Philippians 4:13 "What are All Things?"

                One of the strangest things that I enjoy is watching athletes being interviewed.  I don’t really know why I enjoy watching interviews immediately after sporting events so much, but I do.  It’s not like many of them have anything prophetic or thought-provoking to say.  Maybe it’s the fact that you get to see some real emotion from these men and women who at times we forget are people just like you and me.  If an athlete has just lost, you see the pain and frustration in their eyes.  You can also tell by the determination in their voices whether they will choose to learn from an experience and get better or whether what just took place crushed them for good.  The most notable one that I can remember was several years back after number 1 ranked Florida lost to Ole Miss in football and Tim Tebow took the stand and simply said “We’re not losing again, period.”  And as history would have it, he was right.  Maybe the reason I like watching interviews is that after winning a big game, athletes finally resemble all of us in their excitement.  If you’ve ever watched a team celebrate after winning a championship, there’s a certain jubilation that makes you forget about the money they’re making, the contract disputes, and the business of it all.  However, one of the things that I often get a kick out of is when they ask someone how they did it.  Let’s say that after winning the World Series, a reporter asks a pitcher how he was able to throw like he did or another player how he was able to keep getting those timely hits.  His response:  “I just want to thank God.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  Now, many of us wouldn’t and don’t bat an eye or give a second thought to this person saying these words.  There’s no doubt that God gives every athlete, performer, and everyone else some amount of talent in a particular area.  I’m fully on board with giving God the glory.  However, does the verse that we’re looking at today, Philippians 4:13, really have anything to do with a brilliant sports moment?  Does it have anything to do with our moments of success and achievement in our daily lives?  What are the reasonable and unreasonable applications of this most famous war-cry for overcoming an obstacle?

                What I want us to do before we really even dive into this verse and see what is and is not a right application of these words, is to look at the context of what’s going on when Paul writes these words.  You see, Paul’s relationship with this particular church, the church in Philippi, was unique in its closeness.  There was a two-way love between Paul and this congregation that quite honestly didn’t exist between Paul and the other churches that he founded.  It’s not that there was anything wrong with those other churches; it’s just that there was a special relationship that existed between Paul and the Philippian church.  When he needed support (financial, physical, etc.) they were ready to help him out.  Many times, Paul didn’t even need to ask them for help before they were already making plans to give him what he needed.  Immediately before and after our verse for today, Paul’s words are about God’s provision.  Paul is speaking about how God, many times through that very church in Philippi, saw to it that Paul had what he needed in both life and ministry.  Even in circumstances and situations where Paul didn’t have everything that he needed, he somehow seemed to always get by.  Just look at the words immediately before our verse.  Paul says, “I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.”  In other words, Paul had developed (or more accurately God had developed within Paul) a sense of contentment that allowed Paul to persevere no matter what was going on around him.  Have you ever had those moments in your life; maybe it was weeks, months, or even years, where you don’t know how you got by but somehow you did?  It’s like if you went back and added up now how much you had coming in and how much you had going out and there’s no way that you should have been able to survive.  Yet, you did and you really didn’t feel the sting of it in the moment like you probably should have or that you might feel thinking about it now.  That’s where Paul was in life and ministry and he was completely comfortable with it.  Now, don’t mistake comfort with complacent.  Paul was anything but complacent.  He was constantly moving forward for the sake of the gospel.  It’s just that he wasn’t worried about himself or his health or his welfare because those things always seemed to work themselves out.  He was fulfilling that command that Jesus gave us about not worrying about tomorrow because tomorrow will take care of itself; those words about the flowers having clothes and the birds having food.  Paul placed his entire trust in the sovereignty and providence of God.

                That’s the context in which we find these words, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”  Paul’s not talking about being able to lift some massive amount of weight over his head.  He’s not talking about being able to physically outrun any group of persecutors that may come after him.  He’s talking about being able to fulfill the mission that God has set before him, and to do so faithfully while praising God the entire way through it.  The brilliant reformer John Calvin says of this verse that “when [Paul] says all things, he means merely those things which belong to his calling.”  Paul’s all things are his being able to preach and teach, to endure, persevere, and overcome the hardships of ministry, and to be able to rely upon God for endurance and strength.  Paul’s all things are references to the task at hand that has been given to him to proclaim the gospel.  Paul’s all things are not references to general life events, but to the hardships that he was enduring for the sake of and as a result of his being found in Christ.  Look, I understand how this verse can be taken and used in an athletic setting or some everyday life type of context, and I think that to a certain extent there is some application there.  We can do things because of the power of God working through us that otherwise we wouldn’t be able to do and that we can’t do on our own.  I’m fully on board with that; I just don’t think (and more importantly the context of this verse doesn’t indicate) that these words are to be applied to every area of our lives.  I don’t think that God is necessarily involved with whether or not you make a free throw or if you win an election or get a particular job.  I think that God sometimes (not always) allows us to reach certain levels of influence and prominence so that our influence and impact for His kingdom can be enhanced, but that’s something different than just overcoming adversity.  I think that God merely wants to see one thing in our situations in life:  can you praise Him regardless of the situation?  In other words, can we praise Him on both sides of the vows of marriage that we take:  plenty and want, joy and sorrow, sickness and health.  Can you praise Him; do you praise Him, on both sides of that equation?  It’s often said that if you say that you need something in order to praise God fully then whatever it is that you need is your true god.

I have a painting that hangs on our bedroom wall with the words to this verse on it.  A friend of mine from my hometown painted it for me years ago and it has been on my wall ever since.  When I was in college, it hung above my bed.  After Amy and I got married and moved into our first home, it hung over our bed.  Now, due to my wife’s decorating taste, it doesn’t hang over our bed anymore, but it’s still in the room.  No matter where I have lived, that painting, that verse, has been on a wall in my bedroom, and I can’t think of a better place for it.  I have absolutely no choice but to look at it every day (several times each day) and to think about it.  I’m reminded every time I look at it about what it actually means.  In other words, I’m reminded constantly to ask myself the question, “Is God enough?”  Is God enough in my life regardless of whatever else happens?  Regardless of what I lose or endure in this life, is God enough for me to overcome it?  Do I live a life that tells people that all I need is God?  Do I live a life that portrays the notion that because I am found in Christ, that there is nothing that I cannot do and cannot overcome?  You see, it’s not a reminder to me that I can push myself that extra mile running in the morning.  It’s not a reminder to me that I can have that type of life that I dream about.  It’s a reminder to me that no matter what life throws at me that I have the power to overcome it because I have my hope in something that is greater than all the things of this world.

As I’ve thought about this verse over the years, and the type of person that it calls us to be, the type of belief that it calls us to have, there is one word that has just kept popping up in my mind:  steady.  Have you ever known someone that you would just classify as a steady person?  There are never really any overly high highs and there are never really any low lows, but the person is just steady.  They’re just really rock-solid folks, many of them being stabilizing forces within various communities (family, friends, work, church, etc.).  They’re able to keep both good news and bad news in proper focus and a proper perspective.  They bring a sense of calm to an otherwise chaotic situation.  Now, I’m not saying that these folks are the models of this verse, although they very well might be in some cases.  What I’m trying to say is that our faiths ought to resemble the steadiness of these folks when it comes to our reliance, devotion, and trust in God.  When we are found in Christ, we ought to know that we are taken care of.  And we’re not taken care of by our own efforts or our own power, but through the power and the strengthening of the Holy Spirit.  Paul has spoken several times in this epistle already about the great power and blessings that are found in our being found in Christ. 

In another one of Paul’s epistles, he speaks about what it means to be heirs with Christ.  In Romans 8, Paul says that the children of God are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”  To be an heir of something means that you are to inherit it; it means that whatever that person owns is to become yours at some point.  Paul is saying here that we are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.  That means that all that Christ, the Son, inherits from His Father is to be ours as well.  That’s why Paul says that he can endure any amount of suffering because no matter what he must endure in this life, it is nothing compared with the glory that awaits him.  After all, life is fleeting in light of eternity.  I heard someone say recently that they were born in 1954, they blinked and were in the second grade, blinked again and they were marrying their high school sweetheart, blinked again and had three adult children who were all married, and that they would blink again soon and wake up in the presence of Christ.  The suffering that we endure in this world is nothing compared to the glory of heaven.  There is nothing that we cannot endure, particularly because we have the sustaining hand of God covering us.

