Sunday, January 29, 2012

Philippians 1:15-20 "You Can't Stop the Gospel"

For the last couple of weeks we have been systematically walking our way through Paul’s letter to the Philippians. We have heard Paul speak to the church there with compassion, joy, and love. We looked last week at Paul’s encouragement of Christians who are enduring suffering. We were reminded of the fact that God uses Christian suffering to accomplish His will. Paul’s optimism in his imprisonment at Rome is something that I don’t know that any of us completely understand. The only answer that we can come up with is that Paul’s resting on the promises and sovereignty of God is second to none. We saw that Paul’s ultimate goal was the advance of the gospel. So we come to our text today, a text that reminds us in many ways of that which we looked at last Sunday. In fact, this text actually builds upon the principles from last week. Perhaps I should have squeezed last Sunday and this Sunday together, but I don’t think anyone really wants to sit where you are for that long. I mean, the pews are comfortable, but maybe not 45 minute sermon comfortable.
So, immediately after Paul has finished talking about Christian suffering being a good thing, he answers a question that the Philippians had to be asking at this point. The Philippians are wondering what their attitude ought to be to the people that are continuing to spread the gospel while Paul is chained up. I mean, after all, the Philippians are big supporters of Paul. They’ve been sending him money. In fact, in chapter four we’ll find out that Paul’s almost embarrassed by the fact that these relatively poor Philippians are sending him such generous gifts so that he can devote himself fully to the gospel. He’s their missionary. He’s their church planter. He’s their evangelist. They’re sending money to him. What should they think about these other people that are out there preaching the gospel while he’s chained up? They are saying to Paul, “Well, Paul, we’ve supported you, and now that you’re chained up there are other people out preaching the gospel…some of them are stepping up. They’re saying, ‘Paul’s in prison; we better get out there and share the gospel.’ But others of them, Paul, they’re your enemies. They’re envious of you. They don’t like you. They want to build their name. They want to have more converts than you. They want to be more famous than you. They want to be more influential than you. They want to get more credit than you. What are we supposed to think about them?”
And the Apostle Paul responds in this extraordinary way: “Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.” So the Apostle Paul says ‘Look, some of these folks are out there because they know that I’m in prison. They love me, they love the gospel, they love Christ, and so they say “Lord, Paul’s in prison. We better step up. We better go out and share the gospel.” They’re doing it out of love, they’re doing it out of right motives. Others, however, may be thinking something like this, “Paul’s in prison, and when he hears that we’re out preaching the gospel and winning converts and gaining fame through our faithful proclamation, he’ll be discouraged because we’re winning the converts.’’ And the Apostle Paul says to the Philippians “Uh-uh. As long as Christ is being truly proclaimed, I don’t care who does it or who gets the credit for it, because the point is the promotion of the gospel.” And so he says to the Philippians “I am not discouraged when Christ is truly preached, even if it’s out of envy, even if it’s out of competition, even if it’s designed to discourage me. As long as the gospel is preached truly…” [He’s not saying, by the way, he doesn’t mind it when false gospels are taught. Not at all! He does mind it when false gospels are taught.] He’s talking about the true gospel being proclaimed, but by people with wrong motives. You know, their motive is to get at him; their motive is to discourage him; their motive is to get more converts than he gets, so that they get more credit and it discourages him in his state of imprisonment. But what they’re saying is true. You know preachers can preach the truth and not have hearts right with God. And the Apostle Paul says “Look, Philippians. Here’s the big concern. The big concern is the promotion of Christ, the promotion of the gospel, the progress of the gospel; and I’m not discouraged when Christ is truly preached. In fact, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, in this I rejoice.” Why? Because as far as Paul is concerned it’s not about him, it’s about Christ. It’s not about Paul being first, Paul gaining fame. It’s about Christ. I must admit to you that I struggle with this. I see pastors on TV and I immediately dismiss them. Now sure, there are those who we see that are preaching a false gospel, but not all of them. There are some who have decided that the gospel needs to be proclaimed over the airwaves and have taken up this task. I get upset and say that these pastors ought to go get a “real church” whatever that may mean and stop just doing this for the camera. How much I need to have the mindset of the Apostle Paul in these situations.
