Don't Worry. Be Joyful!

 Read Philippians 4

As we come to the last part of this letter, we see that Paul loves this church and they love him.  They sent him a gift and he has been provisioned for his time in Rome.

We see Paul encouraging these believers to follow the model of Christ—who gave up all to die for our sins.  This is the model that Paul seeks to follow and he encourages this church to do the same.

Paul told this church body that as they contend with those who are preaching Jesus Plus, use his example to stop them in their tracks.  If they want a measuring contest, Paul can give them one, but everything on Paul’s resume that the Jesus Plus group would count as something important, Paul counts for loss as far as right standing with God. 

Paul had the better religious resume, but he counted it for nothing as far as right-standing with God goes.

Only the blood of Jesus gets you to right standing with God.  There is a lifelong discourse and course of practice in discipleship that follows, but only by grace through faith are we saved. 

There is one more thing of note about the church in Philippi.  Two women of some standing in the congregation were arguing and evidently, it was disruptive enough that the church in Philippi thought Paul should know about it.

We don’t get to see the session minutes from the church in Philippi, but we see how Paul addressed the matter.

He didn’t say, send me sworn statements.

He didn’t say, send me the preliminary inquiry conducted into the matter.

He didn’t even ask for the CSI report.

He wrote that he asked each of these women to reconcile with each other, without regard to the matter itself.

 

This had to be tough for these ladies to swallow, for when you are on a quest to be right, it is hard to know the right path to follow.

Thus, Paul asked the body of believers to assist in the matter.  What matter? Was it the color of the carpet or the frequency of serving the Lord’s Supper? Was it how we baptize or the color of the dishwashers in the kitchen?  We don’t know.

We don’t know, but Paul thought that reconciliation with each other and with the body was worth addressing. He appealed to both women—ladies who had been a part of the church-building effort while Paul was in Philippi—to be of one mind in the Lord.

What’s that mean?  Set aside individual egos and agendas and seek the will of God.  Start by saying, “It’s not all about me.”

Consider the previous counsel to regard others more highly than ourselves.

Paul was saying, we have bigger fish to fry.  We are on a mission from God.  Whatever it is that is getting in the way of running your race of faith, deal with it, and get back in your race.

Time is of the essence. You have purposeful things to do.  How can you press on towards the goal when you are at odds with each other?

Next come words that applied to these women, to the church at Phillip, to the church at large, and very much to the church as we near the end of the age.

Rejoice in the Lord always!

Paul didn’t say rejoice in your paycheck.

He didn’t say rejoice in your extra federal holiday.

He didn’t say rejoice in the fact that gas is twice as high in California.

He said to rejoice in the Lord.  The Greek word for rejoice is χαίρω (chairó).  Essentially, it means glad for grace.  The Greek words for rejoice, joy, and grace are what we call cognates.  They all have the same etymological connections.

They all proceed from the favor of the Lord.

When Paul speaks of rejoicing, it’s more than if you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.  It is the joy that proceeds from living in the favor of the Lord.

There are many commentaries and essays about joy and happiness, but they proceed from our modern linguistics.   They are worthy of some thought, but seek the roots of rejoicing.  They come from the favor of God.

Our joy is not in our wealth or in our circumstances or in what’s for lunch.  Our joy is in the Lord; therefore, we should rejoice in the Lord. We can be happy with our circumstances or with our lunch but our joy in life comes from living in the favor of God.

Imagine if you will, that your joy is in your paycheck.  Imagine that your joy is in your good looks.  Imagine that your joy is in your new outfit or your new car or your new job.

You don’t have to imagine.  Look all around you as people think they have found happiness in their new relationship, even though they just broke up two days ago, or if you check the Facebook page of high school kids, they went from losing the life-long love of their life to finding a new one in two hours.

Look around you at people who think they found happiness in their fancy new car and then get their fancy new insurance bill and fancy new OMG surprise at the pump, not to mention that first ding on the driver’s side door.

Look around you at people so excited about how much money they make only to find out that now they crave something more.

