Rejoice Always and Again I Say Rejoice

Rejoice in the Lord e'er; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness exist known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry almost anything, but in everything past prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all agreement, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always; over again I will say, Rejoice. Don't y'all dearest these words? They are from our second reading for today, Paul's Letter to the Philippians. I have included a bulletin insert for today, with these words printed in a way that yous can post at your home, or identify in your Bible, and return to them frequently. (Run across the end of this blog post.)

These words are worth keeping close to us,  because they offering an incredible hope: the promise of the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding. And they offer a mode to receive this peace. And so, today I just want to reflect on these few words, and on that peace which surpasses all understanding.

Rejoice in the Lord Always

Paul begins this passage by calling us to "Rejoice in the Lord ever." And, just to make sure nosotros don't miss the point, Paul writes: "Once again I will say, Rejoice." Rejoice in the Lord always, Paul writes from his prison house cell in Rome. That's of import to call back – that he writes these words while being imprisoned because of his Christian faith. So when Paul tells us that we can rejoice in the Lord e'er, he really means, always.

How? Well, he writes, past rejoicing in the Lord. Nosotros tin ever rejoice in the Lord, even when we tin can't rejoice in other things. I'chiliad sure you'll agree with me that there are some things happening in our globe these days that we tin't very well rejoice in. Maybe at that place are some things happening in your life right now that y'all can't very well rejoice in. Simply you and I can yet rejoice in the Lord. Because God is e'er true-blue. Full of beloved and grace and mercy, and e'er in that location for us, ever here with the states. And and so, nosotros can rejoice ever, because we can always rejoice in the Lord.

No matter what is happening in your life – no thing how bad it might seem – you have a God who loves y'all, a Savior who died for you, and a promise from our God to exist with yous ever. And that'due south why you and I tin always rejoice. Because nosotros are rejoicing in the Lord.

Gentleness and Nearness

Merely this passage is not just about rejoicing. Paul goes on to say: "Let your gentleness be known to anybody. The Lord is most." We can rejoice in the Lord, and we can be gentle with those effectually us. Considering we know and believe that the Lord is virtually.

Have you ever known an elderly person who has such a deep and abiding faith, that nothing seems to actually carp them? I accept. And I dearest being effectually them, because they are then full of faith and wisdom.  They have this unflappable serenity, which is really what this word, gentle, means. They have a forcefulness about them, only it is not pushy or demanding. They're not wishy-washy, simply they are likewise non easily disturbed or threatened.

This is the gentleness that Paul describes here. And this is what nosotros are promised, when we go through life knowing and believing that the Lord is almost.

We can share our views, even with passion. And nosotros piece of work difficult for solutions. But without always needing to be combative about it, and without even worrying overly much about the results of our efforts. Nosotros have this wonderful quiet in the midst of life's storms, because we know that the Lord is nearly. We believe that God still cares nigh our world. So we do the best that we can, just leave the balance to our amazing God.

Plough Our Feet and Worries into Prayers

The Lord is near. How can we assistance only rejoice? And why shouldn't we have an unflappable serenity? Merely what about when life throws us the proverbial dial, and we find ourselves staying up at night worrying about something?

At that place seem to be no end of things to worry about these days, and I suspect that our news outlets like it that way. Because it keeps us tuned in.

And then, what practise we exercise with these worries?  Paul goes on to say in passage: Do non worry nearly anything, but in everything past prayer and supplication with thanksgiving permit your requests exist made known to God.

Do non worry virtually anything. Other translations say do not be anxious near anything. Feet or worry is something that we all face at different times in our life. In fact, anxiety is ane of the most common reasons why people go to meet a medico in our country. And that was true even before this pandemic.

Nosotros live in a very anxious world, and it affects us all. And there are times when our anxiety is unmanageable without help from the medical profession. I want to be clear almost that. If your anxiety is interrupting your daily life, so it is important to see your doctor, and perhaps observe a counselor, too. I don't want to discount that, and I don't want to suggest that prayer is the simply solution that you lot need. Just as prayer is non the only solution you need for cancer, or for heart disease, or for any other physical disease, prayer is not the but solution for mental illness, either, like anxiety or depression. Prayer, instead, invites God to piece of work through doctors and medication, to bring wholeness and healing.

But with that said, allow's look at the office of prayer in our everyday anxieties and worries. Paul tells us not to worry near anything, and that is a consequent theme in Scripture. Only I have to admit, this idea used to cause me issues. I used to worry when I would worry about something, knowing that the Bible tells me not to worry. That's pretty bad, isn't it? Worrying about worrying? But that is what I used to do. Until I realized that whenever worry is brought up in Scripture, what always follows close behind is prayer.

And what we are really taught in the Bible is to turn our worries into prayers. Most of us can't assist but worry at times. And being told not to worry doesn't actually help that. Only turning our worries into prayers is something that we can all do. In fact, I at present see the positive side to my worries, considering they serve every bit reminders to me to pray. When I find myself worrying about something, it only reminds me to pray well-nigh information technology.

Do not worry virtually anything, Paul says, but in everything past prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, allow your requests be made known to God. So, allow me say two more things about turning our worries into prayers. First, we are told that we should let our requests be fabricated known to God by prayer and supplication.

What is supplication? It is a request arising from a specific need. And that is important, because what Paul is telling us is that at that place is no need too small for God. There is no concern too unimportant to bring to God. We can bring every specific worry, every specific care or concern, to God in prayer. In everything by prayer and supplication means, everything.

And the second matter that Paul tells us is to exercise this with thanksgiving. And that is very important, too, because a thankful heart is rarely an anxious heart. When we take fourth dimension to give cheers, in all circumstances, we find that there is much to be thankful for, in all those circumstances. And our worry and anxiety seem to go downwards in proportion to how thankful we are.

A Peace which Surpasses All Understanding

Do not worry virtually annihilation, Paul tells united states, but in everything pray. With thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will baby-sit your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Then let's wrap things up by looking at this peace that Paul writes about.

It is a peace which surpasses all agreement. Significant we can't explain it. Nosotros tin can't discover it, or create it, or canteen it. We can't buy it or sell it. We can't earn it or give it abroad. We can simply receive information technology. And nosotros can merely receive it from God. As Jesus puts it in John'southward gospel, "Peace I get out with y'all. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you every bit the world gives." This is a peace that the world cannot give, and that information technology cannot have abroad.

And this peace, Paul tells us, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Now, recollect, Paul is writing this from a prison cell. And when he uses the word, "guard," he is referring to soldiers who are on guard duty. Maybe he's fifty-fifty looking at his guards every bit he writes these words. And he realizes that he has a peace from God that is truly guarding him and protecting him. It is guarding and protecting his heart and his mind.

There is no problem in this world that tin can penetrate this peace. No soldier, no punishment, no prison cell, no sorrow, no anxiety or worry, no loss, no grief, no sadness, and no pandemic that can penetrate the peace which surpasses all agreement. The peace that comes from knowing and believing that the Lord is always near to us.

Endmost

The Lord promises to exist with u.s.a. always, and God never breaks a promise. And God helps us to turn our worries into prayers. And helps us to be gentle with anybody, knowing and believing that the Lord is always near. And then how can we help but rejoice in this Lord, always? And so, again I say: Rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord. Always. To the glory of God. Amen

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Source: https://mypastoralponderings.com/2020/10/10/rejoice-in-the-lord-my-sermon-on-philippians-44-7/

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