So we have seen last week that Paul is saying that Christian suffering is many times a good thing. We have seen this Sunday that even those who proclaim God’s word for selfish reasons are still accomplishing God will. Ultimately, Paul is telling us that God’s will will be done no matter what. He tells the Philippians how he can stay so joyful, so optimistic in such troubled times. He says, “Here’s my anchor.” “For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.” Wow. What a statement by Paul. Or to put it another way we might could say his response is, “You know, whether I’m released or not, I know I’m not going to be put to shame, because my goal is that whether I live or die, Christ is exalted. Here’s my hope,” the Apostle Paul is saying “Here is my hope, and nobody can take this hope from me. Here’s my hope: that Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or death.” With these words Paul is pointing us to the cross. Jesus’ great instrument of shame is also Jesus’ great instrument of victory. And if that is the case for Jesus, so also it is the case for all those who trust in Him, and so the Apostle Paul is saying this, “There is no shame that I can endure in this world that can ultimately shame me, as long as Christ is exalted in me, because that’s what I’m about. I’m about glorifying and enjoying God through Jesus Christ forever; and whatever shame I bear here will not ultimately be my shame, as long as Christ is exalted in me. So whether I live in prison or die at the hand of a Roman executioner, if Christ is exalted I will not be put to shame, because I am here to live for the glory of God.”
Now taking last week’s look at Christian suffering and this week’s look at such spiritual optimism, we can say that there are 3 very important things here to keep in mind. One, Paul makes it clear that Christians know that the word of God can’t be imprisoned. You know the Philippians are concerned that Paul being imprisoned is going to hinder the spread of the gospel, and Paul makes it emphatically clear here—“No, no, no! My imprisonment is not going to stop the gospel, because you can imprison the messengers of the word of God, but you can’t imprison the word of God.” Friends, you’ve got to have that confidence in this world. You’ve got to have that confidence in this world, that the word of God cannot be imprisoned.
Secondly, Paul makes it clear here that Christians rejoice when the gospel is being preached. The Philippians don’t quite know how to react to the progress of the gospel amongst these other preachers while Paul was in prison, some who love Paul and some who don’t. And Paul says to them, “Look, when the gospel goes forth, I’m happy!” I, your pastor, want us to love every doctrine in our Confession of Faith. I want us to understand it more and more and appreciate it more and more every day, every week, every year. I want us to live it out in joy and in gladness as we bear witness to the truth. I want us to have conviction about the doctrines that we believe. But when we see God using faithful servants who may be different from us, may believe a little bit differently from us, but who share with us a true understanding of the gospel, when we see that gospel going forth through their ministries, our response should be to rejoice! Even if they’re growing faster than we are, even if they’re gaining more converts than we are, we should rejoice! Because the point is not us or them, it’s the proclamation of Christ, it’s the spread of the gospel, and it’s the building of the kingdom. We ought to love the kingdom so much that we rejoice when we see the gospel proclaimed, even when it’s not us, even when it’s not our tribe, we ought to rejoice when Christ is proclaimed.
Thirdly, Christians long for Christ to be exalted, whether this is in our life or in our death. It’s the thing that we’re about. This is why our response to our circumstances is so important, because if our response is “Why me?” what does that say? Who is at the center of our worldview and universe? Me. But if our response is “How is Christ going to be exalted in this?” then who’s at the center of our universe and our worldview? Christ. That’s how it was for the Apostle Paul. Friends, I know…I know that this is a message for so many here today, in a variety of circumstances. Paul has a word for us about God’s providence—to trust in God’s providence. He has a word for us about the desire of our hearts in seeing the gospel proclaimed, and he has a word for us in understanding the purpose of our lives. What is our purpose? To exalt Christ, whether in life or in death. Or, in the words of The Westminster Shorter Catechism, to glorify and enjoy God forever. That’s what we’re here for. In every circumstance we have the privilege and opportunity to exalt Christ. May He help us to do so.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Philippians 1:12-14 "Suffering: It's a Good Thing"

This Sunday, we continue our study of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Last Sunday, we looked at the love that the Apostle had for the church there and how he had great confidence, affection, and expectations for them. He was overjoyed at the fact that they had taken up the task of proclaiming the gospel. Towards the end of our text for last week, Paul even began to tell them some ways that they were to go about proclaiming the gospel. So, after Paul has finished with his thanksgiving prayer and his encouraging of the Christians there in their proclaiming of the gospel, he moves on to tell them some of what has happened in his own efforts to advance the gospel.