We all experience these sorts of things but we don’t all bank on these things bringing us joy in the world.  Our joy is in the Lord.

Does that mean we never have one moment of sorrow?  No, the psalmist recognizes that we are still human, but in that humanity, we seek the divine joy of the Lord.

Sorrow may last for the night but joy comes in the morning.

 

But even so, sometimes we worry.  We worry mostly about things that are beyond our control.  We worry instead of praying.  We worry and get nothing good in return.

Paul notes what God has noted in so many messages to us—don’t worry.  Worry cannot add one hour to your life.  Worry doesn’t put a roof over your head or food on the dining room table.

Worry only works against you.  Don’t do it.  Listen to Paul’s words.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Don’t worry.  Don’t be anxious.  Don’t fret over anything. 

Yes, you are late on your rent payments.  The price of gas has gone up.  Groceries have gone up. I don’t know what my test results will say. I live in tornado alley. The murder hornets are on their way, and this time they are stopping and asking for directions.

 Worry won’t help.  What do we do, then?

Pray.  In everything by prayer and petition.  We do what the hymn says.  We take it to the Lord in prayer.

We bring every situation and circumstance to the Lord.  We come first with a spirit of gratefulness and thanksgiving, for we know that our joy is in the Lord.  Our salvation is in the Lord. God loves us with an everlasting love.

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Thank you, Lord. 

Before we offer up the things that trouble us, we offer our thanks for the things that have been done for us.  God himself took away our sin and make us right with him.  Thank you, Lord.  Thank you, Jesus.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! If we consider all that God has done for us, we will be thankful, even when our human nature tells us to worry.

Now that we have come in this spirit of thankfulness, here’s some other stuff that I am struggling with.  Yes, that includes ending a sentence with a preposition.

Give it all to God and be thankful that you have such a loving and understanding God to give it to.  Be thankful that our God is faithful and just to forgive. 

Come to him with thanksgiving and praise and then confidently ask him for what you need.  Guess what?  He already knows.  He is answering your prayers before you know what to pray.

How will God respond?

He will give you peace that you can’t understand.  He will give you peace even though he might not give you what you asked for in your prayer.

His peace will guard your hearts and minds. The joy that we know in the Lord is a close friend with the peace that we have in the Lord.

The promise is not that you will figure out all of the answers to all of your troubles, but that you may enjoy the Lord’s peace even when you can’t find one answer to one of your problems.

There is a meme going around that I see a lot on veteran’s sites.  Stay away from those sites unless you have served.  You will find the humor of those who have spent time under fire to be a little off-center to be polite.  I fit right in.

There is also a lot of encouragement on those sites for we still lose 22 veterans a day to suicide.  The meme that I speak of reminds us that we have survived 100% of our worst days.  Hang in there for one more.

Paul reminds us that our joy is in the Lord and our peace is in the Lord.  Jesus said that we would have trouble in the world, but to take courage for he has overcome the world.

We cannot be anchored to our trials and troubles.  They are part of our journey.  Our trust in the Lord through these trials and tribulations is what defines our character.

Jesus told us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light We were never meant to carry the loads that some of us carry.  Give these troubles to the Lord and receive his peace.  It is a peace that goes beyond what we can understand but a peace that guards us at the core.  It guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Our joy is in the Lord.

Our peace is in the Lord.

Troubles belong to the world and Jesus has overcome the world.

Bobby McFerrin took a crack at this.

Here's a little song I wrote

You might want to sing it note for note

Don't worry, be happy

In every life we have some trouble

When you worry you make it double

Don't worry, be happy

Don't worry, be happy now

There’s more, but I won’t sing it all.

The landlord say your rent is late

He may have to litigate

Don't worry, be happy

This is one of those tunes for which it is easy to make up your own lyrics. I will spare you mine and just remind you of Paul’s counsel.

Be anxious for nothing.

Live in the joy of the Lord.

Receive the peace of the Lord.

Respond in love as your live out your salvation.

Now it’s on to the Colossians.

Amen.

Testimonies not Resumes

 Read Philippians 3

Why are there so many unhappy and angry people in the world today?  That’s simple.  They grew up with the wrong music.  They were not here for the sixties and seventies.

