Pebble Problems

Special time.

the reasons I like to do the communion service more than middle of the service personally just because make sure that we have some time to ponder it in the middle. So I don't just tack it onto the end of the service, nothing wrong with putting at the beginning of the end or the middle. I'm not saying the right time to do it. But just, I like to have a time for us to focus on that. The story is told Hans Christian Andersen made it famous, not sure exactly. The origin of the story where a bit ago something like this. Once upon a time in a land Far, Far Away. There was a prince who was looking for a bride. And he couldn't find any woman who is suitable for the role of being. The queen of the realm, is it? His mother was the queen mother was very concerned about this, and that one night in a storm. A young girl, showed up at the castle Gates, seeking shelter. And she claimed that she was a princess For the queen was a little suspicious. And so she arranged a very unusual sleeping arrangement. She had twenty mattresses stacked on top of each other and under the very bottom once you put a p. and the next morning, As they were having breakfast together. Queen ask the princess as she claimed to be a how she slept in the princess that I had a terrible night. I just tossed and turned. I was in agony. They were just there was something hard in the bed. It was at that point, that the queen and the prince, both knew this indeed was a princess cuz only a princess can have such delicate skin and nerve endings that she could feel happy at the bottom of twenty mattresses. There there's, there's the power of small things and up reminds me of a more recent quotes that sound. I've come across. Am I hooked up here? Okay, thank you. Yes. It's a bit fresher familiar with, but it goes like this. It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out. If you've done a hike and looked at the mountain, it can be very daunting, but did I ask They release the pebble, in your shoe Hamid. Ali is reported to have said that it's the little thing. Whether you're a princess, trying to sleep on twenty mattresses or you're trying to take a long walk. Can you do you know how that is? We've all had that experience. We had a pair of shoes on, we're out doing something, and it just wasn't right way to stop. Take her shoe off and get rid of it. The little Pebble, whatever it is, the little things can matter. No big things matter certainly, but little things can matter to. And I believe, as we come to this text, I want to look at today that really see that as well because we want to take a look at call Pebble problems in Philippians chapter 4. And you may say Philippians where we, once in the book of Philippians. Yes, we were actually last fall because as we came into Advent, we took a different route. But in the book of Philippians we studied Paul's very warm personal letter to this group of Believers. He hasn't seen for a decade. As far as we know, he's been a decade since he started the church and they've been very important to and they supported him and his missionary Journeys and he cared about them, he had been imprisoned, the church heard about his imprisonment and so they sent a password ideas to minister to him, to bring a gift as a turned-out. Paul needed more help than even what the gift could provide. So I prefer dada's State on a password that has got very ill, almost died. And so Paul writes a letter because he has heard some things about the church and their need, what they're facing externally and what they're facing internal. And so, he wrote this beautiful letter. It's short that we paid preachers, managed to drag it out much longer than it takes to read the whole thing this morning a few minutes. But he writes this letter to them. And all along, he is saying things that pertain to their need. He talks first of all about their warm relationship how much they mean to him. And then he addresses later on about epaphroditus, why he's delayed, he talks about himself. But the reason for this is he's asking them to have an attitude that reflects the likeness of Christ, an attitude, in the midst of their pressures and tribulations and persecutions, and also some internal struggles going on, but he'll lose to them. And as I reread the book, I was reminded that the little passage were going to look at, in a sense, gives us an understanding of why he says all that he says to the Philippians So chapter 1 Hamid, written to them about his situation, how he prayed for them, and even how he had opposition in prison, but he didn't lash back. He, he was learning to express the Gratitude of Christ towards people, and he was asking them to do the same thing in Chapter 2 and he says, it's relay what Jesus did for us. Have this attitude in yourselves. That was also in Christ Jesus. And this attitude needs to be expressed and how you get along with each other as he goes on in chapter 2. And it gives the example of Timothy and a half for data soup model, a life of service and sacrifice for the benefit of others. And he talks about himself and protect me cuz there's some teaching that was coming along that. It was what you did, externally religiously that made you right with the Lord. And Paul is very opposed to that wanted to remind them that it wasn't any confidence, we have in ourselves. But totally that which we have in Christ Jesus and so he goes to chapter 3 talking about how he hasn't yet achieved, but he keeps try, they keeps pushing on because we're not done yet.

