Louie Giglio - The Joy that Defies Every Condition
I’m pumped today! What an amazing way to introduce a message called «The Culture of Joy.» If you’re getting this later, you missed the baptisms we just did. We had some incredible stories right before our eyes of the miracle power of God, and that is part of what builds a culture of joy. We have been inspired in this series by Baylor basketball. I keep mentioning it because I think when people lead out and do something great, they should be acknowledged for it. When you go and play through a hard season and give glory to God, you should be acknowledged for that. I don’t know any of these people; I don’t know Scott Drew and I don’t know any of the players. I just say thank you for helping us make a big pivot.
I wanted to get my facts right about their season, so I searched «Baylor men’s basketball» and an article popped up from the Waco Tribune, a paper that I read for about eleven years of my life every single day while living in Waco, Texas, as a grad student at Baylor and then doing campus ministry there. The article is going to come up on the screen—this was after the national championship joyous celebration. I love that! And then the first line of the article, you can see it down there below: «Culture of joy indeed!» I wonder, could that be said about us? Could it be said about Passion City Church? I’ll tell you one thing about those people: that is a culture of joy. Could it be said about your family? I’ll tell you, when we’re around their family, when we’re at their house, it is a culture of joy. Could it be said of you? When she walks in, when he walks in, whenever they’re part of the conversation, the joy quotient goes up.
So we want to end today just by describing and maybe painting a picture of what a culture of joy might be. If you’re a scientist or a biologist in the gathering today, you know about cultures, right? And a culture, in the biological sense, is a place where you maintain the conditions for suitable growth—whatever it is you’re trying to study or develop. In the lab, that culture is where you’re trying to maintain conditions for suitable growth. So the temperature needs to be right, the lighting needs to be right, and the conditions have to be maintained so that you can grow this culture that you’re studying.
I want to ask the question today: how do we maintain the conditions for the growth of joy? How do we focus on this goal of saying, «I want to be part of a culture of joy?» Let me recap for a moment the talks that Brad and I have done. Just on the top line, joy and happiness aren’t always the same thing. Joy may look more like this group of balloons, but if you’re having a birthday party, an anniversary celebration, or a milestone moment, it’s not unusual for people to bring balloons because balloons are about celebration. They’re about parties. They’re about everyone having a good time. They’re about festivity—they’re about happiness. But happiness and joy are slightly different; happiness is an emotion or a feeling based on the fruit or the outcome, the circumstance. Joy, on the other hand, is gratitude that is rooted deep.
Joy is a little bit like helium in a balloon. Happiness is a little like helium in a balloon, where joy is more like a root that is in the ground. That root will produce a sense of happiness, but it’s going to be more powerful happiness. If we leave these balloons here through the week, eventually they’re going to start sagging to the ground. Most likely, if we arrive next Sunday, they’re going to be laying over on the floor. Happiness is like that. God is not against happiness; we are not against happiness. We should all be leaning toward joyful moments in life, in celebration. But happiness isn’t something you can depend on. It ebbs and flows with the circumstances.
Joy, we’ve talked about, is gratitude that flows from a root. We didn’t just make that up. We looked at the word for joy in the Greek language, which is the language the Scriptures were written in during New Testament days. The word «kara» means to be aware of grace. Therefore, as I’m aware of the grace of God in my life, it produces a sense of gratitude that results in joy—a permanent and permeating joy in my life. We looked at all the cognates of that verb «kara,» and we see them in our text for today, coming back to Paul’s letter to the Philippians, chapter 4, verse 4: «Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again, rejoice!»
So «rejoice» is «chairo,» which is that root word of joy. Now we’re expressing joy, and Paul is saying, «Here’s the way I want you to see this: I want you to build a culture of joy. I want you to maintain conditions suitable for growth.» What I’m talking about is not just happiness that comes and goes. I’m talking about a rejoicing that happens again and again and again. Remembering that Paul is writing to the church in Philippi, a church that he had shared the gospel with while traveling through Macedonia, a pagan people with no Jewish background or culture. They didn’t know Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; they knew Zeus and other gods of their upbringing. Here comes the story of Jesus of Nazareth—a death on a cross and a resurrection by the power of Almighty God.