Why are so many people walking around in Walmart in pajamas or down the street with their rear ends hanging out?  Once again, that’s an easy answer.  They didn’t grow up with bellbottoms and white shoes.  How could they possibly have any fashion sense?

There is a Bruce Springsteen song called Glory Days.  It’s about meeting an old friend by chance and having a few drinks in a bar.  The topic of their conversation was times gone past—glory days.

In fact I think I'm going down to the well tonight

And I'm gonna drink till I get my fill

And I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinking about it

But I probably will

Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture

A little of the glory yeah

Well time slips away and leaves you with nothing, mister, but

Boring stories of

Glory days, well they'll pass you by

Glory days, in the wink of a young girl's eye

Glory days, glory days

Yes, note today’s date on your calendars, phones, or Bibles.  Tom worked Bruce Springsteen into the sermon.  Remember, that this song was from his days as the Boss, before he was woke and wanted guys to be able to use the women’s restroom.

I have a friend that I went to High School with long ago.  We meet up about once a year for one reason or another, but somehow one baseball game comes up every time.

It was the second round of the baseball playoffs.  We were playing Weatherford, who would go on to win State.  I was up first in the second inning.  I hit a line drive into the outfield.  There was no outfield fence.  As I was coming into third, my coach signaled for me to stop.

I came into third standing and turned to see where the ball was.  It was just getting to the relay man in the outfield. Why did he hold me at third?  I will never know but that’s where I ended the inning as the pitcher struck out the next 3 batters.

The game remained scoreless until the last inning.  Weatherford had gotten a runner to second base with two outs.  The next batter hit what appeared to be a routine fly ball to centerfield.  I was in left field and started running to back up the centerfielder—who was a vacuum cleaner on defense—except on that day on that fly ball.

He was a deer in the headlights.  He lost the ball.  I changed direction and ran straight for the ball. I was running as hard as I could and thought I might have a play on the ball. I stretched out as far as I could but was a couple feet short.  I slid across the grass for a ways and when I could look back, I saw that the center fielder had caught the ball on the bounce.

The crowd noise told me everything else.  We lost one to nothing to the team that won state that year.

Anytime that I get together with my friend—whether it’s to talk insurance, at a funeral, or at the alumni banquet, we are required by some universal law to relive that game.

Paul is still contending with the Judaizers—those who want to add conditions to the salvation that came through Christ Jesus.  Circumcision, obedience to the law, and observing feasts of the Lord were among the top contenders.

We have been here before.  There is nothing wrong with circumcision.  It was very important to those whose bloodline went back to Abraham.

Obeying the directives of the Lord is good.  Observing the feasts of the Lord is good, but none of these are a condition of salvation.

Paul put it this way to the church in Philippi, and to us. When they tell you that salvation in Christ alone isn’t enough, give them the example of my life.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:  circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

Paul noted that he checked every block.  He didn’t miss anything and he was at the top of his class. He could look back and sing Glory Days. But what were all of these achievements and accolades worth? What did all of these glory days add up to?

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 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

The word that is translated here as garbage is skubalon.  The King James Version calls it dung.  In these parts, we call it manure. 

Paul tells us that all of the things that those who are vested in their resumes have, he has also, but values them as worthless so far as right standing with God goes.

Only in the blood of Jesus are we made right with God.  Paul counted all these things as having no value with regard to his standing with God.  He did not disown these things.

He was still a Jew.  He was still circumcised.  He still observed many aspects of the law, including some feasts. He knew his Hebrew lineage.

He was still a Pharisee.  None of these gave him a better status with God, but he would use these things to advance the gospel.

When a Pharisee came to town, he would have access to the synagogue or even the temple in Jerusalem.  Paul used his resume when it advanced the gospel, but he knew that whatever religious standing he might have that would impress men, meant nothing to God.

It was faith in Christ and faith alone that brought Paul to the same right standing he wanted for the believers in Philippi.  While the church in Philippi seemed to be doing well, it appeared that they too had to contend with those preaching Jesus Plus.

