Philippians: Eyes on the Prize (3:12-16)

• November 20, 2023
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Philippians 3:12-16

As always, let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Two weeks ago, when I was in Charleston for my 25th college reunion, Lauren and I were walking in Hampton Park (next to The Citadel). As we were walking and talking and enjoying each other’s company, we encountered all of the typical sites that you associate with a city park – families taking photos, a rental company setting up chairs and tents for a wedding, couples sitting on park benches enjoying the outdoors, folks of all ages getting in a bicycle ride or jogging or walking their pets, and all of a sudden, we encountered the most unusual thing. Watch this (show video of man walking his pet tortoise).

Of course, I couldn’t help but think about the old fable of “The Tortoise and the Hare.” You remember it, I’m sure. The hare challenges the tortoise to a foot race. The gun fires and the hare goes flying off into the distance, while the tortoise begins his slow and methodical pace. The hare is so convinced that he’s got this race won that he decides he’ll sit down and rest and relax and fall asleep. And lo and behold, the tortoise comes along with the same slow pace and eventually wins the race and the hare is nowhere in sight.

Well, since we’ve been in Philippians and I’ve been reading and praying over these verses, that encounter in the park was the perfect introduction to today’s text. Remember, now, that we’ve just finished hearing Paul make this remarkable statement, “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead” (vss. 10-11). It’s an amazing affirmation and aspiration. Paul says, “I want to know Christ – not only personally, but I want to know Him progressively, and I want to know Him with a passionate commitment.” And then we read these words. Follow along with me:

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

“Father, we pray that with our Bibles open before us, that in the mystery of Your purposes, beyond the voice of a mere man we might hear Your voice through Your Word, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit’s power. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.”

One of the things that endears me to this passage is the humility that I hear from Paul. Honestly, most of the time, when we read something that Paul wrote or we think about him what comes to mind? The world’s greatest theologian? The world’s greatest church planter? The world’s greatest missionary? Many might even say he’s the world’s greatest Christian, but here, he’s admitting he doesn’t have it all together. And that’s so encouraging to me.

See, listen to me, one of the dangers in being a pastor or a teacher is that we can set before our churches and congregations such idealistic standards and cause you to believe that we’re actually living them. And to make matters worse, sometimes we can make the disparity between pastor and parishioner so great that we delude both you and ourselves into believing something that isn’t true – that we’re always faithful and obedient.

C. S. Lewis describes this perfectly in his little book The Four Loves. He’s in the midst of writing about familial love, brotherly love, romantic love and God’s love and he finally draws it all to a close with this wonderful statement: “And with this, where a better book would begin, mine must end. I dare not proceed. God knows – not I – whether I have ever tasted this love. Those like myself whose imagination far exceeds their obedience are subject to a just penalty; we easily imagine conditions far higher than any we have really reached. If we describe what we have imagined we may make others, and make ourselves, believe that we have really been there.”

So, you think that because you taught it, you, did it? You think that because you understand it, you’re living it? You think that because you can write it on your wall, or stick it in your wallet, or quote it in your car, or announce it to the people around you, that that’s actually your experience, when, in fact, it may be nothing other than your imagination?

Back to the tortoise. Do you know what a pain in the neck it is to be surrounded by spiritual rabbits? Always leaping and bounding about, always making great aspirations, always saying where they’re going, what they’re doing, what they’re achieving, how well they’re doing, quoting all the various verses they learned, letting everybody know how well it’s all going, and as a tortoise how dispiriting it is as you just try and keep going along the Christian life. Sometimes you find yourself saying, “I don’t even know if I’m in this Christian life. I don’t even know if I want to wear this uniform. I don’t know if I want to step up to the plate.”

But the wonderful wisdom of the apostle Paul! He says, “Now listen, guys, let me just tell you how I do it.” And I want to summarize Paul’s plan for us this way: “called,” “kept,” “pressing on.” Just a word or two on each.

Called By God

Where does the “call” come from? It comes from God. Look at what he says (v. 14): “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me.” God is the One who calls. Unlike my call as a parent or an uncle, God’s call is an authoritative call. My brother and sister-in-law had some plans on Thursday night and their normal babysitter called in sick, so they called their last resort (uncle Lee). Anyway, I had to take my 11-year-old niece to a high school basketball game that she was cheering for, and in tow were my 7-year-old niece and my 4-year-old nephew. Oh how quickly I had forgotten what it’s like with young ones. When will we be there? How much longer? Can we leave? Can we get popcorn? I wanna go to the bathroom. I’m starving. Talk about a humbling experience. My voice goes from semi-authoritative in church settings to having no influence, no life, no animation whatsoever. But not God. His call is a life-giving call. It’s the voice of Jesus outside the tomb of Lazarus in John 11: “Lazarus, come out!” And what happens? Does Lazarus roll over and go back to sleep like so many of us on a cold and rainy morning? No; he comes out!

God’s call is Romans 8:28: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose… And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.” In Galatians 1:6 we read: “I am [very surprised] that you are so quickly deserting the One who [has] called you.” First Thessalonians 2: “[I urge] you,” Paul writes, “to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into His kingdom and glory.” Second Timothy 1:9: “[Timothy, let us bless God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,] who has saved us and called us to a holy life.”

And the call of God came to Saul of Tarsus on that famed Damascus Road. Paul reiterated this truth many times as he gave his testimony; he says, “And I heard a voice… And I heard a voice from heaven saying…” You see, you never begin the Christian journey until you hear God’s voice. I’m not suggesting an audible voice (necessarily), but rather a voice that’s heard when the Word of God is preached and the Holy Spirit writes it upon our hearts. Horatius Bonar, the hymn writer, put it this way in his hymn I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say:

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto me and rest;
Lay down, [thou] weary one, lay down
Your head upon my breast.”
[And] I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary and worn and sad;
[And] I found in him a resting place,
And he has made me glad.

He’s describing his experience of conversion. He’d heard sermons many times; just like you, just like me. He’d known about Christ from earlier days. He’d been able to sit and absorb it all. And then, one day, he heard the voice of God. He heard the call of God. And it reached into his soul, and it was an irresistible call. There was nothing he could do except say yes, except follow, except embrace it. Have you heard God’s call that way? Has God called out to you? Hebrews 3:15 says “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

Called heavenward in Christ Jesus – called upward, called on. Secondly, “kept.”

Kept By Christ

That’s the emphasis on this phraseology in verse 12: “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” To be a Christian is to be taken hold of by Christ. That’s the real kind of question we need to be asking. Not “Am I enjoying religious pursuits?” Plenty of people do that. Not “Am I attending religious observances and functions?” Many people do that. But “Have I responded to God’s call, and am I kept by Christ?” If we can explain our lives in relationship to “called” and “kept,” then we’ll know that what we’re experiencing is genuine Christian faith.

Jesus says in John chapter 10, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” How do you know if you’re a Christian? You listen to His voice, and you follow Him. I mean, why would you think you’re in the flock if, when the shepherd comes by and says, “Come on now, sheep, come on now.” The rest of the sheep listen and follow and you’re like, “Stranger danger.”

When Peter describes the experience of being born again in 1 Peter 1:4-5, he describes it in the exact same terminology; he says we’ve been born again to “a living hope [by] the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable and undefiled, kept in heaven for you who through faith are shielded by God’s power.”

There’s an old Scottish hymn that Keith and Krystin Getty have reworked lately. I bumped into it about a year ago and the lyrics go like this:

Verse 1:
When I fear my faith will fail
Christ will hold me fast
When the tempter would prevail
He will hold me fast
I could never keep my hold
Through life’s fearful path
For my love is often cold
He must hold me fast

Chorus:
He will hold me fast
He will hold me fast
For my Savior loves me so
He will hold me fast

Verse 2:
Those He saves are His delight
Christ will hold me fast
Precious in His holy sight
He will hold me fast
He’ll not let my soul be lost
His promises shall last
Bought by Him at such a cost
He will hold me fast

Is that not a great encouragement to us this morning? So prone to wander. So easy to stumble. So neglectful of the things of grace. So dull. So ineffectual. So cold. So hard-hearted. So poor about sharing our faith. How in the world are we even still here? Do you ever say that to yourself, as you drag yourself to worship? I do. And the only explanation I have for it is that He called me heavenward in Christ Jesus, and because He called me heavenward in Christ Jesus, He keeps me. And that’s amazing. The great mystery is this: that He calls sinners to Himself, and what’s more is He keeps us. “Called by God!” “Kept by Christ!”

Pressing On In the Spirit

The first step you have to take to move forward is quit looking backward. Look at verse 13 (again), “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind…” (NIV).

Too many people never get to where they need to go today or tomorrow, because they’re still living in yesterday. Truth is you can’t focus on where you’re going until you stop looking in the rearview mirror. Someone once said, “You can’t sail the ship of your life into the seas of the future if your anchor is stuck in the mud of the past.” And yet, it’s so easy to look backward, isn’t it? There are a lot of things I wish I could do over again: as a father, as a husband, as a pastor, as a son, as a friend. There are words I said that I wish I could take back. Sir Winston Churchill said it perfectly, “if the past quarrels with the present there can be no future.”

Don’t misunderstand that word “forget.” It doesn’t mean to “fail to remember.” I mean, there’s no way you can ever totally erase the past from your memory. Right there, that word literally means “not to be influenced or affected by.” For example, God says in Isaiah 43:25, “I, [even] I am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins” (ESV). When God says, “I will remember your sins no more,” it doesn’t mean that all of a sudden God gets amnesia. Remember, God is omniscient. He’s all-knowing and all-wise. No, it simply means that God will no longer allow your past to affect your present relationship and your future fellowship with Him.

Forget your past failures. Forget your past mistakes – the things you didn’t do that you should’ve done and the things you did do that you shouldn’t have done. Confess them. Repent of them. Agree with God that you broke covenant with Him and where it involves other people try to make amends. Learn from the mistakes, but move on. And the second thing you have to forget are your past successes. That sounds counterintuitive, I know. But think about it. Today is another day. The success of yesterday may have some residual impact, particularly as it relates to your marriage or being a parent or doing your job, but how well you did yesterday is over. It’s water under the bridge and you have to get up and press on to do it again. Paul says, “Don’t allow your regrets to be debilitating, and don’t allow your achievements to drag your neck down.” Rather, put that behind you and “press on toward the goal.”

The Greek word for “goal” is skopos, and it means “to focus on.” If you’re a hunter you know this word. It’s where we get our word “telescope.” It means to fix your eye on a small target. Paul’s eyes were on the prize. He was focused on this one thing which he called “the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” What is that?

God has called every one of us to accomplish one goal. If you accomplish this one goal in your life on a daily basis, you’ll maximize the influence you have in your business, in your home, in your neighborhood, in your family and every other area of your life. This is the one thing we must seek daily – to know God and glorify Him. No matter what other goals you achieve in life it doesn’t matter how many ladders you climb and how high you climb them. If you don’t know God and glorify Him with everything you are and everything you have, your life is a waste and you chased the wrong goal.

That means that every waking moment of every day you don’t dwell on the past and you don’t dread the future. Rather, you devote yourself to the present and you make it your one goal to know God and to glorify Him. Keep your eyes on the prize. What would it mean for you if you finally got your eyes on the right prize and “pressed on” towards that prize? For some of you, it would mean for the first time in your life, you would read your Bible every day and read it completely through. For others of you, it would mean you would begin to manage your money in a way that honors God. For others, you would realize that God didn’t put you here to be served, but to serve, and you would find a way to serve God’s church and God’s people.

