Rejoice Always – Evansville Bible Church

Philippians 4:4, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

When I go out on our deck at night I hear those night creatures making a miserable cacophony of croaks, grunts, cackles, squawks and I don’t know what all. Early on Spring mornings it’s just the opposite. The birds are chirping, whistling, and warbling praises to their Creator. The other evening I heard both – birds cheerily singing and chirping, and that awful croaking and growling. The contrast was vivid. Do people hear you cheerily rejoicing, or croaking and growling? Some professing Christians seem to think Paul command was this: “Be miserable in the Lord always, and again I say, be miserable.” No, Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.”

I like what Matthew Henry said, “Joy in God is a duty of great consequence in the Christian life; and Christians need to be again and again called to it.” Albert Barnes wrote, “There is not a moment of a Christian’s life in which he may not find joy in the character, law, and promises of God.” And A. W. Pink says, “Need we remind the reader that when the Apostle penned these words he was himself a prisoner in the hands of the Roman government. A long course of affliction and suffering lay behind him.” Paul himself wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:10, “as sorrowful yet always rejoicing.” Paul practiced what he preached.

No question, the believer’s life is to be filled with joy – always! When Mary poured out that very costly perfume on Jesus’ feet in John 12:3, it says “the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” Your Christian life should be filled with the fragrance of joy in the Lord, regardless of your circumstances. Paul has weaved this golden thread of joy through every chapter in this wonderful letter to the Philippians. In 1:25 he said he wants to remain with them for their progress and joy in the faith. In 2:17 he says, “I rejoice and share my joy with you all. In 3:1 he sounds like he’s ending his letter, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord!” But he’s not finished. Here in 4:4 he circles back to his theme again, but even more strongly, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say (in case you missed it), rejoice!” Isaac Watts wrote the hymn, “Come we that love the Lord, and let your joys be known.”

OUR GOD OF JOY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Some people think of God as an angry, severe, judging deity, especially in the Old Testament. He is a holy God and has wrath against sin, but as you read the Old Testament you can’t help but see God as a God of great joy. Proverbs 8 says wisdom rejoiced in the creation of the universe. Psalm 16:11 says, “In your presence is fullness of joy! In your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” We serve a high and holy God, sovereign and majestic, and a God who calls on His people to rejoice before Him. About ten or so times in Deuteronomy God commands Israel, “You shall rejoice before the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 16:11). The Psalms are full of expressions of joy and rejoicing, but they also tell us that sin and guilt destroy godly joy. When David repents and confesses his sin in Psalm 51, he prays in verse 8, “Make me hear joy and gladness.” In verse 12 he prays, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.” One reason we may not be living in God’s joy is because of guilt. Guilt is a thief of spiritual joy and happiness.

Here are a couple of other joy-packed Psalms.

Psalm 89:15-16, How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance. 16 In Your name they rejoice all the day, And by Your righteousness they are exalted.

Psalm 100:1 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.

Of course, we’re not talking about the giddy, temporary happiness the world is seeking; not fleshly or worldly joy. The World Happiness Report says the happiest countries are “Finland, Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden.” I don’t know how they gauge that. And it’s well-known that married people are happier than non-married people. I can understand that. It’s nice to live with someone who knows where the mustard is in the refrigerator, “Right behind the pickles.” God already told us husbands to rejoice in our wives. God designed marriage for His glory and our joy.

Ecclesiastes 9:9, Enjoy life (KJV Live joyfully) with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun.

Proverbs 5:18, Rejoice in the wife of your youth!

The prophets are full of this genuine joy in the Lord. Jeremiah found great joy in God’s Word.

Jeremiah 15:16, Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.

And Isaiah was ecstatic over God’s saving him and clothing him with righteousness.

Isaiah 61:10, I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Zephaniah looked forward to Christ’s millennial rule when holy joy will flow out of Jerusalem to the whole world.