Just a side note, there was one more thing on Paul’s Curriculum Vitae that he put to use to advance the gospel.  It was his Roman citizenship.  That surely added nothing to his standing with God, but got him out of some beatings and out of prison and eventually to Rome itself.  Yes, the Roman government funded Paul’s fourth missionary journey.

Paul is calling believers—including us—not to put confidence in the things the world says are important to our relationship with God.

An elder or a pastor or a teacher is more about service than status.  Titles and positions and degrees are valuable only when attached to a testimony about how you used them to bring glory to God.

Paul challenges us to lean forward into our discipleship.  As we work out—live out—our salvation let’s press on towards the goal of bringing glory to God.

Paul has this interesting theme that we see on occasion.  God made me right with him, but I’m not there yet.

God did everything required to put me in right standing with him, but I am still working on living up to that right standing.

God already sees the masterpiece that he made us to be, but we get to live through this whole work-in-progress business.

What are we to do?  Lean forward.  Press on. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and the things of God.  That means we stop looking back.

We can sing Glory Days every once in a while, but our future, our hope, our destination lies in the Lord, Jesus Christ, and we lean into it when we move his way.

Our salvation is by grace through faith.  It’s all from God, but our response—our discipleship—compels us to press on and become the person that God already made us to be.

We press on towards the goal.  We lean into becoming the masterpiece that God has already made us to be.

People may see your resume, but God sees the heart.  If our hearts are listening to the Spirit that lives within us, we are pressing on towards lives that bring glory to God.

Let us live up to what we have already attained.

Amen.

 

Don't go native--Press On

 Read Philippians 3

In 1991, I was sent to Iraq and Kuwait as part of a United Nations mission that permitted most of the Coalition Forces to return home.  There were 20 American officers assigned to this mission.  Of those, 5 were Marine officers.  I was the senior officer.

As I went from Headquarters Marine Corps to the Pentagon and to Fort Meyer in the days preceding my flight to Southwest Asia, I received much support but little advice.  There was one piece of counsel that I did receive and remembered.  It was simple.

Don’t go native.

What did that mean?  Remember who you are.  You are not only an American but a Marine officer as well.  We have standards and it doesn’t matter that you are the senior officer for hundreds of miles around, you do what you know the Corps requires.

My citizenship was in the United States of America.  I was the example of an American officer, and a Marine officer.  I might have been a pain in the neck on occasion, ok, on multiple occasions.

Paul tells us:

Don’t go native.

This world is not your home.  Don’t adopt its customs and ways.  Don’t put stock in what the world says is important.  There is nothing wrong with having a few degrees hanging in your office.  There is nothing wrong with the door to your office reading: BOSS.

There is nothing wrong with being labeled an expert in your field.  There is nothing wrong with winning the spelling bee, though I have seen your text messages and I don’t think any of you had to deal with that accolade.

All of those things are just fine but they don’t define or compose or makeup who we are.  We are God’s handiwork and our part is to be a testimony for him. 

Our very lives are to be lived so we are his light and his love and a testimony to what God has done for us.  That also happens to be our commission.

We are the church, but who is the church.  What is the church?

The church is made up of those whom God has called out of the world, whom he set apart for himself, and whom he has now sent into the world as his emissaries and messengers and witnesses—as his disciples.

The world is where we serve.  It is not our home.

Our citizenship is in heaven.  The world is our mission field.

Yes, you have a house here.  You call it a home because you want it to be like the real home that God has prepared for you, but the dwelling that you live in now is only temporary.

You are a citizen of heaven.  Your citizenship is in God’s kingdom.  We belong to God and are sent into this world, but we don’t go native.

The tendency is for people—including Christians—to want to blend in with the world, with everyone around them.  Some want to stand out to attract attention for themselves and hopefully gain the world’s approval, but most just want to blend in, to go with the flow.

Paul reminds us that blending in with the world is going native.  We belong to God and our home is in his kingdom.

Sometimes, this whole work-in-progress thing gets us off course, but we must not forget that God already sees the masterpiece that he made us to be.