God didn’t put us here to run the rat race. He put us here to run the real race. He didn’t put us here to run for the approval of this world, but to run for His glory. The prize is not the gold of this world; it is the glory of God. When you get your eyes on the prize and you have one goal every day to know God and to give Him glory, He will make sure all the other things will fall into place.

Philippians: What Difference Do I Make (3:1-11)

• November 13, 2023
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Philippians 3:1-11

Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Philippians 3. As you’re finding your spot, I want to take another moment and thank my friend and colleague, Ryan Ferguson, for filling in for me last week while I was away. Not only did he bring an encouraging message to love God and love each other, but he turned around, rather frequently, to face the choir, to make them feel included, to engage with them – something that I haven’t customarily done but something that I will now try to incorporate into my preaching and delivery. So, Ryan, if you’re watching, thank you for caring for the flock while I was away.

There are some questions that we all eventually have to answer that will determine the significance of our lives. For example, “Is it more important that I make money or make a difference? Is it more important that I make a living or a life? Is it more important to get what I want or give others what they need?” In other words, you’re going to find yourself from time-to-time – if you take life seriously at all – asking yourself this question, “What difference do I make?”

You’d be surprised how often a pastor asks that question. You’d be surprised how often a guy like me, a guy who does what I do, asks that question. You get discouraged. You get deflated. Things don’t always go the way you want them to. Things don’t happen the way you want them to happen. Things don’t move and quick as you want them to move, and sometimes you wonder, “What difference do I make.”

Do you know what a doppelganger is? It’s a German word that literally means double-walker. A doppelganger is a biologically unrelated look-alike. It’s your twin. A living person that looks like you, but who isn’t you. I’ve met a lot of people in my life, but I’ve never met someone exactly like me and you’ve never met someone exactly like you. There are no two people exactly alike. There are people who are very, very close in appearance and very close in preference, very close in their likes and dislikes, but dig deep enough and no one is exactly like anyone else. We’re all snowflakes. We’re all unique and different. Why is that?

I believe there’s a divine reason for that. God has made us different so that we could make a difference. It should make a difference to you that you make a difference. It should really be important to you to make a difference realizing that your time on this earth to make a difference is not only relatively brief, but you never know when it will end.

The other day, I read about an Uber driver who was starting his very first day. He picked up his very first passenger on his very first day, and they were driving down the road when, without warning, the passenger tapped him on the shoulder and simply said, “Excuse me sir.” When he did, the Uber driver screamed, lost control of his car, nearly hit a bus, jumped the curve and stopped just inches from going through a plate-glass window into a grocery store.

Everything was silent for a moment and then the driver said, “Man, you scared the daylights out of me!” The passenger, shaking like a leaf, said, “I’m so sorry. All I did was tap you on the shoulder and say, ‘excuse me sir.’” Well, the Uber driver dropped his head and said, “You know, it really isn’t your fault. You see, today is my first day as an Uber driver. For the past 20 years I’ve been driving a funeral hearse.”

Listen to me. One day death is going to tap you and me on the shoulder and say, “Excuse me, sir. Excuse me, ma’am, your time is up.” We don’t know when. We don’t know where. We don’t know how. But that tap is surely going to come, and when it does, one of the questions that we will ask is: “What difference did I make?” Well, Paul is going to speak to that this morning and I want us to consider it as well. Follow along with me as I read Philippians 3:1-11.

1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh – 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 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 9 and 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 – 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

“Father, we pray now that You will come by the Holy Spirit and teach us from the Bible – that, in the words of R. Hudson Pope, You will ‘make the Book live to us, O Lord;’ that You will ‘show us Yourself within Your Word,’ that You will ‘show us ourselves, and show us our Savior, and make the Book live to us.’ For Jesus’ sake we ask it. Amen.”

I believe there are at least two things that will determine what difference you make and here they are: what you know and who you know.

As I’ve studied history, I believe that outside of Jesus Christ, there’s never been anybody that’s ever lived that got a bigger bang for their buck out of the life they lived than a man named Paul. I don’t believe anyone who has ever lived had a more productive life, got more out of his potential, or had a greater long-term impact than this man. Think about what he accomplished. Without any internet, without any radio, without any TV, without a cell phone, without a computer, without automobiles, trains, airplanes or any other form of modern technology, he took a seed called “the gospel” and he planted it as far as he could as long as he could and the result was the explosion of Christianity that we see thriving all over the world 2,000 years later.

Every time I think about what Paul did with little/no money, with little/no man-power, with little/no staff, I find myself asking the question “How did he do it? How did he pull that off. What was the secret to his unbelievable influence and impact?” Well, right here in Philippians, Paul tells us three (3) things that he knew that allowed him to make an eternal impact with his earthly life. And we can know the same three (3) things and have the same impact that he did in our own lives. What are those three things:

We Must Know The Supreme Person Of Jesus

This is not original to me. It’s been said and I think 100% accurately. At the end of the day, it’s not what you know; it’s who you know. Paul is looking back on his life – all the people he met, all the things he learned, all of things he accomplished. When he adds it all up, he makes this incredible statement, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8, NIV).

Let me tell you what Paul is doing. In effect, he’s looking at his life like an accountant. On one side of the ledger, he describes all of the things he thought were gains and profitable in his life – things he thought were his assets. Then, on the other side, he lists all of the things that he considers liabilities. When he compared all of that to knowing Jesus, he moved all of the asset column to the liability column and said it was a total loss.

That word “loss” is used only one other time in the New Testament. Luke uses it in Acts 27 when he’s describing the shipwreck that Paul was involved in on his way from Jerusalem to Rome. It describes the complete loss of all cargo onboard. In other words, Paul went back to his life before knowing Jesus and he looked at everything that was so important and when he compared it to knowing Jesus, he realized it was unimportant and he metaphorically threw it overboard.

How about you? How about your list? What do you consider to be gains? What are the most important things in your life? What’s your life all about? Academic achievements? Some people have more letters before and after their name than my entire name. Financial stability? Some people find significance in the number of commas and zeros in their retirement account. Communication skills? Leadership abilities? Athletic trophies and team records? Business awards? Musical gifts? Physical beauty? What is it for you? What is it for me? Maybe you’re not a Christian. Maybe you’re a skeptic. Maybe you’re still on the fence when it comes to this guy named Jesus. Listen, if Paul is right and you don’t know Jesus Christ, then it’s a total loss for you. C.S. Lewis said this, “He who has Christ and everything else has no more than he who has Christ alone.” That’s it. Everything is nothing without Jesus.

In fact, Paul said that everything ever conceived, achieved, or received in life was “garbage.” This is the only place in the entire New Testament where this Greek word is used – skubalon is the word. It means waste thrown to the dogs, table-scraps, dung, refuse. Any left-over eaters in the house. Ever open that left-over container and not know what you were looking at because it had been in the back of the fridge for a year? Yeah, that left-over container that looks more like a furry pet than a former food item. That’s the image. If you don’t know Jesus, then everything else is moldy, smelly, furry, magot-ridden, bacteria-laden garbage.

Take your titles and your treasure, your position and your possessions, your awards and your achievement, your trophies and the car in your garage and if you do not know the supreme person of Jesus you are bankrupt.

The word “know” (“knowing Christ Jesus”) doesn’t refer to intellectual knowledge; it refers to personal, private, intimate, experiential knowledge. It’s one thing to believe in Jesus. It’s another thing to hear about Jesus, think about Jesus or even talk about Jesus, but that’s an entirely different thing from knowing Jesus. Knowing about Jesus will never move the needle in your life. Knowing about Jesus will never make a difference in your life. Knowing about Jesus will never make you different. But if you know Jesus, then He makes all the difference. Remember this, the Bible wasn’t written so we would know about Jesus; it was written so we might know Jesus. If you want to make the greatest positive difference in life as you possibly can, you must know the supreme person of Jesus.

We Must Know The Supernatural Power Of Jesus

Paul knew it was not enough just to know the person of Jesus. You also need to know (in a real way) the power of Jesus. Look back at verse 10, “that I may know Him (YES) and the power of His resurrection…” The greatest power the world has ever seen, known, or heard of is resurrection power. See, it’s one thing to have the power to kill somebody, but it’s a totally different thing to have the power to bring that dead person back to life. There’s not a computer, an engine, a chemical compound or any other kind of power whether it be electrical or nuclear that can pull that off. Bringing a person back from the dead takes resurrection power.

What Paul is telling us is amazing. If you stare at that sentence and phrase long enough and think about it deep enough, then what you discover is that the power that God used to raise His Son from the dead is available to you and me. It’s not just power that you put it in a jar and put it back on a shelf like those batteries you bought at Dollar General. Paul said this is the kind of power you want to walk in. This is the kind of power you ought to work in. This is the kind of power you should worship in. This is the kind of power you should witness by. We ought to be a living breathing testimony of the power of God. Let that sink in.

It’s one thing to believe in the power that raised Jesus from the dead. It’s another thing to know that power and experience that power in your daily life. The risen Lord didn’t just come back from the grave to save us. He sent the Holy Spirit to live in us. Think about it. As a follower of Christ, we’re told to turn the other cheek, love our enemies, not keep a record of wrongs, keep the ten commandments, and so forth. We can’t do that in our own power. It’s impossible.

Sure, there are some people that say nothing in life is impossible. Well, I beg to differ. There are a few things that are absolutely impossible. For example, you can’t dribble a football in the same way you dribble a basketball. Oh, you might be able to bounce it back to yourself once or twice, but you can’t run down the hall dribbling a football. You can’t barbeque pancakes. You can put them on a pan and then put the pan on the grill, but you can’t just pour batter on a regular charcoal or gas grill. Here’s another thing you can’t do. You can’t lift a baldheaded man by his hair. You can’t slam a revolving door. You can’t get bubble gum out of a cashmere sweater. And you most certainly can’t keep spam calls off of your cell phone – I don’t care what “no call” list you subscribe to. And there’s something else that’s impossible and that’s living the Christian life apart from the power of God. You can’t do it.

If you know the God of power, then you can live in the power of God. Do you know how you get that power? By asking for it, believing you received it, surrendering to it, and then living like it’s true. I want to walk in the power of God. I want to worship in the power of God. I want to witness in the power of God. I want to show the power of God in my life and I want people to see the power of God in my life. I heard an old southern GA pastor once say, “Lord, fill me, and thrill me or kill me, but I do not want to preach without the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Here’s the truth. There’s no sin in this world that has enough power to control anyone who knows the supreme person of Jesus, and who has the supernatural power of Jesus. Let’s be practical. You do have the power to control your thoughts. You do have the power to discipline your body. You do have the power to persevere through problems. You do have the power to turn the other cheek. You do have the power to live by the golden rule. You do have the power to take the world by the tail and make it your slave and not your master. If you want to make a real difference in your life as a parent, as an employee, as a boss, as a son or daughter, as a neighbor, as a friend, as a citizen, you must know, show, and grow in the supernatural power of God. And the good news is that if you want it, you can have it.

We must know the supreme person of Jesus and we must know the supernatural power of Jesus. Finally, let me warn you to brace yourself, because the third thing Paul says he wanted to know and we must know if we are going to truly make an eternal difference in life is the suffering passion of Jesus.

We Must Know The Suffering Passion Of Jesus

Look at verses 10-11, “that I may know Him (YES) and the power of His resurrection, (YES) and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, (UM, NO THANKS) that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” God’s goal for all of us is to become just like Jesus. If you and I are going to become like Jesus we don’t just enjoy the view from the mountaintop; we also have to endure the trouble in the valley.

