THE PASTOR’S POINTS
Bible Teaching Ministry of
CEDAR LODGE BAPTIST CHURCH
Thomasville, NC
Dr. Russell Brownworth, Pastor
Philippians 1.1-7
Roy Robertson is one of the founders of "The Navigators," and has been instrumental in the follow-up ministry for Billy Graham’s Hong Kong crusade. Robertson shared this revealing insight from his own past:
"My ship, the West Virginia, docked at Pearl Harbor on the evening of December 6, 1941. A couple of the fellows and I left the ship that night and attended a Bible study. About fifteen sailors sat in a circle on the floor. The leader asked us to each recite our favorite scripture verse. In turn each sailor shared a verse and briefly commented on it. I sat there in terror. I couldn’t recall a single verse. I grew up in a Christian home, went to church three times a week, but I sat there terrified. I couldn’t recall a single verse. Finally, I remembered one verse -- John 3.16. I silently rehearsed it in my mind. The spotlight of attention grew closer as each sailor took his turn. It was up to the fellow next to me. He recited John 3.16. He took my verse! As he commented on it I sat there in stunned humiliation. In a few moments everyone would know that I could not recall from memory even a single verse. Later that night I went to bed thinking, ’Robertson, you’re a fake.’ At 7:55 the next morning I was awakened by the ship alarm ordering us to battle stations. 360 planes of the Japanese Imperial Fleet were attacking our ship and the other military installations. My crew and I raced to our machine gun emplacement, but all we had was practice ammunition. So for the first fifteen minutes of the two hour battle,we only fired blanks, hoping to scare the Japanese airplanes. As I stood there firing fake ammunition I thought, ’Robertson, this is how your whole life has been -- firing blanks for Christ.’ I made up my mind as Japanese bullets slammed into our ship, ’If I escape with my life, I will get serious about following Jesus.’"[1]
A rather stark reality that plagues the Christian community is the "firing of blanks" when it comes to joy. We live in an age consumed by entertainment, directed at pleasing us, or capturing our attention so we will pass the time -- at the very least pass our money. Blazingly fast computers and telephone services cater to our whim or demand. All around us signs and services inform us that there is absolutely nothing money can’t buy to make our lives happier. Of course our Christian theology tells us materialism is wrong, and our happiness cannot be found in things or pleasures. Then why is it that so many believers are "firing blanks" when it comes to joy?
Many Christian people talk about joy; some actually exhibit joy -- at least when they’re near other believers. But all too often the common experience is a spiritless sourness that trudges through life as if the believer were a bug, trapped by a vampire spider, having all the vital juices of life sucked-away. Call me radical, but I find it hard to accept THAT as the "abundant life" Jesus said He came to birth in us.
Paul wrote about real joy
Six times in the four short chapters of Philippians, Paul uses "joy" as his frame of reference. His letter to the church gathered at Philippi is:
PERSONAL There are expressions toward individuals, and the group, that are more intimate than any of Paul’s writings.
PRACTICAL Paul gives sturdy advice and cautions regarding personal relationships, and joy in rotten circumstances (Paul was writing from a prison he likely would never leave.).
PASTORAL There was much supportive praise and joyful remembrance in Paul’s letter (especially concerning the Philippian folks’ service in the kingdom). He had only one small rebuke toward a few of the sisters in the fellowship who had trouble getting along with each other. Paul was a pastor, and he certainly recognized how disunity and selfish attitudes can wreck a church.
Paul cared a lot about this church. He had been instrumental in founding the group on his second "missionary journey". It is recorded in Acts 16, how Paul had wanted to go north with the gospel (through what we used to call the "Eastern-bloc" countries), but a strong vision of a Macedonian man calling-out for his help compelled Paul to cross the Aegean Sea towards Greece, and the European continent.
The first town Paul encountered was Philippi. His first convert was Lydia, and she opened her home for the first (and only) church Paul ever allowed to financially support his work (see 2Co 11.7, Php 4.15,16). This church evidently had a number of members gifted by God with a giving spirit. They not only supported Paul, but, even though they were themselves poor, got involved in seeing to the needs of the poor at Jerusalem (see 2Co 8.1-5). This is a secret we will see in Philippians -- You are in a better position to receive when your hand is open to give.
