This beautiful message of Christian joy and encouragement was written by the apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, as Paul was imprisoned in Rome. He wrote in such a manner, despite knowing that each day could be his last, that he could be sentenced to execution at any time. Philippians resounds with joy, encouragement, and the sure hope of Jesus Christ, and these passages in particular have much to offer to Christians in all situations. By the grace of God and to the praise of His glorious grace alone I write this with Christ's love compelling me, praying "that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen us with power through His Spirit in our inner beings, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith"(Ephesians 3:16,17).

Rejoice in the Lord always. Rejoice, always? When we feel crushed by worldly responsibilities, rejoice? When we seem to be surrounded by inconsiderate and ungrateful people, rejoice? When life seems to be one failure after another, rejoice? When we feel overwhelmed by our sins, rejoice? REJOICE! Jesus Christ loves us! "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us"(I John 3:16). "We were redeemed from the EMPTY WAY OF LIFE . . . with the precious blood of Christ"(I Peter 1:18,19). The empty way of life . . . the EMPTINESS of worldly pursuits . . . the EMPTINESS of life without Christ; the anguish of a sin-laden soul and the anguish of an uncertain eternal future. But now, through the sacrificial death of our Savior Jesus Christ, God gives us His "love that surpasses knowledge--that we may be FILLED to the measure of all the FULLNESS of God"(Ephesians 3:19).

And we did nothing to earn or deserve this unmerited love, this grace, NOR did we want it or ask for it. "When we were DEAD in our sins . . . God made us alive with Christ. HE FORGAVE US ALL OUR SINS"(Colossians 2:13). Despite the total depravity of our sinful human nature, our hatred toward the God of grace, "While WE WERE STILL SINNERS,"--enemies of God, hostile to Him, wanting nothing to do with Him--"Christ died for us"(Romans 5:8). But now, through Jesus Christ, Who was "declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead"(Romans 1:4), "we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace"(Ephesians 1:7).

Through the Gospel message of Christ crucified, God gives us faith--"a faith and knowledge resting on the [sure] hope of eternal life, which God, Who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time"(Titus 1:2). And "the righteous will live by faith"(Galatians 3:11). So it is through the eyes of faith that we view our worldly burdens. It is through eyes of faith that we view those around us--redeemed by the blood of Christ--and many of them desperately need to hear that! It is through eyes of faith that we view our 'successes' and 'failures'--not success as the world would see it, but success in anything done by the grace of God, compelled by Christ's love, to HIS greater glory ALONE. It is through eyes of faith that we look to the cross of Christ in our sinfulness: "the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from EVERY sin"(I John 1:7). And it is through eyes of faith that we joyfully live and "wait for THE BLESSED HOPE--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness"(Titus 2:13,14).

Rejoice, ALWAYS? We must again remember Paul's circumstances--he was imprisoned and facing possible execution. But Paul suffered much more than imprisonment, as he tells us in II Corinthians 11: "Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked . . . I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked"(vv. 25,27). Yet Paul also beautifully stated: " I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us"(Romans 8:19). So with the sure hope of the future glory in Christ, Paul was "sorrowful, yet ALWAYS rejoicing"--in the Lord!--"poor, yet making many rich"--with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!--"having nothing, yet possessing everything"--life in Christ! (II Corinthians 6:10).

Paul may well have often reflected on this passage: "My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life"(Psalm 119:50). And God's promises are not to be taken lightly! "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?"(Numbers 23:19). And again, "the Word of the Lord is right and true; He is FAITHFUL in ALL he does"(Psalm 33:4). God's infallible promises also sustain US! "Cast your cares on the Lord and He WILL sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall"(Psalm 55:22). REJOICE! "For I am the Lord, your God, Who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'DO NOT FEAR; I WILL HELP YOU'"(Isaiah 41:13). REJOICE! "God sends His love and faithfulness"(Psalm 57:3). REJOICE! "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you AS SONS"(Hebrews 12:7). REJOICE! "Trials have come so that your faith...may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (I Peter 1:7). REJOICE! "The God of all grace, Who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, WILL HIMSELF RESTORE YOU and make you strong, firm, and steadfast"(I Peter 5:10). REJOICE!