You have to admit that attending Mountain Hill Church is a pretty neat experience. I used to tell my boys, “Guys, you get the privilege of seeing the Upstate of SC from a position that not too many people get.” Honestly, there are people in Travelers Rest, and Greer, and Landrum, and Greenville that see our mountain from a distance but never get the opportunity to come up here. (Of course, anybody is welcome to come to church here, but in normal, everyday conversation, there are folks that haven’t been up here – and likely won’t.) And I’ve learned that although we worship God on the mountaintop, we walk with God in the valley.

There’s no such thing as a suffer-free, pain-free Christian life. If you stand for Jesus and speak truth, you’re going to suffer rejection. No matter how much you love Jesus and how much you love others, if you’re a person that seeks to live according to the Word of God, then you’re going to eventually suffer hurt, and heartache, and potentially physical harm. If you make up your mind that you don’t care what Congress says, or what the polls say, or what anybody else says and just determine to know nothing but what the Bible says, then you’re intolerant, you’re bigoted, you’re judgmental, you’re narrow-minded, and you’re a fundamentalist. That just comes with the territory. But here’s the thing that I’m learning, there’s nothing that will focus you more on Jesus, draw you closer to Jesus, make you more dependent on Jesus, and give you more of a desire to know Jesus, than when you know His sufferings.

In her book Glorious Weakness: Discovering God in All We Lack, author, wife and mother, Alia Joy writes the following (and with this we’ll conclude).

In the summer of 2012, I knelt over the frail shell of a child, my son, strapped to all manner of medical monitoring equipment. His body failing, his frame thinning, the medical staff at Arkansas Children’s Hospital was at a loss. They had no answers, no direction. He was an anomaly, they said, and they’d need to regroup after making him as comfortable as possible. Though the medical community struggled to sort it all out, my faith community seemed to have every answer.

“God would provide,” one said, “because God would respond to my great faith.” “God was setting up a miracle,” another said. “God works all things together for good,” (Romans 8:28) I was reminded. Platitude, platitude, platitude. I smiled through all of them, even nodded. Silently, I wondered. Did all those words amount to anything – well-meaning though they were? Hunched over my son, all those platitudes haunting, my phone rang.

I looked at the screen, read the name. It was a pastor from a more reformed church in my hometown, and as I answered the phone, I wondered what platitude I might hear. [Would it be] “there was a purpose in my son’s suffering? Everything has a Kingdom purpose?” After an exchange of greetings, I clenched my jaw. Stiffened. Braced myself.

Through the phone, I heard only three words: “I’m so sorry.” There was a pause, and then he told me to holler if I needed anything. He said he’d be praying, and that was that. It was a moment of selfless solidarity, a moment in which this man of the cloth didn’t force-feed me anemic answers or sell me some fix-all version of a bright-and-shiny gospel.

Instead, he did the work of Christ himself; he entered into my suffering. And years later, after a long season of healing (both my son’s and my own), his words served as a reminder of the Christian response to suffering – we enter into it together, share in it together, lament with each other.

I suppose it’s natural, our tendency to try to run from suffering, to somehow try to drag other folks from their own. We, Christians, use the holy tools at our disposal (particularly, the misinterpretation of Scripture) in an attempt to pave a path around suffering. The problem is that’s not the way of Christ.

Dear friends, you may touch more lives in the valley than you ever will on the mountaintop. And I simply remind you, as you remind me, that we will make more of a difference in this life when we know the supreme person of Jesus, the supernatural power of Jesus, and the suffering passion of Jesus. Let’s stand and sing about it – Hymn No, 526: The Solid Rock.

The Bull’s Eye of Our Obedience – Mark 12:28-34

• November 13, 2023
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Mark 12:28-34

Guest minister, Rev. Ryan Ferguson, brings an encouraging message to continue loving God and loving each other in these difficult days.

Philippians: Shining Light (2:12-18)

• October 29, 2023
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Philippians 2:12-18

Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Philippians 2. Next weekend is the end of Daylight-Saving Time. By the way, it’s “Saving” without the “s.” Savings are what you put in the bank. Saving is what we tell ourselves we’re doing with the daylight hours. Most of us don’t mind the custom in the fall because we “gain” an extra hour of sleep, but we’re not too fond that it gets darker earlier. Experts tell us that every year, when it gets to be winter time, a significant portion of the population gets SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder. It’s a real thing. For some people, it affects their mood. They become depressed because of the lack of sunshine and exposure to light.

On the other hand, when we turn our clocks back, and it gets darker sooner, it’s also a reminder that Christmas lights will be going up soon. Man, oh, man, there’s just something special about Christmas lights. Whether you’re a Clark Griswald kind of family and every blade of grass has a light on it, and the Christmas music is blaring in the background, or whether you’re like my grandparents who just put a single electric candle in each of the windows facing the street and it was more serene, there’s something special about Christmas lights.

As a kid, I remember making those trips back and forth from our house to our grandparents’ houses, and in order to entertain me and Cooper, we used to see who could count the most houses with Christmas lights. In order for you to count the house, it had to be on your side of the car – whichever side of the backseat you were in. That was fun.

Then, I don’t know, maybe when I was about 7-8, it dawned on me that we take the same route coming and going. So, if I sat on the driver’s side going and lost, then if I just sat on the driver’s side coming back, I’d win. Now, listen to how mean your pastor was. I’m 4 ½ years older than my brother, so if I was on the passenger’s side going and I won, then when we left to return home I would say, “Are you sure you don’t want to sit on the passenger’s side? Remember all the houses I counted on the way? You’ll win.” Of course, my little brother would say yes and I’d sit on the driver’s side going home. But since it was the return trip home, all of those same houses would now be on the driver’s side and I’d win again. Isn’t that horrible? Your pastor did that.

But God has a great sense of humor and my father is a godly man. It didn’t take long for him to realize what I was doing, so whenever I tried to pull that stunt, he wouldn’t say anything. He’d let me do my thing and entice my brother to sit on the side I had been on, and then we’d pull out of my grandparent’s driveway and honk the horn. I would be sitting in the backseat grinning from ear to ear, and then he’d take a different route and drive by a neighborhood that he knew would have lots of lights on my brother’s side of the car.

Lesson learned. Be humble. Think of others. Well-played dad, well-played. In our text, today, Paul tells the church, “Shine as lights in the world” by making the glory of Christ known in a dark and perverse culture. Follow along, as I read Philippians 2:12-18.

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

“Living God, help us so to hear Your holy Word that we may truly understand; that, understanding, we may believe and that believing, we may follow in all faithfulness and obedience, seeking Your honor and glory in all that we do; through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Paul teaches us a lot about Christian discipleship in these verses. And perhaps I should pause and explain what is meant by “discipleship.” I think most of us know, but I don’t want to make any assumptions, and even if we know, sometimes it’s just good to remind ourselves. Discipleship is a word that you hear around churches and pastors use it frequently. In a nutshell, it simply means “growing in your faith,” or “becoming a better disciple.” Paul has a lot to say about that, and here Paul connects God’s work and our work (vss. 12-13), he connects avoiding grumbling and complaining with shining as lights in the world (vss. 14-15), and he connects sacrifice and joy (vss. 16-18).

That’s what we’re going to consider this morning under three simple headings: “Work Out,” “Shine,” and “Rejoice” – all of these things are ways we should live before the Lord Jesus Christ.

Work Out

Verses 12-13 provide us with a wonderful starting point for understanding what we call “sanctification.” Again, that’s one of those theological terms that you hear in church environments and around preacher-types, and it basically refers to your life from the moment after you’re saved to the moment after you die. The moment that you confess your sins and receive God’s gift of forgiveness by grace through faith in Jesus is what we call “justification.” It’s a one-time event. After that event you find yourself “growing up” or “maturing in” the faith, and we call that “sanctification.” It’s not a one-time thing but an ongoing process whereby we’re made holy – from the time of our new birth to the time of our death, when we experience “glorification.” That’s when God removes the final hurdle of sin from the life of the believer.

Listen to me. “You cannot earn your justification, you cannot achieve your sanctification, and you cannot merit your glorification.” God makes all these things happen out of His love for you, by His grace alone. Paul doesn’t say, “Work for your salvation.” Rather, he says, “Work out your salvation.” That’s a huge difference. God has worked salvation for us by His sovereign grace. Christ has done the work on the cross of Calvary to make us right with him (justification). Sanctification is recognizing this reality and then living in light of this gracious gift of salvation, living in light of our new position and our new identity. And Paul offers three things in this “working out” stage. He commends them. Then, he commands them. Finally, he comforts them.

By the way, this is a good pattern to follow in leading and managing people, too. Find a way to pat them on the back. Give them some encouragement before you direct them. Notice what he says, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence.” “Hey guys, you’re doing a great job. You always listen to what I have to say, and then you do it. Your brothers and sisters in Corinth – not so much. Your extended family in Galatia – good luck. Your friends in Ephesus – nah. But you guys… You obey and I appreciate you for it.”

Paul takes the same approach in 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 listen, “Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more.” Do you see how he commends them. He pats them on the back. He compliments them – and it’s a genuine compliment, none of this false flattery. Southerners have a real difficulty with flattery, “Oh, honey, bless your heart. Aren’t you just the most precious thing.” No, Paul genuinely encourages them.

Next, notice that he commands them. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Paul doesn’t think it’s good enough to just confess Jesus and coast along. No, no. He urges them to what Eugene Peterson calls “a long obedience in the same direction.” And also notice that Paul doesn’t say we’re left to our own devices. No, no. We can work out our salvation because God is at work within us. Okay, so what does it look like to “work out your salvation?” I’m going to tell you. Are you ready? It simply means to follow the example of Jesus. Remember the Christ hymn from last week (vss. 2-11), where Jesus is set forth as the supreme example? Jesus would put it this way, “Then Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). This is a challenge, isn’t it?

We live in a fast-paced, fast-food, microwave, internet culture, but sanctification is a slow process. We’re often drawn to the mega conferences and the flashy events, but God has called us to the day-in, day-out process of taking up our cross. It’s easy to show a spark of enthusiasm at an event; it’s quite another thing to live faithfully and consistently when no one is watching and when no one cares. That’s what Paul meant by “working out our salvation.” Follow the example of Jesus. And when we take up our cross, and we’re actually doing this, do you know what we find? We find a greater sense of fear and respect for what Jesus has done and is doing through the Holy Spirit.

Listen, when you take up your cross and you’re enduring someone’s slander, when you’re patient with your spouse and you’re genuinely not keeping a record of wrongs although every fiber of your being wants you to lash out and dredge up the past, when you deny yourself the opportunity to go to the game and serve the family next door by watching their kids and allowing them to go instead – when you take up your cross and follow Jesus, then you begin to gain a greater appreciation and humility for what Christ has done for us. You’re working out your salvation in fear and trembling – recognizing the tremendous length that Jesus went to secure that salvation in the first place.

Finally, after commending and commanding, then he comforts, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” What is it that prevents us from burning out and giving up? It’s knowing that God is at work in us! Paul has already said something similar to this in Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” In Colossians he writes, “I labor for this striving with His strength that works powerfully in me” (Colossians 1:29). To the Corinthians he says, “But by God’s grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not ineffective. However, I worked more than any of them, yet not I, but God’s grace that was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Underneath and behind our working, God is working in and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit. So, that’s working out our salvation. And now Paul describes the attitude we should have when we obey Christ and pursue living like Him.

