Joy Junkers
Phil. 2:1-18
Intro:
In the summer of 1990, finished first year of college (first freshman year) and working at CHBR in Kosciusko.
Christian less than a year…some would question how much I looked the part because of my hair; confess to having a mullet.
Yet Bro. Dan saw something in me and hired me on staff.
About halfway through the summer our Program Director, Darren, spoke up in our Monday morning staff meeting and said, “There is a thief among us…”; and I thought “Great I’m a new Christian, not from around here like everyone else and have long hair…they are going to think it’s me!”.
So, even though I hadn’t taken anything from anyone I started getting uncomfortable because I felt I would be wrongly accused…and about that time Darren said, “And he has stolen something from each of us.”
Now my mindset went from, “They are going to think it’s me” to “OK…who took something from me! I don’t know what you took, but I’m going to hurt you when I find out who and what!”
So, with everyone eye balling everyone else Darren then said, “He has stolen our joy, our peace, our happiness…it’s the devil, and he has come to steal, kill and destroy.”
That really got our attention, because he was right.
We were tired, it had been a long, hot summer and the devil was stealing our joy.
Trans: Jesus said in John 10:10 “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy” and I’m convinced one of the things he enjoys taking from us as believers the most is our joy.
We lose our joy and sometimes we try to replace it with happiness (remember, as a result of luck and circumstances, and is only temporary)…or we just don’t bother to replace it at all.
You know what I’m talking about, you walk into some churches and you think the sign should say First Frigidaire.
The entire front row of the choir loft sits there stone faced, which is good because it distracts you from seeing the back row that is half asleep.
And rather than shining the blessed Gospel light, they are sitting on their blessed assurance and standing on the premises…looking like the baptismal is filled with bad vinegar.
The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy.
Do you believe that?
Transition:
We began a new series last week called “Fall into Joy”, a study of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, a book that is over flowing with joy.
Last week we learned what it means to have joy and how we can have joy by how we view God, others and ourselves.
This week I want us to consider those things that can take our joy from us.
I call them “Joy Junkers”, because for one…it sounds catchy.
And two, that is what they do; they kind of just throw our joy away and tosses it to the side like garbage.
So this morning I want us to consider what those are, but first let’s read a portion of chapter 2 of this great book of scripture.
Read Phil 2:1-18 and pray.
Trans: The Apostle Paul tells us of 3 “Joy Junkers” that we can run into in our lives and can steal our joy.
What are they?
The first joy junker…
1. Wrong Priorities
Read verse 3
“Rivalry and conceit” are by products of selfishness.
I’m not sure if you are aware of this or not, but humans have a problem with being selfish.
Yeah…I know, shocking, huh?
But not really…because all you have to do is go back to the beginning to see this.
Adam and Eve…Eve thought the fruit looked good to her (in spite of what God said); as did Adam.
And when they realized what they did, they tried to blame someone else (not my fault!)
The next thing we know Cain and Abel are on the scene and Cain murders Abel out of what…jealousy.
Basically a sibling rivalry gone bad.
And that is one of the things Paul warns us against in verse 3…q competition against one another.
We need to remember that we aren’t competing against each other in this congregation; we may not always agree or see eye to eye; but we are not in competition with each other.
The worst thing that can ever happen in a congregation of believers is for politics to take hold and people start campaigning against each other.
Then you have this camp lead by this personality against that camp lead by that personality…and we forget who the church belongs to.
Do you remember who that is?
Read Matt. 16:13-18.
If I’m not mistaken, this was the first sermon I preached here as your pastor.
This is not my church.
It is not the deacon’s church.
It is not this committee or that family’s church.
It is Christ’s church…and by His grace alone He has allowed us to be part of this congregation so that we can reach our community with the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Also know that we are not competing against the church down the road.
If your faith is in Christ alone for your salvation…then we are on the same team.
If the church down the road or across town or in the next county or state preaches that salvation can only come by grace through faith alone…we are on the same team.
When we fight, we’re not fighting each other…we’re fighting the kingdom of God.
And a big reason for that is the conceit that Paul mentions.
Our focus of attention is on ourselves way too much.
If there were to be a song that I think would best describe our society today, it would be Toby Keith’s “I wanna talk about me”…do you know it?