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me” is not a motto for superhuman strength or stamina.  It’s not a verse that we should tell ourselves as a means of motivation for reaching our goals.  Do you know what the most important words that you can tell to someone in the midst of strife or struggle are?  It’s a short little five word sentence.  It’s going to be okay.  It’s going to be okay.  You can get through this.  This isn’t something that you can’t overcome.  Sure, things may be different from this point on, but that doesn’t mean that life as you know it is over.  You may have lost someone dear to you, you may have lost your job, your kids might not be making the choices that you want them to make, but it’s going to be okay.  You can weather this storm.  You may not think that you have the ability to get past this, but you.  And do you know why you have that ability?  It’s because you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.  You can get past this.  You can get beyond this.  You can overcome this and praise God the entire way through it.  And the reason why you can do this is because you are found in Christ.  You trust that God will provide you with everything you need.  It may not be everything you want, but it most certainly is what you need.  Just as Paul was able to rest in knowing that God would see to it that his needs were meet, we can rest in knowing that God will see us through whatever it is that we’re going through.  We may not enjoy it and it may be difficult, but our instructions are simple.  We are to press on, persevere, and praise God all the while.  Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Philppians 4:19-23 "Resting in God's Promises"

Well, we’re finally here; the final verses of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. I have greatly enjoyed our look at every word, every letter, and every punctuation mark of this particular epistle, and I hope you have too, but there are still a few more words that need to be covered. Last week, we said that Paul’s parting words to the Philippian Christians were of such depth and length that it would take us a couple of weeks to deal with them all. We looked at his encouragement for us to be content despite our situation. We said that this contentment comes from Christ and that because of our having Christ within us that there is nothing that we cannot do. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. And so we come to our text this week; Paul’s final words to this congregation, and we find even more encouragement. We see a clear statement that God will provide; followed by Paul’s explicit command for how we are to respond to all that he has told us.

Verse 19 reads, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Notice the word before God: my. You see, Paul knew who the only one who could supply all that the Christian needed was. He doesn’t say “a god” or “whatever god you happen to believe in at the time”, he says “my God”. He means the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I understand the sentiment within our world today that God is pretty much the same in all religions, we just worship him in different ways. Well, maybe I should back up a bit. I understand that that idea exists, but I don’t understand it at all. I don’t agree with it in any way. To say that my God, the Creator of the Heavens and the earth is the same as any other god is quite simply not true. My God, who called everything into being and did so solely for his own glory, is not the same as any other god that people may worship. My God, is the One True God that Jesus lifted the High Priestly Prayer of John 17 up to.

Throughout Scripture, God makes promises to his children. Whether it is the promises specifically made to people such as Abraham or David, or a general promise made to a larger body of people like those made to Israel and to Christians everywhere, not one of them has failed. All of the promises that God made with those in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah came true; they were fulfilled. We know that, but think about some of the ones that are made in Scripture about the Christian life; specifically some of those within the New Testament. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life” is a promise of everlasting salvation. Romans 8:28, “and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” John 10:9 says, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.” Later on in that very same chapter in verses 27 & 28 we find, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” Why, even in this very same letter that we have been looking at over the last 4 months, there are promises. Do you remember a few weeks ago when we looked at 4:6 & 7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let you requests be made know to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

And these are just some of the many promises made throughout Scripture. Well, today, we come to perhaps the greatest promise in the Bible because it includes all of these other promises. We’re told in verse 19 that our every need will be supplied. Do you need salvation? Of course you do, and God will supply it. Do you need strength during trials? God will supply it. Do you need comfort, strength, compassion, or someone to meet you in your loneliness? God will provide for all of these needs. He will supply all that we need in our various situations.

This week has been a particularly trying week at our house. We spent Sunday afternoon and all day Monday at Amy’s grandparent’s farm since we couldn’t be there to eat with everyone for a Mother’s Day gathering on Saturday. We had a great time getting together with them and there not being everyone else there. Instead of the full 20 of us being present, it was just Amy and I, her grandparents, and our kids. We got to sit and visit with them instead of worrying about taking care of everyone else or at least making sure that a majority was still pleasant and content. As Amy’s grandpa said, “It’s nice to just have y’all all to ourselves.” It was truly a good time getting to catch up with them. Well, when we went to leave early Tuesday morning there was a problem: our dog Beau was nowhere to be found. The other 2 dogs that live there were where they were supposed to be, but our dog wasn’t. It was odd, because he was always there. He was never one to venture too far from the house. He always wanted to stay as close to the house as he could so that he could get to us quickly when we came outside.

Well, after looking for him for a couple of hours, we decided that we would go ahead and leave and hope that he showed up later. So, we all loaded up and left. We got maybe 10 minutes down the road and decided that we needed to go back and look some more. So we turned around and proceeded to walk through poison ivy, thorn bushes, blackberries, and pine tree saplings for another 2 hours in hopes that we mind find him. It would be just like the movies you know? We couldn’t leave him alone, we return back and because of our determination we would be rewarded. Well, that didn’t happen. We didn’t find him. After determining that we simply weren’t going to find him, we were faced with the task of breaking the news to our kids. I know this doesn’t seem like much, but in our family it is a difficult thing. You see, they have never known a time without him. For that matter, Amy and I have never known what it’s like to be married without him. We have always referred to our dog when talking to Ashby and Thomas as, “your brother.” Ashby has even been known to call Beau her favorite brother on occasion.

And we told them that he was missing, but that they might not see him again. Ashby told Amy, “That’s okay momma. It’ll be ok.” Not wanting to let them know how bad things were, we quickly told them we knew and loaded them back into the truck to head back home. About halfway back, Amy and I were talking and she began to cry a little. Well, Ashby asks Amy, “Why are you upset momma? What’s wrong?” I told her that her momma just missed Beau and was a little sad about it. Ashby responded, “Yeah, I miss him too, but maybe we’ll find him when we get home. Maybe he’s at our house.” Well, realizing that our earlier attempts had not quite done the job, once again we had to tell her the news. We told her that her dog had gone to heaven. Now this isn’t the place to insert an argument for canines entering into heaven. If you would like my opinions on that matter, you can come and ask me some other day. But after hearing me tell her that her dog was now in heaven, Ashby responded with, “Oh, like Jesus.” Tears began to well up in our eyes as we heard the words “like Jesus” come from our daughter’s mouth. It was in that moment where I thought back to the words of last week “all things.” Just knowing the fact that my daughter has already begun to piece together the notion that death isn’t something to fear or to run from because there is Jesus Christ was enough to put both Amy and I over the edge. For a brief moment, the pain of losing a beloved member of our family without any warning or really any idea what happened was overcome by the words of a child.

Now it may not seem like much and we know that in the grand scheme of things it’s not a big deal that we lost our dog. Part of owning a pet is that they quite simply don’t live as long as we do, and I’m very thankful for that fact. But it is tough dealing with loss, no matter what shape or form it may take. And we still hold out some hope that maybe one day we will find him or that we will at least find out what happened to him, but it’s just not the same around our house today as it was a week ago. You see, our house has been filled with a lot of stress lately. We’ve had some bad luck in numerous areas of our life as of late. To say that some things could have gone better for us lately would be a bit of an understatement. Don’t get me wrong, we’re still blessed, but there are days that it takes a lot of reminding for us to remember how blessed we truly are. As I was sitting outside our house this week watching the kids play in the yard, I was thinking about all that has gone on in the life of our family as of late and that statement and sentiment that I hate more than anything in this world crept into my mind, “This isn’t fair.” Because you see it isn’t fair, we all really deserve something much worse than we have received.

As I continued thinking along this same line, I start to think about this weeks’ text dealing with God’s promises never failing. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul writes, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability…” This is the verse where we get the popular saying, “God won’t give us more than we can handle.” (And all this time you thought that was in the Bible) As I began to ponder that verse, I was reminded that this verse in 1 Corinthians 10 highlights that God will not allow a Christian to be tempted beyond what he can bear, but it does not say that he is the source of the temptation or trial. James 1:13 says, “When under trial, let no one say: ‘I am being tried by God.’ For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone.” So God does not bring problems on us. He is not the source of the trials we may face, but he does allow us to be tried, and as Scripture tells us, he will help us, if we rely on him. He will provide for us and supply for our every need.

