Philippians makes clear that our stories are living expressions of Jesus’ story.” As Christ-followers, we’re called to emulate Jesus by living a life of joy, prayer, and perseverance through hardship. Paul’s letter is chock-full of wise words, encouragement and challenges that helps us grow deeper in our faith each day. Join us for the next 4 weekends as we explore the book of Philippians.
www.hopefellowship.net.
The command “don’t worry” comes from Jesus. In Matthew chapter 6, verses 25 to 34, Jesus says “Stop worrying”, in verse 25, 31, and 34. Stop it. Now you say, “But how practical is that given all that we’re facing, the unknowns, the crisis, the expansion, the speed, the sickness? Is that a practical expectation of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”? Well, yes it is because he commands us not to do it. Concern you own; worry owns you.
www.sermonslove.com.
Paul letter to the Philippian Church contains Paul’s keys to contentment. It is not born in you. It’s a decision you make. This is the man who preached to the Gentiles when everyone else was evangelizing the Jews. He was the guy that didn’t circumcise converts. He reprimanded Peter for refusing to shut down prejudice.
Philippians 4:13 is the most famous verse in the Bible. Contentment is a skill to be learned.
Philippians was a letter to a church that Paul founded. We need to discover where Paul was emotionally and spiritually when he wrote the book.
Philippians 4:10-19
“I HAVE LEARNED the hard way to trust him. To be content WHATEVER the circumstances. It is not my situation that regulates my satisfaction. I have learned the secret of being content.”
Paul says, “I was good before you got here-I’m good. Even before you sent your gift. I am amply supplied.”
?Here are Paul’s “Contentment Commandments”
God is a God of freedom. When God delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, He began the process of getting Egypt out of them. We would rather stay with familiar addictions, familiar mindsets because it feels normal. We choose normal rather than new. God wants you free from the need to be approved by others.
Before the 10 Commandments, God wanted the Jews to be free.
Did Paul get justice? Paul was unjustly accused. He was treated as a common criminal rather than a Roman citizen. Paul in chains was freer than a lot of us.
Paul has expressed freedoms in his letter to the Philippians:?
Chapter one: Freedom from fear. I don’t care whether I die or live. Kill me. I’ll see Christ. If you leave me here, I’ll keep working.
Chapter two: Free from my flesh. I don’t have anything to prove. I am doing the will of God. He imitates Christ’s servanthood.
Chapter four: It’s almost a P.S. I can do all things through Christ. It’s a weight lifting verse. “God will supply all your needs.”
A ‘P.S.” is a perspective shift.
1. THOU SHALT REMEMBER TO REJOICE.
The worst thing you can do-is forget how He loves, you redeems you. Worship songs remind you to surrender. Contentment means nobody has to remind you to rejoice.
“Again I say rejoice!” How easy it is to forget. We often have selective memory-remember those good things to rejoice. Make a movie in your mind. Delete evil-enhance the good.
In the final cut in Hollywood, the terms means you have the final say over what goes on the big screen. But for Christians, you can have the final cut. Remember the blessings. Rejoice in the victories.
Bless the Lord at all times. Bless the Lord in the midst of battles.
Paul wrote terrible thank you notes. Mom raised him right. He sat at the feet of Gamaliel, Pharisee of Pharisees. But Paul was not a good thank-you note writer!
“I rejoice in the Lord that AT LAST you send me a little something. Indeed you were concerned but had not opportunity. There was a period of silence. He could have thought, “Nobody cares about me.”
How do you interpret silence?
2. REFUSE TO RESENT.
He refused to live in the prison of resentment. No windows, only bars. I choose to assume that you wanted to help me. Refuse to resent others in every situation.
How do you view your past? You can live in resentment or contentment. God wants his children free. You have to be like Joseph. It does matter that you had rough times in the past. Joseph said, “God sent me here to save your lives!”
The only one free was Joseph who was in prison. I will not another day I refuse to live in resentment when Christ died to set me free.
3. APPRECIATE ALL SEASONS.
”…When you renewed your concerned for me.” The Greek word means you caused your concern to bloom. Church is seasonal sometimes, like the summer. Some people get busy in certain seasons of the year. God is not as important as other things.
You have to live through bad seasons. “A re-building year.” It means you are losing. Right now the nights are long and the days are short. Paul says it was a long winter, but there is spring. To everything there is a season. I know how to have plenty, and I know how to be pruned.
4. THOU SHALT KEEP A SECRET STASH.
Paul wrote, “I choose to believe the best. I got your gift. It took awhile. I didn’t really need it.” If you are going to house and you don’t know if the food is good, pre-eat. Be spiritually full before you come to church. “It’s nice but I don’t need it.” I get high on my own supply. I have some songs I can sing all by myself.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.?
