If you Google "the key to everything", you will find little agreement on what that key is. The suggestions of what might be "the key" include love, communication, family, patience, teachability, and maybe some might add coffee to the list!
I have taken a bold step to title the message "the Key to Everything", and I would argue that our topic for tomorrow would truly lay at the foundation of things like happiness, success, and peace. It is the key to success in marriage and parenting and learning, and relationships. That's not just me talking. It is the thing that God points to over and over and over in the Bible as a thing He responds to with grace.
More than that, and in connection to the picture I included above, it is essential to the nature of Jesus and should also be essential to our existence. Do you recognize what that is a picture of? How does that connect to our passage?
I would go so far as to say that it is the key element that is missing from American culture and if reintroduced, would produce radical changes. I am not alone in this observation. It's absence is noted by sociologists and psychologists. It's absence is also noted as a sign of life in the "latter days" according to the Apostle Paul.
What is this "key to everything"? Seeing it and knowing it will be easy. Having it will require a new way of thinking that is utterly counter-cultural. But if you grasp it in your heart, it will transform your life. I pray the sermon will do justice to the passage. If you want to know the "key to everything", then......
.....View and See
Steve
Sunday - Philippians 2:5-11
"The Key to......EVERYTHING!"
October 10, 2021 • Pastor Steve Feden • Philippians 2:5–11
Philippians 1:1 6
August 29, 2021 • Pastor Steve Feden • Philippians 1:1–6
I am excited to put the magnifying glass over Paul's letter to the church in a Greek city called Philippi! This was the first European city to receive the news of Jesus! Philippians is one of Paul's "prison letters" - yes, he wrote it while in prison awaiting trial which could end in his release or his death! This makes it even more astounding that this letter is so full of encouragement, reassurance, and joy! How is that possible? Without giving away too much, I can tell you that this little (only 4 chapters) letter is as important to believers today in America as it was to the believers in Philippi in 62 AD when Paul wrote it. The thread of this letter will lead us to important discussions regarding mental and emotional health! Topics like anxiety, contentment, negativity, and ambition are touched on along the way. What is the thread that ties everything together? How can I find mental and emotional well-being in the world we live in? How do I live a properly "centered" life? In a culture of narcissism and hedonism, we need the Word of God to help us break free from......?? If you want the answer, then...... http://......view and See!!!! Steve
Philippians 1:7-11
September 5, 2021 • Pastor Steve Feden • Philippians 1:7–11
"Prayer: The First Step to Change" - Philippians 1:7-11 After considering the warmth of the relationship between Paul and the church people in Philippi, we will read and consider his prayer for them in vv 9-11. He has already said that he is confident in God to finish what He started in their lives. But he doesn't sit back and just wait for God to do it. He prays for the thing he knows God will do! There are four specific things Paul prays for the people, and his prayer is full of the potential that he knows is there because God is at work in their lives. That confidence is what undergirds the things he prays for. He is hopeful they will come closer and closer to reaching their potential! Potential for what? Others-centered living! Have you arrived at "full selflessness"? Are you as loving as Christ? If not, then you are in good company! And.....I think you will thoroughly enjoy the details of Paul's prayer. I promise you at least two surprises! http://.....view and See! Steve
Philippians 1:12-18
September 12, 2021 • Pastor Steve Feden • Philippians 1:12–18
We will begin the "body" of Paul's letter to the people he loves in Philippi. As we read, we will make some observations about the way Paul thinks and what he is modeling for the young believers he is writing to! How does Paul handle situations that are out of his control? How does he find joy when people are intentionally trying to hurt him? "That's great! But http://pastor.....your http://title....your spelling needs help! Didn't you mean w-e-a-t-h-e-r?" Did I? Maybe I meant exactly what it is written! How's that? If you have a chance to read all of Ch 1, you will notice three times Paul recognizes the uncertainty of his outcome. This could go "this way" or "that way". But he is ok with either way..."whether" it's "this" or "that"http://.....there is a greater focus that affords him emotional strength. He knows how to do the mental work of finding joy in his life -- genuine joy. Do you know the secret? If not, then..... http://.....view and See! Steve