Let it remind him at the end of chapter 3, that the lookout for those who are getting off track, but remember that our citizenship is in heaven, and he's writing to people who live in a colony of Rome. Phillipi heads all the rights and privileges of being in Rome itself, they were citizens. Roman citizens, they had citizenship and he said ultimately your citizenship is not Rome. Are you speaking to us? Our citizenship is not just the United States or Canada. Our citizenship is in heaven, and we are awaiting a savior. And this whole book just Lisa's to say Christ is all in all, it's about Jesus. And so don't fight with yourselves because it's what Christ just wanting to do. And we follow him in the gospel, that matters the pressures that come on as seen from the outside, are not the ultimate determination of our destiny. So now we come to chapter 4 and I just want to have us. Take a look at the first three verses and I just invite you to stand once again. If you're able to stand to join me in and looking at these verses, And listen to what Paul says in and see if you can hear some Echoes of the rest of this letter in what he says. Therefore, it's coming out down to the end sort of, as a result of our citizenship is in heaven, were awaiting the savior's going to transform us. Okay. Now, my brothers and sisters, you whom I loved and longed for my joy and Crown stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends. And this way would take us back to all that, he'd written about stand firm by being united stand. Firm by not letting a false teaching or opponents, get us off. Track, stand firm, stay true to the Lord. And then it gets down to this for a personal thing. I noticed that the verb I plead with Yoda and I plead The Syndicate uses the same breath for each of them singles out to women in the church. How would you feel? You're sitting listening to this letter being read for the very first time all of a sudden you're talking about us. I played with Yoda and I played was sent to keyless, read the rest of that sentence together to be of the same mind in the Lord.

yes, and I asked you, my True Companion cyzicus is is the word that she doesn't know if it was his name, or if he's just talking about a roll, some of these really bearing, the yolk help these women Come alongside lay hold of them and help them since they have contended that my side and the cause of the Gospel along with Clements and the rest of my co-workers whose names are in the Book of Life. These are important people and father we thank you. That we are able to learn from the experiences of some early Christians. They didn't face the same cultural Dynamics. We do, they didn't face the same economic pressures. They didn't face all the things we face, but they were People Like Us in a world where Christ is alive and real and in a world where the gospel is still relevant. And so may we learn even from these few verses what it is. You have to remind us this morning. Maybe we rejoice and how you work, even to the small things, a little things in our lives. We thank you in Jesus name. Amen. And thank you, please be seated.

