In Everything
Notes
Transcript
2 Lift up your hands in the holy place
and bless the Lord!
14 David was dancing with all his might before the Lord wearing a linen ephod.
happy Mother’s Day to all physical and spiritual moms. Speak to spiritual moms for a minute (example of carol)
Members meeting- talking long term imb vision
Men’s prayer- Wednesday at 7 am
Introduction
Introduction
4:1-7 is really THREE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS THAT REQUIRE US TO KEEP OUR FOCUS ON GOD! What happens when SIN enters the equation, what happens when things are hard and people hurt us, and what happens when we encounter something so common in our society; anxiety.
Example of Susannah Spurgeon- a spiritual mother to a countless number of people.
Susannah faced conflict- downgrade controversy that almost killed her husband (he was attacked over defending that the Bible is the word of God- talk about dumb conflict).
She faced hard times- she was bed-ridden by 37. but still organized an incredibly powerful theological education program for pastors in the UK, wherein over 200,000 books were sent to pastors without the money to buy commentaries or books!
AND THAT WAS IN ADDITION TO STILL MAKING DISCIPLES WHEN SHE COULD! She wasn’t able to be at church often- she probably didn’t check every expectation that people had of her, but she had an immeasurable impact.
(And this is a great reminder for all of us. Ministry isn’t about other people’s expectations, it’s not about impressing people; it’s about being faithful and fruitful in God’s eyes.)
She had a husband who battled absolutely crippling depression and we know that she battled anxiety from her letters with Charles early in their marriage as he pastored through a cholera outbreak
(those letters are actually so encouraging to read - husbands, if you want an example of how to lead your wife well. Read the ones from Spurgeon and then for the much easier to read ones, read the letters of Martyn Lloyd-Jones as he pastored during the battle of Britain while his wife was nowhere near him. You’ll see men who model pointing their wives back to scripture and to God in humility.)
Main Point: In Everything Keep Your Focus On God.
Main Point: In Everything Keep Your Focus On God.
Body
Body
Philippians 4:1 is a transition verse from Paul’s more broad instruction for the Church that we see in chapter 3 to more focused instruction that we see in chapter 4.
There’s three things that I want you to see in this verse:
1 So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.
First, Paul calls the Philippians his DEARLY LOVED AND LONGED FOR BROTHERS AND SISTERS!
Paul DEEPLY LOVES THE PHILIPPIANS!
Think about how we’ve seen this in Philippians:
He’s encouraged them, he corrects them, and now he reminds them that they are DEARLY LOVED!
Paul’s love for them matters in each of these!
Encouragement without love is just generic nice words about someone, or worse, is flattery.
Correction without love is just being rude.
And Fellowship (THE BIG THEME OF THE BOOK) without love is just being in the same room as someone else!
Paul models what it ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE TO LOVE OTHER PEOPLE!
And even in his correction and exhortation, he LOVES THEM AND REMINDS THEM OF THIS!
We won’t perfectly love one another, but this is what we are striving for!
Here’s my second observation from verse 1:
Paul calls the Philippians his JOY AND CROWN!
This reminds us that Paul isn’t worried about his reputation; instead, he wants to see people from the churches that he serves at growing and praising God!
Their spiritual wellbeing means more than Paul’s reputation.
This should be our desire too!
As a practical question, if we said that the disciples we have made is our joy and crown, what would that crown look like?
Would it be full? Or would it be empty and non-existent?
Because Cornerstone, Paul’s being really clear here- he’s not just saying, “Store up treasures in heaven” he’s saying, “SEEING YOU WALK WITH GOD IS MY TREASURE!”
Here’s my third observation- Paul gives yet another call for the believers to stand firm, while AGAIN calling them his friends!
Paul has just given a really heavy challenge in Philippians 3. But it’s done from a place of love and Paul wants them to know it!
The honest truth is that Philippians 3 can be DEEPLY CONVICTING AND CHALLENGES US!
But it’s not done to make people feel worse; Paul loves the Philippians!
And Cornerstone, I love you! Let’s stand firm IN THE LORD (IN THE LORD IS A KEY PHRASE IN ITS OWN RIGHT IN PHILIPPIANS 4), TOGETHER!
Paul again addresses sin in verses 2-3. Paul directly speaks to two women who are struggling with something. It’s unique in that Paul directly addresses it.
That’s how serious sin is! It’s serious enough that it goes IN HIS LETTER TO THE ENTIRE CHURCH! Paul doesn’t hide sin, he doesn’t pretend that sin doesn’t exist; PAUL CONFRONTS SIN HEAD ON AND BOLDLY!
