Sermon for the Nineteenth Sunday after
Pentecost
Proper 23
Text: Philippians
4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. |
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“In the Lord”
“Rejoice in the Lord always!”
Paul says to us today.
Is it possible to rejoice even when you’re having a bad day?
Can you really rejoice even when you’re in pain, when you owe more than you own,
when you sit by the sick bed of someone you love?
Is it possible or it is just whistling in the wind to say “Rejoice” when others
attack you, criticise you, and you feel as though you don’t have a friend in the
world?
Is it possible to rejoice when COVID19 interrupts everything we are so used to
doing and interferes with our families and important events?
The old song from “Bye bye, Birdie” tells
us “Gray skies are gonna clear up, put on
a happy face. … Wipe off that ‘full
of doubt’ look, Slap on a happy grin!”
Bobby McFerrin
sang a song with these lyrics, “In every life we have some trouble, But when
you worry you make it double. Don't worry, be happy.”
Unfortunately, neither “slapping on a
happy grin” or telling yourself “don’t worry, be happy” changes a
thing – the troubles and problems that we are facing don’t disappear and the
reason is simple – we are looking for relief from our burdens and trouble in the
wrong place – “putting on a happy
face”, indulging in some retail therapy, going on a holiday, trusting in the
power of positive thinking, or relying on alcohol or drugs, just don’t cut it.
Note that Paul isn’t talking about happiness here.
The writer and theologian C.S. Lewis once bluntly
said, “As you perhaps know, I haven't
always been a Christian. I didn't
become a Christian to make me happy.
I always knew a bottle of Port would do that”.
Happiness is a human emotion that relies heavily on the circumstances we
find ourselves in. When things are
going well, we feel happy. When
things aren’t going well and we can’t fix it, we feel sorry for ourselves and we
are unhappy.
So what is Paul really trying to
tell us when he says, “Rejoice in the
Lord always”?
“Always” means all the time and
in every circumstance. Rejoice all
the time and in all circumstances.
How is this possible?
Is this simply wishful thinking or a nice but unattainable theological
principle? I’m happy to say it’s
neither of these.
Paul says, “Rejoice
in the Lord”. Paul is telling
us that true joy does not rely on positive thinking, looking for the silver
lining in every dark cloud, or slapping on a happy face when it’s clear that
everything is not all right. True
joy is found “in the Lord”.
He insists that regardless of what is going on in our lives trusting
“in the Lord” enables us to rejoice
even in the face of the worst difficulty.
As a messenger for Christ, Paul
had been imprisoned more times than he could count, whipped and stoned to the
point of dying, was hungry, thirsty, homeless, and the list goes on. (Read 2
Corinthians 11). What was amazing is that in spite of all this Paul never gave
up. Listen to what he has to say on
this, “I
have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.
I have learnt the secret of being content in any and every situation,
whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil 4:11b-13).
Paul is talking about what it
means to be “in the Lord”. He says, “I am confident in the Lord”
(1:21). He can endure everything that was happening in his life, not because he
was a strong personality or self-disciplined, but the reason he could endure all
things was that he knew of God’s great love for him.
He was “in the Lord”, he was in the Lord’s heart and mind – the Lord held
him in his loving hand. The Lord
was always near.
He knew that in the face of
every soul-destroying disaster that came his way, he doesn’t have to rely on his
own strength and ability to survive these troubles; he trusted God's strength
and God's love for him.
He knew that if his life on this earth came to an end, his Lord would take care
of him and take him to a glorious life in heaven.
“The Lord is near”, he proclaimed. The presence of The Lord and
his love for him meant he had nothing to worry about.
He had every reason to rejoice.
In life and in death, he was always a winner so why not rejoice.
He continues and he tells us how
to handle the stress and trouble that come our way.
He says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”.
He prays in total and complete
confidence in the love of Jesus. He
knows that Jesus gave his life for him on the cross – this was the extreme
sacrifice of love that one person can do for another person.
He knows Jesus as his very present, very real Lord and Saviour and
real-life helper. He knows how much
Jesus loves him. He says in the
previous chapter, “Nothing is as
wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and
count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ and to know that I belong to him”
(Philippians 3:8-9 CEV).
Knowing Christ, knowing that he belonged to Christ, being “in the Lord”
meant that he could take to him in prayer every trial, every worry, every burden
and sadness and lay them at his feet.
Jesus gave him the strength to endure all things and so he calls us to
rejoice in the Lord always because his love for you is certain and sure.