Zephaniah 3:17, “The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

But what about when things are really going south, when the bottom falls out, sickness and disease strike, a relationship has gone sour, you suffer a big financial loss? Can you rejoice then, like Habakkuk?

Habakkuk 3:17-19, Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, 18 Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. 19 The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places.

Habakkuk is standing right in the middle of all this devastation, barrenness, loss, it’s all gone – but he knows and trusts his God and cries out like a victorious warrior in battle. Not only is he rejoicing in his God, but he is exulting and jumping for joy. Even if he had nothing, God was his strength! Remember this: Everything without God is nothing, but nothing with God is everything.

OUR GOD OF JOY IN THE GOSPELS AND ACTS

What do we hear when the angel announces the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ?

Luke 2:10, But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people.”

The gospel is a message of great joy for all the people, Jews first, and also Gentiles. Jonathan Edwards, that great theologian of joy, said, “The sweetest joys and delights are in the truths of the gospel.” Just before Christ went to the cross to bear our sins and suffer divine wrath for our guilt, He twice promised to give us His joy.

John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

John 17:13, “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.

Do you know this joy the Bible is talking about? It comes from the heart of God. Jesus brings it to every one of His sheep. It’s a fruit of the Spirit. This joy is seen everywhere in the book of Acts. How did that Ethiopian Eunuch go on his way after his conversion? Rejoicing! What did the Philippian jailor do after he got saved and set food before Paul and Silas? He rejoiced greatly! How did those early believers go on their way after being flogged in Acts 5? They rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer for Christ’s name! How did the Samaritans respond when they received Christ? There was much rejoicing in that city! In Acts 13:48, when the Gentiles heard that God was sending the gospel to the Gentiles, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed!

A LIFE OF REJOICING

No question, God is a God of joy and is glorified as His people find their joy in Him and His great work of salvation. Now, let’s open Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 4:4 and apply it to our lives.

Philippians 4:4, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

First, rejoicing is a command repeated twice. It is not a suggestion. So, if you aren’t living a life of rejoicing, it’s time to begin now! This is a command sent down from the throne of God Almighty to us two-legged redeemed sinners. You are to choose to rejoice; it’s not automatic. It’s in the second person, which means it’s for you, not someone else. And it’s plural – it applies to all of us, all of God’s people. God’s people should be a joyful people. No frowning Freds or Grumbling Gretas as one preacher said, or “Poochy lip disease” as Patch the Pirate (Ron Hamilton) sang.

Second, rejoicing is grounded in the Lord. It’s easy to rejoice in a new car, or new boyfriend, or new job, and these are good things, but all of these are temporary, changeable. Our joy is grounded in the Lord and all He is for you! Look to Him and rejoice, be glad and thankful for all He has done to bring you to God! We are too prone to look to ourselves and be miserable, to be overly introspective rather than looking to Jesus as our true joy. Robert Murray M’Cheyne said, “Learn much of the Lord Jesus. For every look at yourself — take ten looks at Christ. He is altogether lovely. Live much in the smiles of God. Bask in his beams. Feel his all-seeing eye settled on you in love — and repose in his almighty arms.” Keep your eyes on Jesus. “Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are truly blessed, finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.”

Third, rejoicing in the Lord is something we are to always do. I looked up “always” in the dictionary. It means at all times, invariably, consistently and constantly. That includes right now. There’s never a time not to be rejoicing in the Lord. Every day, all week long, rising and going to bed, eating and working, exercising and resting – rejoice in the Lord always! Rejoicing in the Lord will help you deal with any anxiety you may be facing. Rejoicing in the Lord will help you deal with any issues you may have with someone else. Euodia and Syntyche needed to begin rejoicing in the Lord immediately.

