Rejoice Always (Philippians 4:4-9)

Rejoice Always (Philippians 4:4-9)

 

4 주 안에서 항상 기뻐하라 내가 다시 말하노니 기뻐하라

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

 

5 너희 관용을 모든 사람에게 알게 하라 주께서 가까우시니라 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

 

6 아무 것도 염려하지 말고 다만 모든 일에 기도와 간구로, 너희 구할 것을 감사함으로 하나님께 아뢰라 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

 

7 그리하면 모든 지각에 뛰어난 하나님의 평강이 그리스도 예수 안에서 너희 마음과 생각을 지키시리라 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

8 끝으로 형제들아 무엇에든지 참되며 무엇에든지 경건하며 무엇에든지 옳으며 무엇에든지 정결하며 무엇에든지 사랑 받을 만하며 무엇에든지 칭찬 받을 만하며 무슨 덕이 있든지 무슨 기림이 있든지 이것들을 생각하라 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.

 

9 너희는 내게 배우고 받고 듣고 본 바를 행하라 그리하면 평강의 하나님이 너희와 함께 계시리라 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

 

 

 

1. A pastor said to his congregation during his sermon, “We are all going to die some day. When you have died and you are lying in your coffin, what would you want people to say about you? I’ll give you two choices; which one would you pick?

 

A: “That person studied and worked hard and made a lot of money. He/she left his/her mark on society.”

OR

B: “He/she wasn’t rich and didn’t have much, but they had great faith and helped those in need until the end.””

 

All of the congregation members chose the second response, saying they’d want to be remembered as someone with faith who helped others, even if they weren’t rich or had a huge tangible impact on society.

 

The pastor continued, “I, personally, would like to hear different words. I’d like someone to say, “Look! He’s moving!””

 

2. Indian Christian Missionary Sadhu Sundar Singh was born into a traditional Sikh family in 1889. Singh left behind many anecdotes after he converted to Christianity. on one occasion, he and some church members went to a sandy beach. At the beach, Singh picked up a stone from the water, showed it to the congregation, and asked, “Do you think the inside of this stone is wet or dry?”

 

The responses were split. Some said the stone had been in the water for so long its center would surely be wet. Other said that the inside would be dry. Still others said that it would depend on what kind of stone it was. Singh cracked the rock in half and the people saw that it was dry inside, despite being in the water for so long.

 

Sadhu Sundar Singh told the congregation that it did not matter if the stone was in the water for tens, hundreds, or thousands of years; the inside would still remain dry. Like this, it does not matter if we have attended church for decades; if we are not transformed on the inside, we are merely Christians on the outside. We only look like Christians while our hearts have nothing to do with God.

 

To be true Christians to the core, we must always rejoice.

 

3. Norman Cousins was once the Editor of the popular “Saturday Review” and was known as the “father of laughter studies.” one day, after a trip to Russia, Cousins was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, also known as Bechterew’s disease, an inflammatory arthritis that affects the spine and larger joints. Being a disease with no real possibility of a cure, at the age of 50 Cousins was told he had little chance of surviving.

 

Unsurprisingly Cousins was distraught. But one day he was in his study when he read a book by the University of Montreal’s Hans Selye titled, “The Stress of Life.” He read a passage that said, “The heart’s joy is the body’s medicine,” and was touched.

 

He realized that joy was the best medicine and from that day on he laughed often and enjoyed each day. His positive outlook and full “belly laughs” started to have anesthetic effects, slowly healing him. He was eventually able to move his fingers without pain. Seeing this, his wife and children were overjoyed and joined him in laughing daily. Norman Cousins eventually fully recovered from his illness.

 

Awed and curious that he was healed by just laughing, Cousins told Harvard and Stanford University about his case. The medical doctors and professors first laughed at him, but because of Cousins’ relentless convincing, the doctors agreed to research into his theory about laughter. As a result, the doctors found hundreds of facts and secrets behind the power and effect of laughter and its treatment properties.

 

Afterwards, Norman Cousins dedicated the rest of his life to researching laughter and health at UCLA until he was 75. In his bestseller, “Anatomy of an Illness…” Cousins describes laughter as a bulletproof vest; no virus, bacteria, or illness can penetrate a person armed with genuine laughter.

 

4. Other research has found that the body produces 200 times more interferon gamma after whole-hearted laughter, boosting the immune system and allowing the body to fight invading bacteria.

