Living With An Attitude of
Gratitude
Thankful for the Joy and
Peace of God
Antioch Church, January 17,
2015
Text
Philippians 3:1 (NIV) — 1 Further, my brothers
and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same
things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
REVIEW
Thankful for God’s people. Thankful for God’s promises in suffering. Thankful
for the Gospel. Thankful for life after death. Thankful for the Incarnation. Thankful
for salvation.
Thankful that, as we walk out the heartfelt salvation Jesus graciously
gives us, God’s work in us draw those around us into a relationship with Him.
Thankful for God’s servants...
·
They focus on helping others. (vs. 16) – “…then I will be
able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain…”
·
They invest their lives for the sake of others. (vs. 17) – “I am
being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from
your faith...”
·
They have a deep, emotional heart connection with others. (vs. 18-19)
– “…So you too should be glad and
rejoice with me… that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you…”
·
They are rare and sometimes unnoticed. (vs. 20-21) – “…I have no
one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare…”
·
They prove themselves over time. (vs. 22) – “…But you know that
Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with
me in the work of the gospel…”
·
They value ongoing relationships (vs. 23-25) – “…I hope…to send
him…I myself will come soon…it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus…my
brother…your messenger…”
·
They are preserved and protected by God. (vs. 26-28) – “…he was
ill and almost died, but God had mercy on him, and…on me…”
·
They deserve to be honored for their sacrifice (vs. 29-30) – “…welcome
him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, because he almost
died for the work of Christ…”
The BIG Idea
As we rejoice in the Lord and open ourselves to the
Holy Spirit, the supernatural peace of Jesus will guard our minds and steady
our hearts.
INTRODUCTION
The Apostle Paul, locked up in a Roman prison, wrote to his dearly beloved
brothers and sisters in Christ in the city of Philippi, telling them that
rejoicing in the Lord would safeguard their souls.
·
This was not masochism – “I rejoice because
I take pleasure in my suffering”
·
This was not asceticism – “I rejoice in
my self-imposed suffering”
·
This was not mere stoicism – “I rejoice in
spite of my suffering”
·
This was supernatural realism – “I
rejoice in God’s presence and grace In the midst of my suffering!”
Why did Paul command the
Philippians (and us) to rejoice?
1. Because we will experience God’s
supernatural peace and joy in extreme circumstances. (Gal. 5:19-23; Luke
10:17-21)
The more we are full of the Holy Spirit, the more we will experience and
communicate the joy of the Lord and the peace of the Lord…!
Galatians 5:19–23 (NIV) — 19 The acts of the
flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20
idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish
ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and
the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not
inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control…
Jesus experienced this as well,
Luke 10:17–21 (NIV) — 17 The seventy-two
returned with joy (human joy) and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to
us in your name.” 18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from
heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions
and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20
However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your
names are written in heaven.” 21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise
you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things
from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father,
for this is what you were pleased to do.
2. Because rejoicing in the Lord
provokes a manifestation of God’s presence and power – (Acts 13:47-52; 2 Chron.
20:21-30)
Acts 13:47–52 (NIV) — 47 For this is what the
Lord has commanded us: “ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that
you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” 48 When the Gentiles
heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were
appointed for eternal life believed. 49 The word of the Lord spread
through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the
God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They
stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their
region. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them
and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with
the Holy Spirit.
Notice what happened in 2 Chronicles 20 when King Jehosphat commanded rejoicing
when faced with an overwhelming enemy,
When King Jehosophat and the people of God in Judah were invaded
by the enemy armies of the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the Meunites, (people
God had commanded the Israelites not to invade when they conquered Canaan! – Deut.
2) they inquired of the Lord as to what to do and the Spirit of the Lord came
on Jahaziel who prophesied encouragement and faith to them and when they appointed
singers to praise the Lord with thanksgiving, the Lord set ambushes against the
enemy and gave them the victory!
2 Chronicles 20:21–30 (NIV) — 21 After
consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to
praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
“Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.”
