Key Ingredients to a Joyful Life 1; Intro to Philippians

The world today is full of sadness, loneliness, discouragement, confusion, misery and complaint. The best an unsaved person can hope for in this life are fleeting occasions of indulging in fleshly pleasure and pursuing elusive, superficial, earthly 'happiness.'

Because man sinned, true inner joy became impossible having been cut off from its source, which is God. Apart from direct intervention by God, man is destined to rummage around through a fallen creation seeking to satisfy his desire to be happy by means of the things limited to his fallen existence.

Thomas Acquinas put it this way, 'Man cannot live without joy; therefore, when he is deprived of true spiritual joys it is necessary that he become addicted to carnal pleasures.' Fallen man, suppressing the truth which would bring him internal joy from the Creator, seeks rather to find pleasure and fulfillment in external things in the creation. C. S. Lewis wondered, 'whether all earthly pleasures are not substitutes for joy.'

Jesus came that our joy might be restored. In John 15:11 He said, 'I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.' The Christian, having beens saved and secured for all eternity by the power of almighty God; and armed with God's unchanging Word of truth, ought to be characterized by a deep and abiding love, joy and peace regardless of outward circumstances.

Join us as we examine this wonderful little epistle to the believers in Philippi and learn what are the true 'Ingredients to a Joyful life!'