5. THOU SHALT NOT CONFUSE THE SUPPLY WITH THE SOURCE.
What happened to the Israelites waiting for Moses when they danced around the Golden Calf? They got the created things, instead of their Creator. Paul starts by saying “I rejoice in the LORD for sending the gift.” Not, “I rejoice in the gift. “
However God blesses you in every season, He was the one who provided it. You might be living in dual seasons.
You may have a great job, but also have wayward kids. Everybody needs to know your life, no matter how good or bad, is from God’s hand. You reject the blessing because of the burden.
“I am not the drink, I’m the straw.” It takes the pressure off me, the preacher.
Got a new car? Every good and perfect gift comes from God.
God is my source. If you believe that, you will have no problem following Him.
Paul wrote, “When I first started out, not one church was giving me anything.” He was making tents. Paul was staying up late working to pay for his ministry.
6. THOU SHALT NOT DOWNPLAY DISAPPOINTMENT.
Paul could be disappointed. But he refused to define himself by setbacks. He knew disappointment sends you to destiny if you stay with it.
“I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living,” Contentment begins with trust in a good God.
www.elevationchurch.com.
Here are a few things you should know about the future of Christianity and how we can reach the next generation with the Gospel in an authentic, relevant way.
Culture Today
Where We’ve Been
Restorers
The Next Christians
Notes from Tim Schraeder, Catalyst 2010 conference. Used by permission, Catalyst Space.com.
I have always found Jesus’ words in Matt 5:21-22 to be shattering. He begins by reminding his listeners that anyone who murders will be judged. But then he gives three case studies of actions that seem far less serious than murder. “I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” To be bitter and angry in your heart toward someone can lead to great evil, so that makes some sense. But the term “raca” means only something like “you air-head!” and the word translated “fool” is likewise not an outrageous or cutting insult.
Jesus’ listeners would likely have been smiling as they heard these terms and would have been shocked as he ended the sentence threatening them with hell-fire! What was Jesus’ point? “The deliberate paradox of Jesus’ pronouncement is that ordinary insults may betray an attitude of contempt which God takes extremely seriously.” (R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, p. 201)
This passage helps me understand Numbers 20. As in Exodus 17, the children of Israel are in the desert wilderness facing parching thirst. They charge Moses with being, at worst, evil or, at best, an incompetent leader. Again, God tells Moses to go to “that rock.” This time however he tells him to speak to it, and the rock will pour out water sufficient for everyone (v.8). Moses gathers everyone at the rock, but instead of speaking to the rock, he angrily upbraids the people. “Listen, you rebels!” he cries. “Must we bring you water out of this rock [again]?” (v.10) Striking the rock with his staff in his fury, the water comes out. God, however, tells Moses that he now would not enter the Promised Land, because Moses “did not trust me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites.” (v.12)
What did Moses do wrong? Of course he failed to follow instructions. He struck the rock instead of speaking to it, and that is disobedience. Nevertheless, God’s rebuke goes deeper. In calling them “rebels” Moses set himself up as their judge. In saying, “Must we bring you water?” he set himself up as their deliverer. Everything Moses did pointed away from God toward himself.
It is not hard to understand why. Leadership brings a steady drumbeat of criticism and misunderstanding, even when things are going well. When things go poorly, people vent their frustration and anger on those in charge. A newly ordained pastor once said to me, “I didn’t know that, once you become a leader, there’s always someone mad at you!”
This makes sense of Moses’ reaction. “His response is not only the striking of the rock, it is the answer of a man who under pressure has become bitter and pretentious.” (D. Carson, For the Love of God, vol 1, May 11th reading.) God was ready to be gracious, but Moses was in no mood for that.
The relentless criticism from the people had made Moses self-righteous. He held them in contempt. He had wrath but no compassion, and that is the mark of a man who is becoming less like God, not more. (See Isaiah 15-16 where God grieves even as he speaks in judgment.) Moses is a man who has forgotten grace, and the sign of it is a sanctimonious spirit along with words of denunciation without humility and compassion.
Leadership always involves conflict. John Newton’s famous letter on “controversy” observes how easy it is for criticism to create Pharisees. “Whatever it be that makes us trust in ourselves that we are comparatively wise or good, so as to treat those with contempt who do not subscribe to our doctrines, or follow our party, is a proof and fruit of a self-righteous spirit.”
All leaders, and especially Christian leaders, must be on guard against this inevitable temptation and this terrible sin. It is natural, when under criticism, to shield your heart from pain by belittling the critics in your mind. “You stupid idiots.” Even if you don’t speak outwardly to people like Moses did, you do so inwardly.
Contempt will lead to self-absorption, self-pity, maybe even delusions of grandeur, but the great sin is that the growth of inner disdain leads to pride and a loss of humble reliance on God’s grace. Moses treated God with contempt when he became contemptuous toward his people.