Paul also suffered a particular affliction, and he asked the Lord many times to take it away from him. God answered, "My GRACE is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness"(II Corinthians 12:9). Paul responded, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ`s power may rest on me"(also v. 9). Praise Him that we experience various hardships and afflictions lest we forget that we are COMPLETELY dependent on Him! Therefore, we can freely admit our powerlessness to Him and boast in Him all the more BECAUSE of our weaknesses. The Lord also says to us today, "MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU"--He WILL uphold us by His grace!

How great is His grace? "He Who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all--how will He not also, along with Him[Christ], graciously give us all things"(Romans 8:32). How great is His grace! How great is His love? "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? . . . Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord"(Romans 8:35,38,39). REJOICE!

He makes these glorious promises ours through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, BY HIS GRACE ALONE, through faith--"and this not from ourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast"(Ephesians 2:8,9). And this is a living faith, "not resting on men's wisdom, but on God's power"(I Corinthians 2:5). How great is this powerful living faith at work within us? "His INCOMPARABLY GREAT POWER for those who believe . . . is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms"(Ephesians 1:19,20). So, with Christ's love compelling us, by the grace of God alone, and WITH THE VERY POWER OF THE RESURRECTION AT WORK WITHIN US, we too can emphatically say, I will say it again: REJOICE!

Let your gentleness be evident to all. Christ's very LIFE was one of gentleness and humility. He "did not come to be served, but TO SERVE, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). Indeed Christ, who being the very Son of God, took on the very nature of man, the very sin-wretched being He came to save! His service extended to death--"He humbled Himself and became obedient to death--EVEN DEATH ON A CROSS!"(Philippians 2:8). Crucifixion--a most accursed and painful death! He did not conquer sin and death for us with pomp and glory, but by suffering a wretched death. Such victory is foolishness to the world!--"the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is THE POWER OF GOD"(I Corinthians 1:18). "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong . . . It is because of HIM that we are in Christ Jesus, Who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption"(vv. 27,30).

But Christ's suffering was MUCH more than physical. Shortly before His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane He told His disciples, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death"(Matthew 26:38). He knew that He was about to suffer more than physical pain--hell itself, separation from God His Father. We will never be able to fathom the depths of anguish from which our Savior plaintively cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46). Yet "for the JOY set before Him, [He] endured the cross"(Hebrews 12:2). This joy set before Him was our redemption, the forgiveness of all our sins, our reconciliation to God. He suffered the anguish of the cross and hell itself with joy--because He loves us! Only with such love compelling us can the Christlike LIFESTYLE of gentleness and humble service be ours!

This lifestyle is shown by "faith expressing itself through love"(Galatians 5:6). He does not want us to yield so as to let our Christian principles be violated. But He wants us to live this life of love that He has given us by looking "not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others"(Philippians 2:4). And we would be amiss to do this merely with the intent of reforming society. We live this love as a witness to Him, with His love compelling us, setting apart Christ as our Lord in our hearts, "always prepared to give and answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have"(I Peter 3:15). And this lifestyle of love is not burdensome; on the contrary, through the Gospel, Christ gives us His yoke of gentleness and humbleness in heart, where "we will find rest for our souls"(Matthew 11:29).

The Lord is near. "God is our refuge and strength, an EVER-PRESENT help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). That our Lord is always with us is certainly a comfort! But how quick we are to forget His presence! How quick we are to forget even His grace to us, our redemption in Christ Jesus! How quickly he becomes to us no more than our 'back-up plan.' Christ says, "Seek FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well"(Matthew 6:33). Again, the Lord is not short on faithfulness or promises. We have the assurance that "Ged will meet all our needs ACCORDING TO HIS GLORIOUS RICHES IN CHRIST JESUS"(Philippians 4:19).

Each day also brings us closer to Christ's second coming whether it be by our death or by His glorious return. "Though we have not seen Him, we love Him; and even though we do not see Him now, we believe in Him and are filled with an INEXPRESSIBLE AND GLORIOUS JOY, for we are receiving the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls"(I Peter 1:8,9). It is with this inexpressible and glorious joy that we anticipate our Savior's return with rejoicing, because "our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who...will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body" (Philippians 3:20,21).

