The Study 26/ Philippians

Joy in Serving

We are committed to being students of the scriptures…. Committed to studying God’s word and letting the Word of God study us…

Hebrews 4:12

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

the reality is, we crave truth and settle for lies and feelings…. we crave an authority to tell us we are right, to validate our feelings, but we need a JUDGE for a feelings.

In reality… THE STUDY is..

**As we STUDY the Bible, the BIBLE reveals and refines us**

The goal is to GROW,

Salvation happens the moment I put my faith in Jesus

Maturity happens as I allow scripture to shape my life

Hebrews 5:12–14

“12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

Maturity isn’t measured by how much Scripture I’ve HEARD, but by how much Scripture has shaped how I LIVE.

That is why we are doing this series.

For the purpose of this years study, we are studying Philippians together…. Paul’s letter of JOY written from prison.

Last week we looked at JOY in suffering…. Normally following a season of suffering we would look for rest, we would look for recovery, we would look for something to “fill us”…. However the progression in Philippians is quite different…

We move right from JOY in Suffering to JOY through SERVING….

Joy through Serving

You see our soul, would make our suffering about us, therefore would pull us into a self preserving, self entitled season… but the SPIRIT… the SPIRIT pulls us out of SUFFERING into SERVING

1.) Serving Starts With the Source

Paul starts out the second chapter of Philippians with this incredible thought on connection to CHRIST

Philippians 2:1–2

“2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”

We cannot allow a season of suffering to lead to a season of separation.

Your encouragement is IN CHRIST… not in yourself, and the product of that is SERVING

John 15:5

“5 ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

REMAIN in me…

2.) Serving flows through Humility

During revival nights I said the HOLY SPIRIT flows where Unity Grows

Now I am going to tell you JOY flows where HUMILITY grows

Growing disciples… grow in humility…. Growing disciples SERVE people

Philippians 2:3–4

“3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

“Selfish Ambition” - rivalry, promoting yourself….

-the world is full of this…. It’s the culture of the world we live in and we are called to completely stay away from it

It feed your SOUL….. but the scriptures call to our SPIRIT which is to value all people…

-not based on your preference… based on scripture

Ephesians 2:10

“10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

3.) Serving requires Surrender

Paul goes on in Philippians 2 to give us the most incredible picture of surrender though the lense of Christ

Philippians 2:5–8

“5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

Paul doesn’t simply call us to ADMIRE Jesus, He calls us to THINK like JESUS…..

Jesus had every right to come and BE SERVED

Yet HE CHOSE TO SERVE

John 13:4–5

“4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel round his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped round him.”

Jesus didn’t use his position to avoid serving… He used it as an opportunity TO SERVE…

4.) Serving makes the GOSPEL SHINE

We know that our goal is that everyone would see JESUS, but that isn’t simply accomplished in the big moments… it’s accomplished through simply SERVING…

Philippians 2:15–16

“15 so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labour in vain.”

When you hold firmly to SCRIPTURE…. Serving becomes a lifestyle.

When you grow in your faith…. Serving becomes natural

When you mature as a disciple… Serving becomes an IDENTITY

When the church serves the gospel shines

Matthew 5:16

“16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

**biblical serving makes me less visible and Jesus More visible**

Joy flows where humility grows… Joy in SERVING

Concl/ Salvation

Jesus served us in the greatest suffering ever ….and provided us the deepest JOY ever…. SALVATION…