Sermons by Ken D. Trivette from the Living Word

The Book of Philippians
REJOICE!
Philippians 4:4

1. One of the great themes of the Book of Philippians is the matter of rejoicing. On several occasions Paul speaks of rejoicing:

(1:18) "I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice."
(1:26) "That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ."
(2:16) "Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ."
(2:17) "I joy, and rejoice with you all."
(2:18) "For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me."
(3:1) "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord."

2. Rejoicing is to be as much a part of the Christian life as Church attendance, Bible study, prayer, and giving. I think it is a tragedy that many of God's people are so inhibited when it comes to praise. Many are reluctant to rejoice and are skeptical of the practice and expressions of praise.

3. Bruce Larson in his book on Luke tells about a conference in a certain Church. People were given helium balloons and were told to release them at some point in the service when they felt like expressing the joy in their hearts. All through the service balloons ascended, but when it was all over, one-third of the balloons had never been released.

4. I personally don't think God intended that we express our praise through the releasing of balloons, but it is sad when a believer is so formal, rigid, and so inhibited they want even release a balloon to express their joy. God wants His people to rejoice.

5. The word "rejoice" that Paul used is found some 28 times in the New Testament. The word means "to be cheerful." It is descriptive of a heart that is filled with joy and overflows with praise to God.

6. Augustine said, "The Christian should be an alleluia from head to foot."

7. I read about one pastor who said to his congregation, "You people look like you have received a life sentence in prison instead of eternal life with Jesus Christ."

8. Billy Sunday said, "To see some people you would think that the essentials of orthodox Christianity is to have a face so long that you could eat oatmeal out of the end of a gas pipe."

9. Paul said, "Rejoice in the Lord" (Phil. 3:1) and "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, rejoice" (Phil. 4:4). Let's consider this matter of rejoicing. First we see that:

1. REJOICING IS A COMMANDED ACTIVITY!

1. When Paul tells us to rejoice he is not giving us an suggestion or recommendation. His words are a command. He says, "Rejoice in the Lord." He is commanding us to rejoice. Often in the Bible when the subject of rejoicing and praise are mention it is given in the form of a command. The Bible commands us to rejoice. When we consider this command we learn that:

A) The Christian Is To Be A Person Of Rejoicing

1. This command is personal and inclusive of every believer. I am to rejoice. You are to rejoice. Every believer is to rejoice. The Psalmist said, "Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD" (Psalm 150:6).

2. Do you realize that when we as God's people fail to rejoice we are living in disobedience. But you say, "Preacher, that is something that so and so does. It is just not me." But the point is, it is to be you. We are commanded to rejoice.

3. The Bible says in Psalm 147:1, "Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely." The Bible tells us that praise is comely. The word means, "to be at home with." One should not be insulted by praise, indifferent to praise, or inhibited in praise. One should be comfortable around people that praise the Lord and comfortable to praise the Lord personally.

4. I have heard people testify of how they want to obey God and are willing to do anything God would ask. Yet, when it comes to the matter of praise and rejoicing they are reluctant and disobedient. The Christian is to be a person of praise. Secondly, I think of how:

B) The Church Is To Be A Place Of Praise

1. Many of the Old Testament references to praise describe the collective response of God's people. The gatherings of God's people are to be characterized by praise and rejoicing. We read:

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name" (Psalm 100:4).

"Let us exalt His name together" (Psalm 34:4).

"This is the day that the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).

2. I have often seen signs above the doors of Church sanctuaries that read, "Enter in Silence." Nothing could be further from what God wants. We ought to put signs out front that read, "Enter With Shouting!"

3. People say that Church ought to be reverent and subdued. The most reverent and subdued place I know of is a cemetery. We do not come to Church to mourn the dead and celebrate a living Saviour. Church should not be a funeral but a festival.

4. I find it interesting that when the rejoicing of the saints is described in the Bible it is always visible and vocal. Our rejoicing is something that is both heard and seen. You may worship quietly on the inside but you cannot rejoice quietly on the outside. Worship is experienced in the inside but prause is expressed on the outside.

5. When God's people gather there should be vocal rejoicing. "Amen's" ought to fill the air: "Blessed the the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord" (Psalm 106:48).

6. "Hallelujah's" ought to echo throughout the building: "Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in His sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of His power" (Psalm 150:1).

7. "Shouting" should not be uncommon: "The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacle of the righteous" (Psalm 118:15).

8. When God's people gather there should be visible rejoicing. There should be the lifting up of hands: "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord" (Psalm 134:2).

9. There should kneeling on knees: "O come, let us worship and bow down: let is kneel before the Lord our maker" (Psalm 95:6).

