21 Dec 08
Phil 1: 12 – 26
If we are to continually rise above the challenges and difficulties of life we need the peace, hope and love of God (all great advent themes), we also need joy of the Lord.
Paul said that, “The source of all my strength is joy.”
Now I want you to note that joy is not the same as happiness; happiness is a surface emotion that depends on how we are feeling; joy is a much deeper currant of undergirding strength.
Once again we find that one of the names for God means; “I am the God of exceeding joy.”
God’s Hebrew name is El Simchathgali
Psalm 43:4 “I am the God of overflowing and abundant joy.” NLT
Now the best place to turn to, to read about God’s joy, is Paul’s letter to the Philippians; it’s only four chapters long but 16 times Paul says, ‘rejoice in the Lord’, or ‘be joyful’ and ‘enjoy life’.
Now you may be thinking that that’s all very well for Paul he didn’t have to live with the stresses of 21st Century but remember that Paul didn’t write Philippians while on holiday somewhere in the Mediterranean.
Paul wrote from a prison in Rome where, most likely, he was waiting to be executed.
So in potentially some of the darkest days of Paul’s life he writes some of the most positive words in the Bible.
He gives us six ‘joy builders’ and if you are willing to practice these in your life then, along with what God will do, I am confident that you will keep discouragement at bay by replacing it with joy.
Keys to JOYFUL living
J – Jettison All Regrets About Your Past
“One thing I do is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead.” Phil. 3:13b GN
To jettison means to ‘throw overboard’. The crew of a ship may have to jettison it’s cargo to stay afloat in a storm; they get rid of anything that weighs the ship down.
Paul says if you want to enjoy life there are some things that you must get rid of because they are weighing you down; unnecessarily burdening your life.
So let go of your regrets about the past; we all have them because nobody is perfect.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote the Sherlock Homes series decided to play a practical joke on some very important people in England, so he sent an anonymous note to eight prominent men that simply read; ‘All is revealed, flee at once’.
He wanted to see what would happen and he wasn’t disappointed within 24 hours all eight men had left the country.
I wonder how many of us would want to be present if all our darkest secrets were revealed for everyone to see.
The problem with regrets is they are totally unproductive, we cannot change the past so what can we do?
The Bible teaches us to own up to our mistakes and confess them to God and receive His forgiveness.
When David committed adultery with Bathsheba he wrote Psalm 51, which an amazing prayer of confession;
“Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.” vs.4
A reason why David was called a ‘man after God’s heart’ and one of the reasons was because of his transparency; he didn’t try to minimise his sin and neither should we.
In Heb. 8: 12 God promises. “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sin no more.”
This is such an amazing verse; the God of the universe is willing to forget our past mistakes and failings.
But we have to be as honest as David, and as resolute in our hearts to do better.
The other point is that if God can forgive our mistakes then surely we can forgive ourselves and others and get on with our lives.
(God) “Forget what happened in the past and don’t dwell on event from long ago because I am going to do a new thing.” Isaiah 43:18&19.
So the starting point for living a joyful life is letting go of the regrets and grudges of the past.
# 2. O – Omit All Worries About Your Future
Both the past and the future have the potential to rob us of joy. Worrying about the future is the greatest killjoy of them all.
We can’t be joyful and worried at the same time.
Worry only makes things worse. The more we worry about something the bigger it becomes in our minds; molehill become mountains through worry.
Worry is as useless as regret; we can’t change the past or the future through worry.
Paul has some good advice on the subject.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Phil. 4:6 NLT
(Remember the story of the ten lepers whom Jesus healed, only one came back to say thankyou)
Paul says that there are two days we shouldn’t worry about; yesterday and tomorrow.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything.”
We can either worry or pray; if you are worrying you are not praying. If you are praying you don’t have to worry.
So Paul says if you want to be filled with joy forget the past and don’t worry about the future; live life one day at a time.
Jesus gave the same advice; life is to be lived in day tight compartments; “one day at a time.”