Shine

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing…” If you’re like me, you were tracking along nicely until he said that. What good is it if I can’t grumble and complain. Do you know somebody that always seems to grumble and complain? Oh, they’ll get the job done, they’ll do what you ask, but they’ve got to grumble and complain. Husbands? Wives? Anybody besides me want to confess that grumbling and complaining seems to come naturally? It’s the common language of our culture. We live in a world filled with complainers. Discipleship isn’t easy. Pursuing holiness, giving generously, practicing hospitality, loving your spouse and kids, sharing the gospel – all of this will lead to complaining, if we’re not careful.

And this isn’t just an individual sin problem, it’s a corporate sin problem too. Remember the Israelites in Exodus? They wanted to get out of Egyptian slavery and when they made it to the wilderness they grumbled because they didn’t have food to eat. The Lord provided manna and yet they grumbled until He provided quail. What’s the solution? The gospel. When we consider what we deserve and what we’ve been given, then we’re led to gratitude, then we’re led back to humble submission. The greatest attitude adjustment is to simply consider the cross. Seriously, just come in the sanctuary and sit in a pew and view the cross, contemplate what Jesus did for you, see Him there. When we lost sight of the gospel, we’ll go down the dark hole of murmuring.

But we don’t seek to avoid grumbling and disputing solely because it’s an awful sin (and it is), rather we also avoid it because it damages our witness. When our conversations with other believers or among outsiders are filled with negative criticisms and constant complaints, we lose our distinctiveness. Paul says we ought to be “blameless,” “pure,” and “faultless.” And that is contrasted with the world which is “crooked and perverse.” Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (Matthew 5:13). In other words, we lose our effectiveness.

People are watching us. People are listening to our conversations. What are they seeing? What are they hearing? Are we standing out like bright stars in a dark sky? Consider what an opportunity we have for making an eternal difference in someone’s life simply by speaking a different language from the culture – by going through the day avoiding the temptation to grumble and complain and instead offering gratitude and praise. I have a friend that often responds in a unique way to my query, “How are you doing?,” he often says, “If I was any better, then I’d be a twin.” That always causes me to smile – partly because it’s just different and partly because he reminds me that I need to do all things without grumbling or complaining. I’ve heard other people respond by saying, “Better than I deserve.” Again, another great way to pepper our ordinary days with expressions of gratitude and praise instead of grumbling and complaining.

Finally, we avoid grumbling and complaining by “holding fast to the word of life.” It’s our job to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. And what’s the Good News except that our sin has been forgiven and we can be restored to a right and loving relationship with our Creator because Jesus died in our place. We were destined for eternal wrath because of our sin, but that’s been paid for in the blood of Christ Jesus. Work out… Shine… Finally, rejoice.

Rejoice

“Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise, you also should be glad and rejoice with me.” Paul is linking his suffering and their sacrifice. He’s putting them together and saying, “I want you guys to start seeing this as worship.” It’s part of your worship to God. See where Paul says, “If I’m being poured out as a drink offering?” That’s a picture they would be familiar with. We aren’t, but they would. In ancient times, pagan cultures had a thing called a libation, where they would take a vessel, a glass, maybe with wine in it. And they would pour it on top of a sacrifice that was being made. And it was symbolic of going all in. “I’m pouring everything into this.” Even in Judaism, in the Old Testament, there was something called a drink offering. It was poured out. Paul sees his life that way. He’s in jail. He’s suffering. And he says, “I may not make it out of here alive. I’m incarcerated. I might have to pour my whole life out and be killed.” By the way, that’s what ultimately happened to Paul. In the very last letter, he ever wrote he said, “I am already being poured out as a drink offering. And the time of my death is at hand” (2 Timothy 4:6).

So, here’s what he’s saying. Even if this means I’m being poured out on the sacrifice and the service of your faith. It’s their sacrifice and his offering is being poured on top of it. That’s the word picture. So, let me tie it all together for you as we close. Paul is saying, all of our glowing, all of our light bearing, all of our gospel preaching, all of our attitude adjusting, needs to be seen as part of our worship to God. Romans 12:1 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” So, let’s shine the light of Christ in this dark and perverse world.

I want to close with a crazy question. But I want an honest answer. How many of you drink Coca-Cola products? (Raise your hands. Diet Coke, Cherry Coke, Coke Zero.) Okay, how many Pepsi people? (Raise your hand.) OK, so I’ve got to tell you, Coca-Cola wins. And I think I know why. A few years back, the management of Coca-Cola said, “Our goal is for every person on earth to taste Coca-Cola.” Every person. That’s our goal. I want everybody in the world to taste Coca-Cola. This is how well they’ve done.

As of today, 97% of the world has heard of Coke. 72% of the world has seen a Coke product. 51% of the world has tasted Coca-Cola. You say, “Well, that’s only half. It’s not 100%.” Yeah, but you know how long Coca-Cola has been around? Only 130 years. In 130 years, over half the world’s population has tasted Coke. Are you ready for the gut punch? How long has Christianity been around? (2,000+ years.) I know the slogan says “things go better with Coke.” But things go way better with Jesus. Work out your salvation. Shine as lights. Rejoice.

Philippians: A Christ-Centered Mindset (2:5-11)

• October 22, 2023
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Philippians 2:5-11

Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Philippians 2. I met with a small group of men on Wednesday morning in the parlor. It’s a group that Dave started over 20 years ago. They meet each week to share faith and life. Obviously, Dave was not there, but we were remembering him and sharing some of our favorite stories and memories. One of the guys mentioned the fact that you rarely, if ever, saw Dave without his black WWJD bracelet.

Most of you are familiar with the WWJD movement, I’m sure. WWJD is an acronym for “What Would Jesus Do?” I was surprised to discover that the movement originated in the late 1800s and not in the 1990s when it experienced a resurgence. Anyway, the idea is to be reminded to ask oneself What Would Jesus Do in any circumstance or situation. It’s a fair question, and I (too) remember wearing a WWJD bracelet for a season.

There’s only one problem, with the WWJD question. In order to properly answer it and thus actually try to live by the moral imperatives of Jesus, you kind of need to know WJAD – What Jesus Actually Did. See, if we don’t know what Jesus did, then we might answer the WWJD question with our own standard and not His. And we won’t appreciate what Jesus has already done without understanding who He is. Thankfully, Paul gives us a complete picture of the person and work of Christ in verses 5-11. Follow along with me as I read Philippians 2:5-11:

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 Who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

“Again, our Father, we cast ourselves down before Your majestic and glorious presence, asking that You would forgive our sins and renew us in the image of Christ, in order that we might fulfill all of Jesus’ purposes in and through us. Amen.” (Prayer of John Calvin, adapted.)

There are certain passages that are daunting. And this is one of them. In a way, the entire Bible should be like that, I suppose. After all, we’re dealing with the veritable Word of God. But there are passages that are more demanding, more overwhelming and unfathomable than others, and this is one of them. No matter what I say it will fall far short of what this text is worthy of. So, I can only commend the text to you – that you might read it repeatedly and allow the Holy Spirit to enrich these concepts beyond what I might be able to say today.

For instance, commentators from a wide theological spectrum and theologians over the centuries have noted that these verses appear to be an early hymn or poetic creed, perhaps used liturgically in ancient worship. And if you’re a visual learner (and even if you aren’t), you might want to simply draw a capital “V” in the margin, because that’s the shape these verses make. Let me explain. It begins in verse 6 with God in eternity and then describes Jesus’ incarnation in verse 7, and then leads to Christ’s early ministry – primarily His death upon the cross – which is the bottom of the “V” at the end of verse 8. SO, you have this top to bottom progression. Then, beginning with verse 9, you have an upward trajectory. Paul mentions Christ’s exaltation, as He ascended back to the right hand of the Father in heaven, and verses 10-11 speak of His glorification in the presence of every person that’s every been created or will be created.

So, this text is doctrine. It emphasizes the stunning humility of Jesus, who became a servant and died on behalf of sinners to the glory of God. And as a result of His redemptive work on the cross, He is now exalted as the true King. He is our Savior. But it’s more than doctrine. It’s also ethics. Paul isn’t writing these words to stimulate debate. He’s not making an argument. He’s putting Jesus forth as the prime example – One who deserves our adoration and emulation. Thus, the more we behold His glory and imitate His character, the more unified we will be as a church. So, there’s an ethical dimension to these verses too.

A moment ago, I mentioned that many people consider this to be an early hymn of the church. Think of this song as having three verses or stanzas, and I want us to briefly consider each part. The first stanza is the mind of Christ. The second stanza is the humility of Christ. And the final stanza is the exaltation of Christ.

The Mind of Christ

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” Now, I don’t know about you, but I find that it’s hard enough to make sense of what’s going on in my own mind, let alone the mind of Christ. I mean; “Lee, what were you thinking? We’re you even thinking at all?” (Likely, not.) And yet, Paul encourages me to get inside the mind of Christ. Some of your Bibles might translate the word “mind” as “attitude.” That’s because the Greek word combines both an emotional and cognitive aspect – a visceral response and a reasoned response. And we tend to hear the word “mind” and only associate it with logic and thinking, but there’s more to the word, which is why some of you are seeing the word “attitude.”

For example, the New American Standard Bible translates the verse this way, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.” The New Living Translation says, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” The Christian Standard Bible reads, “Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus.” Either way, whether you have the word “attitude” or “mind,” the idea is that we ought to have some habit of thought that finds expression in outward behavior or deeds. But the thoughts aren’t just open to any old thoughts. Remember the progression from verses 1-4. All the instruction and encouragement is to think about others, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit (remember), but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

Jesus only and ever had two things on His mind, only two things that informed His attitude and they were in this order: 1.) His Father’s will, and 2.) what was best for you and me.

First and foremost, Jesus was concerned to do the Father’s will. “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise… I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just, because I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me… For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 5:19, 30; 6:38).

And second, He was always thinking about us. “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us… For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (Romans 5:8; John 3:16-17).

So, what Paul is saying is, “Ask yourself, ‘Is this my attitude, my mindset? Is this my way of life? Do I seek to get, get, and get? Or do I seek to give, give, and give?’” And that question extends to us as a community, to us as a church. Are we known for humility and compassion? We’re supposed to be imitating Jesus. He’s our supreme example. What does our painting look like? Does it look more like stick people on a piece of paper, or can someone truly see a reflection of Jesus? What does our song sound like? Is it a melody and harmony that draws others in to listen closely, or do they want to change the channel? Do we have the mind and attitude of Christ?

Paul continues to illustrate why Jesus is the perfect example for us to follow. Not only should we have the attitude and mind of Christ that seeks to give, give, and give, but we ought to see how this worked its way out in the life of Jesus. The next verse, if you will, is…

The Humility of Christ

“Who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,” now just stop there and try to grab ahold of that. Paul is touching on the pre-existence of Jesus and also His divine nature. There was never a time Jesus didn’t exist. Although He didn’t have a human form until His incarnation, He was always existing. He’s the Alpha and the Omega. John says, “He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created” (John 1:2-3). He’s the Creator. This is one are of fundamental difference between Christianity and other religions and cults. Jesus was not created by God. He’s always existed with God the Father.

Don’t let the word “form” throw you. It’s the Greek word morphe, but it doesn’t refer to an external appearance or outward shape. Rather, it’s speaking of the essential attributes and inner nature of Jesus. Like the creeds of our faith, Paul is saying that Jesus continues being the very nature or essence of God. There have been many alternatives throughout the centuries, and even today we still hear things like, “Jesus was just a prophet,” “He was a good man,” “He was a fine example,” or the sentiment that seems to have gained most traction, “It’s the ideas and teachings of Jesus that really matter.” In every generation, we must boldly defend the glory of Christ’s pre-existence and divine nature.

