There are few things in life that are invincible. The mightiest nation might still be conquered, whether by an enemy’s resolve or by an internal rotting away of what made that nation strong in the first place. The best sports team is sometimes only one injury away from becoming one of the worst. There are countless people who can testify that they once sat upon a mountain of wealth but now sit upon the cold hard ground of homelessness or in a cold jail cell. Few things in life are invincible.

It seems that unfettered joy is therefore unattainable, since everything is vulnerable. How could any Christian ever enter into a place of absolute joy when the frailties of life make everything uncertain? How can someone be truly happy when they might be thriving today and suffering tomorrow? How can we find joy when the circumstances of our lives are so fragile? 

Let’s learn from Paul,

“for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.”

Paul is in the lowest of circumstances when he writes this joyful outburst of optimism. And it’s almost as if being so far down is part of what helps Him keep His eyes looking up. He knows His God will not leave him in the pit forever. This suffering is only a short-lived stop on the journey, not the destination. Paul’s view of God makes it unthinkable that such suffering would be the final destination. He doesn’t suspect things will get better; he knows it. Says Paul, “for I know…this will turn out” well. The final result of his present suffering will be a great “deliverance” (1:19), a deliverance that vindicates him (he will not be ashamed, 1:20) and glorifies Christ (Christ will be honored, 1:21). Paul’s theology has no place for the final suffering of the believer. The end result of suffering is certain to be the future joy of the believer and the greater glory ascribed to God. Suffering is achieving this (2 Corinthians 4:17), so it cannot touch Paul’s joy.

Well then, here is something truly invincible! Paul has found it. The Christian’s joy cannot be defeated! Sure, in practice, we endure seasons where we don’t experience the joy of the Lord in full measure, unaffected by our present sufferings. Even Paul hit a rough patch when he was in Asia that was so severe that he was “so utterly burdened beyond [his] strength that [he] despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8). It may have seemed in those moments that Paul’s joy would be snuffed out altogether. But the Christian’s joy cannot die.

Later in life, when writing Philippians, Paul’s joy is soaring high, even in the depths of the dungeon. What has Paul learned? Or better, what is Paul remembering? Surely he already knew these things when he despaired of life in Asia, but here he is holding them in his mind. It is that, “whether by life or death” (1:20), Christ is going to receive His glory and Paul is going to be delivered.

Paul’s joy is therefore invincible, at least in this moment, while Paul is thinking this way. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (1:21). With that thought at the forefront of his mind, nothing can stop his joy. He is in a win-win situation. Living through the imprisonment to go back out would be a joyful eventuality, since “that means fruitful labor for me” (1:22). Dying in prison and going to be with Jesus, well, “that is far better” (1:23). It’s a win either way. Paul’s joy is invincible at this point.

Paul knows the heart of the Lord very well, so he can predict with pretty certain confidence what Jesus has chosen for him. He even says, “I know that I will remain and continue with you all” (1:25). That must be a prophetic word, because it is not ordinarily given unto man to know these things (Ecclesiastes 8:8). But notice that the reason Paul was given this insider information was that other Christians needed to experience the same “joy in the faith” (1:25) that Paul was experiencing. That referred to the Philippians, but no less to us. Paul was allowed to know that he was going to live through his prison ordeal “for [our] progress and joy in the faith” (1:25). Our joy must be pretty important to God.

Our joy in the faith is very important to God. He wants us not only to have some joy, experiencing it from time to time, but He wants our joy to be like Paul’s. He wants our joy to be invincible.

Why? The last thought in this section underscores what we have been saying all along. As the the famous Piperism goes, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” Or to use Paul’s language, his expected deliverance was so that “you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus” (1:26). That is why our joy is so important. The Westminster Confession got it right when it said that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. These are two sides of the same coin.

