Merredin Uniting Church

TEXT: Philippians 4:10-23 Ephesians 3:14-21  (Audio Version: http://sermon.net/daviddekock)

This is the last sermon in our series on the Letter to the Philippians, and we deal primarily with the subject of generosity.

I don’t know about you but whenever the issue of money and giving in the church is raised I get the picture of the American TV evangelists who seem always to be asking for money.

I laugh at the story (probably not true!) of one such evangelist who had electric wires connected to every seat in the church.

“All those who are willing to give one hundred dollars to God,” he shouted, “stand up!”

And then he pressed the button which sent a shot of electricity through each seat. There was a tremendous response but after the service they found three dead Scotsmen still clinging to their seats.

Another story is told of the beautiful silver collection plates being passed around for the offering. Everyone desperately dug in their pockets for loose change and the plates were finally returned, almost empty, to the minister. He took one look at them and then raised them up to heaven and prayed, “Lord, we thank you for the safe return of these plates…”

The picture Paul paints in our text today is quite different however. He writes to thank the Christians at Philippi who have sent him money via Epaphroditus. And he gives them two of the most wonderful promises of Scripture:

¹³ I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

and

My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

He also outlines the threefold blessing of generous giving –

• It blesses others
• It blesses us, and
• It blesses God.

First then, the blessing to others

Paul responds to the gift that he has received by saying, “I 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.”

He is exceedingly grateful for the gift.

Nonetheless he shows clearly that it is not so much about the money for which he is grateful but for the opportunity that they have taken to bless him.

Paul’s attitude to money is far exceeded by the completeness that he finds in his relationship with the Lord. He intimates that he has known what it is to be in need, though he might not be at this time. He has, he says, found the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether in plenty or in want. He has found, in his relationship with the Lord, that whatever the circumstances “he can do everything through Him who gives him strength.”

Yet he is blessed by the gift – “it was good of you to share in my troubles” and he thanks them for coming to his aid time and again in the past.

You see, it is not the gift so much that counts as the fact that the people at Philippi, more than the other churches, were concerned enough about him and his ministry in service of Jesus, to send the gift. Perhaps this is where we get the saying that “it’s the thought that counts” –though we often mean that when we would like to have given or received more than we did. For Paul, it really was the thought that counted –they were really thinking about him and his ministry and they really wanted to support him in a very practical way.

One gets the impression that even if they had sent no money, any other expression of their concern would have been a gift enough. The bottom line is that Paul had moved away from concern about money, he had found his contentment in the Lord –that wonderful promise: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

What is the secret of contentment?

Well, it is not to have everything you want. John D Rockefeller, a multi billionaire, was once asked how much money it takes to make a man happy. He replied, “Just a little more.” Contentment does not come from wealth, for this only creates a desire for more. Contentment finds its satisfaction in the transforming friendship of Jesus Christ.

Paul discovered this –he learned how to live not on outer resources but on the inner strength which comes from Jesus Christ. And so he writes to the Philippians that in some ways he did not need their gift.

However, in some ways he did need the money that they sent and he commends them for continually coming to his aid. They had shared his troubles and had sent him money again and again. He appreciated it immensely and it blessed him.

When we first went to Howick I set out to visit everyone in the congregation. In one home that I visited I found that the husband was a member of the congregation but his wife was not. The reason was that though she was a believer, she had not been baptized, and had been made to feel embarrassed about it. She never came to church because of that and so her husband had to retell the sermon to her each Sunday morning.

I spoke to her about it, and about the misconceptions she had received from the church. The following week I baptized her in her swimming pool. She only came to church once after that and then the family emigrated to England. After they had left, I received a letter from her with a substantial amount of money –the note on the card said simply, “I got some bonus and I want to share it with you.”

The word “share” is a word that Paul also uses in relation to the Philippian church’s gift to him. It is the word “koinonia” which means fellowship, communion or close relationship. The church were in close relationship with him in his ministry and they showed it by blessing him with gifts. The lady who shared her bonus with me, did so, she wrote later, because I had helped to bring her into a close relationship not only with Jesus, but also with her family, particularly her husband. They now worship regularly together in a church on the Isle of Man and are very involved with their fellowship as a family.

And I was blessed by the gift, not of the money, but by the thought that was expressed in the gift.

Generous giving also blesses the giver

I love to give gifts. And I especially love to give gifts anonymously and as surprises. This is often true also of God’s people everywhere. I have seen it in this congregation. In my previous congregation most preferred not to have their gifts to the church made public and so we had no credits to anyone for their giving to build and equip the church – no public thank you’s, no brass plaques, nothing. Even the Foundation Stone at the entrance to the church said “Not to us, not to us, but to Your Name be the glory.” – Ps 115:1. And yet there were many who gave sacrificially and some very substantially –how else did we pay out more than a million rand over our normal income in such a short period….

Why is this? Why the desire to have no accolades? I think it is because God’s people have found a blessing that is far more than the acknowledgement of men.

And Paul tells us this too by using technical banking and accounting terms throughout this passage as he details how the church at Philippi will be blessed for their gift.

