Philippians
Surprised by Joy
Philippians 1:1-11
June 28, 2015 • Philippians 1:1–11
Tomorrow, we're starting a brand new sermon series through the book of Philippians, also known as the "Epistle of Joy." As we spend the next few weeks thinking about joy, I believe we'll actually be surprised by the counter-intuitive, supernatural nature of this foretaste of God. True joy is something no circumstance can give you, and no circumstance can ever take away. C.S. Lewis, in his spiritual biography, appropriately entitled "Surprised by Joy" talks of joy as that which moved him more than anything else. He writes, "No one who has ever experienced it would ever exchange it for all the happiness in the world." Lewis distinguished Joy from both pleasures and happiness. Joy is more than happiness, just as happiness is more than pleasure. Pleasure is in the body. Happiness is in the mind and feelings. Joy is deep in the heart, in the spirit, in the essence of our being. The way to pleasure is power. The way to happiness is happenstance. The way to Joy is Jesus. The desire for Joy is God's footprint in the sands of the soul, his fingerprints on our hearts. Join us tomorrow as we begin our journey through Philippians and my prayer is that each of us will be surprised by joy.
Philippians 1:12-30
July 5, 2015 • Philippians 1:12–30
How would you fill in these blanks? "For me to live is _____ , and to die is _____." Be honest. What is your life? What is your definition of life? What are you living for? Whom do you live for? What is the most important thing for you? What is that thing/person which will make your life worth living regardless of what else happens? Most of us don't ask such "morbid" questions when everything is going well in life. However, we do ask when we suffer because suffering cuts through the mask of superficiality to the heart of reality. As we continue our journey through the glorious book of Philippians tomorrow, and as we continue our meditation on joy, we learn there is only one way to answer that question which will bring satisfying joy in this life and the next. Join us tomorrow as we continue to be surprised by joy.
Philippians 2:1-11
July 12, 2015 • Philippians 2:1–11
Think of the absolutely most joy-filled person you have ever met. You ever wonder what their secret is? I can almost guarantee you, they are probably also the absolutely most humble person you've ever met. Humility and Joy are always together and we struggle to live lives of joy because each one of us struggles with pride. We often mistaken humility for weakness. True humility, however, is one of the greatest virtuous strengths we can cultivate and growth in humility always produces ever-greater experiences of soul-satisfying joy. We all long to live joy-filled lives. But why is joy so elusive? What gets in the way of joy? As we look at Philippians 2:1-11 tomorrow, we'll learn that true humility always produces lasting joy. We experience true humility when we start to take our focus off ourselves and start directing it toward Jesus Christ who radically humbled himself for the joy set before him.
Philippians 2:12-30
July 19, 2015 • Philippians 2:12–30
I love how relevant Scripture is. The Bible, as God's Word, is a timeless book, therefore, it's message is ever timely. As we continue our journey through the book of Philippians tomorrow, and deepen our understanding of growth in joy, we'll look at one of the most relevant passages in all of Scripture for our day. In Philippians 2:14, Holy Scripture tells us, "Do all things without grumbling." Wow!! Is that even possible? Is it even possible to live like this in our day and age, when we have so many platforms and opportunities to complain?! At just about any time of day, most of us have the capability to grip, whine, and complain to hundreds (maybe even thousands) of people about anything and everything. Furthermore, it seems that those who complain the most and loudest get the most attention. But are we any better off for it? Are we happier? Are we filled with more joy? Join us tomorrow as we turn our attention to one of the biggest assailants of joy: grumbling and its opposite cultivator, contentment.
Philippians 3:12-21
August 2, 2015 • Philippians 3:12–21
Have you ever had a near-death experience? What usually happens in the short-term aftermath of such an experience is that we suddenly realize how fragile life is! We're here one second, and then poof, it's over. We come face-to-face with the stark realization that life is incredibly precious, and we should treat it as such. Why had we been so flippant with it? Why did we take it for granted? All of a sudden, our hearts are filled with gratitude and humility--we're still here, we're still alive, there's still life to be lived and enjoyed. For a season, even the most mundane parts of life seem to have an added sparkle as we revel in the joy of living. In the same way that we shouldn't take life for granted, we definitely shouldn't take eternal life for granted. As we look at Philippians 3:12-21 tomorrow, St. Paul spends much of the text explaining how he zealously pursues perfection in working out his salvation. However, we can totally miss the point if we think he's working strenuously for his salvation. He's not working for his salvation; rather, he is working out his salvation. Everything in Paul's life is based on this fact: "Christ Jesus has made me his own." Paul never got over the fact that Jesus saved Him. He never got over the fact that he was headed toward eternal destruction, and Jesus took hold of him. So he writes, "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. " Join us tomorrow as we turn our attention to the surprising joy of holiness.
Philippians 4:1-9
August 9, 2015 • Philippians 4:1–9
How's your balance? How's your physical stability? One of the things most gym-novices don't understand is that there are two generic types of muscles: movers and stabilizers. Movers are the muscles that actively create movement (quads, hamstrings, pecs, lats, biceps, triceps), while stabilizers provide balance and support. When most people start going to the gym, they strictly work their movers. However, if you don't work your stabilizers (which are often smaller and seemingly less important), your movement will be hampered and you might become more susceptible to injury. If the stabilizers are weak, your movement will always lack stability and you will never attain your full physical potential. Same goes for the spiritual life! One of the absolutely hardest things about the Christian life is the constancy or stability required by the Lord. Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him daily. Even St. Paul had struggles with spiritual stability. In Romans 7, he writes "For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate... For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing." Join us tomorrow as we look at Philippians 4:1-9 to discover the 5 spiritual stabilizers and how we can work to develop them.
Philippians 4:10-23
August 16, 2015 • Philippians 4:10–23
Yes or no question: are you satisfied with your life, now? Are you fulfilled, right now? Are you content, right now? Many of us are on a journey to finding that which will satisfy. The hope of finding that which will satisfy staves off current dissatisfaction, temporarily. We think, "once I achieve ____" or "once I have ____" or "once I am ____" or "once I feel ____ " then I'll be satisfied. But how about now? Can I experience satisfaction, now? And if I haven't found it yet, what makes me think I'll ever find it? What's the hope of satisfaction based upon? One of the most compelling proofs for the existence of God is our perpetual dissatisfaction. Why is it, that even when we experience the most glorious experiences this world has to offer, we're still left wanting? As the atheist Jean-Paul Sartre admitted, "there comes a time when one asks, even of Shakespeare, even of Beethoven, "Is that all there is?" Is this it? As C.S. Lewis so beautiful put it, "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that I was made for another world."