10. There should be clapping of hands: "O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph" (Psalm 47:1).

11. A Church service ought reflect life and excitement. It should be a place in which worshipping and rejoicing people gather. It is commanded that we be so. Furthermore we see:

2. REJOICING IS A CONTINUAL APPOINTMENT!

1. Notice in Philippians 4:4 that Paul says that we are to continually rejoice: "Rejoice in the Lord alway." The word "alway" simply means "always." Our rejoicing is to be a perpetual and continual matter. This divine appointment is one of continual rejoicing. How should this continual rejoicing be practiced? First:

A) We Are To Rejoice All Through The Day

1. The Psalmist said in Psalm 119:164, "Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments." We also read in Psalm 71:8, "Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day."

2. We ought to get up in the morning rejoicing and never stop until we go to bed. We are to rejoice always, all through the day. Also:

B) We Are To Rejoice All Through Our Difficulties

1. I believe this is primarily what Paul had in mind when he told us to rejoice always. I remind you that Paul was writing from prison. No doubt his chains rattled as he wrote these words. Yet, he tells us to rejoice.

2. Paul was one that practiced what he preached. I remind you of what he said in 1:14-18, "And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. [15] Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: [16] The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: [17] But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. [18] What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice."

3. In spite of his afflictions and difficulties, Paul rejoiced. In all difficult situations he found a reason to rejoice. It is almost like Paul knew someone would say, "Paul, do you really mean that we ought to rejoice when things go bad?" His answer, "Again, I say, Rejoice!"

4. Someone has said, "A kettle is up to its neck in hot water, but it still sings." We are to rejoice in the bad times as well as the glad times.

5. Louis Albert Banks told of an elderly Christian man, a fine singer, who learned that he had cancer of the tongue, and that surgery was required. In the hospital, just before he went into surgery, he said to the doctor, "Are you sure I'll never be able to sing again?" The surgeon found it difficult to answer his question and simply shook his head no. The man then asked if he could sit up for a moment. He said to the surgeon, "I've had many good times singing the praises of God, and now you tell me I'll never be able to sing again. I have one song that will be my last." There in the doctors presence he began to sing Isaac Watts great hymn:

I'll praise my Maker while I've breath,
And when my voice is lost in death,
Praise shall employ my nobler power;
My days of praise shall ne-er be past,
While life, and thought, and being last,
Or immortality endures.

7. Anyone can rejoice when things are going well. But it takes a real Christian to sing when things are going bad. We are commanded to rejoice to rejoice continually. To rejoice continually is to rejoice in the bad times as well as the good.

8. Finally we see that:

3. REJOICING IS A CONFIDENT ATTITUDE!

1. The rejoicing that Paul describes has a reason behind it. Notice carefully what he says in verse 4, "Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, Rejoice." Notice that our rejoicing is in the Lord. Christ is the object and subject of our rejoicing. He is the reason for our continual rejoicing. Notice why we rejoice in the Lord. First,

A) He Deserves Our Praise

1. We are commanded to rejoice in the Lord because He is deserving of our praise. One of our occupations in eternity will be to praise the Lord because He is worthy. We read in Revelation 4:10-11, "The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, [11] Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

2. He has saved and made us His child. If we never had another thing to rejoice about it would be enough that He saved us and made us His child. Luke tells us, "Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). 

3. The name Jeffery Dahmer stands in a class all to itself when we think of evil. Dahmer was convicted of seventeen murders. Eleven corpses were found in his apartment. He cut off arms and ate body parts. He kept skulls in his refrigerator and hoarded a human heart. Dahmer redefined the word "brutality." Yet, I have read that shortly before he was murdered in prison that he became a Christian. They say that he expressed great remorse for all he had done. He was baptized and began reading Christian books and attending chapel. It is my prayer that the story is true.

4. I think you would agree with me that a God that would save a person like Jeffrey Dahmer and forgive him of his horrible sins is a God that would save anyone and deserves our praise. Secondly, we ought to rejoice in the Lord because:

B) He Directs Our Paths

1. We are commanded to rejoice not only because He deserves our praise, but also because He directs our paths. Notice that Paul calls Jesus "Lord." He is speaking of Christ being in charge of our life. He is speaking of Christ ruling and reigning in our life and One whose will is being done in our life.

2. Paul was able to rejoice in his difficult situations because he knew that Jesus was Lord in his life and over his life. He knew that because Jesus was his Lord, all things that happened in his life were the Lord's doing. He said earlier, "But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel" (1:12).

3. Paul recognized that Christ was Lord and his life was not a series of accidents but appointments. It was for this reason that he could rejoice continually.

4. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Notice carefully that Paul did not say give thanks FOR everything, but IN everything. There are some things we can't rejoice about but there is nothing that we can't rejoice in as a believer. We can rejoice in all things and at all times for we are confident that Jesus is Lord. Therefore REJOICE!