People today are consumed by the passionate pursuit of happiness. Self-help books, motivational speakers, and advice columnists claim to offer the key to happiness, but for many people the door remains locked.

Unable to control their circumstances, they find themselves instead controlled by their circumstances. When their job, relationship, or house (or, in the case of Christians, church) fails to make them happy, they dump it and look for a new one.

But on the merry-go-round of life, they can never quite seem to reach the brass ring. Having fruitlessly pursued happiness through pleasure and self-gratification, they arrive at the jaded view of life expressed by the Preacher in Ecclesiastes 1:2: “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”

But if happiness, the fleeting feeling of exhilaration, is elusive, joy is not. Biblical joy, the settled conviction that God sovereignly controls the events of life for believers’ good and His glory, is available to all who obey Him.

In fact, God commands believers to rejoice:

Philippians 2:18 (ESV) …you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Philippians 3:1 (ESV) Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

Philippians 4:4 (ESV) Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

One of the key themes in Philippians is joy. “Joy” is mentioned in one way or another 19 in these four brief chapters.

Another emphasis is the mind. As we read Philippians, note how many times Paul talks about remembering and thinking. We can summarize the theme of the book as “the Christlike mind that brings Christian joy.”

By joy, the Bible does not mean going around with a continuous grin on your face. Nor does it mean denying grief or sorrow in times of trial.

But it does mean an inner state of contentment and thankfulness toward God for His abundant grace and goodness toward us in Christ. Godly joy is marked by hope in the promises of God concerning our salvation and future with Him. It is a solid, steady-flowing stream that is not diminished by difficult circumstances, because its focus is not on circumstances or self, but on God and His purpose.

The circumstances of both the writer and the recipients of this brief epistle were not those that would be expected to produce joy and happiness.

When the apostle Paul wrote this letter to his beloved Philippian congregation, he was a prisoner in Rome. Little in his tumultuous life since his dramatic conversion on the Damascus Road three decades earlier would have been expected to produce joy.

He had faced fierce and unrelenting opposition, both from Gentiles and from his unbelieving Jewish countrymen (cf. 2 Cor. 11:23–30).

Immediately after his conversion, Paul’s bold, fearless proclamation of the gospel aroused the ire of Damascus’s Jewish population. They sought to kill him, and he was forced to flee the city by being lowered from the city wall at night in a basket (Acts 9:20–25).

Later he was forced to flee from Iconium (Acts 14:5–6); was pelted with stones and left for dead at Lystra (Acts 14:19–20); was beaten and thrown into jail at Philippi (Acts 16:16–40); was forced to flee from Thessalonica after his preaching touched off a riot (Acts 17:5–9); went from there to Berea, from where he was also forced to flee (Acts 17:13–14); was mocked and ridiculed by Greek philosophers at Athens (Acts 17:16–34); was hauled before the Roman proconsul at Corinth (Acts 18:12–17); and faced both Jewish opposition (Acts 19:9; cf. 20:18–19) and rioting Gentiles at Ephesus (Acts 19:21–41; cf. 1 Cor. 15:32).

(And that was only the beginning of his hardships: time doesn’t permit us to see all of them now)

The Philippian church also had its share of problems. Its members were desperately poor, so much so that Paul was surprised at their contribution to the offering he was collecting for the poor in Jerusalem (2 Cor. 8:1–5).

Like Paul, they were being persecuted for the cause of Christ (1:27–30). Worse, they were being attacked by false teachers (3:2, 18–19).

On top of everything else, a feud between two prominent women in the congregation threatened to shatter the unity of the church (4:2–3; cf. 2:1–4, 14).

Yet despite the circumstances of both writer and recipients, joy permeates Philippians, so much so that it may be called “the epistle of joy.” R. C. H. Lenski wrote, “Joy is the music that runs through this epistle, the sunshine that spreads over all of it. The whole epistle radiates joy and happiness” (The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, and to the Philippians [Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1961], 691).

Jesus Christ was a “Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53). Yet He possessed a deep joy that was beyond anything the world could offer.

As He faced Calvary, Jesus said to His followers, “These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11).

Those who have trusted in Christ through baptism have the privilege of experiencing “fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11). Yet, few Christians take advantage of this privilege. They live under a cloud of disappointment when they could be walking in the sunshine of joy. What has robbed them of their joy?

The Thieves that rob us of our joy: Chapter 1: Circumstances. Most of us must confess that when things are “going out way” we feel a lot happier and we are much easier to live with…right? “Daddy must have had an easy day at the office,” little Peggy said to his visiting girlfriend. “He didn’t squeal the tires when he pulled into the driveway, and he didn’t slam the door when he came into the house. And he even gave Mother a kiss!”

But have you ever stopped to consider how few of the circumstances of life are really under our control?

We have no control over the weather or the traffic on the expressway or over the things other people say and do….or don’t say or do.

The person whose happiness depends on ideal circumstances is going to be miserable much of the time!

The poet Byron wrote, “Men are the sport of circumstances.” And yet here is the apostle Paul in the worst of circumstances, writing a letter saturated with joy!

The attitudes that maintain our joy: chapter 1. The Single Mind (chapter 1).  To use the old Latin proverb: “when the pilot does not know what port he is heading for, no wind is the right wind.”

The reason many Christians are upset by circumstances is because they do not cultivate “the single mind.” Paul expresses this attitude of single-hearted devotion to Christ thus: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (1:21).