We must not forget we belong to God, so listen to Paul’s words as we close.

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

It is time to start believing that we are the masterpiece that God made us to be.  We press on and work on being what God has already made us to be and trust him to finish that good work.

Amen.

Work out your Salvation

 Read Philippians 2

Paul notes to his partners in ministry that it is God who works in them.  He is working through them and through us to fulfill his purpose.  We are part of the plan.

This should sound familiar.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God works in us and through us.  It’s his way and because it’s his way, we are blessed when it becomes our way. God could have said, “Here are the rules.  Good luck.  Go.”

He didn’t.  He placed his own Spirit inside of us.  He leads and directs our steps.  We understand this.  We don’t always embrace it, but we understand it.

We know that God is working in us and through us and that he is for us.  His plans prosper us.  Our hope and our future are in him.

That’s cool.  Sounds like fun.  Should be a blast, right?

How about, just as Paul saw his most precious mission set before him—you remember to live is Christ and to die is gain—so too, we have our missions before us.

What does that mean?

It means that we are to work out our salvation as the most important thing that we do.  We are not working for our salvation.  We understand that we are saved by grace through faith and it is this way so nobody can say they had even the slightest part of achieving this state of right-standing with God.

But we are to work out our salvation.  How will we live in response to this wonderful gift that we received by faith?  How do we respond to this thing called grace?  How do we live in the mercy and favor of the Lord?

Paul said, “Show me your stuff!”  We are challenged to study and show ourselves approved.  What’s that mean?

Show me.  How does this whole response to mercy, grace, and favor work out for you?  What is your response?

We know that we are to love one another, but what does that mean?  Is it lock-step obedience?  Is it broken field running carrying this football called love? 

Your response will not always fit into a sports analogy.  You might teach.  You might cook.  You might help someone get dressed or get to an appointment or get a job or just get here on Sunday mornings.

You might be a kingdom builder—someone who earns much or has considerable resources and puts them to work for the kingdom of God in this age.

Your response might be to help someone navigate out of loneliness.

How will you work out your response to this wonderful gift of grace?

It will be somewhat different for each of us, but one thing should be the same.  Our response comes without grumbling or complaining.

Oh, poor, poor, pitiful me.  I am saved by the mercy and grace of God and now I have to do good stuff.  I don’t know if I can handle it.

Poor, poor pitiful me.  We live in the Lord’s favor but Tom makes us read the Bible.  Just for clarification, I don’t actually make anyone read the Bible. I do challenge each of you to read it daily. We have a plan for reading and studying and sticking to that should not be terribly debilitating.

Poor, poor pitiful me—now they’ve got me taking food to hungry people.  I don’t know how much of this is can take.

We should be among the happiest people on the planet.  We are saved from our sin and from death.  We have been given life and challenged to live it to the full.  We have been given good works to do.  Now that sin and death don’t have any say in the matter, we can do what God designed us to do.

This is cause for celebration, not grumbling and complaining.

Who grumbles?  Who complains?  The world that is perishing before our eyes.  Christ is finishing the good work he began in you. 

Paul is saying, I’m close to the end of my race.  I press on, but I know my time is near.

Your time to cross the finish line is coming soon, but for now you run your race of faith and do it without complaint, seeing the example of Christ himself as your standard.

For now, figure out how best to live out this gift of salvation.  Don’t grumble.  Don’t complain.  Live and live to the full.

But what about this fear and trembling business?  Think to the first time that you held a newborn baby.  For most, there might have been a little fear and a little trembling.  If it was the first time you held new life in your hands, it hit you hard.  This life is completely in my hands, at least for the moment.

The same is true of our own lives given to us anew.  Our response to being given life in the name of Christ Jesus, should be as overwhelming as the first time we held a newborn baby.

Fear and trembling translate to the most important thing I have been trusted with as we look at being a new creation.  I will work out this new life given to me as the most important thing from here to the end of the age.

If you find yourself starting to complain, find someone who is at the end of their rope and help them.  Find someone who is grumbling and give them a reason to give thanks to God.

