Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Well, good morning. Good morning, church. It's good to see you.
[00:00:04] Anybody enjoying that warm morning today?
[00:00:08] Wow. Did that feel good or what?
[00:00:10] So thankful for that. Hopefully a lot more to come. And my name's Chet. If we haven't had the chance to meet yet, I'd love to meet you and shake your hand. But today we are finishing a sermon series in the book of Philippians. We've been. Been in this for about two and a half years now, and. Just kidding, it may feel like that, but we're gonna wrap this series up today and look at the last part of this chapter. And we've been talking about having a faith that is growing, that's developing, that's maturing, but that's also has a lot of joy to it and a faith that can bring a lot of joy into our lives. So we're gonna continue that. But let's pray for we get in, Father. Help us, Lord, as we look at your word, to make it clear and make sense in our hearts and lives.
[00:01:04] I pray, Father, that you could help us to learn the secret that Paul talks about, that whether life is really good or life is really bad, we can still have contentment. Through your strength at work in us.
[00:01:20] Help us to know that, to trust that, and to experience that in very real ways. Today we pray for your blessing on our time together. In Jesus name, amen.
[00:01:35] Well, this was an interesting week.
[00:01:37] I don't know if you remember, but Tuesday morning I was sitting at the back of our church in Columbia Station, and all of a sudden I heard a huge boom and the roof shake. Anybody hear one of those?
[00:01:52] And immediately I was like. I was like, man, what are those H Vac guys doing on the roof? Cause it was like, it shook. I was like, that was crazy. And Jackie and I were talking to each other, like, trying to figure out what it was.
[00:02:05] And if you've been living in a cave this week, it was a meteorite.
[00:02:11] How crazy is that?
[00:02:14] We just lived the movie Armageddon and we survived.
[00:02:19] Amen. We didn't need Bruce Willis or Ben Affleck.
[00:02:24] We made was a lot less dramatic than I thought it would be.
[00:02:28] But I don't know about you, but when that all, like, reading about that was fascinating to me on so many levels. 1. Anything from space, I think is really cool and interesting.
[00:02:40] And then I was reading that this, you know, they supposed that this was like 7 tons and going like 45,000 miles per hour. And I'm just, like, trying to imagine, like, how this all works in my mind. And how it explodes. Like, this is all.
[00:02:59] It's been an interesting week. Amen. But maybe one of my biggest questions is, like, how did no one know?
[00:03:07] Amen. Like, you fly a little drone and all of a sudden the FBI's out.
[00:03:13] How do we miss a 7 ton meteorite?
[00:03:17] And I don't know what the answer is to that, but I do know this, that we're not as great at predicting things as we think we are.
[00:03:24] That, you know, we can maybe predict some things, but there's a lot of things we can't predict. And in fact, we. One of the things that we are really bad at predicting is not just incoming meteorites, but also what actually brings happiness to our lives.
[00:03:42] And when you read all this research about happiness and how we experience it and what it looks in our lives, one of the themes that you'll read again and again is that we think a lot of things will make us happy and they don't.
[00:03:57] And we chase a lot of things that we think will make us happy. And when we get them, it doesn't quite work out. And the good news is that what we're gonna read about today is the Apostle Paul. He says, hey, I've got the secret.
[00:04:11] I know a tried and true path to bring contentment into your life.
[00:04:19] He's like, I know this secret. I've experienced this secret, and I wanna share it with you.
[00:04:26] And I think that's something that is very interesting to know as well. How about you? So I thought we could talk about it in a couple weeks. But today we're gonna talk about something. Just kidding. No, let's dig into it and read it. This is Philippians, chapter four. And we're gonna begin at verse 10. And here's what it says. Paul writes, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length, you have revived your concern for me. And just notice again, there's these words, I rejoiced. And so much of this letter is about how the Christian faith can be this incredible source of joy in our lives. And Paul says, look, here's one place that I'm finding joy in the Lord. That you've revived your concern for me, that I know I matter to you. And you've shown that in a very real way. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.
