Less than two months after the tragic and momentous events of nine-eleven, Disney released a movie which became a parable of our times. The movie was Monsters, Inc. (released on November 2, 2001), and it described a world that was fueled by fear – literally. The power company in the movie fueled the city with the screams of terrorized children. Their motto was, “We scare because we care.”
Each day, Mike, Sully, and the other monsters would line up on the shop floor as a machine carries dozens of closet doors to individual scaring stations. A scream collection canister sat beside each door, which was the way into to the room of a small child. If the monster did his job well, he got a scream from the child. That scream was then sucked into the scream canister and converted to power.
The only problem was the monsters were not getting enough screams to power the city, and the power company was getting ready to shut down. Mike and Sully were the number-one scare team in the company, but Sully was an easygoing, large, blue, fluffy creature. Mike, his assistant, was an impatient green Cyclops, 90 percent eyeball and 10 percent arms and legs.
They were leaving Monsters, Inc., for what appeared to be the last time, sad that the company was closing and remembering the good times they had. Mike comments, “Yeah, we sure had a lot of laughs.”
Then an idea crosses Sully's face. “Laughs,” he says. Take a look at what happens next (show video clip, “Monsters Inc. Comedy Scene”).
[In the next scene, the closet door of a child's room opens and an ominous shadow falls across the frightened child and his bed. A light comes on and we see Mike, who pulls out a stool and begins a comedy routine. “Hey, it's great to be in your room! You're in kindergarten, right? Hey, I loved kindergarten. Best three years of my life!” The jokes are so bad that Mike has to resort to some crude burping humor, but the results are fantastic. The child begins to laugh hysterically. On the other side of the closet door, a canister fills up with laugh power, and the city never lacks for power again.] (Monsters, Inc., Disney/Pixar Production, 2001,1:20:38-1:22:35)
In a time of terror, this story became a parable about the power of joy over the power of fear. Mike and Sully had a choice. They could choose to encourage, or they could choose to intimidate. They could choose to cheer people up, or they could choose to scare people to death. They could choose to bring joy into someone’s life, or they could choose to bring fear.
Most of us know, intuitively, that if we choose to bring joy into someone’s life, we’ll be a much more powerful force for good than if we choose to intimidate people. The question is: How do we do that? How can we bring joy to people? How can we be a joy to one another? How can we be an encouragement to those around us?
Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Philippians 1, Philippians 1, where a group of people were an encourage-ment to the apostle Paul, even while he was in prison. In Philippians 1, Paul writes them and says…
Philippians 1:3-5 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. (ESV)
These Philippian Believers were a joy to Paul! Every time he thought of them, he thanked God for them. They brought joy to his heart, because, they were partners together in the gospel. They shared the good news of Christ in common with him. They believed it like he did, and they worked together to spread that good news around the world.
Do you want to be a joy to those around you? Do you want to be a real encouragement to one another? Then…
SHARE IN THE GOSPEL TOGETHER.
Fellowship together around the good news of Jesus Christ. Form an indissoluble partnership, based on the true story of Jesus. In other words, believe it, and then work together to spread it around the world. That’s what brought joy to Paul in prison, and it can bring joy to you and me here, no matter what our situation.
Do you want to be a joy to one another? Then, 1st of all share in the success of the gospel. I.e., let God complete His work in you. Trust Him to make you into all that He wants you to be. Depend on Him to make you as beautiful and as wonderful as Christ. Paul tells these Philippian Believers in verse 6…
Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (ESV)
God WILL complete His work in you. He will finish what He started, the day He saved you.
In 2014, a Lithuanian man was tired of his old, beat-up Mercedes-Benz CLK (show picture #1). It was in terrible shape (show picture #2), but instead of getting rid of the car, the man decided to transform it into something new and exciting. So he covered his old car with expandable foam (show picture #3). He started by covering the exterior; and once the foam hardened, he meticulously carved away (show picture #4) until the lumpy body resembled a sleek sports car (show picture #5).
He did the same to the interior (show picture #6), covering the dashboard with a foamy, bubbly mess. After hours of meticulous sculpting (show picture #7), the addition of shiny rims (show picture #8), and a paint job, the rusty-grey Junker was transformed into a beautiful, ruby-red muscle car (show picture #9). (http://justsomething.co/old-junk-car; www.PreachingToday.com)
We who know Christ are a lot like that beat-up junk car, needing a drastic makeover. However, God is slowly working on each one of us to totally transform us into the beautiful image of His Son. There are days when we look and feel like a Junker covered with messy foam, but don’t worry. God will complete the work He started in each and every one of us.
