If you area teenager you sometimes feel as if it is your parents job to embarrass you or to make your life difficult.
In honor of Father’s Day, I came across the 9 things a teenage daughter does not want to hear from her dad.
10. “Let me explain what ’deductible’ means on car insurance.”
9. “Your mom’s almost ready. Where are we going on our double date?”
8. “Seems to me last year’s prom dress still has some life in it.”
7. “I signed us up for the Father/Daughter karaoke contest this Friday night.”
6. “We agree, grandma will help you pick out this years swim suit.”
5. “Let’s get ice cream, my treat! Just let me grab my jar of coins.”
4. Who needs an Ipod, our 8-track player still sounds great
3. “You don’t need to go shopping after all. I picked out a purse for you on my way home.”
2. “I ran into Bobby at the grocery store. I told him that you’re really hoping he’ll ask you to the dance.”
1. “By the way, I had to borrow your deodorant yesterday.”
Hearing any of those comments can be disappointing to say the least. You do not have to be a teen-age daughter to face a life of disappointments. We all face disappointments in this life…
The promotion we thought was in the bag, suddenly disappears
The award we did not win
The raise that did not come through
Our team not winning it all
Disappointments bring us frustration and anxiety.
I heard a story about two old friends who met at their college reunion. One of the men had become very successful. The other friend was a little down on his luck. As the night wore on the less successful man asked his wealthy friend, “Tell me, how you accumulated all of your wealth?” The wealthy man said I owe all to the Bible. “The Bible!” The man replied. “Yes, a few years ago I started opening the Bible, close my eyes and simply pointed to a word. The word was oil, so I invested in oil, and soon the oil came rushing in and I became rich, later I tried the same thing, opened the Bible, closed my eyes, pointed and found the word gold, again I invested in gold and soon my investments paid off. Recently I tried my method again, opened the Bible, closed my eyes and pointed to a word – silver, I invested and sure enough, the price went up and now I am as rich as the Rockefellers are”.
The man was dumbfounded that this was his friend’s strategy, but he was so impressed with the results he rushed back to his hotel, opened the bible on the nightstand, closed his eyes and dropped his fingerer on the page, he opened his eyes and found his finger resting on CHAPTER 11! The man was disappointed.
We are in a series of messages titled the Joy Stealers. Last week, we discovered Paul’s solution when circumstances steal our joy. Today I want us to look at a second joy stealer - Disappointment. Though circumstances can be disappointing, what is truly troublesome is when people disappoint us.
Someone has disappointed us all…
A friend let’s you down, and you put a wall in your relationship
A spouse breaks a promise, and trust is broken
A child acts selfishly, and you wonder what were they thinking
A employee steals from you, and now you leery of all of your employees
An employer does not keep his or her word regarding a promotion or salary increase, soon your job becomes unsatisfying.
Maybe you have been disappointed by a minister of church leader, and it causes you to be withdrawn from the joy of service
People have disappointed all of us. When that happens, we can have the philosophy of Charlie Brown – who told his trust psychiatrist, Lucy, “I love mankind it people who bring me the most difficulty”
All of us have lost our joy because of people, by what they say and what they do, and no doubt, we too have contributed to steal the joy of others by our actions as well. Yet we have to live and work with people, we cannot isolate ourselves and still live to glorify Christ. We are the light of the world and the salt of the earth, but sometimes the light grows dim and the sale becomes bitter because of the actions of others. So how do we react when people steal our joy?
In Philippians 2 Paul gives us two solutions to when people disappoint us.
Philippians 2:1-4
1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Solution #1 – Respond to our call
The Philippians were facing a great deal of disappointment, their beloved leader, Paul was in prison, there were a group of people preaching the gospel out of selfish motivation and it looked as if Paul would soon be executed for his faith. From the Philippian point of view, it looked hopeless. Yet Paul tell his Philippian friends when they are faced with disappointment they are to focus on their call.
He states, if you are united in Christ, and if you have fellowship with the Holy Spirit – then you must respond to you call.
How does one respond to their call?
Verse 4 gives us the answer. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others
We respond to our call when we invest our time and energy into others Today, American believers live in a time of unparalleled prosperity. Yet all around us, we see needs. Some people need financial resources while others need love or hope. Some need comfort while others need prayer.
People entered this building this morning needing something
Often that something is a resource God people can give if we will respond to our call.
EXAMPLE
Some come today lacking companionship because they are lonely, and we need to be the kind of people who respond to our call by investing in their lives through biblical friendship.
Some come to today because they have a burden that is weighing them down and we respond to our call by bearing their burdens, giving them support and encouragement.
Some come today to share the good news of their life, and as believers, we respond by rejoicing with those who rejoice.
