Philippians part 5 – Chapter 4
“4 KEYS TO STAYING ON TRACK”
On The lighter side of life:
Burglar and an Elderly Woman
An elderly woman had just returned to her home from an evening of church services when she was startled by an intruder. She caught the man in the act of robbing her home of its valuables and yelled, "Stop! Acts 2:38!" (Repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven.)
The burglar stopped in his tracks. The woman calmly called the police and explained what she had done.
As the officer cuffed the man to take him in, he asked the burglar, "Why did you just stand there? All the old lady did was yell a scripture to you."
"Scripture?" replied the burglar. "She said she had an ax and two 38’s!"
From: http://www.beliefnet.com
Thesis: We need to stay on track with the Lord by choosing to reconcile with others so that we can rejoice, by praying rather than worrying, by learning contentment in life and by giving like God gives.
Scripture Text: Philippians 4:1-23 (Play on CD to the church- have them follow along)
1Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
2I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 3Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
10I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
14Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. 17Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. 18I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
20To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
21Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. 22All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.
23The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Introduction:
Last week we discussed how profit and loss plays into the mindset of each and every one of us. We can either choose to have a heavenly mindset or an earthly mindset. Our mindsets will determine how we view our lives in light of profit and loss. One mindset will call an item a profit but the other mindset will usually call it a loss. These two mindsets value things differently and they are in opposition to one another. It’s important for us to choice to live life through the heavenly mindset if we desire to gain eternal profit.
Today we are progressing on to chapter 3 of Philippians were it speaks to us about making sure that we stay on track with the Lord. These are Paul’s final instructions to the flock at Philippi. He instructs them on the importance of maintaining 4 key actions – and attitudes in their lives. If they fail to do any one of these 4 keys it would be very easy to be derailed in their race toward the goal of Jesus Christ. He continues with his emphasis on rejoicing and on pressing toward the goal.
Let’s look at the last four final instructions that Paul gives so that they will discover the joy that he demonstrates even under house arrest in Rome.
I. Reconcile and rejoice!
a. Settle differences and offenses in your relationships in the church.
i. We are not to hold grudges with one another because it will side track us in our walk with the Lord.
ii. We are not to harbor un-forgiveness with others because it gives Jesus a black eye.
iii. We are to work hard at diligently resolving conflict in our relationships.
1. If we don’t we will be derailed as we push toward the goal.
iv. We need to instead of taking offense with others choose to rejoice with others because of Jesus.
v. Paul addresses the issue between some fellow workers who are in disagreement and he tells them to reconcile and he encourages the others to help it happen.
1. Paul knew that joy to be present in the church and in these fellow laborers lives they needed to forgive and reconcile.
2. Then when they did this joy would be saved and restored.
3. The truth is if we have un-forgiveness and broken relationships then joy in life fades away.
b. It is beneficial for us to learn to forgive.
i. Recently, a survey was made of 200 married adults in regards to forgiveness (1). The researchers were wondering how one’s ability to forgive others would affect their marital satisfaction and personal well-being. The results were astounding! This research suggests that there is a huge relationship between marriage satisfaction and forgiveness. In fact, it appears that as much as one third of marriage satisfaction is related to forgiveness. Not only does the ability to forgive impact the marriage relationship, it was significantly related to personal emotional distress. As forgiveness ability went up, individuals reported fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, and fatigue! These results are powerful and suggest that all counselors, both secular and faith-based, should be helping people develop the skill of forgiveness. Peter J. Larson, New Forgiveness Research Jan 27, 2003. Contributed to Sermon Central by: Michael Raisbeck
1. This survey supports the view that if a person refuses to reconcile and forgive then it is very hard if not impossible to have joy in their lives.
