Main Idea: The chief and highest aim of the Christian life is to glorify God and to fully enjoy Him forever. (Westminster Catechism)
I) Joy in the Worship of the Saints
Verse 20: “To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
(Philippians 1:27, 2:9-11, 3:3; John 4:24; Romans 16:25-27; Ephesians 3:20-21)
“Oh, my soul, adore Him! Feel His splendor, let His exceeding goodness shine full upon your soul and warm you with its rays and let the warmth be adoring love! Oh, my soul, tell out His goodness and reflect the light which falls upon you from Himself—and so glorify Him by manifesting to the sons of men what He manifests to you! Yes, my soul, let all that is within you bathe in His boundless goodness and then glorify Him by perpetual service. Bow your strength to obedience. Be yoked to that mighty chariot in which Jesus rides forth conquering and to conquer, saving the sons of Adam. God deserves glory in the most emphatic sense and in the most practical meaning of that term. Oh, my brethren and sisters, let us try to render it to Him.” Charles Spurgeon
II) Joy in the Love of the Saints
Verses 21-22: “Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.”
(Philippians 1:3-11, 2:1-9, 4:1; John 13:31-35; Ephesians 5:1-2)
“…the fellowship of saints is a very simple thing, it is the sharing of common love and the desire for spiritual well being. The Christian singer is not a soloist, he's a member of a choir. The Christian soldier is not solitary figure, he's a member of an army. The Christian scholar is not a privately tutored leaner, he's a part of a class and a school. The Christian son is not just a lonely child, he's a member of a family. The Christian runner is not an individual performer, he is a part of a team. That's the fellowship. Saints are not some group of people exist in isolation, as cold as the stone that marks them out. They're common possessors of the eternal life of God who share their love with each other." John MacArthur
III) Joy in the Mission of the Saints
Verse 23: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
Philippians 1:21-26: “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.”
(Philippians 1:18-26, 2:14-18, 3:7-11; Matthew 28:16-20; John 21:15-19; Ephesians 2:10. 3:8; Colossians 1:24-29)
“Christ is magnified in his world through servants who are satisfied in his worth, especially in their suffering and death. In other words, the peoples of this world will come to magnify (glorify, honor, worship) Christ through his servants who are so satisfied in his worth that this soul-satisfaction carries them through every missionary sorrow.”
John Piper