In verse 15 he speaks of “giving and receiving” or more correctly translated, of debits and credits –the two sides of an accountant’s ledger.

In verse 17, he uses a word, translated as “credited”. He says, “Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account.” The word would normally be used to speak of growth in interest income on a capital amount invested.

And then in verse 18, he says “I have received full payment” –which is a commercial term meaning “to receive a sum in full and to give a receipt for it.”

In a sense, by the use of this commercial language, Paul is saying the giving is an investment of capital, and that there will be a return on the investment which will be worth far more than a name on a foundation stone or a silver plaque. In 2 Corinthians 9:6, he again stresses this point –“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” Giving is like planting seed. A farmer is investing for the future and he knows that he will reap far more than he sows.

Hudson Taylor, the Founder of the China Inland Mission and who it is said laid the foundation for the present revival now taking place there, was preparing to go to China in 1853. He lived a very frugal life, eating only a bowl of porridge in the morning and a bowl of gruel on alternate nights. One day he was asked to go and pray for a very poor man and his wife. The only money he possessed was his week’s wages of half-a-crown. When he saw their poverty he thought that he should give them a shilling. When the five children came out he decided to give one and six. Then he spoke to them of the love of the heavenly Father and decided to give two shillings. Eventually, as he closed off with the Lord’s prayer he knew that he had to give them everything he had. Joy flooded his heart and he sang all the way home. As he ate his bowl of gruel that night he was reminded that “he that giveth to the poor, lendeth to the Lord” and so he asked the Lord that the loan not be a long one. He slept peacefully and the next morning he received an unexpected letter. Inside was a pair of gloves and half a sovereign. He had received back 400% in just 12 hours. The incident became a turning point in his life and he came back to it time and again as he faced even more serious trials in his life.

That spiritual principle applies to everything in life. Whatever we give to the Lord he multiplies, whether it is our time, home, gifts, ambitions or our money. Our return is not necessarily financial though, because we are investing in people. We see lives changed, the hungry fed, the naked clothed, addicts set free, marriages restored and the sick made well again.

The New Testament principle is that if we want treasure in heaven, we have to send it on ahead –we can’t take it behind the hearse in a trailer!

What will our reward be? I don’t know but I suspect that we will see those we have unknowingly helped –someone who says, “I am here partly because of your gift” or “my marriage was restored” or “I was healed”.

We get a foretaste of this now by giving generously –for it is not only the recipients who are blessed: we are also blessed through our giving.

But more than anything generous giving is blessing to God

From verse 18, Paul moves to the language of the Temple. He says that our giving is “a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.”

Our giving blesses God because we are fulfilling His desire for us. In Malachi 3, the prophet tells us that the withholding of our offering is like robbing God. The Lord wants us to support His mission in the world, bringing the good news about Jesus into the hearts and lives of people, making disciples of them and teaching them to obey all that He has commanded.

And throughout the New Testament we are encouraged to give generously –regularly (“on the first day of the week” it says in 1 Corinthians 16:2) and proportionately (“a sum of money in keeping with your income” it says in the same verse).

Some people believe we should give a tenth accordingly to the Old Testament guidelines, but the only New Testament rule is generosity. Jacob the swindler gave a tenth, but then he was Old Testament. Zaccheus, after meeting Jesus, gave half of all he owned.

If we give generously, Paul says, “My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Ultimately then, we can never out-give God.

Our generosity must stem from the generosity of God’s grace to us.

Perhaps then it’s not surprising that this letter begins and ends with “Grace”. At the beginning Paul says, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” and he ends with “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” The central theme of the letter has been God’s love and generosity and indeed that’s the central theme of the New Testament and of the Bible as a whole.

Jesus taught that our highest duty is to love God with all our heart and soul and mind. After that our duty is to love our neighbour as ourselves and indeed, that’s how Paul closes the letter. “To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” And then “Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus.”

Then he closes by asking that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with them –for Jesus is the channel of all the good gifts which come to us. It is His love which enables us to love Him and His love which enables us to love others.

I think that if we had to ask Paul for a two-word answer to the question, “Why is this life worth living?” he would say simply, “Jesus Christ” and he would explain that He supplies all our needs and strengthens us to do everything.

To Him be glory in the Church for ever and ever. Amen

TEXT: Philippians 4:1-9  (Audio Version: http://sermon.net/daviddekock)

As we continue in this series on Paul’s letter to the Church in Philippi, we come today to reflect on the resources which we have which will enable us to stand firm in this life in Christ. We need a good foundation from which we can draw our steadfastness.

When I left school I was done with church. For 10 years I had been to church every day – twice on Wednesdays and Thursdays, three times on Sundays and sometimes twice on Saturdays. It was enough, so I didn’t go to church for a long time after that – for a further ten years in fact, except for the time when Margie and I were married.

When I came to the Lord in 1977, I looked back on those years of going to church and I realized just how important they were in building a Christian foundation in my life. I didn’t know it at the time – I thought I was just there for the money (as a choir boy and altar boy we were paid a tickey for going to church and two shillings for singing at weddings).