The final part of verse 19 says that His supplying for our needs will be “according to his riches in glory.” Now, it’s a little lost on many of us when we see something spectacular. When you think about it, the mere concept of typing a message on a computer screen, clicking a button, and someone halfway across the world being able to read it almost instantly is quite spectacular. However, most of us don’t give this a second thought because it is commonplace in today’s world. It’s something that many of us can experience on a regular basis. For us to assume that something is spectacular, it has to be something that not everyone can experience. Think about a person going into space. This is definitely something that many more people won’t experience than will. What if someone who would never go into space wanted to experience space? Well, this would be a quite difficult task. Suppose that an astronaut decided that he was going to take a canister of some sort and open it up while he was in space. Theoretically, he could close the lid and seal space inside of it. He could then bring it back to earth and present it as a gift to another person. In one sense, this canister would contain a sample of space, but it really wouldn’t give a person here on earth an idea of what space is like. It would not even begin to capture the immensity and grandeur of space. No matter the size of the container, it’s not going to be big enough to contain the vastness of space.

In a one sense, this promise that God makes to fill our every need in Jesus Christ out of his glory, is like that of the example given about space. We are given some of the glory of God. Even as we grow as Christians and are able to experience even more of the glory of God, it’s never going to come close to the full magnitude of God’s glory. There will always be infinite glory beyond that which we experience. We can’t exhaust the riches of God. Our needs are never too great for God to provide for. Think about it, the finite cannot exhaust the infinite. It isn’t possible. God can and will provide for our every need. Paul makes that promise very clear here in our text today. He will provide for our every need through his Son Jesus Christ. And just as the words of my daughter in a moment of pain reminded me of the joy that exists within Christ, Paul’s words here should remind us of the joy in Christ that we should have every day. Because Christ has given us the ultimate gift, he has provided for our greatest need with his saving death and resurrection. That, salvation, paying the price that is owed for our sins, is something that none of us can do, but Christ has done it for us.

And all of this leads us to Paul’s benediction as it’s found in the final 3 verses. Now, this is pretty much a signature ending to a letter, but I want us to look at something quickly before leaving this letter. In verses 21 and 22 Paul writes, “Greet every saint in Christ Jesus,” and “All the saints great you.” These two words, every and all, are great reminders to us. All of the calls to Christian living that Paul has made to us throughout this letter; all of the talk about being content in Christ, trusting in God to provide, praying for all we need, and all of the other calls made by Paul during this letter culminate with one simple notion. That simple notion is that we are to take the message of the gospel to everyone. We are to witness to all those who we come in contact with. Friends, the grace that God gives to each and every one of us is amazing and much more than we deserve. How could we possibly want to keep such great and wonderful news a secret? How could we want to keep this to ourselves? We must take the good news of the gospel and proclaim it until such time as we can no longer do so; for we have been purchased at a great price. Let’s take up the task of proclaiming the joy that we find in Jesus Christ to all those who have ears to hear and eyes to see. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 4:10-18 "Contentment"

Well, we’re getting closer to the conclusion of our study of Philippians. Next Sunday will be the final week in our look at Paul’s letter to this beloved congregation. And as with many letters, there is more of an ending needed than a simple goodbye. Paul begins the process of ending his letter in 4:10 and it takes him 13 verses to accomplish this task. We will look at the first part of Paul’s farewell address this week, and then dissect his final parting words next Sunday. And these words for us in our text here today carry with them a great deal of biblical history. In just a few short verses, we’re told of a time in Paul’s life and ministry that was pretty difficult. And Paul is telling them exactly what large part they played in sustaining him throughout some of his struggles.

Having a little bit of a better understanding of where we are in terms of history will help us to understand Paul’s sentiments here more clearly. During Paul’s first missionary journey, he entered into this city named Philippi in the region of Macedonia. At that time, there were no Christians there, and Paul began to preach and teach the words of the Old Testament to small groups of people there. As they began to understand what he was saying to them, he made sure to link what he was teaching them to the life of Jesus Christ. Those who had listened to Paul’s teachings began to profess their faith in Christ, become Christians, and establish a church there in Philippi. After the establishment of this church and its becoming functional on its own, Paul left to carry out this same task in other parts of the world.

His first stop after Philippi was Thessalonica; the same Thessalonica from 1 & 2 Thessalonians. After leaving Thessalonica, Paul went to Berea and then Athens. Throughout all of his travels, this church at Philippi continued to support the Apostle Paul. They were a church that constantly remembered Paul and cared for his needs. Throughout Scripture, churches are known and remembered for their actions. The church in Ephesus was known for its hard work. Corinth is known for its division and moral laxity. Why, there are even churches today that upon hearing their name, they are immediately associated with their work. It may be the negative descriptors like those associated with Westboro Baptist Church. It may be something positive like we think of when we hear about Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York. Well, the church a Philippi is no different. The Philippian church is remembered because it remembered. It cared for Paul and provided for his needs when no other church did so; not even those other churches that Paul worked to establish.

At the time Paul is writing this letter, many years have passed since Paul first visited Philippi and founded the church there, but the love that they had for him had only grown over time. The phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder” very much applies to the relationship between Paul and this body of believers. Whenever they received word that Paul was in need they immediately worked at providing for that need. Even if the necessary funds weren’t readily available, they raised the money to take care of whatever Paul needed. And Paul is very well aware of this fact. In verse 18 we read, “I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied.” But this text is much more than a simple thank you to the Philippians for their continued support of Paul’s missionary ministry.

I think that the central theme of this text is found closer to the beginning. Beginning in verse 11 we read, “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.” After reading this, that word “content” causes me to pause. It gives me great difficulty, and it’s not so much the meaning of the word, but the application of it. Because Paul is telling us here that no matter the circumstance, that we are not to be worried and we are to trust that God will provide. And this is difficult for many of us to be okay with. The word “content” means to be satisfied and to not want more. And it’s this sentiment that many of us have a difficult time dealing with.

As your pastor, I have the responsibility of standing up here each and every Sunday and delivering God’s Word to you. In doing so, it is my responsibility to inform you as to just how that word applies to you. But you see, I have to do much more than simply tell you what the text means to you and how it impacts the way that you are to live your life. I have to let it impact my life too. In fact, part of my calling is to be an example and to literally “practice what I preach.” And that’s exactly what I plan on doing this morning. You see, I have felt this problem. I have fallen victim to not trusting in God to provide for my every need and to not being content with my situation. I want to take a minute to tell you just how this has looked in my life, at least in its most recent form. As many of you know, Amy and I had lived in Jackson, MS for quite some time before moving to Houma; 6 ½ years to be exact. And we had a nice little house; our first house together. Unfortunately, we still have that house, and it’s not as a vacation home. Each month, writing a check that goes to pay a mortgage on a house that we don’t even use irritates me. I’m not very content with this situation. I have this want to change my situation. I’m not very satisfied with still owning this particular piece of property.

Now, I don’t mean to turn this into a rant about my not being able to sell a house or a plea for help. That’s not what I’m trying to do at all, and I hope that none of you take that from what I’m saying. I’m trying to show you just how easy it is for us to not be content. Because when you look at it, what’s there to not be content about? In my particular situation, I have a beautiful wife, amazing kids, a good job, a loving church family, and so many more blessings that I can’t begin to name them all. This thing about having an unsold house is nothing more than a money thing. It’s my materialistic nature (sin) wanting me to sell this house so that quite honestly I can get more stuff. I want to sell this house so that I feel more secure in my finances, but it shouldn’t be this way. There’s nothing that I need to survive that I don’t have. There’s absolutely nothing that is a necessity that I don’t already have. It’s a problem that I deal with; the problem of wanting more and more stuff. Maybe you deal with this problem? Maybe you deal with another problem similar to this on a regular basis? What are areas of your life where you have trouble being content with your situation? Maybe it’s finances; maybe it’s relationships; maybe it’s housing situations? No matter what it is, we’re told here to be content in those situations. We’re told to trust in the Lord to provide for all we need.