So again I say today: Christianity and the story of the gospel transcend cultures, religions, and geographical areas. It’s not about Atlanta, Georgia. Oh, and you grew up in America; therefore, you’re a Christian. No! Paul is bringing this story of God’s grace into Macedonia. He’s crossing cultural and religious lines, and the gospel still works. It still finds its way into the hearts of people, and a church is born in Philippi—the fruit of Paul’s preaching and the labor of his life. He loves this church. We know from the story of Acts that in Philippi, God moved in power. But Paul also had some rough stretches in Philippi—he was put in prison for his faith, beaten, and locked down in jail because he expressed the love of God through miraculous power and the deliverance of a slave girl. We see God at work, but we also see the headwinds in his life.
Yet at the same time, to those who knew about his sacrifice and hardship, he said, «Rejoice in the Lord always; I’m going to say it again, rejoice!» In other words, there is a kind of joy that transcends circumstances and outcomes, and that’s the kind of power I’m inviting you to tap into and the kind of culture I’m inviting you to live in. I want to read the whole text for us, if you don’t mind, and even if you do, I feel like I’m going to read it anyway. It’s an amazing chapter, and as we come through it, it takes us on all these twists and turns. But there’s nothing better for us today than to hear God’s word, so let’s pick it up in verse 5: «Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything.» Now how about that for a message today? «But in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable: if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.»
Now this is where it gets to the plate, but there’s some amazing truth here. «I rejoice.» So now I’m expressing joy. I’m in a Roman prison, by the way; I’m writing this letter just to give some context within either one week or at most two years of being executed for my faith. Paul is penning a letter one to twenty-four months away from execution. So we all have that in view today. If we’re rolling in saying, «Well, you know, I’d be more joyful, but here’s the situation,» I love that we’re talking about joy, but here’s our circumstance right now. I know we’re supposed to be joyful, but you don’t know my story. Paul is saying, «No, I do know your story, and I know that the root of gratitude and the grace of God works even when you’re in a Roman prison, within a year or a week of losing your life for your faith.» He says, «I rejoice. I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I’m not saying this because I’m in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need. Amen! And I know what it is to have plenty.»
I know everybody’s like, «I’m not amening that; they’ll start zeroing in on me for my giving and start mailing me stuff about Above and Beyond Sunday!» «I’ve learned the secret.» Can you say «secret»? There’s a secret, apparently, but it’s not so secret that God’s not about to tell you. The difference between pursuing happiness and finding joy, apparently, there’s a secret involved. You can’t just naturally process this; you have to have revelation and assistance from God. «I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.» Do you read the Bible like this? By the way, this is the way I read my Bible when I’m at home. If you’re thinking I’m preaching, I’m just reading the way I read. I like to read the Bible out loud, and I like to preach to myself while I’m reading it, which means you have to stop occasionally and go, «Wow, that’s amazing! I’m going to read that again with a little more oomph and a little more emphasis.» If you’re reading the Bible to yourself quietly all the time, you’re missing out. Read the Bible out loud! I’m telling you, you will be so much more inspired by what you’re reading. You’re like, «Well, my coworkers wouldn’t really love that.» Well, that’s great! I’m not saying do it at work; I’m saying just find a space.
Anyway, that’s another talk for another day. «In any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want—and here’s the secret.» So he just gives it to you: «I can do everything through him who gives me strength.» There’s the secret. You know that’s a very famous verse of Scripture. Athletes have had it on their little eye patches. It’s something that you’re going to hear a lot in that sporting culture: «I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.» It’s a great promise; it’s a great passage; it’s a great truth. But it’s coming not from sort of like the power of positive thinking; it’s coming out of the power of positive rooting. It’s not coming from, «Oh, I’m just going to think positive thoughts, and then I’ll be more joyful.» No, it’s from somebody saying, «Hey, I was in a prison at midnight, beaten for my faith, and I still had joy; I still had what I need.» You know why? Because God allows me to experience, through Christ, the strength I need no matter what is going on.
«I’ve been hungry; I’ve been well-fed; I’ve been in plenty; I’ve been in need. I’ve been up against it, and I’ve been moving in the power with the wind. I know what it’s like to be shipwrecked on Malta. I know what it’s like to build a fire and have a viper come out and attach itself to my hand. I know what it’s like to be shut down and imprisoned, to be railroaded and carted off to Rome. I know what it’s like to be under house arrest. I know what it’s like to go through the struggle. And even in the struggle, I’m telling you there’s a secret, and the secret is this: I can do anything through Christ who gives me strength.»
