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.
I think a good summary of walking in Jesus' shoes is daily dying to self and living for God. But don't go on a guilt trip or lose hope if you're not living this perfectly. Neither was Paul. Just press on.
First, we are to pursue Christ as our goal. Second, we are to live out what we know. See verses 15-16. (READ)
Paul is saying that standing firm in the Lord is not about having all the right answers. You don’t have to have read the Bible from cover to cover. Standing firm in the Lord means doing what we already know.
This past week, one of my daughters said I should write a book on parenting. She said I should capture the wise things I've said as a parent. I was waiting for her to ask for money or something. I thought she was setting me up.
I don't think I'm a very good father. I know I should have age-appropriate expectations for my daughters, but I have unrealistically high expectations. I know I should hug my daughters when they cry, but instead I tell them not to waste their tears on small matters.
Paul says that maturity is more than knowing. It's doing what we know. And that God has age-appropriate expectations for His children. God doesn't expect us to live what we don't know.
So this means we want more than insight from our quiet time, Bible reading, Bible study or sermon notes. We want to ask, “What will I do with what I now know?” Maturity turns learning into living.
Most of us are over-informed and under-transformed. My coach regularly reminds me: “Dana, insight is good, but nothing changes until behavior changes.”
Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
Knowing is important. But what ultimately helps someone stand firm in the Lord, even in the storms of life is not what he knows. It’s living out what he already knows.
First, we are to pursue Christ as our goal. Second, we are to live out what we know. Third, we are to learn from those who grow. See verses 17-21
Paul is saying that standing firm in the Lord is not standing alone. Those who say, “Just you and me, Lord,” don’t understand that God made us for relationship, for community. We need others to help us grow. Standing firm in the Lord means learning from those who grow in Christ.
Ten years from now, we will all grow older. Paul says some will grow in gut; others will grow in God. The difference can come from the models we choose.
Growing in gut is eating what taste good and doing what feels good. Living to satisfy or stimulate the senses. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4 that lustful living is living in ignorance of God and His ways.
The other choice is growing in God. Recognizing God is our most important audience in life. Living to please God. Living with heaven in mind, with Jesus’ return in mind, and with our resurrection in mind.
Paul points out both, those who live for gut as a warning, and those who live for God as an example. I asked one of my mentors, David Wong, how he became so wise. What books he read or what conferences he attended. Here's what he said, "Dana, I learn what not to do from those who fail in life, and I learn what to do from those who succeed in life."
Most of us cannot see the person God has in mind for us to become. Here’s what helps. Seeing those who are farther along in a godly life. Godly models give us vision and inspiration.
If you're coming to the ordination service tonight, you will be introduced to some of my mentors and models for ministry. David Wong is in China and couldn't join the ordination service. My first mentor and his wife, Bob and Nancy Buchanan, won't be at the service in person but will be among the cloud of witnesses. They went home to be with our Lord years ago.
Let me close with a tribute to my first mentor’s wife, Nancy Buchanan. She modeled for me 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This was just a Bible verse until I met Nancy.
She had more knee replacement surgeries and experienced more cases of pneumonia than anyone I know. She had arthritis since her teen years, and her fingers constantly flood her with pain. Yet, you would never know any of that from the joyful letters and emails she sent out to encourage people every week.
I’ve never heard Nancy preach a sermon or lead a Bible study on 1 Thessalonians 5:18. But when I’ve been sick or face difficulties in life, I think of Nancy Buchanan and her joy. Nancy’s example helps me grow in God.
To experience the joy of standing firm in Christ, we are to pursue Christ as our goal, to live out what we know, and to learn from those who grow.
Pause. Reflect. Pray.