To understand completely the words of the Apostle as they are found here in Philippians, and really any Pauline letter for that matter, we must have an understanding of who Paul is and what he has endured. We read here in our text, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” So, our first question naturally comes to us in our asking, “What has happened to Paul?” Well, let’s go back to the beginning, with his conversion, which took place somewhere between 33 and 36 AD. Shortly thereafter he was nearly killed in Damascus. Only three years after becoming a Christian Paul traveled to Jerusalem in order to spread the gospel. From 46-48 Paul embarked on his 1st missionary journey. He went from Antioch to Cyprus to Southern Asia Minor and back to Antioch. From 49-52 he undertook his 2nd missionary journey. During this 2nd journey, Paul made his first visit to Philippi, and was imprisoned there with Silas. He escaped this situation when an earthquake hit and allowed one of the prison walls to collapse. This is the story of the Philippian jailer in Acts 16, who upon witnessing these events, immediately devoted his life to following the teachings of Jesus. Paul’s 3rd and final missionary journey began only one year after returning from his 2nd journey. In 60 AD he made a trip to Rome. On this trip to Rome is where Paul was imprisoned once again, and it is here, many have suggested, that Paul writes his letter to the Philippians that we are looking at today. It is also where he wrote his second letter to Timothy, as well as many other letters. In all, Paul’s travels after his conversion total up to be an estimated 14,000 miles. Remind you that this is on foot. This would be the equivalent of us stepping out the doors of the church and walking from the front steps of the church all the way to the Superdome in New Orleans and back almost 123 times. Some of you are saying, “Yeah but he spent so of the time on a boat.” I don’t know if you have ever been out on a sailboat, or even a boat with no power, but the effect that the waves on have on you after some time is not very pleasurable. He didn’t have a nice Mastercraft 300 horsepower to cut through the caps and swells out in the open water. So you see even Paul’s time on a boat was not a break from the hardships of travel.
Now add in the fact that Paul’s travels often took him to some less than desirable locations. Very few times when Paul arrived at places where a church was already established did he find it to be peaceful. It was never a time of relaxation. Usually there was some conflict within the church that Paul himself had to address. So, after traveling all the way to see these churches, instead of rest, that was when the real work started. There is also the “thorn in the flesh” mentioned in 2 Cor. 12, which is most likely a physical disability Paul gained during his ministry. Add to that the continuous persecution, beatings, and aforementioned imprisonments along the way and you start to get the picture. Paul managed to squeeze all of this into about a 30 year period.
So we take in all of this information about the hardships that Paul endured and where we expect to find bitterness and resentment. Where we expect to see at the least a sense of the all-to-familiar “that’s not fair” or “I deserve better” attitude, we find something drastically different. Paul says that what has happened to him, all of the trials and pain has actually been a good thing. They have all advanced the gospel. And this is the first thing that we are to keep in mind from today’s text, is that things are not always what we imagine, but there is good in them. In other words, there is a good that can and does come from Christian suffering. I’m sure that when Paul felt called to go on his missionary journeys, he wasn’t envisioning prison stents and beatings, but was thinking only about proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. You know, the profession or calling of ministry is quite diverse. You have some, like myself, who are called to minister in your average, every day, run-of-the-mill Bible-believing churches. You have others who are called to minister in mega-churches. Churches that are so large that the ministers there are almost more CEO’s of the gospel than anything else. And then you have missionaries; men and women who voluntarily put themselves in some less than desirable places and situations. Some of whom would make outstanding pastors. They could make for themselves and their families great livings preaching here in the US, but that isn’t their calling. They work hard just to afford the basic needs in a foreign country. They have no time for themselves, but are constantly tending to the needs of others. And they love it, they yearn for it. Their want to proclaim the Word is all they need to keep going. How much better would we be, would the Church be, would the world be, if we all had the heart of missionaries and all that drove us was the gospel. Maybe our view of our own Christian suffering would be much more like that of Paul’s, instead of the “that’s not fair” or “I deserve better” attitudes.
As we continue on in our text we find Paul’s words, “so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.” Here, Paul is showing us the impact that we can have on someone without our even knowing it. We can be a witness for and to those around us. My Bible, which is an ESV translation, uses the phrase imperial guard, some of yours may use the term praetorium. Still others may translate it as the King James does with the term “palace”. Well, what Paul is referring to here is the praetorian guard, or the official bodyguards of the emperor, which took care of the imperial prisoners. So picture now, Paul is imprisoned; chained to a Roman guard. The only time he isn’t chained to someone is when they are switching duties or when they were transporting him. Instead of Paul seeing this as a burden, he views it as an opportunity to witness to those who are forced to be in contact with him. Paul doesn’t view it as he who must be tied to the guards, but it is they who must be tied to him. This presents him with a wonderful opportunity to evangelize. He doesn’t complain, he doesn’t gripe. We don’t even really know if he ever prayed for God to free him. We know that he wanted to visit other Christians outside of prison, but for the most part, Paul was content to stay in prison and witness to those around him. He knew that God had placed those people around him for a reason and he was going to proclaim the gospel to them all.