I also looked back on the ten years that I didn’t go to church and regretted that it took me so long to find my way back. I had been sidetracked by peer pressure, a life of trying to have fun and sheer laziness.

I realized the importance of laying a firm foundation as early as possible in life – if my foundation during my school years had been better, more focussed on Jesus, I possibly would not have even have wasted the subsequent ten years. I give thanks to God for the past thirty or so years and I had a little private celebration with God in 2004 when I crossed the line to become one who had followed of Jesus for more years than I had not.

Over the past couple of weeks the significance of laying a good and early Christian foundation in our lives, and the lives of our children has been strong in my mind. I shared a little of this with the elders on Thursday evening and I am going to devote a lot of my holiday to thinking out the relevance of this in our situation here in this Parish.

Back to our text. Paul tells us that we must “stand firm in the Lord”. And then he tells us how!

The word that he uses for “stand firm” is the same as that of a soldier in the middle of a battle, or of a gladiator in the Roman arena. Standing poised against the enemy, firm and resolute, pumped with adrenalin, positive of victory!

He shows how we can not only hold off the enemy but come through victorious, full of joy, peace and a sense of the presence of God. And this is so vitally important for us today.

The first thing is the need for us to watch our relationships with each other. “Standing firm”, as we have seen is used in the context of battle – it describes a phalanx, soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder. When they stood like that they were virtually invincible –provided they did not break rank. In a modern context we could use the term to describe a scrum in rugby union.

The enemy is always looking for cracks and divisions to exploit in the church. When the church breaks ranks, when the soldiers of Christ’s army are no longer shoulder to shoulder, the Evil One has a field day.

In our text we see a personality clash between two women, Euodia and Syntyche. In dealing with them, Paul does not take sides; rather he urges both of them to take the initiative in order to reach agreement and he appeals to others to help bring them together.

He doesn’t criticise them; rather he concentrates on their good points to build them up –they have contended by his side, and their names are written in the book of life.

Even trivial personality clashes can lead people away from the Lord. I once read a story of a woman who despite having been a faithful Christian and churchgoer stopped going to church for over 15 years. The reason –at a church fete she bought a cake at the cake stall. Seeing another cake she wanted, she said, “I’ll have that one as well”. The woman behind the stall said, “Oh no, you can’t have two”. Deeply offended by the remark, the woman concluded that the church was full of hypocrites and never went back.

It was silly, and we can laugh at it, but the example may not be far from us all. We must watch our relationships with other Christians. Disagreements, disunity, unnecessary remarks and unforgiveness can weaken then church and destroy our faith. One of the vital secrets of standing firm in the Lord is to work at our Christian friendships in the church.

From taking care about our relationships with each other, Paul now tells us that we can “stand firm in the Lord” by watching our relationship with the Lord, and he gives us three invaluable tips.

First, Enjoy the Lord

Sixteen times in Philippians, Paul tells us to “rejoice in the Lord”. However bad our circumstances, we need to find our joy in the Lord. The Westminster Confession tells us that “the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever”. John Piper, one of my favourite authors and pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, calls himself a Christian hedonist –almost a contradiction in terms if we look at many Christians today. He finds absolute pleasure and delight in the Lord –not one sermon is preached, not one word is written without calling people to enjoy God. He was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer –it has not changed his joyful outlook because he is standing firm in the Lord.

Second, Expect the Lord

Immediately following the call to “rejoice in the Lord”, Paul says, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near”.

Because the Lord is near –near to those who walk with Him, and because it is near to the Day when He shall return –we can, and must be gentle people. We don’t need to be contentious, abrasive and driven by self-seeking desires. Retaliation is not part of our vocabulary because we are abiding in His presence.

We can “stand firm in the Lord” because it is the Lord who is near who will vindicate us. We have no need to stand up to fight for our own position –God has it all in the palm  of His hand.

Third, Entreat the Lord

He says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”.

Prayer and worry are not easy bedfellows. And living a life weighed down with worries is not really living. Prayer takes care of worries –a sign outside a church read “Why pray, when you can worry and take tranquilizers?”

If we want to lift ourselves above the troubles which threaten to pull us down, then we need to be a people of prayer, bringing our prayers, petitions and requests to God. It helps us to keep a journal or prayer diary so that when prayers are answered we can pray with thanksgiving. This is another matter which has been on my mind and when we return from our holidays, I want to focus on prayer as the primary foundation of our relationship with God.

The extraordinary and wonderful promise is that when we pray out our worries and anxieties, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.”

Peace for the Christian means far more than the absence of hostility –The word Paul uses is “shalom”: it means wholeness, soundness, well-being, oneness with God, every kind of blessing and good. It surpasses all our hopes and expectations and it transcends the understanding of others because they do not understand how we can be so peaceful in the face of major worries and anxieties.

Back to the focus on how we stand firm in the Lord. First, he said that we must watch our relationships with each other. Then he said that we must watch our relationship with the Lord. Paul now goes on to tell us that “standing firm in the Lord” needs us to be thinking right thoughts – He tells us to think about whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—the excellent and praiseworthy things.