Everyone will be disappointed by people
The key is not to focus on the disappointment but to focus on the interest of others. Too often when others disappoint us, we tend to put up fences and say that is it, you let me down, I will never let you disappoint me again, but Paul says if you are disappointed in others or in events don’t isolate, you invest in others.
When we invest in others we can make an eternal difference
Paul gives us the supreme example of not looking after our own interest and looking to the interest of others.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Paul says you want an example of responding to the call, you want to see what it looks like to invest in the lives of others, look to Jesus.
Most Biblical scholars believe these verses were a hymn the early church used in worship. It was more than a hymn it was an example of how they were to live out their faith. In this section of scripture, Paul states three actions Christ did as he invested in us.
He became nothing – taking on the role of a servant.
Equality with God was not something he grasped or something he longed for rather he was willing to become a servant. The word servant is an interesting word, it does not mean someone who waits on another or provides a service for another person, rather the focus is on a person who has no rights, advantages or privileges. In other words, Jesus was willing to give up the privileges of heaven, the rights to be called son of God in order to meet our needs.
He was willing to become a man
The focus in on Jesus willingness to take on a human form; thus the one who never knew pain was willing to face the pain of rejection, loneliness, isolation disappointment and eventually the cross itself.
He was willing to obedient to his Father’s will
Verse 8 said he became obedient to the point of death, but the key to that obedience was his humility. Think for a minute, let these words slowing sink in – here was the son of God, the one who was with the God the father and God the Spirit at creation. Here was the one the angels rejoiced at with his birth. Here is the one who heard the words “This is my son, whom I am well pleased” Yet he was willing to humble himself to be obedient even to the point of death – death on a cross.
Paul begins this scripture with…
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus
Paul says when people disappoint you, remember what Christ has done for you. He could have simply turned his back on us, enjoyed the fellowship of heaven, and never faced the disappointment of rejection, loneliness or suffering. Yet in his great love for us, he was willing to face disappointment so we might have fellowship with him.
When it comes to facing disappointments, Paul’s first solution is to have an Christ-like attitude and thus respond to our call
Solution #2, Realize we all have some unfinished business
After point to the past, looking at a Christ like attitude, Paul now points to our future and reminds us we all have some unfinished business that must be handled.
Verses 12-16,
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
14 Do everything without complaining or arguing,
15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out[c] the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.
The Christian faith is not a sprint, but a marathon, while our salvation is complete in the cross, Paul reminds his believers they must remain strong and finish the race. We finish the race by focusing on…
A. Godly obedience
In the book “First Things First” Roger Merrill tells of a business consultant who decided to landscape his estate. Wanting the best, he hired a woman consultant who had a PHD in Horticulture. The consultant was a very busy man travel all across the country, thus he kept emphasizing to the consultant the need to create a garden that would require little maintenance on his part. He insisted on automatic sprinklers and labor saving devices, that would help keep him out of his garden.
Finally, the consultant interrupted and said you need to understand, if there is no gardener there is no garden!
There are no labor saving devices for growing a spiritual garden either. Becoming a person of spiritual fruitfulness requires, time, attention and care. This only happens when we continue to be obedient to Christ and his church.
B. Displaying a Christ like Lifestyle
What we are on the inside is exhibited on the outside. For that reason, Paul reminded the Philippians; Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe. Philippians 2:14-15
There are people we encounter everyday, who will never read a Bible, but they are reading us. Question – Do they see God in our lives? Are they able to say to others – that person reminds me of Christ.
When we face disappointment from others, the world says it is natural to complain about the disappointment. In fact, restaurants have discovered, if a customer is disappointed with there restaurant, they will complain to 11 different people about their bad experiences, while only sharing a positive experience with 3 people.
Paul says we are to be the opposite of the world’s nature, and be more like Christ. How did Christ react when others disappointed him?
Peter denied him – he restored him
Thomas demanded proof of the resurrection – he showed him proof
When all left his in the garden – he arranged a meeting in Galilee
When the crowd rejoiced at his crucifixion he asked God to forgive them.
In fact, Peter wrote these words about the actions of Jesus at the crucifixion…
22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:22-24
Listen the most difficult thing you can do when others disappoint you is to be like Jesus. Yet it is the most rewarding; verse 15 tells us when we are like Jesus we shine like stars in the universe
We will all face disappointments; the difference between a mature believer and a casual believer is how does one handle the disappointment?
Paul understood when Joy stealers come – and they will come! We can complain, we come grumble, we can become isolated, we can even become angry, but that does not glorify Christ.
When the Joy Stealers come, we have but two solutions…
Respond to our call
Realize there is some unfinished business
Paul told the Philippians, if you will follow these solutions you will make his joy complete – I believe if we will follow Paul’s suggestions there will be joy not just on earth but in heaven as well.
Are you facing disappointment this morning?
Have you been let down by someone you thought highly of?
I challenge you to place your trust in Christ – for he will never disappoint you, and he will never fail you.
PRAYER