[00:05:21] Not that I'm speaking of being in need, for I've learned in whatever situation I am to be content what a valuable lesson that is. Whatever situation I'm in, I can be content.
[00:05:37] Said I've Learned that I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound in any and every circumstance.
[00:05:46] I've learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger. Cause there's challenges in the lows of life. But there's challenges in the highs of life too. Paul says, but I've learned how to navigate both of these, abundance and need. And here it is, verse 13. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Such an incredible verse. And I wanna talk about these realities today and just challenge us to think about them. But the one thing I just first want you to see is that so many times we think that happiness and joy and wellbeing are all these different issues, that they're physical or emotional or they're all these other things. But what Paul says is at the core, this is a spiritual issue that we can find a deep contentment through our connection to Christ that can help us navigate the highs and lows of life. But Paul first talks about, he says, but hey, before I get into that, there's some joy that I want to share with you. And he says, I rejoice that you are concerned for me, that you are helping me, that we are partnering in something important together. And I think that there are some low hanging fruits in our life that add a lot of joy that we don't always think about.
[00:07:15] And Paul says here in these verses, he says, man, it brings me great joy to do something important with you and to serve God and to make a difference. And what he's talking about here is that there's a joy that comes into our lives when our lives are working with other people for a meaningful purpose.
[00:07:39] It builds a certain relationship and a certain joy that's really, really special.
[00:07:45] I just recently watched, there was a new documentary out about the 1980 men's hockey team that won the gold.
[00:07:52] Yeah. And hey, we got another one, right? Didn't we? They win the gold this year. Yeah. Shows you how much I know about men's hockey.
[00:08:00] But I saw it. When they have a movie about it, I'll know a lot more, you know, but I've seen the one about the. And this was a documentary, but it had all the guys from the team like today, you know, as they are, you know, so many decades later. And it was just cool to see that. But the biggest thing that they talked about was how accomplishing something important together gave them lifelong friendships.
[00:08:27] And in some ways that was the best part, that how it bonded them together and how that important thing that they did, that hard thing that they accomplished it, gave a real sense of meaning to their lives. And I think that's something we tend to overlook. That's part of why the military can be so meaningful, you know, or things like that, because you have this sense of mission and brotherhood and sisterhood, and it creates a certain type of relationship. But I bring this all up because church, I think we are doing something meaningful together, too.
[00:09:03] I think we are God's church. And we've been given this incredible mission to reach people for Christ and to honor his name and to serve each other and serve our communities around us. And I think that there is a special joy in doing that together. See, one of my favorite parts about being connected to our church is the friendships and the relationships and just the special thing that God does as he calls us forward together. You with me on this and church, I believe we are in just a special season.
[00:09:44] Hey, when we're on Chestnut Ridge and that building is built.
[00:09:50] Amen.
[00:09:52] I got one Christian in the audience today. Thank you, Judy. And when we're there, you're gonna have some holy bragging rights.
[00:10:02] And that may be an oxymoron, but just go with it.
[00:10:06] You're gonna be like, you know what? I was there.
[00:10:10] I was there at South Abbey. I believed in what God was gonna do, and I did my part.
[00:10:18] And you're gonna be. You're gonna have a sense of joy in what God has done through us together. You with me on this? And I think it's gonna be a really, really cool thing. And Paul says we share in that joy, but he also is talking here, and he's saying that these people have given to him. They've blessed him. And if you read a little bit further, that they actually gave him a financial gift to support and to help his ministry.
[00:10:45] And what this shows, too, is that there is a great joy that comes from a more generous approach to life.
[00:10:56] I recently read a really cool book called the Art of Spending Money by Morgan Housel. And he's kind of a new and upcoming author, and he writes a lot about finance and things like that. And he's really interesting to read. But what he writes is that basically part of our problem in the world is we have an unhealthy relationship with money, and it makes us miserable. And he writes about this because you don't need to have a lot of money to have an unhealthy relationship with it.