It has been said that “a man is not what he thinks he is, but what he thinks, he is.”

And Jesus said that the things that enter our body through our mouth are not to be worried over because will eventually they leave our bodies. However that which comes out of our mouth is important because it comes from the heart and “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony and slander. It is these things, Jesus says, which make a man unclean.

These are the thoughts of our mind and so we need to be careful about what we think about.

In today’s world its hard to do this because we are surrounded by images and words from television, newspapers, movies and so on which easily lead us in a wrong direction. Our thoughts are then not on true and pure things. We are angered by the politicians on the news, we are sidetracked by the easy sex in the movies, we are misled by false advertising claims.

But, while we may be tempted daily by wrong thoughts we don’t have to succumb to them. Martin Luther said that you can’t stop a bird from flying over your head but you can stop it nesting in your hair.

The way to get wrong thoughts out is to put right thoughts in –occupy your mind with good thoughts and the enemy will find no place to put any bad ones!

One way to do this is to start first thing in the morning with prayer and Bible reading. Memorising scripture verses is a great exercise, as does reading Christian books.

What we think about is not something which can be seen by others. It is part of our secret life but it is vital to standing firm in the Lord. Our unseen life is like the roots of a tree or the foundation of a building –our ability to withstand the storms of life depends on the strength of the unseen parts.

And then finally, Paul says, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.” It’s a challenge for us to build our Christian stability by following the example of the lives of outstanding Christians.

Paul is not afraid to put himself forward as an example of the life to be followed – he has no fear of the “tall poppy” syndrome. He encourages his readers not only to follow his teaching but also his lifestyle –his words and his actions!

In Robert Anderson’s book, “The Effective Pastor” he makes the telling point that the pastor needs to be an outstanding example to the congregation of how to know Jesus, how to pray and how to live. He has little time for professional pastors and those who just want to be “one of the boys”.

And let me tell you that the world watches the Christians. They expect us to be above the things of the world, and we are, and we must be.

It is not so easy however to do all these things. Paul encourages his readers to put into practice what he has taught them –practice is the only way.

We must practice avoiding quarrels.

We must practice being united with other Christians.

We must practice avoiding worry and anxiety by bringing it to the Lord in prayer.

We must practice thinking about good things.

We must practice what we see in the lives of godly men and women.

And remember ….

Unforgiveness cuts us off from God.

Quarreling cuts us off from God.

Sinful thoughts cut us off from God.

Following bad examples cuts us off from God.

But forgiveness, unity, prayer, thankfulness, right thinking and following good examples keep us close to the God of peace.

And then we can stand firm in the Lord, not be sidetracked and so rejoice in living the life that is worthy.

TEXT: Philippians 3:10-21  Hebrews 12:1-3   (Audio Version: http://sermon.net/daviddekock)

Should Christians be ambitious –striving for success?

Some would say not, that we should rather go through life taking whatever comes as “God’s Will”.

This is a foolish thought –it makes this life irrelevant, a mere waiting room for that which is still to come. This life that God gave us has a purpose, otherwise we might just as well have been born straight into heaven instead of in a nursing home on this planet.

From the Book of Acts and from his letters we know that Paul was a fiercely ambitious man –he had an immense desire to succeed. Before he was a Christian this drive was directed at the persecution of the church which he saw as opposed to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After his conversion, he remained just as ambitious but the direction was changed. Suddenly, on the road to Damascus, when he came face to face with the resurrected Jesus, he realised that Jesus was the One of whom the prophets had spoken. This was God made flesh and come to save the world. In a moment his ambition changed –now he was suddenly the most ardent supporter of the Christian faith. He realised that the Christian faith was not to be opposed but to be seen as the fulfilment of everything that God had promised.

John Stott said that, “ultimately there are only two controlling ambitions … one is our own glory, and the other is God’s”. Paul always sought God’s glory but on that desert road he realised that in opposing Christ, his ambition was misdirected.

We saw in the previous sermon in this series that Paul’s new confidence had come from knowing Christ and having His righteousness. Now, right in mid-sentence, he moves from the ground, or basis of his confidence to the focus of his ambitions.

He says that his ambition is “to know Christ”. This is much more than knowing about Christ –he wants to know Christ as a person. The new and central focus of his life is to have a personal relationship with Him -an exhilarating and intimate union with the Lord who had personally come to earth.

He gives three descriptions of how this ambition is to be realised – in the power of the resurrection, in the fellowship of Christ’s suffering and in his own expected resurrection from the dead.

First, he wants to know Christ in “the power of his resurrection.” He is not simply looking to acknowledge a historical event but to see this “power” as dynamically at work in his own life. In Romans 8 he says, “if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies, through His Spirit, who lives in you.”

The Spirit of God brings this resurrection power to our lives –yours and mine. By the power of His death and resurrection Jesus disarmed Satan, broke the hold of sin and defeated death. This power is available to all to enable us to live holy lives and to minister to others with resurrection power.