2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life.
Let me start with this- we don’t know what the sin is, but we do know this- THIS SIN THREATENED THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH!
Pretty much every sin threatens unity in some way. Pride- threatens unity. Anger- threatens unity. Gossip- threatens unity. Lying- threatens unity. Sexual immorality- threatnes unity. Getting caught up in useless and self-serving debates- like what Paul warns about in Titus- threatens unity!
I actually think this last one is so overlooked but matters so much. All you have to do to see the damage of self-serving debates (that’s pride) and preferences is go on X, scroll back to when it was still twitter and you’ll see theobro’s going at it over and over.
In fact, there was one instance where I was at a conference with a mentor and he elbowed me in THE MIDDLE OF A SESSION WITH 10,000 PASTORS IN IT AND whispers, “HEY, HAVE YOU SEEN WHAT’S GOING ON?”
Then he showed me. LITERALLY TWO THEOLOGY PROFESSORS FROM THE SAME SEMINARY WERE IN A PUBLIC DISPUTE ON TWITTER ABOUT A MINOR POINT OF THEOLOGY AND IT HAD DEVOLVED TO NAME-CALLING!
IT WAS STUPID AND IT WAS SINFUL!
We need to understand this- sin causes disunity and sin needs to be addressed.
Here’s what we know- these two women are threatening the unity of the church. What their specific action is isn’t the point. The point is that they need to STOP, REPENT, and AGREE IN THE LORD!
This is the key- even if you disagree about something, can you find UNITY IN THE LORD?
CAN YOU FIND UNITY IN JESUS?
If the answer to that is NO, then WE NEED TO CHECK OURSELVES, BECAUSE WE ARE SAYING THAT OUR DISAGREEMENT, OUR VIEWPOINT, IS BIGGER THAN THE GOSPEL OF JESUS!
WE ARE SAYING THAT OUR DISAGREEMENT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAT THE SAVIOR THAT LOVES US SO MUCH THAT HE DIED FOR US!
We can’t tolerate that!
So practically, here’s something to consider- biblical unity hinges on three things- LOVING GOD, LOVING JESUS, AND LOVING ONE ANOTHER!
If ANY of those three things are missing from our unity, then we are DESTINED TO FAIL and to separate over and over.
Can I encourage us in something- disunity isn’t something we need to fear! Instead, there’s an actual solution! LOVE GOD, LOVE JESUS, LOVE ONE ANOTHER!
And all of that requires something- they require HUMILITY! There is no room for PRIDE IN CHRISTIAN UNITY!
Look at how Paul continues to handle this- Paul CALLS OUT SIN, then appeals to CLEMENT and the rest of “my coworkers” or the CHRISTIANS IN PHILIPPI!
He pleads with the CHURCH AS A WHOLE TO HELP THESE TWO WOMEN AGREE AND TO GET THEM TO STOP THIS ARGUMENT!
His goal? To help the church get back to what it does best; LIVING OUT THE GREAT COMMISSION!
Disunity not only hurts feelings and prevents fellowship, it brings dishonor on the NAME OF THE LORD and it HOLDS US BACK FROM LIVING OUT THE GREAT COMMISSION!
I’ll say this bluntly- we can’t ever let ANYTHING BRING DISHONOR TO THE LORD OR HOLD US BACK FROM THE GREAT COMMISSION!
Plus, just as an honest side note- we’re going to be spending eternity with EVERYONE who’s saved, so we better work through our differences now! We better be QUICK TO FORGIVE AND MOVE FORWARD!
Who’s the Threat?
Who’s the Threat?
For our first takeaway, I want to guide us through a few questions on unity and disunity that I found super helpful. I want us to take some time to wrestle with these specific questions and to consider what our responses would be!
Tony Merida is a pastor in NC and in his commentary on Philippians he asks three questions about this passage that I think are helpful for us to consider. So I’m going to give us his questions and then a few comments from me.
First, do you see yourself as a threat to unity in the local church?
Here’s the convicting truth- if disunity stems from SIN and we are all SINNERS (which we are), then WE ARE ALWAYS A THREAT TO THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH!
THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME- and the source? It’s people who would be described as “good, honest christians.”
Friends, the cause of disunity isn’t some shady figure who sneaks into churches and destroys unity in the middle of the night. It’s normal people who become prideful, or get caught up in sin!
Second, will you ask for help when you have a conflict?
