds and we had to give her back.

We’ve also had 7 foster children, each of which we thought might join our family, and each of which we had to give up.

Add to that 12 months of unemployment after being fired from my job, 8 months of underemployment, and then having to give up that job in obedience to God’s instruction to be with my wife and child in the NICU for over 4 months facing the constant threat of death, and the cloud seems pretty dark.

But, then you’ve got to remember that I’m watching my wife go through this also.

 

Remember that we’ve been married for over 6 years and the Lord had some house-cleaning to do in my heart regarding some lies I’d believed and agreed with early in our marriage...

 

Remember that we’ve had to isolate ourselves because of concerns for Ahava’s immune system...

 

Remember that now that I need a job we’re living in the worst economy since The Great Depression…

 

Remember that I’m the husband, and I’ve got all of this mess bottled up in me for months and months because I’ve got to be strong for my family…

Well, you get the idea: my skies have been pretty dark lately.

So, when I see Paul writing to the church in Philippi, I feel like I can identify with his situation. How many times have you heard the passage about all of Paul’s sufferings for the Lord? Hard-working, rejected, in prison, whipped at least 8 different times, stoned and left for dead, in 3 shipwrecks, constantly in danger….

 

Hmmm… Now that I look at it, maybe Paul’s got me beat on whole suffering thing.

But, when it’s your suffering, it seems like no one else can understand, doesn’t it? No one knows what you’re going through. No one sees what you see. No one feels what you feel. You feel like you’re all alone.

But, it’s a lie!

Suffering isn’t something that no one else understands. I don’t have the market cornered when it comes to hardship. We are not alone when bad things happen, because bad things happen to all of us. And, if we are in Christ, then we also know that when those bad things happen, God is able to work them together for good.

So, Paul says “take part with me in the battle.” Suffering is going to come. Hardships are going to happen. Give them to God. Face them in faith. Let Jesus use those sufferings to shape you into his image, even as His sufferings for us shape the way we see Him.

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Ok. How do we do this? I told you that I sometimes feel like I understand Paul’s sufferings. What I have a harder time understanding is how he could set aside those sufferings to see things from God’s perspective and offer a word of hope to people like the Philippians. Well, let’s look back in his letter to them.

Part of Paul’s concern for the believers in Philippi was that these false teachers were distorting the gospel. Obviously Paul was not ok with that. He says in chapter 3 that these people are enemies of the cross, serving their own desires and setting their minds on earthly things. They will end in destruction.

Yet, he says in 1:18, “It does not matter! I am happy about it – just so Christ is preached in every way possible, whether from wrong or right motives. And I will continue to be happy.” (GNT)

Is Paul contradicting himself? No, he is choosing to trust God.

Now, this word, “happy” in our translation really isn’t the right word. The real word is χαίρω (pronounced like Cairo) “rejoice.” Paul says, because Christ is preached “I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.”

Paul is able to battle, to see through his suffering and hardship to God’s call to stand firm in the gospel and in unity, because he rejoices in the midst of his difficulties and concerns.

That’s his secret.

Now this word “rejoice” occurs several more times in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, so we ought to know a little more about it.

χαίρω refers to more than just being happy.

It is a fruit of the Spirit. It is a gift from God and a means of creating unity in the Body of Christ. It is seeing things as God sees them. It is an experience, not just an emotion. It is the phenomenon of finding pure joy through obtaining a better self-perception. When I see my situation through God’s eyes, I can rejoice because I know that He can use anything I go through for good.

 I may not be “happy” about what is happening in my life, but because I know God is able, I can still “rejoice.” I can still choose to remember the faithfulness of God, focus on the blessings in the midst of the hardship, and know that God loves me no matter what my situation may look like. I can still rejoice!

To rejoice, to χαίρω, is not just an inward feeling. It refers to something that has a cause outside of itself and finds expression by creating fellowship with others.

Specifically, χαίρω in Paul’s letter is caused by the reality of a restored relationship with God that gives him hope in spite of difficult situations and creates a deeper sense of love and commitment in him for the Body of Christ. The fact that Paul rejoices is what encourages him to stand firm for the gospel and desire unity among believers. Because he chooses to rejoice he can battle, look beyond his own circumstances, and offer a much needed word of hope and encouragement to others.

To rejoice is to choose to have joy in the Lord no matter what.

This is good stuff. The Philippians needed to hear this word from the Lord. So do I.

They needed to be reminded of the things the Lord had done in and through them for the Kingdom of God so that they could reject the false teaching and get past whatever disagreements they had amongst themselves. They needed to be reminded how much Paul cared for them, and appreciated their sacrifice and support on his behalf. They needed to know that Paul’s suffering was not in vain. They needed to see the silver lining. They needed to see things through God’s eyes. They needed to rejoice!

I need the same thing. I’m tired. No. I’m exhausted. I’ve been going hard and fast for months and months. I need to remember that God loves me and has a purpose for my life. I need to focus on the blessings I have in my wife and daughter instead of worrying about how I’m going to pay next month’s water bill. I need to see my recent trials through God’s eyes. I need to rejoice!