With all his heart, Paul wants to know this power in his own life.

If you want victory over sin and evil in your life and in your world, if you want to live a holy life, then you too must long to know Christ and the power of his resurrection with all your heart.

Second, Paul wants to know Christ and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings. He does not seek suffering, but he knows that it is inevitable –it is not a penalty but a privilege. We will never suffer in exactly the way that Jesus did but we will face sufferings as the practical result of our Christian life.

For some, this will mean severe persecution, but for most of us it will be the pain and struggle against sin. Ask a drug addict or an alcoholic or even a cigarette smoker if it is easy to kick the habit of the old life. You will then hear something of the kind of struggle and suffering that we have to endure in order to be rid of our sinful nature and so to know Christ more fully.

God does not take away our sin, we have to give it to Him in confession and repentance –our bad attitudes and habits, our hateful speech, our lack of love. Few of us are murderers or adulterers or blasphemers –if we were we would readily seek forgiveness. Our struggle is with the “little sins” that we don’t care to admit. And it is these that are likely to cause most suffering as we offer them to the God who came, suffered and died for us because they demand a radical lifestyle change if we are to truly know Christ.

It is in these moments of suffering that we experience “fellowship” with Christ, and it is that fellowship which Paul wants –no matter the cost.

Third, knowing Christ means sharing His destiny, “somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” When Paul says “somehow” he is not expressing doubt or uncertainty –he had no doubt about his eternal life. In Romans 8 he says, “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.” He is telling us that while he is not there yet, it is his primary aim and ambition. In verse 13, he says “the one thing I do” –he is absolutely single-minded about his ambition to know Christ, and he will allow nothing in his life to conflict with that ambition.

This does not mean for us, that we should put aside any ambitions for our marriage, family life, career, work or ministry. Instead all of these things must be drawn into our central ambition –this is why we seek Christian marriage, and the strongest argument for baptising infants must be that we want to draw them into the centrality of our own faith and overriding ambition to know Christ. If we marry in church just for the atmosphere or bring our children just to have them “done” then we have utterly missed the point. The primary objective must be to have “knowing Christ” as the central ambition of our life and all that surrounds us in that life.

In the desire to fulfil this ambition, Paul paints a picture of himself as an athlete. Like a runner, he does not look back but strains for that which lies ahead. Like a man climbing a ladder, he looks up to his goal, concentrating on the next rung and forgetting those that he has left behind. In our desire to know Christ we cannot live on past successes or be bogged down by past failures, despair over past sins or bitterness over past wrongs done to us –instead we must “press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus”.

And Paul makes the point that this is not a solitary pursuit. In Christ we are not alone in our ambitions. He says, “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” There are very few who have come to really know Christ by being alone in their journey –we need the company of others who are going in the same direction. We need our church fellowship, we need our friends.

Today is the KEP Ultra-marathon – a 100km race from the Mundaring Weir to Northam. I can imagine that it would be much harder to run that route on any other day than today. There would be none of the camaraderie to spur each other on, none of the organization to keep the traffic out of your way, no support tables offering water, Mars bars and bananas and no-one to massage aching muscles. If our ambition is to know Christ, we need to join with others and follow the pattern of those who lead the way for us and who will support us on our journey.

Next, in verse 18, Paul turns to those who have rejected this ambition of knowing Christ and who live as enemies of the Cross of Christ. Does he reject them, make them his enemies? No! He weeps for them. He sheds tears of anguish and despair. He sees that they are missing out on “the resurrection of the dead”, and their terrible end is “destruction”.

No doubt they are unaware of where they are heading. The devil never tells us our destination as he leads us along his path.

Unlike Paul’s great and overriding ambition to know Christ, these have other ambitions –we could call them man-centred ambitions.

First, their appetites dictate their lives. Paul says, “their god is their stomach”. No doubt there are some who lives revolve around their eating and drinking habits but Paul has something more in mind. He is referring to those whose god is personal satisfaction and sensuality –literally the satisfaction of our senses: feel, touch, taste, smell and so on. Even a brief excursion through a lifestyle magazine will confirm this. Advertisements for clothes, perfume and alcohol dominate everything and they all offer sensual pleasures.

Many people are driven by the satisfaction of their bodily desires, for others it is in fame or money or power. But such ambitions always lead to dissatisfaction. Even when attained they still leave an emptiness, and often a despair. The lives of the rich and famous might well be filled with glitter and glam as we watch their exploits on the television or in the magazines but when their guard is down they are mostly unhappy and dissatisfied.

This leads us to the second thing about “the enemies of the cross”. They boast when they should blush –Paul says “their glory is in their shame”. They are like robbers who boast about their ill-gotten gains, or criminals who must always return to the scene of the crime. Or like the man who must talk about his sexual conquests or how much he drank the night before. The glory is in the event, the so-called success –but isn’t it strange that it is always the boasting that becomes their downfall. They have built their life out of a pack of cards –they must keep adding to it because what they have is not yet enough. And the more they add, the greater the danger of collapse and ruin. This is quite unlike the Christian ambition to know Christ, which builds one up, gives satisfaction and ensures success.