And so, let's just take a quick look. Paul is wrapping this letter up. He's going to say some great things in the, the remaining versus open at this point there for my brothers and sisters. You who describes them? You who I love. And long for my joy and crown that just let you are, you know, you're the finishing touch on my life and then he closes the first dear friends. Look at those powerful words that uses to describe the relationship that he has with these brothers and sisters and he gives us a little clue as to what we all are longing for what we're longing for this kind of relationship and authenticity to belong to Christ, it involves more than repentance from Cinder, the reception of eternal life, the Declaration of our faith in baptism and putting our name on a list of members. Did you know Christ is as a connection with other believers? And that connection should go beyond the just knowing each other's name is perhaps our knowing the kind of coffee. They like it they like cremated or how many sugars are there? Black whatever but you know them at as friends and fellow supporters in this journey and this is really what every local church wants to strive for so many things, work against that. It it's not easy when you live apart, it's not easy. When time is short, it's not easy with all the demands of life but this is still an ongoing objective for us in our relationship with each other. This is a relationship all had with them and wants to remind them how much you care? And he's been saying this throughout the letter, he started this whole letter was this same kind of warms. I thank my God. Every time I remember you are in my heart, you cared about them and he wants us to remember that. That is really a foundational basis for a relationships as believers. So the great challenges, how we doing in developing those kind of connections to other believers who are the Believers in my life to whom I could give this expression. I loved one for when I'm not with you. My joy and Crown dear friends and perhaps a list of people come to your mind from your life experience. Who would God want to do that with right here as well? I just point that he makes in this verse is stand firm in the Lord ties into what he began the letter with this is really the theme of the book of Philippians 1:27, whatever happens conduct yourselves in a manner, worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then whether I come and see, your only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one's Spirits driving together as one for the face of the Gospel without being frightened by those who oppose. You, just a reminder that we got to stand together and we have to stand firm, and this is the great call upon every New Testament Church, and upon every believer that we're to stand. Firm member last week, we looked at the fusions form, we talked about her, not to be children, who are blown here, and they're tossed with all the waves and blown, with every wind of Doctrine, were not to be unstable or not to be run it off where to stand firm and that is an ongoing development of maturing in our lives. That we stand firm on the discouragement, when the tests of the setbacks come we stand, Firm as a friend. I mentioned, I had last week, A friend of mine that I've known for 50 years and a man that's mentored me. A coached me through many Ministry experiences. He was very ill last week close to death and on February 1st. I got notice from his family that he had died, and he wasn't all that all. I'm sure he was under 80 young guy. Some of our point of view. Sorry about the rest of you think this ancient but but he he was a man that it stood for a man, always talked about what the Lord was doing. He lost his wife, a year-and-a-half ago and just was so deep in the word and in and in his love, for the Lord and his confidence and scripture, he was such An Occurrence, I've had many friends like that, the chair, how God is sustaining them. Just as you do as well, you talk about God's just and you threw those trials, but the great lesson I think, from from the chapters, he's our little things, as a little pebbles, no doubt it cause problems, but they also are important principles. If it matters that were faithful, it may seem like such a small thing.

That we just keep at it.

Put it in the word. Reminds me of this reality. It is. It's so vital. It it matters that were faithful. Lord seeing that. And there are many, who come through the life of a local church who fade away. And there are many reasons for that their offenses that are given to them. A, there are questions that get raised and don't get answered many things, but the call is on us as individuals to stay faithful. Would we need to find the answers and work through it? We want to be faithful to the question for all of us has, are you going to stay faithful to the Lord? You need to stick with it. No matter what. And I can say this, if you say to the Lord Lord, I'm going to be faithful to you the day. I was going to say, let's just see about that. And the Lord will allow trials and tests to reveal what's in our hearts that we're faithful. And because this is a savior who gave his body and his blood for us. This is a savior who gave his Spirit to indwell us. And so now our response to that just to stand firm as a church and then as individuals in that church, stand firm, stay faithful to the Lord and stay faithful to the call of the Gospel. We cannot give up ended the waves of opposition, they always have. But we're going to stay faithful and get tested on that in the tests are going to get bigger in the coming years but God's calling us to this faithless stand from and you'll find this command throughout you test in 1st Corinthians. 16 keep alert stand firm in your faith. Elations 51 for Freedom Christ, has set us free stand firm. Therefore don't submit again to a yoke of slavery.

1st Thessalonians just a city that was down the road from Phillip by Paul says to them for now we live if you continue to stand firm in the Lord

I told him again 2nd Thessalonians. So then brothers and sisters stand firm and hold fast to the Traditions. You were taught by us. Stand firm. Don't give up.

