Philippians 4:4-5; Winsome Gentle Joy

PastorRodney’s Weblog

08/25 Philippians 4:4-5; Winsome Gentle Joy; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20240825_philippians-4_4-5.mp3

Unity in the Body

We are studying together Philippians 4; we are in verses 4-5. In chapter 4, Paul addresses a specific problem of disunity in the church. Unity is critical to the health of a body, and there is a disagreement that is at a level that he feels it necessary to call out publicly two ladies in the church, and urges them to agree in the Lord. But he wraps this plea in positive affirmations of his love and care for this church and the people that make it up. He calls them brothers, beloved, desired or wanted, his joy and crown. And he exhorts them to keep their feet planted firmly in Jesus. He repeats the term beloved. You are loved. It is in this context of genuine pleasure in these people that he invites Euodia and he invites Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Think the same in the Lord; come to be of the same mind.

Equip the Saints for One-Another Ministry

He addresses the two women directly first, but he also addresses another person in the church to help these ladies come together. He calls him ‘true companion,’ a fellow-laborer yoked together with him like two animals on the farm sharing a burden together. It is worth noting that he doesn’t just step in as the one with apostolic authority and command them to get along. Neither does he leave them to work it out on their own. He calls for someone in their church family to lovingly serve them by working to bring them together. This is in line with what he says in Ephesians 4 about the role of leadership in the church;

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

He is equipping the saints to use their God given gifts to minister to one another. He is pursuing Christlike unity in the church, urging every believer to engage in one-another ministry so that the church is anchored in Christ and unmoved by the deceitful, divisive, destructive schemes of the adversary. In Philippians, he calls on one of their own to come alongside in this delicate situation to do the messy but necessary work of pursuing unity.

And he affirms, these women are partners with him in the gospel; they are fellow-workers, they had struggled side by side with their apostle in advancing the gospel, Now they need to work out their disagreement and pursue unity for the sake of the gospel they helped to advance. They need to bring their thinking into line with the gospel they say they believe. But he doesn’t doubt the genuineness of their faith; he is confident that their names are in the book of life.

Rejoice Always

It is into this context of inner conflict and tension in the church that Paul interjects his command to joy.

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

This is an imperative. It is a command. It is plural, it is addressed to all his readers, the entire church. All of you, rejoice in the Lord. Joy has characterized this letter, and it is to characterize the life of every follower of Jesus. Joy is to characterize our attitude in every circumstance.

How would you like to have a joy that is unshakable? That is unwavering? That is unaffected by adversity? That is consistent independent of your circumstances? That can carry you through difficult times? Paul doesn’t say ‘rejoice as long as everything is bringing you joy, and if there is something that doesn’t bring you joy, then change your circumstances.’

How does Paul say ‘rejoice always, in every circumstance’? How can he say ‘rejoice’ when there is disunity and disagreement that endangers the very fabric of the local church? How can he say to rejoice as he does in 3:1 in the face of false teachers that teach human effort as a way to be right with God? How can he rejoice through his tears (3:18-19) over those who are enemies of the cross, whose end is destruction? It makes sense to us that he would anticipate rejoicing at the return of Epaphroditus, whom they heard was sick to the point of death, who is now well enough to travel back to them (2:28). But how can he say that he rejoices (2:17-18) over the thought of his own life being poured out as a drink offering? How can he invite them to join him in his joy in being poured out? How can he rejoice not only in prison (1:17-18), but with people consumed by selfish ambition, seeking to add affliction to his chains?

Paul is not telling them to do something he has not modeled for them. He is not telling them to rejoice as he sourly wastes away in prison. He is inviting them (and us) into his unshakable joy that is unfazed by circumstances.

Rejoice in the Lord

How is this possible? If you find your joy in your circumstances, then your joy will evaporate when your circumstances change, and they will change! For your joy to be enduring, it needs to be in something unchanging, something bigger than you and your circumstances. For us to rejoice always, our joy must be in the Lord.

Jesus is bigger than any circumstance you may face. Jesus is unchanging. He is the same yesterday and today and forever (Heb.13:8). But how do we go about rejoicing in Jesus?

It matters what you treasure. If you value more than anything what you envision as your ideal circumstances, you are going to be a very unhappy person. If you value personal peace, prosperity and ease, there are a lot of circumstances that will disrupt your joy. If it’s all about health, well-being, and comfort, you are banking your joy on things that are largely out of your control. Jesus said:

Matthew 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 ​but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Paul pointed us to his greatest treasure in 3:7-8

Philippians 3:7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

Knowing Jesus was Paul’s greatest treasure. He would trade in anything of value if he could only have Jesus. That which is of surpassing worth is ‘knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.’ If your relationship with Jesus is the thing you value most, no one, no circumstance, nothing can take that away. As Paul said in Romans 8;

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

Can any bad thing, any bad circumstance, even death separate you from the love of Christ?

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As Paul said back in Philippians 1

Philippians 1:20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

His eager expectation and hope is that Christ be honored. That can be accomplished by life or by death. He says (1:23) ‘…My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.’ When your joy is found in Jesus, no one can take that away.

