Free to Love Others
Freedom Series #1
PHILIPPIANS 1:3-8
INTRODUCTION: (Intro video: True Freedom - 2:06 from www.sermonspice.com)
“As we cherish our country’s freedom let us not forget that it is through Jesus that we can claim freedom from sin and darkness.” That video lays the groundwork for our new series. For you see it does not matter how free you are nationally, or geographically if you are not spiritually free then you are in the greatest bondage. There are those who are in prisons or live under tyrannical rule but because they have Jesus enjoy true freedom. Jesus said, “If you hold to my teachings… then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32 - NIV) So, for the next six weeks we are going to look at some of the teachings of the Bible and look at some ways we are set free spiritually. Certainly Jesus has set us free from sin and so we can claim forgiveness and He has delivered us from the bondage of death so we can claim heaven, but one of the great things about the bible is that we learn that Jesus has set us free in so many practical ways too.
To discuss some of our freedoms in Christ I want us to look at the small book of Philippians. This little book is a letter written to people going through hard times. The Church at Philippi was being persecuted for their faith from the outside and having some unity problems on the inside. So Paul writes a very personal and practical book to help them. But most of all Philippians is what I call “a + book.” That is, it concentrates on the positive. Paul tells them again and again to rejoice, no matter what their circumstances. In fact, some 16 times in these four chapters he uses the word joy or rejoice. And what he told the Christians in Philippi in about 60 AD applies to us in 2007 - we have been given the freedom to enjoy life. Oh, not with a fake smile and false frivolity but with the freedom and joy that only Jesus Christ can offer. So, I am really excited about studying true “Freedom” from this book and see how it applies to us in this life. Paul begins by showing us how we are free to love people, even those who may be unlovable.
Before he addresses that he begins with a special greeting. Let’s start by reading the first two verses from Philippians 1. “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Notice he addresses his letter "to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi..." Many people think of a saint as men and women who are especially holy or who have been canonized by an official church body. Usually only those who have been long dead and have extraordinary religious accomplishments to their credit qualify for "sainthood." God however, through His Word, has a different perspective. Paul uses the Greek word "agios" for saint. This word literally means, "the set-apart ones." So, a saint, is one who has been set apart, or is different. Set apart or different from what? In the Bible it is those who have been set-apart from the world.
The story is told of a little girl who was touring a large, ornate cathedral which had "saints" pictured in the elaborate stained glass windows. She asked her father, "Daddy, who are those people?" And he responded, "Honey, those are saints, do you know what a saint is?" She thought for a moment and then said, "Why they must be people who let the light shine through." And while she was wrong, she was rather right wasn’t she? Saints are simply Christians who by their lifestyle, let the light of Jesus Christ shine into the world. Sainthood is not reserved just for the spiritually elite. If you have responded to Jesus and have accepted His grace through faith, than you are a saint. That might come as a surprise to those who know you best, but it’s true nonetheless!
That brings us to a very important principle. God cares much more about your spiritual life than He does your success in life. You see, being a Christian isn’t simply a belief system- it is a whole new identity. And God is more interested in who you are than what you are. Our society is success oriented.. but God is not impressed by "The lifestyles of the rich and famous." He looks instead for the faithfulness. If you want to be truly free then the first step is to set yourself apart by establishing a personal relationship with Jesus, to be "in Christ." That personal relationship contains the only path to true freedom and lasting joy.
After his salutation he finishes his greeting by writing in vs:2- "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Grace and peace.. two great words. Grace is the outpouring of God’s goodness and mercy on undeserving mankind. Every benefit and provision you receive is from God’s grace. Your jobs, your family, your spiritual heritage, your possessions... everything. Peace here is not the absence of strife but the calmness that comes from having Christ in spite of strife.
