Why should I rejoice? Why should I be gentle?
Philippians 4:4-5
Philippians 4:4-5
Philippians 4
Let's Pray...
There are a couple chunks that we’re going to dissect from these verses tonight. First, Rejoice – which is review. And, second, be reasonable for a reason that we don’t usually talk about in the church anymore.
Let’s go,
1. Rejoice.
This isn’t new is it? I’ve said before that if you see something repeated over and over in the Bible, you really need to fix your eyes on that kind of target.
For example, the nation of Israel was told again and again in the Old Testament a repetition of, “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt.”
God said it again and again. He didn’t want His people to forget who He was, what their relationship with Him was like, or what He had done for them. And He wanted them to remember who to thank, who to praise and who to depend on.
Paul is doing the same thing when he tells the Philippians (and tells us) to REJOICE. And again rejoice.
He says it twice in this one verse, but joy, rejoicing and gladness are the strings of thread that have sewn the letter of Philippians together.
Chapter 1:
Chapter 2:
Chapter 3:
Chapter 4:
All of these references to joy and rejoicing and gladness are tied into God, and the church — and the Christian’s relationship to God and the Christian’s relationship to our brother’s and sisters of the faith.
I was going to just skim over verse 4 because we have covered rejoicing SO MUCH already in this book. But this — this JOY — is vital to Paul.
To Paul, it seems that our joy in the Lord is key to our perseverance and endurance. It is key to our courage. It is key to our boldness and it is key to our reflection of who God is.
Rejoice in the LORD! ALWAYS.
Now, let’s investigate. Let me turn this spotlight on to your heart. Don’t answer these questions aloud right now. But, let this verse – this command of the Holy Spirit that was given to us through Paul – let it sink in for you.
Don’t think about your neighbor or spouse who might need to hear this. This is for you.
Paul writes, Rejoice in the LORD! ALWAYS.
If I polled your co-workers, church friends, family, classmates, friends at the senior center, friends at the bar, or your friends at the legion, or the waitress at the last restaurant you ate at – how would they describe you? Joyous?
If I asked people who see you all the time, and then asked strangers that you only encountered for a few moments, what would they say? Rejoicing?
What Kind of image of the Lord do you convey on a regular basis? And what about when you are waiting in a long line at the store, or when the cook messes up your order in a diner, or someone takes your right of way or drives too slow in front of you on the road?
How do you come across? Sad, Mopey, Defeated, Annoyed, Enraged, Impatient, Frustrated?
Or joyful? Paul is clear. As he was carried along by the Holy Spirit, Paul said rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS.
How’s your always? Is your joy based on what’s outside around you or is it based on the Lord who dwells in you?
This is no game. People are watching at all times. Church folk are looking and you might be that encourager to them with your joy.
Some of the antagonistic Atheists and agnostics might be watching you and looking for an absence of joy so as to write off the God you claim.
Lost and hurting non-believers are looking for a ray of hope, looking for an answer, looking for joy. They don’t even know it yet, but they are looking for your Joy in the Lord. They are looking for something to cling to. Will they find it?
This command is real and it is for you. You are not your own. You are a billboard for the God of the Universe in which He can reflect His love, grace and peace.
This is not optional. Now, I’ve heard people say that they keep their faith quiet and subdued so, since no one knows they are Christians, they don’t have to reflect joy.
That would be a fine excuse, except that those who know Christ do not biblicaly ever want to keep quiet.
There’s no story of a man or woman in the Scriptures who was dead in their sin; who was bound for Hell; who was then saved by faith in Jesus by the grace of God - only to follow up their salvation with a quiet life of blending in, so as not to make waves.
It doesn’t happen that way. Not to people who really GET what God gave them.
If you understand the alternative to faith in Christ, and don’t live to show others life, then that is completely un-loving.
If you say you have faith but don’t love your brother, then that faith is a lie.
I’m just going to leave you with that as a challenge. Maybe you need to search your heart. Do you really understand the gift you’ve been given? And do you understand the COMMAND to rejoice? It’s not just for you. It’s not just so you can have the warm fuzzy feelings in your heart.
Your joy is a flashing sign that says GOD is Real. And God is Enough. And GOD satisfies like no other.
Simply put, your calling to rejoice is for God’s glory. It is to make much of Him and we get the side benefit.
Do we get that?
Moving on to verse 5:
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. (NIV)
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. (ESV)
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. (ESV)
Now before we hit that first part, let’s look at the end of the verse, it’s tricky. Depending on the translation, the punctuation can go several ways. Some translations have the end of verse 5 connected to verse the beginning of verse 5, while other punctuations tie it into the next verse.