This book, this Philippian letter, this Bible is all about the search for genuine joy. It is a call back to Christian roots; that which Jesus laid-out in the parable of the wheat:
"The hour has come for the son of man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." Jn 12.23-25 [NIV]
In the context of losing self, and being found in service, can we truly have a valid discussion? Is there a life-principle here that can help us succeed in our search for genuine joy? Is there anything in this "giving it all up for Jesus" that finds common ground with our contemporary culture? Let’s look at our "home-sweet-home" and see if there’s any joy in Mudville.
Contemporary Culture and Joy
In the last decade of this century we live in a society gone materialistically mad! It stands so in contrast to what Jesus said about the way a person should live. Notice the "identifying marks" of the 90’s kinda people:
Isolation
Politicians talk about building community. Preachers talk about it. Most people you know lament the loss of it -- "It’s not like it was years ago! No one sits on the front porch, or walks down the street on a sultry summer’s evening to visit with the neighbors."
Even churches are less in community with each other; more like NFL competitors. There is a loneliness in the land. Philosopher Thomas Wolfe said,
"The whole conviction of my life now rests upon the belief that loneliness, far from being a rare and curious phenomenon, peculiar to myself and to a few other solitary men, is the central and inevitable fact of human experience."
In the contemporary scene we are isolated behind our air-conditioned walls, transfixed moth-to-light-like, to our blaring VCR’s and Cinemax gods; protected from interruption by our phone-answering machines. Isolated from, and insulated against human touch, we find out about ourselves from Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw. And the news is lonely! There’s little joy in that Mudville.
Selfishness
From the first stamping of two-year-old little feet that don’t want to go where mother said, to the mashing of the horn buttons on the freeways, assertiveness (spelled "MY WAY") is the America we’ve come to know and despise. Sacrifice and service were foreign words in the enlightened eighties, where corporate raids and takeovers made millions, while the only product made was the sight of previously employed average family types standing in the job and welfare lines.
Ambivalence
A strange development for a land of such passionate beginnings. America was born in the hearts of people with fire in their bellies. There was a sense of right and wrong; of good and evil. Today feelings are as dependent upon the direction of the prevailing winds, as on any code of morals or values. One author pointed out how this slide towards ambivalence has made us a nation of orphans where child-guidance is concerned,
"Due to this valueless wandering, the gray area that exists between all absolutes has become the prominent fixture on our moral land scape. We are infinitely more comfortable dealing with each other in the gray vastness of ’how does it feel for you?’ than in terms of right and wrong. One look at the status of our children and we know that what we are doing isn’t working. Children need right and wrong."
One of the reasons our children take drugs, take lives and take little interest in life, is that they see no firmness of commitment to an ethic, or to ideals, or to each other. Options dominate our thinking. "If I don’t like this circumstance I’ll change it. If I can’t change it I’ll go elsewhere, where it feels better to me. I like you alright, but if you do something that displeases me I just might ’option you out’ with a .357 magnum -- or a divorce -- or an abortion -- or some cocaine -- or even just a glance. Hey! I can take you or leave you, dude!"
Pluralism/Hedonism
We now live in a land where everything is so acceptable that nothing can be believed or practiced for fear it will offend someone else. Talk about "gridlock!" If I build a house in the swamp I’m spooking the spotted owl into extinction. If I hold a Bible Study in my home I’m plying a trade, and the city council will slap me with a "business-in-a-residential zone-suit".
Shirley MacLaine can fly out of her body (and mind) all she wants, but planes have to stay on the ground because they make too much noise. We have become so open-minded our brains are leaking out on the pavement. We live in a pluralistic society where no one is an exception; a hedonistic society where no one is an aberration; and a legalistic society where everyone’s under investigation! There’s not only a selfishness and ambivalence in the land -- there’s also a weirdness in the land!
Women’s Issues
Somewhere between the radical activists ("Femi-Nazis" according to popular talk show guru, Rush Limbaugh), and the Neanderthal male-chauvinist-pigs that the extremists love to hate, there is a reality of manhood that reveres AND respects women for the great gift they are.