And then he gets down to what may be what was underlined everything else in this book? And I think he would have written large, portions of this letter, and it will never know. I'm looking forward to the seminar. The Paul gives on what he was saying it when he wrote into these letters and he'll say it, you preachers. That is so wrong. All these centuries. But I believe it is. You read through this letter, you can see this undercurrent. And now he gets right down to naming names. This is why I had to say so much about Unity. Notice what he says in verse to, I plead With your tia and I plead with Syndicate to be of the same mind in the Lord. That's what he'd asked them to do. Early on, in this letter, is it? I want you to be of the same mind in Chapter 2. He said make my joy complete by being like-minded. Having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind, one of the reasons he had to write that. Now, it's always true. Every church, every Christian will always need to hear this. Let's stay United. Not identical people. We're not going to be the same, we're going to have different perspectives on things. We saw that last week and infusions last 2 weeks about the diversity in the body of Christ were gifted differently. We all have different backgrounds, perspective on education understandings and so forth. But we are united around Christ and the good news of Christ. A difference that can be But these two somehow we're having a problem, I plead with you to be of the same mind in the Lord, what had happened. And the answer is, we don't know. Were these the same women that met with Lydia by the riverbank? some 10-12 years earlier that Paul first start of the church out of is one of these women, perhaps the jailer's wife. Is one of these women, is this one of these names a code name for Lydia? I don't know. I have no idea who these women are. But these were women who along with others, had worked alongside Paul. They were wonderful, wonderful, women of God. And that Denver's three. They have contended at my side in the cause of the Gospel. Their names are in the book of life. Good Christians don't always get along.

But Paul is saying, you're going to have to work this out and there's so many things that can devise. I don't know what it was. It may have been the style of loot played that morning or maybe it was healed. The coffee that they had, that money. Wasn't that good? I don't know what it was with something if cousin to start picking at each other and the end they started to go at it. It was bad enough that Paul had to say something and he had to say it in front of the whole church. How would you like to have your name in The Holy scriptures for all eternity because you couldn't get along or somebody else?

All names names. It was that a cuz everybody do it anyway. And you brought her the names, you already Amin's prosperous Journey, your good journey, and sent it to you at least understand his acquaintance or as I think it was used to call them odious and soon touchy. But I don't know what their personalities were like, it was not Doctrine. It wasn't that they disagreed over some major doctrinal issue. It has some personal conflict And he doesn't tell him what to do. He doesn't take sides, he tells them to work it out, act like adults and work it out. The one might be of the same mind. I don't know what happened. Did they take pay attention or did they leave the church and go down to the second Church of Phillipi where they wouldn't be any letters like this anymore? I don't think that happened but how this is worked out what it meant? I don't know, but we do know that there are many things to fight over a few years ago. A guy named Tom rain or put together 25 silly things church members fight over and this has to do more with churches that have these business meetings where they talk about minutiae. So I realize why this doesn't apply, but there wasn't one controversy in a church over building a children's playground or using the land for a cemetery. Now has a playground committee thought about that option community service. Start fighting, but in one message me, there's a 45-minute heated, argument over the type of filing, cabinet to purchase 45 minutes, black or brown to three or four drawers. This is important.

Or rub. Should they purchase a weed eater or not there to business meetings? That resolved that one Or whether the church should allow deviled eggs at the church meal.

Some church members left because one church member had the vacuum cleaner from them. And it resulted in a major fight and split.

And then there was a fight over whether or not to have gluten-free communion bread or not. We just decided to have gluten-free. So if you don't like it, I'm sorry. But that's the way it. So, there are some advantages to having quality work. Some people just make the decision and everybody says, okay, but if you give people a chance to fight over things, guess they will. You know that if you raise kids, you know that one, you get, many opportunities will take it. Just unbelievable. What time the, the church budget was discovered to be off by 10 cents and so they talked and talked and talked about till finally, somebody just kicked in a time. So I but those are minor. But how many of your arguments with people and tips have been over important things? Are you really? As you look back think about your marriage, how many of your marriage discussions and debates have been over really like shaking issues. We spend a lot of time talking about things that really don't matter and so Paul has to admonish them because here's what the root problem was we find it back in chapter 2 in verses 3 and 4 do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, rather in humility value, others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest, but each of you to the interests of others, That's the attitude of Jesus Christ and that's what he's calling them to work out together. And so is he such a small thing? You know, what difference does it make? If a couple people are getting along at a church and made enough difference that Paul had to talk to the whole church about it matters that reunited and it matters. If you have a tip for somebody that's causing some division need to work it out, you have to agree on everything and follow us until we all have to see things the same way. But where we disagree, let's not let de vitis, recognize are all different and work on how we can come to a common solution. That's what matters. It's a little thing can be just a little thing, but a little thinking grow until it splits Church. And there have been some pretty silly reasons why church is a split but they have over little things. Praise God, this church has survived many different disagreements without having to go through that and that has a combination of this congregation.