When the Apostle Paul was writing this letter, and specifically these verses here, he is referencing one of the more difficult times in his ministry. The timeframe for this text is after he has endured numerous physical hardships, been put in jail, freed miraculously during an earthquake, continued his ministry elsewhere, and has been driven out of various locations by rioting and unruly mobs. Despite all these things happening to him, Paul says that he’s learned to be content no matter the situation. No matter what problems have come up in Paul’s life and ministry he is satisfied. He has learned to enjoy his life and enjoy God no matter what his situation is. And the question that we want to know is how. How did Paul learn to be content no matter what the situation?

You see, it’s not an easy task to be content. Such a simple word carries with it a very difficult reality. Being content is tough, much less being content no matter what the situation. And Paul tells us exactly how we can be content in difficult times. It’s how Paul was able to be content in all situations. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” And the one who strengthens Paul is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Some of your Bible’s interpret this verse as “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Paul is able to be content no matter what because he wholly rests in Christ Jesus.

Years ago, my parents gave me a painting that a friend of mine had done that displays these very words that are found in Philippians 4:13. And for probably nearly 10 years, that painting has resided over my bed. Being the OCD person that I am, it has resided directly over the center of my headboard. And many times over the course of those 10 years, it was just a wall covering. The words on the canvas, were just that: words. You see, this verse is one of the most widely known verses in all of Scripture. It’s one of the most often quoted and highly printed verses from the Bible. And that’s the problem, we’ve heard it so many times that we almost dismiss it. When someone is struggling with stress and feels like the weight of the world is on their shoulders we recite these words to them and they respond with the common, “Yeah I know, but…” But nothing! These words mean everything to us. These words tell us that there is absolutely nothing whatsoever that can come our way that we can’t accomplish, overcome, and get past because we have Christ Jesus within us. When I have felt the words “I can’t do this” trying to make their way out of my mouth, I have often looked above my bed and seen the words from Philippians 4:13; all things! It doesn’t say I can do most things or all things in a particular area of life, but it says all things.

You see, there is absolutely nothing that we can’t accomplish with Jesus Christ. And as it specifically relates to our being content and our trusting in God to provide what we need, it is imperative that we understand this idea. So often, we try and take matters into our own hands and away from God. We don’t trust that God will provide for our every need. And I’m not just talking about money here. There are numerous areas of life in which we resist relinquishing control to God, but money seems to be the most popular in our society today. Many times, when this notion of trusting in God to provide for our needs comes up, people pop up with the question, “So are you telling me that God doesn’t want me to save up for retirement and the He wants me to just trust that everything will turn out alright?” Well, yes and no. I’m not saying that it’s bad to plan wisely and to anticipate a time in which you aren’t working anymore. In fact, I’m thankful for sound financial planning. Because of the fiscal planning of my grandfather, my grandmother, who is suffering through Alzheimer’s, is able to enjoy a much more comfortable level of care than she could otherwise. I’m not saying that financial planning is bad. What I am saying is that we need to not try and push God out of the way. We need to be mindful of the fact that God may be calling us to do something other than just worry about ourselves. He may cause us to give up certain things.

God calls all of us to do different things with our lives. There are those that God has called to sell everything and follow Him. There are missionaries in foreign countries that have given up a great deal in order to follow his call. There is a family living in a compound, a 900 square foot cinderblock home, in Ganthier City, Haiti as we speak. When this year started, he was a doctor and she was a dentist. Their son was a soccer star at a local high school who had just finished his junior season. God called them to move to Haiti and labor there. They left everything. They left sound financial situations. They left during their prime earning years. They left the comforts and luxuries of this country. They left a place that has a basic infrastructure, because that’s what God called them to do. But that’s not for everyone. Some of us, God calls to stay; God calls us to be the ones to labor in our everyday situations. For some of us, he calls us to labor here, and while doing so calls us to support those who He calls to give up everything. God called the Christians in Philippi not to go off, but to stay where they were and to support Paul in his ministry.

What Paul is trying to tell us in this text, is that no matter what, we are to be content. We are to as the Westminster Confession of Faith puts it, “Glorify God and enjoy Him, forever.” That’s the answer to the question of what is our primary purpose. That’s the answer to the question of how we remain content no matter what our situation. This week, I had the privilege of gathering together will all of the other Louisiana EPC pastors. It was a great time of being able to sit around and discuss what is going on in our lives both personally and professionally. As we talked about many of the things that are currently causing us each of us various amounts of stress at this time: family issues, financial issues at home and at church, membership issues, activity issues, we all begin to see that everyone has things that cause them concern. If you can think of it, someone at the table brought it up. But here’s the good news, the thing that helped and helps all of us be content regardless: Christ is alive. Christ has conquered death. There’s absolutely nothing that can’t be done with Christ. There is nothing that cannot be overcome because of the grace found in Christ Jesus. No matter whether we are in a state of plenty or a state of want, we should be content because we have already been given more than we deserve. What we deserve is nothing, absolutely nothing. But what we have been given is everything. It’s this attitude and viewpoint that Paul finally understands and it’s this attitude and viewpoint that we are to understand. No matter what things cause us to worry; no matter what our situation; we are to not only be content with things, but we are to be thankful for that fact that they are even as good as they are. All that we are and all that we have, comes from God. Everything that we claim as our own, the things that we have earned, are gifts; gifts given to us out of nothing other than grace. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Philippians 4:8-9 "The Doubtful Things"

The concepts of culture and Christianity and how they relate to one another tend to fascinate many people. I know that their relationship has always fascinated me. Why, there are even Christian schools and seminaries out there today that have taken this topic and run with it. I know of several men who train future pastors in the classroom, but actually make their living studying the relationship between Christianity and culture. Because you see, for as many different people as we ask this question to, we will get as many different answers. What is the relationship between Christianity and culture? There are some who are of the mindset that anything that has cultural significance is bad in terms of the Christian faith. There are also those that will take the complete opposite approach and completely separate their “church-life” from their “everyday-life”. Most Christians, however, will fall somewhere in between these two extremes.

Being a pastor brings with it a great deal of blessings and things that make this calling special. Getting to help others grow in their faith, baptizing believers and their children, helping celebrate Christian servants who have been called home to be with their Father, officiating a service in which a man and a woman pledge their lives to one another and to God, and so many other things that I can’t begin (and won’t try) to list them all. But there are those things about being a pastor that aren’t as much of blessing. You see there are constantly questions that people want answered. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that it’s always bad when people have questions, but it just depends on the type of question. You see, there is nothing wrong with the question that is geared at gaining a deeper and clearer understanding of God’s Word. There is nothing wrong with the question that seeks to aide in the growth of one’s Christian faith. The not-so-fun questions, however, are those asked by those who just want to know how far they can take something before it becomes a problem. In other words, they just want you to tell them that what they’re doing is okay. They want you to reassure them that they aren’t doing anything antithetical to the Christian faith.

Now, sometimes these questions can be quite funny. I had a lady ask me one time if it was okay that she told a local charity organization that she couldn’t help out with an event that she usually assisted with. She had a vacation planned for that time before she knew about the event and she just simply felt awful about not being able to help. I quickly assured her that it was quite alright that she didn’t help and that she should indeed enjoy her vacation without hesitation. No, this isn’t the type of question that I’m talking about. I’m talking about the types of questions where the person asking almost knows the answer before they even ask the question. When someone comes into my office and wants to know if flirtation with another woman is actually a violation of their wedding vows, or when someone wants to hear that an unethical business deal is okay because it’s only business and their church and work lives are separate. These are the types of moments that feel pretty lonely for a pastor. Because as much as we may love our congregation; our fellow Christians, we don’t love having to correct them. We don’t love the damage that sin can have on their lives.

All throughout our study of Philippians; a study that has lasted us almost four months; we have seen Paul deal numerous times with the Christian life. Many of the sermons have concluded with some type of charge that the way a Christian lives is of great importance and is in many cases a strong witness either for or against the Gospel. So, as we near the end of this letter, Paul is putting the finishing touches and the closing remarks on this discourse with his most favorite of congregations. Paul gives us here a list of characteristics: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Now, I want to do something a little bit different here and if you will follow me for a second I will try and get us all on the same page.

