Rejoice in the Lord Philippians 4:4
Philippians 4:4 (NIV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
As we have been meditating on Hebrews 10:19-25 over the past ten weeks, we touched often on the idea that the letter was written to believers who were being persecuted for their faith. In Acts 11 persecution has come upon the church and the Disciples are scattered everywhere. Against this backdrop we find out about the ministry of Barnabas. God chose Barnabas to go to Antioch and tell the new gentile believers about the great purpose He had in and for their lives. God then sent him to go and bring Saul to join him there. The believers in Antioch became so much like Jesus that it was at Antioch that the followers of Jesus were first called Christians. This is what the Bible says about Barnabas.
Acts 11:24 (NIV)
24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
As believers, partaking in the ministry of encouragement we want that to be true about us. Good people, full of Holy Spirit and faith. We are to be spending time in the Word, yielding to Holy Spirit and then become encouragers to those around us.
We are going to meditate together on Philippians 4:4-8 over the next weeks to learn what we can about how to live as good people, full of Holy Spirit and faith.
Philippians 4:4-8 (NIV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, 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.
What Does it Mean to Rejoice in the Lord?
Philippians 4:4 (NIV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
The word rejoice can also be translated as celebrate. I like to hold on to both ideas as I meditate on this verse. There is an inward and outward connection to the verse. We don’t want to limit the idea of rejoicing to something that only happens inside us. There is also a connection to being able to celebrate in an outward fashion.
We need to notice that the Apostle Paul is not commanding us to just be in a ‘good mood’. We need to realize that rejoicing is something that actually requires supernatural power. Joy is a fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in us.
We also need to take notice of the object of our rejoicing. The command is to rejoice “in the Lord.” Understanding that we are to rejoice “in the Lord” is what makes the command actually possible to obey. You rejoice in the Lord, not in your circumstances. Your circumstances may be terrible, or they may be great. Circumstances change, but the Lord remains the same forever. The object of your rejoicing and celebrating is the Lord.
Choosing to Rejoice
You should also notice that rejoicing is not just an emotion, it is an action. You can’t always control your emotions, but you do get to choose your actions. When you trust God, you can know joy in even the most desperate of circumstances. Rejoicing or celebrating in the Lord is not based on feeling happy because you are experiencing relatively good circumstances. It is based on the unswerving hope we have in the promise and faithfulness of God. This hope allows us to face even the most difficult of circumstances and still be able to rejoice.
That type of joy was with Jesus as He endured the cross.
Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
That type of joy was with the apostles when they were beaten for preaching the gospel.
Acts 5:41 (NIV)
41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
That type of joy was with Paul and Silas when they were unjustly thrown in the Philippian jail. Even after being beaten, they were singing praise songs to God.
Acts 16:25 (NIV)
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
There are plenty of things happening in our world these days that we can’t rejoice in. But we can always choose to rejoice in the Lord. God is always faithful. He is full of love and grace and mercy. He is always there for us, and always here with us. So, rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.
Steve Lawes is the founder of the Online Bible Institute and Pastor of Keys Vineyard Church.
