The Declaration of Independence promises citizens of this great country certain inalienable rights. One of those rights that is guaranteed by this document is the right to pursue happiness. My fellow Americans, I want to ask you today, "How are we doing in this pursuit?" Have we succeeded? I guess it all depends on your perspective, doesn't it? But as I read newspapers and magazines and watch the news on TV, it seems that we are failing miserably in this pursuit. In fact, I picked up this copy of Newsweek in Kmart a few days ago. The headline on the cover reads, "Teen Depression: 3 Million Kids Suffer From It. What You Can Do." That is just one article in one magazine. As I read through the newspaper, there were countless acts of violence retold about people reacting to the unhappiness in their lives. As I watched the TV news, I saw people lashing out at one another, divorces being filed for, and people petrified by terrorists and snipers. Are we a nation of happy people?

The Apostle Paul, guided by the Holy Spirit, gives us words of advice today from the Epistle to the Philippians. As we walk through this troubled life, Paul advises us to Rejoice in the Lord Always. He then gives very good reasons why we can rejoice in the Lord always, because he gives you peace, he guides your life, and he strengthens you. We are not just citizens of the United States of America, living by the words of the Declaration of Independence. Far more importantly we are citizens of God's Kingdom, living by the Word of God.

And Paul begins this portion of God's Word with "Rejoice in the Lord Always." Why would Paul rejoice? He was sitting in prison for preaching the gospel! He was feeling the anguish of a sinful world. He had led a troubled life. He had been shipwrecked and had what he called "a thorn in his flesh." He also felt the distress of his own sin. He knew guilt. He called himself the "chief of sinners!" Yet Paul did rejoice. There was no hint of self-pity or remorse. It does not seem reasonable that he would be happy and filled with joy. But just so people would not be mistaken, he says it again, "Rejoice!"

It seems strange to us but we have to remember that Paul did not consider this life to be the end. He knew he was a sinner. He knew he deserved God's wrath. But he also knew that God had forgiven him. He was well aware of the fact that Christ sacrificed himself on the cross in the place of sinful man. This was the reason for Paul's rejoicing. All the troubling events of his life, even his current imprisonment, meant nothing compared to the forgiveness he had and the eternal glory awaiting him in heaven.

And so Paul not only encourages the Christians in Philippi to rejoice, but he also tells us to rejoice. The Holy Spirit through Paul gave us these words to sustain us in this life. We are sinners. We deserved to be damned to hell. Yet God has forgiven us. We are saved and we can rejoice. This world and our lives here are just short moments in the grand scheme of God's eternal plan. God loves us so much and he shows it everyday with this comfort of forgiveness and eternal life. When we dwell on this love of God, it is hard not to rejoice in the Lord always.

And so Paul continues with the command to live as if you have reason to rejoice. Paul writes that we should let our gentleness be evident to all. Literally these words mean to let others go before us. Put other people's needs before you own. Don't give in to selfish sins. Here are some examples of this. Children and young adults, listen to your parents and teachers. God has placed them over you for your good. Help them out and pay attention to their advice. Husbands and wives, be gentle with each other. Put their needs above your own. Friends, love one another as you rejoice over your forgiveness. Forgive each other and let God's love guide you in your relationships.

Philippians says to rejoice in this way because the Lord is near. The early Christians would often greet each other with the word "Maranatha." This word means, " Come Lord Jesus." This should be our spirit. Live rejoicing as if the Lord would come at any moment to take you to heaven. For the Lord will come, the Lord who saved us from our sins, the Lord who is preparing a place for us in heaven, and the Lord who promised to take us out of this world.

Rejoice giving all your worries to God. Verse 6 says, "Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, . . . present your requests to God." Give your anxieties to God in prayer and petition. And it says to pray in thanksgiving. God says that when you turn all your worries over to him he promises that you will have peace. This is the cause and effect that God offers. No matter the trouble, when you turn it over to God, he will give you peace. And this is an everlasting peace that will never fade. This peace is his gift to you. He doesn't give it because we earned it with sincere prayers or devout lives. He gives is because he loves us. And he also promises that this peace will stand guard at the door of your heart, like a sentinel turning away all worry and grief.

Rejoice that the Lord has forgiven our sins. Rejoice in the Lord always that he gives us peace. That peace will be with you as you wait excitedly for the Lord's return. And as you rejoice in that peace that God has given, remember that God also guides your life. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he did not just leave us here and say, "Good luck to you. I hope it all turns our alright." He gave us his Holy Word to show us how to manage in this troubled world. He guides us every day with it, because our pursuit of happiness does not depend on what the world says.

The world's guidelines only lead us to pain and turmoil. What does the world say? Get as much pleasure in this life as possible. The world says get as much money as possible. This is the only way you can be happy here on earth. God's Word says that the rich fool pursued life on easy street, but in the end, his life was still demanded of him. The world also tells us that sex is the way we should pursue happiness. But God says in Proverbs that the adulteress uses smooth talk to get her pleasure, but in the end her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death. The world also says that alcohol is the answer to all pleasure, but the Bible says also in Proverbs that in the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. The devil would love to convince us Christians that the grass is greener in his backyard of sin, but God tells us the truth.

God tells us here in the sermon lesson to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. These are God's standards that he tells us to live by, not the world's or the devil's. You know this. You have been taught these things. And Paul says that what you have learned, now do! Put it into practice. Let God guide your life and he promises that he will be with you. He has not left us with just a "good luck, see ya when I get back." He gives us his Word to guide as we rejoice in him always.

And God doesn't stop there either. He also promises to strengthen us as we Rejoice in Him. The last part of the lesson for today is sort of like Paul's thank-you note to the believers in Philippi. He says that the Christians of that city remembered Paul, but had no way of showing it before. He was not looking for a hand out or gift with these words, but he was encouraging them to look for opportunities to serve in God's kingdom. He was saying that the gift is not what is important, but rather the giving is.

Paul uses himself as an example. He points to his own contentment. He could rejoice in God no matter what happened to him. He wrote that it didn't matter if was in the lap of luxury or shackled in prison. He rejoiced in the Lord and gave to the Lord. It is very evident that Paul was not boasting here, because of the last sentence of the lesson. "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." God gave him that contentment. God made him strong in every situation because of the forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life.

And so do not rely on your own strength to get you through this life. Let God strengthen you with forgiveness and his promises. And Paul reminded the congregation in Philippi that they now had the chance to give their gifts. Bear in mind that you also have the chance to rejoice by giving your gifts to God. Be strengthened to give your time, talents, and treasures back to the loving God who gave them to you first. You know the opportunities before you. I cannot tell you what exactly each of you must give. But each one of us should evaluate the gifts we have been given and use them to serve God as we rejoice in the Lord always.

The Declaration of Independence tells us that we have the right to pursue happiness. It does not take long for us to realize that the world's ways of pursuing it are traps that lead us to destruction. Let the peace of God, the guidance of God, and the strength of God lead you in your pursuit of happiness, eternal happiness through our Savior Jesus Christ. He is our true joy. Rejoice in the Lord always! Rejoice! AMEN.