Sermon Tone Analysis

Rejoice in the Lord

Philippian

Philippians 3:4-21

Today marks the last Sunday in the year 2018.

I can’t help but ask, “where has the year gone?”

It seems like only yesterday we were in this same situation in 2017.

Time is flying by quickly and we are all so busy there seems to be a danger of losing sight about what is important for our future.

Today marks the last Sunday in the year 2018.

I can’t help but ask, “where has the year gone?”

It seems like only yesterday we were in this same situation in 2017.

Time is flying by quickly and we are all so busy there seems to be no time for refection.

Today marks the last Sunday in the year 2018.

I can’t help but ask, “where has the year gone?”

It seems like only yesterday we were in this same situation in 2017.

Time is flying by quickly and we are all so busy there tends to be a danger of losing sight about what is important for our future.

Today marks the last Sunday in the year 2018.

I can’t help but ask, “where has the year gone?”

It seems like only yesterday we were in this same situation in 2017.

Time is flying by quickly and we are all so busy there tends to be a danger of losing sight about what is important for our future.

I like those year-end television specials that talk about the past year - all the big tv shows, the block buster movies and the movie stars.

These shows usually talk about exciting moments in sports.

The will also remember famous people who have died.

It is common for people to take a look at the past year to evaluate where they stand.

People will examine their successes and their failures.

ILLUSTRATION

Similarly, our country starts the new year with the “State of the Union Address” by the President.

This “address” usually talks about the accomplishments that have been experience during the past year and also mention the challenges still ahead.

State of the Union address.

An annual message delivered to Congress by the president of the United States, in which he describes the condition of the country, outlines the nation's most serious problems, and proposes his annual program of legislation.

The concept for a State of the Union address is enshrined in Article II, Section 3, Clause I of the Constitution, which states that the president "shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."

Some interesting facts about the State of the Union Address:

George Washington first gave this "annual message" to Congress on January 8, 1790, in the Senate Chamber of Federal Hall in New York City - which was then the temporary seat of government.

The third president, Thomas Jefferson, broke with his predecessors for his State of the Union address, electing to deliver his message in writing.

Jefferson set a precedent that lasted for more than 100 years, until President Woodrow Wilson spoke in person to a joint session of Congress in 1913, according to the Archives.

President Calvin Coolidge's first -- and only -- address in 1923 was the first to be broadcast nationally on the radio, according to the Coolidge Foundation.

President Franklin Roosevelt was the first to call his speech the "State of the Union" address, according to the Senate Historical Office, and the term was made official under President Harry Truman.

Truman's was the first to be televised in 1947, but President Lyndon Johnson's 1965 address was the first to be broadcast in prime time, per the House Historical Office.

President George W. Bush's address in 2002 was the first to be streamed on the internet.

President Bill Clinton holds the record for the longest State of the Union address.

His 2000 address ran 1 hour, 28 minutes, 49 seconds, according to the American Presidency Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Washington had the shortest address, with his 1790 speech spanning just 833 words.

It is believed to have lasted only 10 minutes.

Presidents William Henry Harrison and James Garfield never delivered a State of the Union address.

Both died in office before they were able to.

President Barack Obama is the only African-American, president or not, to have ever addressed a joint session of Congress.

The State of the Union address has been postponed only once, in 1986.

President Ronald Reagan's address was originally scheduled on the same day as the Challenger space shuttle explosion.

It was delayed until the following week in light of the tragedy.

At least one member of the President's Cabinet is selected to stay behind from the speech each year in case of emergency.

The designated survivor goes to a distant, secure and undisclosed location outside Washington while everyone else gathers to listen to the President's address in the Capitol.

The designated survivor must be eligible to be president, and if a higher-ranking successor survives a potential incident, that person would become president ahead of the designated survivor.

The practice started in the 1960s, during the Cold War, when there were fears of a nuclear attack.

Our news media and government aren’t the only ones to revisit the past.

Most businesses take a close look at what they have accomplished at the end of their fiscal year.

Our mistake is often times that we rejoice in our own efforts when we should be rejoicing in the Lord.

TRANSITION

In our passage this morning, the Apostle Paul gives an explanation about what it means to rejoice in the Lord.

He wants us to understand how our “joy” should be based on our salvation in Christ, our relationship with Christ, and the service that flows from that salvation.

According to Paul, there are three things to consider.

Three reasons to Rejoice in the Lord.

Three things that should keep us pointed in the right direction.

Acknowledge the past (vv.

1-10).

I say we can “acknowledge” the past, but we must not dwell on the past.

There seems to be a human tendency to dwell so much on the past that we let it hold us back.

Our past mistakes is one of the devils favorite weapons to use against us.

He loves to use our past to prevent us from moving forward.

Philippians 3:1-10

We must not dwell on the past, because that can prevent us from moving forward

ILLUSTRATION

FORBES MAGAZINE - 7 Challenges Successful People Overcome

Like fear, the past is a product of your mind.

No amount of guilt can change the past.

Successful people know this, and they focus on living in the present moment.

It’s impossible to reach your full potential if you’re constantly somewhere else, unable to fully embrace the reality (good or bad) of this very moment.

We cannot dwell on the past, but we can acknowledge it.

As a matter of fact, nothing in our past is good enough.

In the context of our passage, the Apostle Paul is confronting the people that think their efforts mean something to God.

Considering his own past, Paul said...

You see , we need to examine our past because it reminds us where we came from.

As I look back on my past (even considering the things I counted as good accomplishments or achievements) I begin to realize that it all means nothing.

Paul said, “not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ.”

Paul listed all his great qualities from the past and said he counted them all as loss.

Suffering is good for many reasons: because of Who wills it, the good fruit it brings, the lessons it teaches (see ). Paul says that the things that he lost were nothing - because it enabled him to gain Christ.

You might say that’s a horrible way to look back on your life, but it’s the truth.

We are nothing without Christ.

We have accomplished nothing.

We have gained no favor whatsoever with God.

Paul says that the things that he lost were nothing - because it enabled him to gain Christ.

When our past is evaluated by God at the end of this life He will not be impressed with what we think we have accomplished - He will be looking for the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the door posts of our hearts.

Live in the present (vv.

11-16).

We must not dwell on the past, because that can prevent us from moving forward

Ph

We can acknowledge the past, but we must move on.

and live in the present.

More specifically, serve Christ in the present and continue until this life is over.

Suffering is good for many reasons: because of Who wills it, the good fruit it brings, the lessons it teaches (see ). Paul says that the things that he lost were nothing - because it enabled him to gain Christ.

How do you see loss?

Suffering is good for many reasons: because of Who wills it, the good fruit it brings, the lessons it teaches (see ). Paul says that the things that he lost were nothing - because it enabled him to gain Christ.

How do you see loss?

I couldn’t help but notice Paul’s language here in these verses.