But it wasn’t enough to highlight Jesus’ pre-existence and divine nature. Paul goes on to show that Jesus didn’t use His equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. “The Messiah did not please Himself,” Paul says in Romans 15:3. Oh, He could have. He could’ve clutched His rights, His blessings, and His benefits as King of glory, but instead, He lived open-handedly, showing us what true generosity and service look like. Do you find it hard to let go of your possessions? Do you find it difficult to let go of your right to be mad at someone for the good of the relationship? How many friendships and family relationships have been soured or even severed because we had our feelings hurt and rather than letting it go, we held on to our rights to be angry? The only way to go from being a grabber to a giver is by adopting the attitude and mindset of Christ, and when we receive Jesus as Savior, thankfully, He gives us the Holy Spirit to help make that a reality.

“Instead, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and being born in the likeness of men” (v. 7) I like what A.W. Tozer said about this in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy. He writes, “Christ refused to hold onto His divine rights and prerogatives. He veiled His deity, but He did not void His deity.” Sometimes you might hear preachers or theologians or commentators say, “Remaining all that He was, He became what He was not” – meaning that Jesus added humanity to His being. He didn’t surrender deity. He simply added something that was not previously there. But note: the something He added did NOT make Him more God, more holy, more divine.

Dr. Bryan Chapell illustrates this in a story from an African missionary. The chief of a particular tribe was not only the chief, but he was also the strongest man. One day a man carrying water out of a deep well fell and broke his leg. He lay helpless at the bottom of the well and they called the chief. When he saw the condition of the man, he laid aside his headdress and robes that marked him as the chief and climbed to the bottom of the well, put the injured man on his shoulders, and brought him to safety. He did what no other man could do. That’s what Jesus did. He came to rescue us, but just like the chief, when he removed his headdress and robe he didn’t cease to be the chief and neither did Jesus. He humbly left His divine rights and prerogatives and condescended to our condition in order to redeem us, but He remained God the entire time.

And if emptying Himself of His divine rights and prerogatives wasn’t enough, He came in the form of a servant, in the likeness of men, and humbled Himself to the point of death – and not just any death, but death on the cross. This is the bottom of the “V,” and the music changes to a minor key. It’s quite possible that the Servant Song of Isaiah 53 was in Paul’s mind as he wrote this. He came having no “impressive form or majesty that we should look at Him, no appearance that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2). He went to the cross, taking our place, “and the LORD has punished Him for the inquiry of us all” (53:6). “He submitted Himself to death” (53:12) in this most degrading of all deaths.

We’ve considered His divinity and His descending down, down, down, let’s consider now how He ascended up to the highest place.

The Exaltation of Christ

“Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name.” Some translations say, “For this very reason.” That’s why Jesus has been exalted, because He humbled Himself to the point of death on Calvary’s Tree. The term “highly exalted” is a Greek word that means hyper-elevated. We value exclusive things. Attorneys and other professionals work towards becoming “named partners.” Businessmen and women work towards varying degrees of leadership: VP, SVP, EVP, CEO. No one is exalted like Jesus. He’s in a class by Himself.

And to mark this hyper-exalted status, God gave Jesus the name that is above every name – and that name isn’t the name Jesus, but the name Lord. How do I know it wasn’t the name Jesus? Because there were many people named Jesus in the first century. It was a common name. Even today, in certain cultures, it’s not uncommon to hear someone named Jesus. No, the name that was given to Jesus that is above every name is a name that we normally associate with a title – it’s the name LORD. To hear someone other than Caesar is Lord would be shocking, to say the least. But there’s also a connection with Isaiah 42:8, where God says, “I am Yahweh, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another.” And when you read Philippians 2:11 that “Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father,” then you begin to understand that’s the name that is above all names.

The wonder of it all is that Jesus, the Lord of glory, who is in a class by Himself, knows us, and loves us. So, fall on your face before Him. Lift up your voice in praise and adoration to the King who has lavished you with astonishing grace and mercy. After all, according to the last stanza of this song every knee of every individual in any and all places will bow before Him. You will either bow in humble submission and praise, or you will bow in shameful defeat and agony. So, bow now. Confess Jesus as the Lord and Savior of your soul today. Don’t wait.

Memorize this passage and dwell on it regularly for it contains solid doctrine. Believe the truth of this passage – indeed Jesus is God in the flesh and because of His humble sacrifice He is worthy to be called the Lord. Fervent belief in Christ Jesus is the only way to be saved. Follow the lifestyle presented in this passage. Yes, the model is Jesus. No, we won’t imitate Him perfectly, but there’s no higher or more excellent person to idolize. In fact, He is the only one that we’re allowed to idolize. Share the message of this passage. Let us adore Him. Let our minds be on Him. Let our attitude be like His. Let our actions reflect Him – all of this is to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians: Joy Ride (2:1-4)

• October 16, 2023
• Pastor
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Philippians 2:1-4

Whether you’re into Mickey Mouse or not, there’s no denying that there’s nothing quite like Disney World. It’s the most visited vacation resort in the world. In a given week, a million people will visit Disney World. (I’ve stood in line behind 900,000 of them once.) Before COVID-19, they recorded their largest annual attendance of 58,778,000. The property covers 27,258 acres, which is the size of San Francisco and twice the size of Manhattan. Every day, guests will wake up to 30,000 hotel rooms, 409 wilderness cabins, 799 campsites, and they’re all served by nearly 70,000 cast members who are part of the Disney World staff.

Now, if you get hungry, you can eat at one of the more than 300 distinct restaurant outlets, and each year they serve:
• 10 million hamburgers
• 6 million hot dogs
• 9 million lbs. of French fries
• 300 thousand lbs. of pop corn
• 1.6 million turkey legs
• 13 million bottles of water, and
• 79 million Coca-colas.
It is a big deal. And, by the way, Disney better keep the ball rolling, because their annual budget is $59.4 billion. That’s over $1B a week, and roughly equal to the entire Gross Domestic Product of the nation of Croatia.

Look, you don’t have to know those facts to realize that Disney World is a special place. All you have to do is visit and you realize how special it is. My first visit was in 1981. I was 5 years old. My last visit was in 2016 when Jordan was 13 and Parker was 11, and there were a few other trips in the middle. And if you’ve ever walked through the gates of the Magic Kingdom and strolled down Main Street, U.S.A. then you know what makes Disney so special.

What makes Disney so special is not how big it is (though it’s big), and not how beautiful it is (though it’s beautiful), rather the magic of Disney is how hard they work to accomplish the one purpose that inspired Walt Disney to build it in the first place. Someone captured it this way: “Every last brick that holds up Disney World was built to inspire joy for children.” And, boy, do they ever hit the nail on the head. Because Disney, when he built this magnificent monstrosity of entertainment said, I want every rider and every attraction and every experience to bring joy to kids and grandkids. And for those of you that have taken your children or grandchildren, you know that it will test every religious bone in your body, but you will also agree with me (no doubt) that the memories you have of watching your children and grandchildren and the joy on their faces was absolutely priceless.

To be honest with you, if you go to Disney World and you don’t have joy in your heart, then it’s your fault. You can’t blame them. They pull out ever stop to make that happen. There’s only one problem with Disney World joy. You can’t take it with you. When you leave Disney, you leave the Disney joy behind. But God never intended for life to be that way. With all of its troubles, headaches and heartaches, pain and suffering, God created this beautiful universe so that His children might have joy. That’s why Jesus came. Do you remember what He said in John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Today, we’re turning to chapter 2 in our sermon series on Paul’s letter to the Philippians. So, if you have your copy of God’s Word, then let me invite you to turn to Philippians 2. What we’ve discovered, so far, is that this letter is Paul’s most joy-filled correspondence. God wants our life to be a life of joy. Now let me pause for just a second and make a distinction. I have not used the word “happy” or “happiness.” It’s not God’s plan that our lives always be “happy.” In fact, if you’re always happy there’s something wrong with you. (You need counseling. You need help.) Let me give you an example. You say, “Lee, you’re a pastor, are you not always happy?” Listen: read my lips, when the Braves lost in the NLDS (National League Divisional Series) on Thursday night I was not happy. When the LA Dodgers lost to the AZ Diamondbacks, I was deliriously happy, but when the Braves lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, I was not happy. So, no, I’m not always happy, but I do have a joy that sustains me through the good and the bad.

Follow along with me as we read the first the four verses of Philippians 2: “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

“Our God and our Father, we pray that – with our Bibles open before us – You will be our teacher. We’re unable to understand the Bible unless You come to illumine the printed page. We’re certainly unable to take it to heart, because we are by nature disobedient, rebellious, and self-focused. So, we’re in desperate need of the enablement of the Holy Spirit, and we anticipate that You will come to honor Your Word, and in the spirit of expectation, we now seek You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

In these opening verses of the second chapter of Philippians, Paul gives us a three-step formula on how to maintain a joy-filled life. In fact, Paul even tells us why he’s giving us this advice. In verse 2 he says, “If you live a joy-filled life, then you actually complete my joy.” His joy is somehow connected to theirs and vice versa. If you’re a married man then you the truth of this, right? If momma ain’t happy, then nobody is happy. Your joy isn’t complete until her joy is complete. So, if you want to enjoy the ride of life and have a deep sense of joy, then follow these three steps. First…

Give Jesus Preeminence

The very first verse appears to set up a conditional statement: if this, then this. But that’s not how it reads in the Greek. In English, it appears that what Paul is saying amounts (only) to a possibility, but in the Greek it’s a probability. The word that most of our Bibles translates as “if” could be better translated as “since.” Paul assumes that the focal point of your life will be Jesus. That means that nothing or no one surpasses Jesus in importance. Think about it. The fact that Jesus came to us, died for us, lives in us, to be with us through all eternity that alone should bring you inexpressible, irrepressible joy. And more than that; it’s not just that we have Jesus in us, but beyond that we have the “comfort” from His love. It’s not just that Jesus lives in us; Jesus loves us. This Jesus that created us, this Jesus that holds the power of life and death in His hand, this Jesus who determines where we’ll spend all of eternity, this Jesus loves you and me. It’s because He loves us that we love Him (1 John 4:19).

Think about the added benefit. Here’s what Paul was saying, “If I love Jesus and you love Jesus, then we’re going to love each other.” Do you understand why that’s so important not just for you and me, but for us and our church? Why do we exist? To point people to Jesus and inspire them to live for Him. Right? Do you know the number one way that we (as a church) point people to Jesus? By loving one another. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). When people on the outside of our church come into the church and they sense that we truly love each other, then they will know we are real followers of Jesus. That’s when they’ll know there’s a difference that Jesus makes in our lives.

Then, to make sure that we give Jesus preeminence, that we keep Him first, Paul introduces us to the “participation in the Spirit” or some of your Bibles might call it the “fellowship of the Spirit.” The Greek word for “participation” or “fellowship” or “common sharing” is the word koinonia. Listen, it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to keep us focused on Jesus, to keep us in love with Jesus, to keep us pointing people to Jesus, to keep our minds and hearts on Jesus. But that raises a question. If the Holy Spirit lives in every Christian, why is it that sometimes Christians fight and divide and don’t get along? Well, there’s a difference between the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the influence of the Holy Spirit. See, every believer is equally indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but not every believer is equally influenced by the Holy Spirit.