Thirdly, their minds are locked into this planet. Paul says that “their minds are on earthly things”. Elsewhere, Jesus says, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The Christian is a citizen of heaven, not of this planet. This planet, like our earthly bodies is wearing out. The things of the earth that we seek for satisfaction only temporarily meet our needs. Our eyesight fails, we often experience humiliating illness, we must constantly battle to control our tongues and our appetites. It is absurd to make a god out of these things.

If however we seek God’s glory, Jesus will transform these bodies which are subject to decay and sin to be like His glorious body which will never age or decay or be subject to sinful desires.

In this passage Paul tells us that everyone is on one of two paths. There are two destinations: one is headed for heaven, the other is headed for destruction. There are two powers at work: the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit and the power of bodily appetites. There are two possible lifestyles: those who are willing to share in His sufferings and those who want a lifestyle of ease and comfort. There are two possible gods: our Lord Jesus Christ or our stomachs. There are two possible attitudes to Jesus: either friendship at the most intimate level or enemies of the cross. Ultimately there are only two ambitions: either His glory, Christ-centred ambition; or our own glory, self-centred ambition. Paul says in effect: “I have changed my ambitions. Now I am Christ-centred. Will you join me?”

So what is my ambition? Since becoming a Christ follower my ambition has changed radically. To that point my ambition was worldly success – to be rich and famous. I was the International Economist of a major banking group, travelling the world, speaking at conferences. I was comfortably well off with a string of degrees, including an MBA from a prestigious university and I was about to launch a unique concept for dealing in foreign currencies. When I met Jesus, my ambitions changed – since then and even more so now, my ambition is to help people by word and action to become joyful followers of Jesus in a life which is completely satisfied, having left behind their past and seeing clearly what God has promised for them. I don’t want to be any different to the person that I am now.

Let’s pray …

Lord God Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth and all that is in them. It is not my desire to worship created things nor to be caught up with the gods of this world. I do not want to be an enemy of the Cross. I want to live my life for Your glory. I want to know You and the power of the resurrection, I am prepared to share in the fellowship of Your sufferings and I want to attain the resurrection of the dead. By the power of Your Name I would count everything as loss for the sake of knowing You.

Grant to me the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit to have but one ambition for my life –to know You deeply and personally as my Lord and Saviour.

Amen

Tags: ambition, life worth living, philippians

TEXT: 1 Peter 1:1-12 (Audio version:  http://sermon.net/daviddekock)

“To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood.”

The whole basis for our salvation is identified in this one sentence, the most condensed outline of the process of salvation in all of Scripture. Peter also reveals here the complex and multi-faceted nature of God.

Peter is writing to scattered followers of Christ, believers who’ve been dispersed due to persecution under the Roman Emperor Nero. He writes to encourage the afflicted and he begins by announcing that all three Persons of the Godhead are responding to their suffering. Father, Son, and Spirit are involved in the reasons behind their hardship, and stand ready to provide relief and an everlasting inheritance.

Even today believers face misunderstanding, ridicule and harassment by unbelieving friends, employers, teachers, and family members. In some countries, converting to Christ is punishable by death. Peter shows us the attitude we should have when facing this kind of opposition. When people oppose us, we are reminded that we belong to the Triune God and not to this world. Our hope is found in our thrice-holy God. We may be mocked and looked down upon in the eyes of secular society, but our true status is that we’ve been chosen as God’s elect. God has initiated our calling, which means our real home, our true citizenship is in heaven and this makes us strangers in a hostile, foreign land.
According to Peter, all three members of the Trinity work to bring us new life and provide us assurance of our salvation. All Three are involved in our daily lives. Yet we do not worship three Gods. We are not polytheists. The Trinity is a complicated yet essential Christian teaching.

Defining “Trinity”

The doctrine of the Trinity is that we worship One God, Who is manifest in three distinct Persons. In the Tri-unity of the Godhead there are Three-in-One, of the same substance: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They are equally God in their being, power, holiness and eternality. God is one in essence and three in Person. Scripture affirms both the oneness of God and the deity of the Father, Son and Spirit. The Father is our Creator, the Son our Redeemer, and the Spirit our Sanctifier. The word “Trinity” comes from the Latin word “Tri-unitos”, which means “three in the unity of one.” They are distinct, yet not solitary. And while the word Trinity is not found in the Bible, it is a Biblical concept: One-in-Three; Three-in-One.

The Trinity is somewhat of a mystery—the teaching is difficult to grasp, because it is so unique. Theologians have tried to explain the nature of God, but God is beyond human comprehension. We understand part of Who God is, but not the whole.

He is Father – Our loving Father chose us before we chose Him (Eph 1:4). From eternity past, the Father planned our salvation, so there is no room to doubt our future in heaven. Nothing that happens can change the Father’s sovereign promises to us. We are His elect, chosen people, adopted into His family.

