Have you ever said “No, you first” and not meant it? In this message, Pastor David Payne continues our journey through Philippians with a simple truth: no one can steal your joy, but you can give it away.
Picking up where last week left off, Pastor David walks through Philippians 2:1-8 and names three ways we forfeit the joy of the Lord: division between one another, pride in our position, and a preoccupation with only our own life. The challenge is to listen through a lens of reflection, not deflection. This message isn’t for someone else; it’s for us.
Big Idea: Joy can’t be stolen, but it can be forfeit, and it can be refound!
The good news is that forfeited joy isn’t lost for good. Paul points us to the mind of Christ, who gave up His rights, took on the form of a servant, and humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross. When we give up our rights, surrender the identity we’ve built for the identity He’s defined, and live and die for the fulfillment of other people’s lives, we find our way back to joy. And as Hebrews 12:2 reminds us, it was for the joy set before Him that Jesus endured the cross.
The joy of the Lord is your strength. Go find it again.
BIBLICAL REFERENCES
Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV) — The joy of the Lord is your strength
Philippians 2:1-2 (ESV) — Complete my joy by being of the same mind
Philippians 2:3 (ESV) — In humility count others more significant than yourselves
Philippians 2:4 (ESV) — Look also to the interests of others
Philippians 2:5 (ESV) — Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus
Philippians 2:6 (ESV) — Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped
Philippians 2:7 (ESV) — He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant
Philippians 2:8 (ESV) — Obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross
Hebrews 12:2 (ESV) — For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross
Also referenced: John 3:16, Hebrews 13:5, Hebrews 13:8, Philippians 4:2, Proverbs 29:23, Matthew 6:33, Philippians 2:17, Galatians 2:20, Philippians 2:20