So the message today isn’t that you need to get more strength. The message today is Jesus is enough strength for you. Let me finish, and I’ll try not to spend too much time in the last part, but we’re going all the way down to the final greetings. We’ll give extra credit to anybody who’ve highlighted, made a note, or any pencil mark in your Bible in the final greetings of this chapter. Picking up now, if we can, in verse 14: «Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.» Okay, I had some troubles, but I still have joy! «Moreover, as you Philippians know, in my early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out for Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you only. For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need.»
«Not that I’m looking for a gift, but I’m looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more! I am amply supplied now that I’ve received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.» And now, out of that context, another famous verse: «And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.»
So let’s not yank that verse out and just parachute it down into the moment we’re like, «Oh, God said He’ll meet all my needs.» God said He will meet all my needs because I have already moved in generosity to support the work of the Kingdom expansion of God through his apostle Paul. I’ve already leaned in, and guess what? I can be confident that God’s going to supply all my needs in the same way I’m now watching me be the answer to someone else’s prayer of God supplying their needs. There is a cycle of generosity Paul is unfolding for us: «And my God will meet all your needs, according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever!» Amen!
Then there’s a header that says «Final Greetings,» and that’s where we all hit the eject button. Why do we need final greetings? But oh my goodness, in the final greetings today, there is a moment where I will probably just absolutely lose my mind: «Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.» Underline that! «The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.» Amen!
Be to God for the power of His word! So what is necessary to maintain conditions suitable for growth? Well, before we talk about what a culture of joy is, we can eliminate some things that are not necessary to maintain those conditions. The number one thing we can eliminate today is ease. Ease is not necessary to maintain conditions suitable for the growth of joy. We are getting our entire exhortation to rejoice in the Lord always; again, I’m going to say it, rejoice out of a circumstance and situation about anything but ease. And now we know having a smooth path isn’t necessary. Having a victory isn’t even necessary. Seeing things play out the way we hoped isn’t necessary.
So what is a culture of joy then, and what is necessary in maintaining the conditions for suitable growth? Number one: a culture of joy is a culture captivated by Jesus. In other words, if you are going to be a joyful person, if your family is going to be a joyful family, if a church is going to be a joyful church, if there’s going to be a culture of joy indeed, the people in that culture must be captivated by the person of Jesus. That sounds so elementary, I know, but there’s a big difference between being captivated by Christ as a person versus knowing Christ as the namesake of a religion by which I’m saved.
«Oh, I’m a Christian, and therefore I know who Jesus is, and I’m saved because of who Jesus is.» There’s a major difference between that kind of awareness of Christ and a revelation of Christ where you’re captivated by him as a person, and you don’t just want what He has to offer—you want Him! Paul said it this way: we looked at it last week in chapter 3, verse 10—he says, «I want to know Christ.» I want to know Christ! I don’t just want the four things that will help me have a better life or help fix my relationship or help me build a better business or whatever it is I need help with today. I don’t just want some benefits of Christ falling over into the plans that I have for my life. I actually want Christ! I want to know Him!
I have moved from the place of growing up in church or being around faith or being around Scripture and hearing all the stories and knowing all the information to come to a place where I have had a transformation of life. For me, this happened at 18 or 19 years old at Georgia State University, on the streets of downtown Atlanta. Somehow, a baby born into the nursery at the church on the corner came alive to the reality that every moment was a breathing relationship with Jesus. I just wanted to wake up with Him. I rode a Greyhound bus from Cobb County to downtown to go to school. I walked ten blocks to the campus with Him. I went to class with Him. I spent every free second I had between classes in His word. I ended the days with Him. I worked at the old Omni for the Hawks with Him. I would go to a job on a hockey night working for the Atlanta Flames with Him. Everywhere I went, He went, and everything I did, we did. It was all about going to sleep saying, «I love you,» and waking up saying, «I want to spend today with you.»
It is a game-changing, life-shifting transformation when you come to want to know Christ—not just to say, «I’m a Christian.» Some of us are missing joy because joy is Jesus. He is the root.
The second thing about a culture of joy is that it is stunned by the gospel. In other words, gospel blood is still flowing through your veins. It’s as real today as it was the day you put your faith in Him. It’s as stunning this Sunday as it was last Sunday and a hundred Sundays ago. It’s like getting baptized and knowing how powerful it is, and still remembering five years later that I was lost, but now I’m found. I was dead, but now I’m alive, and I’ve never gotten over the gospel miracle of what God did in my life.
