Illuminate
Part 10- The Secret of Joy
We have made it to the end. It’s been a long journey with a slight break for a few weeks but today is the final message our Illuminate series. Today we finish the message talking about the secret of Joy. Through out this series Paul in his letter to the Philippians has tackled many topics. He has spoken to us on how to have joy in humility, anxiety, death, suffering, exhaustion, conflict and temptation. I hope this series has helped you to trust Christ to help you overcome one or more of these areas we have discussed or an area we haven’t discussed but that God spoke to you about. This series will unfortunately be my last as your pastor. I want to say that I am so grateful for your prayers and encouraging words, letters and emails over the last few weeks. It’s a reminder to me of just how many lives the Lord has allowed us to touch here. Next week- Max, June 21st- Mark Adams. We will then have normal services unless it changes from now to then on June 28, July 5 and July 12, which as I said a few weeks ago will be my final service before we move.
That time is still a ways off so let’s forget that for a while and let’s get into God’s Word closing out our Illuminate series by looking at the secret of joy. Phil. 4:10-23. Paul emphasizes two things in this passage and these two things are what lead us to the secret of Joy. They are contentment and Christ. Here is what I want you to take home this morning: Joy is found in contentment and contentment is found in Christ. Take away all the extra stuff and you can boil it down to the simple truth that Joy in this life is only found in a relationship with Christ. Joy is found in Christ. The fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5 speaks of things we all, as believers, long for which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. All of these can not enter into us nor flow out of us without Christ in us and Christ cannot be in us if we have not answered the call of God and the stirring of our Spirits by repenting of our sin and believing in Jesus as our Savior and opening our lives for him to take over and completely control us. When Christ is our master and we are his slaves then we can do all things through him that his will desires for us to do. Full surrender to Christ will absolutely bring the joy in us that we so desperately seek.
Will that life of full obedience to Christ be easy? Absolutely not. Will it be without tragedy and heartache? Nope. Will it be without pain, persecution, sin or suffering? No. In fact because we trust in Christ we may very well experience these things to an even greater degree. Not because God hates us but because God loves us and the devil hates us because we are literally moving people from hell to heaven through the proclaiming of truth which is that this world and its pleasures are a lie, Jesus is the son of God and He still lives today waiting for all men to not perish but to repent and believe so that they too can be with him for eternity in heaven. The devil hates us because we are working hard to make hell less populated and because we refuse to give in to the sins and pleasures of this world. You and I have no hope of resisting the devil or the sins of this world if we are not fully in Christ.
When you are fully in Christ then you have some real power. The power to overcome. The power to resist the devil. The power to say no to sin. Before Christ the sin nature controlled you now the Holy Spirit controls you through Christ and in Christ. Once you were blind, now you see. Once you were lost now you are found. It’s a beautiful thing. That truth, that I am now in Christ. I am his child has brought me great contentment in life. What used to bother me doesn’t anymore. What used to get me angry doesn’t now. Where I used to whine and cry and feel sorry for myself now I have peace. In place of pride I have humility, envy is replaced with kindness, gluttony is replaced with abstinence, anger is replaced with patience, greed is replaced with liberality and generosity, laziness is replaced with diligence. The power of Christ in us brings all these attributes to us and the result of a growing relationship with Jesus will be peace, contentment, and joy.
No matter what happens to me I am content because I am in Christ. What makes the life of Paul so fascinating and hard to put down when reading about it is that he was just so full of faith in all circumstances. It didn’t matter what happened to him. In all things He looked to Christ for strength, peace, patience and self-control. He was not perfect; he was content in Christ. He was not sinless he was a sinner but he trusted Christ to give him strength to do all the things and suffer all the things and start all the things God willed for His life.
If you have gone to church for any length of time there is no doubt you have heard a sermon if not multiple sermons on the idea of contentment. So, maybe what I give to you this morning won’t sound new but I believe Paul gives us a fresh take on this idea of contentment not only in life but even more importantly, contentment in our Spirit.
