You will note that Paul does not write that believers are to be joyful often or frequently. He says it plainly that we are to be joyful always. This means we are to be perpetually joyful, and anything we are to be ever doing becomes a duty. There is to be no time in our lives where we have the liberty to stop being joyful. To do this we are forsaking our duty. Rain or shine, shower or sun, we are to never forsake our rejoicing.
This is the clear conviction of those who have studied joy in the Bible. Arthur Pink put it like this: “The Lord has not left it to our option whether we should be glad or sad, but has made happiness an obligation. Not to rejoice is a sin of omission”. “There is no virtue in the Christian life which is not made radiant with joy; there is no circumstance and no occasion which is not illumined with joy,” opined William Barclay in his commentary on Philippians. “A joyless life is not a Christian life, for joy is the one constant in the recipe for Christian living.” R.C. Sproul said, "I would go so far as to say that it is the Christian's duty, his moral obligation, to be joyful. That means that the failure of a Christian to be joyful is a sin, that unhappiness and a lack of joy are, in a certain way, manifestations of the flesh." The great Spurgeon wrote, " I want you to notice, dear friends, that this rejoicing is commanded. It is not a matter that is left to your option; it is not set before you as a desirable thing which you can do without, but it is a positive precept of the Holy Spirit to all who are in the Lord: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” We ought to obey this precept because joy in the Lord makes us like God. He is the happy God; ineffable bliss is the atmosphere in which he lives, and he would have his people to be happy. Let the devotees of Baal cut themselves with knives and lancets, and make hideous outcries if they will; but the servants of Jehovah must not even mar the corners of their beard. Even if they fast, they shall anoint their head, and wash their face, that they appear not unto men to fast, for a joyous God desires a joyous people."
Now if we add the next two verses to our text we see this, "16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." Here we have a trinity of duties. We are to rejoice always, to pray continually, and to give thanks in all circumstances. The Christian person is to be characterized by joy, prayer and thankfulness. Then note that Paul says that these three things are the will of God for believers. It is the will of God that each of us be full of joy, prayer and thankfulness. In this message we are going to focus on our duty to be people of joy.
God wants His people to be happy. He takes this matter so seriously that He punishes them when they fail. We read this in the Old Testament- “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart … therefore you shall serve your enemies” (Deuteronomy 28:47–48). They were judged for failure to be a joyous people, and that is because a joyless people do not represent a joyous God. The point of the teachings of Jesus is clear-"These things have I spoken unto you, that My Joy might remain in you, and that your Joy might be full"(John 15:11).Like His Father, Jesus wants His followers to be a joyful people. Katie Stewart in her book Mandatory Traits of a True Christian, wrote, “The second "Fruit of the Spirit is Joy" (Galatians 5:22). True Christians are happy people! We may not have thought being happy important enough to qualify as a mandatory trait of Christianity-- but, the LORD did! It's the Highest Good He can Will for us. "These things have I spoken unto you, that My Joy might remain in you, and that your Joy might be full" (John 15:11). It is God that makes us happy, for He is the Source of our Joy. "Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD" (Psalm 144:15). If we have His Spirit, then we will have Joy. It is the LORD's Purpose in us, that we be full of Joy. "These things write we unto you, that your Joy may be full" (1John 1:4). When we have need, we are to turn to Him. "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My Name: ask [an Imperative, a Command], and ye shall receive, that your Joy may be full" (John 16:24)
If you check your concordance, you will find the word joy used 422 times in your Bible. That makes it one of the most important words in God’s revelation to man. It is a top priority with Him and He expects it to be with us also. The obvious question we all have is, how is it possible to be always joyful in this fallen world? This verse 15 is the shortest verse in the New Testament but it is the biggest demand that God makes of us. We suspect that it is impossible because in the shortest verse in the whole Bible we read "Jesus wept." If He could not live up to this duty, how can He expect it of us.? Is it possible to be joyful when life brings so much suffering and pain at various times.?
Yes is the answer. It is possible to be joyful at all times. Paul, who wrote these words, was a man of perpetual joy even though he suffered more than most men. He wrote the great joy letter of Philippians when he was in prison suffering for his faith. He had a life filled with pain and suffering, yet he never ceases to rejoice in the Lord. Look at what he wrote in II CORINTHIANS 11:23-27 ". in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness --" This is only a partial list of his woes, and yet he is the one who urges us to join him in rejoicing, not sometime when all is going well, but always even when all is going badly. Paul was a man of paradox. He could live the life of joy at the same time he had to live in this real fallen world. In 2 Corinthians 6:10, Paul described himself, “as sorrowful yet always rejoicing.” In Romans 12:15, he tells us, “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.” You can be both sad and glad at the same time in Christ.
Jesus made it clear in Matt 5:11-12, "“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Jesus not only preached joy but practiced it at all times. In Hebrews 12:2 we read. "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Jesus bore the worst suffering with a spirit of joy and won the battle over the evil One for us all. Joy overcome the devil and all of the evils and suffering of this world and that is our foundation for being joyful always no matter what the circumstance. Happiness is based on what happens in life, and this can change at any moment, but joy is based on Jesus and his promises, and this does not ever change. That is why we can rejoice always in all circumstances. In Christ we always have the choice to rejoice, and it is our duty to make that choice and rejoice always.
Paul could be faithful in fulfilling this duty because his focus was always on the prize and not on the problems. "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Romans 8:18. 16 "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 He could be joyful always in all of his trials because he was focused on the unseen promised to him by his Lord and Savior Jesus. Circumstances are ever changing, making happiness uncertain, but Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, making it possible to rejoice in Him always.
