Title Is There Joy? / Philippians 3:1-16
The three pillars of health are nutrition, exercise, and peace of mind. For nutrition, you need to eat a well-balanced diet. You also need to exercise moderately for good health. But without peace of mind, you cannot be healthy. Even if you exercise, you should do it for pleasure. If you do it with evil or a competitive spirit, it will only build up stress. When you eat food, you should eat it with a happy heart. Making something happy or enjoyable is fundamental to health problems.
Moltmann, one of the famous theologians of the 20th century, spoke of the so-called "theology of joy", but in fact, it was the Apostle Paul who taught the theology of joy personally. Our Lord spoke before the apostle Paul.
In John 15:11, Jesus said, "I give this to you, that my joy may be in you, that your joy may be full."
John 16:21-22 says, "When a woman gives birth, she is sad because the hour has come, but when she gives birth to a child, she remembers the pain no more because of the joy of being born into the world. You are sad now, but I will see you again Your hearts will rejoice, and no one can take your joy away."
Jesus wanted his disciples to be “full of joy,” and he said, “No one will take that fulness of joy away.”
Therefore, those who believe and follow Jesus Christ must also experience the joy that the Lord has spoken.
And even though the apostle Paul is imprisoned in Rome, in his letter to the Philippian church, he says that he is full of joy and exhorts the Philippians to live joyfully.
Philippians 2:17-18 says, “If I offer myself as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I will rejoice and rejoice with all of you.
Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice."
In Philippians 3:1, which we read this morning, it is emphasized again and again, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord."
Studying with joy, taking care of household chores with joy, going to work with joy, and volunteering with joy. Even if you go to church and worship, you must worship with joy. You have to go to church and do various services with joy. Doing something forcibly or reluctantly does not increase efficiency or produce results. So is the life of faith.
The Apostle Paul tells us "the secret of rejoicing in the Lord."
The first trick is to be cautious and be careful.
Verse 2 says, “Beware of dogs, beware of evildoers, and beware of circumcision.”
Here the word to refrain is repeated three times. The word to refrain is to be careful. is to be careful.
1) I told you to be careful of dogs.
But the word to beware of "dogs" in the text here is to beware of people like dogs. When we swear, we say "dog shit" or "dog shit." Jews treated Gentiles as dogs. When we refer to someone who is filthy, dirty, lowly, unconscionable, and greedy, we say "dog-like". Dogs bite people. You shouldn't be bitten by these people.
2) He told us to beware of evildoers.
Beware of those who deceive others and cause strife in the church. Evil people are those who do anything for their own benefit. They are the so-called abolitionists. After all, we are all sinners, but we live according to what we want. They are people who argue that there is no need to live in a cumbersome way, such as morals and ethics.
3) I was told to be careful of the Son Circumcision.
Beware of those who claim to be circumcised. Beware of those who claim that you must be circumcised to be saved. Beware of the so-called Judaists. The Pharisees can be seen as the Circumcision Hall. I mean formal religious people. Those who eat out. They're just pretenders.
If you are infected with these people, your heart will lose its joy.
The second trick is to serve in the Spirit, boast in Jesus, and not trust in the flesh.
1) At that time, even in the Philippian church, there were people who served to make a name for themselves and to make their claim. There were those who served to reveal themselves. When you serve like this, there is no joy in that service. When people do something for others, life has meaning and there is joy.
If you want to serve, do not do it in your own strength, but serve with the power that the Holy Spirit gives you. Do not serve for the sake of my name, but to brag about Jesus, serve to glorify Jesus, and serve to establish one's own physical conditions. Instead of doing it, you are to serve for the glory of Jesus.
The Apostle Paul was a man who had many things to set himself up for in many ways. I had a lot to be proud of physically.
He himself said, "I have lost everything for him and counted it as dung, because of the noblest knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." It means putting the highest value in Jesus Christ. When this happens, you will be filled with joy.
The third secret is that there is joy in constantly working towards a goal.
Verse 14 again says, “I am pressing toward the goal for the reward of the above calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Just as athletes run towards the goal, soccer players work with a clear goal in mind, like kicking a ball towards the goal.
The mark of being a Christian is a life of joy.
An American blind woman named Fanny Jane Crosby wrote more than 5,500 hymns in her lifetime.
Hymn 204 is also a hymn written by Mrs. Crosby.
Look at verse 4
Because I enjoy joy in the Lord, the storm of my heart is calm.
The world and I are nowhere to be seen, only the redeemed Lord.
This is my testimony, this is my hymn
As long as I live, I will continually praise the Saviour.
The Apostle Paul said, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I say again, rejoice. Make your generosity known to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
No matter how bad the circumstances around us are, when we live with joy and gratitude, amazing results will happen to us.