We need to understand that our conflict IMPACTS the church!
Don’t try to hide conflict!
Get help! WORK THROUGH CONFLICT QUICKLY!
When needed, bring in a third party, not to take sides, but to help provide a new outlook. There’s no shame in this!
Third, are you prepared to give help?
I love talking about this! You don’t have to have a degree to give help. You don’t have to be a licensed counselor, or a mediator. None of these guys in Philippians 4 had masters degrees or advanced certificates.
Instead, they had the HOLY SPIRIT, a willingness to LOVE GOD, to LOVE JESUS, and to LOVE ONE ANOTHER!
That’s what they needed!
So often in American Christianity we want another program, or the perfect degree and training, or to pass off that issue to “a professional.” (the idea of a professional in ministry is a longer sermon for a different day- there are not different classes of christians, like a professional grade and then an at-home grade christian. EVERY CHRISTIAN IS CALLED TO LIVE OUT THEIR FAITH! EVERY CHRISTIAN CAN AND GO TO GOD!)
But what if we don’t need another program?!? What if we don’t need another training session?!? Do you know what we really need to do? WE NEED TO SPEND MORE TIME TRUSTING GOD!
Here’s an example of this- one of the most impactful sermons in HUMAN HISTORY was preached and labeled as a “TERRIBLE SERMON” preached by an untrained man who was filling the pulpit during a snowstorm!
One of the people listening that day in the congregation was a teenager who had been walking through the cold and decided to go into the church.
That young man was Susannah Spurgeon’s husband, Charles Haddon Spurgeon!
He went on to become probably the most famous preacher to ever live! And it started not with the perfect outline, or the perfect speaker, but with someone willing to let the HOLY SPIRIT MOVE!
Will you let the Holy Spirit move through you to help others?
Philippians 4:4-5
Philippians 4:4-5
In verses 4-5 and 6-7, Paul gives some more instructions. Check out verses 4-5 with me.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.
In verse 4 Paul gives a really EMPHATIC INSTRUCTION!
TWICE HE SAYS REJOICE! Both times this is an imperative verb- remember, that means that this is a command!
PAUL COMMANDS THE PHILIPPIANS TO REJOICE IN THE LORD!
Notice that- they are to REJOICE IN THE LORD! NOT IN THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES, IN THE LORD!
When things are good?
REJOICE IN THE LORD!
When things are bad?
REJOICE IN THE LORD!
When you’re in a Roman prison cell?
REJOICE IN THE LORD!
When you don’t like your job?
REJOICE IN THE LORD!
When you don’t like where you live?
REJOICE IN THE LORD!
When you are unhappy?
REJOICE IN THE LORD!
When everything is great?
REJOICE IN THE LORD!
AT ALL TIMES WE ARE CALLED TO REJOICE IN THE LORD!
I can’t plead with us enough to the dual nature of this instruction!
First, we are called to rejoice in the LORD, not in man, or our circumstances, but in GOD!
Second, we are to do that not sometimes, not occasionally, but ALL THE TIME!
We are to do that when we are HAPPY, when we are HURTING, when we LOVE EVERYTHING THAT IS GOING ON, when we HATE WHAT IS GOING ON!
AT ALL TIMES, WE ARE TO REJOICE IN THE LORD!
In some ways that’s the EYE-CATCHING part of these verses. REJOICE!
But there’s a second part- Let your GRACIOUSNESS- or literally your GENTLENESS BE KNOWN TO EVERYONE!
This is JUST AS IMPORTANT, BUT WE SKIP IT!
ARE WE GENTLE TO THE PEOPLE AROUND US?
And here’s why we skip it- because it requires that we do some things differently.
Let me give you five things that showing gentleness to the world requires from us:
First, we have to know the people around us and they have to know us!
Second, we have to care about the people around us!
Third, we have to DIE TO OURSELVES!
Fourth, we have to UNDERSTAND THE PEOPLE AROUND US!
Fifth, WE HAVE TO BE GROWING TO BE MORE LIKE JESUS!
Let me summarize it like this- if we are going to show gentleness to the world then we have to CHANGE WHAT OUR FOCUS IS!
This loops us right back to Philippians 3! Our focus has to be on JESUS! WE HAVE TO BE CONTENT BEING CITIZENS OF HEAVEN! THAT NEEDS TO BE OUR FUEL!
And as we live differently, we need to remember that Christ is near!
There’s a double interpretation here- first, THE LORD’S return is NEAR, so therefore we SHOULD love people and live differently!