[00:11:29] I can tell you that from experience. Amen. Cause if you're thinking about it all the time, it's still, you know, if you're trying to find happiness and all those kinds of things. And so he's writing about this, not from a Christian perspective, but I think it's true. It reminds me of a story I heard. There was a man that was incredibly wealthy, and he loved his money, and he had three friends that were pastors. And he said, hey, when I die, I'm gonna give you each $100,000 in cash in an envelope. And when I die, I need to trust that you will take this money and you will put it in my coffin with me.
[00:12:08] And they said, yeah. And they said, okay, that's weird, but we'll do it. He said, hey, y' all are pastors, so I'm expecting you to be trustworthy on this. I said, yep, we got you. Well, his funeral came. They put the envelopes in, and they were at the. The luncheon after. And one of the pastors says, hey, I just gotta confess to you guys, we had an air conditioning unit go out, and I took 20 grand from it, and I just figured he wouldn't mind. The second guy said, man, I'm so glad you said that, because we had a roofing issue, and I had to take out 30 grand, and I figured he wouldn't mind. And then they looked at the third guy, and they were like, did you put it all in there? And he said, I put it all in there. Every dime. I just wrote him a check, though.
[00:12:58] And I just want you to know, if you ever put me in that scenario, you're getting a check.
[00:13:05] That is a lame joke, but I laughed about that for, like, way too long.
[00:13:12] But what. What is the point of that is that we spend our life chasing these things that we can't take with us. You with me. That's the point. We spend our lives trying to find happiness in things that don't last, that cannot fill, that cannot sustain.
[00:13:32] And God has something better for us. So Paul says. He says, so listen, I've learned a secret about this. I've learned how to be content in the lows and in the highs. Now, I wish sometimes that, like, sections of the Bible like this, Paul would just go into great detail about it. Like, really, like, work all of this out for me. Help me to understand your total thought and mindset and approach on this. But he doesn't do it here. But I do think we get other times where Paul shows us how he navigates the highs and the lows and how he finds God's strength in it. In Corinthians, there's a powerful Time that he talks about. If you could throw it up there, he says, we don't want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experience in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. I would say that's a low moment. Do you agree?
[00:14:38] So burdened with Paul's like we were. So I was in such a low. I was like, lord, I'm done.
[00:14:46] Swing low, sweet chariot. Ever been there? Paul's like, that's I was burden of life itself. And then he goes on, but look at this. Indeed, we'd felt we'd received the sentence of death, but that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead. Paul says, but here's what I learned in the low.
[00:15:10] That I needed to depend on God in a greater way and that God was dependable.
[00:15:16] Paul said, in the low.
[00:15:19] I've learned that I cannot get through this life on my own. I need to God's help, and God is completely dependable. He learned that in the low. Here's another thing Paul learned in the low. If you remember at the beginning of this book, the book of Philippians, Paul says that he's in prison.
[00:15:40] And we talked about how that was never his life's goal. You know, he's never like, you know, when I grow up, I want to go to prison. I think that's probably not most people's life goal. But he had ended up there, and it had seemed to stop the work that God was calling him to do as one who would go from city to city and preach about Jesus and start churches. But Paul says, even though I'm in prison, even though I'm surrounded by these walls, even though I'm chained to a Roman guard, he said, the purpose of God is still advancing. And. And here's what we can learn in the lows in our life, that God is still working.
[00:16:24] And that God sometimes is working in ways that we couldn't anticipate, we couldn't know. But nevertheless, he's still at work. And sometimes one of the most helpful things we can do in the lows is to begin to look around and say, lord, help me to see where you're at here and to see what you're doing, because he is present and he is at work.
[00:16:52] And realizing that makes all the difference.
