explore9_7_82503

Posted: 8/22/03

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Sept. 7

Lewis: 'Joy is the serious business of heaven'

Philippians 1

By John Duncan

Lakeside Baptist Church, Granbury

C.S. Lewis once proclaimed, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” The Cambridge scholar may well have had in his mind the book of Philippians.

When Paul remembered the church at ancient Philippi, he recalled Christ's joy as he remembered faces–the faces of women by the river, Lydia, a slave girl, the household of the Philippian jailer and even Silas with whom he once shared a prison cell (Acts 16:11-40).

The joy of Christ's work in each of their lives, the joy of God's work in the church and the joy of God's movement in the community caused Paul to overflow with joy. The joy leads Paul to pen a letter of gratitude as he imagined their faces overshadowed by the face of Christ on the cross.

Paul says, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you” (Philippians 1:3). Paul overflowed with joy, knowing that joy flows from God's grace and peace (Philippians 1:2).

In my heart

The key to understanding this Scripture passage is Paul's phrase, “I have you in my heart” (Philippians 1:7). He experiences the joy of remembrance–of walking through Philippi's marketplace, of praying with believers in the church and of knowing there were many people to reach for Christ in the cosmopolitan city of Philippi situated on the Via Egnatia, a main trade route for travelers and caravans.

Paul's thought turns toward the faces as he names them gospel partners (Philippians 1:7), partners because of God's grace. They were partners whose common bond was Christ. They were yoked together by the cross and shared the gospel as the answer (“apologetics”) to life and as a means of securing (“anchoring”) a life purposed in Christ's joy (Philippians 1:7).

For all that Paul has in his heart, he knew God's work progressed (Philippians 1:6) in their hearts toward maturity. A.T. Robertson says Paul's joy reverts to Christ's second coming and heaven as Paul thinks of his fellow believers and “is cheered by that blessed hope.” Paul's fellowship in the gospel leads him to pray with gratitude and to make specific prayer requests with joy to God (Philippians 1:4).

Since joy is the serious business of heaven, it connects earth to heaven and heaven to earth when humble servants of Christ seek God's face in prayer. Richard Foster says, “Intercession is a way of loving others.” Prayer intercedes. Prayer multiplies joy. What does Paul pray?

Paul's heart of prayer

Paul's love for the Philippians longs for them to serve Christ with joy and in a unified manner. A case could be made in Philippians that Paul longs to see his friends (Philippians 1:8) but has a greater longing for them to live in concord.

“Concord” was a Roman term implying unity, serenity and harmony that caused them to work together in a coordinated effort like a team pursuing a common goal. Christian concord was essential to spreading the good news of the gospel and for Christians to conduct themselves “unto the praise and glory of God” (Philippians 1:11). Consequently, Paul prayed with joy, with passion and with compassion (Philippians. 1:4, 8).

Paul prayed three prayers on behalf of those whose faces he remembered with joy. First, he prayed for Christ's love to overflow in such a way that they would have a full knowledge of Christ and be discerning in their everyday lives (Philippians 1:9). To “abound” is to overflow, like a river overflowing to moisten the earth to create fertile soil for producing beautiful crops. Paul yearns for their spiritual soil to produce the crops of a fruit of righteousness (Philippians 1:11). When the soil of the soul is fertile for God's joyful work, God produces a righteousness that spreads a gospel of joy until his coming. Paul prays for overflowing love.

Second, Paul prayed that they would approve things excellent (Philippians 1:10). Paul alluded to the fire of testing, like that of precious metals purified by fire. Had Roman oppression drained their joy? Had Roman society in its paganism challenged their faith? Had Roman conquest with its push for power threatened their own model of church polity, that is, the humility of Christ (Philippians 2:5)? Paul prays that their joy would endure the coming tests as they kept their faces turned toward Christ and the “day of Christ” (Philippians 2:10).

Paul's prayer focuses here on things excellent. He desired for the saints at Philippi to excel, that is, to possess a virtue by which their own faith matured and made a difference in the lives of others. Christian concord in the church could not be achieved in isolation; it involved God's Spirit of joy, their willingness to serve Christ and their concern for others.

Third, Paul prayed their joy would be counter-culture. Roman culture and relationships flowed in a river of insincerity and pollution. Paul prayed for a sincere joy, one unpolluted by the world and one that would not cause others to stumble. He prayed God's love would overflow in a river of sincerity and blamelessness.

Joy

Joy is the serious business of heaven, but it also is the serious business of the people of God on earth. Thus Paul remembered faces and sought God's face while longing for Christ's joy to spread.

Questions for discussion

How would you describe joy? If you are not joyful today, what would it take for that to happen?