The Joy of Anticipation (Philippians 1:3-8)
This sermon unpacks the apostle Paul's profound joy, even while enduring imprisonment, contrasting it with the cycles of despair sometimes experienced when circumstances overshadow faith. It invites listeners to consider the divine source of lasting joy and the ultimate security found in God's unwavering commitment to His people.
This sermon contrasts the psalmist's cycle of despair over circumstances with Paul's Spirit-given joy, emphasizing confidence in God's faithfulness to complete the work of salvation in believers until the day of Christ Jesus.
Overview
The sermon opens with Paul's joyful salutation in Philippians 1:3-8, a passage the apostle wrote while imprisoned. To highlight the distinctiveness of Paul's joy, the preacher draws a stark contrast with the psalmist in Psalm 42 and 43, who experienced deep despair due to feelings of separation from God, enemy taunts, and lost privileges.
The psalmist repeatedly interrogates his soul, asking "Why are you in despair, O my soul? Hope in God," yet falls back into depression, caught in a cycle of knowing the truth but struggling to apply it. His focus remains fixed on his negative circumstances, leading to continuous sorrow.
In contrast, Paul, facing similar hardships of loneliness, isolation, and criticism, is described as 'one up' on the psalmist. Paul's joy is not circumstantial but a gift of the Holy Spirit, enabling him to rejoice in God despite his afflictions. The sermon defines true spiritual joy as unrelated to circumstances, a divine gift produced by the Holy Spirit as believers obey God's Word amid trials and focus on eternal glory.
The sermon then explores the elements of Paul's joy: the joy of recollection (remembering the good in people), the joy of intercession (delighting in praying for others), and the joy of participation (exulting in fellowship). The main focus for this segment is the 'joy of anticipation,' rooted in Paul's confidence that "He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus," assuring believers of God's complete preservation and glorification.
Key points
- The Apostle Paul wrote Philippians, an epistle filled with joy, while facing imprisonment and isolation.
- The psalmist in Psalm 42 and 43 demonstrates a cycle of depression stemming from unsatisfied longing for God, enemy reproach, and lost privileges.
- Paul, despite similar difficult circumstances, exhibits profound joy, a 'fruit of the Spirit' that is distinct from circumstantial happiness.
- True spiritual joy is a gift from God, produced by the Holy Spirit in believers who obey His Word, navigate trials, and focus on eternal glory.
- Paul's joy includes the joy of recollection (remembering good things about people), intercession (praying for others), and participation (fellowship in the gospel).
- A key element of Paul's joy is the 'joy of anticipation,' his absolute confidence that God, who began the work of salvation, will unfailingly bring it to completion.
- The phrase "the day of Christ Jesus" refers to the glorification of saints, distinct from "the day of the Lord" which signifies judgment on sinners.
In John MacArthur's words
“True spiritual joy is not related to circumstances. It is a gift from God to those who believe the gospel of Christ, being produced in them by the Holy Spirit, because they receive and obey the Word of God mixed with trials, and keep their focus on eternal glory.”
“What God begins He completes.”
“If His death can save you, then His living can keep you.”
Outline
- I. Introduction to Philippians 1:3-8: Paul's Joyous Beginning
- II. The Psalmist's Struggle with Depression (Psalm 42, 43)
- A. Factors Compelling Sadness (Psalm 42:1-4)
- 1. Unsatisfied longing for God
- 2. Depressing sadness intensified by enemies
- 3. Remembrance of privileges lost
- B. Reaction to Depression: Self-Interrogation (Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5)
- C. The Cycle of Despair and Self-Exhortation
- III. Paul's Spirit-Given Joy in Similar Circumstances
- A. The Contrast with the Psalmist's Focus
- B. The Theology of Joy Condensed
- IV. Elements of Paul's Overflowing Joy (Philippians 1:3-8)
- A. The Joy of Recollection (Philippians 1:3)
- B. The Joy of Intercession (Philippians 1:4)
- C. The Joy of Participation (Philippians 1:5)
- D. The Joy of Anticipation (Philippians 1:6)
- 1. Confidence in God's Work ("I am confident of this very thing")
- 2. God as the Initiator ("He who began a good work in you")
- 3. God as the Completer ("will perfect it")
- 4. The Goal of Completion ("until the day of Christ Jesus")
- a. Distinction between "Day of the Lord" (judgment) and "Day of Christ Jesus" (glorification)
Scripture references
- Philippians 1:3-8
- Philippians 1:1-2
- Psalm 42
- Psalm 42:1-4
- Psalm 42:5
- Psalm 42:6
- Psalm 42:7
- Psalm 42:8
- Psalm 42:9
- Psalm 42:11
- Psalm 43
- Psalm 43:1-2
- Psalm 43:3-4
- Psalm 43:5
- Philippians 2:20
- Galatians 5
- Romans 14:17
- Galatians 3:3
- Acts 16:14
- Philippians 1:29
- Philippians 2:13
- John 1:12
- Acts 11:18
- 1 Peter
- Acts 17:4
- 2 Thessalonians 2:13
- 2 Thessalonians 2:14
- Titus 3:4-5
- James 1:18
- Romans 5
- Romans 8
- John 6:37
- John 10:28
- Romans 8:29-30
- Romans 8:39
- Romans 11:29
- 2 Timothy 2:19
- 1 Peter 1:4-5
- Jude
- Philippians 1:10
- Philippians 2:16
- 1 Corinthians 1:7
- 2 Corinthians 1:14
- 1 Corinthians 5:5
- John 3:16
- John 4:14
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.
5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.
7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
8 Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.
9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
1 Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
2 For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
1 Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
2 For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.
4 Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.
5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
20 For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
4 And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
14 As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Insights
Joy emerges from faith, not from perfect circumstances.
God faithfully completes every good work He begins in us.
Our present struggles do not alter God's future plan.
Questions & answers
What is the main difference between the psalmist's and Paul's experience of hardship?
The psalmist, despite knowing he should hope in God, remains trapped in a cycle of despair, focusing on his difficult circumstances. Paul, in similar hardships, demonstrates an unwavering joy rooted in his relationship with God, actively focusing on future hope rather than present troubles.
How does the sermon define true spiritual joy?
True spiritual joy is defined as a gift from God, unrelated to external circumstances. It is produced by the Holy Spirit in believers who trust in Christ, obey God's Word amidst trials, and maintain an eternal perspective.
What is the 'joy of anticipation' according to this sermon?
The joy of anticipation is Paul's unwavering confidence that God, who initiated the work of salvation in believers, will faithfully bring it to full completion, or 'perfect it,' until the day Christ Jesus returns for His glorified saints.
What does "He who began a good work in you will perfect it" mean?
This phrase refers to God's sovereign commitment to salvation, from its beginning in conversion (justification) through the ongoing process of spiritual growth (sanctification) to its ultimate completion in glorification, when believers are made perfect like Christ.
What is the significance of "the day of Christ Jesus"?
In this sermon, "the day of Christ Jesus" and similar phrases specifically refer to the time of the glorification of saints, when believers will be presented as blameless and experience full perfection and joy. This is contrasted with "the day of the Lord," which typically signifies divine judgment on sinners.
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