Making The Most Of The Rest Of Your Life Series

Philippians: Introduction

Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life

KBF & 00-03-18 & Tim Olson

*PowerPoint file available on our web site: http://kbftokyo.org

INTRO: A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE

Last week after church I came across a piece of paper someone left on one of the seats. I was kind of bugged by what it said. Let me read it to you.

Thank you for the directions you gave me, although I was kind of hoping your directions were wrong and I’d get lost on the way. I can’t believe it’s been three years since my last visit, and boy that was a painful experience. This one wasn’t good either. The others who were there looked miserable. Who would want to spend their day off in a place like that? The music was designed to put you to sleep. And actually, I would have loved to have slept through the whole thing, but the sensei kept talking and talking. Of course I couldn’t say anything back so I had to just sit there and endure his boring stories and bad jokes. I was so glad to get out of there. It’ll probably be a few days till the pain fades away. I couldn’t believe the sensei asked me to come back next week. I’d do anything to avoid that. It’s not only painful, it would drain my bank account. I tried drinking some coffee afterward but it tasted horrible. I don’t mean to complain so much. Probably most people feel the same way I do. I suppose I’ll have to go back next week. I don’t want to but I know it’s good for me.

I don’t know the person who wrote it, but it was addressed, "Dear Jeannie." I assume that’s Jeannie Johnson. Am I right? Jeannie, I’d like to ask you to give a message to the person who wrote this.

Jeannie: Well, before you go on pastor, I think you should know that the note isn’t about church. It’s a thank you note from my friend because I gave her directions so she could go see a dentist.

A dentist?! Oh, I see. (Pause) Well, let’s get started with the message. Our introduction says, A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE.

It’s difficult to understand a letter (or even a note) if we don’t have some idea of the background. Who wrote it? Why did they write it? Etcetera. Today we start a new series in Philippians. So before we actually start studying the contents of this letter, I want us to understand a few things about the author and the circumstances that led to this letter being written. This will help us get more benefit out of this series.

The title of today’s message is HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. As we study about the author and background of this letter, we’re going to discover 5 BELIEFS THAT WILL HELP YOU MAKE THE MOST OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

The author of this letter to the Philippian church was the apostle Paul. Paul was a person who knew how to make the most of the rest of his life. As we go through this letter we’re going to learn invaluable truths that will help us get the most out of the rest of our lives. But I think it’s important for us to know that Paul practiced what he preached. His life was a testimony to the truths that are presented in this letter. So by taking a brief look at the life of Paul and the circumstances that led to the writing of Philippians we’re going to see how Paul put these things into practice.

First of all, in order to make the most of the rest of our lives, each of us needs to know that: GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE

1. GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE

(Paul begins his 2nd missionary journey)

Paul (whose previous name was Saul) thought he knew God’s purpose for his life. He was a devoted Jew who was so dedicated to serving the Jewish God that he was actively involved in persecuting Christians, whom he believed were evil and needed to be destroyed.

In fact, he was on his way to Damascus intending to persecute the Christians there when Jesus Christ appeared to him.

Acts 9:3-6

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

5"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 6"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."