Joy: Stand Firm In The Lord Series

Joy: Stand Firm in the Lord

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Just a reminder that families and friends who don't attend church may be open to coming to church for Christmas. They need an invitation from us. Some may decline this year but may come the next. But some may be ready this year.

We continue this morning with our message series in Paul’s letter to the Christians in Philippi. He writes about joy while imprisoned for his faith in Jesus Christ. I don’t pay much attention to those who talk about joy when all is well in life. But when a person facing adversity talks about joy, I take notice.

Last week Pastor Toby reminded us of the joy that comes from having confidence in Jesus Christ. And those of us who have Christ in our lives have experienced this joy. But if we’re honest, even the joy of having confidence in Jesus comes and goes.

Think with me for a moment. What brand name purchases are in your house? Apple. Dell. Kenmore. Brita. Colgate. Darren Hardy calls these, “war trophies.” They represent some companies’ victories. These companies got you to exchange your hard-earned money for their products.

Some of these products you’ve use for a long time. Others are periodically replaced by new and improved or more popular brands. We live in a culture where we are sold on the new, improved, and popular.

And this mindset of pursuing the new and improved can cause us to lose our joy in Jesus Christ. The good news of Jesus Christ can become old news. And our pursuit of the new tempts us to look for something else.

Our experience may echo the hymn verse: Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. And like the prodigal son, when we return, we find that God's love has no equal. But we still wander.

Our text this morning comes from Philippians 3:12-4:1. (READ)

Paul knows human nature: Our tendency to wander and leave the God Who loves us. So Paul gives us ways to stand firm in the Lord. Let’s look together.

First, we are to pursue Christ as our goal. See verses 12-14. (READ)

Paul says that standing firm in the Lord doesn’t mean we have arrived to a place of perfection. Like the guy who asked the librarian, "Where can I find the book, Men: The superior species?"

To which the librarian replied, "You'll find it on the science fiction and fantasy shelf."

Perfection on this side of heaven is fiction and fantasy. Paul was humble and honest to point that out. Standing firm in the Lord is not perfection but pursuit.

Standing firm in the Lord means we are pressing toward the goals Jesus Christ set for us enroute to heaven. There are at least two goals Jesus has set for every Christian. These goals were Paul's pursuits.

Paul said in verse 12: Not that I have already obtained all this. What is all this? We look back at verses 10 and 11, "I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead."

The two goals are: One is to know Him. Two is to grow like Him.

To know Him. To know the power of Christ's resurrection and participate in his sufferings. This is more than a Bible study and taking sermon notes. It's more than knowing about Jesus. It's experiencing Jesus and what Jesus experienced.

To grow like Him. To become like him in his death and resurrection. This is more than attending church or having our FB page indicate we are Christian. It's more than doing what Jesus would do within our comfort zone. It's doing what would Jesus do - outside our comfort zone. Death and resurrection are matters outside our comfort zone.

I've been taught not to use the phrase: I know how you feel. Because we cannot fully understand how another feels. Who was it that said, "Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry at you, you'll be a mile away and you'll have his shoes."

To know Jesus and to grow like Jesus, I suggest we walk in Jesus' shoes for more than a mile. If Paul were using this metaphor, he would say to know Jesus, to identify with Him, to grow like Him, we need to walk in His shoes for a lifetime.

Walking in Jesus' shoes may mean loving as Jesus loved us. For instance, how could we respond to the Syrian refugees crisis the way Jesus would? The church leadership has decided to allocate half of the upcoming Christmas offering to support Christian ministries assisting Syrian refugees.