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Joy Beyond Circumstances

Brody Holloway | WinterSWO

What does it mean to be content? Does it mean to have everything you desire? Or does it mean learning to be okay with your situations? In this session, Brody unpacks what it looks like for the believer to be content in every circumstance. Forsaking what the world offers to satiate your desires and turning to God and His divine will to bring you understanding, and find joy beyond circumstances. 

Philippians 4:11-13

Transcript – Joy Beyond Circumstances

Morning, good morning, my name is Rob, good to meet you. It’s been an awesome weekend. I hope you’ve enjoyed the retreat. I know it’s been for me so good being in the book of Philippians and it’s where we’re going to be again this morning. You can go ahead and turn to chapter 4, but it’s interesting, there’s 16 times in this really short letter that the apostle Paul wrote where he either refers to rejoicing or joy 16 times. That’s a big deal that, is a red flag for us that, this is a big deal to Paul and what’s going on is what he’s teaching us, is that really, no matter what your circumstances, what you’re going through, whether good days, bad days, tragic events, the best moment of your life, that no matter what you’re going through, or difficult relationships, it doesn’t matter, we as believers can rejoice. We can celebrate our relationship with the Lord, who Christ is what he’s done, that we can be connected to his joy, that for the believer and really only the believer, only a Christian, can really experience like joy, no matter what, even when you’re experiencing sorrow, grief, even in really difficult times in your life, you can still be connected to the joy of the Lord, which turns into rejoicing, into praising him and worshiping him.

What he’s doing is he’s teaching us to fight for that perspective, to really pursue that perspective and it really is a big deal, because your perspective on things can really change how you experience life, your perspective on a relationship can determine how’s that relationship going to go. Look really quick at the end of chapter 3, I want to read this because I think it highlights this contrast. At the end of chapter 3:17 Paul says, or the word of God says, brothers join in imitating me and keeping your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us, people who are following Christ, that love Jesus, for many of whom I have often told you and now tell you, even with tears, walk or live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their belly and they glory in their shame and here it is, here’s the key, here’s their perspective, these people who used to be part of the church, who used to partnership with Paul and trying to get the gospel, the good news about Jesus’s life, death and resurrection to as many people as possible, he’s like now, they’ve left, they’ve gone and they’re on a path of absolute destruction and look at what he says with minds set on earthly things. That’s their perspective.

They got their mind on the things of this world and it caused them to drift away from Christ, but our citizenship is in heaven and from it, we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him to subject all things to himself. What he’s saying is, you can either have a perspective that’s focused on the things of this world, on earthly things, on temporary things and that’s going to lead to destruction, or you can have a perspective that focuses on what’s real, what’s eternal, what’s already ours in Christ. So, I keep using this word perspective. Do you know what I’m talking about, you know what perspective is? Did you ever play this game in school? I used to do this a lot, especially in, math or literature or math. You ever play this game, you ever do this? I’m squashing your head right now. You ever play this game like I’ve destroyed you’re all like, a bunch of little pimples. You ever do that? You can do it to me right now. It doesn’t actually hurt, the perspective is, right now Gabe’s head is in between my fingers and oh yeah, slow, see yeah, I didn’t really crush his head, but, or, one of my favorite movies, especially. One of my favorite movies that I ever saw in theater. This is back in the early 2000s I hadn’t read the books, but then it came out.

It was Christmas Eve, I remember and we were having, we’re supposed to just go hang out family, but my aunt invited all these friends from work over and it was just awful and I looked at my younger brother and I was like, I was home from college. I was like, you want to go see that new movie and he was like, yeah, let’s just get out of here. So, we went. We saw the First Lord of the Rings movie in theater, which was just incredible and I just loved it. I remember later on watching, kind of, how they make it behind the scenes thing and it was fascinating because, some of the guys that played, the hobbits, or like the dwarfs, like the guy that played the dwarf, I really knew that they were called hobbits, but I’ve already gone out on a ledge being kind of, dorky, rather, you guys know it, the guy who played the dwarf, he’s like the tallest actor in that whole movie, but they make it look so good, he comes up to like the wizard’s waist and so, I watched this behind the scenes thing. It was fascinating. It was a thing called force perspective and what they would do, it was elaborate, where on the screen it looks like they’re right next to each other having a conversation and the dwarf is just that small, but in reality, he would be standing five feet back from the camera and the wizard guy would be, real close to the camera.

