Joy: All For One Series

JOY: All for One

Philippians 2:12-18

We are approaching Thanksgiving. And before long, Christmas will be here. These are supposed to be joy-filled months. But they can be stress-filled months also.

Scheduling alone can be stressful. Scheduling dinners and menus and gift buying. You might need to consider co-workers, small group members, in-laws, and immediate family members. Just to name a few.

Some of you have heard that I'm getting ordained. The ordination service is on December 6. While the entire church is invited, I could also invite family and friends outside of BACBC. It's like the wedding invitation list challenge all over again. Who will make it on the list? Who won't? And what if they find out?

This is supposed to be a joyful event. A joyful season. But the stress of trying to please everyone can rob us of joy. What if there were only one person to consider? Only one person to please?

Some of you are saying in your minds, "It's your wife, dummy. She's the only one you need to consider. Happy wife, happy life."

For those who are less pragmatic or have been in the church a long time, you know the answer is God or Jesus. And that's what we'll look at this morning: Joy, when we live to please only God. Our text is Philippians 2:12-18 (READ).

We read again the theme of Paul's letter to the Church in Philippi. The theme is joy or rejoice. But Paul's circumstance gave him no reason to rejoice. He was under Roman house arrest for sharing his faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, Paul found reasons for joy.

Paul found that living to please God alone brought joy amid even undesirable circumstances. Living to please God alone wasn't just a pious cliche to Paul. It was how he lived and how he encouraged the Philippians to live. Let's look together.

First, living to please God happens when we live for an audience of One. We see this in verses 12 to 13.

Paul was not with the Philippians. He was in house arrest. But both Paul and the Philippians remained faithful to Jesus Christ.

You and I are the most godly and Christ-like on Sunday morning. Because you want to look good to your pastor and to each other, and I want to keep my job. But once we leave the church parking lot, what happens?

What happens Monday through Saturday? We could be very different people at home, at the mall or at work. We change when our audience change. Unless. Unless we remember God is always in the audience.

Proverbs 5:21 reminds us of this fact: "For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and He examines all your paths."

When we remember God sees all we think, say and do, we live wiser, relate more lovingly, speak more honestly, work more productively and reap the benefits from all of the above. This happens when we live to please God.

But it's so easy to forget that God is in the audience. When no one else is around, we forget God is there. When other people are around, we forget God is there, also. Here's what else is easy to forget. That God is the One audience who is there to help.

Paul reminded the Philippians that there are at least two ways God helps us to fulfill His good purpose. Way one is to pattern after the God who loves you. Way two is to partner with the God who lives in you.

First - Pattern after the God who loves you. Paul wrote in verse 12, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed...." "Therefore" means "As a result of what is said before, in verses 1 to 11. What was said? Be like Jesus. Be like Jesus in His love. And be like Jesus in His obedience to God the Father. He is our pattern.

When we remember that Jesus is in the audience, His life becomes the pattern for how we are to love others. Here's what else. When we remember Jesus is in the audience, His death becomes the pattern for how much we are to obey God the Father.

Second - Partner with the God who lives in you. God's gift of salvation is eternal life. Eternal life is not just life beyond the grave. Eternal life is an ongoing life with God. The Bible describes this as God's Spirit living in you, or Christ in you.

When we remember that God's Spirit lives in us, we don't struggle with trials and temptations alone. God is not only in the audience. He is in us. Paul says we can partner with God's help to fulfill His good purpose.

So living to please God happens when we live for an audience of One. Second, living to please God happens when we live as an ambassador for One. We see this in verses 14-16a.