Secrets to Living the Joyful Life Part 1

I.               Introduction

A.  Promising Secret Ads

B.  All Time Favorites Series

1.    Tonight I want us to look at a passage that contains two of your all time favorite passages: Philippians 4:6-7 and Philippians 4:13.

2.    I’ve put these together because they appear at the conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Philippian church.

C.  Background

1.    Philippians considered one of the most joyful letters

2.    As Paul concludes, He has some parting wisdom for us on how to live a joyful life.

3.    These aren’t really secrets, but they can be a challenge to practice especially in difficult times.

II.            Secrets to Living the Joyful Life

A.  in the Lord (Philippians 4:4-5)

1.    This isn’t the first time Paul has mentioned rejoicing to the Philippian brethren (Philippians 1:18; 2:17, 18,28,29; 3:1).

a.    David Roper observes that because the Greek is in the present tense you could translate this passage, “Keep on rejoicing in the Lord-always!”[1]

b.    One of the ways Greek scholar Robert Mounce translates the word rejoice is as a greeting of sorts.[2]

2.    Paul reminds us to rejoice no matter our . He has the credibility to say that indefinitely because of all he has and will experience.

a.    How can one rejoice when life isn’t all that enjoyable?

b.    Illustration

3.    The secret to doing this is found in the phrase “ .”

a.    When I am struggling, I can still find joy in the Lord. He won’t leave my side regardless of the struggle.

b.    When I am sorrowful, I can still find comfort knowing that all the emotions I experience are things Jesus understands (Heb 4:15-16).

c.    When I am being tempted, He whispers to me through His Word and Spirit to give me strength (Romans 8:37-39).

4.    Even though life isn’t always , we can still find when we think about the provisions of the Lord.

B.  Find in Prayer (Philippians 4:6-7)

1.    Another secret to living a joyful life is found in one of the Bible’s most challenging but comforting verses.

2.    We are told not to be , and we are told how to handle that .

a.    Illustration: The Anxious Generation.[3]

b.    One of the areas we are losing this battle is that much of the focus of our young people is being directed toward finding unhealthy outlets for the anxiety that these devices encourage. We constantly compare ourselves to an ideal that does not exist in reality.

3.    Paul reminds us to return to the who made us to find .

a.    We are told that the Lord is , ready to listen to our specific requests about the things that make us anxious.

b.    He also reminds us to our , not just relay our .

c.    Only after we have done this does he promise a peace that surpasses all understanding and the guarding of our hearts.

4.    We have to stop giving to the things that anxiety and the things that help us find . That’s what the next section is about.

III.         Conclusion

A.  Secrets to Living the Joyful Life

1.    Rejoice in the Lord

2.    Find peace in prayer

B.  Invitation