Sermon Tone Analysis

In an interview some time ago, singer and poet Bob Dylan talked about his new music, life on the road, and true happiness.

Towards the end of the interview Dylan said,

"... a lot of people say there is no happiness in this life and certainly there's no permanent happiness … I'm not exactly sure what happiness even means, to tell you the truth.

I don't know if I personally could define it."

When the interviewer asked if Dylan has touched and held happiness, Dylan replied,

"We all do at certain points, but it's like water—it slips through your hands.

As long as there's suffering, you can only be so happy.

How can a person be happy if he has misfortune?"

Do you agree?

I have to confess that almost up to the age of 30 I was a glass half empty person.

I’m sure my early life experiences had a large part to play.

The eldest child, I developed an over stressed sense of responsibility for my younger brother.

I became extremely and painfully risk averse.

And it wasn’t just around the regular things of life - work or recreation, it impacted negatively on my ability to relate to people, to trust and to make myself vulnerable.

Probably a mixture of nurture and nature going on there.

Bob Dylan’s analogy of water slipping through my fingers, certainly resonates with that period of my life.

I wonder though, what would change if we replaced the pursuit of happiness with the pursuit of joy?

On this third Sunday of Advent, joy is often the theme in many churches.

So how might our readings today encourage us in our experience of joy?

If you were here last week, Simon gave a fantastic introduction to the season of Advent, around the title: It’s all about Jesus; growing for glory.

I’d really encourage you to listen to it for the first time or even again; as it helps to set up today’s passage nicely.

Simon mentioned a number of issues that Paul covers in this very short letter of only 104 verses.

This morning I’m going to focus on just one, as I believe it is the central reason why this particular letter has been penned by Paul at all.

We’re not going to dwell on the problem, but to reflect on how Paul tackles it.

Particular presenting problems and situations will always change - it’s what lies behind them that is of concern to Paul and the encouragement he offers to the Philippians can have a huge impact on how we are the church today.

The issue that I believe is at the heart of this letter, is the internal posturing, a bit of ‘argy bargy’ that Paul seems to believe is growing within this congregation that he has such affection for.

Notice it’s the first item mentioned in the opening stages of the letter at

Paul returns to it in

It certainly lies behind the beautifully composed hymn to Christ in

Philippians 2: 6-7

and in its application in Philippians 2: 14-15

We see it again behind his description of Timothy in Philippians 2: 20-22

and finally in his concluding remarks that form part of the reading today in Philippians 4: 2-3

It seems the Philippians are in danger of dropping the ball - of focusing on the wrong thing and developing unhealthy and unhelpful attitudes.

The result is that they are robbing themselves of the potential fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives, even as they live within the context of Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection and ascension and wait in anticipation of His return.

The remedy, Paul suggests, is not to seek more happiness or personal fulfilment - but to keep the main thing the main thing and to repent of the unhelpful attitudes that rob us of joy.

Notice how Paul doesn’t see this issue as just one of a list of ‘to do’s’ or ‘to don’ts’ - Paul links the problems they face with a living, authentic and faithful relationship with God.

This is not a take it or leave it issue.

This is a “where am I with this?” issue.

It’s a “What must I do to repent and be transformed - for God’s glory?” issue.

Notice Paul lists 4 things that he believes are needed if we are to grow in this area:

By the way, how did you go coming up with three words that come to mind when you think of joy?

I wonder how they line up with Paul’s take on this area of Christian life?

Did you notice - Paul uses three very short, but very significant words that he believes lie as the bedrock for Christian joy:

He says they should rejoice

In the Lord

For all that concerns Paul about the congregation in Philippi, Paul recognises that the standards set forth for those who are God’s people are not easy.

I think you will agree with me that the reality is we are often buffeted by the trials and complexities of life.

The Christian life would be so much easier if it wasn’t for other people!

In Paul’s mind, the only way we can overcome this reality, is to surrender every aspect of our lives to Jesus and seek his will in every circumstance we find ourselves in.

Paul’s remedy is to focus not on the things we cannot change, but on God’s unchanging nature; His power; His goodness; His justice; His patience; His widsom.

Paul would have us dwell on the love shown to us in and through the coming of God in the person of Jesus.