[00:16:57] And here's another lesson Paul learned in Los. In the Book of Romans, he spends a lot of time and he talks about his love for his own people, the ancient Jewish people, and he Talks about how he wants them so badly to know and experience Christ. But many of them are coming to faith, but many of them are not.
[00:17:18] And he wrestles with this tension. He's like, I don't know what God is doing. I don't know how this all works out. I don't know what the plan of God will look like in every detail.
[00:17:31] And he's kind of just wrestling through all these questions. And then at Romans 11, he ends that whole section, he says, this, not that one. Romans 11. Yeah, I got a lot of quotes today.
[00:17:46] Well, here's what he says. He says, oh, the depths of the riches and the wisdom of God. How inscrutable are your judgments?
[00:17:58] And what Paul does is he goes to this moment of pure worship and he says, there is a mystery here in this moment. But in this mystery, I will choose to worship you. Now here's why I think this is so profound.
[00:18:18] This life is full of mysteries. Church, you can't. We're gonna get through life, we're gonna go through life and we're gonna have times where we're gonna be like Paul. I don't know what's going on here.
[00:18:33] I don't know how God is at work in this.
[00:18:37] I don't know how God's purpose is still gonna be accomplished. And there's gonna be experiences in life that we can't connect the dots, we can't figure out. And they'll feel like divine mysteries. But here's what Paul shows us to do in those moments that could easily become lows in our life. He says, you go to worship.
[00:18:58] You worship the genius, the higher thoughts of God, the wisdom of God, the purpose of God. You let the mystery become an avenue to grow your worship, not your distrust, to grow your affection for how much bigger God is than you. Then to grow this sense of, I can't figure him out, so therefore I don't trust him. Paul says, no, no, you go the other way. And he learned that in the lows. But Paul says, I've also learned to be content in the highs. And I think this is interesting because what I have found in my life, and it seems like many others, is that a lot of times the lows bring us closer to God.
[00:19:50] We pray, we feel the desperation that Paul talked about. Like, man, I can't do this. And there's an openness in our heart. But sometimes the highs of life make us begin to be a little bit too self dependent and self focused. You with me on this. But Paul says in the highs and the Lows. I've learned the secret.
[00:20:16] I've learned how to navigate it. And here's something that we can learn in the highs. See, when God blesses us with abundance, that can be really, really good. But it also can complicate and pressurize our lives.
[00:20:34] Have you ever had God answer something you've been praying for a while about? You're like, all right, I got the job.
[00:20:41] And then all of a sudden, you look in the mirror and you're like, wait, now I have to do the job?
[00:20:45] You with me?
[00:20:46] I wanted it, but, whoa, now I gotta make those decisions. You've been there.
[00:20:52] Or it's like, oh, God gave me my family.
[00:20:56] Now I gotta figure out how to do this every day. Amen.
[00:21:00] Blessings are good, but they complicate things.
[00:21:05] Blessings are good, but they pressurize things.
[00:21:09] And one of the things that we see in the pages of Scripture that God does bless our lives by making it sometimes more complicated and more challenging.
[00:21:23] But here's what that means. It means he's entrusting you with important stuff.
[00:21:29] And in the highs of life, the blessings of life, we have to see the. That sometimes the pressure that God brings is actually the privilege of him entrusting us with stuff that really matters.
[00:21:45] And it's not something to run from, and it's not something to fear, but it's something to steward with wisdom and dependence on God. You with me on this. And sometimes when you look at your life and you're like, whoa, a lot of people are counting on me. I got heavy stuff I'm dealing with.
[00:22:04] Maybe we need to begin to see that pressure as a privilege from God that he's entrusting us with. Paul says, I've learned how to trust him in abundance. Now, here's the other side of abundance. Sometimes you get to those places of abundance and it falls flat.
[00:22:24] And then you're like, what do I do?
[00:22:26] There's a great quote.
[00:22:27] That was the one you had up? Yep.
[00:22:30] It's from Rick Rubin. He's like a really famous music producer. But here's what he says. He says, I think we mistakenly think that some kind of outward success is gonna change something in us, and it does not.