Now, Paul launches into the body of his letter. He begins by talking about his relationship with those in the Philippian church. And through these verses we can see three steps in how to deal with people in our lives. This is important because people are important. If your relationships are bad your life stinks. The more strained your relationships the more difficult your life. Do you enjoy the freedom that comes when you get along with the people in your life or do you just tolerate them, or maybe even feel in bondage to them? Well, Paul gives some great insight into how to enjoy people and there is not one of us here, including me, that doesn’t need to incorporate this into his/her life. These simple steps can enable you to enjoy the people in your life, regardless of their hang ups, past baggage, differences, etc.
I. REMEMBER THEM RIGHTLY:
Paul starts in vs:3 by giving us the first step to freely love others... and that is to remember them rightly. Vs:3- "I thank my God every time I...” what? “remember you..." The way to remember others rightly is to be grateful for the good in them.. Paul is saying, "Look, when I focus on you, I remember the positive experiences.. and I’m grateful for the good in your life." Now, the question we must ask is.. "What do you think about when you remember any certain person?" When you think of someone, whether that is your mate, friend, co-worker, or someone in the church, what comes to your mind when you think of them? The problems you have in your marriage or the good times? The good experiences you’ve had with that person in the church or that time that they disappointed you? The great times you’ve had with that friend or the times of conflict? Paul says, "be grateful for the good in people."
Now, it is interesting that Paul is writing to people in a place where he didn’t have to many good experiences. He did not have an easy time in Philippi. Take a look sometime at Acts 16. When he started this church he was arrested unjustly, he was whipped, he was humiliated, he was put in prison.. and while he was in prison there was an earthquake. (The original jail house rock. Seeing if your awake.) He was finally driven out of town. Paul did not have a good time in Philippi and it would of been very easy to dwell on the negative. But instead he says, "I’m grateful every time I remember you." And he focuses on the positives.
Now, maybe you in your past have been hurt by a parent, or a friend or a mate. But you are still holding onto the hurt, all you do is focus on the negative. Be grateful for the good in people. Folks, the fact is, pleasant thoughts about others is a choice. I choose what to remember about the past. And here’s the first lesson to take from Paul: remember the best, forget the rest. If you want to enjoy people, that’s what you’ve got to do. After all, isn’t that what Jesus Christ has done for you? He, through His forgiveness, remembers the best and forgets the rest. Now, please don’t misunderstand. I am not suggesting that you deny the hurts you have or that you excuse the wrongs others have done without confrontation and communication. That would be both hurtful to you and the other person. What I think Paul does tell us here is to focus on the good, choose to emphasize the positives. Have you ever heard a wife say, "He’s a good man but.. " "My husband provides for us, he’s a good worker, he cares for me and the kids, but..." When you hear that but, it means they are emphasizing the negative. When I hear a wife say that I want to say, "Oh, please... please, be thankful for the good, be grateful for what you’ve got!” (Guys, your cue for an "Amen.") Ladies, Mr. Right, Mr. Perfect does not exist! (That was ladies cue for an "Amen") Now, this isn’t only a gal thing. I’ve heard husbands complain about their wives too. “She never has enough, I work hard to provide but it’s never enough.” “She’s lost her figure.” (While your belt is hidden by your belly. Think about the positives. All of us need to be grateful for the good in the other.
You see vs:5? Paul is grateful for the Philippians loyalty and service. He accentuates the positive again. “...you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.” Listen, if you are honest with yourself, I mean really honest.. You will admit, like me, that there are dozens of times my wife could of left me, my friends could of said, "I’m not putting up with him anymore," my co-workers could of turned on me. Times when I wasn’t sensitive, times when I wasn’t a good steward of my time and money, times when I wouldn’t admit I was wrong, times I was a jerk. And yet I have a wife, friends and co-workers that still stand by me! I’m grateful for that, aren’t you? Focus on the good in people. Here is the first step to enjoying people, remembering them rightly... remembering the best, forgetting the rest!