22 As they began to sing and
praise, the Lord set ambushes
against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and
they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the
men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished
slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another. 24
When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked
toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had
escaped. 25 So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder,
and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also
articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder
that it took three days to collect it. 26 On the fourth day they
assembled in the Valley of Berakah, where they praised the Lord.
This is why it is called the Valley of Berakah to this day. 27 Then, led
by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord
had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They entered
Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lord
with harps and lyres and trumpets. 29 The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they
heard how the Lord had fought
against the enemies of Israel. 30 And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given
him rest on every side.
Notice this very carefully – Because they rejoiced in the Lord in a
time of great difficulty, God gave them victory and He also gave them peace…!
3. Because joy is not just an emotional
state, it is also a weapon of spiritual warfare…! (3:1; Is.
61:1-3; 2 Cor. 7:8-10; Neh. 8:1-12)
For Paul, rejoicing was not just a matter of good counsel, it was a command;
an order, not an option…!
Both Isaiah and Jesus understood that the outcome of true ministry under the
anointing of the Spirit will be the joy of the Lord…
Isaiah 61:1–3 (NIV) — 1 The Spirit of the
Sovereign Lord is on me, because
the Lord has anointed me to
proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s
favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3
and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment
of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of
righteousness, a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
Yes, godly sorrow leads to repentance…but godly repentance ends in salvation,
not sorrow…!
2 Corinthians 7:8–10 (NIV) — 8 Even if I caused
you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that
my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—9 yet now I am happy,
not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.
For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by
us. 10 Godly sorrow brings
repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly
sorrow brings death.
Notice what Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites told the people to do when the
Word of God pricked their consciences and brought conviction of sin,
Nehemiah 8:1–12 (NIV) — 1 all the people came
together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher
of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. 2
So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before
the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to
understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the
square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who
could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the
Law. 4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built
for the occasion…. 5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him
because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood
up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord,
the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen!
Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord
with their faces to the ground…8 They read from the Book of the Law of
God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what
was being read. 9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and
teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to
them all, “This day is holy to the Lord
your God. Do not mourn or weep.”
For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. 10
Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice
food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared.
This day is holy to our Lord. Do not
grieve, FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD IS
YOUR STRENGTH.”… 12 Then all the people went away to eat and
drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had
been made known to them.
How do we cultivate
the joy and peace of the Lord?
1. We decide to do it. - “Rejoice
in the Lord!” (Phil. 3:1; Hab. 3:17-19; Heb. 13:15)
The Holy Spirit does not give commands without giving us the grace to obey
those commands!
Habakkuk 3:17–19 (NIV) — 17 Though the fig tree
does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no
cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
19 The Sovereign Lord is my
strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on
the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.
Hebrews 13:15 (NIV) — 15 Through Jesus,
therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of
lips that openly profess his name.
2. We lean on the Lord. - “The Lord
is near” (Phil 4:5; Heb. 13:5-6)
Hebrews 13:5–6 (NIV) — 5 Keep your lives free
from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” 6 So we say with
confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals
do to me?”
3. We pray and praise in the midst
of our problems. - “in every situation,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil.
4:6; Acts 16:23-26)
Notice the deliverance God granted to Paul and Silas when they had been in
jail at Philippi,
Acts 16:23–26 (NIV) — 23 After they had been
severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to
guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in
the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight
Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners
were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake
that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors
flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.
4. We guard our thoughts through
meditating on the Scriptures – “think about such things” (Phil 4:8)
Philippians 4:8–9 (NIV) — 8 Finally, brothers
and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or
received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of
peace will be with you.
5. We receive God’s joy peace – “Whatever
you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into
practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil. 4:9; 1 Chron. 16:27;
Ps. 21:6)
1 Chronicles 16:27 (NIV) — 27 Splendor and
majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place.
Psalm 21:6 (NIV) — 6 Surely you have granted him
unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