That’s the promise of the Gospel for those who believe it. That’s the success guaranteed to you and me who know Jesus. And when we share in that success, i.e., as God makes progress with us, then we are a joy to others.
Do you want to be an encouragement to one another? Do you want to be a joy to each other, then 1st of all, share in the success of the Gospel. Let God do His work in each of you.
And then share in suffering for the gospel. Share in the struggle of getting the good news of Christ out. Share in the pain of ministry together. That’s the kind of relationship the Philippian Believers had with Paul, and it brought him great joy.
Philippians 1:7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. (ESV)
You have been with me when I was in prison in chains. You have been with me when I had to defend the Gospel, and you have been with me when that Gospel was proved true in the lives of people. We have suffered and labored together in the ministry, and it has been a privilege. It has been a gift of God’s grace. Did you see it in verse.7? “You are all partakers with me of grace.”
I would have expected it to read, “You are all partakers with me of pain,” because, believe you me, ministry for Paul was not a picnic. Somebody said, “The Apostle Paul spent roughly one-quarter of his missionary career in prisons.” And those prisons were no fun place to be.
John McRay, a church historian, tells us that “Roman imprisonment was preceded by being stripped naked and then flogged – a humiliating, painful, and bloody ordeal. The bleeding wounds went untreated as prisoners sat in painful leg or wrist chains. Mutilated, bloodstained clothing was not replaced, even in the cold of winter.
“Most cells were dark, especially the inner cells of a prison, like the one Paul and Silas inhabited in Philippi. Unbearable cold, lack of water, cramped quarters, and sickening stench from few toilets made sleeping difficult and waking hours miserable. Because of the miserable conditions, many prisoners begged for a speedy death. Others simply committed suicide.” (Christian History, Issue #47; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s what Paul had to go through in Philippi and many other places in order to share the good news of Jesus Christ, but the Philippian Believers were right there with him. In fact, Paul is writing this letter from another prison in Rome, far away from Philippi, and they are still with him. Later on in the book, Paul thanks them for coming to visit him and for sending some money to take care of his needs. They suffered together, and it brought them together like nothing else could.
Philippians 1:8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Literally, with the intestines, the guts of Christ Jesus. Paul’s feelings for them run deep.
Do you want to be a joy to one another? Then, like the Philippian Believers share in the pain and struggle of ministry together. Share in suffering for the Gospel.
In 1971, integration finally came to the T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, but not without a lot of turmoil. The movie, Remember the Titans, tells the story, focusing on the football team at the T. C. Williams High School. The very popular white coach, Bill Yost, had been demoted to assistant coach and replaced by Herman Boon, an African American, who just moved in from out of town. As you can imagine the tensions are high, not only on the team, but all around town.
Early in the movie, Coach Boone takes his race-divided high school team to a two-week football training camp. He works the boys hard, both emotionally and physically, trying desperately to build a sense of team. And by the last practice, the boys begin to come together. Take a look… (Show Remember The Titans, “What is Pain” Scene)
[They are running in place, in full uniform, when Coach Boon yells, “What are you?”
The team shouts back, “Mobile! Agile! Hostile!”
Boone shouts, “And what is pain?”
“French bread!” the young men reply.
Boone hollers, “What is fatigue?”
They bellow, “Army clothes!”
Then with all his might, Coach Boone yells, “Will…you… ever…quit?”
And the Titans roar, “No, we want some mo'! We want some mo'! We want some mo'!”] (Remember the Titans, 49:52 to 50:11)
Their hard work and struggle brought them together; and later, it brings the whole town together. You see, there is nothing like working hard together, like struggling together, to bring us together.
Do you want to be a joy to one another? Do you want to be an encouragement? Then share in the Gospel together. Share in its success, and share in its suffering. Let God do His work in your life, and then work together, struggle together, to introduce others to the life-transforming, life-changing power of the Gospel. Share in the Gospel together. And then…
EXCEL IN YOUR LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER.
Abound in your love. Let it be full and overflowing. Let it be more than enough. That’s Paul’s prayer for God’s people.
Philippians 1:9-10 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ… (ESV)
He’s not talking about a foolish love here. He’s not talking about a blind love. No. He’s talking about a love which comes with a thorough knowledge and a depth of insight.