In Galatians 5, Paul gives us the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The fruits of the Spirit are those things, those characteristics, that sum up the visible attributes of the Christian. If you will notice, the list in Galatians 5 and the list in our text today in Philippians 4 have no common traits. There are no words found on the list in Galatians 5 that appear on the list that we now find in Philippians 4:8. Well, I’m the kind of guy that likes to see if there is any understanding to be gained from not just what Scripture says, but what it leaves unsaid as well. With that in mind, we must ask ourselves, where does this list in our text come from and what does it mean.

Well, this list that we have in our text is actually a list of pagan virtues. Yeah, took me by surprise too when I discovered this. This list of characteristics in Philippians 4 (true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise) is taken from Greek ethics and philosophy of the day. So, as we look at this list, knowing that it is derived from pagans (i.e. non-Christians), what do we make of it? Our first thought may be to say that it is a list of evil, but could we really say that? I mean, I don’t think that things that are truthful, honorable, just, or commendable are evil. As a matter of fact, I would hope that those who know me might use words like this to describe me. So what does it all mean? Well, Paul is trying to tell us that there are good things in this world that come from many different areas.

Think about it this way; is there anything wrong with music? Is there anything wrong with appreciating beautiful architecture or fine craftsmanship? Well, I don’t think so. And if I am understanding the Apostle Paul correctly then I don’t think that he does either. We couldn’t say that there is anything inherently non-Christian about these things, but they don’t exactly flow out of these fruits of the Spirit from Galatians 5 either. Think back to those questions that I mentioned earlier that I get asked on a regular basis as a result of my calling. You see, part of the problem is that we want everything written out plain as day for us to understand without any effort. We want Scripture to tell us plain and simple what is and isn’t allowed. Well, the truth of the matter is that it doesn’t. Scripture doesn’t specifically list out whether one job is more “Christian” than another. It doesn’t answer the question as to exactly which behaviors are allowed and which ones aren’t. It does in some cases, but not all. If you have ever had a discussion with any Baptist friends, you will quickly find that the mode of baptism is never explicitly laid out for us. Whether to sprinkle the head or immerse the believer isn’t defined. In terms of specifically spelled out for us, whether a person is to be baptized as an infant or after professing their faith is never said.

So you see, there are a lot of things that aren’t spelled out for us clearly in Scripture. Do you know why they aren’t clear? It’s because we don’t have the ability to decipher everything as clearly as we would like. Our sin has caused a great barrier to form between our minds and the meaning of the Word. You see, Scripture contains within it all that we need as our rule and guide for daily life. The problem comes when we aren’t led by Scripture but instead we are led by things of this world. Take the issue of money. There is nothing inherently wrong with money, but there is something wrong with the love of money and money being a driving force in a person’s life. Or perhaps you might think of love. There is nothing wrong with the relationship between a man and a woman. In fact, it is a blessing given to us by God; an ordinance commanded shortly after creation. The problem comes in when it becomes corrupted by sin and love becomes lust and this lust destroys the beauty of the covenant of marriage.

There’s a phrase that says that we need to “let Scripture interpret Scripture.” So, let’s do just that. There are two verses that were also from Paul that I think help to give us some clarity on these verses in Philippians 4. The first, Romans 6:14 says, “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” You see, we don’t earn our own salvation. Our salvation was gained by the saving death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. So many people act in a manner that if they aren’t doing something that is explicitly commanded in Scripture, then they are doing something evil. Well, the second verse I want to look at helps to clarify that thought. 1 Corinthians 6:12 states, “‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be enslaved by anything.” There are a number of things in this world that are not necessarily Christian. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t think that music or architecture are inherently Christian. We could add to that list sports, fishing, hunting, gardening, social clubs and organization, and numerous other activities. We could say that all of these things are non-Christian in their origin since they are all things that aren’t specifically commanded in Scripture, but I don’t think that any of us would call any of these things evil. Sure, when we turn football stadiums into houses of worship then there is great danger there. When I can tell you more about the starting lineup for my Mississippi State Bulldogs football team than I can about my prayer life, then there is a problem. But if football is simply something that I enjoy in its proper place within my priorities then I see nothing wrong with that.

And I think it is this sentiment that the Apostle Paul is trying to convey to us. In fact, he is telling us that there are great works that can be done for the sake of the gospel through these other things. I can’t begin to tell you how many people that I know who have begun their Christian walk by being encouraged by others while taking part in activities outside of the church. Why, I have seen people come to know Christ through softball teams, community plays, fishing trips, hunting trips, camping trips, construction projects, cooking events, and other things along the same lines.

As we were talking about these verses Wednesday morning at our men’s Bible study, I shared with everyone some things that Amy and I had to deal with when we told all of our friends that I was going to attend seminary and enter into pastoral ministry. Most of our friends asked us the question, “So, how does this change things?” What do you mean “change things?” I was a Christian before going to seminary and I will be a Christian after seminary. Many of our friends felt like they had to be guarded around us because of my calling. I had to be extra careful and go out of my way to show them that I was the same person now as I was prior to my calling to ministry. I used a lot of the same activities that I used to do with my friends to show them that things hadn’t changed. I still went fishing with my friends, I still went hunting with my friends, I still played golf with my friends, I still went out and got together with all of my friends. I wasn’t condemning. I wasn’t standing over all of them telling them what they needed to do. In other words, I was being the same person that I had always been, but with a new calling on my life.

Over time, my friends began to understand that I was still an average person. I was still the guy that they had known for years. That same guy who had gotten into trouble with them years earlier was still there, but he had a different calling on his life. And do you know what this eventually led to? This eventually led to opportunities for me to discuss my faith with them. More importantly, it led to opportunities for us to discuss their faith. It presented me with great opportunities to witness to them and to share the Gospel with them. It’s not as if any of them went through any miraculous conversions, but it did plant a seed within many of them that would bloom at a later date. Over the last 5 years, it has been amazing for Amy and I to watch as many of our friends who were not involved in churches to not only join churches, but become active in the life of those congregations.

You see, this list that we have in our text, although a list of non-Christian virtues, are good things. There are things in this world that are technically non-Christian, but are very good. They are good for energizing us and they are good opportunities for us to share the Gospel. I want to challenge everyone in this room today. This isn’t a challenge that consists of making drastic lifestyle changes. This isn’t a challenge to really change anything at all. This is a challenge to continue to live the same life that you have always lived. The only thing that is changing in any way is what you are to do in those moments when you find yourself in the company of others. Look for opportunities to share your faith with those around you. Pray that when you are presented with a chance to help someone out in their Christian walk, that God will use you to present the Gospel to them. We have no idea whose heart is open and ready to hear the good news of the Gospel. I cannot stress to you enough how powerful the Lord can work during these moments to change the hearts and minds of those who He calls to be His own. Our lives are great blessings. God wants us to enjoy what He has given to us. Let’s enjoy all that we have been given, while taking every opportunity we get to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Philippians 4:2-7 "Revised Stress Manual"

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 this type of person, 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 moments 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 doesn’t 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 look at what Paul has to say in this stress management manual.

You see, Paul is trying to help the Philippians deal with some stress that they have experienced recently. The first 2 verses of our text contain a summary of the situation. There has been an argument between Euodia and Syntyche. Two prominent Christian women in this community have had a disagreement and it has caused some difficulties for the Philippian Christians. And Paul gives the Philippians step-by-step instructions as to how they are to deal with the stress of getting past this argument and back to the task at hand.

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 of the eternal joy that we have in our Savior Jesus Christ. In other words, there is a sense of keeping in mind our priorities; knowing what’s important. The next thing that we are to do flows naturally 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 wouldn’t condone their thoughts 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 thus far 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 steps 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 several months. Why, on January 8th, I preached my final sermon at Grace Chapel Presbyterian Church in Madison, MS. The next Sunday, I was to be in the pulpit of this church. Entering that week, we hadn’t sold our house in MS. We didn’t have an actual place to live in Houma yet. I had some oral examinations coming up on that Tuesday, followed by more examinations the last weekend in January. We didn’t know exactly what we were going to do with our kids in Houma. Amy didn’t have a job lined up. We were going to have to keep bringing our dog back and forth to the vet in MS for some treatments. And then there was the regular everyday life stressors that are always there. Oh and throw in the stress that goes with being a first-time pastor at a church that had gone some time with an absence in the pulpit. But other than that there really wasn’t and hasn’t been too much going on in our house. Even today, many of those same issues still exist today, but it’s alright.

