In Philippians 4, Paul appeals for a steady faith and unity, and gives the Philippians a concluding exhortation on how to walk the walk….and that is…joyfully!
Paul calls the Philippians to an attitude of joy that walks expectantly and gratefully in the Lord, consistently practicing Christian values.
We are called to walk in this same joy--to celebrate thanksgiving every day.
The question is, how do we do that? That sounds nice, but how do we practically do this in our current context. Well, let’s look at what Paul called the Philippians to do.
"1. Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
Exhortation, Encouragement, and Prayer
2. I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 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.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6. do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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. 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."
Philippians 4:1-9
In this passage we see 5 specific ways we can walk with consistent joy.
We walk joyfully when....
-our contentment and happiness is in the Lord, not in circumstances.
-when the focus is off ourselves and on Christ and loving others.
-when we trust our Father and thank Him for the blessings He gives.
- when our minds are focused on Godly things.
- when we practice the faith and are obedient to the Lord.
In this chapter, Paul is wrapping up his letter to the Philippians. Again, he encourages the Philippians to stand unified in the Lord for the sake of the gospel. Notice, that this is a letter written by a man who understands unity, the love of Christ, and the joy that comes from the Father.
He says, “my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.” There’s a lot of love in that statement of encouragement. He calls the Philippians his “crown”. That comes from the Greek, “stephanos”. This is the ancient Greek word for crown describing the crown given to an athlete who had won the race. It was a crown of achievement. My wife Stephanie’s name comes from stephano, so I can literally call her my crown. The Philippians are Paul’s crown, his trophy. He adores and loves them, so of course he wants them to live in unity and enjoy the fruit that comes in finding joy in the Lord.
He addresses two women specifically, Euodia and Syntyche. He doesn’t reveal what it is that may have come in between these ladies, but he encourages them to agree and be of the same mind, like he referenced at the beginning of chapter 2.
Paul, addresses a companion. Whoever this was, Paul instructed them to help these women reconcile and come to one mind in the Lord. Paul wants all that to be settled, so the Philippians can focus on walking in joy, with thanksgiving in their hearts, ready to be agents of the gospel.
Then Paul turns the focus to calling the Philippians to an attitude of joy and thanksgiving. And through this, we too can understand how to walk in joy, to celebrate thanksgiving every day.
First, Paul says Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.
Paul isn’t just trying to be repetitive here. Paul is emphasizing a major theme of this letter…..REJOICE!
The joy that Paul calls for is not a happiness that depends on circumstances, but a deep contentment that is in the LORD. That contentment is possible when there is an understanding and trust in God’s sovereignty. Thus, this joy is always available, even in difficult circumstances….even in 2021.
Again, Paul’s joy wasn’t based in a sunny optimism or positive mental attitude, as much as it was in his confidence that God was in control. Remember, Paul was likely writing this from prison! If anyone had reason to negative and sour, it was Paul. His circumstances didn’t look great to the human eye, but his joy was in the LORD.
1. We walk joyfully when our contentment and happiness is in the Lord, not in circumstances.
Rejoice in the LORD always, again I say rejoice.
Next, Paul says let your reasonableness be known to everyone. Having a reasonable disposition means seeking out what is best for others, not just yourself. This is crucial in maintaining community and walking with joy.
He reminds the Philippians that the LORD is at hand. Jesus will return! Instead of walking anxiously, walk expectantly.
2. We walk joyfully when the focus is off of ourselves and on Christ and loving others.
Paul writes DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING! But in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
Paul encourages the Philippians to have a living prayer life. You know scripture commands us to “not be anxious” to “not worry”? Don't think of this as a pat on the back, or a "oh bless your heart don’t worry." NO, IT IS A COMMAND!
Undue care is an intrusion into an arena that belongs to God alone. It makes us the father of the household instead of being a child. In Christ, we are God’s children.
Instead of worry, Paul tells the Philippians to let their requests be made known to God, even though God already knows them.
Yet, it is about His children recognizing His sovereignty and the need for Him. And as a child of God approaches Him with supplications, Paul says to do it with THANKSGIVING!
Thanksgiving guards against a whining, complaining spirit before God. It helps us walk with joy. Its amazing to see how a biblical principle can have us walking around more joyfully.
We can really be anxious for nothing, pray about everything, and be thankful for anything.
3. We walk joyfully when we trust our Father and thank Him for the blessings He gives.
Paul tells the Philippians exactly what happens when they adhere to his encouragements on walking in joy….
“the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Our human logic cannot even comprehend it! And no, its not senseless, but it is beyond our ability to understand and explain…except that it is God. Thus, trying to explain it is futile. You have to experience it!
Experience the peace of God, guarding your mind. It is on guard over your mind and heart. We’ve all heard the expression “to lose your mind”. We lose our minds when there’s an absence of the peace of God in our lives. We lose our minds when we’ve entrusted something else to provide peace, which nothing else does.
There’s no relationship, no financial situation, no career, no home, no drug, there’s no hobby that provides peace like that of the Lord Jesus.
Paul then tells the Philippians where to place their minds in verse 8.. We often lose out on joy because our minds stay in the gutter of this world. We think according to the world. Look at the list that Paul produces. It is the opposite of how the world thinks.
We can win the war with the mind, by looking at God’s plan for joyful living.
The things Paul lists are the fruit and the food of the mind that is guarded by the peace of God. When we put these good things into our mind, they stay in our mind and then come forth from us.
Think for a minute at the opposite of this list....
True-False
Honorable-Dishonorable
Just-Unjust
Pure-Impure
I could go on, but where do we see things that are false, dishonorable, unjust, impure? We see them in our forms of entertainment, the news, social media, politics, gossip, etc. We often fill our minds with this. No wonder there is no peace! We’ve let our guard down. We don't operate with the peace of God that guards our hearts and minds.
And when we don’t look to God, we dwell on the opposites of this list.
Paul tells the church where to meditate. He shares this list that will inspire worship of God and service to others.
4. We walk joyfully when our minds are focused on Godly things.
Paul sums up this exhortation, by telling the Philippians to remember to practice the things that he has taught and shown through his example. Paul was absolutely willing to do everything he taught others to do in Christ. And we know that we have Jesus as the ultimate example of how to practice the faith. So remember that this is also key as Paul reminds the Philippians, practicing their faith will help fill them with peace.
5. We walk joyfully when we practice the faith and are obedient to the Lord.
Brothers and Sisters, thanksgiving should be every day. No, not giant plates and bowls filled with food…but an attitude of grateful living that is rooted in a relationship with Jesus that puts all hope and focus in the Lord.
So again...
We walk joyfully when....
-our contentment and happiness is in the Lord, not in circumstances.
-when the focus is off ourselves and on Christ and loving others.
-when we trust our Father and thank Him for the blessings He gives.
- when our minds are focused on Godly things.
- when we practice the faith and are obedient to the Lord.
Paul knew that it was imperative for Christians to live differently. One, because it keeps the mind of the Christian focused on God’s kingdom and the work to be done, but also it helps keep the mind of the Christian healthy.
Our world does not have hope. The last couple of years have further given our world reason to have little hope. Our God offers hope, peace and joy. Christians, let’s not lose sight of that and live joyously as God intended.
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