Particularly in the letter to the Philippian church do we see this expressed. Several women (Lydia, the slave girl, Euodia and Syntyche) held positions of prominent leadership in the church.
Our contemporary culture -- isolated, selfish, ambivalent, hedonistic, pluralistic and gender-haters; what a joy-filled legacy to the generations of the 21st century! Actually, there’s not much joy in Mudville.
In all this Mudville stuff,
---------------Where is the joy?
Paul wrote about genuine joy. This letter to the Philippian church is "theology in street clothes". It was Kin Hubbard who said, "It’s pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness; poverty and wealth have both failed."[3]
Fritz Perls, the father of Gestalt Therapy offered, "The three basic questions of life are; Who am I, what am I doing here, and who are all these people?"[4]
Modern playwright, Tennessee Williams countered, "My advice to you: Don’t ask, ’Who am I, What am I doing here, Where am I going.’ Just enjoy your ice cream while it’s on your plate."[5]
One more -- Allan Chalmers also took a stab at happiness, "The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love and something to hope for."[6]
These human theories about happiness (joy) have their place, and each carries a certain validity. Self-discovery, living for the moment, and involvement in great causes are noble and worthy ideals. They are part of living. They are, however secondary to the one truly satisfying (joyful) condition for the need of the species human, to wit: a surrender to the saving grace and Lordship of Jesus Christ. Only salvation, coupled with a lifetime of discipleship provides genuine joy. Everything else is diversion!
Who are the most joyful people?
It stands to reason that believers who practice their faith would be the most joyful. In a recent survey of clergy, even though 80% of those surveyed reported severe problems with parishoners, and an average 55-hour, frustrating workweek, 95% of these ministers said they were generally happy to be serving the Lord in their pastoral duties. That seems entirely improbable, but absolutely characteristic of the "community of faith" known as the Body of Christ. As participating partners in the faith we share together the mystery and splendor of the gospel ... and that produces some things:
JOY OF PURPOSE
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Philippians 1:1-7 (NIV)
Paul called himself (and Timothy) servant. The word literally means slave." {NOW THAT SOUNDS REALLY JOYFUL, RIGHT?} Actually, in ancient times a servant could come and go as he pleased, within certain limits. However a slave was a lifetime "property" of his master. Paul humbly addressed himself as a slave of Jesus Christ. It takes a great deal of humility to enslave yourself to another. What could make a man do something like that? To go from servant, with some choices and freedom, to slave, totally bound to the will or whim of a master, has to have some strong motivation.
At times, a man who was servant to a kind and generous master sensed that he had the best life for himself and his family right where they lived. He could opt to become a slave for life -- and some did. Paul sensed that being "In Christ" was greater than anything else life offered.
Indeed, Paul had a wide range of experience and education. He was self-motivated, self-actualized, self-justified and totally self-righteous. In short, he was a "mainstream mover and shaker" of the nth-degree! Then he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, and he discovered all that self stuff was empty -- empty -- empty! Paul had been involved, accomplishing, and climbing social, political and personal ladders. But, compared to the lovliness of Christ, all that personal fulfillment stuff paled, lost its attractiveness and faded into oblivion.
Paul could see no farther than the cross, and it drew him to offer himself as servant, then slave of the Lord Jesus. Paul used the phrase "In Christ," or "In the Lord" some 150 times in his epistles. Much like a fish lives "in water", Paul could feel the close, comforting, compelling presence of Jesus in every waking moment. Paul had given himself over to the cause of Christ -- it had become his purpose.
There is something unique and joyful about people who are driven from within, in a noble cause that is from above.
In Sitwell’s novel, "The Man Who Lost Himself" there is a fanciful account of a detective, trailing a man in Paris. He wanted to know if the man he was after stopped at a certain hotel. He went to the clerk at the desk and gave his own name, asking if he was there. (He only wanted to have the clerk search the register so he could peek; he knew he wasn’t registered!) But, to his surprise, the clerk looked up and said, "Yes, he has been looking for you. He’s in room #40; I’ll have you shown right up." What could the detective do? He followed the clerk to the room, whereupon opening the door, the man came face to face with another, remarkably like himself, only 20 years older.[7]
The truth is that there is a person out there whom you must face someday. It is the person you’re becoming. How is that happening? The purpose you give yourself to is the person you will become. Paul gave himself to Christ as Lord and Master -- slave for life! The spiritual principle is that the slave will do the Master’s will, and in the doing, become like the Master. In Christ, Paul’s life was purpose-filled, purposeful, and he was pointed at the "joy set before him." A partnership in the gospel gives joy of purpose.
