The Kind of Life that Causes Joy

Perhaps the most well know phrase in American history comes from the Declaration of Independence. What is the most most well know phrase in our own Declaration? “Life, Liberty, and the ____?” Fill in the blank—pursuit of happiness.

According to our declaration of our our unalienable rights is the pursuit of happiness. And perhaps this pursuit is what drives most of us, most often in our lives. We all want to be happy, so we spend our life in pursuit of happiness.

What does the pursuit of happiness look like for the average person? Do they ever really attain the happiness they are searching for? Now perhaps for a time we can make ourselves believe that we really are happy, but inevitably over time our happiness fades and so we must find another source elsewhere. Examples- relationships, toys, houses, hobbies, jobs, fame...

All of these pursuits of happiness are doomed to failure. How do you know that?

Jeremiah 2:13 ESV

13 for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

The only source for true happiness is God Himself. Only God can offer your soul an infinite source of happiness and joy. Only God is like a fountain of living waters that never runs dry.

The starting place to finding this happiness and joy is in the person of Jesus Christ!

John 4:10 ESV

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

John 4:13–14 ESV

13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

So the starting place in your pursuit of real lasting happiness and joy is in Jesus Himself. You must drink of the water that He offers. You must receive from Jesus the gift of eternal life. You must be born again as a child of God. You must be saved. And salvation is only possible for one who is in Christ. It is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

But, you might be thinking—Pastor, I know plenty of Christians who are miserable people. If Jesus is the source of really joy and happiness then why do Christians sometimes live as if they are in misery?

The answer is they are living the wrong kind of life. They are not living the kind of life that is the pathway to rejoicing!

So this is the question we are attempting to answer this morning-

What kind of life causes Christians to rejoice?

This is what the Apostle Paul wanted the Philippians to understand from our text this morning. Paul wanted the Philippians to understand how he lived a life that caused him to rejoice.

Friends, you must understand how to live your life so that it will cause you to rejoice!

What kind of life causes Christians to rejoice?

Paul gives us two ways that will enable us to live lives so that we will be caused to rejoice!

I. You must spend your life on gospel ministry for other people

Do you want to the kind of life that causes you to rejoice? Are you in the pursuit of happiness and are you desperate to find it? The world will tell you that you can find happiness in all kinds of things- food, money, sex, drugs, alcohol, popularity. What do all these things have in common? They are all ME focused. The advice of this world is do whatever makes you happy! But, God tells us that the pathway to true happiness, the kind of life that causes one to genuinely rejoice is the life that is given away for other people. If you will give away your life, if you will spend it on other people, for the sake of Christ, and for the advancement of the gospel- God says you will find joy!

Philippians 1:18–19 ESV

18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,

ἀλλὰ καὶ χαρήσομαι,

Yes and I will be made to rejoice!

V. 18- In this I rejoice (present, act, ind), BUT ALSO I will rejoice (future passive, ind)- you could translate it- I will be caused to rejoice!

Why? What will, in the future, cause Paul to rejoice?

19οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι τοῦτό μοι ἀποβήσεται εἰς σωτηρίαν

For I have been knowing that this to me will work out unto deliverance

For (Because) I know- I have been knowing (perfect, act, ind)- that this will turn out for my deliverance.

What deliverance?

View 1- Deliverance from this life- he will depart and be with Jesus

View 2- Deliverance from prison- he will not die in Rome in that jail cell, but will be released so that he can continue advancing the gospel. (c.f 1:25- I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith.)

I think what Paul is saying is that knows he will be caused to rejoice in the future because he is spending his life on gospel ministry and God is not done with Paul yet. (Conversation with Merriellen!)

Because God is not done with Paul yet, Paul still has a ministry to the Philippian believers and to others for the sake of the gospel, Paul is convinced that God will cause his deliverance from prison. And this fact, that God will work on his behalf so that he can continue to advance the gospel, is a continual source of joy.

διὰ τῆς ὑμῶν δεήσεως

because of your prayers

καὶ ἐπιχορηγίας τοῦ πνεύματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ

and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ

Paul also believes that he will be delivered because of the Philippians prayers on his behalf. Notice the participation once again of the responsibility of man- the Philippians were praying for Paul that he might be delivered. And the mysterious way that God works through our efforts- It was through the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (another name for the Holy Spirit) that Paul expected deliverance.

