Rejoice In the Lord Always (Philippians 4:4-9)

Bible Passage: Philippians 4:4-9

In these verses, Paul applies his message to the inner life of believers. The context is conflict between two members of the church (v2), and so Paul wants to equip them (and the rest of us) with ways that the gospel can transform our thought life to see us grow in unity and love in our relationships with others.

Rejoice (v4): Paul gives the simple instruction to the believers to rejoice, and to emphasise his point he repeats it a second time. The ground for rejoicing is the Lord, and it is something that we can do all the time, whatever is going on in life. This is not an instruction to pretend things are well when they are not, but to realise that in knowing Jesus and receiving the grace he has for us, we have something to celebrate and derive joy from no matter what our circumstances may be.

Be gentle (v5): Linked into this is gentleness. When we are not finding joy in God, we can have unreasonable expectations of how other people will act and treat them harshly when they are not doing what we want. Finding contentment in God means we can engage with other people in grace-filled and kind ways. Paul reminds them that the Lord is near, and this is both a motive to act in a way that is pleasing to him and a promise of the help that he will give by his spirit as we seek to practice gentleness.

Do not worry (v6-7): Here Paul addresses the topic of worry, building on the teaching of Jesus about the same issue in Matthew 6:25-34. There are many uncertain things about the future, but the way to be free from the worry that this might bring is to trust in God. He has the future in his hands, and he cares for us. As such we can bring our worries to him in prayer, and as we do so we can receive a peace from him that is beyond our understanding.

Think about what is good (v8-9): Paul’s final instruction here is to focus on things that are positive. He is not saying to pretend that bad things don’t exist, but he is saying to not fixate on things that are ungodly. The things that we think about have the power to form us, and so by transforming our thought life to prioritise things that are wholesome, we will find an increased peace and joy in God.

Potential Applications:

• This topic links to what many people experience and it would be good to offer prayer. Perhaps you could invite people to pray for one another in groups?
• Some will be challenged about what they spend their time thinking on – particularly when it comes to what media we consume.
• There is an instruction to rejoice, and the sermon will flow nicely into a time of joy-filled, exuberant worship.