II. PRACTICE POSITIVE PRAYING:
Now the second step in this process is found in vs:4. Paul would say, "If you want to freely love others in your life, practice positive praying.” Vs:4- "Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy." Circle the word "joy." How would you like to have the Apostle Paul praying for you each day? Wouldn’t that be great? Isn’t it encouraging when you know that people are praying for you? That’s been very evident in the prayer requests on our communication cards. Several months ago we mentioned from the stage that the staff prays for all those request. You know what happened? The requests increased! We have people tell us that knowing they are being prayed for is so encouraging. Paul prayed for these people.. did you catch the phrase... "always.. with joy".
What’s the lesson? #2- The quickest way to change a relationship from bad to good is to start thanking God in prayer for them. What will it do? It will do 2 things. First, it will change your attitude about them and secondly, it will change them. I dare you to do this! Thank God daily for that mate that He has provided for you. Better yet, sit down together and pray out loud with each other, thanking God, in your mates presence for them. I’ll make you a guarantee. Next time you are really mad at your mate. Ask them to sit down, and pray this prayer.. "Father God, I thank you so much for (him/her). Please forgive me when I’ve been so negative, because I know he/she is trying and I’m thankful for their life." I guarantee you, I guarantee you.. you won’t be able to stay as mad. They’ll change their anger level to. You cannot honestly stay angry at someone while you are sincerely thanking God for them! And how about that co-worker that gets under you skin? Start thanking God for him\her. I think you’ll be amazed at what will happen. Folks, positive praying is infinitely more powerful than positive thinking. People may be able to reject our advice, they may be able to scorn our beliefs, they may not listen to our suggestions, but they’re powerless against positive praying. Paul says, "I pray for all of you with joy,” with joy.
Let me ask you. What do you pray when you pray for others? How many times have you said, "I’ll be praying for you." What did you pray? Oh, most of us are pretty good with 911 prayers.. "Help them get through the surgery." "Help them get that new job." But is that all you say?" Well, I want you to see in vss:9-11 what Paul prays for and I think it will help us in our prayers. If you will pray this prayer you can be assured that you are praying positively and your prayers are in God’s will. He prayed for 4 things:
(1) is in vs:9- "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.." The first thing Paul prayed for was that they would grow spiritually. He wanted them to grow in love, in knowledge and in depth of insight. He wanted them to grow closer to God. The word overflow here means.. "flooding over you like a tidal wave." He wants them to overflow as they grow spiritually.
(2) in vs:10a- "so that you may be able to discern what is best.." He prays that they will make wise decisions. That their choices will be ones that will be spirit led and honor filled. Pray for those in your life that they will be able to discern not what just is okay, but what is best for their spiritual relationship with Christ.
(3) in vs:10b "...and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ..." He prays that they will be pure and blameless, in other words he prayed that they would do the right thing. That they will be in the Word on a daily basis, that they will listen to spiritual counsel, that they will do the right thing before Jesus Christ.
(4) in vs:11-"filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God." He prayed that they will live for God’s glory. That whatever they are going through, that while they are going through it, God will be praised and glorified through them. If you are living in a way that is not bringing God glory, then you are living contrary to His will. So Paul prayed that people would grow spiritually, make wise decisions, be steadfast in obedience and live for God’s glory. Did you notice what he did not pray for? He did not pray that they be healed, he did not pray that they get a new job, he did not pray that their family member would recover. In fact, if you read all of Paul’s prayers in his letters, he never prays for physical things. I think we need to let that sink in.
Now, don’t misunderstand. It’s not wrong to pray for health, for a new job, etc. Paul will say in chapter 4, "..in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, give your requests to God." It’s not that we should never pray for those things, it’s just that the spiritual should make up our primary pray requests and the physical our secondary. You see, to Paul the physical was the secondary issue... the spiritual was the most important. So, if you want to enjoy the people in your life, remember people rightly, practice positive praying and..