Think about our own lives. How in our modern society so often we have been chained down. Whether it is by a world that uses the media to keep us from proclaiming the gospel or by a superior at work who is more concerned with not facing any lawsuits than he is staying true to his Christian beliefs, how often we feel confined in our faith. Think about someone who is stuck at home because of an illness either to themselves or to a family member. Think about someone who just isn’t at the point in their life where they can afford to spent vast amounts of time away from home. Yesterday, Amy and I along with many family and friends celebrated Ashby’s birthday. We had our little girl 3 years ago today. As you can imagine, our social outings have become less and less frequent, especially when you add in that Thomas was born only 21 months later. That doesn’t mean that we aren’t given an opportunity to witness to those around us. True, we may not be out there speaking with as many people as we used to, which in turn presents us few opportunities to share the gospel with those around us. But what we can do is show those around us what it looks like to have a Christian marriage and raise children in a Christian home. As I surveyed the room yesterday trying to be the social host, I noticed that there were so many people in that room that we wouldn’t have had the close relationship that we currently enjoy if not for our children. You see, no matter what your situation, even if it isn’t what you would prefer; God provides opportunities for us to witness to others. In all that we do, we are to glorify God regardless of the situation.
Now, let’s look at Paul’s final words here: “And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” This is simple. Paul’s not there, so someone has to step up. Someone has to carry the load so to speak. We spoke about this in the women’s Bible study on Monday night. When Paul first converted to Christianity, when he first became a Christian, there was a lull in the persecution of Gentiles. The reason for this being that Paul was the primary persecutor. He was one of the main figures leading the charge to persecute Gentiles. Take him out of the equation and there is going to be some drop-off. We said that it was like what the technology giant Apple is going through. With the recent loss of Steve Jobs there is going to be some drop in the output that the company has been known for. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t brilliant and capable men and women who will do great things at the company, but it will take some time for them to step into those leadership roles. In the end, there will be more people doing great things at Apple and the company may even be better for it. This church has known that same feeling. Nearly 2 years without a pastor; many of you have had to step into leadership roles that quite simply you weren’t too thrilled to assume. Many of you have lead studies, taught classes, and volunteered your time and your energy because there simply wasn’t someone in place. And the result is a stronger body. Just as the Christians during Paul’s time could not sit back and rely upon him being the only one to spread the gospel anymore, this church could not and would not sit and let many of the programs and activities of this church become absent. I mentioned to you last time that I saw a lot of First Presbyterian in the Philippian church, or the Philippian church in First Presbyterian however you may want to phrase it. Because of the pastoral absence that this church family has weathered over the past few years, this congregation is strong for it. This congregation is filled with workers. It is filled with those who want to see nothing more than God’s Word proclaimed to the farthest corners of the world. It is just one more way in which I know that God has worked to prepare us for the great things that are to come in the life of this church.
So, as my dad would ask of any sermon that he hears, “so what?” How does this text help me today? I know that it is about suffering, but what can I take and use in my life today. Well, I would say that you haven’t been listening if you are asking this question. But, if you don’t remember anything else from today then remember this: God uses Christian suffering to accomplish His will. Take comfort in the fact that if you are going through a period of suffering that God IS using you. He hasn’t forgotten you. In fact, you are closer to Him than ever. Whether God uses your suffering to place you where He wants you to be, uses you as a witness for someone around you, or uses your suffering as a time for growth; God IS using you. Know that without a doubt, God uses Christian suffering.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Philippians 1:1-11 "Welcome"

I think that it’s fitting that we look at Paul’s introduction to perhaps his favorite congregation on our first Sunday together. You see, the church at Philippi held a special place in Paul’s hearts. This was the first church that the Apostle Paul founded in Macedonia. They were also sensitive to his financial needs during his missionary journeys. This particular congregation had supported Paul at a time when no other congregation did. With this letter, Paul is primarily writing the church at Philippi to thank them for a gift that they had sent to him. While doing so, he also takes an opportunity to show the Christians there that true joy comes from Christ alone. In other words, only in Christ are real unity and joy possible. Paul doesn’t have to address the problem of whether or not circumcision is necessary for salvation or correct opinions within the church as to how we are justified. He doesn’t even have to try and heal division within the church like he has to in other letters. He is simply thanking them for their continued support and pointing them to Christ and the cross. And I think that this book and this text for us today has particular significance. This is a special Sunday in the life of this church. It isn’t special because you have someone in the pulpit now. It isn’t special because the search committee has done their work. It is special because God has done and is doing His work. God has called us together. And I know that there are great things that will happen because of this. I know that God will use us in a mighty way. I know that many of you are going to think that I am crazy for saying this since we haven’t gotten to know each other very much up to this point, but I see a lot of Philippi in First Presbyterian Church Houma, LA.