The basic definition of contentment is this: The state of being centered; satisfaction; ease of mind
Ease of mind and satisfaction is probably something we’ve heard thrown around quite a bit the last few years. Bad economy, massive layoffs, retirement funds disappearing, high food and gas prices. All of us have probably prayed for some of that ease of mind and satisfaction. I’ve watched many of you have really good years then have some really bad years where you didn’t know if the bills would get paid and you just wanted ease of mind. Paul completely understands where you are coming from. Many of you may not be content in life instead you are discontent. You are lonely, tired, stressed. There is no satisfaction in your marriage. The loneliness of being single is getting to you. Life is not satisfying for you. You are discontent. There is never enough money, you never have enough space, the house is never clean enough, your spouse and kids can never do enough, you never work enough hours. Being discontent with where you find yourself in your life right now will eventually pull you away from a relationship with Christ that brings real joy and peace and contentment that this world and the things or people of this world cannot give you.
Paul understood where you are coming from. After all, this is a man who dealt with intense physical, emotional and spiritual pain. He dealt with loneliness in prison and rejection from his own people. He endured anger, constant conflict and abandonment. Multiple times he was beaten to within inches of his life yet through it all he learned to be content and filled with joy because He understood what it meant to be in Christ. His spiritual maturity was such that he fully grasped that the pleasures and people of this world cannot bring him the peace and contentment and joy that he ultimately desired. Only Jesus could do that. Only Jesus could make him into the man he needed to be not the boy that the world wanted him to be.
VSS. 10- Now, remember that this epistle is essentially a thank you note to the Christian church at Philippi for their gift. He has spent the majority of his letter speaking about having joy in the Christian experience and now at the end of his letter he begins to thank them for their gift. For 2 years they had lost touch with Paul. After Paul was transferred to a prison in Rome the Philippians church once again established contact and apologized for not being there the previous 2 years. Paul in verse 10 is very gracious and excuses their absence in supporting him. He is thankful for their concern of him.
Not only is he gracious in excusing them but also the church is gracious in helping Paul. They came to his aid even though he didn’t ask them for anything. That is Christian love. Helping others in need by giving them the best of what we have whether they ask us or not. It is our duty; not even our duty but it is my honor, pleasure, my privilege as a Christ follower to help all people. To reach out and provide for others regardless of whether or not we think a person deserves to be helped. If we become the judges of who should be helped and not be helped then no one would ever get helped because no one deserves help. (Ex. –Katrina- people sat and watched) These people could have been big babies about not hearing from Paul but they weren’t. They loved him and loved God and when the first opportunity arose to help they took it and Paul is very grateful for their gift. He thanks them and is appreciative even though he 1. Didn’t ask for it and 2. Didn’t really have to have it. Why? We learn that in the next couple of verses.
VS. 11-12- Paul is appreciative of their gift but he essentially says, “Thanks for the gift but even if it didn’t come I would have been perfectly fine because I have learned to be content in all things.” There is a word here that should really challenge us. It’s the word ALL. Paul has learned to be content in all things. I can’t say I have reached that level of spiritual maturity. I know I am content in some things but if certain things were taken from me I would have a really hard time for a while until my life adjusted. Things like cell phones. I never had a cell phone until I moved here and now I’m not sure if I could function without a cell phone. I probably could but I don’t want to think about it. Creeps me out!
We become so attached to certain things that we start asking ourselves, “Do you remember what life was like before ________?” Like, what was life like before the Internet? Before email, Wikipedia, Google, Amazon and eBay? I’ve heard rumors that people used to take a pen and write a letter to someone and mail it and then waited a week or two for a response. Weird. I’ve also heard rumors that people, instead of meeting new friends on Face book and Twitter used to go up to someone and shake their hand and say, “Hi, I’m Ryan.” Can you imagine? Crazy.
See there are things we take for granted that if they were suddenly taken away from us we would be discontent. We would whine and complain and probably get grumpy. Like those of you who don’t get your coffee. Take your coffee away and you would probably freak out. Ex. Camping- Real campers would sleep outside on the dirt, gather wood for fire and kills squirrels with their bare hands for food. We don’t do that. We rent cabins; buy 18 room tents with full kitchens and big campers that take Diesel trucks to pull. If people had to really “camp” not many would want to go. We are addicted to stuff. Without the “stuff” we are discontent and whiny. We have a standard of living we have grown accustomed too and we refuse to let that standard fall. We don’t want to take jobs we feel are beneath us because it would force us to lower the standard of living that I feel like I deserve.