I honestly don’t know which is correct, but I’ll show how “The Lord is near” can apply to both.
First it is a reason for the command in verse five. Why should you let your gentleness be evident to all? Because the Lord is near.
Be gentle {epieikes (epy-I-case)} can be read as gentle, patient, moderate.
So, let your patients be evident to all. A lot of the old time preachers tied this to a patient heart that didn’t fly off the handle when offended and a heart that — like Jesus — was quick to forgive offences.
How are we doing there? As a parent, as a spouse, as a co-worker, as an employer, as a citizen within a political party – how are you doing in those areas? Would your peers (and enemies) describe you as patient, gentle or moderate?
Why should you be gentle, or as the ESV reads, reasonable TO EVERYONE? Again, it’s because the Lord is near.
Now is that a warning? As in “the Lord’s coming back at any moment, so you need to be reasonable, so that when Jesus returns He doesn’t find you cussing out your kids, or a co-worker, or talking about your boss behind his back?”
Is that what Paul’s getting at?
Or does the Lord is near mean to remind you that the Lord is coming back, and it could be any minute now, without warning — so make every interaction a Christ honoring interaction, so that people might be drawn to your gentleness and possibly find an open door to a saving Gospel conversation with you before the second Coming of Christ — before it is too late.
Is that what Paul’s getting at?
The answer, I believe is yes. Yes to both.
In one sense, Paul could be seen here as that guy wearing the sandwich board, that reads THE LORD IS NEAR! Or JESUS IS COMING, ARE YOU READY?
Now here me out, most of those guys are whacked out, and I’ve never seen those signs as effective evangelism tools.
But, it is biblically accurate.
Turn to 2 Peter 3:9-13 with me. In this passage, the apostle Peter reminds us that, even though it seems like it’s been so long that the Lord might NEVER return, He is not on our schedule.
He is coming back and it could be any time and that truth carries a lot of weight that we don’t feel often enough.
2 Peter 3 (Unpack as I go)
He’s coming back and then what is done is done. Then, it’s all over but the dividing.
Now, next week, we are going to see how Jesus coming back is the source, the spring, in which we find hope and peace.
But, on point, here in Philippians 4:5 we must see this as a truth that says, “Get up! Move the Gospel forward, not only with your words and actions, but also with your demeanor, with your attitude, with your body language and reactions in life. All of life at work and at play, when you are being praised and when your cast down by your friends and loved ones. Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS.
Don’t be a person who speaks gospel truth and then demonstrates a spirit that hinders the Gospel.
Act in accordance to God’s will as written in the Scriptures, and “let your gentleness be evident to all. THE LORD IS NEAR!”
On a side note, remember that this is a letter to believers - To the church. Paul isn’t wearing his “THE LORD IS NEAR” sandwich board on a street corner, screaming TURN OR BURN at a crowd of people on their way to a bar.
No, he’s coming along side his family of true believers and pleading with them. Remember this in the context of last week’s message where he pleads with the women to agree in the Lord.
He’s pleading with you and I to let our gentleness be evident to everyone.
He’s pleading with us to be reasonable and encouraging at church, where outsiders might be looking in.
He’s pleading with you to be solid in your faith – a faith that leads to gentleness at home, where your children are looking at your every move — not just the face you put on for Sunday morning.
He says, be reasonable, don’t gossip or complain or hold grudges at work. Don’t dig for dirt, or provide dirt at the water cooler or on you phone. Be the first at work and everywhere else to forgive, be the first to show integrity, be the first to show respect to the superiors in the office, or factory, or wherever God has you.
No matter where you are, shine like stars in the darkness.
Paul pleads this point with the Philippians and I plead with you. We do not know when the last day will be. So live your life as though today is the last.
What’s that mean for a believer? You’re secure. But what about your non-believing friends, family, co-workers, classmates and enemies?
If they do not have faith in Christ, then it is not good news for them that the Lord is near.
Let your gentleness be evident to all. Don’t waste the encounters that you have with non-believers. Live and breathe with God honoring, God rejoicing, compassionate, gentle Gospel intentionality until you breathe your last breath or until he returns.
This isn’t a scriptural suggestion that you can decide not to do as a Christ follower. This is a biblical mandate.
Rejoice in the Lord Always. I’ll say it again, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to everyone because the Lord is near.
Let’s pray…