When Amy and I came to visit this church, there was something that was done in the service that was different than anything I had ever seen. There was a lengthy prayer made during the middle of the service where someone stood up and prayed for the congregation. Not just a general prayer for the congregation, but every member of the congregation who was in need of prayer. This prayer for all of the concerns of the congregation was very striking to me and I couldn’t shake the concept.

With this idea in the front of my mind over the last several weeks prior to our moving here, 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 that time. I prayed for every church family that I could think of who was 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 powerful 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.

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.

Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Philippians 3:20-4:1 "Stand Until the Day"

The last several years have provided the world, and Christians in particular, with a great chance to remind ourselves about something. Whether it’s the Left Behind book series published between 1995 and 2007, or whether it’s the numerous predictions about when the world is going to end, there is a reminder there. And that reminder is that there is an end coming. There is a Judgment Day that awaits. There is a day coming when Jesus Christ will return to this earth. Now even though we are told in numerous New Testament books about his return, we still don’t know exactly what it will look like. Why, the book of Revelation gives us a great number of details about the return of Christ and what will ensue shortly thereafter, but still there is a great deal of mystery and disagreement as to what exactly all of this will look like. And really, it doesn’t matter if we know exactly what it’s going to look like. Sure we can have our opinions and our ideas about it. I have my own opinions about it that might differ from yours and that’s okay. The important thing isn’t that we understand and know what it is going to look like, but that we understand and know that it is going to happen.

And you see, that’s one way in which many Christians today are vastly inferior to Christians of the biblical era. Jesus’ return was something that was constantly on the hearts and minds of Christians living during the time that our New Testament was written. Why, did you know that there are only 4 books in the New Testament that don’t say at least something about Jesus’ return? It’s true. Galatians, Philemon, and 2 & 3 John are the only New Testament books that say nothing about Jesus’ return; and 3 of those books are only 1 chapter long. The Apostle Paul is so mindful of Jesus’ second coming that he believes that it is eminent. Paul believes that Jesus will return during his lifetime. 1 & 2 Thessalonians speak heavily to this fact. The bottom line when it comes to New Testament era Christians is that the second coming of Jesus was something that was very real to them. It was something that very much shaped their faith and shaped who they were as Christians.

I’m not quite sure that we modern-day Christians can say the same things about ourselves. In other words, I’m not convinced that we really think about the return of Jesus at all. Yes, I know that Scripture tells us that we won’t know exactly when it is going to happen and that we shouldn’t try and predict it. I know that we’re told that it will come like a thief in the night and that no man will predict it. Matthew 24:42 says, “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” And each of the other gospel accounts record something similar coming from the mouth of Christ. Almost every book in the New Testament records something about being awake and ready for the return of the Lord. The end of the book of Revelation, the next to last verse of our Bible, records Jesus as saying, “Surely I am coming soon” when speaking about his return.

And it’s these words that give us pause. More precisely it’s that last word: soon. Well it’s been nearly 2000 years and still no return. And this is where our hesitation comes in with regards to our thinking about Jesus’ second coming today. You see, there are many people, even many Christians, who very seriously doubt the second coming of Christ. Now sure, they may say that they believe that Christ will come again if you were to ask them about it. They will say that Scripture tells us that Christ will come again, but do they really mean it. Last Sunday, I briefly mentioned the concept that the way a person walks tells us a great deal about that person. Do you remember that? Whether a person walks with their head held high or looking down at the ground can often indicate their personality before we even speak to them. Is this jogging any memories? Well, if you will recall, the final words from last week’s sermon were, “your life is the greatest witness that you have to proclaim Christ and Christ crucified.” So you see, even though some may say that they believe that Christ will return, do they act like they believe that?

As I have told many of you before, I was a bit of a mischievous little boy while growing up in Meridian, MS. From before I can even remember, I was getting into trouble for something. And my mom tells me that every time I would get caught doing something I would just give her a big smile and go about my business as if nothing had happened. Well, apparently that trait is hereditary and has been passed on to our son Thomas. We love him dearly and wouldn’t trade him for anything in the world, but he is just like his daddy when it comes to getting into trouble. Whether it’s opening cabinets that he isn’t supposed to open, taking electrical outlet covers off to see what’s behind them, moving furniture across the room, raiding our closets for shoes to wear around the house, or any other common occurrence at our house, the kid just seems to always be into something that he knows that he isn’t supposed to be. Almost every time he does something like this he gets caught. Amy or I, and sometimes Ashby too, give him a quick, “Thomas!” He immediately straightens up, turns around, and grins at us. He gives us a great big smile. It’s one of the most infuriating things. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows that he’s doing something that if he gets caught doing he’s going to get into trouble, but he does it anyway.

And do you know what? He’s exactly like many people who live in this world today. He’s exactly like many Christians in this world today. He’s doing something that he thinks is fine, but he knows that if he gets caught doing it then it isn’t going to end well. Think about that for a second. How many of you know someone who lives like this? Someone who acts one way in public, but if their life that happens “behind closed doors” were exposed it would be disastrous. Imagine if everyone were treated as a modern-day celebrity; these people who are photographed every time they leave their house. Why, some of them don’t even have to leave their house. Former VP nominee Sarah Palin actually had someone buy the house next door to here in Alaska and spend the entire time taking pictures of her and her family in their own house and backyard. I know that I wouldn’t necessarily enjoy having to worry about if I left the house without my wedding ring, causing rumors to spread about my marriage. But it’s something that prominent people in our world today have to endure; the price of fame so-to-speak.

But you see, we all should be aware of this and understand that to a certain extent, Christ’s second coming will be somewhat similar to this. Not in the sense of invasion of privacy, but we very much will have to answer for what we are doing at the time of Christ’s return. As we said earlier, Jesus’ second coming will be quick; like a thief in the night. What will you be doing when he returns? Will the moment of his return be when you are in one of those “I’d rather no one know about this moments?” Will his return find you in a moment that you are proud of? You see, if all Christians truly believed the words of Scripture, that Jesus Christ will return without warning and judge all mankind, then they would act in a manner that isn’t contrary to the cross. They would act in a manner that would do nothing but bring glory to God. Things like unethical business practices, affairs, cheating, addictions, or even lying on your taxes would all be things that didn’t happen amongst Christians. The truth, however, is that they do. These types of things happen to Christians just as much as they do to non-Christians. Sin can wreak havoc on a Christian just as much as it can a non-Christian when that Christian isn’t clinging to Christ. When they aren’t spending time in his word, praying to him, giving thanks to him, growing and strengthening their faith, there is a door that is cracked for sin to enter in. If the Christian and the non-Christian are both ignoring their faith and ignoring God, then what’s the difference?

But Paul has some encouragement for us here in 4:1, “Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, STAND FIRM thus in the Lord, my beloved.” Those words “stand firm” mean everything to us. I know, last week I told you to walk a certain way and this week I’m telling you to stand a certain way, but that’s exactly what we must do. We must stand our ground as Christians. We must put our foot down, draw our line in the sand, close the gate, or any other metaphor that you can think of. We must not be moved in our faith by the things of this world. We must not give in to temptation no matter how appealing it might seem. The priorities of this world: money, fame, power, pleasure; must not be our ultimate goals. Sure some of these things may come about as a result of our actions, but they aren’t to be the goals. The original Greek text here uses a word for “stand” that carries with a certain military connotation. This is defensive warfare. This is holding the front lines on the battlefield. Paul is encouraging the Philippian Christians (and us as well) to prepare ourselves for the battle; to prepare ourselves for the impending danger. He’s telling us that we’re in for a fight; we’re in for a struggle. We have to plant our feet on the firm foundation of God’s word. We have to brace ourselves and prepare ourselves through prayer and through devotion to God the Father Almighty.