The truth of the matter is (and what Paul was saying is) when we get out of fellowship with the Holy Spirit, guess what? We get out of fellowship with each other. Think about it this way. You cannot pit the Holy Spirit against the Holy Spirit. He will not fight Himself. You can’t divide the Holy Spirit. So, what Paul was saying was, “Lee, as long as you’re filled with the Holy Spirit and you’re in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and, John, as long as you’re full of the Holy Spirit and in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, you’re going to get along.” Oh, sure, we may disagree, and we may debate, and we might discuss, but we cannot divide unless it’s over an essential matter of the faith.

That’s why Paul continues and says “Then make my joy complete by being like-minded…” (Philippians 2:2, NIV). To be like-minded doesn’t mean we always will think the same way, but it does mean we will think on the same things. Being “like-minded” means we all agree that we should give Jesus preeminence. We are to stay in love with Him and each other, and we are to be in full fellowship with the Holy Spirit. If I love Jesus supremely and you love Jesus supremely then we will love each other. And when we’re hitting on all eight cylinders with the Son of God, the love of God, and the Spirit of God, then we’ll be full of joy because we’ll be giving Jesus the place He deserves – preeminence.

Give Others Priority

When you give Jesus preeminence, you give others priority. How do you know that you’ve given Jesus preeminence? How do you know that Jesus is truly in first place? Well, you put others second and yourself third. That (my friends) does not come naturally. It comes supernaturally. We have to die to ourselves. That’s why Paul says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit…” Selfish ambition is when you seek to put others down. Vain conceit is when you seek to build yourself up. Selfish ambition is when you want to win even if everybody else loses. Vain conceit is when you believe you deserve to win and everybody else deserves to lose. It’s so difficult to deal with that because we’re all born this way. We’re all born with selfish ambition and vain conceit.

Think about it. The first thing you have to teach a child is not to be selfish. Oh, you might think they’re an angel and they have wings, but they also have horns. Let me tell you something. Little Johnny has to be taught that he’s not the only person on the planet. Do you know what the favorite words of a child are when he first learns to talk? Me, my, and mine. Give it to me. That toy is mine. That is my doll. And one of the first lessons you have to teach a child is how to think of others first before they think of themselves. The problem is we’re born with this desire that others put us first.

I love this story about a mom and her two young boys: Kevin (5) and Ryan (3). She was making pancakes for breakfast and the boys started arguing over who should get the first pancake, and she saw the perfect opportunity for a teachable moment. So, she looked at the boys and said, “Now boys, if Jesus was sitting here, he would say, ‘let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’” Kevin turned to his brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus.”

Isn’t that the way we are. Listen, I’m not preaching to you. I’m preaching to me. Don’t we all have that kind of attitude? “Hey, you be Jesus.” Husbands, don’t we want to say to our wives, “You be Jesus.” Don’t the kids say to the parents, “You be Jesus.” Don’t the parents say to the in-laws, “You be Jesus.” We all want to do that. Let’s face it; we all want everybody else to be Jesus and there’s only one antidote to selfishness. There’s one way you will put others second and yourself third and here it is (this is so hard), “but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

Now remember, the assumption is that Jesus is already in first place. So, instead of running all over each other trying to be in second place, we ought to be falling over each other trying to be in third place. I know that’s counterintuitive and countercultural. Everything we read and watch and hear in the world says that we should look out for number one, but the way to joy is to look out for number two. The world tells us to do everything we can to get ahead. The Bible says, “No, do everything you can to get behind.” We’re told that if you have to step on other people to get to the top, then you just step on them. God comes along and says, “No, put other people on your shoulders and help them get to the top.” And there’s only one way you will ever get that way of thinking, and that’s by “count[ing] others [as] more significant than yourselves.”

Some of your Bibles use the phrase, “value others,” and some have the phrase “thinking of others,” and some say “consider others,” and some even say “esteem others,” the word refers to a conclusion that’s carefully thought out based on what is true. So, you don’t just pretend that others are more important than you are. Rather, understanding who you are in Christ, you actually view others as more important than you. Paul would put it this way in Romans, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment…” (12:3, NIV). At some point, all of us have thought more highly of ourselves than we should have.

There’s a story that happened many years ago when Don Shula was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. As many of you know, he is the only coach that’s ever won a Super Bowl with an undefeated team and he was at the height of his popularity. He was having difficulty with privacy and just going somewhere and enjoying himself and not being asked for an autograph or hounded by people. He and his wife went away to a very small town in Maine thinking they would be anonymous and get some rest.

When they got there and unpacked, they decided to go to a movie. As they entered the theater, everyone in attendance stood up and applauded. Shula was just disgusted and irritated. He sat down and leaned over to the man next to him and said, “I sure didn’t think you would recognize me!” The fellow looked at him and said, “Am I supposed to know you?” Shula shot back, “I’m Don Shula of the Miami Dolphins. We just went undefeated and won the Super Bowl and all of you applauded when I walked in.” The man said, “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Shula, but the reason why we applauded was because the manager had just walked in and said if two more people didn’t show up, then he wouldn’t run the movie.” Don’t think too highly of yourself and think more highly of others.

But that raises another question: If I’m going to think everybody else is more important than I am, then who’s going to think I’m more important? Well, when you think it out, you’ll reach the conclusion that another man did who said this, “If I think you’re more important than I am…and you think I’m more important than you are…and he thinks she’s more important than he is…and she thinks he’s more important than she is…then, in the end, everyone feels important but no one acts important.” See how that works. And there’s no better place to practice that than here – in the church, as part of the body of Christ. Joy is giving Jesus preeminence and giving others priority. Lastly…

Give Yourself Purpose

Do you realize that when you give Jesus first place, others second place, and yourself third place you’re going to be full of joy and that’s what’s going to give you the most purpose. Look at verse 4. Paul ends by saying, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” No one who has ever lived was more full of joy than Jesus. No one who has ever lived gave more joy than Jesus. The reason that His life was pure, unadulterated, undiluted, undeniable joy was because from the moment that He came to this planet to the moment He left, He was looking out for our interest, not His own. He was looking out for us.

The late Zig Ziglar, motivational speaker and University of South Carolina alum put it this way, “if you want to get to where you want to go, help others get to where they want to go.” So, let me stop and answer a question that you are asking, “if I look out for others, who’s going to look out for me?” I’ve discovered this principle to be true. When I’ve studied my own life, I’ve found it to be true 100% of the time. When you look out for others, God will look out for you. There’s a strange law in the Kingdom of God that works like this. The lower you get the higher you go. I don’t understand it. It runs counter to everything you read or study or hear, but it’s true. The lower you get the higher you go. The secret to joy is not being able to climb to the top of the ladder; it is being willing to go to the lowest rung and give a helping hand up. It was a wise person who said, “there is no life so empty as a self-centered life, and there is no life so centered as self-emptied life.”

When Ronald Reagan died, his vice president, who became president, George H. W. Bush gave the eulogy. He told the story of how in 1981, Reagan was recovering from the gunshot wound he received when there was an assassination attempt on his life. Just a few days after the surgery that saved his life, some of his aids walked into his hospital room and there he was on his hands and knees wiping water off the floor. They asked him what he was doing and he said, “I was afraid that my nurse would get into trouble, so I wanted to clean this mess up myself.” Let me pull all of this together and watch what happens:

Give Jesus Preeminence
Give Others Priority
Give Yourself Purpose

Philippians: Take a Stand (1:27-30)

• October 8, 2023
• Pastor
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Philippians 1:27-30

As always, let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Philippians 1. There’s a theological and philosophical exercise that I engage in from time to time to help me think deeply about life and faith. And here it is. In one sense, it’s simple, and in another sense, it’s complicated. I’ll simply ask myself a question and then limit my response.

For example, I might ask (myself): What’s the one thing you would tell a new Christian? It’s a simple question, but it’s made more difficult by limiting my response to one thing. Sometimes, I’ll broaden it and ask: What three words would you say are the most important for Christians to remember as they journey through life? Again, the exercise is simply asking yourself a question and limiting your response(s). And you can do this for anything, not just faith. Another example might be: What’s the single most difficult thing to do as a parent? In that scenario I changed it from positive to negative (what’s the most difficult), yet I still limited my response.

You say, “That’s silly. The answers are subjective because your acting as the judge and the jury. You’re answering your own question, so who’s going to argue with you?” Well, in a way, you’re right? But I find that it helps to cut through all of the red tape and get down to brass tacks. It also forces me to defend my position. It’s not good enough just to say, “The one thing I would tell a new Christian is never cease to pray.” Yes, that answers the question, but the next question is: why? Of all the answers that I could give to my own question, why that one? So, I’m forced to defend my answer, and not just say, “Because I said so.”

Today, we’re going to see Paul do something similar. He’s going to offer us one very important, serious, and comprehensive point. Let’s see what it is. Follow along with me beginning in verse 27:

27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

“Again Father, with our Bibles open before us we thank You for the Word that You have given to us. We pray that it might now shed light upon our path and guide us – that we might be like those described in Psalm 1 whose ‘delight is in the law of the LORD and on that law they mediate day and night.’ We see Your help in this, for it’s in Christ’s name that we pray. Amen.”

For the first 26 verses, Paul is essentially talking about himself – not because he was self-centered, but because the church in Philippi was concerned about him. If you re-read those 26 verses you’ll notice phrases like: “I thank my God…” “I hold you in my heart…” “it is my prayer…” “what has happened to me…” and so forth. Lots of first-person pronouns: I/me/my. But when we come to verse 27, the tenor of things changes, and he begins to express his concerns for them.

I would like us to notice four things: first of all, the statement to be made, then the stand to be taken, then the sign to be given, then the struggle to be faced. I’ll restate each of these as we come to them, but if you’re looking for points that are more succinct, then perhaps the words consistency, unity, bravery, and agony would work.

A Statement to Be Made – Consistency

What do I mean when I say, “a statement being made”? Well, this is Paul’s answer to his practical exercise. He’s offering the Philippians one thing. Notice the way verse 27 begins. In many translations it simply begins with the word “only.” In the Contemporary English Version (CEV) it reads “Above all else…” In the Christian Standard Bible is says, “Just one thing…” Paul is trying to narrow things down and cut through all of the red tape and get down to brass tacks, and it’s as if he says, “Listen guys/gals, in your everyday lives, you are making a statement.”

Every day we make statements and we don’t even think about it. We make statements in the way we dress, in the way we smile, in the way we talk, in the way we walk, in the way we conduct ourselves. And Paul says that we should make a statement that’s in harmony with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s a call to close the gap between our belief and our behavior – to close the gap between the creed(s) we profess and the conduct we display. In fact, the Greek word for “conduct yourselves” is the verb, politeuomai. It’s the word from which we get the English words police, and politics, and policy. The idea that Paul is trying to convey is that we see ourselves as members of the City of God, that we learn what it means to live as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.

As we’ve seen, the Philippians were members of the political structure of Rome; Philippi was a garrison town. Philippi was like a mini-Rome; people came to Philippi and it reminded them of Rome. And Paul says, “When people meet you as a little community, it should give them a foretaste of heaven. In the same way that the city of Philippi has certain characteristics that look like Rome, so you as Christians should have that about your conduct which is indicative of the kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The sad reality is that’s not the case for most of us. I have to confess that it’s absolutely shameful that I’m such a hypocrite. You, too, I’m sure. Our lives and lifestyles don’t do a very good job of making the gospel of Jesus Christ attractive. Indeed, so much of the face of conservative evangelicalism is an ugly face, not an attractive face. It’s not an endearing face. It’s a face that people have to endure. It’s not a welcoming face. And Paul is addressing this.