But it was, it was at the place where then look at verse three. Yes. And I asked you, my True Companion help these women, and he was actually asking this person. We don't know who they were, rather, not name, but come alongside and help. Now, you have to be very careful about getting involved in other people's disputes, I can't be called triangulation, and it can cause a lot of challenges and difficulties, but there is a place to step in and call people to deal with it. He was appealing to these. Women is Christensen and mature enough to handle this to work it out, but he wanted this person to come alongside, make sure it happens. And the whole church is put on notice, and maybe this is talking to the whole church. Make sure they work it out. And the reason is because they contended, at my side, they had, they had work so hard for the gospel and just be present if I can just put it this way. As a last of it, it matters that were available or available the server available for the big challenges of contending together for the sake of the gospel and where it matters that were available to work out the times that we're contending with each other, not for the sake of the Gospel, but we just can't indeed be contentious. And so that to work it out to be available to serve and sometimes those are the hardest calls. If you see two people having trouble to say, how can I be of help and let's work this out? Canseco Christ because the small things matter. And one of the things that I learned from this text, Is that individuals mattered and I think it's important for us to be reminded of this whole point. The pebble that was in the shoe of the Church of Philip, I was two people. That was what was causing the climb up the mountain to go badly. And so Paul wrote this letter, finally gets to the specifics of it, but it's a reminder that all of us matter in a church.

We may feel that nobody knows who we are. We sit back and we don't you know, raise any attention to ourselves. But we all have a part we saw that in the Fusions for each part doing its job. So we all matter and we don't have to all contribute the same way but we all have a part we all matter. To the Lord into one another. And this is a reminder that this little personal appeal is a reminder that being in Christ like he's putting up with it sometimes. OK, people annoying people because I don't see it like I see it learning to do that. And I've said this before. I actually get in trouble for this. So sorry about the blood pressure tester going to be taking but covid didn't cause All of the attention, it just revealed it. Just gave us an offer to you know how that works. Number, I gave that Court a week or two ago about, you know what, we all have no false when we're by ourselves. You know, that's why it's a wonderful live on her own because for the most part, but if people bring out the worst tennis and you know how that was, you know what, your all your hopes and aspirations. Those you've been married. You know what that is? Like walk down the aisle. I finally, I'm sure my folks on marriage is supposed to be done. Then you find out. They being married points out all of your flaws. You find out things about yourself. I didn't know existed. I didn't know. I was that way. Well, God puts different people in our lives to help us grow. Like Jesus become more like Christ. But there's one thing, the phrase it's at the very end. I think it's an important one for us to close on. He says that these are important people because Yoda and sent the key and Clement. They work together with me. They contended at my side in the cause of the gospel and the rest of my co-workers cuz Paul worked as a team whose names are in the Book of Life.

And that is one of the great questions that we must answer in our lives. Where is my name written down? I may have 10 million followers on social media. But my name isn't in the book of life, it's not going to matter. Altima Lee is your name written in the Book of Life. Do you know, for sure that your names are in the Book of Life refer to this picture of God? Having a record of all those who trusted in Christ as their lord and savior. And Paul knew that, even though your dad said that you weren't getting along, they were saved. Questions. Are you do you know that? For sure as your name is written in the Book of Life, you belong to the Lord. If so then we respond by living this all out for God's glory. So we've all got homework to do. I got opportunities to apply. Paul's constant call. Would you get along with each other? We just stop. Fighting with each other because we're going to have new opportunities every day to do so. For the Lord father. Thank you that you called us here. Father, I thank you for every person here. And I I know that till you've done a good work in so many lives. You've done healings, you've done changes and circle.