JOY OF PEACE
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:1-7 (NIV)
Here is a marriage Paul performed - the words "grace" and "peace". Grace is the Greek word, the Hebrew is peace. The order is theological; grace comes first (from God), and then peace follows. Grace is somewhat connected to the word "prayer", as both have to do with a "binding together". Prayer is binding yourself to the will of God. Grace is the weaving of His will over your human condition.
If we read our times correctly, many people are looking for peace (both public and private), but are looking in all the wrong places. Politicians negotiate treaties, supposing that peace is the result. Policemen are called "peace officers", supposing that legal order passes for inner peace (joy). The popularity of drugs manifests the craving for peace, as people attempt to gain escape velocity from the war (within and without) by getting "high" for a few hours.
The "high" that is really needed is grace. You cannot experience peace until you’ve known grace. There can never be a friendship with God -- the "peace that passes understanding" -- until there is a settlement of the wages of sin. The joy of peace comes after the gift of grace through the cross. The order is important. A production manager for an oil company was called to inspect a temporary sump, with a view to building a regular concrete basin. He asked a worker if the bottom of the sump was solid. The man replied, "Solid as a rock". The boss, being a man of action, promptly put on a pair of hip boots and waded into the sump hole. To his great surprise he slowly sank up to his waist in the gooey mess, and as he was going down he yelled at the worker, "I thought you said this bottom was solid?" Replied the worker, "It IS, boss, you just ain’t come to it yet!"
If you’ve looked for your peace in a better job, a prettier wife, more leisure time, or anything else, you may be a person of action, but you haven’t come to THE SOLID ROCK! Peace comes after the grace.
JOY OF PRAYER
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, Philippians 1.4, 5 (NIV)
The Philippian church had been faithful. Their gifts, prayers and encouragement had followed and undergirded Paul throughout his ministry. It is wonderful to hav the faithful beloved you can count on in the lean times. Many times during seminary days we would receive (often just in the nick-of-time) a gift from one of the Sunday School classes of First Baptist, Crystal River, Florida. This was our home church, a place of support, financially, and with prayer.
Once that support came at registration time. Tuition and books amounted to about $250 for the term. We were down to 35 cents in the checkbook. We went to register anyway, trusting the Lord to work out the details. As we stood in line at the cashier, Elizabeth asked if I’d brought the checkbook. "Why?" I asked, "The cupboard’s bare, isn’t it?" Said the wife, "Go get it"! While she saved our place in line, I ran home. Leaving the trailer to head back to registration, I noticed that the mailman had come. There it was! The green envelope from Crystal River. The Men’s Class had done it again -- $255! (We celebrated with the extra $5 at Burger King...WHAT JOY!)
I cannot think of that church fellowship without remembering the joy. It must be something like what Paul felt about the church at Philippi. He’d introduced most of them to Christ personally with the help of Lydia and Timothy. What made remembering them such a joyful experience was that they’d remained faithful and increased in knowledge and maturity as they served the Lord. For Paul it was like watching his children grow up and outdo him.
My father came to all my high school football games. Both Mom and Dad have been there at all the important times in my life. In a way only a person who knows he’s loved can understand, I do understand that they have rooted for me to be everything God wants me to be. This is a joy of their prayer life -- when they hear of any way I might be faithful in Christ.
Elizabeth and I have had the joy of seeing our children grow up. There have been the times of adolescent wandering; and the joy of our prayer is seeing the return and growth in the Lord. Paul’s partnership with the Philippian church was joyfully connected at the "prayer-joint". Theirs was a partnership of prayer.