To rejoice is the only faithful response to my situation!

More than that, however, to rejoice is the command from the Lord.

Two times in his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul commands them to rejoice, in 3:1 and in 4:4. Here again our translation doesn’t really do a great job. (All translations have problems. This one sometimes has problems in trying to explain what is meant by the words instead of just translating the words.)

3:1 "In conclusion, my friends, be joyful in your union with the Lord..." (GNT) χαίρω here is actually a command, “Rejoice in the Lord.” And here the command is explained in the following verses by a reminder to focus on trusting what God has done rather than external circumstances.

& 4:4 "May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I say it again: rejoice!" (GNT)This verse follows the commands to stand firm in the Lord (v.1) and to fight for unity within the body (v.2-3). Here rejoice is further explained by the exhortation to trust God with our futures.

In both cases, χαίρω is not a suggestion or a wish (as it appears in our translation), but a command, a directive, a required instruction. It is an imperative word.

Rejoice!

When your world is falling apart… Rejoice!

When you feel alone in your sufferings… Rejoice!

When it seems like no one else understands… Rejoice!

When you struggle with the truth of the gospel… Rejoice!

When you’re having a hard time getting along with other believers and experiencing the unity God wants for His body… Rejoice!

Not because those things are ok, but because God is still at work in your life and in the life of his church in the midst of those things.

When God is asking you to do the impossible… Rejoice!

Rejoice! Christians, choose to have joy in the Lord, because you are in the Lord. When everything else fails you, God is still there. He still loves you. If you are His child through faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, then He will never leave you nor forsake you. When you can’t hope in anything else, rejoice in the Lord.

If you are not His child, well, that’s a different sermon. One that anyone here who knows Jesus as their Lord and Savior can share with you.

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Let me finish with this:

My daughter has overcome a lot, but she still has some trials to get through. Some of these are beyond my control as her Papa. But, some of them are deliberate; they are difficulties we give her on purpose.

One such difficulty is “Tummy Time.” Tummy Time is her twice daily exercise of being forced to stay on her belly and use her arms to push herself up. This strengthens her neck muscles and core, and is very important for any baby, but especially for preemies because those core muscles are not used as much in a NICU bed as they are in the womb. If Ahava doesn't exercise those muscles regularly she will have developmental delays and may face other difficulties down the line.

Ahava doesn’t always like Tummy Time, and I don’t like seeing her suffer through something she doesn’t like. But, I know she needs it. I know it is good for her. So, we do Tummy Time.

Now, I could take away Tummy Time, but I don’t. All I do is get down on the floor with her so she’s not alone. And sometimes, when she knows I’m down there with her, Ahava stops fusing and actually smiles. She laughs. She actually rejoices in Tummy Time and grows stronger as a result.

 

Hopefully we will all learn to do the same.

 

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A Note on Translations

 

The congregation where I preached this sermon is an inner city ministry that uses the Good News Translation, probably because that was what was donated to them. Therefore, I use this version of the Bible when I preach there. It is not a version I would use otherwise, but I want to respect the congregants enough to use the version they are reading from as we explore God's Word together.

 

In reality, the GNT is not really a translation, but an interpretive paraphrase. The basic premise is that biblical language is too difficult for most people to understand, so we need a version of the Bible that helps us understand the meaning behind the text rather than attempting a more literal translation.

 

I disagree with this premise on several levels, most especially the idea that a normal person cannot read the literal text and understand it. If it takes some study and concentration at points, then all the better. The Bible is not, after all, a Valentine Day e-card; it is an epic love sonnet from God to His children. A Paraphrase, like the GNT or The Living Bible, attempts to simplify the message and make it easy for people to understand what they are reading.

 

Additionally, such an approach also requires someone else's interpretation to be accurate, which is extremely difficult to accomplish when you are translating at the same level of literacy. When you are trying to 'dumb down' a text, it becomes almost impossible to accurately express the meaning of the passage. If the New International Version (which is still widely popular) is written at the 7th grade reading level as it claims, then the Good News Version is probably written at the 4th or 5th grade reading level. The biblical text itself is written in various places at the 10th or 11th grade reading level and above (in my opinion).

 

I prefer a more literal translation, while understanding that all translation involves a level of interpretation. I generally use the New American Standard Version or The New King James Version. They both strive to be literal translations, are written at an appropriate academic level, and do not normally make the mistake of many modern translations of omitting disputed passages (sometimes with no notice at all).

Please understand my preference is not based in some sort of snobish academicalism (is that even a word?). I've just found that the layers and layers of truth in God's Word come through more easily when His Holy Spirit does the interpretation rather than some group of scholars who try to communicate their understanding of the text in a venacular they don't even use themselves. I'd rather struggle with the text myself in and let God speak to me through those efforts. He is, after all, the author.