ii. A True story on forgiveness by Melvin Newland: One of the most incredible stories of forgiveness I’ve ever heard came out of Tulsa, OK, a couple of years ago. Tom McGee was a young man who went out for a night of partying & revelry. He got drunk & ran head-on into a car driven by a young man by the name of Ted Morris. He killed Ted Morris instantly while driving under the influence of alcohol. This wasn’t the first time he had been arrested for drunk driving, so Tom McGee was put on trial for manslaughter, found guilty & sentenced to a term of several years in prison. But the prison was crowded, & prisoners were being given early paroles, so Tom McGee actually spent only a few months in prison before being released on parole. But he evidently hadn’t learned his lesson, for it wasn’t long until he was arrested again for drunk driving. So his parole was revoked, & he was sent back to complete his prison sentence. Jack Morris, his victim’s father, visited Tom McGee in prison. After visiting several times, he started taking cookies that his wife, Elizabeth, had baked for him. And they became friends. Finally Tom McGee was released from prison, but he had no place to go. So Jack & Elizabeth Morris invited him into their home, & gave him a place to stay. They provided the means by which he could receive an education, & helped him find a job. They were members of a Church of Christ in Tulsa, so they took him to church with them, where Tom McGee accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord & Savior, & was baptized for the remission of his sins. Just recently, the news has come out that Jack & Elizabeth Morris have formally adopted Tom McGee & made him their son. When Jack & Elizabeth Morris die, Tom McGee will inherit whatever they have accumulated in this life. Now that’s forgiveness - an incredible story of forgiveness.
Contributed to Sermon Central by: MELVIN NEWLAND
1. This couple was willing to forgive and even reconcile with a man who killed their son. It’s an amazing story that revela the power of forgiveness and reconciliation.
a. My next thought is do you believe this couple was able to do what Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always?”
c. If you learn to forgive and forget then you will discover that your name is written in The Lambs Book of Life!
i. These women needed to forgive and reconcile for the sake of the Kingdom and for their own personal spiritual well being.
ii. We also need to learn to do the same in our relationships today.
T.S. – We need to reconcile by choosing the path of forgiveness and then pray and don’t worry.
II. Pray don’t worry!
a. We need to make sure that we choose to pray instead of worry about life’s situations.
i. Prayer encourages and gives hope.
ii. Worry discourages and brings despair.
1. Rick Warren says, "Worry is the warning light that God is really not first in my life at this particular moment." Because worry says that God is not big enough to handle my troubles. Jesus says in Mt. 6:33: "Set your heart first on God’s kingdom and His goodness." And He said that at the conclusion of an entire sermon on worry. The antidote to worry? Put God first!
Contributed to Sermon Central by: Timothy Smith
2. Wilson states, "Excessive worry, or what I call toxic worry, can make you sick, it can cut down your enjoyment of life, and it can hamper your productivity. Toxic worry is bad for every system in your body: it increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, it impairs digestion, it causes shortness of breath, it causes all kinds of musculoskeletal aches and pains, [and] it produces headaches and migraines."
Contributed to Sermon Central by: James Wilson
b. If we learn to let God know our concerns and trust Him then we do not have to worry.
i. We are told not to be anxious instead pray and drive out the worry!
1. QUOTE: Elephants live longer than people, maybe because they never worry about trying to lose weight.”
Contributed TO Sermon Central by: Wilfred Mina
2. If we choose to have faith in God it’s amazing what will happen in our lives. Dr. Jones states, “I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath--these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely--these are my native air. A John Hopkins University doctor says, "We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non-worriers, but that is a fact." But I, who am simple of mind, think I know; we are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality. Dr. E. Stanley Jones.
Contributed to Sermon Central by: Paul Fritz
ii. The promise in our text today tells us that if we do this then before we know it God’s sense of peace and assurance will rush into our lives and calm us down and help us to instead rejoice in the Lord.
1. I have discovered that it’s a great feeling when your worries have been replaced with hope and confidence in the Lord.
2. Truth is God can and will replace your worry with joy if you ask Him and let Him.
3. When worry is displaced then love, joy, peace, and contentment replace it.
iii. So for this to occur in our hearts and minds we need to rid our minds of worry and replace it with thoughts that are of the heavenly nature:
1. We need to focus on pure thoughts.
a. We are not to have impure thoughts which are unholy thoughts – thoughts which are not of God.
i. For example: That man has lied about me I wish that he would break his ankle!
b. Corrie Ten Boom spoke of the unraveling effects of worry, when she said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but it empties today of it’s strength.”