We have to understand that we’re making a statement about the gospel. The gospel is a gospel of love: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation [atoning sacrifice] for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:10-11, KJV). We ought to love those who are unlovely. But it’s also a gospel of life: “I am come that [you] might have life, and that [you] might have it [in all of its fullness]” (John 10:10). Why, then, so many lifeless Christians, so many gloomy characters in the pews? The gospel is life and yet the church often looks dead. It’s a gospel of love. It’s a gospel of life. But it’s also a gospel of liberty: “Stand fast in the liberty [with which] Christ [has set you] free, and [do not be] entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1). And yet, by and large, the picture that is presented to the watching world is of a group of people who’ve tied themselves up in all kinds of knots – you must do this, and you can never do that.

Beatrice Clelland said it best in her poem, The Portrait of a Christian:

Not only in the words you say,
Not only in your deeds confessed.
But in the most unconscious way
Is Christ expressed.

Is a beatific smile?
A holy light upon your brow?
Oh no, I saw His presence when
You laughed just now.

To me ‘twas not the truth you taught,
To you so clear to me so dim.
But when you came to me
You brought a sense of Him.

And from His light He beckons me,
And from your lips His love is shed.
Till I lose sight of you and see
The Christ instead.

What kind of statement was the church at Philippi going to make? What kind of statement is the church at Mountain Hill making in relationship to these matters?

A Stand to Be Taken – Unity

Secondly, there’s a stand to be taken. Travelers Rest native and Blue Ridge High School alum Aaron Tippin recorded a song when I was in high school called ‘You Gotta Stand for Something.’ Opposition is coming for the Christian. It’s a given, and verse 28 confirms it. Even Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first” (John 15:18). So, the question isn’t if but when. And when it comes, how will we respond? Of course, it’s easy not to take a stand at all, but we’re more likely to stand if we know we’re not alone. That’s why you might make a point of writing the word UNITY down.

Notice the end of verse 27, “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” Their union is a spiritual union. It’s a God-given unity. They have been made to drink of the one Spirit, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For we were all baptized … into one body … and we were all given the one Spirit [from which] to drink.” For all of his faults and more failures, one of the things that I remember Ravi Zacharias saying is “Unity need not be uniformity.” Or perhaps you remember hearing that little axiom from the Reformation: “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.” That can only be created by the Spirit of God working the hearts and lives in genuine believers – not people confessing Christ but having no real fruit of a changed heart.

Their unity was spiritual; but it was also purposeful: “stand[ing] firm in one spirit … as one man,” for what? “For the faith of the gospel.” At the end of the day, that’s what the church should stand for – the faith. Jude says, “I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” Remember Paul’s passion? The gospel. Romans 1:16, he says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, [and] then for the Gentile.” The church isn’t called to stand fast for a political opinion, or for a political party, or for an ideology, or for a pro-stance on something. Those things are extensions of the core issue. We stand united behind a Galilean carpenter’s life, death and resurrection.

The unity is spiritual, the unity is purposeful, and the unity is fearless. Verse 28: “without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.” The word there is actually “skittish.” It’s the word that would be used of the shying of a horse. Horses can get spooked at the simplest of things, which is why you will often see them wearing blinders – especially in large crowds. And Paul says, “Don’t be like that. Don’t jump and twitch and run at the first little movement or comment or action from the opposition. Stand firm.”

A Sign to Be Given – Bravery

A statement to be made. A stand to be taken. Next, a sign to be given. Notice the second half of verse 28, “This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.” Did you notice the matter-of-factness of the Bible in relationship to the issues of eternal destiny? None of this 21st century concern about political correctness, no attempt to try and make it sound as though everybody is going to be fine and everyone will be saved and nobody will be destroyed. No, it just says, you know, “This is a sign that points two ways.” It gives the thumbs-up to some, and it gives the thumbs-down to others. Again, a picture that would be familiar to those under Roman rule. If you’ve ever seen the movie Gladiator (starring Russell Crowe), then you remember Caesar giving the thumps up or thumbs down for the life/death of a contestant.

We need to learn the lesson of Asaph in Psalm 73? He writes, “My foot had almost slipped. I was on a slippery slope. I became like a brute beast. I envied the arrogant. I looked at these people and I said to myself, ‘They’re winning. They’re sidestepping all the trials, they’re missing all the sufferings. They are the epitome of wealth and stature. They’re on the fronts of all the magazines. Look at their bodies, so strong and powerful. Look at the girls, so sculpted and beautiful, not a wrinkle in sight, not an indication of gravity taking hold at all. No, they’re all just wonderful, spectacular people, and they’re in charge of it all. And here we are, the Christians, buffeted and defeated and beaten down and forced to stand in the checkout counter, and look at how well they’re all doing, and how terrific it all is, and how pathetic we are. And we go in that building and sing those songs, but they’re out here, and they’re in control, and oh, I envy the wicked. I think I may become one of them. I think I shall.’”

“And then,” he said, “I went into the temple of God. And I bowed down before a sovereign God who is almighty over all the affairs of time. And I brought my view of the world and of the culture underneath the umbrella of God’s sovereign purpose. And I’ve brought myself to understand that the Lord God omnipotent reigns. And so, I’m no longer sent into a panic by their opposition. I realize now that their condition is not intimidating. Their condition is pitiful.” (Psalm 73, summarized and paraphrased)

You see, it’s only when the people of God will bow before a sovereign God that we will begin to understand that we are not intimidated by the godless. Oh, we may be for a moment or two. Our feet may almost slip. We may say, “Well, they’re the attractive people. They’re the beautiful people. They’re the powerful people.” But once we go into the temple of God and we put it underneath his all-arching wisdom, we say, “There’s no reason for panic here. There’s no reason for confusion here. God is in charge!”

Where do we discover that? (In the Bible!) How does it get ministered to our hearts? (By the Holy Spirit!) What does God use to that end? (The preaching of the Word of God.)_So, we come together on the Lord’s Day and we’re recalibrated. It’s just like getting your car aligned and your tires balanced. Driving down jolly roads here – you’re paying all this money for taxes, and you’re going down the roads, and your plum near bounced out of the vehicle because of the holes. I mean, if we could get it into some kind of rhythm we could put music to it. But the fact of the matter is, all it does, it just beats the tar out of your tires. And you have to go back in, say, “Could I have a front-end alignment? Could I have them recalibrated? Could I get fixed? Because I just want to go down the road smoothly.”

That’s why I come to church: for a front-end alignment. Hey, let’s sing together, you know. How thankful we are that God is able to put us back in line. Let’s thank God that even though our wheels bounced all this week, that we envied the wicked and were in deep difficulty, that God is still in control. But we’re not gonna panic – bravery.

A Struggle to Be Faced – Agony

Look at verse 29: “For it[’s] been granted [un]to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him.” Did you notice that? We understand that our salvation is granted to us as a gift from God, but Paul, “are you telling us that suffering is a gift from God?” Yep. The Philippians and Paul are fighting the same enemy. Remember when Paul is writing to the Corinthians and he says, “We don’t wage war as the world wages war. We have divine power for pulling down strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4, paraphrased).

D. E. Hoste, missionary to China, said, “I would not appoint a man or a woman to the mission field until he had first learned to wrestle with the evil one, because if he or she has not learned to wrestle with the evil one they will wrestle with their fellow missionaries.” And in the same measure, until we have learned to wrestle in the arena where the struggle really takes place, we have no right talking about it, because if we don’t wrestle there, then we will go out and wrestle at every other point. And that’s exactly where the church is: it’s wrestling on every other front.

And loved ones, is it not this, that in the experience of suffering we learn that God is prepared to go to any lengths to make us like His Son? The cross proves that. He’ll stop at nothing to change us into His image. And so, as the hymn says:

And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.

That “one little word” is the gospel. Martin Luther concludes A Mighty Fortress with this verse:

That Word above all earthly powers
no thanks to them abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours
through Him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still;
His kingdom is forever!

“Father, thank You for these powerful words. Words inspired by You, and written by one of Your servants – Paul, a prisoner. Despite his imprisonment, he fought for truth, standing strong, standing brave, standing together with other believers. May that consistency, and unity, and bravery, and even agony be a part of our lives. ‘And now unto Him who is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, and dominion and power, now and forevermore. Amen’ (Jude 1:24).”

Philippians: Living or Dying (1:18b-26)

• October 2, 2023
• Pastor
• 0 Comments

Philippians 1:18b-26

Once again, let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Philippians 1. In 1993, Bill Jeracki got his leg pinned under a boulder while fishing in St. Mary’s Glacier, Colorado. Snow was in the forecast, and he was without a jacket, a pack, or communication. In a desperate attempt to survive, he used his flannel shirt as a tourniquet, and then he used his fishing knife to cut off his leg at the knee joint! He used hemostats from his fishing kit to clamp the bleeding arteries. He then crab-walked to his truck and drove himself to the hospital! (Amazing!)

In 2003, Aaron Ralston had a similar experience. While hiking in Utah, a boulder fell and pinned his right arm. After various attempts to get free, he amputated his right forearm with a dull multi-tool on the sixth day of being stuck there. Exhausted and dehydrated, he then rappelled down a 60-foot cliff and hiked eight miles before finding a Dutch family who guided him to a rescue helicopter. He eventually made it to the hospital and survived. He wrote an autobiography titled Between a Rock and a Hard Place. (An appropriate title!)

There are a lot of things we can learn from these two stories, and one of them is that humans will do remarkable things in order to live. We will spend money on the best doctors, take up disciplined eating habits, move to particular climates, and even cut off body parts. But there’s a big question looming: WHY? What are you living for?

Chained to a guard and writing from a Roman prison, Paul tells us about the meaning of life and the glory of death. In short, he tells us about a life worth living and a death worth dying. Follow along with me as we read Philippians 1:18-26:

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

“Gracious God, we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from Your mouth. Make us hungry for this heavenly food, that it may nourish us today in the ways of eternal life; through Jesus Christ, the bread of heaven. Amen.”

These verses packed a little more of a punch (for me) this week, as Stanley Myers, one of my Citadel classmates, died suddenly after finishing a routine morning run. Of course, one of the immediate questions that everyone wanted to know was the cause. But not for me. The first question I pondered was: Did he know Jesus. Think about it. For the person that just passed away, the cause of their death is irrelevant. Honestly, whether it was a tragic accident or a long-lived life, whether it was a heart attack or a decades-long battle with cancer, whether they were young or old, rich or poor, educated or uneducated – the cause is irrelevant for the deceased.

Dr. James Merritt, pastor of Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, GA said it this way, “You aren’t ready to live until you’re ready to die, and you aren’t ready to die until you’re ready to live.” Jesus is the only person that can prepare you for both. So, this morning, I want to begin by asking you to fill in the blank.

Fill In the Blank

Paul resolved that he would live for Christ. How would you complete that sentence, “For me, living is __________”? Let me tell you; I know that you just filled the blank with Jesus, but that’s only because you’re in church. That’s only because the pastor asked you the question. In reality – and this is true for me too – there are very few of us in here that uttered the name of Jesus to a stranger this week. Oh, sure, we might have attended Bible studies or small groups or even prayer groups and spoke the name of Jesus, but how many golfing buddies heard us talk about Jesus? How many of our neighbors heard us talk about Jesus? How many coworkers or employees did we stop and pray with on the spot? How many convenient store clerks or grocery store attendants or restaurant waitresses did we talk to about Jesus? See, in reality (and again, I’m with you), the blank often gets filled in with cheap substitutes: money, sexual pleasure, power, beauty, entertainment, even family.

