Rejoice in the Lord

This episode explores Philippians 4:4–7 and Paul’s call to "rejoice in the Lord always," showing that true Christian joy is rooted in who Christ is and what he has done, not in changing circumstances.

Listeners are guided to consider Christ’s redemption, God’s sovereign shaping of believers into Christ’s image, God’s faithful provision, and the comfort given in suffering—reasons to replace anxiety with prayer, thanksgiving, and peace that guards the heart and mind.

Practical and pastoral, the message encourages regular meditation on Christ’s work so that gratitude and worship become the faithful response in both blessing and trial.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Rejoice in the Lord always;

(00:02):
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.

(00:25):
(Philippians 4:4–7,ESV) Living in this world is fraught with challenges and attacks on the Christian faith.
With each day that passes,the temptation to succumb to anxiety,
anger,and despair seems impossible to overcome.
Yet, the apostle Paul commends the Philippian church to rejoice always in Christ.

(00:47):
This is not merely a feeling of happiness based on present circumstances,
rather it is a deep-seated joy that is rooted in the particular person and work of Jesus Christ.
When Christians face life’s difficulties,instead of allowing the painful circumstances to dictate their feelings,
they should consider Christ and his completed work.

(01:07):
When one’s mind considers these powerful truths,the only possible response is joy-filled worship of the King.
In the preceding chapter,Paul explains to the Philippians just how considering Christ rightly frames the Christian mind for such rejoicing.
Paul lists everything that would establish how accomplished and respected he was in the eyes of the world.
He was ethnically Jewish,of the tribe of Benjamin,

(01:31):
circumcised according to the law,zealous to obey and understand the law to the envy of his peers,
and recognized as a Pharisee for his knowledge and works (chapter 3,
verses 3 to 6).
Yet,even with all this to his name,Paul shockingly states,
“But whatever gain I had,I counted as loss for the sake of Christ” (chapter 3,

(01:54):
verse 7).
When Paul compared all that he had from the world against gaining Christ, there was no comparison.
It was all rubbish, refuse to be quickly disposed of.
For Paul,gaining Christ meant obtaining an alien righteousness not his own,
and that he would receive the resurrection of Christ though it meant sharing in his sufferings and death.

(02:16):
The surpassing worth of Christ was forgiveness from sin and life everlasting.
Nothing the world had to offer,whether it be blessing or pain,
could compare to all he gained in Christ.
Not only can the Christian rejoice in considering the salvation wrought by Christ,
but there is bounty in meditating that God conforms his people to the very image of Christ.

(02:38):
In writing to the Romans,Paul explains that God purposes everything that happens in the life of a Christian for his or her ultimate good (chapter 8,
verse 28).
And it is not simply that God reacts to situations that his people face,
as if he needed to clean up a mess out of his control.
Rather,God sovereignly predestined all these things for a specific reason,

(03:02):
“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
And those whom he predestined he also called,and those whom he called he also justified,
and those whom he justified he also glorified” (chapter 8,
verses 29 to 30).

(03:23):
God predestined not only the salvation of his people but the very events in their lives that would work to conform them to the image of Christ.
The works of God’s calling and justification redeem rebel sinners whom he sanctifies over the course of their lives until he brings them into glory.
Therefore,Christians find deep joy in knowing that all that they face in this life has been specifically determined by God so that they would be made more like their Savior until he surely brings them home.

(03:49):
Christians must also consider that God is not ignorant of their needs in this life and provides for them.
In Matthew 6,verses 25 to 34,Jesus teaches his followers not to be anxious over the basic necessities of life such as food and clothing.
The same God whom they worship is the God who created both birds and flowers,

(04:09):
and provides for all their needs.
He says,“But if God so clothes the grass of the field,
which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven,
will he not much more clothe you,O you of little faith?
” (Chapter 6, verse 30).
Rather than being consumed by worry over these matters,

(04:30):
Jesus commends his followers to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteous,
knowing that the Lord will provide for their very needs.
There is freedom from fear and worry when Christians realize that God is a loving provider.
While he may not give his people all that they may want, he will provide for their needs.
Paul encourages his protégé Timothy in this manner when he commends him to pursue godliness with contentment (First Timothy chapter 6:6).

(04:58):
Knowing that man has not brought anything into this world of his own accord,
and certainly nothing can he take back out with him,
Paul writes,“But if we have food and clothing,with these we will be content” (chapter 6,
verse 8).
Rather than being consumed with worry,Christians can have joy in knowing their God provides for their needs.

(05:19):
Lastly, rejoicing can be found in the knowledge that God comforts us in our afflictions.
In writing his second letter to the Corinthians,Paul encourages his suffering readers when he writes,
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,who comforts us in all our affliction,

(05:40):
so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction,
with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (Second Corinthians 1,
verses 3 to 4).
Not only has God ordained the tribulations his people experience,
as noted above,but he brings comfort to his people in those tribulations through various means.

(06:01):
Furthermore,the comfort his people receive is not solely to ease their burden but is also a tool that equips his people to comfort others as well.
God so loves his people that he provides comfort through other afflicted people.
What grace it is when someone comes alongside the hurting and walks them through the pain because they too have been guided through the same path.

(06:22):
Therefore,when Christians experience pain,loss,and fear,
they can know that God will not leave them to deal with it alone.
Knowing God loves those in suffering and will not leave them is a reason to rejoice even in the midst of sorrow (see Second Corinthians 6,
verse 10).
When Christians consider that they serve a God who has saved them,

(06:44):
conformed them to the image of Christ,has provided for their needs,
and comforts them in trials,then they,like Paul,can count all the things of this life as rubbish for they have gained God himself.
They can rejoice in all circumstances, on days of blessing and in nights of great suffering.
They can,with thankfulness,bring their petitions before the Lord in prayer,

(07:06):
knowing that he hears them.
That deep-rooted joy is built upon the fact that they have peace with God who sent his only begotten Son that they may be saved by his completed work at the cross.
Such joy and peace cannot be robbed from them at any time.
Thus,if Christians wish to experience that joy,they must be diligent servants who consistently think and meditate on the God they serve and what He has done for them.

(07:30):
Let such knowledge drive you to joyful worship of your King.
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