Philippians 4:8-13: "A Hope Filled 2021" Part 2

A Hope-Filled 2021, Part 2 I trust you had a great New Year's Eve celebration. You know, being with a lot of people to see the Ball drop. Or having a big social gathering at your house. No? Oh yeah! Covid strikes again. Earlier in the week Kitty and I were in a store. I told her that my talking point was that if the sales people told me to wear a mask, then I would politely tell them that I could not, due to conviction. If they continued to insist, then I would politely leave. No harm, no foul, but no sale either! We arrived at the store and sure enough, the sales person asked me to wear a mask. I told him that I could not due to conviction and he simply said "Ok" and went on as if it were pre-covid days. We were in the process of making the purchase and the sales person had to go back and forth while we waited in the chairs. After awhile we overheard a couple say to their sales person that they could not go into the area we were in because I was not wearing a mask. So we moved to another area, close to the door. I was looking at one of the displays. But Kitty noticed several people looking at me, maskless, and refused to go into the store. So, we moved outside. The sales guy was gracious and we finished the sale outside. I felt sorry for the people, to be frank. The panic and anger has been ratcheted up to astronomical proportions. But you might be thinking, "how can you as a Christian not love your neighbor?" Because that is the most common complaint as I understand it, given by those who wear a mask to those who don't. In brief, I don't wear a mask unless I absolutely have to. That the place that requires me to wear one is the only place I can go to to conduct business. A hospital is an example. Jesus said that loving God and neighbor was the fulfillment of the Law. But what does it mean to love one's neighbor? As he normally does, Jesus quotes from the Scripture-the Old Testament. The commandment to love one's neighbor is found in Leviticus 19, and the context is, in large measure, to speak truth with one's neighbor. There is a lot of information floating around regarding covid. And to the best of my knowledge, my understanding of the truth of this disease is that, people with co-morbidities die from it, just like people do who contract the seasonal flu. And there is much evidence that covid 19 is not nearly as deadly as those who are pushing a narrative would have us believe. So, bottom line for me is that not wearing a mask is my small way of loving my neighbor, telling them the truth that covid is not a death sentence. So we don't need to fear it. And what does the Lord tell us about fear, anyway? We are to fear nothing or no one but God. He alone has the authority to kill and after he has killed to cast our soul into hell. Of course, this is my settled conclusion on the matter. Everybody needs to do their homework-and live their conclusions, letting the chips fall where they may. And to think about the truth-of everything they hear. Thinking on things that are true is part of living a hope-filled 2021. So much of what we continually think about really does determine how well we can communicate hope to a world in desperate need of it. Our passage for today is Philippians 4.8-13. Like last week we are going to just walk through these verses. But let me remind us of where we have come. I trust you were able to think on what we talked about last week. I know at least one of you were-I saw a Facebook post that actually illustrated us playing catch with God! We remember what hope is: we are absolutely sure of what is to come. It is impossible for it to be any other way. Again, my hope is fixed on Jesus, and so, heaven awaits. I responded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and have stopped going my own way and have begun to go his. I placed my full trust in the gospel of Christ, for the King died for my sins and rose from the dead. He has placed me in his family and one day I will be with him. His resurrection guarantees and validates his promise, "because I live you shall live also." It is impossible for me to see it any other way. My hope lies in him. And that hope is given to every true follower of Jesus. So, to demonstrate our hope in Christ, God has called us to live a hope-filled life. And what better time to begin than right now, January 3, 2021? Let me remind us of where we've been. Step 1: We obey the command to rejoice in the Lord as Paul tells us in Philippians 4.4, on one hand, and living in the light of the Lord's nearness on the other, as he tells us in Philippians 4.5. When we do, we can be gentle with others, because we realize that there are a whole lot of things in this life we can just let go. We don't have to win. We don't have to shove our opinions down others' throats. We can have our opinions. We can hold to the truth, even if no one else follows, just like the lyrics of the song declares: "I Have decided to Follow Jesus". "Though none go with me, still I will follow." Step 2: Anything that concerns us, concerns the Lord-that is a spiritual fact of life. And he tells us to cast our anxieties on him-we toss them to the Lord who tosses back his peace. His peace guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. And what does that peace look like? David painted it in Psalm 131.1-2: O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. David's relationship with the Lord is one like a weaned child against his mother. Protection. Peace. Contentment. David was no stranger to hardship. Storms raged around him. He was often hunted down like a dog. Falsely accused. Even the wife king Saul promised David was given to another man! But he knew where his comfort lie-in the Lord who dearly and tenderly loved and cared for him. Having dealt with our relationship with the Lord and our prayer life, let's now take a third, hope-filled step in 2021-the first verse in our passage today, Philippians 4.8: Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Now, this verse is not out of the ESV, which is what I always use when reading or preaching. But there is a reason for me quoting it from this version. And you will see why in a moment. What we are dealing with here, of course is our thought life. It's a given that we all have an inner world where we can get lost, even if we are surrounded by others. And how and what