Secondly, God is NEAR TO THE BROKENHEARTED, so we SHOULD BE GENTLE TO THEM!
I think there’s merits to both interpretations and I don’t think that we actually need to take a stand on it. We SHOULD LIVE DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE GOD’S RETURN IS NEAR AND AT THE SAME TIME, WE SHOULD BE GENTLE TO THE BROKENHEARTED BECAUSE GOD IS NEAR!
And then at the same time, that phrase “THE LORD IS NEAR” IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD KEEP IN MIND AS WE LOOK AT THE NEXT TWO VERSES!
How do you Respond
How do you Respond
When you face a hard time, when you face people who are not on the same page as you, when you face resistance, how do you respond?
Cornerstone, Philippians 4:4-5 gives us two ways to respond to any difficulty!
WE RESPOND BY REJOICING!
Rather than criticizing or becoming depressed, we rejoice! Rather than becoming bitter, we REJOICE!
We respond WITHE GENTLENESS!
Rather than flexing our power or who we are, or how great we think that we are, we RESPOND WITH GENTLENESS!
There’s something that both of these things has in common.
Both of these REQUIRE that we think MORE OF GOD AND OTHERS THAN OURSELVES!- they require HUMILITY!
We REJOICE because we know that GOD IS STILL SOVEREIGN!
WE REJOICE BECAUSE WE SEE WHAT GOD IS DOING IN THAT PERSON’S LIFE AND WE WANT TO CELEBRATE IT!
WE ARE GENTLE BECAUSE CHRIST IS GENTLE WITH US!
WE ARE GENTLE BECAUSE WE CARE MORE ABOUT THAT OTHER PERSON THAN OURSELVES!
There’s no magical three steps of how to be more filled with rejoicing or of how to be more gentle.
But I do think it starts with GROWING CLOSER TO GOD!
Are you seeking God, are you living out the spiritual disciplines? ARE YOU A DISCIPLE?
Remember- a disciple is someone who actively follows God!
I worry that sometimes in our definition we can start to think that a disciple only changes their actions. First, a disciple GROWS TO LOVE GOD MORE! A DISCIPLE LEARNS MORE ABOUT WHO GOD IS!
To follow Jesus, we have to KNOW JESUS!
We need to be in scripture, we need to surround ourselves with Godly community- the EKKLESIA, or church, to spur us on!
So on a personal level, let me charge all of us- myself included- man, let’s make sure that we are seeking to grow closer to God! If we aren’t in scripture, if we aren’t praying, then let’s change that ASAP!
On a church level, are we going to spur one another on towards love and good works like Hebrews 10 challenges us to?
I want to be clear on something- that spurring one another on doesn’t happen if we don’t talk about real things. If we come into church with a fake face on we can’t spur one another on. If we come in determined to not show that things are hard, or that we have burdens, we can’t get upset when no one encourages us!
And yet at the same time, we have to look in the mirror- if someone walked up to me this morning and was hurting, would I help them? Would I seek to be the hands and the feet of Jesus, helping them to rejoice by meeting them witht he Gospel (not an empty platitude that God’s Got this, but an actual listening ear to remind someone that JESUS LOVES THEM IN THIS SPOT!), or would I brush it off and get uncomfortable with them and kind of shut them down.
Friends, we are called to walk through life together! Our time together is our time to encourage one another to REJOICE AND TO LIVE A GENTLE LIFE!
WILL WE BE THOSE CHRISTIANS?
tie it back into the three ways of showing our reliance on God!
Philippians 4:6-7
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Paul does something here with his wording that we read right over! His literal wording is, “There is nothing to be anxious about.”
I don’t know about you, but there are days where I could REALLY ARGUE WITH PAUL ON THAT!
I’m not a super anxious person, but I remember finals week. I remember moving, I remember getting married, I remember the night before my shoulder surgery in Laradise and feeling pretty anxious. so what does Paul mean when he’s saying THAT THERE’S NOTHING TO BE ANXIOUS ABOUT?
Well, remember- THE LORD IS NEAR!
WHEN YOU ARE BROKENHEARTED AND ANXIOUS, THE LORD IS NEAR!
AND NOT ONLY THAT, WE CAN BRING EVERYTHING TO HIM!
See, in every situation, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, we BRING OUR REQUESTS TO GOD!
That thing that is making you anxious RIGHT NOW? BRING IT TO GOD!
And here’s something else that I love. Paul does something unique here- he uses a PASSIVE IMPERATIVE!