On sins forgiven, on the gift of the Holy Spirit and eternal life.

For when we focus on who the Lord is and what he has done for us, in the now and for the future; when we do that with thankful hearts - everything else falls into place.

I guess essentially what we are called to ask ourselves is - do we really trust God in all things?

Do we rest in His Sovereignty over each and every situation we face?

Or does pride or the need to sort and fix every issue we aren’t happy with drive our attitudes and actions?

Who calls the shots in your life?

Pride and all that flows from that or Jesus?

From my own experience I would suggest that the first step, if there is to be any hope of change and transformation, is to identify that there is actually a problem.

As always Paul doesn’t just highlight an issue - what he says next not only helps to identify there is a need for change, it also provides a useful gauge to test how we are going in this area.

Notice Paul says in Philippians 4:5

Gentleness can have quiet a broad application.

So let’s be clear - in this context, the word means

...not insisting on every right of letter of law or custom, yeilding, kind, courteous and tolerant.

Gentleness isn’t reserved for our close friends and family, it’s not even reserved for fellow Christians - it should be evident to all.

You see, Christian Joy isn’t an experience we hold onto for ourselves - it has a positive effect on those around us - in a way, it is a gift we are called to share with others.

Whether Paul is refering to the return of Jesus here, or the fact that he is in close proximity to them through the Holy Spirit is uncertain.

Either way, there is the encouragement again to keep our hearts and minds fixed on Him that we might be enabled to live for Him.

Paul goes on to give some other areas that might help us to identify change and to gauge if as Simon said last week, we are growing for glory...

How’s our prayer life brothers and sisters?

2. Prayer

How wide are our prayers?

How much time do we spend in thanking God?

There is certainly a place for petition, for asking God for what we need.

But if we were to do a time and motion study on our communication with God, I wonder which area would come out on top?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting there is a perfect model that we should be using here in terms of content and emphasis - just an encouragement to strike the right balance.

I think Paul would say that when our prayers reflect who God is and what he has done and promised to do, our other pre-occupations become more grounded and shaped accordingly.

Of course, there is always the ever present danger that even when we pray we can often still be reluctant to leave it with Him!

Naturally, there may be things we need to do, as much as it depends on us - but I would suggest from experience that we often over compensate in this area.

We either take no steps forward ourselves, or we leave no room for God to intervene.

How do we know if we are on the right track?

Paul suggests that as we come before God with an openness about our needs, our emptiness in His presence, our absolute dependence upon Him with an attitude of constant thanksgiving and complete trust - God will do something supernatural beyond our best abilities and thoughts.

It’s mind blowing - but this peace that Paul speaks of is the very peace that God himself has as part of his settled nature - and He offers it to us as a gift.

God knows the end from the beginning and directs all things in accordance with his will -

when we pray in that context, believing and trusting in God accordingly - God’s gift of peace can be ours.

Sadly, in our western individualistic society - we even want to hold on to peace for ourselves - we long for it first and foremost as an inward manifestation.

But peace here is Shalom and Shalom seldom, if ever, denotes the spiritual attitude of inward peace.

It is more often than not manifested in the form of external well being - it is a social concept - something to be shared and to bless others with.

The peace of God, leads to peace with God and peace with one another.

In the pursuit of Joy and as an indicator of how that is manifesting in our lives, Paul offers a third encouragement:

To consider what occupies our thinking.

3. Think

Paul recognises what I am sure if we are honest we know to be true, that the hearts and thoughts even of those who seek to follow Jesus are susceptible to envy, rivalry, selfish ambition, vain conceit and selfis interests.

So Paul seeks here to give a holistic summary of the interior life of the church and all its members, by encouraging God’s people to allow the Holy Spirit to reset their thinking.

The Message of Philippians (3.

The Conditions)

We are to meditate on, to prize as valuable, and to be influenced by all that is true, all that merits serious thought and encourages serious-mindedness, all that accords with justice and moral purity, all that is fragrant and lovely, all that brings with it a good word, that speaks well, whatever has genuine worth of any sort and merits praise.

It is the will of God that by giving attention to things of which he approves we should shape our minds to be like his: to those who do so, he pledges his peace and his own presence.

But even this isn’t a solitary experience - notice Paul calls us to put it into