Contributed to Sermon Central by: Richard Burkey
2. We need to focus of truth filled thoughts
a. We are not to entertain thoughts that are filled with lies.
i. For example: Maddy Dale - “Why pray when you can worry!”
3. We need to focus on noble thoughts
a. We are not to have thoughts that are conjured up in the pit of Hell and then act on them but ones that are created in the Heaven above and released by love into out lives.
4. We need to have reputable thoughts
a. We are not to entertain thoughts that are of no reputation and considered untrustworthy and shady in character.
5. We are to have lovely thoughts.
a. We are not to entertain thoughts that are unloving toward self, toward God or toward others.
6. We need to have gracious thoughts toward others.
a. We are not to entertain thoughts that rip others apart and tear them down.
b. We need to dispense thoughts of grace.
7. We are to have thoughts that are praiseworthy.
a. We are not to entertain thoughts that curse others.
8. We are to have excellent thoughts.
a. Not thoughts filled with failure as our focus.
iv. Illustration: DOES IT REALLY HELP TO WORRY:
40% of all things that we worry about never come to pass.
30% of all our worries involve past decisions that cannot be changed.
12% focus on criticism from others who spoke because they felt inferior.
10% are related to our health, which gets worse when we worry.
8% of our worries could be described as “legitimate” causes for concern.
By the way, that’s 100% totaled.
Of course, they say, 42.7 PERCENT OF ALL STATISTICS ARE MADE UP ON THE SPOT.
Contributed to Sermon Central by: Kevin Taylor
v. Paul tells us above all – do it – Pray instead of worry - practice this and look at me as an example. I am under house arrest yet I still have my joy. I’m not worried about what the future holds with my trial. Instead I spend my time meditating on the wonders of God. I pray and find peace and contentment. This is the true blessing of life to be able to be in a difficult position in life and still have peace about the situation. But to be able to have this peace and joy in the midst of an unknown situation we must choose the path of prayer. Truth is “It does not get any better than this!”
1. Paul had peace and joy because of his faith and trust in Jesus.
T.S. – We need to not worry and then we will have peace and happiness in life and this attitude and action will bring divine contentment to life.
III. Be content no matter what!
a. Paul tells us that he has learned to be content in life.
i. He is not worried, he is not fearful, and he is content because of his relationship with the Lord.
ii. He’s under house arrest in Rome but he knows the Lord is with him and he is the place God desires him to be in.
b. Paul has learned the 3 keys to contentment in life.
i. Forgive others and seek reconciliation.
ii. Don’t worry about things instead pray about it.
iii. Focus on God’s purpose for your life and live your life for God and you will experience peace and hope in life no matter what you may encounter in your journey of life.
1. Quote: The best-selling book among all Christian books right now is The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Warren begins his book with these words…
“It’s not about you. The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. Contributed by Sermon Central : Jim Luthy
2. In a sense Paul says I have learned the important lesson about contentment.
a. The Lord has shown me to be content – to be satisfied wherever you are at in life.
i. Don’t wish about being somewhere else live in the place and the time God has placed you.
1. I am always content with what happens; for I know that what God chooses is better than what I choose. — Epictetus
ii. You are where you are because God wants you here so learn from your situation what God is trying to teach you.
1. Remember He is with you right where you are if you call on Him.
a. This truth should help us to stay content.
b. Paul learned not to fall prey to coveting what others have. Don’t covet what others have so as to make yourself dissatisfied with what God has blessed you with.
i. American consumerism is geared toward being dissatisfied with what we have.
1. It tells us we need more, we need better, we need the latest model and it never brings satisfaction only dissatisfaction.
2. This is what Paul preached against and Jesus taught against.
3. Paul tells us that he has the secret to a happy and joyful life. We are to be satisfied with life right now according to Paul! But is that possible in America?
a. He says:
i. I am content with much and with little!
ii. I am content when I am full or empty!
iii. I am content with what ever I have and don’t have!
iv. I am content with where I am in life!