Paul had a completely different mindset. He was content, period. Whether he had a lot or little he was happy. Whether he was shipwrecked or stoned to within inches of his life he had peace. Whether he was living in a home or a dirty prison cell chained to a guard he had ease of mind and satisfaction. Why? Because Christ was all that mattered. His attitude was, “You can take away the house, the car, cell phones, vacations, eating out, high paying jobs and the Internet. I can live on the street and eat out of the garbage can but you can’t take away my relationship with Jesus. You can’t take my faith away.”
That my friends is contentment that all of us should long for. That we could walk away from everything we have ever known and worked for in life because we have been awakened to the reality that Christ is all that matters, period. Paul tells us in verse 13 exactly how he is able to live with this mindset. VS. 13-14. Verse 13 is really important for us to grasp and understand in correct context. When Paul says he can do all things through Christ does he literally mean all things? Does that mean he could become an NBA player or an astronaut if he worked really hard and believed Christ gave him the power to do those things? Or maybe he could leap over his house and fly through the sky like Superman if he has the power of Christ. No, he is not saying he can literally do all things. What Paul is saying is this; “I can do all things in Christ that He wills for me to do in this life.”
Whatever Christ has for you to do in this life He will supply the power for you to do it. Whatever spiritual gift and talent he gives you, he will give you the power to exercise that gift and use that talent. Whatever job, life, family situation, tragedy you find yourself in the midst of God will give you the power to over come it when you are in Christ because He is allowing you to go through it. When you trust in him you will endure it with peace and contentment and come out of it with joy and an even stronger faith than before. As long as you function in Christ you will have power. It’s when we go outside of Christ will that we get in trouble and become discontent. Illustration- Washington D.C. Metrorail MAP- (I can do all things a Metrorail can do on the tracks between Springfield and Largo Stations.) As long as the blue line stays on the blue line it has power. It can do what it was created to do. But once it tries to leave that line it becomes helpless and hopeless. It causes more damage than good.
This is what Paul was saying. I can do all things in Christ. If you are a member of Christ body then you have to understand Christ is the head and you are a member of that body. You are to function in the context of the heads will. His will is the track that you and I are to run. I can’t literally do all things but I can do all things that which God has for me to do from the time he saved me to the time He calls me home to Heaven.
What does that mean for us? It means be content with where you are in life. We spend so much time complaining about our job that we forget to thank God we have a job. We spend so much complaining about out the bills we have to pay that we forget to be thankful we even have a paycheck to pay those bills. We spend so much time complaining about our loneliness or our spouses that we forget to be thankful for our friends and the fact that we even have people in a home that love us. Or that God has blessed us with a church family that loves us and provides for us in time of need. We can be thankful that if we lose our job and lose our home and run out of food we have a church family that will help us and keep us moving forward. Not everyone can say they have that.
Not everyone is going to be rich, not every church is going to be huge, not every business is going to become a billion dollar enterprise not every job is going to be fun not everyone is going to be able to afford the best homes and schools and clothes and cars, not everyone is going to be able to sing or dance or play an instrument or preach or teach or be a leader. When we try to be something we aren’t supposed to be then we get off our tracks and we get in trouble. We get our tracks, the will of God, because we get tired of our lives and want something more than God wants and we become discontent, selfish, self-centered, greedy and all those other nasty words. Contentment means staying the course, trusting God for all things, through all things and focusing on what’s important which is living for Jesus Christ and telling others about his grace and mercy regardless of the circumstances I find my own life.
