Rejoice in the Lord

Eddie

“Work backwards” is a common and helpful maxim. If you are a student with an assignment, you determine what the assignment is, when it is due, and work backwards to determine what you should do and when in order to get you there. If you are responsible for meal prep, you work backwards: decide how many people you need to feed and what to make, then determine the quantities of groceries you need, when to buy them, and the order in which to prepare them so you can serve the meal on time. You get the picture.

Working backwards is not just a good idea. It is biblical. Jesus taught about the cost of discipling using the work backwards strategy in Luke 14. Count the cost as a builder does; work backwards and count the cost of following Jesus. Psalm 90:12, likewise, says, “teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Working backwards is wise. This principle works. Consider the example of the preacher in Ecclesiastes 11:9: “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.” In other words, do what you please, but know there is a day of judgment. Or better yet, since there is a judgment day, consider what is wise and live accordingly.

Paul applies method—working backwards—in our passage today and teaches us how to live in light of the Lord’s coming. In our passage today, he teaches: because the Lord is at hand, stand firm in him, live at peace with one another, and trust him in all things through prayer. Because the Lord is at hand, stand firm in him, live at peace with one another, and trust him in all things through prayer.

This is also the outline I will follow in this sermon. I have four parts. First, we will look at the basis—what we work backwards from: The Lord is at hand. Second, we will look at each command in order: Stand firm in him, live at peace with one another, and trust in the Lord through prayer.

The Lord is at Hand

The three instructions in this passage are not arbitrary. Paul issues them because Jesus is coming back and is at hand. Just a couple of verses prior, Paul says that we await a saviour from heaven. Look at v. 1. It begins with a ‘therefore.’ The therefore points us back to what came prior. Paul had taught three truths in the previous chapter.[1] First, a righteousness that comes from God through faith in Christ (Phil 3:7–17). Second, the tragic destiny of the enemies of the cross of Christ (Phil 3:18–19). Third, the present reality of our heavenly citizenship and the expectation of Christ’s return to restore all things (Phil 3:20–21). All of these can be summarised as the reign of the heavenly saviour and Lord. Jesus came into the world to save us. He died for our sins. He did not remain dead but rose on the third day. He ascended and is seated at the right hand of the Father, exercising authority over all things. Everything submits to him. He is making each of his enemies his footstool. The last enemies are sin and death. These too will be destroyed at his coming. We await a saviour from heaven.

Not only do we await his glorious return, but the Lord is also at hand (Phil 4:5). Jesus is in heaven bodily. As God, he is spirit, and he is present everywhere. He is also present here right now.

This is the truth based on which we orient our lives here on Earth and prepare for eternal life in the new heavens and Earth. I will share three lessons based on this truth before we proceed further in the sermon.

First, because there is a bodily resurrection of all people. Jesus said, “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear the Son’s voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28–29).

Second, “if the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die,” says Paul (1 Cor 15:32). He is right. If there is no resurrection, then nothing we do matters. At best, we suffer the consequence of the fall and our own sins in death. We become dust. We feel nothing as our bodies are corrupted and eaten by worms. This is the modern atheist worldview. There is nothing after this life and no one to answer to. Therefore, do anything that you please because you will die. However, the Bible does not teach that death is final. We will all be raised—believers and unbelievers, the just and the wicked, the doers of good and the doers of evil. Those who have put their trust in Jesus will be raised to eternal life. Those who did not will be raised to judgment and eternal conscious torment in hell. Nothing that we do in this life will escape God’s judgment. Either we will bear the punishment in hell, or Jesus bore the punishment for us on the cross. God is so holy, and sin is so vile that hell is so terrible and well deserved for those who hate God. God is so merciful and so loving that he has made a way for us to reconcile with him through Jesus’s sacrifice.

Third, since there is a resurrection at Jesus’s coming and everyone will be judged, some going to eternal life with various rewards[2] and others to eternal torment with various degrees of torment[3], it is important that we live our lives carefully now, here and today, in this life. Every decision that you make, the attitude you possess in acting out your decisions, your character or habitual disposition, all matter and will be decisive when it comes to your heavenly rewards.