we think about things profoundly affects us. And that even goes for our sudden reactions to things. How often do we say and do things that are embarrassing or harmful to others and we say, "that's not like me?" Actually, it is. Because we are all capable of the most vile things, even as Christians. And we do them at the worst times. Situations have a way of not making or breaking us, but revealing us. Now this is hard truth. But this is reality. And as Christians, our thought life is right at the center of the battle. Our tongues, for example are tied to our heart. What did Jesus say? "Out of the overflow of our heart, our mouth speaks." So, if we want to hear someone's heart, let's pay attention to their words. So, Philippians 4.8 is a tremendous help as we feed our hearts, which will serve to push out the rotten things there, enabling us to speak words, go places, and do things that will honor the Lord, and demonstrate that we are not living for the moment-we have set our hope on Christ! We can consider this verse as a mental checklist to help us think godly thoughts. Today, I want us to engage in a little Scripture memory. In the upper right hand corner of your bulletin, you have either a 1 or a 2. Keep that in mind as we together memorize this verse. What I would like for us to do is to volley this verse back and forth between the 1's and the 2's. Philippians 4.8 has a lot of words. But we can break it down to the main points. And we can do this first of all by repeating a word that many of you have heard me say a number of times. And the word is THRPLGREP. Say it with me: THRPLGREP. Say it again with me: THRPLGREP. THRPLGREP is the key to memorizing this verse. Each letter of the THRPLGREP acronym is a point in this verse. T is true. H is honorable. R is right. P is pure. L is lovely. Gr is good repute. E is excellent. P is worthy of praise. See? THRPLGREP! So, let's play a little volleyball with this verse. I will begin by saying, "Finally brothers and sisters, whatsoever things are, then the 1's say, "true". After that, the 2's say, "honorable". Then the 1's say, "right", and so on. We will go through it a couple of times. Prayerfully you will have this verse at least lodged in your mind by the time we finish the service. So here we go: "Finally brethren-and sisteren, whatsoever things are . . . dwell on these things. Let's do it once more: "Finally brethren, whatsoever things are . . . dwell on these things." Congratulations, Grace United! We memorized Philippians 4.8 together! But let this statement sink into your heart, for it fits squarely with this verse: "Sow a thought, reap an act. So an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny." So much depends on what we constantly think about. We have the power to choose what we continue to think about, true? Philippians 4.8 is a major step in showing ourselves and others how to live a hope-filled 2021. Let me encourage you to accept the THRPLGREP challenge. Twenty twenty was taken up with 3 major issues: covid, racial tension, and the election. Take one of issues. Imagine that somehow your mind is hooked up to the Goochland Drive in theater-both screens. What would those screens show when you think about covid, let's say? Let's THRPLGREP our thoughts, shall we? Are my usual thoughts about covid true, both in factual content and regarding those I interact with concerning this issue? Are my thoughts honorable, especially when I engage with others who hold to just the opposite view that I hold-and they hold their view loudly and proudly? Are my thoughts pure, again, when I think about those who vigorously hold to a viewpoint different than mine? Remember where step 3 is in our hope-filled demonstration of the Christian life: If we are rejoicing in the Lord while living in the light of his nearness-step 1; If we are playing catch with the Lord, tossing to him our anxieties and receiving his peace-step 2; then it will much easier to have our thoughts more in line with Philippians 4.8. So, the bottom line is, if you are having trouble THRPLGREP'ing your thoughts to keep them in line with Philippians 4.8, see if you are applying Philippians 4.4-7! Let me say a brief but important word about Philippians 4.9 after we read it together; this is step 4 of living a hope-filled 2021. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me-practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Notice the flow from step 3 to step 4. Paul here is saying that godly thinking will lead to godly actions. Once again, this is a command: put "these things" into practice. What things? The things the Philippians learned and received and heard and seen in Paul. The apostle set the example. He is telling his friends, "What I teach, believe that. What I say, say that. What I do, do that." In short, Paul is telling the Philippians, "follow me as I follow Christ." The point Paul is making is simple. We all need to follow a Christian who is more mature than we are. Mark that man. Mark that woman. Mark that young person--do what they do. Say what they say--as they follow Christ. Do you want to know how to share the gospel? Find a brother or sister who you know that tells others about Jesus and ask them how it's done. Weak in your prayer life or Bible study skills? Search out those who are skilled in these things. How about some practical things, like, forgiving those who have wronged you. You have heard others speak of how they have been able to forgive others. Pull them aside and ask them to help you. Discipleship is the very heart of the church. It's central to all that Jesus gave us to do. Evangelism ranks right up there-share the gospel with non-Christians. We need to tell ourselves the gospel every day. But discipleship is for the long haul with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Besides worship-where we, together, are giving the Lord acceptable praise honor and glory-we come together to disciple one another. Come prepared on Sunday mornings, and the other opportunities afforded during the week, to engage in disciplemaking-to mentor and be mentored. That's how body life is really lived! Let's now turn the corner to Step 5-our last step in demonstrating a hope-filled 2021. Philippians 4.10-13: I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. What's the heart of this portion of Scripture? Contentment. Especially when it comes to