Be a light unto this world.  Here’s the thing in this work out your salvation business. You have so much discretion as to how you will love your neighbor—as to how you will work out your salvation.

Do it as the most important thing you will do for the rest of your life.

Amen.

To the Glory of God

 Read Philippians 2

Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!  Those words get people’s blood circulating.  Some use them as a warning.  Others use them as a war cry before battle.   They should be among the sweetest words that we as believers know. 

We will get to those words in just a bit.  For now, consider that in chapter 1, Paul gives us a bit of his personal quandary.  To live is to continue on mission. To die is to reap his reward now.  It is the best mission ever.  It is the best reward ever. It’s really a win-win:  best mission ever or best reward ever.

Paul extends this mindset as an invitation to the church that he wrote, and to us. These words are among the most difficult for me to preach in the whole Bible.  Why?  The message in the text is so full, that anything I add, seems to detract from its perfect construction.  So, I will read to you.

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing

    by taking the very nature of a servant,

    being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

    he humbled himself

    by becoming obedient to death—

        even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

    and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father.

This set of prose is something of a prayer and a poem, perhaps even a hymn, but its message is that Christ emptied himself of all that he was because that was his Father’s will. If it was his Father’s will, then it was his will.

Christ, being God himself, served God instead of just taking his ranking place as his firstborn. Paul tells us to be like minded.

Let us do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain motives.  It’s not all about me.  We are to value others more than ourselves.

This is a tough statement.  We want to love each other.  We say that.  We write that on our bulletins and tee shirts but living it is tough.  To love others, I have to value others.

To love another person, I have to value that person.  When Christ tells me to love my enemy, I have to value that enemy.  That seems impossible.

We must remember that when Christ died for us, we had become his enemies.  While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

While Christ deserved to remain exalted, he humbled himself.

While Christ—God himself—never needed to feel human pain and suffering, he came into this world in the flesh.

While Christ was without sin, he became sin for us.

Perfect God chose to live in the middle of our mess because he loves us.  While he is king, he lived as a servant.

This is our model.  It is not an easy model.  You might be thinking that we would rather go with the blessings model.  Remember, that we received all manner of spiritual blessings.  Why not use that as our model in responding to grace?

But this paradigm of giving all we have—of emptying ourselves in response to God’s mercy and love—is the model most faithful to the example of our Master.

Rules and regulations seem easy compared to this mindset, this attitude of emptying oneself of all that might be considered of value—of all that is divine.  The term is kenosis.

Jesus did this not to show off.  It was not to promote stoicism.  It was not some machismo ritual.  Jesus did this to bring glory to his Father.  Jesus did this to the glory of God.

Through this, we see that God will not leave his Son empty and divested of his divineness.  On the contrary, God raised him up and set his name above all names.

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father.

When we think of every knee will bow, how can we not think of the awesome, unmatched power of God.  If he says that your knee will bow, it’s a done deal.

When we think of every knee will bow and every tongue confess, I ask that you consider more than power and authority.  Consider that the truth has been made known to the world.

In the moment when every living creature that God created sees the truth of how great the love of God is and that it is manifest in the person of Jesus, what else could the world do but kneel in reverence and proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord.

What’s the difference?

In the first instance, power alone does the work.  You will bow because God is all-powerful.

In the second case, we bow and profess Jesus as Lord because we can do nothing else.  Our very being finally does what it was created to do and we bring glory to God.

We see the works of his hands.  We touch the divine heart that sent Christ to die for our sins.  We know the sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

When Jesus emptied himself of his rights and privileges and status and everything that said divine, God was not lessened.  God was glorified.

We receive and embrace the lordship of Christ Jesus now.  We are not waiting for some future date.  We confess now that Jesus is Lord.

The Father in heaven, whom we know best through Christ Jesus and who speaks to us every day through his Holy Spirit, is glorified.

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father.

It is to the glory of God the Father!

Amen.

To Live is Christ. To Die is Gain.

 Read Philippians 1

The city of Philippi was named after Philip, King of Macedonia.  Philip was father to Alexander, whom we know as Alexander the Great.  Alexander’s empire had come and gone.  It did leave much of the world with a common language—Greek.

