Rick Lancaster - May 1, 2022
The Joy of Knowing God’s Will! Philippians 2:12-18
Scripture References: Philippians 2:12-18
From Series: "Philippians – The Joy of Knowing Christ!"
Philippians is a letter that Paul wrote to a church he was fond of. There is an unmistakable tone of joy in this letter. That is remarkable because Paul wrote the letter while in a Roman prison where one of the possible outcomes was death. Paul looks not to his circumstances for joy and happiness but to his knowledge of Christ. Faith in Christ was the basis for Paul’s ability to experience joy – even in the darkest of circumstances. It doesn’t mean that he enjoyed the hard things of life or that they made him happy. But his knowledge of his Savior enabled Paul to see those things in a way that allowed him to choose joy as his response. Everyone wants to be happy. But let’s be real – sometimes life throws things at us that are not pleasant. The better we are able to put our trust in God and His Word – the more we will experience joy even in the midst of the dark things of life. And then when we experience the things that makes us happy, they will be even sweeter. The main thing is knowing Christ better and better.