So, write “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21) on your heart. Or if you can’t write it on your heart, then at least write it on your hand. Then, perhaps the truth of it will seep in and reach your heart like the ink on your skin seeps into your bloodstream and makes it way to the pump. But however you learn it, let this thought dominate your heart today, that to live is Christ and to die is gain, which makes our joy invincible.

Where is your happy place? Would you be happy to spend the next year of your life sitting in your happy place, be it on the shore or in the mountains, doing absolutely nothing for that entire year? When life has gotten way too busy, it’s easy to imagine that a year like that would indeed make you very happy. But nothing could be further from the truth. Paul found his happy place in a cold Roman prison cell. How can this be?

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice” (Philippians 2:12-18).

Having nothing to do can become a curse rather than a blessing. Paul was forced by a Roman chain to sit still. Surely that was frustrating, but even there, he had something to do. God graciously provided parchment and ink in order for Paul to write letters to churches, in places like Philippi. But I suspect that even if Paul didn’t have that to do, he would have lived his prison days with a sense of purpose. He would have regimented his prayer life, praying through lists in his mind of everyone he could remember. He would have recited Scripture in his brain, refreshing his memory verses. He would have occupied himself in sharing the gospel with every guard or fellow prisoner within earshot. And he would have been rejoicing in the same way as described in Philippians 2:18. 

“Yes, and I will rejoice,” says Paul. And we have access to the same joy. We can also say, “Yes, and I will rejoice.”

Paul’s happy place was not a place of earthly comfort, but a place of gospel purpose. There are few things as soul crushing as having no purpose in life. When life feels way too busy, it’s easy to imagine a life with nothing to do as being so much better. But God built us with a need for purpose. Paul found the purpose of life, and his single-minded pursuit of that purpose had one inevitable result—happiness. 

Paul saw everything through the lens of gospel purpose. When a chain had him stuck, he saw the courage it would inspire in fellow believers. When pretenders tried to stir up trouble for him by preaching the gospel, he saw the value in the message of the gospel going out, even if it be from insincere lips. Since his purpose was the advancement of the gospel, he was able to find joy wherever he saw progress.

And here is the great hope for our joy. No matter how dark the culture becomes, the gospel will keep on winning souls. There will always be a remnant saved by grace (Romans 11:5). The gates of hell will not be able to resist the Church in her mission (Matthew 16:18). We will always see that we are taking ground somewhere. So, we’ll always have something in which to rejoice.

Praise God, the fruit is abundant where God has us now. Have you noticed that we’ve been baptizing dozens every year? Have you noticed that new members are added to our congregation every congregational meeting? Have you noticed that ministries are proliferating, even reaching far away places like Malawi? Have you noticed that we even had the privilege of planting a church on the other side of Mt. Laurel? Have you noticed that the gospel is advancing by leaps and bounds right here in our lifetime? Praise the Lord! If advancing the gospel has become our purpose in life, then our hearts are soaring right now!

We were made for joy. Since we were made to glorify God, and, to quote John Piper, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him,” it stands to reason that our pursuit of God’s purpose and our own joy are inextricably tied together.

Are you happy? The answer to that question is the same as the degree to which you have been living to advance the gospel. Joy goes to the runner who is obsessed with advancing the gospel. When effective evangelism and discipleship has become a person’s passion, happiness is the reward. 

The Grinch was a loner. His cat-like face matched his propensity to slink off by himself the way cats like to do. The Grinch’s only friend was a pet dog, but the dog-like disposition of his little buddy actually served to illustrate just how miserable the Grinch was. The dog gave the Grinch an outlet for his anger. He was the whipping boy. But except for the moments when the pot-bellied green guy was lashing out at him, the dog was a happy little fella, and thus provided a stark contrast to the bitter Grinch. They were quite a pair, a small cuddly canine with a big heart and a big disfigured feline with a heart two sizes too small. 