That’s a PASSIVE COMMAND. That’s kind of an oxymoron. He’s getting at a really specific point.
God is near- so, every day as you go along, as you’re stressed, as anxiety enters your heart, BRING YOUR REQUESTS TO GOD RIGHT THEN AND THERE!
There’s no magic ritual, there’s no crazy thing. JUST TALK TO THE FATHER!
Every single day, TALK TO THE FATHER!
AND AS YOU TALK TO HIM, BRING THANKSGIVING AND BRING YOUR REQUESTS!
Here’s a little secret- we will always have more and larger things to be thankful for than the requests that we have!
Just let that sink in- you have more to be thankful for than you have things to request. Your things to give thanks for are more meaningful and are larger than the things that you are anxious about!
That’s TRANSFORMATIVE AND THAT’S POWERFUL!
But here’s the last part- God promises that HIS PEACE which is BIGGER AND BETTER THAN ANY HUMAN UNDERSTANDING- will guard our hearts.
Anxiety has no power and no authority in the life of a Christian!
Instead of filling ourselves with anxiety, we can rest in the GOODNESS AND THE KINDNESS OF GOD WHEN WE ARE TEMPTED TOWARDS ANXIETY!
Instead, our peace is guarded by Christ Jesus!
This is GREAT NEWS! Let me just encourage you in this!
As a follower of Jesus you can get a type of rest that a non-believer CANNOT! Because you KNOW GOD PERSONALLY!
THIS IS INCREDIBLE NEWS!
Takeaway 3- Where’s Your Peace
Takeaway 3- Where’s Your Peace
GOSPEL!
Practical for christians- PREACH THE GOSPEL TO YOURSELF! PUT IT ON A NOTECARD, SAY IT TO YOURSELF IN THE SHOWER, PREACH IT TO YOURSELF DAILY! THIS IS TOTALLY TRANSFORMATIVE!
Here’s another tie-in- HUMILITY- GOING TO GOD WHEN WE FACE ANXIETY REQUIRES HUMILITY! BECAUSE IT’S SAYING THAT YOU DON’T HAVE THE PERFECT SOLUTION, NOR DO YOU HAVE THE MEANS TO FIND THE SOLUTION!
THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO IS TURN TO JESUS!
And that’s a huge part of this entire passage. HUMILITY!
Humility to put aside conflict, humility to rejoice in hard times, humility to be gentle with others, and humility to go to God rather than our own strength.
Cornerstone, if we as individuals and a church look to our own ability to solve conflict, to navigate hard times, to reach Savoy, then it is destined to fail!
But if we HUMBLE OURSELVES BEFORE GOD, then it won’t!
Hope and I have been reading through the Bible together with a resource from a ministry called Revive our hearts- and women, check out their podcast and their website. It’s incredible. But yesterday as we were in 2 Chronicles a quote from the devotional really caught my eye. It went like this:
We’re reminded that when God’s people humble themselves (there’s that word), seek His face, pray, and turn from sin, He (THIS IS WHAT GOD DOES) hears from heaven, forgives, restores, and brings revival.
Cornerstone, this isn’t just man’s idea. This is a paraphrase of 2 Chronicles 7:12-15 and it’s a reminder of where our PEACE COMES FROM!
12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him:
I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple of sacrifice. 13 If I shut the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on my people, 14 and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. 15 My eyes will now be open and my ears attentive to prayer from this place.
Will we be people who are quick to HUMBLE OURSELVES AND GO TO GOD, SEEKING TO KNOW HIM MORE?
Will we be people who TURN FROM SIN AND RUN TO THE CROSS, FALLING BEFORE GOD?
The promise is clear- God will hear, God will forgive, and God will heal. And in the New Covenant that we live under, that healing isn’t just about taking grasshoppers from the land. That healing is REVIVAL! IT’S SPIRITUAL RENEWAL!
This is why we are starting that weekly men’s prayer time! WE WANT TO HUMBLE OURSELVES BEFORE GOD! (SPEAK TO MEN- COME WEDNESDAY MORNING, NOTE THE TIME CHANGE, AT 7 AM AND PRAY! It isn’t a prayer circle, it’s just a time for you to come SEEK GOD FACE TO FACE!) (TO WOMEN- AND WOMEN- even though this is a men’s ministry focus, can I challenge you, do the same! SEEK GOD’S FACE! GO TO GOD IN DELIBERATE PRAYER!)
Let me pray for us as Beatrice and the worship team come back up.