He is Son – Jesus, the Son died for us while we were sinners, purchasing our salvation through the shedding of His blood (Rom 5:6-10). The “sprinkling by His blood” refers back to the sacrifices in the Jewish Temple, where the blood of the animal sacrifice would be sprinkled on the altar and on the mercy seat above the Ark of the Covenant, to cover or atone for sin. Jesus has always been God and He became a man without ceasing to be God. He is 100% God and 100% man at the same time.

He is Spirit – The Spirit seals and applies Christ’s sacrifice to our lives, bringing us the benefits of salvation. The Spirit cleanses and prepares us for God’s use (II Thes 2:13). Peter says that the Spirit “sanctifies” us. This means He makes us holy and sets us apart. The Spirit begins a gradual process of growth within us. Our old way of life is passing away, and all things are being made new (II Cor 5:17). The Spirit also enables us to discern and understand Scripture. Paul writes that without enlightenment from the Spirit, the Bible appears to be foolishness. The Spirit inspired the writers of Scripture and for us makes understandable the word of God.

Their Roles – The Father is the Originator, the Son is the Agent, and the Holy Spirit is the Administrator. Jonathan Edwards described the Trinity as “sharing in divine love.” Self-giving love is our Triune God’s signature. God is not self-contained or self-absorbed; He reaches out to His Creation, revealing Himself to us. Gregory (of Zazianzus, a 4th Century Bishop), and early church leader said: “I cannot think of the One without immediately being surrounded by the radiance of the Three; nor can I discern the Three without being carried back to the One.”

The Baptismal formula – After Jesus died and rose from the grave, He appeared to His disciples and commissioned them to go into all the world, preaching the Gospel to every creature. They were to baptize new believers, “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Significantly, Jesus did not say “in the names” but “in the name”. The three “persons”, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, have one name – God – and one eternal Being.

It is important that we understand the Father, Son and Spirit are revealed as God in Scripture…and yet the Bible says that there is only “one” God. Confusion with this comes because we don’t grasp the meaning of the word “one”.
There are two Hebrew words for “one”: yachid, which means “absolute mathematical oneness;” and echad, meaning a “composite unity” or a “united one.” Here are some examples of echad–

In Genesis 1:5 we’re told, “…there was evening and there was morning, one (echad) day.” (It does not, in fact, say the “first” day). In Genesis 2:24 we read that, “a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one (echad) flesh.” Num. 13:23 in summarizing the account of the visit of the spies into the Promised Land describes one (echad) cluster of grapes. (^?When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes).

And in Deut. 6:4 Jehovah our God is described as one (echad) God. (Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one).  A popular Hebrew Name of God, elohim, has a plural ending, because God is a unified plurality.

Because our Triune God is a composite unity, we can correctly say 1 + 1 + 1 = 1. This “Trinitarian arithmetic” may seem puzzling, but it’s accurate.

St Patrick, the missionary to Ireland, used a shamrock to explain the concept of the Trinity. This image has three parts but is one harmonious whole/entirety. The triangle is also used as a Trinitarian symbol because it has 3 sides, yet is one object.

A young woman reflected on her journey of faith. She stated: “I got to know God through the three Persons of the Trinity. I first encountered God as Father in church, where I learned that God is holy, deserving of my worship. Later, as a teenager, I became acquainted with Jesus, a man I wanted to follow for the rest of my life. And then—it was almost like a second conversion—I became aware of the power of the Spirit, of God living inside me.”

God the Father revealed Himself to the Jewish nation. Jesus revealed the completion of God’s plan for salvation, and then promised the Comforter to indwell and guide us. Our devotion to God includes all three Persons–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: The God above us, the God before us, and the God within us.

Tags: God, Trinity

TEXT: John 19:26-27   (Audio Version: http://sermon.net/daviddekock)

In the Luke reading Val read today, all parents can share the agony of Mary and Joseph when they couldn’t find Jesus in the company.  (I think George and Val can relate to this when Kevin went missing on the boat coming to Australia.)  I can just imagine myself reacting if any of my children should answer me when Jesus said to Mary and Joseph that they should have known He was busy with the things of His Father.  You know the “Listen mister, don’t be smart with me – get yourself in the car NOW!!”  But we don’t read that – the last few verses say that Mary “treasured all these things in her heart”.

Then we jump to the John reading where Mary witnessed the crucifixion from the foot of the cross.  Can you even imagine how she must’ve felt?

Jesus turns to John and says, take care of her, and looks at his mother and says, let him stand in my place as your son.  John lived a very long life, and I believe he took care of Mary until she went to heaven.

Jesus is on the cross, bearing the weight of the sins of the whole world on His shoulders, yet He sees to it to make sure His mother is taken care of after He is gone!  As God, Jesus is dealing with eternal matters, but as a man, He’s showing all of us today how important it is to take care and love our mothers!

You cannot be willfully wrong with your mother and be right with God.  If your mother is still alive, regardless of your and her ages, you can love her in these 7 ways:

1.     Love her verbally.

Especially men have the philosophy—I don’t have to say I love you, you already know it.  I have told you before, if I change my mind I’ll let you know!  Or, I SHOW love, not just say it…and that may be true, but a woman needs to hear those words, “I Love You!”

