Young Adults' Group

The Joy Of Christ

by Pastor Mark
November 15, 2018

The joy of Paul

Joy is something that must be felt. It is not something that we can pretend to have. The joy that Paul had was felt deep within his heart. Let us appreciate joy as a feeling.

The joy that Paul had was also a choice. Paul wrote, “in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” (Phil 1:18) Despite the difficulties that he had to go through, he was determined to rejoice. He chose to write, “I will rejoice”. Let us learn from Paul and choose to have joy in our heart.

Joy in the midst of difficulties

What were some of the difficulties that Paul had to go through?

1. Imprisonment

“so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;” (Phil 1:13)

Paul was put into prison due to his faith in Christ. Paul always saw himself as a prisoner of Jesus Christ. (Eph 3:1) He had always been bound in the Spirit. (Acts 20:22) He was willing to be in chains for the sake of Christ. His chains in Christ became manifested…known to all. It became evident and known to the whole praetorium guards. He became an example to the brethren of what it means to suffer for the gospel and still be able to have joy.

2. Enemies

“Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains;” (Phil 1:15,16)

These were the activities of Paul’s enemies. They were seeking to preach Christ out of envy and strife. They were contending with Paul. These detractors were preaching out of their own selfish ambition and were insincere in what they were doing. Their aim was to add affliction to Paul. But Paul was undaunted. He still maintained joy in the Lord. The activities of the enemies of Paul did not take away his joy.

Find joy in Christ

“What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” (Phil 1:18)

1. In Christ

The joy that Paul had was found only in Christ. There was no greater way to find joy than to find it in Christ. Christ was His Saviour. He was His Lord. All that mattered to him was Christ. The Lord brought him so much joy.

2. Through the preaching of Christ

Another way in which Paul found joy was through the preaching of Christ. He was concerned about the furtherance of the gospel. The gospel is all about Christ and His salvation. It did not matter whether there were those who preached Christ out of pretense. To him, as long as Christ was preached and there was the furtherance of the gospel, he was able to rejoice. There was joy in his heart as he faced much difficulties. He will continue to rejoice no matter what. Let us be challenged to have this joy of the Lord in the midst of our challenges.

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