I wanna talk about me
Wanna talk about I
Wanna talk about number one
Oh my me my
What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see
Scripture says that only takes away our joy.
It is a matter of be egocentric rather than exocentric.
Ego…I
Exo…Out
We are told how to be exocentric rather than egocentric starting in vs. 5.
Jesus is our example.
He gave up all that He had for you.
Jesus was selfless…are you?
Selfishness, the wrong priority is a joy junker.
Also see that a joy junker is a…
2. Wrong Proclamation
Read verse 14
They were advised not be known for their grumbling and disputing.
Fighting God and fighting each other.
And God hates them both.
First of all…grumbling.
To grumble means to utter sounds or words indistinctly or with a low voice and with the lips partly closed in discontent.
Paul also made a similar statement to the Corinthian church, read 1 Cor. 10:10.
As a Jew he understood how God felt about this type of activity, knowing the story of the Children of Israel…and he made reference to that story in that verse.
Read Numbers (Took place about 1450 years before Christ) 16:1-12…go to vs. 28-33.
You see, their “issue” was against Moses, but in reality it was against the one that called Moses into leadership.
And we forget about that…if we fight God’s ordained and God’s called, we are fighting God.
And to get the attention off ourselves and onto the person or leader we have a problem with, we grumble.
We utter things under our breathe, or in secret, or as an “urgent prayer request” for the “prayer chain” (which only comes out when there is juicy gossip in some places)…so that the attention doesn’t go on the grumbler but on the one being grumbled about.
But what does God think of it?
He hates it…and He will punish those who commit this grievous offense.
• Preacher, are you saying that if I gripe and complain about the direction someone is taking with the church, God is going to kill me?
• No, I’m not saying that…but if you are willing to risk it, you may want to study the Scriptures a bit more.
I do know this though…grumbling and fighting steals joy.
The joy is already missing from the life of the person who starts the grumbling and that action will suck it from those who are pulled into it.
Add to that the fact that it sucks the joy clear out of the church body…wow, why would someone do it?
But it happens.
How about this, you have a problem…instead of working the phones or taking it to your confidant; take it to God.
Leave it in His hands so that we can all be about what God honors, which is building his kingdom.
Wrong priorities and wrong proclamation are joy junkers, but also see that…
3. Wrong Profits are joy junkers also.
Read verse 16
Advised not to run in vain and to labor for nothing.
If we are doing anything short of building God’s kingdom for His greater glory and His honor alone; we are running in vain and laboring for nothing.
Jesus addressed this in Mark 8:34-37.
What does it profit a man…
There are some in here, but born again believers and pre-Christians who are running in vain and laboring for nothing.
For the pre-Christian, you might be trying to earn your way to God…being good enough to be accepted and hopefully saved; I’ve got news for you, you can quit!
You can never be good enough.
All of our righteousness (good works) are like filthy rags according to Isaiah 64:6.
Or maybe you aren’t too worried about this God stuff, after all, he who dies with the most toys wins, right?
Wrong again!
He who dies with the most toys still dies…and you can’t take it with you.
I hate to break it to you but in the end…it’s all gonna burn.
It won’t last.
So why not stop running in vain and laboring for nothing today!
2 Cor. 6:2 says, “Now is the time of God’s favor, this is the day of salvation.”
You are promised here and now…that is it; why not take advantage of it?
Why not place your faith in Christ today?
And for the born again believers who are here this morning and fall into the category of running in vain and laboring for nothing…and I do believe that is possible, otherwise Paul would not have written about this to the believers at Philippi.
Are you not doing what God wants you to do?
Are you living the purpose God has called you to, which is to know Him and make Him known?
ILLUS: It’s a little like being stuck in a muddy rut, you just spin your tires going no where and causing damage.
Is that you this morning?
Are the wrong profits taking your joy?
Wrong proclamations?
Or maybe wrong priorities?
Conclusion: I mentioned John 10:10 at the beginning, speaking of the enemy stealing our joy; did you know that there is a 2nd part to that verse?
Jesus said, “The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy; but I have come to give life and life more abundantly.”
I’m going to start with the born again believers this morning: has your joy been stolen?
Now for those who are not yet born again believers: What is keeping you from accepting that gift of life and life more abundantly?