[00:22:44] It may make life more comfortable, but it doesn't change who we are. He goes on, any hole in ourselves that we're hoping to fill does not get filled.
[00:22:54] Let's say you spend 20 years of your life working towards something that's going to solve everything, and then you finally achieve what you've been trying to do for 20 years toiling away and nothing changes.
[00:23:06] That's when you get hopeless.
[00:23:09] What an interesting perspective, isn't it?
[00:23:12] Now this is a guy that has been around people that are insanely successful and he recognized, hey, there can be a hollowness to all that and it can be confusing to people.
[00:23:26] You get all the things you want and you're like, I'm still not happy, still not satisfied. And you're like, but why am I not happy or satisfied? Everything that I've wanted and been working for is here. And yet why do I feel this way? And it becomes a very weird place to be. Amen.
[00:23:44] And here's what we learn in that.
[00:23:47] Here's what I think we need to learn.
[00:23:49] None of that stuff can fill us.
[00:23:53] God gives us a lot of good things to enjoy in this world, but they can't fill the God shaped hole in your heart. You with me on this. And they're not meant to.
[00:24:06] And we can have great things and do great things and achieve great heights, but we must never think that that is gonna be what fully fills because only God alone can do that.
[00:24:22] And part of the emptiness of abundance is realizing my real joy needs to come from God alone. That's where it comes from. Yes, I wanna. And when it's there, all of a sudden I have way more realistic expectations for life and I can actually enjoy everything else better.
[00:24:43] Cause when you and I are trying to pull a tremendous amount of meaning from things that don't carry it, it's a real frustrating dance to be in.
[00:24:54] And Paul says, no, no, no, look, you gotta learn contentness in need and abundance. And he says, here's what the secret is. I can do all things. Through Christ who strengthens me, I can do all things. What does that mean? It means I need to be equally dependent on God in the lows and highs of life.
[00:25:19] When things are going bad, I need to pray, I need to seek him, I need to move towards him. But when things are going good, I need him just as much. Then too. Church, you with me. I need an equal dependence. That is just part of how I live my life, Lord. Thank you. Things are going good, but help me to be wise in this moment.
[00:25:41] Help me to stay focused on you in this moment. I need that same dependence on him in the lows and in the highs. It reminds me there's a powerful story in the Old Testament about an ancient king named Solomon. And Solomon inherits the throne. And the time that he inherits the throne, everything is moving up and to the right.
[00:26:04] Everything is thriving, everything is growing.
[00:26:08] Everything that he could want to happen is happening.
[00:26:12] And he says this prayer to God, and it's captured in the Bible. And basically the gist of his prayer is he's saying, lord, I see what you're doing. And I realize I can't lead these people well. I can't lead this kingdom well without your help. I'm not smart enough.
[00:26:32] I need your wisdom.
[00:26:34] And he prays this beautiful prayer. And God says, solomon, I love that prayer.
[00:26:40] I love that prayer. Cause it wasn't a shallow or selfish prayer, but it was a prayer of dependence. It was a prayer in the midst of things going really, really well. You recognized you can't do it without my wisdom at work. And God honored that prayer.
[00:26:59] And it was such a cool thing. But here's the sad part about Solomon's story.
[00:27:03] At some point, he stopped saying that prayer.
[00:27:06] And at some point he stopped living in that sense of dependence. And guess what?
[00:27:14] It hurt everything.
[00:27:17] And the same is true in our lives today.
[00:27:20] You may feel like, man, I absolutely need God. And that's a good place to be.
[00:27:25] But even if you don't feel it today, you still need him just as much. Church. And don't go forward without relying and leaning on his help in your life. We need equal dependence in the lows and highs. We also need equal confidence in the highs and lows.
[00:27:48] Sometimes we get into those lows and we get so discouraged and we just start believing there is no help.
[00:28:00] I'm alone.