Friends, it is a truly great gift that we have in Jesus Christ. He came to this earth, taking the form of man, living a completely obedient and unblemished life, being put to death for something that he didn’t do, paying the price for you and for me, and rising from the dead after 3 days. Our Savior is real and our Savior is alive. He resides at this very moment in heaven with the Father, and He WILL come again. He will come and ring in a day of judgment. Until that day, we must continue to stand firm. We must continue to work at maintaining our Christian values in a world that doesn’t always make Christian living an easy or pleasant task. We must continue to work at strengthening our faith and helping others in their Christian walk. That is our task. That is our responsibility, until Christ comes again. But we shouldn’t stop with just our own faith. No, as Christians, as part of the Church, we are to be concerned with the faith of our brothers and sisters. We are to prepare ourselves, while also helping those in need. Whether it be an encouraging word, a helping hand, or a push in the right direction. Let’s all commit this day, to growing not only our own faith, but helping those around us in their walk with Jesus Christ, until such time as he comes to this earth again, and establishes the New Heaven and New Earth. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Philppians 3:10-19 "It's in Your Walk"

This Sunday has traditionally been a puzzling Sunday for many Christians. In particular, it’s been puzzling for many pastors, such as myself, for years. “Why is it puzzling,” you may ask. Well, it’s puzzling quite simply because of what precedes it. You see, today is known as Octave of Easter, or more commonly, Low Sunday. Now it has originally to do with the fact that the timeframe between last Sunday (Easter) and this Sunday is when Jesus made himself known to his disciples. In recent years the title of Low Sunday has come to describe church attendance on the Sunday following Easter. You see, Easter is the most highly attended worship day of the year. Why, I bet that you can name at least a handful of people who you know attended church somewhere last week and they won’t this week and probably won’t again until Christmas or even Easter next year. You see it’s puzzling to me, because if all Christians truly understand the magnitude of what we celebrated last Sunday, then we would not so quickly forget what Jesus accomplished for us and we would anticipate very anxiously the chance to return together with God’s people and worship him. We would do all that we could to humble ourselves before him once again. We most certainly would not reduce our faith to a once or twice a year event. We wouldn’t trivialize our faith by making it some type of holiday that is literally here one day and gone the next.

You see, we Christians have many things that distinguish us from the religions of the world. Perhaps the most significant of these is the very thing that we celebrated last Sunday. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, not only died for our sins, but he arose from the dead and still lives today. Now, I can’t take you to his physical body, but I can tell you where it is. He sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. And it is because of this fact that our Savior lives that we can have a relationship with him. You see, we have a loving and relational God; a God that wants to have a relationship with him. And the Apostle Paul goes on here in our text today to describe 4 different aspects of our having a relationship with God.

The first aspect is “Knowing God”. Paul begins v.10 by saying, “that I may know God and the power of his resurrection.” Now at first, this may be a puzzling statement. I mean, after all, Paul is the one who is responsible for a large portion of the New Testament. So much of what we know about the effects of the resurrection are given to us by Paul himself. But Paul isn’t saying that he wants to know about Christ. No, Paul knows about Christ about as well as anyone ever has. Paul is saying that he wants to know Christ. He wants to experience Christ. He wants to feel the power of God moving through him and working in his heart. He even wants to know what it’s like to suffer for God’s sake. He wants to know God.

We’ve all had those moments; those glimpses in time where God has worked in mighty ways in your life. Maybe it was through a series of events that worked so subtly that you didn’t even know it was happening. Maybe it was during something so abrupt and profound that you knew exactly in that moment that it was God’s work. I know for me that any time I have gone through a period of suffering, after that period has passed, I look back on the circumstances that delivered me through it and have had no other explanation than that it was the work of the Lord. Paul is telling us that it is a great benefit for us to know God and to feel his presence in our lives. We (and Paul for that matter too) are to never stop striving for knowing God more closely and more intimately.

Another benefit of our relationship with God is that we follow him. But Paul doesn’t want us to get the wrong idea here. After telling us that Paul wants to know Christ so completely that he is exactly like him, Paul says, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect.” You see, Paul knows that he isn’t anywhere close to Christ. He also knows that there is a good chance that he never will be, but that doesn’t stop him from trying. You see, Christian discipleship shouldn’t be seen as something that everyone is expected to honor but no one is expected to attain. Although the reality of us, in this life, being completely like Christ seems distant, it isn’t as if we should stop trying. We know, just as Paul did at this time, that we are not perfect. We know that we are nowhere near where God would have us, but that doesn’t mean that we should give up. We are to continue to follow Christ and follow the example that he has set before us. There are no such things as impossible goals in the Christian faith. Improbable, sure, but impossible, never.

Another aspect of our relationship with God that Paul is dealing with here is something that we struggle with greatly and that is the issue of suffering for God. Sure, we all go through periods of suffering in our lives. Some of our suffering, however, isn’t for God. We suffer at losing a loved one. We suffer when we struggle to provide for our family. We suffer when things just seem to be harder for us than they are for others. I get that. I understand those things. I have suffered many times through seasons just like those. But suffering for God is so much more. Suffering for God is giving up things and taking the narrow way because it is the way that brings the most glory to God. Suffering for God is our making the difficult choices in life because we know that it is what God has commanded of us. Suffering for God is rejoicing over what God has done even as tears stream down our face. Suffering for God is forgetting the past and focusing on the future. We don’t sit and stew over the things that have happened in our lives. We don’t hold grudges and stay angry at those who have done us wrong. We strive forward. We understand that none of us can go back and change what has already happened. We endure sufferings. We endure hardships. We endure things in our life that seem difficult at the time. And we do all of these things while giving glory to God.

My father, who many of you have had the chance to meet, is famous for saying in any bad situation, “Well, could be a lot worse.” Thanks Dad. Thanks for that brilliant revelation. But he’s right. Many times things could be much worse than they really are. Instead of counting all of the blessings and the fact that God will deliver me through whatever hardship I may be going through, I tend to focus on the one aspect of my life that isn’t going so well. Are you like this? Are you the type of person who focuses so much on the negative things about your life that you gloss right over the positive even though the positive far outweighs the negative? Part of our suffering for the sake of Christ is our being able to still rejoice and give thanks to God even when things aren’t going how we would like for them to.

All of these three aspects of a relationship with Christ are great blessings. And then we find these words here in the final several verses of our text, “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.” What do we make of all of this as it pertains to our relationship with Christ? Well, these words have to do with our walking with Christ. Have you ever noticed that the way a person walks many times tells you a lot about that person? It’s true. People that walk constantly looking down are said to be more self-conscious and more introverted. Those who walk with their heads held high are usually very confident and happy with who they are. Those who walk all over the place and sometimes skip around are typically the type of people we call “flighty” or aloof.

Well, the same could be said about our walking in the faith. The way that we “walk”, the way that we live; tells those around us a lot about us and particularly about our faith. It’s pretty easy for people to tell whether or not someone has the love of Christ as a part of their life. It has always been my opinion that Christians just seem to handle things differently than non-Christians. I’m not saying that Christians handle things better than non-Christians, but there is a distinct difference there. And it is my belief that the reason for Christians having this trait is because we know that there is something bigger. We know that there is a purpose. We know that the will of our Lord will be done. Why, I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to be a non-Christian. When I experience trials, suffering, loss, or any other painful situation, one of the main things that sustains me through that time is the fact that I know that there is a great purpose at work. For those who don’t know Christ, that isn’t the case. There isn’t a higher purpose for them. Can you imagine how depressing it would be if this was it? Can you imagine how bad it would be if this life here on earth was all there was; if death was the end and after that it was all over?

But you see, the glorious news is that it isn’t, and we know that for certain. We know that because of what we celebrated last Sunday. We know that because of what we celebrate today. We celebrate Jesus’ paying the price for our sins in just a moment when we receive the Lord’s Supper. The Godman came to this earth and paid the price that was owed for our sins. He came and conquered death. Because of his paying our debt, we now have access to the Father. We now can have eternal life with Him in heaven. And all this is made possible because of what Christ has done on our behalf. So as we prepare our hearts to partake in Communion, let us remember what Christ has done on our behalf. As we go throughout our lives, I want all of us to work at acting and conducting ourselves in a way that tells those around us without a doubt that we cling to the name of Christ. Remember, your life is the greatest witness that you have to proclaim Christ and Christ crucified. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Philippians 3:1-9 "Got Faith?"

