Your Best Life...Now

How many of you are familiar with this image?

The Landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, 1620

How about this one:

The Oregon trail (Old)

Any of you remember playing this game? I remember having to load into the computer and flip the lever sideways computer class back in 7th grade and wait for the “game” to load on one of these (FLOPPY)

Now we have this in High def on our phones in front of our faces: The Oregon trail New

So what do these things have in common?

Wether in real life or in playing the game, the focus was on the journey toward a better life.

Just like the people coming to Plymouth Rock and the “people” on the Oregon trail, each one of us here desire to have a better life, for ourselves and those around us.

But sometimes what we want and what is reality are two very different things.

Some of us feel like Jack Nicholson with his line walking out of his Psychiatrists office “What if this is as good as it gets”.

I get and understand that feeling:

What if my retirement keeps taking a nose dive?

What if I continue to have health struggles?

What if my marriage continues to have strain?

What if I have to keep working at this job?

What if the kids at school keep ignoring me?

What is your what if?

Thankfully the Word of God provides some great guidance, encouragement and teaching for each of us today, so we don’t have to ask ourselves “What if this is as good as it gets?”, rather we can have the best life possible, HERE, TODAY, NOW!

We will be spending alot of our time the coming weeks looking at the book of Philippians, before we jump in I want to give a couple disclaimers:

One of the things as we deal with this series that you have to keep in mind:

Best doesn’t equal easy.

Our western culture tries to tell us what our best life should be, and that living your best life will be living an easy life.

Author of Philippians: Paul

Purpose of Philippians: A book full of Joy and Thanksgiving. A book about contentment

Historical perspective: Who was he writing to - Acts 16

Lydia, Demon Possessed girl, a local jailer who was saved

Philippians 1:1–2 “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Notice who Paul (and Timothy are addressing) Saints in Philippi, Overseers and Deacons

Notice their common bond: in Christ Jesus.

You live your best life in Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5: 16-17 “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Paul, writing to the church in Corinth uses the same language, in Christ

New creation, the old has gone, the old was broken, it needed fixing and replacing, it wasn’t the best

Interesting Paul wrote this from prison, where he was when the Jailer found Christ

These words Paul wrote to Philippi were more than a greeting:

You live your best life in the grace of Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8–10 (ESV)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

χάρις (charis). n. fem. grace, good will, favor. Conveys the sense of a gift of kindness and favor given to a person or persons.

This noun is related to the verb χαρίζομαι (charizomai), which conveys the general concept of giving generously or forgiving a debt or a wrong. The noun charis can identify charm or the quality of being delightful in the eyes of others (e.g., Luke 1:52). At times it describes an act that is characterized as kind or generous (e.g., 2 Cor 8:6, 19). Sometimes this term highlights the undeserved nature of the gift of salvation, given not because of the righteousness of the recipient but because of God’s gracious kindness in Christ (e.g., Eph 2:8). The blessing of salvation is given freely.

What’s incredible is that you receive the undeserved, unmatched grace of God at the point of salvation, but that each day is another gift of the grace of God to live, breath, experience His grace and extend His grace.

You live your best life in the peace of Jesus.

John 14:26–27 (ESV)

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Mark 4:35–41 (ESV)

Jesus takes His disciples across the Sea of Galilee

37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he (Jesus) was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Take heart if you’re lacking peace, the disciples literally had the Son of God in the boat and were afraid, maybe, just maybe they needed to reshape their questions/perspective.

Jesus has the power to calm the storm on this earth and also the storms in our lives.

John 10:7–18 (ESV)

7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (Turn to neighbor, are you living the abundant life God has for you?)

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

We can have peace because the Good Shepherd, Jesus:

- doesn’t flee the sheep when they’re in danger

- finds more sheep to bring into the existing flock

- sacrifices Himself on behalf of the sheep

Are you currently experiencing your best life in Christ?

Have you experienced your best life in His incredible, priceless gift of grace?

Are you living in the peace of the Good Shepherd that brings your best life?

Quiet prayer time. Have to determine

Have I ever experienced the best thing God has for me in salvation?

Am I functioning daily in the undeserved Grace of God, or am I trying to earn His grace? We work from grace, not for it!

Is my life a life filled with the peace of Christ, am I turning to other things to try and gain peace?