In chapter 1, Paul discusses his difficult circumstances and faces them honestly. But his circumstances cannot rob him of his joy because he is not living to enjoy circumstances; he is living to serve Jesus Christ.

He is a man of purpose: “this one thing I do”(3:13). He does not look at circumstances in themselves, but rather in relationship to Jesus Christ.

He is not the prisoner of Rome; he is “the prisoner of Jesus Christ” (Eph. 3:1). The chains he wears are “my bonds in Christ” (1:13). He is not facing a civil trial; he is “set for the defense of the gospel” 1:17).

He did not look at Christ through his circumstances; rather, he looked at his circumstances through Christ – and this changed everything.

Paul rejoiced in his difficult circumstances because they helped to strengthen his fellowship with other Christians, gave him the opportunity to lead others to Christ, and enabled him to defend the gospel before the courts of Rome.

When you have the single mind, your circumstances work for you and not against you.

We were taught a way to handle our frustrations while being in China for nearly three years: when something frustrating was happening (and they did very often!), just say to yourself (or out loud) “that’s is so fascinating!”

We tried it and, yes, it works. It’s amazing how that way of thinking and then saying it to ourself or out loud really worked! I encourage you to try it.

It’s similar to the idiom “when the world gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

Much of Paul’s joy was based on the pleasant, loving recollections of believers who, like those in Philippi, were consistently faithful to the Lord, to their fellow believers, and to him.

Having a genuine desire to remember and focus on the goodness, kindness, and successes of others does not involve denying their weaknesses and shortcomings but rather looking past them.

We live in a generally sad world, a fallen world well acquainted with despair, depression, disappointment, dissatisfaction, and a longing for lasting happiness that often never comes to pass.

Moments of pleasure and satisfaction are scattered through the general pain and sorrow of life. Many people have little hope that their situation in life will ever change much, if any, for the better.

Hopelessness tends to increase with age. Long years of life often become long years of sorrow, unfulfillment, loss of loved ones and friends, and often physical limitations and pain. Such decreasing times of happiness tend to produce a morbid sadness and lessening satisfaction with life.

Most people define happiness as an attitude of satisfaction or delight based on positive circumstances largely beyond their control.

Happiness, therefore, cannot be planned or programmed, much less guaranteed. It is experienced only if and when circumstances are favorable. It is therefore elusive and uncertain.

Spiritual joy, on the other hand, is not an attitude dependent on chance or circumstances. It is the deep and abiding confidence that, regardless of one’s circumstances in life, all is well between the believer and the Lord.

No matter what difficulty, pain, disappointment, failure, rejection, or other challenge one is facing, genuine joy remains because of that eternal well-being established by God’s grace in salvation.

Scripture makes it clear that the fullest, most lasting and satisfying joy is derived from a true relationship with God. It is not based on circumstances or chance, but is the gracious and permanent possession of every child of God.

Therefore it is not surprising that joy is an important New Testament theme. The verb rejoice appears 96 times in the New Testament (including those times when it is used as a greeting) and the noun joy another 59 times.

Several things need to be said about the believer’s joy.

1. Joy is divine. It is possessed and given only by God. Its roots are not in earthly or material things or cheap triumphs. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. (John 15:11; Acts 13:52; Romans 14:17; Galatians 5:22; 1 Thess. 1:6).

A person who constantly focuses on the negatives, faults, shortcomings, and slights of others is a person not controlled by the Holy Spirit, and is perhaps an unbeliever. Bitterness, resentment, a critical spirit, holding grudges, and the like are works of the flesh, not of the Spirit.

2. Joy does not depend on circumstances or happiness. Happiness depends upon happenings, but the joy that God implants in the believer’s heart overrides all, even the matters of life and death (Psalm 5:11; 2 Cor. 6:10; 2 Cor. 7:4).
3. Joy springs from faith (Romans 15:13; Phil. 1:25; 2 Tim. 1:4; cp. Matthew 2:10).
4. Joy of future reward makes and keeps the believer faithful (Matthew 25:21, 23; Acts 20:24; Hebrews 12:2). Paul says that he always prays for the Philippians with joy.

It is closely connected to feelings of well being and a deep and lasting peace grounded in the personal knowledge of God’s presence and sovereignty over all peoples and events.

The source of the believer’s joy is many-fold.

1. The fellowship of the Father and His Son brings joy (1 John 1:3-4).
2. Victory over sin, death, and hell brings joy (John 14:28; John 16:20-22).
3. Repentance brings joy (Luke 15:7, 10).
4. The hope of glory brings joy (Romans 14:17; Hebrews 12:2; 1 Peter 4:13).
5. The Lord’s Word—the revelations, commandments, and promises which He made—brings joy (John 15:11).
6. The commandments of Christ and the will of God bring joy. Obeying and doing a good job stirs joy within the believer’s heart (John 15:11; John 17:13; Acts 13:52).
7. Prayer brings joy (John 16:24).
8. The presence and fellowship of believers brings joy (1 John 1:3-4).
9. Converts bring joy (Luke 15:5; Phil. 4:1; 1 Thes. 2:19-20).
10. Hearing that others walk in the truth brings joy (3 John 1:4).
11. Giving brings joy (2 Cor. 8:2; Hebrews 10:34).