Misanthropes are as unhappy as the Grinch. By contrast, Christians ought to be happy, and, dog-like, find our joy in being with people. This is Paul’s first lesson in happiness. There are eight sources of joy described in the book of Philippians, one for each of the book’s eight sections. Let’s consider this first one from Philippians 1:1-11: 

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons. 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

When Christians invest themselves in partnership with other Christians, joy is the eventual return. Verse 4 describes Paul’s joy that always comes when he prays for the Christians with whom he used to run side by side.

When the Kliewer family served as missionaries in inner-city Philadelphia, the Beswetherick family would travel up from Florida with a group of young adults. I met Rob when we were both youth pastors in the St. Petersburg area, where we did some ministry together. We fell out of touch when I moved to Dallas for Seminary, but we reconnected a number of years later. When he became a pastor to young adults at Indian Rocks Baptist Church, we resumed our partnership in the gospel.

Rob and his family would help us throw block parties. We would secure permits, then open the fire hydrants in the streets, inflate some giant water slides, blare some Christian music (usually hip hop), shoot hoops with the teens, play games with the kids, paint some faces, give away some t shirts, and, most importantly, preach the gospel. As a result, we would get to see professions of faith, baptisms, and growth in church attendance. It was awesome. 

The memories of some of the wild things that happened on those missions trips make me smile, even now, as I reminisce in my mind while writing this. Moreover, when our family travels to Florida, we love to see the Beswethericks and talk about the good old times. And when our family prays for their family and for the people of Kensington (which we need to do more often), we ask the Lord to bring to completion the work He began. 

Remember this: The goal is ministry; the fruit is joy. 

Happiness is not so much the target as the inevitable byproduct. It’s the opposite of collateral damage. A loner thinks he’ll be happy by isolating himself, but he hurts the people in his life by pulling away from them, and his own Grinch-like misery is part of this collateral damage too. It’s a lose-lose proposition. But involvement in Christian ministry in partnership with other Christians is the goal we are to pursue, and the byproduct is our own joy. It’s a win-win. Partnership in the gospel is a major part of God’s design for our joy.

When I finished up as a youth pastor in St. Petersburg, the new youth pastor had arrived and I didn’t want to cramp his style or step on his toes. So, I thought I couldn’t do ministry with those guys at that time. However, I still had one week before my moving truck departed for Dallas. So, I decided I would go by myself out to the streets of Clearwater for several days and try to lead Scientologists to Christ. But it turned out to be a bummer. None of them responded to the gospel. Finally, on the last day before I moved to Dallas, I invited one of the young adults from that old church to go out with me. Wouldn’t you know, three people prayed with us to receive the Lord! The Lord taught me a great lesson that week. When He sends out workers into the harvest field, He sends them out in partnership. The early missions of the apostles were always two by two. Paul always moved in a traveling party. The lesson for us today is not only that ministry is more effective this way, which it is, but also that the partnerships that are forged in the fires of ministry have divine design for the completion of our joy throughout the years of our ministry.

The longer we run for Christ, the greater the return on investment we receive. That return doesn’t come in money, but in people! 

I’ve only run three marathons in my life (all when I was much younger), but I’ll never forget the people I ran them with. One of my running mates, both in sport and in ministry, was Clint Harp. As providence guided his life, he ended up as the woodworker on the HGTV show Fixer Upper. He was part of that group of youth ministers along with me and Rob Beswetherick, way back in 2002. The older you get and the longer you run, the more joy you derive from the portions of the race you ran well. The best memories are of those who ran side-by-side with you. 

Not everyone wants to be happy. It’s a lot easier to settle for something less, like anger. Since anger does deliver at least a small dose of satisfaction, a lot of people choose that broad road. Sadly, even many Christians prove themselves unwilling to do the hard work of becoming happy. The Grinch was content to whip his dog, until providence changed his course.

But God has better things for us. Is God providentially working in your life right now, calling you to work on becoming a more joyful Christian? Do you want to become a happier man or woman of God? Then think about ways to get involved in ministry. It’s a long-term investment, but the partnerships you forge in the gospel this year will bear the fruit of joy in the years to come.