After the first few verses where Paul states his authorship of this letter, he moves on to a prayer of thanksgiving for the church there. I have to tell you that many of the words that I read from the prayer are some of the same things that I have felt about this church over the past few months. You see, Paul’s prayer begins with thanks. He is thankful to God for the spirit that exists within the church at Philippi. In fact, every time he prays, he prays for the people there. I can relate; I don’t know that I have uttered one prayer over the past several months that did not include this church. In fact, Amy and I began to pray for one family in this church every day as our way of getting to know y’all a little faster. We figured that there is no better way to begin know someone that to lift them up in prayer. But I think, like the Apostle Paul, what I am most excited about is the fellowship in the gospel. You see, Paul was delighted that the Philippians had taken up the task of laboring for the gospel just as he had. True, they didn’t go on back-breaking trips, endure numerous near death experiences, and stents in prison, but they had taken the task of proclaiming the gospel to heart. And that’s where we are today. For the last 5 years I have labored in central Mississippi, while you have labored in South Louisiana, but in God’s providence, He has brought us together. He has called us to labor alongside and with one another in South Louisiana. What an exciting journey this is going to be.
Paul is so sure that God is using the church in Philippi in a strong way. We can tell that from his words in verse 6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” This verse, Philippians 1:6 is perhaps one of the most encouraging verses in all of Scripture for those laboring in the fields. This verse is one of the strongest affirmations of the Christian doctrine of perseverance; or if there are any strong Calvinists or Westminster Confession of Faith buffs out there, the Perseverance of the Saints. I wouldn’t want to offend anyone by no mentioning John Calvin or the WCF when given the chance. But the Christian doctrine of perseverance tells us that God will not forsake us. Once He has claimed us as His own we will never fall completely from our state of grace. There may be times when our faith is weak. There may be times when we just don’t feel close to God. We have all experienced times in our faith that fit this description, but God has promised that he will give us strength to endure to the end. There may come a time when we feel burned out. There may come a time when we feel like we just can’t keep going. But I am here to tell you, God will give us the strength that we need to carry on.
And if we read further, we find even more affirmation. “It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace.” When the Apostle says “this way” he is referring to this confidence that he just spoke of in verse 6. Paul not only prayed for the Christians at Philippi, but he was also confident for them all. He knew that God was at work in them and would certainly accomplish His purposes in their lives. I know that God has done, is doing, and will do a mighty work through this church family. It is something that has dominated my conversations with others when they have asked about this church. It takes about 3 ½ to 4 hours to get from the Jackson, MS area to Houma. I think that the entire time that Amy and I were in the car after we came and visited in November was spent talking about the tremendous potential that we saw in this church. As I have talked to various members of this church family in preparation of my coming here to be with you, it has become so apparent that God has a hand in this church and that He is using her to fulfill His plans.
Being here, standing in this pulpit for the first time, I don’t know if I can tell all of you how excited I am. I can promise you that there is no one more excited in this sanctuary than I am right now. I have prayed for over a year that God would lead me to a church. Not just any church, but a church where He wanted me to be. It has been an up-and-down year. There have been many nights where Amy and I sat and were near tears wondering when God was going to make His will known to us. Opportunities came up, but I never felt God’s call. I yearned for that congregation where He was going to lead me. I didn’t even know them yet, but I yearned for them with all of my affection. Then, one day, God made it clear to me that he was calling me to be your pastor. That He was calling me to lead the people of First Presbyterian Church in Houma, Louisiana. And you see it wasn’t a sense of, “Yeah, that’s a nice church and after we’ve been there a while I think we are going to fit in just fine.” NO, it was love at first sight. It was even before that. It was love at no sight. Amy is probably getting a little bit offended right now because it took us 4 years of knowing each other before our friendship became a loving relationship. I hadn’t even met anyone at this church yet and I already love every one of you. And I feel much the same way about this church as I do about my marriage to my beautiful wife, there is no stronger love than that which God brings together. And just as He brought Amy and I together almost 9 years ago and over 6 years ago in marriage, He has joined the Robinson family and First Presbyterian Church Houma, LA.