I love it when Brad was walking us through that account of the lost things and he talked about the rejoicing that happened. The shepherd put the sheep on his shoulders and went back to the rest of the sheep in the pen and his fellow shepherds and said, «Hey, rejoice with me! I found my lost sheep.» That word «rejoice» is again coming out of this root of grace and gratitude. I’m grateful not only that I’ve received grace but that I was able to go out and extend grace to this sheep. Grace extended now is bringing me joy, and I want you to come and rejoice with me. And so they rejoiced! But the sound of the rejoicing probably only scared or annoyed the sheep.
When they all started partying, the sheep probably ran over towards its friends or mom and said, «Man, I don’t know what’s happening over there, but it’s really hurting my ears.» The coin, when it was lost, yes, there was a party. The woman said, «I found my coin! Come and rejoice with me! Let’s create a culture of joy, because the coin that was lost is now found.» But the coin couldn’t hear and never knew there was a party.
But when that son heard the music start to play, he knew the song was for him. He knew that this party was his party. I wonder what it would look like if we all walked into the great assembly knowing, «This is my party!» Oh, my father is going to get all the glory, the sacrificial Lamb of Jesus that made it possible. He’s going to get all the praise and honor. But this is my party!
Well, no, I’ve actually just kind of grown up a Christian, and I put my faith in Jesus at a summer camp or at a youth retreat, or you know, somewhere back in time—maybe in 1998 or 2004— instead of walking in the door today going, «You know what? Gospel blood is flowing through my veins today! I’m excited about the cross as I ever was. I am grateful to God for what He did in my life, and I am as grateful on this day as I was on that day.» Because when the music starts playing in this house today, I know this is my song.
This is my party! This dance that we’re going to have right now—this is for me! I was the one lost and am now found. I am the one who was dead and is now alive. I am going to celebrate again today as if it were the very first day because I hear the music playing, and the music is playing for me and it’s playing for you.
A lot of us have blockage going on in the veins. A culture of joy is all in for the mission, and we see this in Paul’s life and in this letter. In other words, Paul had arrived at a place where his mission overrode his condition. He was so convinced of what God had set him in motion to do that the circumstantial things around him were more of annoyances than they were deterrents to his joy, because his joy was rooted in an unchanging situation—namely, the grace of God in Christ.
Here he is, at the end of the day, and all he’s thinking about is, «I want to populate heaven and empty hell!» If you want to see a joyous church, get some people like that in your church! If you want to have a joyous family, get some people like that in your family!
If the crew you’re running with right now is not a truly joyous crew, then you’ve got nobody in your crew whose heart is beating, saying, «All I care about is more people being in heaven and fewer people being in hell! Let’s get on with it; let’s move on with it!»
But Paul was convinced. You know his whole story: he was arrested and taken before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. This time, they planned to kill him, but he appealed as a Roman citizen to Caesar, and they were like, «Whoa! Who knew you were a Roman citizen? Man, you’ve been cruising around as one of the Pharisees and then you became a follower of Jesus and now you’re a builder of the church! We didn’t know you actually had Roman credentials.»
When they found out, they’re like, «Hands off! This guy has to go to Rome.» He started a long circuitous journey to appeal to Caesar. After a few of those encounters before he set sail to Italy, he said, «I want to go to Caesar!»
From that moment on—and I even believe before that—Paul knew as a Roman citizen that the epicenter of the universe was Rome. They had already built a road system and a transportation system that went into all the world. They were the power of the moment, and he said, «I’ve got to take the story of Jesus there.»
So he boards the ship, he starts a journey, and eventually makes it to Rome. He’s arrived at the destination—he’s at the epicenter of the world—but he’s also under house arrest. But he’s happy because the mission is being accomplished! His mission: «I want to go to Rome.»
He ends this letter with his final greetings: «And especially those who belong to Caesar’s household greet you.» In other words, I can’t name names right here in this letter because it will cost people their lives before the end of the day today. But I just want you to know that people who are serving in Nero’s court, in Nero’s house—the worst of the worst, the guy who played the fiddle while Rome was on fire, who torched Christians for entertainment—that Nero. The gospel now, maybe his cook has come to know the Lord, his cupbearer has become a believer in Christ, maybe his number one guard is now filled with the Holy Spirit.