4. Do you think most people in America are content?
a. America says never be content with little you loser get more and be a winner!
b. America says never be content with an empty stomach “Super size it” and give yourself more because you need to give yourself a break today!
c. America says a 2,000 square foot house is not big enough get a bigger one and you will be happier and more successful.
d. America says “Are you content and happy without Nike stuff, without a Dell, without a huge flat screen TV, without 100 stations? ‘No your not’ therefore to be happy and content go buy! Better yet charge these things then you will be happy and content!”
e. Illustration:
i. I AM REALLY CONTENT...
I am really content — until I start looking through the Sears catalogue.
I liked my car — until I saw the new P T Cruiser.
I am satisfied with my clothes — until I stroll through American Eagle, or the other Mall stores.
I love our home — until I think of what it would be like to own a log cabin on the shore of some remote lake.
I am satisfied with every area of my life — until I start comparing with someone else’s life.
I feel like I have enough of everything — until I see someone who has more.
SOURCE: Rodney Buchanan in "An Attitude of Gratitude" on www.sermoncentral.com.
Contributed by: SermonCentral PRO
5. Why is it that America is not content and even spends more than it makes?
a. America spends 1.5% more than they make so as to buy more than they need!
b. Because it has fallen prey to the lust of the eyes for more-for better and better-for newer and newer.
i. When we believe the commercial lies and become discontent with what we have then we fall prey to American consumerism and the lust for more.
c. Today’s American society has created the life of discontentment and debt. How consumerism affects society, the economy and the Environment. By http://www.verdant.net/society.htm:
i. Consumerism is economically manifested in the chronic purchasing of new goods and services, with little attention to their true need, durability, product origin or the environmental consequences of manufacture and disposal. Consumerism is driven by huge sums spent on advertising designed to create both a desire to follow trends, and the resultant personal self-reward system based on acquisition. Materialism is one of the end results of consumerism. Consumerism interferes with the workings of society by replacing the normal common-sense desire for an adequate supply of life’s necessities, community life, a stable family and healthy relationships with an artificial ongoing and insatiable quest for things and the money to buy them with little regard for the true utility of what is bought. An intended consequence of this, promoted by those who profit from consumerism, is to accelerate the discarding of the old, either because of lack of durability or a change in fashion. Landfills fill with cheap discarded products that fail early and cannot be repaired. Products are made psychologically obsolete long before they actually wear out. A generation is growing up without knowing what quality goods are. Friendship, family ties and personal autonomy are only promoted as a vehicle for gift giving and the rationale for the selection of communication services and personal acquisition. Everything becomes mediated through the spending of money on goods and services. It is an often stated catechism that the economy would improve if people just bought more things, bought more cars and spent more money. Financial resources better spent on Social Capital such as education, nutrition, housing etc. are spent on products of dubious value and little social return. In addition, the purchaser is robbed by the high price of new things, the cost of the credit to buy them, and the less obvious expenses such as, in the case of automobiles, increased registration, insurance, repair and maintenance costs. Many consumers run out of room in their homes to store the things that they buy. A rapidly growing industry in America is that of self-storage. Thousands of acres of land good farm land are paved over every year to build these cities of orphaned and unwanted things so as to give people more room to house the new things that they are persuaded to buy. If these stored products were so essential in the first place, why do they need to be warehoused? An overabundance of things lessens the value of what people possess. "You work in a job you hate, to buy stuff that you don’t need, to impress people that you don’t like."- Unknown
ii. Consumerism sets each person against them self in an endless quest for the attainment of material things or the imaginary world conjured up and made possible by things yet to be purchased. Weight training, diet centers, breast reduction, breast enhancement, cosmetic surgery, permanent eye make-up, liposuction, collagen injections, these are some examples of people turning themselves into human consumer goods more suited for the "marketplace" than living in a healthy balanced society. From http://www.verdant.net/society.htm:
iii. Quote from above website: "I can imagine it, therefore I want it. I want it, therefore I should have it. Because I should have it, I need it. Because I need it, I deserve it. Because I deserve it, I will do anything necessary to get it."