JOY THIEVES

Let me give you a few joy thieves. First, you might not be a true child of God. You see no joy in Christ. Joy to you may mean being free to please yourself. “If only I didn’t have these strict parents who make me obey the rules. Then I’d be happy.” Or as an adult you just don’t see what’s so great about the gospel message. Before you can rejoice in the Lord, you have to recognize your sin against God, repent, and trust Christ as your Lord and Savior. There is no true joy if you’re headed for hell. There’s no joy in hell, just like there’s no mercy in hell. Here’s the opposite of joy in the Lord: Matthew 8:12 describes hell as “outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” That’s a completely joyless, agonizing existence, and the worst part of all, it’s eternal, forever and ever.

But even for believers, there’s a whole pack of joy thieves that can easily creep into your heart. Jealousy and bitterness and guilt will ruin your joy in the Lord. Worry and anxiety and self-centeredness will steal your joy in the Lord. Lack of trust in the Lord will swipe your joy in Christ. Remember those disciples in the boat when the storm hit? They were filled with fear, woke up Jesus, and He reprimanded them by asking, “Where is your faith?” Genuine faith in the true and living God casts out fear and anxiety.

JOY FEEDERS

You need to know the promises of God. How could Paul say he rejoiced at all times? Because he believed what he wrote in Romans 8:28 – “all things work together for good to those who love God.” When you know God’s sovereign hand is at work in all the circumstances in your life, you’ll find it easier to rejoice in the Lord always. Someone said, “Our disappointments are but His appointments.” Quoting Pink again, “To the one who delights in the sovereignty of God the clouds not only have a silver lining but they are silver all the way through, the darkness only serving to offset the light” like the beauty of a diamond set on the background of black velvet.

In 1 Peter 1:8 Peter says, “Though we haven’t seen Christ, we love Him, and though we don’t see Him now, but believe in Him, we rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, with the outcome of your faith being the salvation of your souls.” What feeds this great joy? Peter gives a great list of blessings from God that pour into your joy inexpressible and full of glory.

First Peter 1:1-2: Your joy has its roots in God’s foreknowing you in eternity past and choosing you to be His, in Christ shedding His blood to cleanse you of the guilt of your sin, and the power of the Spirit to give you a new heart and change you more and more into the likeness of Christ.

Verse 3: Rejoice because God had great mercy on you to give you a new life and a living hope through Christ’s resurrection.

Verse 4: Rejoice because you have an imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance reserved in heaven for you. And that heaven is a heaven of exquisite and eternal joy.

Verse 5: Rejoice because God will keep you by His power all the way to heaven. No true child of God will ever lose their salvation.

Verses 6-7: Rejoice because though you are distressed by temporary trials, God is using them to purify and grow your faith. Spurgeon asks, “Can we rejoice even in heaviness? Absolutely.”

Verse 8: Rejoice because you belong to Christ, you love and believe in Him, and you have every reason in God’s good universe to rejoice in the Lord all the time. And again, Paul says, “Rejoice!”

What else will feed your joy? Feed on the Scriptures like Jeremiah did. Ponder the character and purposes of God. The more you know Him and trust His precious and magnificent promises, the more you’ll rejoice in Him and give thanks. The more you grasp His sovereignty and providential care in your life, whatever your trials – which Peter says can be heavy – you’ll rejoice in the Lord with joy inexpressible and full of glory.

Is your daily life a testimony of rejoicing in the Lord even through heavy trials? Do you sound like those croaking creatures or the singing birds? We don’t want to take these words lightly. We don’t want to frustrate or irritate any who are enduring hard, heavy times when it isn’t easy to rejoice. Some of God’s people are temporarily in distress, in heaviness for various reasons. Yet this is God’s command to our hearts – rejoice in the Lord always, in the good times and the hard times because God is our loving Father, Jesus is our good Shepherd who won’t lead us astray, and the Spirit of God is indwelling us producing His fruit of love and joy.

And if you don’t know Christ as your Lord and Savior, now is the time, today is the day! Talk to Him and confess you’ve been living without Him, going your way. Tell Him you know you need a Savior from your sinful ways. God tells us in Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”