They had, different size props and they’d be looking in the direction of where the guy would be if he was right in front of him. It was just fascinating and what they did, they, tricked your mind into believing that he’s really that small, rather than, trying to, put him on a green screen and shrink him or whatever, they changed the way you perceive the whole movie. Your whole perception was manipulated, I think that’s a big deal, because that’s what happened to those guys, those people who walked away from the Lord, they set their mind on earthly things and they started seeing their life and their purpose and their security and their hope through that perspective and it led to destruction and what this passage is going to argue for is we need to fight for joy, we need to always rejoice in the Lord and to have this eternal perspective that’ll set us free from being like tricked by the things of this world. So, let’s look at Philippians 4:4, he says, rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice, let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds, in Christ Jesus.

Here’s what he’s saying, rejoice, always, always be joyful and he’s not talking about, just, life is tough, but just, put a happy face on it. Try to see the best in every situation, he’s not saying, from within yourself, you just find happiness, because that’s what a lot of people do, people without Christ, without the hope of the gospel. That’s the best case scenario is that they can just try to live and make themselves as happy as possible and really what they end up doing, what people end up doing is trying to manipulate their circumstances or manipulate the people that they’re in relationship with to make them the most happy and some people are better at it than others, but most of us aren’t and that happiness is just dependent on your circumstances. What he’s saying is, rejoice always, but that’s not all he says. It’s not up to us to like, I just got to, if I focus hard enough and think happy thoughts, enough, I’ll be joyful. Where does he say to rejoice, do you see it, is it still behind me, rejoice where? In the Lord. That’s the key. That’s the perspective. That’s the key to everything. Our joy is in Christ. Did you know this, did you know that Jesus, that God, is the most joyful being in all creation, did you know that? He’s the most joyful being that exists, that he has joy within himself and so, what he’s telling us is, you rejoice, you worship, you celebrate, you experience this joy that flows from the nature and character of God.

That is already yours in Christ Jesus. Listen to this, joy flows to us from our union with Jesus, because he identified with us in our weakness and took on our sin and guilt and shame. You and I can now identify with him in his victory and share in his joy, peace and love. That’s a game changer when we see that, when we see that, we already have everything we need in Christ and yesterday morning, we looked at this incredible, beautiful picture, the reality of, if we’re going to get all hung up on, why do bad things happen to good people? We don’t downplay that. This is a broken world. It’s a sinful world. Horrible things happen and I don’t know all you all stories, but no doubt there are people in this room that you’ve been through things that most of us couldn’t even imagine, bad things really do happen, but to flip the script and then, look at it through this lens, to have this perspective, there is one person who never sinned, tempted, just like all of us, but he never gave into it. There is one person who always loved other people and preferred other people above himself. There was one person who always obeyed the Father, never sinned, was never ugly, always served other people, who gave his life for teaching the truth about God, healing people, loving people, serving people the worst possible thing happened to him, but did you know this, he was in control of all of that

That Jesus submitted himself to the cross. Jesus goes to the cross on purpose to take, the way that Spencer said it, to take all of our badness, to take all of our guilt, all of our shame, all of our sin and I’ll add this, all of the sin that was not only committed by you, but the sin that was committed against you, Jesus goes to the cross to bear up underneath the weight of it and to take the wrath of God that we deserve, he dies under it, but in his victory, he rises again and do you know that he said this? The book of Hebrews says this. It says, for the joy set before him, Jesus, he endured the cross, despising the shame, for the joy set before him. What joy? That he actually faced the cross and in becoming sin in our place and absorbing the wrath of God, he took that in stride with joy. Why? Because, he was obeying the Father, yes and because, through his death and resurrection, you and I would then get to join and experience his joy. That because he suffered in our place, took our sin, took our guilt, we can now experience his joy and it’s available to us now, because that’s what he says next, rejoice in the Lord always, no matter what you’re going through, no matter what’s been done to you, no matter what you’ve done to other people, you can rejoice in Christ, always that that can be the undercurrent of your life.