People in Nero’s own household are coming to faith in Jesus! Paul is sending a message back to Philippi saying, «Hey, the mission overrides the condition! I have made it to the epicenter of the known world, to the most powerful man on earth, and people in his house are coming to know Jesus. Anyone can be changed by this gospel!»
I’m just wondering, is that us? Is that you? Are you on a mission? Are you being shot out like an arrow? Do you have something that’s so all-consuming in your heart that you’re like, «The conditions aren’t great, but the mission seems to override all that?» I’m not minimizing the difficulty; I’m not saying it wasn’t hard. I’m just saying that my mission is greater than my condition.
A culture of joy is confident in every season. In other words, the glimpse you’ve seen of the Savior gives you peace about all the things you don’t know about the story. In other words, here’s the thing: joy is not contingent on God telling you all the details of the plan.
Because hello, He’s not going to do that! You’re like, «Why wouldn’t He? If He’s a good and loving God…» Because He’s a good and loving God, He doesn’t tell you all the details of the story. He just says, «I’m enough! Trust Me! I gave my life for you. Trust me; I poured it all out for you. Trust me; I came on a rescue mission from heaven to earth for you. You can trust me! I’ve been faithful from the beginning to the end! You can trust me! I’ll supply all your needs according to My riches in glory in Christ Jesus. You can trust me! You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You can trust me! But I’m not telling you all the 'where, ' I’m not telling you the 'when, ' I’m not telling you the 'how, ' I’m not telling you how long. I’m not telling you any of that.»
You know why? Because that is going to distract you from doing the one thing I’ve asked you to do today. If I tell you about next month, you’re going to get busy working on changing things about next month when I just need you to say yes to today!
He said, «If I constantly have that attitude—Lord, you know what the situations are, you know what the needs are—I’m going to come with my prayers and my requests with thanksgiving. I’m going to make all that known to You.» He said, «And when you do that, the peace of God is going to guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.» The picture there is they’re going to stand guard, one on one side, one on the other, and they’re going to pace back and forth through the day and the night, guarding your emotions and guarding your thoughts in Jesus' name.
Why? Because you’ve already offloaded what you’re concerned about to the God you already knew was concerned about you.
And then lastly, it’s obvious: a culture of joy is a culture of praise. In other words, joy, please catch this, must be activated and worshiped to cultivate kingdom culture. Let me put that down into common language: you can’t just say, «I feel grateful,» and deep down inside, «I really am grateful, and I truly way down in my innermost private self am really blown away by the goodness of God,» and never do what the psalmist said when he said, «Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth!» Waves are doing it. Mountain peaks are doing it. Trees of the field and the forest are clapping their hands. The stars are exploding for His glory right now; they spin and they sing and they shine through the cosmos. The leaves on the branches rustle the anthem of His praise, and the lightning bolt and the thunder reverberate with the greatness, the glory, and the power of God.
Even the snowfall, flake by flake, pitter-patters the mercy of God and all creation sings! The birds are making their melody; the beasts of the field are roaring in response to who He is. Every wave crashing on the beach today, one after the other after the other after the other say, «Alpha and Omega, beginning and end!» The whole world sings a song of the praise of Almighty God because He told them to! He said, «Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!»
Grace rooted in Jesus cannot help but be expressed in worship and praise to Him! So if there’s not an expression of joy and joyfulness, then we have to go back and ask the question: Is there a root, and am I in it? Because I’ve been looking for fruit, and I think fruit’s amazing, and it’s awesome, and it’s powerful, and we celebrate it today, but with one phone call, one decision, and bam! bam! bam! bam! bam! bam! Happiness now is fragile!
But this root—this root is eternal! Out of it flows grace; it works itself out in gratitude. At the end of the day, there is a life that says, «I cannot be silenced. I will praise His name!» Come on, Church! Let’s just give Him some praise right now! Let’s just give Him an anthem of our response right now! Let’s just tell Him that He’s a good and a great and a trustworthy God right now! Let’s remember the day that He delivered us and saved us and brought us out and gave us life and breath, and gave us a brand new name!
Let’s tell Him the waves aren’t going to outdo us today! No star is going to outshine us today! Because we heard the song, and we knew that the song was our song! We love You, Jesus, and we praise You! We’ve all been searching for happiness, but praise God that You led us to joy!