resources. Now it's easy to say, "I thank you Lord for your provision," when we have a well-maintained house. A reliable vehicle. Food in the fridge and more in the pantry-even when we make plans to lose weight in the new year! When we have money in the bank and savings. Life is pretty good then. But what happens when your resources are reduced to practically nothing. When a fire takes out your house. And your engine completely seizes up. And you lose your job. All in the same day. What then? What would be the first question most Christians would ask from God-and demand an answer? The big Y. "Why are you doing this to me, God? What did I do to deserve this? All of my stuff. Taken away." Well, functionally speaking this is where Paul was. He had nothing as he was sitting under house arrest. No money. No job. Few friends. On a number of occasions those who stopped by his rented jail cell sought to argue theology with him. Of all people, it would seem that we could give Paul a pass. Who would blame him if he complained? But Paul did not complain. And the key to his non complaining spirit is an exchange of 2 words as Paul addressed the Lord. Instead of asking the Lord, "why?" he asked the Lord "How?" "Lord, how can you use these circumstances in my life to bring glory to yourself?" In these verses, Paul revealed an answer, found in v.11: "I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." Paul had nothing and was content with what the Lord provided. Paul had needs, no doubt. Again, where was he? In Rome under house arrest. He needed money to provide for his needs: his place to live. And because Paul was a Roman citizen, he was eligible for a daily food ration given by the state. I can just imagine the most excellent cuisine, can't you? Other than that, he was, again, in dire straights. As he found himself in, in so many times before. But God was at work in Paul. Just like he had been over the years. Listen to his testimony in these verses. There were times when he had a lot. There were times when he had a little. Well off, financially. Church mouse poor, financially. Many possessions. Very few possessions. What was Paul's reaction to the ups and downs of big time material gains and losses? "This is my spiritual gym. This is yet another character building workout." I would imagine Paul's attitude when it happened the first time. Perhaps he asked the Lord the big Y. He had issues and was a sinner like we are. But the more times he suffered loss, the stronger he became in his contentment level. Paul's personal testimony bears this out: Philippians 3.7-8--But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish-refuse, garbage, dung-in order that I may gain Christ. Paul realized another truth of a hope-filled life: We will leave the world in the exact same way we came into it: with nothing. So what is a servant of God to do, who doesn't even have enough to pay his bills? Rely on God who provides through his people. Notice again what Paul said to his friends in Philippi: I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Translation? "I thank the Lord for your gift!" He praised the Lord for their generosity right at the end of this letter: Philippians 4.14-18-- Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. Notice that he was not asking for more money. But he was grateful for the Lord's working in their lives! So, what was the Lord doing in Paul's life in those 2 years while he was in Rome? In part, teaching him to be content regardless of his circumstances. And gaining an even greater appreciation of how valuable true Christian fellowship is. The Philippians knew Paul's need because they knew Paul and his circumstances. And now we can gain yet another insight into Paul's life of contentment, learning Paul's secret as well. What is the secret to his contentment? Philippians 4.13: I can do all things through him who strengthens me. In essence Paul says, "Regardless of whether I have a little or a lot, the Lord strengthens me to be content. He uses God's people to provide what I need." I think of the number of times this has happened over the years at Grace United. Open handed generosity served to meet the needs of brothers and sisters in Christ. And even now, thanks to your generosity, we are able to meet the needs of our brother David on the other side of the world. We have committed as a church to give him and his family enough to feed and provide for them over this next year. Holy Spirit prompted generosity is what Paul experienced and now, David is experiencing-all because of the Spirit of God who changes his people! He is the one who supplies. And he is the one in whom our hope is found. Church history tells us that charges were dropped against Paul. He never appeared before Nero-the first time. But 2 years later, Paul was arrested again. He was brought back to Rome, only this time confined to the Mamertine prison, Rome's death row. Paul was thrown into his now government issued jail cell. He had nothing but his hope in Christ. Paul took pen in hand one last time to write to his mentee, Timothy. Paul knew the time for his homegoing was near. Prisoners who commit crimes against the state are held in the Mamertine prison for only a short while. Paul refused to bow to the Emperor as a god. And most likely Paul was tried and convicted for treason against the state. As he waited for his promotion to heaven, Paul wrote write these words: 2 Timothy 1:8-12-Timothy, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. My brothers and sisters. Paul lived a hope filled life-all the way to heaven. None of us knows what the future holds in 2021. But followers of Jesus know their destiny. In Christ alone-that's where their hope is found. May all of us in 2021 demonstrate this hope. Rejoicing in the Lord. Living in light of his nearness. Playing catch with the Lord as we toss our anxieties to him and he tosses his peace to us-peace as that of a weaned child against his mother. We can THRPLGREP our thoughts and follow faithful Christians as they follow Christ while we as followers of Jesus grow to be more like him, while continuing to learn the secret to hope-filled contentment: We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. So, let's have ourselves a hope-filled new year. The world is desperate to see it. May they know that our hope is found in Christ alone. Let us make our hope visible.