Contentment is saying, “I can’t sing but I can fold a bulletin like nobody’s business. I’m going to do that job for his glory.” “I can’t preach but I love to mow and I’m going to do that job for his glory.” “I can’t buy a new car but I’m thankful my 93 escort is still running and gets me from A to B.” Does that mean we don’t work hard and try to improve our lives and our financial circumstances? No. We should work hard because we want to do good works by giving God our best in everything we do in life. If a reward in the form of a raise or promotion comes our way then so be it, if it doesn’t then so be it. I don’t live this life for me anymore I live it for Jesus, to serve Jesus, tell others about Jesus and give all glory to Jesus. I am his and I know that no matter what I experience whether good or bad I will survive it because I can do all things in Christ who give me strength. I am content and at peace with my life, my gifting, my talents and I am ready to get to work for His glory. And I know that one day I will be rewarded with eternity in Heaven, which is beyond anything, this world could offer.
If you want to learn how to be content in life and at peace with where you find yourself then my advice to you is two fold. 1. Know Jesus. If you don’t know Jesus as your savior then you can do that today. Repent of your sins and believe in Christ for your salvation. Ask him to forgive you and come and live in you. Ask him to be the head of your life. Ask him to put you on the tracks that he wants you to go on. If feel the Spirit stirring in you this morning and you will know if He is then do not wait repent and believe. Trust Jesus for your salvation, make him your savior and live for him. 2. If you are a believer and you know Jesus as your savior then I would say that you need to learn to practice generosity at a level you’ve never considered before. VSS 15-20. Paul considered this church a generous church. They helped when he didn’t ask and were always willing to come to his aid. In the same we you and I today in 2009 should be the most generous people possible.
We should give to those who have need. I’m not talking the hand me down clothes or the left over change you just happen to be carrying around. We need to give God our first and our best. We need to be generous in our tithes to the church. If you don’t tithe you need too. It’s not an option. It’s a commandment. The church is the last place that should ever have to worry about having enough money especially when people’s eternities are at stake. When we help people we need to give them our best. When we helped the Brandwein’s we could have gone around and replaced all their old worn out furniture and appliances with slightly newer old worn out donated stuff that sat in your basements and garages but how is that love? If it wasn’t good enough for you to use anymore why is it good enough for this family? Obviously that’s not always the case, I understand that but why do we always have to take the easy way out? When we are able we must give people our absolute best. You did big time. You rallied around them and give them new things that have given them a real shot at a better life for their family. You stepped up and did that.
If someone has a need we need to be willing to give them the clothes off our own back. Why? Because our lives are about living for Jesus not living in luxury. We deserve nothing we have. And because we deserve nothing we have we shouldn’t hesitate to give away that which we never deserved to have in the first place. We have it because God has blessed us with it. Even though we sin against him everyday, we never spend time with him, we look to the pleasures of the world before we look to God, we look to our own strength and abilities instead of trusting in him and finding contentment in him He still loves us and blesses our socks off.
This church was a generous church. They gave willingly and freely. Paul calls their gifts sweet smelling sacrifices that are pleasing to God. He says that the same God who took care of him will take care of us. He will supply all our needs, not our greed’s but our needs that have been given to us in Christ Jesus. The secret to Joy is found only in Christ. If you don’t know Jesus today I hope you will know him. I hope you will recognize your sinfulness and need for a savior. I hope you will stop and pray this morning for forgiveness from God for living for yourself and ask Jesus into your life to be the Lord of your life. Salvation is so simple that even a child can understand it yet so powerful that it literally changes us and opens our eyes to a whole new world of possibilities and purpose.
For my believers in here today. I have some challenges for you. You can do any of them or all them but I want you to think about doing at least one of them. You cannot really know God unless you spend time with God. 1. TAWG- This week I want you to spend an extended period of time with God. Get away from technology, TV, work, family everything and go spend some time with your creator and savior. Walk, listen, pray, talk, read His word and repeat for however long it takes to hear and learn what you needed to hear and learn form Him this week. 2. Fast- I want you to fast this week from something that on any other day you would feel like would be impossible to give up. You will know what that one thing is when you think of something and immediately hesitate when thinking about letting it go for a week. It might be the Internet, email, cell phone, TV, texting, video games, eating out, buying anything beyond essentials. You aren’t allowed to fast from church or work so doesn’t try it. 3. Give – I want you to keep your antennas up and for someone in need and give something away. Help someone with your best not your leftovers. Tithe- church, missionaries, mission.
Communion
