Sermon 08 10 05

I really don’t like conflict, whether it is with other people or as happens to me on a regular basis, internal conflict.  I actually don’t seem to have many conflicts because I like to avoid them at all costs, but the ones that really take their toll are those internal ones, I’ve discovered that you can’t easily sneak away from those.  When you try to they have this strange way of following you.  I know all of this sounds a bit too philosophical for little old me, but it’s the truth!

I reckon Paul had been through some conflict in his time too, both internal and external.  Our reading today outlines his standing in the community and the church.  He was pretty much perfect as far as what was required of him as a Jew of good standing.  Hew was circumcised according to the requirements, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, not some ring-in, he knew and spoke Hebrew, followed the law as well as a Pharisee, and even went so far as to persecute the Christians who were teaching contrary to the law and he was righteous under the law, in other words, he followed the law to the letter.

Yet he came to realise after his conversion experience on the road to Damascus that all of these things were in vain.  Without Christ they meant nothing.  By clinging to these things they were blinding him to his need for the real righteousness. 

I think now more than ever there are things that threaten to blind us to the need we have to cling to Christ and his righteousness.  We substitute other things in his place to try to keep us ‘happy’ and content.  What’s your substitute?  You may not even be able to pinpoint it. 

I know mine, I am fully aware of what gets in the way of me focussing on Christ, I know what distracts me, what gets in my way.  I reckon you’ve known me long enough to pick it too.  Whichever form you choose, ice or inline hockey, you’ve picked it.

I’ve just arrived home from yet another National tournament, in fact this time they overlapped end-to-end, one ice on inline. This year I’ve used up all of my annual leave as I’ve attended the various tournaments, as well as a substantial amount of my income and most of my spare time. It’s a good thing I’ve got a very patient and forgiving wife.  At times I will admit, I’ve even been distracted from doing my job, my calling because of the internal conflict of wanting to keep myself and my boys ‘happy’. 

The fact is I’m not ‘happy’ about it at all, I wish there was a way that I could do both all of the time, without the conflicts and clashes with scheduling and demand on my resources.  It’s time for some changes for me.

I was relieved to read in a commentary that Paul isn’t calling for a radical change in our lives, unless pride in who we are detracts from our need for God.

Do you have a problem like mine, is there something that gets in your way all of the time, something that stops you from keeping Christ as the central focus in your life.  I know some of our members are like me and have clashes with their children’s sporting or other commitments, we all want to be the ‘good’ parent and allow them options in their lives, we don’t want to drive a wedge between them and their faith.

Maybe you work so hard during the week, commuting backwards and forwards to work, running around doing stuff for other people that you find it difficult to get out of bed on a Sunday morning to come to worship.

Is there some external conflict going on in your life that’s taking all of your attention, trouble at work, disagreements with your husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend?  Are you struggling to make ends meet with rising fuel costs, food, electricity, gas and water bills, school fees and the like and that is getting you down.  Whatever is getting in the way we all need to find a way to set it aside and return our focus to where it should be.

In some of these cases that will be possible, in others we need to call on Christ for our help and strength to deal with the problem before we move on.  In that case we’re switching the emphasis of our striving from trying to do it all by ourselves, and on our own merit, and turning to God through his Word and in prayer to help us bear the burden of our load.

In all of our situations we’d love to find the quick fix simple answer to all of our problems so that we can relax and enjoy life, but that may not happen.  As Paul says, “Whatever gains I had these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ”.

Whatever we strive for in this life pales into insignificance in comparison to what we have received through Christ.  Paul realised this and wanted to pass that message on the church in Philippi and then it has been handed down to us to learn from as well.

Juggling – trying to keep all of our balls in the air – works for a while but is going to be difficult to do