This is what leaders face. Is there any hope for us? Yes, because we are in a better position than Moses was for understanding the grace of God. Don Carson writes: “In light of 1 Corinthians 10:4, which shows Christ to be the antitype of the rock, it is hard to resist the conclusion that the reason God had insisted the rock be struck in Exodus 17:1–7, and forbids it here, is that he perceives a wonderful opportunity to make a symbol-laden point: the ultimate Rock, from whom life-giving streams flow, is struck once, and no more.”
www.gospelinlife.com. Used by permission.
Bethany wandered into the living room with a piece of scrap paper in her hand. She was not quite two years old and she enjoyed scribbling and pretending to write. “Here you are, Mommy,” she said. “This is for everyone in the world.” I looked up from the cross-stitch sampler I was working on, trying to remember my place on the pattern. “Oh, that’s nice, darling,” I said, with a quick glance at her hieroglyphics, then back to the pink thread.
“Yes,” she said, “It’s very important. It tells everyone what they need to do.””Oh, does it?” I said, doubtfully. “Yes,” she said emphatically. “Look!” She demanded my full attention. I gave up on the sampler. “See,” she said. “On this side it says that everyone must love God and obey Him, and on this side it says that everyone must hate Satan. They are the two most important things for everyone to know.
“I nearly fell off my chair. Here was my little toddler preaching to the world! This was what she felt was the most important thing to tell everyone. How many adults could sum up the facts of eternal life so clearly? This was nothing we had taught her directly, just what she had realized herself, from the Bible stories we had told her, from watching our lives, listening to us talk about God, and being part of our prayer times. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but I know she could understand those things only because God was working on her heart.
We weren’t “on our own” as we tried to share God with out children; He was there too, helping them comprehend, through the friendship of His Holy Spirit. She handed me the piece of paper and went back to scribble something else, blissfully unaware of her innocent profundity, while I folded the paper for my treasure box, and tucked another special moment into my heart.
Dear Father, thank You for revealing Yourself to our children. Thank You for the truths they they can help us understand. Amen.Think of some times when your children have surprised you with their understanding of spiritual things.
If you were to sum up what you believe as a Christian in two sentences, what would you say?
Ask your children to tell you why it is important to love Jesus, and listen to what they say.
The apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians from a dark prison cell in Rome. We learn much about inner joy and contentment from his story.The prisons of loneliness, negativity and greed each have unique ways of trapping us. We have been granted three strategies to combat them: relationships, prayer and generosity.
Everybody loves the limelight, except spiritual grownups that have learned to shine the spotlight on Jesus Christ. Hairy John the Baptist may have reeked of sweat and barbecued grasshoppers, but Jesus said nobody was greater than he. Why? The dusty prophet spent his life pointing people to Christ. Stepping back and giving Jesus center stage was hard for me. As a pastor’s wife and musician, both careers pointed to extended time in the limelight. How do any of us learn humility and meekness? God spent years working on my ego. My penchant for attention started early in life.
My stunning showbiz career began at age five. I stormed the stage with a convincing depiction of a broccoli stalk. The play was “Tummy Ticklers” and each bunny class member was heroic or villainous according to FDA approval ratings. Only the skinny girls could play carrots and corn. Since I had a fluffy posterior, my premed green hair added symmetry to my somewhat “pudgy” stalk. The roughage got to cut a rug because we were nutritious, so the carrots, corn, squash and broccoli leaped around the stage captivating crowds before “Veggie Tales” was ever invented. Hamburgers, cheese fries and donuts lay motionless on a heap of yellow beanbag fat cells. The audience was instructed to cheer for the veggies and boo for the junk food. This moralistic tale of nutrition gone awry didn’t have much impact on us as kindergartners. As soon as we finished the show, we high-tailed it to the lunch room to down our Oscar Mayer wieners, Cheetos and Twinkies. I paid a high price for my veggie debut, however. I tried to wash the green “broccoli” jello out of my hair for a week, but the green powder simply faded my dishwater blond locks to the color of snot.
My next bid for stardom came in December at the Sunday School Christmas pageant. Randy Phelps was a shoe-in for Joseph because he was the tallest kid in the class. Unfortunately, Randy had a short attention span, so he spent more time horsing around with the donkeys than paying fatherly attention to Mary and Baby Jesus. Ellen Stuffle was the obvious choice for Mary because she still had all her baby teeth. She should have been replaced by her understudy because Ellen couldn’t say her lines and rock her little offspring at the same time. Nine times out of ten, Baby Jesus ended up somewhere on the linoleum under the straw. Always the prima donna, Ellen monopolized the kindergarten toilet, constantly glopping on grown-up blush and lip gloss, and demanded a fresh towel headdress at every rehearsal.