The age of the New Testament writings belonged to the Romans. Philippi was a Roman Colony.  What’s that mean?  It was Rome outside of Rome.  It was less a conquered city than an extension of Rome itself.  There were many Roman soldiers and officers who retired to Philippi.

After the assassination of Julius Caesar, there was a struggle for power in Rome.  Octavian was the ultimate winner.  The decisive battle took place near Philippi.  You know Octavian better as Caesar Augustus.

Paul’s second missionary journey began in Asia Minor as had his first, but it brought him west to the city of Troas.  It was there that he received a vision to continue into Macedonia.  Among his first stops was Philippi.

Paul had visited Philippi more than once.  On his first visit, there was no Synagogue, so he went to the riverside and found Hebrew believers and shared the good news.  Paul shared the gospel with all in this very Roman city, and many came to believe.

This was an organized church.  It’s hard to tell exactly how much time Paul had in Philippi, but he had enough to organize the church with elders and deacons.  There was some order in place to continue growing in God’s grace.

He did a little prison time in Philippi, but not much.  God had other plans for him.  Part of that plan was to bring the jailer himself—and his family to Christ.

Paul wrote this letter to these believers while being imprisoned in Rome.  The Philippi believers sent Paul a monetary gift of some sort and he was thankful for it.

Paul was thankful for much more than that gift. He was thankful that this church body was continuing its good work.  He was thankful that they stood ready to suffer for the gospel.

The first part of his letter contained words that are so familiar to us today, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

We are very much a work in progress.  We are one hundred percent saved from sin and death.  We were given right-standing with God in the blood of Jesus.  We are his masterpiece, but he has not finished working on us yet, and he will not stop.

We grow in God’s grace.

He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It’s a prayer.  It’s an affirmation.  It’s our life.  While we take words of salvation to the world, God is still working on us.

Paul has a little monologue on his personal situation as he begins this letter.  He notes that he is in chains because he followed God’s will and spread the gospel to much of the known world.

We don’t know if Paul is being literal or metaphorical.  It’s most likely the latter with Paul having his liberty restricted.  Perhaps house arrest might be more accurate, or he could be chained to a wall.  In any case, his ministry was restricted to the palace guards and to his letters and messengers.

As he writes, he shares his personal thoughts. Here’s my 2022 paraphrase.

Oh, how great the reward to have these pagans take my life.  They would think they had achieved a victory of some sort, but the victory would be mine.  I would be with the Lord. I would be with Christ Jesus.  The crown of righteousness would be mine.  I would be in his presence for all eternity.

But how important is the mission that Christ gave to me!  He told me that I would suffer for his name. It is for his name.  This is the greatest thing that I have ever done.  I thought I was doing great things as a Pharisee, persecuting those who followed the way of Jesus, but I was wrong.  Christ himself set me right and gave me the most important mission of my life.

I am to take the gospel of life in Christ Jesus to the world.  Who am I to decide when that mission is over?

To live is to stay on mission.  To die is to know my reward.  I remain on mission until Christ himself tells me:  Mission Accomplished.

Here are Paul’s words translated into modern-day English. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Here is the way Tom explains it every year or so.  Who here is ready for Jesus to come and claim his own right now?  Who is ready?  Raise your hands.

Now here’s Tom being onery. Who here has shared the gospel with everyone they need to?  Raise your hands.

The number of hands in the air should have been the same.  Jesus, you can come and get me now.  I have done all the work that you gave me.

But, can any of us truly say that?  Have any of us talked to everyone who needs to hear the gospel from us?

The truth is that we will never know who might cross our paths at any given time.  For whom are we the designated messenger? Yes, we think of paradise, but our mission in the here and now often involves some suffering.

We don’t suffer all the time. We know abundant life in those wonderful moments and in those where we suffer for the name of Jesus.  We are to stand ready to see our mission—our commission—to the end. 

Most of us are blessed that we are not in prison or not without a place to live.  Our problems are what we now call first-world problems.  Few among us worry about where we will sleep or our next meal.

