In studying the book of Philippians the overriding theme is that of JOY. Paul speaks of the joy filled life that is not based upon the circumstances of life but is constant. Here in just three verses Paul shares with us the secret of contentment.

Its been well said, “OUR LIVES ARE ALWAYS MOVING IN THE DIRECTION OF OUR strongest thoughts. What we think shapes who we are.”

“Finally” means the rest or the things that remain. “In conclusion”

Verses 8 and 9 contain two verbs… Paul is calling his listeners to action. Not just action to do but as we see in verse 8 the action is to think, to mediate, to ponder. And the second verb we see in verse 9 is to do, to do what you think about. Thoughts produce action like the old saying by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”

Are you aware that the number one threat to our joy is fear, worry, anxiety so when the apostle Paul speaks about deep lasting and satisfying joy its only right that he addresses the very thing that stands in our way. What you have to love about how the apostle Paul goes about addressing the issue is he does so in two short verses. I like that. The solution to our worry and stress is not as complex as some might think. Simple yes, simplistic no.

Think about it for a moment… what are you afraid of.

Perceived worry from real fear. Most of us worry about things that will never come to pass all the while ignoring things that are right in front of us. Its estimated that 20% of all drivers don’t wear seat belts, and that 75% text while driving. How about cigarette smoking? It says right on the package that smoking is the number one cause of lung disease and can kill you.

Let me begin this morning by asking you, what first attracted you to Jesus? What was it about Him that made you want to give up everything this world has to offer to follow Him? If we are like any of the apostles or earliest disciples at all, it is His love.

Ephesians 3:17-19, “being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

The greatest attraction the church has to the world around us is our love, our sacrificial love for one another because of the sacrificial love of Jesus for you and for me. The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:13 that the greatest things in this life are faith, hope and love and that of those three things love is the greatest. More than truth, more than holiness, love is what draws us to Jesus and what Jesus says draws the world to us.

In Philippians chapter three we read an autobiography of sorts of the apostle Paul’s life. He tells us about his past in verses 1-11 and his present situation in verses 12-16 and then his future in verses 17 through verse 1 of chapter 4. This morning we want to look at how the apostle Paul was able to not to live with a victims mentality or to live only for today and missing out on the blessings of what lies ahead for them that believe.

It was C.S. Lewis who said, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”

This philosophy of life is what governed the apostle Paul’s life. Paul had no problem with his past, he simply wasn’t bound by it but realized God was using it to shape his present circumstances in life and preparing him for his future. I mean how else does Paul write a book like Philippians from a roman prison cell laced with the words joy and rejoice some 16 times? Like that famous quote from Dale Carnage that says, “Two men looked out from their prison cell, one saw bars the other saw stars.” The apostle Paul saw stars. Let me ask you a very important question this morning as we study this text.

If I had to sum up the apostle Paul’s words in verses 1-8 in a thought it would be from the American missionary Jim Elliot who said: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

This is what Paul experienced: He gave up his religion and his reputation, but he gained far more than he lost.

Paul gained a personal experience with the risen savior, with the living Lord.

Finally… The word finally here isn’t like Paul is saying “In Closing” and then like any good preacher continue on for another 20 minutes. No, the word “Finally” here means, “for the rest” as the apostle Paul has much to say and the word “finally” is simply introducing a new topic Paul wants to address which happens to be “false teachers” Judaizers. Judaizers were a group who taught that faith in Christ was fine so long as Gentile believers also followed Old Testament Law for their salvation, namely circumcision.

If anyone knows life can be hard its the apostle Paul. Remember he is writing this letter to the church in Philippi from a Roman prison cell. Nothing has been easy about the apostle Paul’s life since coming to Jesus. Thats what makes him such an authority on joy. He uses the word “joy or rejoice” some 16 times in jut 104 verses.

Here’s a question to ask ourselves right off the bat this morning. If you aren’t awake yet this should get you thinking… Ask yourself this question… “If everyone in the church was just like me what kind of church would my church be and to add to it, would you even attend it.”

The apostle Paul knew the value of having true friends who you can count on not just when life is good but when life is tough. The Christian life is a war, a constant battle so having friends you can count on during both the thick and the thin is critical to our success.

Before looking ahead this morning lets look back for a moment and remember how we got here to this text this morning…

The apostle Paul is writing from a Roman prison to a little church in Philippi that he started a number of years before and where he also spent time in jail. All for loving Jesus and wanting to share Jesus life with them. He was writing to say thank you for offering him care while he was in prison and to address an issue of disunity that arose between a couple of women in the church.