These are just a few reasons why we work backwards from this truth: the Lord is at hand. Many times I get asked: Should we complicate how we live? Is it not enough that we believe in Jesus? Should we really think about all these little things in our life? Do my motives and attitudes matter? It is for you now to ask yourself, “Since Jesus is Lord and he will judge all things, should I not be concerned about how I live my life?” “Should I not consider my head, heart, hands, and habits?” “Should I not want to please my Lord in every way?” If you answer those questions honestly, I’m sure you’ll say, “Yes, I should.”

Now, let us turn to the commands that Paul issued to the Philippian church.

Stand Firm in Him

Paul’s first command in this passage is “stand firm thus in the Lord.” “Stand firm in the Lord” is the command, but it also comes with an example. That word ‘thus’ means ‘in this manner.’ It points back to the manner Paul taught in the previous chapter. First, stand firm in the Lord by seeking a righteousness that comes from God through faith in Christ (Phil 3:7–17). Second, stand firm in the Lord by being heavenly minded (Phil 3:18–19). Third, stand firm in the Lord by expecting Christ’s return to restore all things (Phil 3:20–21).

But stand firm is also set in opposition to the warnings Paul issued in the previous chapter. First, the danger of the Judaizers who sought to earn a righteousness that came by keeping the law (Phil 3:2). Second, the danger of the example of those who walk as the enemies of the cross of Christ (Phil 3:17–19). Both groups swerve from the gospel but in different ways. One tells you what you must add to the gospel, the other says what you must remove because of the gospel. The first says add works to be saved. The second says don’t do works that show you are saved.

If you remember, we have seen “stand firm” earlier in Philippians. In Phil 1:27–30, Paul says that they ought to stand firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, not frightened in anything by their opponents. Paul says it is part of the package of salvation—believing in Jesus and suffering for Christ’s sake.

Friends, if you are a Christian, then you will suffer opposition in your faith. People will not just ignore you or let you mind your own business. They will oppose you. They will teach what is false. There are false teachers. Beware of false teachers.

Not only must you beware of false teachers, but note that you will suffer for your faith. Not all suffering comes in the form of beatings, imprisonments, or martyrdom. Paul suffered these. He mentions his sufferings in Philippians 1:29–30. However, he says that whatever their opponents do to them to frighten them is also part of their suffering for Christ’s sake. This includes the false teachings of earned righteousness and ungodliness. Christians suffer. They suffer in various ways.

Now let me make something clear. I want to speak to any of you who may feel like you have been fighting the good fight of faith, and the war just seems to go on and on. You are always striving, but it feels like you are never arriving. You feel discouraged in your walk with God. Look at Philippians 1:27–28 again. Ensure that your way of life is worthy of the gospel of Christ. You look at your life and say I am unworthy. That’s true in the sense that you are a sinner. But when it speaks to a believer, it is telling him how to live. It does not say become worthy of the gospel of Christ but live worthily. The question is how to live worthily… The answer is by standing firm, by striving for the faith, by not being frightened by your opponents. The fight does not make you worthy of the gospel of Christ; the fight is the way you live worthily of the gospel of Christ.

And you may say, I still feel unworthy. I hear you. Do you think if you did something, I do not know what, perhaps circumcision, you would feel worthy? No. Part of the fight is to seek righteousness nowhere else but in Jesus. The good fight of faith is to live by faith and not by works. So, when the devil comes to you reminding you of your past, you remind him of his future. It does not matter if your past is tainted or if it had much gain; it does not produce righteousness nor guarantee resurrection. Seek Jesus. Stand firm in Jesus.

Live at Peace with One Another

Paul presses into this reality further and teaches the Philippians to live at peace with one another. He calls two women, Euodia and Syntyche, to agree with one another in the Lord. He invites others to help these women. What can we learn from this seemingly embarrassing situation for Euodia and Syntyche? Every Christian knows that they disagreed at one time.

Christians at times disagree with one another. It happens. Paul had a sharp disagreement with Barnabas, his missionary partner, over whether to take Mark with them on their next mission trip (Acts 15:36–41). They split ways after that. Barnabas took Mark, while Paul took Silas.