But using the logic of this passage, notice what fills the second blank, “Dying is __________.” See, if we filled the first blank with anything other than Christ, then the second blank is utter emptiness. If you say, “Living is money,” then the second blank read “Dying is being broke.” If you say, “Living is sexual pleasure,” then you conclude, “Dying is having no more pleasure.” What about power? The second blank would be, “Dying is being powerless.” What about “Living is beauty”? The second blank must be, “Dying is rotting in a grave.” If you live for entertainment, then your gravestone would read, “Dying is having no more fun.” What about something more altruistic like “Living is family.” Again, if you follow the logic then “Dying is being alone.”

What are we living for? Because the answer to that question will determine the answer to the second – either we gain or we lose. What will you die for? Don’t misunderstand me – money, sex, power, beauty, entertainment, and even family – these are gifts from God, to be stewarded properly, but they aren’t our aims in life. They often turn into idols. Instead, you want to spend your life on something that not only matters now but will also matter in eternity: Christ. If you say, “Living is Christ,” then you can joyfully say, “Dying is gain.” Living for Christ not only takes the sting out of death but it also makes death gloriously attractive.

Let’s consider just two things then: Paul’s ambition and his vision. We see his ambition of honoring Christ in verses 18-20. He expounds his vision of being with Christ, specifically in verse 23, as he relates his win-win situation in verses 22-26.

The Christian’s Ambition: Honoring Christ

Paul provides three ways the Christian should seek to honor Christ: by rejoicing in Christ, by relying on Christ, and by representing Christ.

By Rejoicing in Christ Consistently (1:18b)
Paul concluded the previous section with “I rejoice,” but now he turns his eyes to the future, “Yes, and I will rejoice” (emphasis added). Paul’s plans for the future include rejoicing in Christ. He’s confident and joyful despite his situation because his sufferings can’t drown his joy. “So, what are your plans for the future?” Have you heard this question lately? Maybe you have great plans. Plans for a special trip. Plans to go on a drive in the mountains and look at the changing leaves. Plans to attend a ballgame with friends or family. Plans to go out to eat at that new restaurant. Plans to go over to a friend’s house or visit your children and grandchildren. Whatever it is, make this part of your plans for the future: “I will rejoice in Christ all my days.” Number one in honoring Christ is consistent joy.

By Relying on Christ Completely (1:19)
In verse 19 Paul speaks of the source of his joyful confidence. He’s relying on the prayers of the Philippians and the sufficiency of the Spirit of Christ. In fact, Paul sounds a lot like Job here. You might recall Job utters these amazing words in the midst of his own ordeal, “Though He [God] slay me, yet will I hope in Him… Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance” (Job 13:15a,16a, NIV).

But what exactly does Paul mean by deliverance? Does he mean release from prison? Or does he mean deliverance in the sense of final salvation? Arguments exist for both, but I don’t see any reason that it can’t be both. Paul believes that his current distress is only temporary. That’s the key. It’s temporary; that’s the point. It isn’t going to last. “I will be delivered from it. Maybe I’ll be vindicated at my second phase of the trial. Maybe I will be released from prison. Maybe I will go to heaven to be with Jesus Christ, and therefore be delivered in the sense of ultimate salvation. Maybe my well-being will be at last the issue.” Paul doesn’t know the specifics. He’s not God. Rather what he’s saying is, “I do know that what I’m presently going through is temporary, and the future holds my deliverance, whether it’s vindication in court, release from prison, well-being, or eternal heaven – I’ll be delivered out of this.”

We, too, will endure hard times and ultimately arrive at our final destination in the same way: by relying on the sufficiency of the Spirit of Christ. How can you honestly say, “For to me to live is Christ”? Only the Holy Spirit can bring you to a place of saying this and living this. Otherwise, you will live for something else. So, number one is consistent rejoicing, and number two is completely relying on Christ. Number three is courageously representing Jesus.

By Representing Christ Courageously (1:20-21)
Look at verse 20 again, “…it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored…” When Paul uses the word “hope,” he doesn’t mean it the way we often mean it. “I hope the Braves make it to the World Series.” “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.” Paul isn’t uncertain; rather, he’s confident that he will represent Jesus because of the sufficiency of the Holy Spirit and the sovereignty of God.

His goal is quite simply to honor Christ. His desire is to represent Christ both in his living and in his dying. This is how you honor Jesus above all things: you care more about His glory than your own glory, and you live this way with courage. Again, imagine the scene. Paul is chained to a guard…

Guard: “Hey, Paul, we don’t like you and your Messiah. We’re going to kill you.”

Paul: “That’d be great! Dying is gain! Bring it on!”

Guard: “On second thought, we’re going to allow you to live.”

Paul: “Fantastic! Living means fruitful, joyous labor!”

Guard: “Well, we’re going to let you live, but we’re going to make you suffer.”

Paul: “Hey, guys, I consider the sufferings of this present world not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed. It would
fill me with joy to suffer for Jesus’ name!”

Do you see the power of this perspective? Kill me? I’ll be with Christ. Let me live? I’ll live for Christ. Make me suffer? I’ll experience joy and get rewarded by Christ. This is the unstoppable mentality of the apostle Paul, and it can be ours as well if we treasure Christ above all things. It’s all about Jesus – rejoicing in Jesus, relying on Jesus, and representing Jesus. It makes me think of the oft-quoted prayer of St. Patrick, an evangelist to Ireland, who represented and relied on Jesus in the fifth century:

As I arise today, may the strength of God pilot me, the power of God uphold me, the wisdom of God guide me. May the eye of God look before me, the ear of God hear me, the word of God speak for me. May the hand of God protect me, the way of God lie before me, the shield of God defend me, the host of God save me. May Christ shield me today. Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit, Christ when I stand, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. Amen.

Is that your ambition? It was Paul’s. Now let’s close by considering Paul’s vision – being with Christ.

The Christian’s Vision: Being with Christ

It’s truly a win-win situation. He found a love greater than life itself, and this vision of being with Christ inspired him to endure. Let’s consider it in three parts.

Paul’s Dilemma (1:22-23a)
Look at verses 22-23. He’s torn between the options. Paul’s rhetorical question demonstrates the value of both. This is why he is “torn” or “pressured.” This is an interesting term. It’s used in a variety of ways to convey strong feelings, like the pressure of crowds, the controlling power of a fever, or fear (Luke 8:45; 4:38; 8:37), and being compelled by love (2 Cor 5:14).

If you’re a Christian, then you share in this dilemma (to some degree). Again, quoting pastor James Merritt, “Our desire to be with Jesus there [heaven] is directly related to the degree that we love Jesus here.” We know that life is about fruitful, meaningful, and joyful labor. But we know that death is better. That’s why it’s a win-win situation. It’s like saying, “Would you like a filet or a rib eye?” (Yes, please.) That’s Paul’s dilemma. Second is Paul’s desire.

Paul’s Desire (1:23b)
Ultimately, Paul desires to die because it meant being with Christ, and that was better. Paul doesn’t mention desire for reward, but for Christ Himself, who is the ultimate reward. That, by the way, is really what heaven is. Heaven isn’t a place as much as it is a person. The thing that makes heaven, “heaven” is Jesus Christ. Heaven isn’t heaven if Jesus isn’t there. And that’s why some people never desire heaven – because they’ve built a pretty comfortable life here without Him.

The Greek word for “depart” (v. 23) was a nautical term. It was used to describe a ship setting loose from its mooring. In that sense, death is like a boat; it takes you where you want to go. Have you ever been on a cruise? Setting sail from the port you see the skyline and the lights in the distance slowly fading away. You find yourself in the dark and before you know it, it’s time for bed. The next morning you look out the window and discover the amazingly crystal-clear blue water of the Caribbean and a beautiful island. Death is kind of like that – only better (if you’re a Christian).

The person dying sees the light slowly fading away, and then it’s gone. But the best is yet to come because when Christians die, they awake to see something more glorious than the Caribbean: they see the Galilean, Jesus! They experience the glory of God in a way that they have never experienced it. Paul knew death was better, but not just better – “far better!” It’s far better in every way. Do you long for this? Endure with hope, my friends. Soon the war will be over, and we will see Him. We will be with Him. That’s Paul’s desire. Let’s conclude with his decision.

Paul’s Decision (1:24-26)
Even though Paul knew that Christ’s eternal presence was better, he resolved to live out his days for the sake of the church. Even though
death is better, Paul decided that he should stay for the benefit of the body of Christ. He doesn’t tell us why he has this confidence.

On a human level, perhaps he knew that Rome had no real reason to punish him. From a spiritual perspective, he believed God had more work for him to do. There was a necessary and unfinished task, and part of that involved laboring for the progress and joy of the Philippians (v. 25) and for their boasting in Christ (v. 26). He must do these things before going to be with Christ.

With this in mind, let me ask you, are you serving others (v. 24)? Paul says that it is “necessary” for the Philippians that he stay alive. Is it necessary for you to stay at your church? If you left, would people really miss you? Please understand, Paul isn’t saying that the whole world will fall apart if he leaves, and the world won’t fall apart if we leave either. Jesus is Lord over His church, and we believe in the sovereignty of God. But I’m asking: are you serving others?

And then, are you serving for their progress and joy (v. 25)? This is why Paul wants to stay: so people can grow in their faith and grow in their joy. He says something similar to the Corinthians, “We are not bosses who tell you what to believe. We are working with you to make you glad, because your faith is strong” (2 Corinthians 1:24, CEV). What a wonderful way to think about ministry: striving so that others may rejoice in Christ. Can you identify? Do you think about living daily for the benefit of others’ progress and for the increase of their joy? This is another way we make much of Jesus.

Are you serving so that others may boast in Christ (v. 26)? The ultimate purpose of Paul’s reunion with the Philippians had to do with their growing in their confidence in Christ. Through his ministry, he wants them to make much of Jesus. Put this together. What’s life about? It’s about fruitful work. What does that mean? It means doing our part. It means helping people grow in their faith. It means helping people have more joy in Christ. It means ministering so that others glorify Jesus more and more. That’s why Paul wanted to stay around a little longer. He was willing to postpone ultimate joy for the joy of serving others.

How can you have this life? How can you have a life filled with meaning like this – honoring Christ by rejoicing in Christ, relying on Christ, and representing Christ? And how can you have a death like this – dying with the great joy of knowing you will forever be with Christ? How did Paul get this passion? He met Jesus and was changed. He was previously a religious person – an extremely religious person – but he didn’t know Christ. When he traded religion for the righteousness of Jesus and the new life that Jesus gives, he found life. Consequently, everything else was inferior to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ.

This is the good news. If you don’t have meaning in life, and if you don’t have this outlook on death, grace is available to you in the person of Jesus Christ, who came to us, as Philippians 2 says, and humbled Himself. He died the death we deserved, paying the penalty for sinners like us. Then He rose on our behalf, and He’s now reigning over all things. He says, “There is a righteousness that depends on faith not works – My righteousness. Turn away from your own efforts and trust Me alone; I will forgive you, give you My righteousness, and change your current passion and your eternal destiny.”

Everyone wants to live. And one day everyone will die. But there’s only one way to have a life worth living and a death worth dying, and that is to look to the One who conquered death, the One Paul desired to see above all things. If you see Him as He is, you, too, will say, “To be with Christ is far better.”