[00:28:02] God's not with me.
[00:28:05] God won't guide me through this. And even in our darkest days, we need the confidence of what Paul says just later on. My God will supply every need according to to his riches in Christ Jesus Church. Here's what I know. Whatever your life needs, God has it. And God has it in abundance. He has it and he wants you to have confidence that he has it and that he'll freely give it to you. You with me, you need that confidence. Paul says, I learned in all things. I can do it all through him who strengthens me. I receive his strength.
[00:28:44] And I am equally confident.
[00:28:46] When the sun is out, it's a good morning.
[00:28:50] And when it's a dark day and it's difficult, I still trust he can and will help me. We need equal confidence. And we need to actively step towards him to seek his help, to trust him to take the next right step.
[00:29:11] Here's what I love. God doesn't help us because we're worthy of it.
[00:29:18] Paul says, he strengthens me.
[00:29:21] It's something that He Receives.
[00:29:26] And what I just want to remind you of today is that God doesn't give us his help because we're strong people. Because we're good people. We're. Or cause we're deserving people.
[00:29:35] That's not where God's help begins.
[00:29:38] God's help begins with the goodness of who he is and the depths of our need. You with me on this? Here's how Paul says it in Romans. He says, when you were weak, when you were enemies, when you were ungodly, Christ died for you.
[00:29:56] Christ didn't look at you and say, you know what? You are getting your act together. I'm gonna help you today.
[00:30:01] He didn't look at it and say, you know what? I like you a little bit better today than I did last week. I'm going to help you out.
[00:30:08] He doesn't look at it and say, oh, you're becoming so much stronger than you used to be. Therefore, I'll give you some more strength. That's not how it works, Church. It's an act of mercy. It's an act of grace. And it's offered to each and every one of us. Us.
[00:30:27] And his strength is the source of our strength.
[00:30:31] It reminds me so many times, my kids will be, like, walking into the water or walking somewhere where, like, I gotta. They wanna hold my hand, you know? Cause they are having trouble navigating it or whatever. And my kids are still pretty young, you know, seven, five and two. And a lot of times, like, they'll grab onto, like, a finger, and then I'll, like, grab onto their hold hand because I know that their grip isn't gonna do it. You with me on this? If we're wading into the deep end and they got my finger, their grip is going to give out, but my grip on them is not gonna give out.
[00:31:15] And here's the truth, Church. We gotta grip God the best that we can.
[00:31:21] But you need to know this. He's got a way stronger grip on you today.
[00:31:26] He has a grip that can get us through all the challenges of this life. You're not meant to do it in your own strength. You don't have enough. But he does.
[00:31:40] And here's my prayer for you. And here's what I want to leave you with today. To think about and to pray about and to just keep in the front of your mind. Psalm 68:3 says this. It says, my soul clings to God and His right hand upholds me.
[00:32:01] Do you see that image? My soul clings to God. I got the baby grip, but his right hand upholds me.
[00:32:10] He's got the real grip.
[00:32:13] And Paul says, when we know that, when we trust that, when we live in that reality, that's the strength, that's the joy and that's here offered to us today. Let's pray.
[00:32:27] Father, would you bless us to not only know your strength, help us to know it, but help us to experience it in a very, very real way.
[00:32:44] Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters who may be coming into this room are just in a low.
[00:32:52] I pray they could feel you strengthening them.
[00:32:58] I pray they could draw near to you.
[00:33:02] I pray they could have a sense of.
[00:33:06] Not of their grip on you, but your grip on them.
[00:33:12] And I pray it would give us joy.
[00:33:15] I pray we could just be reminded and know the God that we have. The God of strength, the God of love, the God of goodness, the God of justice and righteousness and mercy, and the God who calls us his own own.
[00:33:34] Let us find deep strength and joy in that today, Lord. And we pray that you would draw near to us as we draw near to you.
[00:33:44] Bless us with the gift of your presence in Jesus name, amen.