Can you see how being “in the
Lord” makes such a difference in the way we face the difficulties and
uncertain circumstances that arise in our life?
We are “in the Lord” –
through the blood of Jesus we are made worthy of being in the Lord and he holds
us close to him and embraces us with his gracious arms.
It is because of his unconditional love that we are given the strength
and confidence that is beyond our own strength and will-power to endure
difficulties and do things that many would consider too hard and too
problematic.
Being “in the Lord” gives
us the vision to see beyond what is happening right now and to see other
possibilities. In the short term,
we are given a vision beyond our present troubles, pain, grief, problems – that
it is possible to get through this present situation with God’s help and
strength. And of course, there is
the greater vision of a glorious new life in heaven where there will be
no more of the troubles of this life.
And having seen the vision, being in the Lord, we have the strength
and confidence to follow through and move toward that vision.
Being “in the Lord”, quietens
our anxious hearts and minds. There are times when we become frustrated and
angry and upset about how things are turning out in our lives.
We even get upset with God and question why God hasn’t been a little more
proactive in our lives to make things a bit easier.
Paul certainly had every reason
to get stirred up with God when, after all, he was doing God’s work and yet
every kind of trouble and obstacle was thrown in his way.
Surely, he might have asked, “God, I’m your chosen apostle. Give me a
break!”
We know Paul had what he called
“a thorn in the flesh” – some kind of ailment that he prayed and prayed about
because it bothered him so much.
But instead of taking away the problem, God gave him the strength to endure it.
Being “in the Lord” his troubled heart and mind were
quietened. He was given
patience and peace.
And so Paul finishes our text
today with some military terminology.
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. Peace, meaning the
opposite of anxiety, worry and upset – the shalom, the well-being, the peace
that surrounds God produces far better results than all our worry and anxiety,
the peace that comes as a gift from God will stand guard, provide security, and
protect you – like a personal body-guard.
Often we don’t understand
everything about God and his plan for our lives and the world, but being “in
the Lord” gives us the peace that goes far beyond human understanding
and quietens our anxiety and keeps us safe in the knowledge that God’s
love for us is certain and sure in Jesus Christ.
“I have everything I need!”
Robert Reid said.
His hands are twisted, and his feet are useless. He can’t bathe or feed himself.
He can’t brush his teeth, comb his hair, or put on his underwear. Strips of
Velcro hold his shirts together. His speech is drawn out. Robert has cerebral
palsy.
However, this crippling disease
didn’t keep him from graduating from university and becoming a teacher.
Robert’s disease didn’t prevent
him from becoming a missionary in Portugal. He moved to Lisbon, alone, in 1972.
There he learnt Portuguese. He became involved with the university students,
started small groups in a local church and within six years seventy people
joined the church, one of whom became his wife, Rosa.
Robert’s circumstances didn’t
give him any reason for happiness or celebration, but he could boldly exclaim he
had everything he needed despite his disabilities because he had
“joy in the Lord”.
His shirts are held together by
Velcro, but his life is held together by joy.
That’s the way it is for us as
well. Our natural tendency is to go
it alone, do things our own way, sort out our own problems by ourselves and when
things go wrong, we complain, get angry, sad, all worked up
– our emotions take over.
There’s nothing wrong with emotions, they are gifts from God, but out of
control, they can blind us to God and how he can help us.
We are challenged today to take
another look at how well we are travelling “in the Lord”.
What does your relationship with Jesus look like?
Does being “in the Lord”
enable you to trust God’s love even when everything is going
wrong?
Does being “in the Lord” give you strength and confidence knowing
that the Lord is near?
Does being “in the Lord” lead you to take all your anxieties to God in
prayer and enable God to show you a vision of what is possible beyond the
present?
Does being “in the Lord” fill you with God’s peace and love that
quietens your anxious heart and mind?
Maybe your answers are
“sometimes” or “no”. Paul says
“always” so maybe it’s time to rediscover what it means to be “in the Lord”.
Rediscover with the Spirit’s help the magnificent love that Jesus has for
you and how his presence can be very real and can bring so much change in your
life.
It’s a life-long journey
learning how much the peace, and grace, and forgiveness of God, which goes
beyond all human understanding, stands guard over our hearts and minds, over our
whole lives, in Christ Jesus. Amen.
© Pastor Vince
Gerhardy
E-mail:
sermonsonthenet@outlook.com
11th October 2020