III. DEAL WITH PEOPLE PATIENTLY:
Vs:6- “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." Paul is saying, "If you want feel the freedom that comes from enjoying the people in your life, you must be patient with other people’s progress." The truth here is that what God starts, God will finish. What He began in your life at salvation, He will complete. Now, man is a good starter but generally a bad finisher. Man leaves unfinished buildings, unfinished books, unfinished projects.. man doesn’t always finish what he starts but God always does. And the Bible teaches that when Jesus Christ starts working in your life, He is going to complete what He has started. In spite of all the mistakes I’ve committed, in spite of all the bad decisions I’ve made, in spite of my sins, handicaps, faults, in spite of all the circumstances that I face, God is going to finish what He started in my life, and your life too. "I thank God I’m not the way I used to be, but I also thank God I’m not the best I’m going to be, (because someday I’ll be in heaven) God’s still working on me."
What’s the lesson? #3- God’s not finished with anyone. You see, in order to enjoy the people in our life we must allow for their growth. Maybe we all ought to wear a little sign around our necks that says, "Under Construction." I did see a girl a couple of years ago wearing a T-Shirt that had the initials.. P.B.P.G.I.F.W.M.Y. It stood for "Please be patient, God isn’t finished with me yet.” And this principle applies to every relationship. In marriage you’ve got to accept your mate as they are and stop trying to change them. You can’t change anyone, only God can do that. I hear people say, "When my wife gets her act together, then things will be better." "When my husband does these things.." “If only, if when, if then.. I’ll enjoy them." No you won’t. Because once they get that handled, they’ll be something else you’ll find to complain about. Circle in vs:6 the word "certain." Paul knew God could change people. You wouldn’t hear him say, "He’ll never change." "She’ll never be any different." No, he was confident in God’s changing power! I like what Rick Warren said, "Don’t judge others by how far they have to go, rather than by how far they’ve come." That’s our mistake isn’t it? We are all in process. If you want to enjoy people you’ve got to learn to be patient with them. What God starts, He’s going to finish.
And one of the secrets of dealing patiently with people is to keep them in your heart. See vs:7 “...it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart." I have discovered in my own life, if people are not in my heart, they are on my nerves. And the way I love people with my heart is to see them as Jesus sees them. That means we don’t look to lecture, we listen. That means we don’t stifle, we’re sensitive. Heart love = understanding.
We need to have what Paul had.. Christlike affection. In fact circle the words tender compassion. It is the Greek word " splagcna." That describes the compassion of Christ. It is not a fleshly kind of love, it is a supernatural love, a love that comes from our inner most depths, from a heart of commitment. That’s why Paul doesn’t say, "I long for you with my compassion." He says, "God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.” You see human love gives out, it dries up. Some of you know what that feels like. But you know what? What you’re feeling happens to everybody at one time or another because human love doesn’t last. The love of true commitment, the love of Christ...always lasts. Rom. 5:5- "God has poured His love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us."(NIV) Notice that God’s love is not worked up. It is a gift as you allow the Holy Spirit to live in you moment by moment.
And that kind of wraps it all up doesn’t it? When we allow God’s love to emanate from us then we are free to love others by remembering them rightly, praying for them positively and dealing with them patiently. So how free are you? Are you bound by past hurts? Who do you need to remember rightly? To remember the best and forget the rest. Are you caught up in negativity? Who do you need to pray for positively? Start thanking God in prayer for people and prayer most specifically for their spiritual needs. Are you imprisoned by someone’s past mistakes? Who do you need to see more patiently? Remember God is not finished with anyone yet.
When you think about it aren’t these three things the ones Jesus has done for each of us? He remembered us rightly.. before the foundations of the world He died for us. He prayed for us so positively. In John 17 He prayed for his twelve closest followers but then he said in vs:20, "I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me.”(NCV) And he deals with us so patiently.. He forgives, He guides, He is faithful. How many of us would be here if we got what we deserve? You see, Paul is telling us how to experience the freedom of loving others but Jesus is the only one who has perfectly shown us. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8 NIV) While we were at our worse, that’s when Jesus spread his arms out and said, “I love you this much.” God help us to love those in our life like that.