JOY OF PERSUASION
"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1.6
Being assured of some things in life is a necessity. Without a certain amount of confidence you cannot function like God intended. The pastor was doing his usual "children’s sermon" during the morning worship hour. The third-graders were gathered on the floor around him. "Tell me, kids, what is furry, gray and lives in a tree?" Nothing. "Okay, let me give you a better hint. What’s furry, gray, lives in a tree and eats nuts?" Nada! Said the parson, growing anxious, "One of you must have the answer." Zip. "All right, see if you can get it on this; what’s furry, gray, has a long bushy tail, eats nuts, runs along the telephone wires and lives in a tree?" Little Johnny only half-raised his hand. "Ahh, John, you know?" "Sir," said the hesitant Johnny, "I know the answer must be Jesus, but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me."
What are you absolutely certain about? Death and taxes? Government corruption? Long Sunday sermons? What really important things (i.e.: that which will still matter a hundred years from now) are you certain about? Paul was convinced about salvation.
"For I am CONVINCED that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Ro 8.38, 39 (NIV)
Are you that certain of heaven? If you are, let me remind you that heaven is a place better than any other -- and it’s yours! If that doesn’t produce genuine joy in your soul, your "joy bone" is broken!
JOY OF PARTICIPATION
"It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. Philippians 1.7 (NIV)
There’s a certain joy about participating together in kingdom work. There is a camaraderie that develops when people work together. Now cooperative spirit and "family-ness" can be experienced in your job, civic work, or helping a neighbor. But, there is nothing better than kingdom work, sharing in God’s vineyard. The reason is that we not only participate together, we participate together in the grace of God.
Gary Inrig wrote "Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay." He tells the story of an evangelist years ago, whom God had used in a significant way in the British Isles, and how he drifted into a life of sin. Most of his sin was private, but there was a headline or two eventually. When the man realized what a fool he’d been, he came back to the Lord like the prodigal from the pigpen. He found exactly what the prodigal son had found, a loving Father who received him back, blessed and re-strengthened him.
After a long period of waiting, he felt pressed back into a public ministry. He feared his sin would come back to haunt him and cripple his ministry for the Lord. After a time, when nobody confronted him, he felt certain it was in the past, and he went on preaching, rejoicing in the forgiveness of God. One night in Aberdeen, he was given a sealed not just before the service. It described the shameful events of his sin years ago. His stomach churned as he read, "If you have the gall to preach tonight, I’ll stand and expose you".
The evangelist took the letter and went on his knees. A few moments later he stood to address the crowd. He began by reading the note -- every word. Then he said, "I want to make it clear that this letter is true. I’m ashamed of what I’ve done. I come tonight not as one who is perfect, but as one who is forgiven".[8]
What have you done? What letter -- if the truth be known -- would you have to read? "Sinner" describes all of us, and it is all "first degree," premeditated! So where’s the joy in that preacher? That’s just the point -- joy isn’t in sin! It’s in Jesus!
This letter to the Philippians is a call back to the community of faith (away from our isolation); it is a call back to self-denying serving (away from our selfish ways); it is a call back to standing for Christ-likeness and Godly living (in spite of today’s pluralistic trends); and it is a call to respect and cooperation between men and women of God -- a partnership in the gospel. It is a call to servanthood -- that which Jesus was, and what He wants us to be. It is a call out of Mudville -- the place of "no joy", and into the kingdom of God. And there we would find our purpose, our peace, our prayers in partnership, our persuasion, our participation in the gospel, and our joy ...real joy!
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ENDNOTES
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1] Article, IN OTHER WORDS, (Raymond McHenry, Publisher, Houston Texas, 1993), Vol 2
2] Edwards, Drew, Article, VIEWPOINT, (Jacksonville, Fl, The Florida Times-Union, Oct 3,1992)
3] Hubbard, Kin, THE BIBLE ILLUSTRATOR, (Hiawatha, Iowa, Parson’s Technology, 1990), Idx 2083
4] Perls, Fritz, Ibid
5] Williams, Tennessee, Ibid
6] Chalmers, Allan, Ibid
7] Sitwell, Osbert, THE MAN WHO LOST HIMSELF, (St Clair Shores, Mich, Scholarly Press, 1971)
8] Inrig, Gary, HEARTS OF IRON, FEET OF CLAY, (Chicago, Ill, Moody Prress)
