Php 3:1-11 (NLT) Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord.

I never get tired of telling you

these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators
who say you must be circumcised to be saved. 3 For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly
circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, 4 though I could have
confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even
more! 5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of
Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience
to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law
without fault. 7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has
done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For
his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him.
I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.
For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power
that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will
experience the resurrection from the dead!

Introduction
The new testament chock-full with admonitions and instructions to the saints to always rejoice no matter what!

It was the FIRST word Jesus spoke to his disciples when he resurrected!
Mat 28:9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him
by the feet and worshiped Him.

Paul, writing from PRISON to the most persecuted church in history, wrote:
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

It is the second shortest verse in the English bible and the shortest in the Greek!
1Th 5:16 Rejoice always,
• The shortest verse in the bible is John 11:35 – Jesus wept!
• So we can combine the two to say “Rejoice always…[because]… Jesus wept!” Alleluia!

What does rejoicing do for a believer?

1. It fortifies us against the attacks & temptations of the enemy to not be who I am,

The greatest challenge of a Christian is to BE WHO THEY ARE!

Every temptation of the devil is a ploy to get you to NOT be who you really are!

A temptation is NOTHING but an opportunity for you to manifest to devil and to the world who you really are!

That you are a kind person. You are a gentle person. You are a considerate person. That you are lover and not a hater.
That you are a generous person. That you are like your Father God!

And there is nothing more joyful, nothing more exhilarating, no feeling more awesome – than for you to enter into the
“joy of your Father” – that is resemble your father in EVERY WAY!

So the devil knows this and that’s why – when he wants to tempt you to NOT be who you are – he tries to steal your JOY
first!

It is IMPOSSIBLE for the enemy to cause you to sin (miss the mark) if you are FULL OF JOY and REJOICE
So he tells Eve: “Did God say you should not eat of ANYTHING in the Garden….of course God is mean to you, God is unkind
to you, be angry with God – how can God not want you to be like Him! What kind of God is that… such a mean bad God!”

So he got her to SIN by giving her thoughts that made her SAD – making her feel that the way to be happy again is by SIN!

But does it work? NO – instead you begin an endless spiral, a vicious cycle of endless JOYLESSNESS that leads to more and
more sin!

You see in Psalms 51 David talked about this:

Vs 8: Make me to hear joy and gladness again – that the bones which have been broken because of my sin may rejoice
again

Vs 12 – Restore unto me the joy of my salvation – because I had lost the joy of my salvation and that was why I sinned!

“Today I declare and decree – every place and every way the enemy has tried to steal the JOY of your salvation in order
to make you stop being who you really are – YOU ARE RESTORED in Jesus Name”

2. It enables us to see and gain access to things God has done for us

Unless you are joyful and rejoicing – that is constantly exploding in praise dance and singing because - you will struggle
to experience the things God has done for YOU!

Isa 12:1-5 And in that day you will say: "O LORD, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned
away, and You comfort me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; 'For YAH, the LORD, is my strength
and song; He also has become my salvation.' " 3 Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation. 4
And in that day you will say: "Praise the LORD, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, Make mention
that His name is exalted. 5 Sing to the LORD, For He has done excellent things; This is known in all the earth.

It is with joy that you can draw water from the wells of salvation!

We need to constantly be rejoicing so that our eyes can be constantly open to see what the Lord has done for us – rather
than be blinded by the things we seem not to have!

Someone once said “we spend all the time being sad about what we DO NOT have that we are never able to EN[JOY] the
things that we do HAVE!”

Can you see that you need JOY to ENJOY?

Depresssion leads to disappearance - the loss of the things that you do have!

This is how a man or woman with a house a job a car friends and family will commit suicide because he is single / alone or
lost job or money!

“Today, in the name of Jesus, every depression and sadness and pain and hurt – causing you to be blinded to the
goodness of the Lord in your life – I rebuke them! I command your eyes to be opened so you can REJOICE and be JOYFUL
in order for you to enjoy all that the Lord has blessed you with! In the name of Jesus!”

3. Because the joy of the Lord is our strength - when we rejoice we explode with strength and make great and mighty
power to work for us!

When God made humans, God did not put our power, our strength in money; God did not put our strength in muscles;
God did not put our strength in our beauty.
When God made humans, God put our strength in “the Joy of the Lord”

Neh 8:10 Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is
prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

The enemy knows that when you are joyless, you will be tired! You will be too weak to do anything good.

Take away joy and gladness from a man or woman who has money, cars, riches, physical abilities and beauty – and I am
telling you, you will get NOTHING from such a person!

There will be no motivation to do ANYTHING. No passion whatsoever!

But put a man or woman FULL OF JOY AND PASSION but without money and physical strength or beauty – and there is
NOTHING impossible for that person!

God wants us to ALWAYS rejoice because God knows that “What man can not do does not exist – if that man is FULL of
JOY!”

I decree and declare – you will have a good marriage – because you will be full of Joy! You will excel in your school work
– because you will be full of joy! Your relationships will be sweet - because you will be full of joy! You will succeed in
the house of God – because you will be full of joy! In the name of Jesus!

Conclusion – How then do succeed in “Rejoicing ALWAYS”?

How can we sustain the spirit of rejoicing? In what should we rejoice?

Paul says in our opening text that we should “Rejoice in the Lord”
Kai…
• Not in your job?
• Not in your coming to America?
• Not in your family?
• Not in who you know or who knows you?
• Not in your religion or service of God?
• Not in your degrees and certificates?

Why?

Why does Paul warn us and say “beware of people who want you to rejoicing to be based on things like these?” [….must
be circumcised to be saved.]

Because God knows that ONLY the Lord is unmovable, unshakable, no variableness, no shaking - everything else can be
shaken!

But who God is to you CANNOT and WILL NOT change!

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there
is no variation or shadow of turning.

You can wake up tomorrow, next week, next year - who God is to you today and yesterday He will remain to you!
BUT:

• Tomorrow you may be told your certificate is not worth it again - what will happen to your rejoicing if you were
rejoicing in your certificate?

• Tomorrow you may wake up and your marriage is gone! What will happen to your rejoicing and therefore your ability
to defeat the devil, if your marriage is gone?

• Tomorrow you may wake up and are told all your religious activities are worthless - what wil happen to your rejoicing
then?

• Tomorrow you may be told the food is no longer good for you!

That’s why Paul said “all these things I counted them but dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus”

So that I can always rejoice

So I can know how much I am known by Jesus. Because once I have that - then I can rejoice in the Lord!

• And then I can be strong to defeat the enemy

• I can go through the fellowship of his suffering and come out on the other side of the power of his resurrection

Philippians 3:7-10 NKJV

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. [8] Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the
excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as
rubbish, that I may gain Christ [9] and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that
which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; [10] that I may know Him and the power of
His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

The key to rejoicing in the Lord is to take anything that was gain and count them as loss!

Because you can only enjoy that which you have first counted as a loss!

Because if you don’t first count it as a loss, the loss of it will lead to the loss of your joy!

Make God, not the things of God, your reason to rejoice – and the enemy will NEVER be able to steal your joy!

And then:

1. You will always be FORTIFIED against all and any attack or temptation of the enemy
2. You will be enabled to access everything the Lord has done for you
3. You will be empowered to do things that even seem impossible!

Hab 3:17-19 Even though the fig trees are all destroyed, and there is neither blossom left nor fruit; though the olive crops
all fail, and the fields lie barren; even if the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the
Lord; I will be happy in the God of my salvation. 19 The Lord God is my strength; he will give me the speed of a deer and
bring me safely over the mountains.

(A note to the choir director: When singing this ode, the choir is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)