Once again, my stocky shape made me a natural pick for livestock. Manger mammals were selected according to size: boys were camels and donkeys, girls were sheep and goats. Eddie, the class clown, was thrilled with his donkey role. He “hee-hawed” his way through recess, telling “jackass” jokes in his most convincing Eeyore voice. My “baas” were better than my “bleats” so I became a barnyard sheep. I didn’t realize at the time that this was the worst possible role to play. Our furry sheep costumes were hot and itchy. After three sweaty rehearsals, my wet hair was plastered to my head and I reeked like a cow patty. Tilly Savage clawed her way to the top to assume the starring role of the Christmas angel. Angel auditions were cut-throat, so Tilly brown-nosed the teacher by clapping erasers and bribing Mrs. Lucas with Christmas saltwater taffy. All of her efforts paid off. In the end, Tilly floated atop her cotton-ball cloud and warbled “Silent Night.” Stars like Ellen and Tilly had their own paparazzi. I was only allowed to “baa” in the background and blend into the sea of preschool wannabees. Rats.
My sister Kathy was destined for stardom. She was a full-blown scene stealer. At three, Kathy demanded a captive audience, forcing extended family members to offer undivided attention and applause while she clogged endlessly on the bathroom tile with Mom’s stilettos. If parents and grandparents weren’t around to watch her warble and hoof, Kathy would pull nearby neighbor kids away from Mickey Mouse to play her adoring fans.
Nicknamed “Tiger Lil” by my father, Sissy roped me into working full-time as her manager and wardrobe designer. Before breakfast every morning, Kathy plopped on my peacefully slumbering body and demand that I style her curly blonde locks into a “Cinderella bun” as soon as we downed our Cocoa Puffs. I painstakingly pinned her ponytail into a yellow lump and spray it with Aqua Net until it remained stiff and motionless the rest of the day. Bows and barrettes were added according to her fancy. After hair and makeup were complete, we hit the closet to pull out the old lace bedroom sheers Grandma Moy willed to us when they were too shabby to remain on her windows. We’d use rubber bands, safety pins and an oversized rhinestone brooch to create magical wedding dresses and ball gowns.
Kathy was determined to be a headliner on the Ed Sullivan show along with Mr. Ed and Ringo. Mom and I rolled the grocery cart around K-Mart and Kathy practiced her act by standing up in the shopping cart seat, throwing her arms out and crooning “Moon River” in front of the Frosted Flakes. If other shoppers failed to pay attention, she just modulated to a higher key and used the English pea can as a microphone. By the time we hit the cash register, she was signing autographs. Once Kathy could finally stuff her little round shape into a sequined leotard, she was unstoppable. She tap-danced, tip-toed, cart-wheeled and belly danced for anyone who looked her way.
Tiger Lil’s first taste of stardom came when she nabbed the famous “mirror ball” trophy at the John W. Carpenter talent show. She warbled a compelling rendition of “Big Bad Bill is Sweet William Now.” (I’m quite serious-that was the name of the song!) I believe she had absolutely no idea what those lusty lyrics meant, but the grownups sniggered and awarded her first place for her gumption. Most of the time I accompanied Kathy, but our dynamic duet her second grade year was a show-stopper. We pulled on fish-net tights, furry tails and kitten ears. We shimmied and shook our way through Billboard’s number one pop hit “Alley Cat.” We still perform encores upon request.
Kathy and I held onto the center-stage spotlight as long as we could. We performed a litany of recitals, concerts and musicals, and begat offspring every bit as splashy and uninhibited as we. Our sequins, gowns and feather headdresses are tucked away in plastic bubble wrap and cotton balls. But every now and then, when we’re feeling low, out come the tutus, tiaras and tap shoes.
All of us have a bent towards “scene-stealing.” Our diva tendencies can get us into trouble. John the Baptist had no desire to upstage his Messiah. His whole life was consumed with taking a backseat and serving the Savior.
God continues to teach me humility by placing me in circumstances where I must depend upon Him. The challenges and failures I have faced in my life have taught me much about humility. If I surrender my life to God each day, I have no choice but to be dependent upon Him and shine the spotlight where it should be: upon the Son of God.
James writes in James 4:6-10: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Brokenness and obedience make us meek, joyfully giving the honor to Jesus, who deserves all of the glory.
Paul expressed his thanks to God for his brothers and sisters in Christ. He prays for grace-the underserved favor of Christ to be upon them. He prays for the peace that results as we live our lives for His glory. We must believe the best of our brothers and sisters in Christ and forecast achievement for them.
Complaining makes life miserable. Complaining causes us to miss what God is doing now, damages the gifts He gives us and hurts our testimony. If we speak instead with gratitude and contentment, we enhance our relationship with God and others, and we receive heavenly rewards.