Doesn’t mean like, just going to fake it, just going to focus on positive things. No, as a believer, we can see the world for what it really is. We can stare the brokenness and the darkness of this world right in the face and feel the weight of it and it will not diminish our joy in the least bit. Why? Because, we have this perspective, this world the way it currently is, it’s not our home, remember that first passage we read together, our citizenship is where, heaven with Jesus and we’re just waiting for him to come back and get us, when all those things, all the things that are broken in this world, will be like a tear that’s wiped away. So, he goes on and he says, let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. The word here in my translation is ESV. It could be translated gentleness. That’s awesome, because I think it just speaks to, as we’re connected to Christ, as we’re pursuing Christ, as we’re fighting for this perspective, that gentleness will be on display in our life, that the characteristics of Christ will be on display, that that’s how Jesus was described, he was gentle and meek, not weak, but he was gentle, he chose to humble himself to serve people and that will be on display in our life and then, he says, the Lord is at hand and I think it means both that the Lord is close to you always.

That if you’re a Christian, the Spirit of God literally lives with you, that he sealed you, that he indwells you, that he is always with you and that the Lord is at hand. I think it also means that when Christ is returning soon, in fact, the bible says that this life is like a vapor. It’s here for a second and it’s gone. It’s so short, in comparison to all of eternity. The bible says the glory, that’s going to be revealed to us, is not worth comparing with the temporary sufferings and pain and sadness that we experience in this life. So, saying the Lord is at hand, he’s always with you and he’s coming back soon. We’ll be with him in a moment, he’s like so fight for that perspective. When your mind is set on that you’re going to experience his joy, he says do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. That’s so, gracious of God to put this in here, he knows us, he knows that we have a tendency, to like when we set our mind on earthly things and we lose sight that he’s in control, that the word that we use the first night, that his providence, his sovereignty over all of creation, all of life when we lose sight of that, we worry, because then we fall back into that trap of thinking of, how do I manipulate my life to try to get the most happiness out of it, or to be the most successful we try to take control and that just fuels anxiety within us, fear within us.

Which will lead to things like, doubt and insecurity, depression or begin to despair and I think there’s a couple different ways that we could hear the voice of God when you read this verse, don’t be anxious for anything. You could hear it like in a harsh way, because if you struggle with anxiety, which we’re all going to experience some level sometime, but if you really struggle with anxiety, if you’re given over to it, you might be tempted to hear that like harsh and then, you think, God’s mad at me. I’m always anxious, I’m always fearful, my faith is so weak and then, you just, pile on yourself and then, you feed and fuel more anxiety and more depression and I don’t think that’s at all how God intends for us to hear this. This is in his grace, in his love, he’s telling us, you don’t have to be anxious. Don’t be anxious. What does he say? Knock it off. Cut it out. Think better. Is that what he says? No, he says, come talk to me. Do you know the Scripture tells us, that we can go boldly to the throne of grace to receive grace and mercy for our time of need, that because of what Christ has accomplished in his death and resurrection, we have as believers, you have full access to the presence of God through prayer and he’s inviting you constantly to come before him and let your requests be made known to God?

He says, come talk to me about it. What are you worried about, what’s causing fear, why are you sad? Says, pray about it with prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God, but what does he say next, do we just unload on God, what does he say? With thanksgiving, because, here’s the perspective we’re fighting for, when we’re intentional and yeah, to bring all your mess before God to talk to him about it, for me, when I try to, just pray. I did this this morning. I got up early, I studied, I got ready, I woke my son up and I need to confess this to him later and then, I was waiting on him and so, I went in the room and I was like, I’m just going to pray for a minute and I laid on my bed to pray and I did what that guy’s doing. I was gone, I was out and then, he came in and he was like, oh, are you asleep and I was like, oh no, praying and he didn’t say anything. So, I think he knows that, he was like mm-hmm, but if I just try to, pray inside my mind, I fall asleep, even if I or I get so distracted, my thoughts are just like, going a million miles an hour, the opposite and I just keep forgetting that. I say, dear Lord heavenly Father 10 times in a row and don’t get any further and so, what I started doing, I really encourage you to do this, is whether a journal like pen and paper, or I do it on my laptop. I just start typing out.