 

5. A team that studies the human nervous system in Osaka, Japan found that laughter releases various antibodies that fight and consume cancerous cells as well as strengthen the immune system. Laughter keeps our hearts and minds healthy.

 

Genuine laughter releases 21 different pleasure hormones, including endorphins, suppressing anxiety, frustrations and fear while stimulating emotions of security, comfort, and happiness causing blood-pressure to decrease and improving circulation.

 

6. In addition, laughing hysterically is equivalent to 5 minutes of aerobic exercise moving 650 muscles, 80 facial muscles, and 206 bones, and doubling oxygen intake. It lightens your body, increases your confidence, invigorates you, and allows you to extend your positivity. That is why laughing at a seemingly pointless comedy show or movie when we’re depressed brings us comfort.

 

7. The book of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are known as the Prison Letters because Paul wrote them while he was imprisoned. If you read these letters you can see Paul was genuinely joyous despite his grim situation. He may have been stuck in jail, but he was still joyous in the Lord and he tells others to rejoice as he has been able to in prison.

 

Of course our lives are filled with incidents and situations where rejoicing seems impossible. But if we look at our circumstances through faith, we see that we have a powerful God who works for us and through our faith we can overcome our difficulties with joy.

 

So, how can we become believers who always rejoice as Paul implores? Today’s scripture will give us the answers.

 

A) First, today’s scripture tells us why we must rejoice.

 

1. Verse 4 says, “4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Here, Paul tells us that our reason to rejoice is not dependent on our environment or circumstance. His reason to be joyous is in God Himself. Our God is a God who transcends all of our concept and perception of the world. He knows our needs and He knows the path that will help us.

 

2. David praises in Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters”. We can rejoice because we have a God who watches over us, who knows every hair on our head, who knows our every need. He knows all of our problems and He is the answer to all of our problems.

 

B) Today’s scripture tells us about a believer’s faith.

 

1. Verse 6 tells us, “6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” A believer who rejoices at all times is a believer with faith such as this, praying to God and leaving their lives in His hands.

 

Paul said that a joyous person is someone who has no worries. Even if they have trials or concerns, “by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, [they] present [their] requests to God.” A person who can rejoice is someone who believes in the power of God.

 

2. If we believe that our Almighty God will give the us strength to overcome whatever problem we may be having, we can find joy in our dark circumstances. We can turn to God with thanks because we know God will change our despair into hope. Praying rather than worrying, looking to our powerful God rather than fretting, and presenting your requests to Him in faith is the faith of joy.

 

C) Today’s scripture tells us of the virtues we must possess as a believer.

 

Paul tells us that a believer must also live a certain life to rejoice at all times. Verse 5 says, “5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” And verse 8 continues, “8 Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.”

 

These two verses instruct us of the virtues we must possess as believers to truly rejoice regardless of circumstance.

 

First, we must “let [our] gentleness be evident to all.” In other words, we need to spread our kindness to and with all people. A believer who is always joyful is a believer who is generous with anyone and everyone. They show consideration, forgiveness, and patience. They understand and envelope another’s pains and flaws. Their generosity puts an end to disputes and conflicts.

 

Second, we are told to think about “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable…[and] anything…excellent or praiseworthy.” If we live with these verses in our hearts, nothing can take our joy away.

 

D) Today’s scripture tells us about the blessings of a joyful believer.

 

When we live a life of joy, generosity, kindness, and devotion, we discover great blessings from God. Verse 7 says, “7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Verse 9 also tells us, “9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

 

Both verses share the word “peace.” When we put our efforts into being joyful, generous, and devoted, we will experience the blessing of God’s peace. There is no greater blessing than true peace. Peace cannot be bought with money or taken by strength. Even our greetings ask about our state of peace. “How are you?” “Are you well?” “Shalom!” “I hope you are doing well!”

 

When we truly rejoice in the Lord, all fears and concerns are pushed out. When we rejoice the Holy Spirit settles in our hearts and brings us the peace of God. If we believe in this truth then we will experience “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, [that] will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

The most precious and important thing in the world is to protect the peace in our hearts. Protecting our hearts and minds is the secret to victory and achieving joy.  God’s peace shelters and guards the thoughts and hearts of those who are filled with joy. Doubts and anxieties come because we were not able to guard our minds and hearts.

 

Rejoice in the Lord and His grace. Always be joyful. Always be thankful. Let the peace of God protect your hearts and may His blessings make you victorious in all that you do in Christ’s name. Hallelujah!