# 3. Y – Yield Yourself To God’s Purposes
A third ‘kill joy’ in life is living without a real purpose. If you are just drifting through life without any sense of knowing where you came from or where you are going or even why you are here, of course you are not going to have much joy in life.
People who drift through life invariably substitute happiness for joy; they just live for the next main event; the weekend, the next party or holiday or whatever it is that gives them pleasure.
But living for pleasure never brings real joy. We need to live for a cause greater than ourselves in order to find the ‘joy of the Lord’.
There are many good causes in life but the ultimate cause; that lasts forever is the Kingdom of God.
When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians he was old, in poor health, lonely and in prison. The authorities had taken away everything they could from Paul; he has no friends to talk to, no ministry, no freedom, no privacy but the one thing they could not take away from him was his powerful sense of purpose.
In Phil 4:21 Paul’s say;
“For me to live is Christ…” Phil 1:21 NIV
And from 2 Tim, “My purpose in life is to please him (Christ).”
Life makes a lot more sense when we do what God created us to do and knowing and doing God’s will is a source of great joy.
Rom. 6:13b, “Give yourself completely to God – every part of you- to be tools in the hand of God to be used for his good purpose.” LB
The most dangerous of all prayers to pray to God is just three simple words, “God, use me.”
I first prayed this prayer when I was a young man in my early twenties; I was busy chasing my own small ambitions, as a young accountant in a large NZ company.
God took me in a completely new direction and I have never regretted it; not for a moment.
If you want to experience a joy that is beyond explanation, pray this prayer and mean it; “God please use me.”
There is no greater thrill than knowing that God is using our life to help someone else in a way that will last forever.
Nothing even comes close to the thrill of being used by God.
So if you feel unfilled in life and you know that there is something more that you should be doing with your life, pray this prayer and I promise God will uses you.
He is looking for people who will yield themselves fully to His purpose; it is the source of uncontainable joy.
# 4. F – Focus On What Is Good.
Once we have made the decision to live the life God wants us to live – start looking around in your community or church for what God is doing. Focus on what is good and get involved.
Paul’s fourth ‘joy builder’ is in Phil 4:8
“Fix your thoughts on what is true and honourable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” NLT
Where can we find something that is going to meet these criteria; can we expect to find things that are true, admirable, pure and lovely in the media or in movies or in our work place, or school, or any other place.
No – we cannot take our values from the world. Only God’s Word offers us all of these things; the more we fill our minds with the words of this book the more positive and joyful we will become.
Paul says if you want to find the Joy of the Lord you have to balance all the negatives of life with some substantial positives.
God’s Word is true and right and admirable; spend some time every day reading God’s Word.
Paul had every reason to complain to God and feel sorry for himself in prison but he intentionally focused on the positives.
Some of you will know the old hymn ‘Count your many blessings name them one by one.’ Same idea!
Joyless people tend to spend too much time on trivial issues. We lose our joy very quickly when we let unimportant things upset us.
Q. How many family arguments are over major issues?
Isn’t it true that most of the conflicts – the killjoys in our life are over thing that are inconsequential, that aren’t going to matter tomorrow or in a week’s time, much less in eternity?
Paul says, focus on what is good; that’s our choice and we get to make hundreds of these choices every day.
If we run into someone who is grumpy or just looking for an argument we have to choose whether to let their grumpiness or contentiousness infect us or not; it’s our choice.
# 5 U- Use Your Life To Help Others
Paul was joyful because he was unselfish; he invested his life in others. If we want more joy in our life the secret is to make other people our greatest priority.
Jesus taught the same thing; the more we give our life away the more find it. The more unselfish we are to more joyful we will be.
Of course the converse of that is also true, the more selfish we become the more miserable we will be.
Paul spent his time in prison thinking about other people.