Recounting Gospel Reasons for Rejoicing

A practical way to find joy in the Lord is to remind yourself of who Jesus is, and recount all the gospel reasons you have for rejoicing.

According to chapter 2, Jesus, being himself eternally God, did not cling to his equality with his Father, but humbled himself by becoming human, dying on a cross in the place of sinners like me. He is now highly exalted to the right hand of his Father, and to him every knee will bow. This is the Jesus we are talking about. This is the Jesus we are in relationship with. This is the Jesus we rejoice in!

If we go back to chapter 1, Paul started out (1:1) by addressing us as saints in Christ Jesus. Because of the cross, because Jesus took my sins and paid for them in full, I can be called a saint, a holy one; because I am in Jesus, there is no longer any sin in my account. That is reason for rejoicing.

He greets us (1:2) with ‘grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace, God’s undeserved unearned and unearnable favor and kindness freely extended to us as a gift; God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. That God’s grace has been extended to us is a great reason to rejoice. Peace, a whole, full, complete reconciled relationship with God; we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace with God is a powerful premise for rejoicing.

In 1:3-4 Paul gives thanks to God with joy every time he thinks of this church. Grace and peace was not only to Paul; Paul was not a dead end recipient. The good news of God’s grace went through Paul to others. What a joy to become a conduit for God’s grace to flow through us to others!

And it didn’t end with those others. God’s transforming grace instigated a gospel partnership (1:5). Having been transformed by the good news about Jesus, they invested in advancing that gospel message to others. This gospel transformation is grounds for rejoicing.

In 1:6 he expresses his confidence in God; that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Praise God that it is not on me to perform or earn my way. This great salvation that I am a beneficiary of is God’s work from start to finish. He began it, and he will without fail finish what he started. This glorious gospel truth is a truth to be treasured. Rejoice in the Lord!

We could go on, walking through the Scriptures, unearthing treasures of the gospel to be rejoiced in. Make this your daily practice, to rejoice in the Lord.

It’s not enough to say it once. He says it twice to be sure we get it. I’m saying it now and I’m going to continue to say it in the future; rejoice!

Selfless Humble Gentle Joy

Philippians 4:5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;

This is a difficult word to translate; it is translated gentleness, kindness, forbearance, patience, considerate, unselfish, moderation, graciousness, reasonableness.

In 1 Timothy 3 this word in contrasted with violent and quarrelsome. In Titus 3 it is contrasted with quarreling and parallel to showing humility. In James 3 it shows up in a description of God’s wisdom along with peaceable, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 1 Peter 2 advises servants to respect their masters, not only the good and gentle, but also the unjust. It is used to communicate the idea of a kind gentle humble attitude.

This would fit well with the flow of this letter, which holds up Jesus as the model of selfless humility.

How does this gentle selflessness connect with joy in the Lord? If my joy is based on my circumstances, I am going to seek my own happiness at your expense. If what matters most to me is my comfort, my pleasure, my way, then I will put my agenda above you. But if my joy is in the Lord, if I recognize that Jesus is seeking and securing my eternal good, then I am freed to seek the good of others above my own. I do not have to assert or defend my rights, rather out of my joy in Jesus, I can lay down my rights in sacrificial service to others.

Known to All

Paul tells us that our gentle humble attitude should be known to all people. Why is this important? He is not saying to go out of our way to draw attention to our gentle humility. But this is a counter-cultural attitude, and if this is our mindset, it will be noticed. This connects back to what he said back in chapter 2

Philippians 2:14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

If we don’t grumble, if we don’t argue, we will be conspicuous, we will stand out from a world rampant with grumblers and complainers, those who want what they are entitled to and will be vocal about it when they don’t get it. If this is our attitude, we will ‘shine as lights in the world’. Our attitudes can blend in to the world around us, or they can stand in such stark contrast that they display Jesus as uniquely attractive.

This is in line with what Jesus taught about conspicuous good works in Matthew 5

Matthew 5:14 ​“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 ​Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Our gentle humility flowing out of our joy in the Lord will be refreshingly attractive to a world bent on getting what’s coming to me. Paul is concerned about our attitude, but his goal is not for us to attract attention to ourselves because of our great attitudes. His heart is that by our distinctive demeanor, we put the beauty of Jesus on display.

The Lord is Near

And then he says ‘the Lord is near.’ Near can be used in two senses; spacial and temporal. Our joy in the Lord shapes our attitude because we know Jesus is coming soon (Rev.3:11; 22:7, 12, 20), and we eagerly await his coming (Heb.9:28). Our joy in Jesus shapes our attitude because he is near to us, the friend that sticks closer than a brother (Prov.18:24), who will never leave us or forsake us (Heb.13:5). He is at work in us, bringing to completion the work he began in us (Phil.1:6).

Our confidence in the nearness of God should motivate us to quickly resolve our differences, fix our eyes on Jesus, and view one another with humility and grace, as we have been shown grace by our Lord Jesus.

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org