We may not like our accommodations.  We may not like beans and rice three times a week.  We may not have the smartest phone on the market, but we are blessed beyond measure.  We might just be blind to those blessings.

Paul noted personal satisfaction in continuing his mission.  He said, that he knows for him to continue, you may also continue to boast in Christ Jesus.  You may suffer in this world, but take heart, Christ Jesus has overcome the world.

You note that those last words came from John the apostle.  Don’t you love it when the words of those sent into the world by Jesus himself are in one accord.

Paul noted that it was something special to have received the salvation of God and the suffering that comes with it.  That sounds a little crazy.  Try it this way.

It is good to have received salvation through the blood of Christ Jesus and it is good for the world to disown you because you belong to the Lord.

We cannot serve two masters.  We are blessed to enjoy our lives, but our lives truly belong to the Lord and we stand ready to endure whatever comes our way to remain faithful to Christ Jesus and the mission that he gave.

To live is Christ.

To die is gain.

For now, we press on as we live for Christ in these remaining days that we have been given.

Amen.

A Work in Progress

 Read Philippians 1

You have made it through Paul’s letters to the Galatians and the Ephesians.  Now it’s on to the Philippians and Colossians. Paul wrote from prison in Rome.  The nature of that imprisonment could have been anything from chained in a dungeon to house arrest.  We suspect it was more of the latter.

The Romans were brutal in combat and maintaining control, but civil in many other ways, especially with people of some distinction.  What we do know is that Paul had received a gift from the church to which he sent this letter.

Paul sent his peace.  He rejoiced in the grace that he shared with this church.  They were partners.

Paul said he thanked God for them every time he prayed. He said that thinking of them brought him joy.

Paul was confident that God—Christ Jesus—who began a good work in them would continue it to completion.  Until the day that Jesus returns, God is shaping us into his image and likeness.

He takes all things and works them for our good.  We are his.  We are called according to his purpose.  We love the Lord.

God takes many things that people intended for evil and uses them for good.  We are a work in progress and the trials, temptations, and victories in our lives are just grist for the mill.  God uses them to help us grow and be more like him.

What is Paul telling us?  We are a work in progress.  We should not be discouraged when we miss the mark.  We should confess and get back in our race of faith.

We have to be like the quarterback that throws an interception or the pitcher that serves up a home run ball.  File it away and focus on what’s next.  For the Christian, we confess and get back in our race.

We must not become discouraged.  We are told that if we keep doing what God is leading us to do, it will lead to a harvest.

We are a work in progress and we do not give up.  We do not quit.  We do not become discouraged.  We are on God’s timetable and we don’t get frustrated when God is not on ours.

Paul said, here is my prayer for you.  Consider this prayer for us as well.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Paul challenged Timothy in a manner similar to this prayer. He said to study and show yourself worthy of handling the word of God.  Don’t be content with what you already know.  Study.

We can be content in our circumstances, but should be hungry to know more and more about God—to draw nearer to him. We can work harder to improve our circumstances but we don’t grumble or covet what others have.

We do covet the knowledge and discernment that God will grant our teachable spirit.

The modern term is lifelong learner.  We are to be hungry to learn God’s ways all of our lives.  We are a work in progress.  We are hungry to learn.

We have a teachable spirit.

Paul continued with more introductory information, direction, and even a little personal sharing about his thoughts in this whole apostle to the Gentiles business.  For now, let’s consider that we are a work in progress.

Let’s go so far as to say that we are God’s work in progress.  He has done what needs to be done for our salvation.  We are to grow in grace.

We are to be hungry for the word of God.  We are to be lifelong learners who want to master the instructions of our Master.

We are saved by grace but still a work in progress.  When you struggle with being a work in progress, consider that God already sees the masterpiece he made in you.  Remember these words from the letter to the Ephesians.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The next time you are discouraged because you missed the mark for the fifteenth time today or this hour, cast off that discouragement.  Confess and get back in your race of faith.

God already sees the masterpiece that he made you to be. Trust him.

Amen.