In Phil 4:1 Paul wrote;
“Dear brothers and sisters, I love you and long to see you, for you are my joy and the reward for my work.” NLT
Paul’s joy was in the people, in whom he had invested his life, who he had lead to the Lord; he said; “You are my joy.”
Probably the most famous lines from Shakespeare’s writings is a question asked by Hamlet; “To be or not to be.”
It’s part of Hamlet’s famous Soliloquy and he is referring to himself.
The Prince of Denmark is contemplating suicide. He is saying ‘I don’t know whether to go on living in pain or to take my own life. Should I live or should I die?’
Paul said exactly the same thing in Phil 3 but for the exact opposite reason.
Hamlet says, “I don’t know which is worse, to live in pain or die in pain.”
Paul says, “I don’t know which is better, to serve people in the name of Christ, which I love doing or to go to be with my Lord and Saviour in heaven. Which is better?
Guess which person had the joy?
Paul was infinitely better off than Hamlet because he was he was using his life to help others.
“For me, living means opportunities for Christ, and dying – well, that’s better yet! But if living will give me more opportunities to win people for Christ then I really don’t know which is better, to live or die! Sometimes I want to live, and at other times I don’t, for I long to be with Christ. How much happier for me than being here! But the fact is I can be of more help to you by staying! Phil, 1: 21 – 24 LB
What an amazing attitude Paul had to life and death:
Q. Ask yourself; ‘Do I have such a powerful purpose for living and dying?’ Paul had both.
If we can’t fully yield ourselves to God’s purpose then we will neither, live well nor die well.
Paul says, “I use my life to help others and it brings we joy; either way I win whether I live or die.”
# 6. L – Learn To Be Content
“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Phil 4:11 NIV
You might think that it’s much easier to be content when you are living on ‘easy street’ but Paul’s was content and his life was certainly not easy.
In 2 Cor. 11 we can read a little of Paul’s autobiography;
“I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. (Can you imagine the scars on Paul’s back?)
Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea… in constant danger … I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. In spite of all this no matter what happens I rejoice.”
Paul “learned to be content.”
Bottom line, joy is a decision – we will be as joyful as we choose to be.
If you are discouraged today it’s because you are choosing to let the disappointments of life have the last word.
You know life is 10% circumstances and 90% attitude. A Joyful life is the consequence of making the right choices; choosing contentment over discontentment.
Some of you may be going through a difficult time right now; you won’t be feeling very happy about what’s going on. That’s understandable.
We are not talking about happiness; joy is the result of knowing that God is in control and He will use all that happens to us for our good and His glory.
You know when God told Paul that he was going to Rome- Paul didn’t expect to spend his days in prison.
Paul had visions of himself speaking and preaching to the citizens of Rome just as he had done elsewhere; building up the Church at Rome.
But God had something else in mind for Paul; while he was in prison Paul wrote many of the letters that make up a large part of the NT.
Paul was such an energetic church planter that God had to slow him right down. Only in prison, did he write the words that are still speaking to people 2000 years later.
Which is better? Paul had a plan but God had a better one.
Paul said, “I’ll trust God’s plan more than my own therefore I am content and full of joy.
We can get so frustrated because we don’t know what God is doing in our lives, but God knows, He always has a better plan.
Trust Him; God has your best intentions at heart. Therefore no matter what happens we can be joyful. Amen!
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, there are people here today who have lost the joy of the Lord.
Some have lost it due to regrets, guilt, and grief. Some have lost joy due to resentment and over whelming worries. Some have lost their joy because they have no real purpose in life and others among us who have become distracted by lesser things.
Lord will you help us all to yield ourselves to you and your ways and begin to use the rest of our lives to seek to know you better and share your love more than we have done before.
Q. Will you pray the most dangerous prayer? God please use me?
I want to be able to say with Paul; ‘for me to live is Christ’.
If you have never invited Jesus into your life, why not do it now?
“Lord Jesus Christ, come into my life right now through the Holy Spirit and I will follow you.”
We bring our prayers in Jesus name. Amen.