Fear and Trembling | Joyful | Pastor Steve Andres

New City Church

Fear and Trembling | Joyful | Pastor Steve Andres

November 12, 2023 • Pastor Steve Andres • Philippians 2:12–13

Will you answer when God knocks? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our series, JOYFUL, with a message from the second chapter of Philippians.

Philippians 2:12-13

Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.

Pride puts a chokehold on our growth, but humility opens the door for God to work in us.

1) Humility is the soil in which all other graces grow.

It is easy for us to be obsessed with ourselves, either in self-love or self-hatred. Looking to the interests of others is the opposite.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.

C.S. Lewis

Jesus is our example of humility. We cannot out-serve him, out-love him, or out-give him.

2) Obedience is answering the door.

The Greek word for obey in the text is rooted in the idea of answering the door. When Paul tells us what Jesus did for us, he says obedience should be our response.

3) God puts salvation in you, and you work it out.

Paul isn’t suggesting that we earn God’s grace. But since he has given us a new nature in Christ, we have everything necessary to live for him!

2 Peter 1:3

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life!

Joyful Giving = Joyful Living | Joyful | Pastor Devin Gough

November 26, 2023 • Pastor Devin Gough • Philippians 4:11, Philippians 4:13, Philippians 4:17, Philippians 4:19

Do you know the recipe for joy? This weekend Pastor Devin Gough continued our JOYFUL series with a message about being content in every circumstance. 1) Learn to be content. Philippians 4:11 I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. To be content we need to: stop comparing ourselves to others, stop being obsessed with having more, and accept change. 2) Lean on God's power. Philippians 4:13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.The Greek word that is translated "strengthens" is the word related to the English "dynamic". 3) Live generously. Philippians 4:17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that is increasing to your account. If you want to go through the rest of your life all stressed out, be selfish and stingy. When you need refreshment, what you should do is refresh others. 4) Let God meet your needs. Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. When we live generously, God will not forget our needs. He will give to us with the measure that we have given to others, plus interest!

Finally, rejoice in the Lord | Joyful | Pastor Joaquin Pardo

November 19, 2023 • Pastor Joaquin Pardo • Philippians 3:1–9, Philippians 3:3, Philippians 3:7–9

Finally brothers, rejoice in the Lord! This weekend Pastor Joaquin continued our series, JOYFUL, with a message about where we can find our joy and how we keep it. 1) Joy is found in the Lord. Philippians 3:1-9 "Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord..." Paul is telling the church to rejoice in the Lord while being chained to a guard in prison. How? Happiness can be taken away because it's attached to what’s happening around us. But true Christian joy can't be taken away because it doesn’t come from us! It comes from the LORD. 2) Joy is kept when the Gospel is guarded. Philippians 3:3 "For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh..." When the Gospel is perverted in our minds, we no longer have hope and promise. We have lies and deceit instead! Paul is saying that laws and deeds and works get you nowhere. Instead of building our confidence in our "good works," our assurance and our joy must be rooted in knowing that we were saved by grace. 3) Joy is released when we let go of control. Philippians 3:7-9 "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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 and be found in him..." Paul levels with his audience by reminding them of who he used to be! He once tried to be in control of his own salvation and freedom but in doing so became a slave to it all. We can't find freedom from sin in our own strength, and we can't live in peace and joy in our own strength. Joy begins when we release control and trust God with our life!

Stomp Your Feet | Joyful | Pastor Steve Andres

November 5, 2023 • Pastor Steve Andres • Philippians 1:5–6

You can find joy today! This weekend Pastor Steve Andres began a new series of messages called JOYFUL, walking through the book of Philippians. Philippians 1:5-6 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. In the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we already see glimpses of his deep joy and gratitude. Where did Paul’s joy come from? 1) The POWER of PARTNERSHIP Owners have a different mentality than renters. Paul tells the Philippians that, because of their generosity, they are partners with him in his ministry. When we invest in God’s work and in one another, we become shareholders in all that he is doing in each other! 2) FAITH in God’s FOLLOW-THROUGH How much time do we spend worrying about the future? Paul was joyful because he trusted in God’s promise to finish what he had begun in him. And because he trusted his future to the Lord, he could rejoice in the present! 3) SECURITY in God’s SOVEREIGNTY Paul wrote this letter while he was in prison, but he makes no appeal for pity. He is in chains, but he still has a choice. We can be joyful IN affliction because we know what we get OUT of it. We rejoice because God rules and overrules, and whatever our circumstances, they will serve us in the end!