Someone once described love “as the condition where all your senses are heightened, except common sense.” Well, that’s not the kind of love God wants us to have. No.
God wants us to ge wise in our love. God wants us to have the kind of love which causes us to choose the best course of action, the kind of love which helps us discern the BEST thing to do compared to just “a good thing” to do.
Roy Regals was a center for the University of California in 1929 when they went up against Georgia Tech at the Rose Bowl. The game was scoreless when he picked up a fumble from the other team, and headed for the end zone – the wrong end zone. A teammate chased him and tackled him with one yard to go, but on the next play, Regals' quarterback got sacked in the end zone for a two point safety. When the game was over, his team had lost by one point, and Roy Regals has ever after been known as “Wrong Way Regals.”
Regals later said he had heard his teammate behind him yelling, “You're going the wrong way,” but thought, What's wrong with him? (Lee Eclov, www.PreachingToday.com)
You see, Regals had a love and zeal for his team, but not with knowledge and all discernment. He was running the wrong way, and instead of helping his team, he ended up hurting them.
So it is when we love with a blind love. So it is when our love is not guided by knowledge and discernment. We end up hurting people, rather than helping them. So be wise in your love.
And then be pure in your love. Be holy and blameless in the way you demonstrate compassion. In vs.10 Paul prays for the kind of love that would cause us to be “pure and blameless for the day of Christ,” i.e., for the day Christ comes again.
Jill Briscoe, conference speaker and writer, spoke with a girl, who said, “Jill, I've lost my joy, I've lost my peace, and I want it back.”
Jill asked, “Where did you lose it?”
And she replied, “That has nothing to do with this. Help me to get it back.”
“But where did you lose it?” Jill asked again.
“I don't want to talk about that,” the girl replied. But eventually she did talk about it. She lost it when she moved in with her boyfriend. (Jill Briscoe, "Hanging Up Our Faith," Preaching Today, Tape No.148)
You see, she thought she was doing it for love. But true love is pure and holy, and true love brings joy, not guilt.
Do you want to be a joy to one another? Do you want to be an encouragement? Then share in the Gospel, and excel in your love. Overflow with a wise and holy love.
Because, verse 11 says you are “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” You who know Jesus have something nobody else has. You have His righteousness. In fact, it says, “YOU ARE FILLED” with His righteousness. That’s why you can overflow with a wise and holy love.
Do you get picture? When you trust Christ as your Savior, He starts filling you with Himself. And He keeps on filling you up, until His loving character overflows from your life into the lives of others, and you become a joy, a real joy, to those around you.
Some time ago, in Decision Magazine, Joni Eareckson Tada wrote these words. She says, “Honesty is always the best policy, but especially when you're surrounded by a crowd of women in a restroom during a break at a Christian women's conference. One woman, putting on lipstick, said, “Oh, Joni, you always look so together, so happy in your wheelchair. I wish that I had your joy!” Several women around her nodded. “How do you do it?” she asked as she capped her lipstick.
“I don't do it,” Joni said. “In fact, may I tell you honestly how I woke up this morning?”
“This is an average day,” Joni breathed deeply. “After my husband, Ken, leaves for work at 6:00 A.M., I'm alone until I hear the front door open at 7:00 A.M. That's when a friend arrives to get me up.
“While I listen to her make coffee, I pray, ‘Oh, Lord, my friend will soon give me a bath, get me dressed, sit me up in my chair, brush my hair and teeth, and send me out the door. I don't have the strength to face this routine one more time. I have no resources. I don't have a smile to take into the day. But you do. May I have yours? God, I need you desperately.’”
“So, what happens when your friend comes through the bedroom door?” one of them asked.
“I turn my head toward her and give her a smile sent straight from heaven. It's not mine. It's God's. And so,” I said, gesturing to my paralyzed legs, “whatever joy you see today was hard won this morning.”
And then she concludes, “I have learned that the weaker we are, the more we need to lean on God; and the more we lean on God, the stronger we discover him to be.” (Joni Eareckson Tada, "Joy Hard Won," Decision, March 2000, p.12)
My friends, lean on God today. Don’t try to love one another in your own strength. Instead, ask God for HIS smile. Ask God for HIS love to fill you up and then overflow into the lives of others. Then, and only then, will you find joy. But more importantly, then, and only then, will you BE A JOY to others.