With all of the attention that has been given to the issue of humility and living a Christian life, it’s no wonder that Paul decides that he needs to re-emphasize some things at this point. You see, the last several Sundays we’ve looked at calls for us to put into practice what we are taught in Scripture. The problem is that upon hearing this, many of us start to drift into the mindset that our actions are what our salvation depends upon. Or in other words, what we do determines whether or not we are saved. And it’s understandable for us to think this way. After all, we don’t want to think of some ungodly or evil person entering into heaven. We think that if our actions aren’t the measuring stick for our judgment then someone who shouldn’t enter into heaven could possibly get in. Well, truth of the matter is that none of us should be there. Or to put it another way, none of us are worthy of entering into heaven, at least not by ourselves. I have to continuously tell myself the phrase, “justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.” I encourage you to tell yourself this constantly as well. Remind yourself that you are saved completely by God’s grace, and this grace comes to us by having faith in Jesus Christ. It isn’t our works, but the work of Jesus Christ that has saved us. And that’s a good reminder for us during this time of year as we continue to prepare our hearts to gather back here in a few weeks to celebrate what Christ accomplished with his death. But here’s the great news, we don’t have to wait 2 weeks. There’s nothing stopping us from doing just that today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and every day for the rest of our lives. In fact, we should give thanks to God every day that he has saved us.
In our text today, we begin with Paul making what seems like a somewhat odd statement to begin chapter 3 of his letter. After telling the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord he references dogs, evildoers, and those who mutilate the flesh. At first glance, these comments seem a little strange and perhaps even a little out of place. What is he even talking about? Well, Paul’s time was very different from our own in many aspects, but with regards to Christian teaching, and particularly false teachings, it was very similar. You see, there were many out there claiming to be teaching Christ, but they did so incorrectly. Now I don’t want you to think that I’m talking about denominations or anything like that right here. Although I may not agree with everything that another denomination does, that doesn’t mean that I consider their message to be any less gospel and Christ centered. As long as we are truly laboring for Christ and remaining true to his word, then I think there is room for variation. What I’m speaking of here are those congregations and groups that have so skewed and blurred the message of Scripture that they have almost become an anti-church. They think that they are working for Christ when they are really working against him. Some that come to mind are David Koresh and the Branch Davidian in the late 80s and early 90s. Another modern-day example is the congregation known as Westboro Baptist Church. Dear Baptist friends of mine wish they would just be known as Westboro Church and drop the middle word from their title. For those of you who are unfamiliar with them, this group openly celebrates the death of soldiers as a result of some of their religious beliefs. These two groups are groups that maintain the Bible as their central book, but are in no way led by God. They think that God is commanding them to carry out heinous acts of violence and protesting, and they think that they will be rewarded for their obedience to Scripture. Well, unfortunately, that’s one of Satan’s greatest and oldest tricks. He perverts the minds of some so much that they carry out things that they think are in the name of Christ, but they are actually antithetical to His Word. I don’t know how any Christian who reads God’s Word could ever truly think that they are glorifying God by celebrating that one of their fellow men or women has passed away.
Paul tells the Philippians not to fall victim to these persons who claim they are of Christ, but actually work to corrupt his Church. He reassures them that they need not worry that they are missing the point themselves. He wants them to know for sure that they are part of the church. He knows that those evildoers will throw out their list of accomplishments in hopes to sway the Philippian Christians to their camp. Paul basically says, “Who do they think they are? They think they have something to brag about? They have nothing to brag about. None of us do. If this was a bragging contest about personal accomplishments, they aren’t even in the same class as me.” Paul tells them of how from an earthly perspective, his list of accolades is second to none. If man was worthy of bragging about anything, then there is no man that has more reason to brag than Paul.
Paul has accomplished all that one could hope to in life in one aspect. He was a Jew, and the Jews had always had a special place in God’s dealings with man. He had gone through all of the ceremonial events at the exact proper time. He was as he says, “a Hebrew of Hebrews”. He was the most righteous, zealous, law-abiding Pharisee before his conversion. Paul truly was the epitome of what a Pharisee, a religious leader of the day, was supposed to be. He spends 3 verses speaking of nothing but what he could brag about if he so chose to, but in verse 8, his tone changes drastically. “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, in order that I may gain Christ.” I don’t know that we fully grasp this concept at first glance. Paul is saying that all he is, all he has done, all the titles and “hats” that he has worn are of no account and mean absolutely nothing. The language that he uses here is one that would have been of a nautical nature. The original Greek text here uses a word that would have been associated with ships throwing everything unnecessary overboard in hopes of lightening their load. Paul is casting all personal accolades and assets aside because they don’t amount to anything. All of his accomplishments mean absolutely nothing when it comes to Christ and Paul’s own salvation.
The hardest part about being humble is downplaying ourselves when thinking about the good things that we have done in life. Sure, it’s pretty easy for us to admit that we’re flawed and that we make our fair share of mistakes. But it isn’t easy for us to admit that we can’t even take credit for the good things that we have done. Speaking personally, I have trouble remembering that it isn’t me that does anything in ministry, but God who does it all. The youth group that Amy and I left behind in Mississippi started out with a handful of students. Over the course of 5 years, we had around 15 students attending youth events on a regular basis. Currently, there are nearly 20 students taking part in the youth events at that church. We served in crucial roles of helping a church go from an average weekly attendance of around 40 to a membership of nearly 230 people in a 5 year period. It’s a struggle some times for me to not want to claim at least some credit for that. I say things like “I started” or “I did” even though I know they aren’t true. What I should say is “God did”. Because that’s who actually did all of the work. God did everything. He did everything when it came to building and developing this youth group and that church. He has done everything good in my life. He has worked through you to accomplish all of the good in your life. And He has worked to achieve your salvation. The Father is the architect of that plan, the Son accomplishes that plan with his death and resurrection, and the Holy Spirit applies the benefits to our lives. And that’s exactly what Paul goes on to say here in verse 9. “That I may be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.”
There is no righteousness, no good, within us that doesn’t come from God. The question now becomes, what is our response? I mentioned earlier that we are not saved based on our good works or the things that we have done. We are saved by our faith in Christ Jesus. Our faith that we hold Jesus Christ to be the Godman; to be the Son of God; to be God himself, the second person of the Trinity. It doesn’t matter if we have everything worked out for us in our minds where it all makes perfect sense. Sure there are those that may have a greater knowledge of how these things work, but it’s not as if you or I are any less a part of God’s people because of our level of understanding. In the youth group that I just mentioned, there was no kid in the group who loved Christ more than our pastor’s oldest son. You met Steve Bryant, the minister who preached at my installation/ordination service. Well, his oldest son, Stevo, has Down’s Syndrome. And although he doesn’t have the mental capacity to understand really any point of theology, he knows that God loves him and gave his Son for him. That’s what matters. What matters is that God has opened up our hearts and called us to himself, just as he has done Stevo’s. He has called us his children. He has adopted us as sons and daughters.
So, as for our works, what role do they play? Well, this is an area of debate amongst many Christians. Since we say that we are not saved by our works, there are those who want to say that works don’t matter. Well, yes and no. No, they don’t matter for your salvation, but they do matter. When the heart of a Christian has been truly transformed by the power of the gospel, there is a reaction that takes place within that person. They want to show the love of Christ to anyone and everyone. They almost have an addiction for proclaiming the gospel. That’s where our works and our actions come in. I have heard the phrase “Let the gospel be proclaimed through your actions” mentioned in various forms during my time here in Houma. And that sentiment is exactly right. Our actions, our good works, are the external, outpouring of our faith in Jesus Christ.
One of the beautiful and glorious blessings of being part of a church family is that it provides us with a vehicle for making this a reality. Being a part of a Christ-centered congregation presents us with ample opportunities for showing the love of Christ that shines within each and every one of us. Our proper response to God’s working in our hearts is to share the love of Christ and taking part fully in the life of a congregation is a great way to do just that. “For you have been purchased at a great price.” Let’s all remember the fact that we are all here by God’s grace. In response to our faith in Christ, let our lives be a living testimony and witness to God’s love and mercy. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.