And so as I look to the future of this great church family, I see the exact same things that Paul writes about when he speaks of the Philippians. “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” God hasn’t saved us just so we may be free of judgment and so that we may go to heaven when our time on earth is done. Although these are great blessings and gifts, God has saved us so that we might be fruitful Christians. He wants us to reproduce the character of Christ Jesus here on earth. We are to do good works because of our faith in Jesus Christ so that others may be brought to such saving faith. Our works aren’t what saves us, it is our faith and our faith alone that saves us. But out of that faith should these good works flow. James Boice puts it perfectly when he writes, “God is somewhat like a father who is raising a large family. He is pleased to have the family, and he is delighted you are a member of it. But he isn’t satisfied only with that. He also wants you to grow up and be a good citizen, spiritually speaking. He wants productive children. He wants your life to be fruitful with good works.” Friends this is exactly the will that God has for our lives and for the life of this church family. He wants us to show abounding love to one another and to all those who we come in contact with. I have known from the first time that I stepped into this sanctuary that this was a loving family. This is a loving family who faithfully worships a loving God. Let it be our mission to show the love of Christ to all those who are in need.
Also, let us be without offense. No one is perfect, at least no one besides Jesus. I could tell you stories about my deviant childhood that would probably have you questioning your decision to call me as your pastor. I can assure you, I have grown a lot and calmed down since my days of being a typical mischievous boy growing up in Meridian, MS. But we must all be open before one another and before God. The great news of the gospel is that Jesus’ death covers us. His righteousness covers us so that when God looks upon us He doesn’t see the sin-stained mess that we truly are, but He see the perfect obedience of Christ. Let’s not keep this a secret. Let’s show those around us that we don’t have to be perfect to come to church and come to Christ. I have a good friend of mine who recently joined the church that I previously served. As a matter of fact, he and his wife just joined last Sunday. Several months ago, after they had just begun to attend Grace Chapel, we had them over to the house for dinner. As we talked about what the EPC believed, what Grace Chapel believed, and how those two belief-sets matched his own personal beliefs, he stopped me and said something I never will forget. He said, “I know that I need the church, but I don’t think I am where I need to be at in my life to come to church.” I looked him back in the eye and said, “Me either.” You see, none of us are where we need to be. But the beautiful thing about it is that we don’t have to have it all figured out when we come to the cross. In fact, the more we can admit that we don’t have worked out, the better. Don’t ever let your sin and your imperfections drive a wedge between you and God.
And finally, when I look to the future of this church family, I see fruitful Christians. And by this term fruitful I am not referring here to the fruits of the Spirit as they are found in Galatians 5, but I am referring to what is seen on the outside. We are called to bring forth good fruit. We are called to show kindness, show love, show compassion, but how are we to show these things. Well, quite simply, we are to show them in the name of Christ. During Jesus’ last moments with his disciples before the crucifixion he said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener…Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” The only way to keep us attached to this true vine is for us to continue to depend upon Christ. We must continue to study the Word. We must continue to seek God’s guidance through prayer. And we must continue to proclaim the gospel to all those who have ears to hear.
Friends, I know that there are great things on the horizon for this church family. God has been preparing us for quite some time to use us. He will use us in a mighty way in South Louisiana like we have never seen before. I tell you this, that our sovereign God is working out His plan for this church. I don’t know where that plan will take us. I don’t know what that plan looks like. What I do know, is that God is the one who is in control. God is the one who is leading us. It isn’t me. It isn’t the session. It isn’t the Presbytery. It is the Lord Jesus Christ, the only head of the church. He is leading us, and mighty things will be accomplished for the sake of the gospel through First Presbyterian Church Houma, LA. For just as Paul and the Philippians, we have committed to be co-laborers for the sake of the gospel. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Philippians 4:4-7 "Stress Management"

Although I like to claim that I am a carefree person who doesn’t tend to worry about much, that isn’t entirely true. I want to be, and I tend to be this type of person when I have a lot of things going on. The problem is that when I have time to slow down and think about what I have going on, then I start to get anxious and worried. I know, this is just the opposite of what you would expect. You would think that during the times when I am overwhelmed with dates and events written in my planner that I would find my times of greatest stress. I guess the truth is that I have to move at such a fast pace that I don’t even have time to get nervous. So my question becomes, how do I handle myself in these times when I have the time to worry and become anxious. You see, Philippians is one of my favorite books of Scripture and the words of Philippians 4:6 “do not be anxious about anything” are the first words that enter my mind when I hear or even think of the word anxious. I know that God does not want me to worry over insignificant things because He has promised to provide. So how do I live according to His command for me to not worry? Well, lucky for me and for you, the Apostle Paul gives us here a manual for how to handle stress. This morning, I want to quickly take some time to look at how what Paul has to say in this stress management manual.
