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

[Phl 4:4 ESV] 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

[1Pe 1:8 ESV] 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

[1Pe 4:13 ESV] 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

That’s just a few. The command to rejoice in the Lord is everywhere in Scripture. Joy is an inescapable pursuit for the Christian. But it is not random joy, and it is not joy in whatever we choose. The command for the Christian is to rejoice in the Lord. That’s the issue that we are dealing with in this first post of this Radically Normal series. God as the desire of the radically normal.

I love Scripture. I love reading the thoughts and seeing the hearts and minds of men of God who were carried along by the Spirit to write words that are inspired by God Himself. And I love to see, not only the conclusions in Scripture, but the arguments that lead us to those conclusions. Let’s take one example from the list above.

Notice what happens in Philippians. You have Philippians 3:1 and Philippians 4:4, which contain the same command - Rejoice in the Lord. In fact, Paul says in 3:1, “Finally…” as if he is coming to a conclusion, then all the way down in 4:4 he repeats the command. So what has happened here? Has Paul gone off on a rabbit trail and had to recover and circle back around? I don’t think so. Let’s take a look at a part of what is sandwiched in between.

[Phl 3:2-11 ESV] 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh-- 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-- 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. [Emphasis Added]

Now, look specifically at verses 7-9. Paul has listed his various means of boasting. He looks at all that he once considered gain in this life. He considers all that he once held as precious to him. He draws out the ways in which he defined his entire life. He pulls them all out and lays them on the table, and swiftly declares it all to be rubbish. But why? Because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus. That’s why. Paul’s argument here is meant to lead us to the command to rejoice in the Lord. It’s an argument that is meant to make “rejoicing in the Lord” the only logical conclusion. EVERYTHING is rubbish, Jesus is of surpassing value, therefore, “Rejoice in the Lord.”

Here’s another example where this is made explicitly clear, although I think many miss it.

[Mat 11:28-30 ESV] 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Did you catch it? Maybe, maybe not. Pronouns don’t tend to get noticed in language. They are used to easily convey thoughts and ideas without having to constantly repeat names and locations. This creates a phenomenon that I have lovingly dubbed, “The Problem of the Pronoun.” When we read Scripture do we linger over the pronouns? Because, the command here to come and to rest is not just some general command to come to Jesus and he will give you some generic form of rest.

No the command is to come to HIM and HE will give you rest. The rest that we find is IN HIM. It is in the one at whose right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). That’s the rest that he is calling us to. This is a call to lay aside our attempts to approach God on our own merits (all who labor and are heavy laden) and find joy in the arms of Christ.