The Bible does not record or hint at displeasure over Paul and Barnabas’s disagreement. Neither Paul nor Barnabas is portrayed negatively in that story. It simply explains why they went separate ways.

Paul and Barnabas did not disagree on the mission, but on whom to take along. They agreed in the Lord that they must preach the gospel, plant churches, strengthen the churches, etc.

Euodia and Syntyche disagreed over something. Paul never mentions how weighty the matter was but ensures to record that both of their names are written in the book of life. They are not like others Paul mentions elsewhere who have shipwrecked their faith or departed from the truth. Nevertheless, their disagreement is significant enough to get Paul’s attention and possibly occasioned this letter. Beginning in chapter one, Paul teaches that they ought to stand firm and have one mind. He presents Jesus, himself, Timothy, and Epaphroditus as examples of humble service and sacrifice. He shows them that false teaching and self-seeking threaten the gospel witness. Their in-house disagreement is also a threat. They need to get their act together. Paul invites others to join the reconciliation process. This will involve laying aside their personal preferences and, in humility, being self-sacrificing.

Importantly, this can only be achieved when their joy is in the Lord. That is why Paul says twice in v. 4, rejoice in the Lord. He then says in v. 5, “let your reasonableness be known to everyone.” That word reasonableness is sometimes translated as gentleness. It means “not insisting on every right of the letter of law or custom.” It is a letting go of rights and preferences. Thus, placing our joy completely in Jesus enables us to humble ourselves and be at peace with others because we learn in Christ to be reasonable.

Trust in the Lord Through Prayer

The third command, worked backwards from the fact that the Lord is at hand, is to not be anxious but to trust in the Lord through prayer. There is a promise in this passage. The peace of God, the peace that surpasses understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. How much we need such peace. It guards thoughts and emotions, mind and heart. What a blessing!

However, most people do not experience this blessing. I have been to prayer meetings, or what they call crusades or retreats, where people come burdened with their anxieties. They do not experience this peace. They are told, “What must you do when the cares of everyday life and the anxieties of the unknown take over? Pray. Give thanks to God, make your requests known to God.” Invariably, some poor mother confesses that she prays a lot yet remains anxious. The bitter pill in response is that you do not pray with faith. That’s just bad teaching and awful counsel.

There is a negatively stated command and a positively stated command. Do not be anxious but pray. Prayer does not take away the anxiety. Do not be anxious. That takes work. It takes trusting that God is good and sovereign. It recognises God’s promises and providence. And after you quiet your mind and heart, pray. Many people assume that prayer is asking God to be anxious about what they are anxious about. Others assume that prayer is seeking God’s intervention to take away their anxious feelings. While God can do both, this text does not teach that. We are not to be anxious. We are to pray. We need to do both.

We need to quiet ourselves and go to God. Look at Psalm 131. David calmed and quieted his soul before he says, “Hope in the Lord!” First, calm down, then pray. Do not occupy yourself with things too great and too marvellous for you. Your future, your health, your job, your spouse, your happiness—none of these is in your control. When you let these occupy you, you go beyond yourself. Instead, quiet yourself. Do not say, “God, quiet my soul.” Instead, quiet your soul and go in prayer saying, “God, I have quieted my soul; I hope in you.” Do not merely quiet your soul just enough. Quiet your soul like a satisfied baby in his mother’s arms. We must go from hysteria to calm. That is part of the good fight of faith. The act of trusting God is to train yourself to believe the promises of God by the help of the Spirit.

When you have slayed anxiety and sought God in prayer, you will experience the peace of God that guards your hearts and minds. People talk about guardian angels. I do not know much about them. But I will take guardian peace any day.

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Beeke, Joel R., and Paul M. Smalley. Church and Last Things. Vol. 4 of Reformed Systematic Theology. Crossway, 2024.

Hansen, G. Walter. The Letter to the Philippians. PNTC. Eerdmans, 2009.

[1] G. Walter Hansen, The Letter to the Philippians, PNTC (Eerdmans, 2009), 278–79.

[2] RST 4:1023-1024.

[3] RST 4:1033-1034.