The first step that Paul gives us is to remember our greatest joy. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” To get the complete meaning of this simple statement we have to look at the original Greek text. You see, the word used here to mean rejoice is a variant of the word that means joy. Upon hearing this word joy, I hope many of you are thinking back to the fruits of the Spirit from Galatians 5. You see, joy is a Christian virtue, while happiness is a worldly one. Happiness is external while joy is internal. Happiness is circumstantial, while joy is never-ending. To quote James Boice, “Joy issues from the nature of God, and it is intended to well up within those in whom God’s Spirit dwells. It is not external; it is internal. It does not hinge upon circumstances. Things may happen to the Christian that no one, including the Christian, would be happy about. But there can still be joy.” The Christian who is filled with this supernatural, abounding joy will not be changed by the stressors of this world.
So the first step to handling anxiety is to remember the great promise and one unchangeable truth that we began our worship with last Sunday. We must keep in mind the eternal joy that we have in our Savior Jesus Christ. In other words, there is a sense of keeping in mind our priorities. The next thing that we are to do flows from the first. As we rejoice in the Lord over this great promise, even when we feel oppressed and are suffering, we are to let others see our gentleness. Paul exhorts the Philippians to be reasonable. “Make your reasonableness known to everyone.” This word reasonableness isn’t calling use to be unnecessarily rigorous, especially about unimportant matters. As I have already alluded to, it is a call for us to be gentle, to be compassionate. Not that we are to compromise on our doctrines or our beliefs, but we must be flexible in our attitudes when it comes to our dealings with others, especially other Christians. Think about the man who is dealing with the loss of a family member, or the woman who has just received a terminal diagnosis who for a moment blames God. Should we not forgive the thoughts they had during the moments of their greatest weakness? You would not do this at all, but you would only want to show them the love that you have for them. Or maybe even better, think of the child who rebels from their parent simply because they are too rigid. I have known many a person who rebelled again their parents and their Christian faith because their parents were too rigid in their expectations and showed little compassion. Although I have known some whose hearts were so hardened that they would not accept their children back, how grateful is the heart of one whose child returns to him. Think about the parable of the Prodigal Son, the father didn’t sit idly by and wait for his son to return to him. After seeing him he ran out to him and met him. Before he could even say a word to him, his father hugged him and wouldn’t let go. If that isn’t an act of compassion and gentleness then I don’t know what is. Now think of the greatest act of compassion that the world has ever known. Think about the sacrificial death that came to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Despite continuous sin and falling short of God’s will for our lives, our God showed compassion. Instead of condemnation, we find salvation in the saving death of Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God.
So we have seen in the first 2 verses that when we are faced with anxiety that we are to first remember the joy that we have in Christ and secondly to remember the compassion that has been shown to us and the great gift that has been given to us by our Heavenly Father. So these first 2 verses are aimed at us getting our minds right when dealing with anxiety. The next step in the Apostle Paul’s model for dealing with stress and anxiety is something that we must physically do. Paul tells us here that we are to pray, but not just any kind of prayer. When faced with anxiety we are to pray for everything. Handle everything with prayer and supplication. We must make our requests and our worries known to God. Yes, God knows our situations and there is nothing limiting Him from acting, but if we know that He is the only one with the power to deliver us and provide for us then why would we not go to Him in prayer. In the modern remake of the classic film Clash of the Titans, there is a scene that depicts this perfectly. Now I don’t agree with Greek mythology, but this scene shows our attitude towards prayer far too often. Perseus and all of the men with him are in great peril. One of the men that is with Perseus asks him if he has prayed to his father, Zeus, the king of the gods. Perseus’ response to his men is, “No, and I will not pray to him because I can do this myself.” Now we don’t flat out admit that we won’t pray to God because we want to do things without any help, but we virtually do this when we don’t go to God in prayer.
When we talk of prayer, what exactly are we talking about? Well, prayer is talking with God. But true prayer, is for the believer alone. True prayer is a pouring out of the heart on behalf of the believer to God. I have known many who have come to know Christ later on in their life. I have had the privilege of standing beside them as they make their first profession of faith. I can tell you without a doubt that you will never see a prayer that represents the blessings that we have in Christ Jesus more than that first prayer that someone makes once they have gone from being lost in the darkness to finding themselves in the light of grace. Billions of people each and every day pray to some higher power. Many of these prayers are wonderfully articulated and very elaborate, but unless they are made to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ the Son then they are worthless. Whether by rituals, chants, meditations, or any other method of prayer, only Christ provides access to the one true God. And some of you may take issue with these statements and think that I am being intolerant of other faiths, but I am merely reciting the very words of Jesus Christ from the Gospel of John. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). Jesus doesn’t say here that he is one of several ways or avenues to come to God. He didn’t say that he was merely a prophet who points the ways (multiple) to God, but he is the eternal prophet who is THE way to God. This means that no prayer offered to God apart from faith in Jesus Christ has ever reached our Heavenly Father.