So not only was Paul spending his life for others and for the gospel, but because Paul was living this way there was a divine cooperation going on in Paul’s life. Paul was being aided and used by the Spirit of God for the advance of the gospel. And there is nothing more joyful that to be used by God!

John G. Paton Illustration pg. 117

Mark 8:34–35 ESV

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

There is no one so miserable as a Christian who lives only for themselves! Give your life away! Lose it for the sake of Christ and for the advancement of the gospel. In the end it’s the only way to save it. Take up your cross, deny yourself and follow Jesus! Imitate Jesus.

You don’t have to be in full time ministry to live this kind of life! I am a disciple maker who happens to be a pastor. Everyone is called to this life of rejoicing!

Colossians 1:16 ESV

16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

You were created for Christ! He created you for a purpose, and He wants to use you for that purpose and there is no better life to life- it is a life of joy.

And once you have fulfilled that purpose? Then what?

Philippians 1:21 ESV

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:23 ESV

23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

What kind of life causes Christians to rejoice?

You must spend your life on gospel ministry for other people

II. You must spend your life on boldly exalting Christ

Philippians 1:20 ESV

20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

20κατὰ τὴν ἀποκαραδοκίαν καὶ ἐλπίδα μου,

According to my earnest expectation and my hope,

What is your eager expectation? What is your hope? The answer to these questions means everything if you want a life of joy!

What was Paul’s eager expectation and hope? It wasn’t in politics, it wasn’t in Facebook posts, it wasn’t in earthly kingdoms, it wasn’t in earthly treasures.

How do we know that?

ὅτι ἐν οὐδενὶ αἰσχυνθήσομαι

that in nothing I will be ashamed

Paul was living a life that, no matter what, would not result in being ashamed!

If your hope is in politics will that lead to shame? If your hope is in America will that lead to shame?

What is the only kind of life that will not end up leaving you ashamed?

But that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

ἀλλʼ ἐν πάσῃ παρρησίᾳ ὡς πάντοτε καὶ νῦν

BUT in all boldness/courage now as always

μεγαλυνθήσεται Χριστὸς ἐν τῷ σώματί μου,

Christ will be (magnified/honored/exalted/held in high honor) in my flesh (person) / the prestige of Christ will be advanced in connection with me)

εἴτε διὰ ζωῆς εἴτε διὰ θανάτου.

whether by life or by death.

When your life is spend on exalting Christ, on honoring Christ, if that is your eager expectation, if that is your hope- then not even death will stop you from accomplishing your goal.

If America becomes a socialist country, can you still spend your life boldly exalting Christ?

If another lock down is put into place and we are forced to wear masks again can you still boldly exalt Christ? We have to be careful there don’t we? Many Christians refused to wear masks and to comply with the government, and I have to wonder were they really spending their lives to exalt Christ? How many bridges did Christians burn of opportunities to share the gospel with their unsaved community because of careless comments on social media, or caring more for political power than for souls?

We have to deny ourselves, we have to exalt Christ- whether by life or by death. How many of us are ready to say I am willing to boldly exalt Christ even in my death? If that is what it takes, if it takes my death, fine, use my life! Only let Christ be magnified. That kind of life will never result in shame, in fact just the opposite. It will cause you to rejoice. Not only in this life, but imagine the day- when the dawn rises and Jesus brings about the eternal kingdom- what then? What kind of joy will be your then?

What kind of life causes Christians to rejoice?

The life that is spent on gospel ministry for other people.

The life that is spent on boldly exalting Christ.

Friends, daily deny yourselves, pick up your cross and follow Christ. That is the kind of life that will cause you to rejoice?

You won’t know until you try! Put God to the test!

Build redemptive relationships- give God one hour of your week and actually put obedience to this text. Spend your life on other people! How will you do that this week?

How will you purpose to exalt Christ this week. Maybe you will pause before you respond on Facebook with rudeness just to make a political point, because none of that really matters. What really matters is that whether by life or by death Jesus Christ is magnified!