Do not be anxious about anything. Indeed we have already seen so many of the promises of our faithful Lord that we need not be anxious about anything. But firstly Christ addresses this issue from a purely practical standpoint: "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?"(Matthew 6:27). He also says, "In this world you WILL have trouble. BUT TAKE HEART! I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD"(John 16:33). If Christ overcame the world through death, how much more will we through LIFE in Him! And in this next beautiful statement, we can vividly picture Jesus as our ever-loving Good Shepherd: "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom"(Luke 12:32).

In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Everything? How unwilling we are to share 'our' life with our Maker and Redeemer! And again, He often becomes no more than a back-up plan for our troubling decisions rather that the basis for all our decisions. "Cast ALL your anxiety on Him because He cares for you"(I Peter 5:7). He wants us to come before Him with ALL our decisions, not because He demands that we share 'our' life with Him, but BECAUSE HE CARES FOR US. He WANTS to shoulder ALL our burdens. "Let us keep in step with the Spirit"(Galatians 5:25). The beautiful words of Psalm 31 provide an excellent start to a day of keeping in step with the Spirit: "I trust in You, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in YOUR hands"(vv. 14,15) . . . Into YOUR hands I commit my Spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth"(v. 5).

We have as our mediator the sinless Son of God, "Who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin"(Hebrews 4:15). By grace alone, we can come before the Father in prayer--as sinners--yet Christ is there to say, 'See now I have cleansed him with my blood.' "In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God WITH FREEDOM AND CONFIDENCE" (Ephesians 3:12). We also pray, 'Thy will be done,' following the Son's perfect example: "Yet not as I will, but as You will"(Matthew 26:39). By grace through faith, we also have the Holy Spirit to intercede for us. "The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express"(Romans 8:26).

We also have the assurance that our loving Father answers our prayers! Psalm 34 beautifully displays this in many ways. "I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears"(v. 4). THE LORD IS FAITHFUL! "This POOR man called"--poor in spirit, a SINNER--"and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all His troubles"(v. 6). THE LORD IS FAITHFUL! "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing"(v. 10). THE LORD IS FAITHFUL! "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry"(v. 15). THE LORD IS FAITHFUL! "The Lord redeems His servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him"(v. 22). THE LORD, OUR REDEEMER, IS FAITHFUL!

Certainly all this is cause for thanksgiving! So by the grace of God alone, we live our lives compelled by the love of Christ as a loving response of thanksgiving for all that He has given us through our Savior Jesus Christ! "We REJOICE in God, THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, through Whom we have now received RECONCILIATION"(Romans 5:11).

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, WILL guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. The best approach to appreciating the PEACE of God is to first look at what we deserve as sinners. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"(Romans 3:23), and "the wages of sin is death"(Romans 6:23). We often pass over those familiar passages all too quickly with a mere nod of the head, without really reflecting on them. My sins called out, 'Crucify Him!' My sins placed the crown of thorns on His head. My sins nailed His hands to the cross. My sins subjected Him to hell itself. MY sins. Because of my sins, I deserve that punishment. Because of my sins, I deserve that hell. My sins warrant no grace from the heavenly Father. "Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear"(Isaiah 59:2)--I deserve death, eternal death, eternal separation from God--hell and all its torments.

But the Lord said, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they shall be like wool"(Isaiah 1:18). He sent for us His only Son, Jesus Christ: "He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows . . . He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed"(Isaiah 53:4,5). "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"(Romans 8:1). "We have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand" (Romans 5:1,2). And "this grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time"(II Timothy 1:9)!!! So "we rejoice in the [sure] hope of the glory of God"(Romans 5:2)!!!

By His UNFATHOMABLE grace He calls us to this peace through the Gospel--"that we might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ"(II Thessalonians 2:14)!!! Truly this peace and the grace in Christ Jesus by which God gives us this peace is beyond human understanding, "a love that surpasses knowledge!"

And the God of all faithfulness once again provides a powerful promise! This peace WILL guard our hearts and minds in Christ! We, "through faith, are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation"(I Peter 1:5).

So let us "be JOYFUL in hope, PATIENT in affliction, FAITHFUL in prayer"(Romans 12:12). Jesus Christ has SAVED us from our sins! REJOICE! His GRACE IS sufficient! REJOICE! Our Lord IS with us! REJOICE! "The One Who calls us IS FAITHFUL, and He WILL do it" (I Thessalonians 5:24). Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS. I will say it again: REJOICE!

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