As you can probably imagine, my life has been filled with some stress and anxiety over the past few months. As most of you probably know by now this is my last Sunday at Grace Chapel. I will be in the pulpit of First Presbyterian Church in Houma, LA starting next Sunday. Entering this week, we hadn’t sold our house here. We didn’t have an actual place to live in Houma yet. I have some oral examinations coming up on Tuesday, followed by more examinations the last weekend in January. We don’t know exactly what we are going to do with our kids in Houma. Amy doesn’t have a job there yet. We have to keep bringing our dog up here to the vet for some treatments. And then there is the regular everyday life stressors that are always there. Oh and throw in the stress that goes with being a pastor for the first time in a church than has been stagnant for some time and is in need of some revitalization. But other than that there isn’t too much going on in our house.
When Amy and I went to visit the church in Houma, there was something that they did in the service that was called the prayers of the people. Now I have seen this done in many churches and it is very similar to the pastoral prayer which this church commonly does after hearing God’s word; a prayer that we will take part in in just a few moments. But this prayers of the people was different. One of the elders of the church, Mike, stood up and prayed for the congregation. Not just a general prayer for the congregation, but every member of the congregation. He prayed for almost the entire congregation by name. My eyes were closed for so long I think that I almost fell asleep; twice. After the service, I asked Mike why he chose to pray for so many individually instead of just lumping them all together as the congregation. He responded to me, “Because I think that God is calling us to pray for everything and everyone. He doesn’t want just general prayers all the time. Sure they are fine, but every now and then God wants us to lift up specific prayers that we have for Him.”
With these words firmly in the front of my mind over the last several weeks, I gave it a try. I sat alone one day and prayed. I prayed for each and everything that was causing my anxiety. I prayed for every person that I could think of that was in need of God at this time. I prayed for every church family that I could think of who is in need of God’s guidance in a strong way. I prayed like I had never prayed before. And I want to tell you what happened in that moment, I felt a wave of calm overtake me that I haven’t felt since I was my daughter’s age, when I didn’t have a care in the world. In those 30 minutes spent in prayer I turned everything over to God. You see, I was clinging to the things of this life. I was trying to be the one in control instead of letting the God who created the universe control all things. I was not trusting that God, in His providence, was going to take care of me, my family, and all those who I care about. That was my sin causing a barrier to form between me and God. My sinful want of being in control was causing me to not know God as I ought. And, as is the case with any conversation, the better you know someone the more heartfelt the conversation. The more powerful and intimate the relationship, then the more power the conversation. In this case, the more intimate we are with God, then the more powerful and meaningful our prayers become.
So we have changed our mindset, shifted our priorities, and prayed without limitations about all that causes us to worry. What happens? Verse 7 tells us, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” This is that feeling that I felt after praying so heavily over all the things that have caused me to stress, caused me anxiety. There was a peace about me that can only come from God. Friends, it is a great privilege that we have to pray to God. The mere fact that it is so easy is further proof of God’s amazing love. On Christmas Day we were in Meridian and attended First Presbyterian there and the pastor and a good friend of mine, Rhett Payne, referenced the phenomena of Tebowing. Some of you may know what it is but others may need an explanation. Tebowing, taken from the Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, is the act of kneeling down and praying despite whatever is going on around you. He has made this his practice during games on Sunday and it has kind of taken on a life of its own. Now there are those who have criticized him for it. There are those who have mocked him for it. But let’s don’t put so much emphasis on the person, but on the act. I want to tell you what happened with one of those stressors that I had.
The fact that we can come to God no matter who we are, no matter what is going on around us, and no matter what we may have done is a tremendous blessing. Why would we not take full advantage of this gift? Why would we not make full use of this news? So when you are faced with stress, you need to pray. Even if you aren’t stressed, you need to pray. The command here in this text made by God through the Apostle Paul is to take everything to God in prayer. Our God is the only one with the power to lead us through the troubled times in our life. Our God is the only one who we have to thank for all of the blessings that we currently enjoy. Prayer to God, humbling ourselves before Him, is the greatest act of thanks that we can ever give to God. Let’s all take full advantage of this and take everything to the Lord in prayer.
What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield thee;
thou wilt find a solace there.