This is the artificial internal drive that the advertisers tap into. You "imagine it" because they bombard your consciousness with its image until you then move to step two, "I want it...etc. " This is one of the things that allows people to surrender to consumerism. As a society we have gone from self-sufficiency based on our internal common sense of reasonable limits to the ridiculous goal of Keeping up with the Jones then to stampeding for the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, or at least as far as our credit limit allows us to go.
iv. The New Road Map Foundation illustrates with cogent statistics the dichotomy between things, happiness and the health of the environment:
1. Happiness can’t be purchased in the marketplace, no matter how much advertising tries to convince you of it. Market driven forces have ursurped the role once assumed by family, home and community. We have been programmed to believe that we should pursue more money to spend on more things offered in the marketplace, to be living mannequins for the material adornments of the hour, our worth determined by what we have or don’t have, rather than what we are, what we do or what we know. From http://www.verdant.net/society.htm
v. The constant cycle of work and consumption is destructive enough of values, but when extra hours must be worked to maintain the same level of consumption, or when insufficient work, or no work at all is available, and a family goes into debt to accumulate more things, or feels worthless because of a lack of the "right" possessions, consumerism is slow societal suicide. From http://www.verdant.net/society.htm
vi. Time, the precious shrinking commodity of our lives, is exchanged for money to buy things that there usually is little time to enjoy. What time is left after work is often devoured by television, basically a series of ever-more mediocre filler programs inserted between ever-more-spectacular commercials whose purpose is to stoke further desire for more things. When these insatiable material desires fail to be satisfied, people grow unhappy with their lives and in extreme cases riot and loot to get that they have been "programmed" to want. From http://www.verdant.net/society.htm
vii. Having fewer things means enjoying what you have more and actually getting to use it, thereby raising its intrinsic value. The less clutter that one has in their surroundings, the fewer distractions there are from the essentials such as family, friends, food, nature and study. With less clutter, one needs a smaller space in which to live comfortably and thus needs to work less to pay rent to store things. If you haven’t used something in the last year, how much likelihood is there that you ever will use it? From http://www.verdant.net/society.htm
d. These thoughts are profound and true many off us have fallen prey to America’s consumerism mindset and it does not align with the Word of God.
6. Quote: Better to love God and die unknown than to love the world and be a hero; better to be content with poverty than to die a slave to wealth; better to have taken some risks and lost than to have done nothing and succeeded at it. -- Erwin W. Lutzer
7. Quote: If I go into my backyard and work hard 14 hours a day to dig a big hole, what good will that do? Surely, I’ll be doing more work than probably anybody in this room. I’d be working hard. And hard work is rewarding, or so our culture tells us. But I don’t need a big hole. My work would be useless. All my energy would be wasted. Well, any work that we do that is not done in light of eternity, is like digging holes. In the end it will be useless. Our life’s work, our careers, cannot be our fulfillment or our life, but can only be a means to achieve our true purpose. Our work cannot be the end, but is instead only a means to the end.
Contributed by Sermon central : Stephan Brown
T.S. – We need to learn to be content in life and to give like God gave. When we learn to give and not hoard then we will find that God is far more generous than we are.
IV. Give like God gave!
a. We all need to learn to give like the Philippi church did to Paul and the work of the kingdom.
i. Quote: If one first gives himself to the Lord, all other giving is easy. — Robert Harris Contributed by: SermonCentral PRO
ii. Quote: William Barclay has said, “We have not even begun to be Christian if we think of giving to Christ and to his church in terms of as little as we respectably can.”
Contributed to Sermon Central by: Jerry Fenter
iii. Paul tells us giving is never forgotten it has eternal value.
1. The truth is God records each financial investment we give.
a. This is eternal profit and eternal investment.
b. Quote: "If you give what you do not need, it isn’t giving"
Mother Teresa
Contributed by Sermon Central: Jonathan Busch
2. We need to understand that we will receive a blessing from God for our sacrificial giving.
a. Fred Craddock, in an address to ministers, caught the practical implications of living for Christ.
-"We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking a $l,000 bill and laying it on the table-- ’Here’s my life, Lord. I’m giving it all.’ -But the reality for most of us is that he sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $l, 000 for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there. Listen to the neighbor kid’s troubles instead of saying, ’Get lost.’ Go to a committee meeting instead of doing what we want to do. Giving a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home instead of hanging out with our friends. Usually giving our life to Christ isn’t glorious. It’s done in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at time. It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it’s harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long haul." http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/f/faithfulness.htm (modified)
iv. Paul tells the Philippians and us that when we give it is like:
1. A sweet smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar to God .
a. It’s like the sweet smell of dinner gliding through the house to you hungry nose.
b. When we sacrifice for the kingdom it smells good to God.
c. When we chose to sacrifice it pleases God!
