Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

REJOICE! - Philippians 4:4

Bryan Schneider · February 23, 2019

Philippians 4:4

sharonrpc.org/sermons/rejoice-philippians-4-4

Summary

Christian joy is deeper than a pleasant mood: Paul commands rejoicing while imprisoned and while the Philippians endure hardship.
Creation is God's gift and artistry, so ordinary beauty, food, weather, creatures, and bodily life are received with wonder and thanksgiving to their Creator.
Human beings are made personally by God for communion with him; created gifts are signs directing desire toward the Giver rather than final objects of satisfaction.
Sin seeks satisfaction in something less than God, turning good or forbidden created things into rivals to communion with him.
God promises spiritual re-creation, replacing stony hearts and disordered desires with hearts that know, love, and obey him.
Jesus Christ and his kingdom are the incomparable treasure, making Christian joy fundamentally delight in God rather than possession of earthly or heavenly benefits.
Rejoicing can include awe, confession, longing, mourning with hope, gratitude, and endurance; it does not require constant cheerfulness or denial of sorrow.

Why must Christian joy be distinguished from a continuously pleasant emotional state?
How can attention to creation become worship of the Creator rather than an end in itself?
What does it mean to rejoice that God made and knows you?
How does seeking satisfaction apart from God help explain the root of sin?
What Old Testament promises describe the heart's spiritual re-creation?
Why are Jesus and his kingdom more valuable than every created gift?
How can rejoicing include confession, longing, grief, and hope rather than suppress them?
Which good gift needs to be received gratefully without being asked to provide ultimate satisfaction?

Christian joy: Deep delight in God and communion with him that can persist beneath changing emotions and painful circumstances.
Creation: The good world and life God makes, sustains, and gives humanity to steward and enjoy with thanksgiving.
Communion with God: Knowing, loving, worshiping, and enjoying God himself rather than relating to him only for his gifts.
Disordered desire: Seeking ultimate satisfaction in a created or forbidden thing rather than in the Lord.
New birth: God's Spirit-given re-creation of the heart that produces faith in Christ and new desire for God.
Rejoice in the Lord: Find and express joy in God's character, saving work, presence, promises, and communion at all times.