My prayers, I’m able to focus so much better and one of the things, especially since I’ve started this study in Philippians, it’s just to take time and just start thinking and writing out, literally thanking God, I just, I start with just thank you for saving me, thank you Jesus, that you came, thank you that you that you would humble yourself out of your love for me and just let it go, just think of all the things and you know what you’ll start to feel, your anxiety will just release. There’s no room for that. There’s no room for worry and fear when you’re thinking about how good and how faithful Jesus is, because he’s always good and everything that he’s already accomplished, you think he’s going to fail now. No, you think he’s going to forget you when he made promises like, I’ll never leave you. I’ll never forsake you, he said, I’m going away, but I’m going to go prepare a place for you, so that where I am you can be with me also, forever. You think he’s just going to forget that promise. No, he’s faithful and he’s true, when we fight for this perspective, when we fight for joy, when we bring all of our cares and concerns to Christ in prayer, remembering to thank him for everything he’s already done, it just makes clear to us, I can trust him for what’s going on right now. I can trust him with this sadness, I can trust him with this pain.

I can trust him with this fear. I can trust him with this future. I can trust him with these relationships, because he’s faithful and true. It’s a game changer. We’re trusting in the Providence, sovereignty of God, trusting in his goodness, trusting in his wisdom, trusting that he cares for us, trusting that he will complete the work he started in us, peter said, cast your cares upon the Lord, because he cares for you. That’s humbling. When you really stop and think about who God is and what all he’s got going on and he cares about you, he does care and I know maybe for some of you, if you are like I’ll say this, this past Friday, a group of us went down to a funeral and it was for a young who had come here as a camper and his testimony was actually that he came to know Christ here, but this past, or is about two weeks ago. Now, he is 18 years old and he took his own life. Such a difficult thing to wrestle with, because I don’t know all the circumstances and I talked to his former student pastor and he’s like I knew he struggled at time with depression, but the reality is, at some point, he got his mind set on earthly things and he lost sight of all that he had in Christ, because the reality is, fear, anxiety, our own flesh, they’re false prophets. What I mean is this, they are constantly lying to you, about God, about you, about your life, about hope and future, they’re constantly lying to you.

So, it’s essential, that we do this, that we keep this perspective, that we fight for joy and continue to look to Christ to be humbled by the reality that he cares about us and I don’t know what led to that for that young, but no doubt, in a room this size and just the way our culture really is now, some of you struggle with that and I want to tell you the truth, he cares for you and he truly has the power and the ability to work all things together for good in your life, even the most painful things that right now you can’t see how God would use that for good, he can and when we can’t see and don’t know the whys, why did that happen, why did you allow that to happen, how can that be used for good? Well, we don’t have the answer to those things. We do what we learned the other night. We trust him. We can trust him. There’s only going to be a couple of reminders of sin in heaven and they’re going to be the nail scarred hands and feet of Jesus, he knows what you’re going through, he knows what suffering is and he came and went to the cross to rescue you from it and what he offers you now is his joy, his peace. Did you see that awesome promise? He says, bring all these things to me, don’t be anxious. Come talk to me about it, pray with thanksgiving and what and the peace of God will guard your hearts and your minds.

Your feelings and your thoughts. It’s an awesome promise from an awesome God. So, how do we do that? Look at verse 8, finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What do you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace will be with you. What’s he saying? Set your mind on Jesus, focus on Jesus, what’s true, what’s excellent, what’s commendable, what’s pure, what’s lovely, Jesus. What’s he saying? Fill your mind with scripture, You’ll have this perspective, I was thinking how silly it would be, if you really, really wanted a zip line, you really wanted to experience what it’s like to be on a zip line and you put the harness on, full body harness, Super comfortable, put on a helmet, got the tether and the pulley, you just went and sat down on a rock looking sad, you want to zip. Oh yeah, I want to zip.

All right, well, let’s go do it now. I’m just going to sit here on this rock, but do you look so sad? I am sad. You want to go zip with me? I’m going to stay on this rock. That would be stupid. I don’t know if you see that. Maybe you’re thinking of a friend right now, but be stupid. I think we can hear all this truth. You can hear this truth, rejoice in the Lord, pray, bring it before the Lord. Set your mind on these things. Jesus has done everything to save you and he wants to share his joy with you. You can hear all that truth, but you got to put it into practice and just like you got to walk up and connect the tether to the zip line, you’ve got to stay connected to Jesus and it’s really not complicated. It’s simple. Open his word and read it, go before him in prayer, what you’ll find is, you’ll find yourself rejoicing and you’ll find that the peace of God truly guards your hearts and minds,

Winter youth retreats at snowbird

Winter Youth Retreats at Snowbird

April 2, 2025

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