2. It’s also Illustrated this way by Richard Foster: Giving with a glad and generous heart has a way of routing out the tough old miser within us. Even the poor need to know that they can give. Just the very act of letting go of money or some other treasure does something within us. That something is it destroys the demon, greed."
SOURCE: Richard Foster
v. Paul notes that because they give then they will be assured that God will take care of their needs.
1. Note: This is a promise! But it has a condition attached to it.
a. What you sow is what you reap!
b. Illustration: There’s a line in a song that goes: “Thanks a lot, thanks a lot…Thanks for all I’ve got.” Thanks for all I’ve got? Actually, when I think of it, I’m embarrassed about all I’ve got. My mind goes to my garage. Unlike many people, we still fit our cars into our garage…barely. I thought of garages. In early Corvallis days nobody had garages. Where did they put all their stuff? Later houses, up through the 50’s had only one garage. Beginning in the 60’s houses were built with two garages. Most folks still couldn’t get their cars inside. Then in the 90’s we began to see three garages with a RV pad as well. And it’s still not enough room for “all we’ve got.” And at Thanksgiving I’m supposed to say, “Thanks for all I’ve got?” Instead of a national thanks giving day it would seem more appropriate to have a national embarrassment giving day. I’m embarrassed for all I’ve got. It is worth remembering that the first thanksgiving was observed by poor, miserable people. Many of their number were dead. They were at war with “heathen natives” They didn’t have houses any larger than my garage and all their possessions wouldn’t fill one of my closets. While their religious motives for a day of thanksgiving to God are suspect, at least they weren’t giving thanks for material abundance. Their thanks was for something more.
Our text for today, in the 5 Gospels version, reads:”There’s more to living than food and clothing, isn’t there?” It was Jesus’ rhetorical question. It raises the question of the “more.”
SOURCE: Art Morgan, November, 1999. Citation: http://www.moment-ministries.peak.org/Sermons/
A_ThanksGiving_Sermon.htm
2. God will take care of those who sacrifice for Him and remember He is more generous than any of us!
b. Illustration: When we let go of money, we are letting go of part of ourselves and part of our security. But this is precisely why it is important to do it. It is one way to obey Jesus’ command to deny ourselves.… When we give money, we are releasing a little more of our egocentric selves and a little more of our false security.… Giving frees us to care. It produces an air of expectancy as we anticipate what God will lead us to give. It makes life with God an adventure in the world, and that is worth living for and giving for. Richard J. Foster, quoted in "Reflections," Christianity Today (6-12-00)
Conclusion:
So we have learned in the final chapter of Philippians the following:
We need to stay on track with the Lord by choosing to forgive and reconcile with others, by praying rather than worrying, by learning contentment with life and by giving like God gave.
Reconcile and rejoice!
Pray don’t worry!
Be content no matter what!
Give like God!
Let’s also remember what we learned tracing our steps backwards in Philippians:
Philippians 3:
We need to measure our lives in light of what is profitable for eternity and what is considered only a temporary earthly loss. To profit temporarily is no profit it’s only a permanent loss. So to make sure we are profiting for all eternity we must have a heavenly mindset and not an earthly mindset.
Philippians 2:
Humility is to be followed because it always follows the path of Jesus and this attitude will lead to a God honoring life which will be praised in Heaven.
Philippians 1: (2 thoughts)
When we learn to follow God’s will for our lives and do it with joy then we will conduct ourselves in a manner that is worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul’s thought, “I greatly rejoice in our friendship and I thank you for your faithful support for me in this my time of need. But I am rejoicing because I know I am following the will of God for my life.”
When you understand this book and see the heartbeat of Paul you now can understand why he could say: Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Altar Call: So now you need to evaluate your life in the context of God’s Word and ask yourself – “AM I REJOICING IN THE LORD?”