Children need to hear it…and saying it makes you more of a man, not less!  And spouses need to hear it too…

DEAR ABBY: I enlisted shortly after Pearl Harbor. Thirty-six days later, I was on my way to the Philippines. En route, the Philippines fell to the Japanese, and we were routed to Australia. Eleven days after we landed, I met the most beautiful girl in the world.

On our first date, I told her I was going to marry her. I did, 18 months later, while on a 10-day R-and-R leave from New Guinea.

After more than 57 years of marriage and two children, my beloved “Mary” died five days before Christmas. Although we agreed that our ashes were to be scattered over the mountains, I found I could not part with hers.

While Mary was alive, she would frequently say, “You don’t know how much I love you.” I’d reply, “Likewise.” I never said, “I love you.” Now her ashes are on my dresser, where I tell her several times a day how much I love her, but it’s too late. Although I wrote poetry to her, I could not bring myself to say the three words I knew she wanted most to hear.

As my dearest was dying and we thought she was comatose, I told her, “There aren’t enough words to tell you how much I love you.” A few hours later, she whispered, “Not enough words” and died.

The reason I’m writing is to urge men to express their feelings while their loved ones are alive. I don’t know why, but many men are reluctant to express the depth of their feelings. — MISSING MARY IN COLORADO

Our spouses need to hear it, our children…our mothers also!

        Some men would say, I’m just not turned that way…then turn around!  “I’m just not comfortable”…then be uncomfortable!

Verbally…

2.     Love her physically.

When’s the last time you gave her a big hug without her asking for it…or a kiss on the cheek, or a neck rub, or just sat on the couch and held her for a change?

        She’s the first person who ever touched you…she wrapped you up in her womb for months, and you came out and first priority was to hold you, and she cuddled you, stroked your head, rubbed your feet, held your little cheeks against her, gave you a finger to grasp…in love she did all these things, including grooming you with a licked thumb!

        When you were little she could say, “give me sugar”, and you’d pucker up and she’d accept your wet, sloppy kiss and even say thank you!  You give her bear hugs so tight she didn’t have to hold on to you…you’d just cling to her as she walked around!

        She changed your diapers, potty trained you, and held the Kleenex for you to blow your nose!  She wiped food off of your face years longer than she should have had to! 

She constantly touched you!  And she may have to hand you off to another, and her life may endure some heavy changes, but she deserves your touch and should never have to give that up completely!

It would mean more to her than flowers or candy, or eating out, or a diamond necklace [well, let’s not go too far!]

Physically, verbally…

3.     Love her patiently.

Mothers have an incredible job w/ no pay.  No position in the business world compares to the physical, emotional, and spiritual commitment she has in motherhood.

No Occupation

She rises up at break of day and through her tasks she races.

She cooks the meals as best she may and scrubs the children’s faces

While schoolbooks, lunches, homework too, all need consideration…

And yet the census man insists

She has— “No Occupation”

When breakfast dishes all are done

She bakes a pudding, maybe.

She cleans the rooms up, one by one,

With one eye watching baby.

The mending pile she then attacks

by way of variation.

And yet the census man insists

She has — “No Occupation.”

She irons for a little while, then presses pants for Daddy.

She welcomes with a cheery smile returning lass and laddie.

A hearty dinner next she cooks (no time for relaxation),

And yet the census man insists

She has—“No Occupation.”

Don’t ever make the mistake of asking a lady, Do you work, or stay at home?  The only thing worse you can ask is when she’s due if you’re not 100% sure she’s expecting!  And many ladies today have to work on top of the full time job they already have.

Here’s the point, in spite of all she does for us, we often become impatient with her…we get so used to her taking care of things we come to expect it and are outraged that “those clothes are still dirty?” / that’s not ironed? / you’re out of my favorite cookies? / you know I like that over rice, where is it?

She’s picking you up at school because you don’t like to ride the bus, but she’s scolded for being 5 minutes late!

Love her patiently.  Because she’s tender to your needs is no reason to take advantage of her, it’s reason to be patient and to love her all the more!

Teenagers:  it is unfair for you to be more kind, considerate, patient with your friends and your friend’s mothers than your own mother!

        If you treated your friends like you treat your mom you wouldn’t have friends, and if you treated their mom like you do yours their mom wouldn’t let their kid have anything to do with you!  Your mom deserves better…she’s not a rug to wipe every negative thought on!

For us adults with living mothers:  Love her patiently.

Dobson read on Focus on Family Radio—letter from 80 yr. old woman on her birthday:

To all my children:
I suppose my upcoming birthday started my thoughts along these lines…This is a good time to tell you that what I truly want are things I can never get enough of, yet they are free. I want the intangibles.
I would like for you to come and sit with me, and for you to be relaxed. We can talk, or we can be silent. I would just like for us to be together.
I need your patience when I don’t hear what you say the first time. I know how tiresome it is to always be repeating, but sometimes I must ask you to repeat. I need your patience when I think too much about the past, with my slowness and my set ways. I want you to be tolerant with what the years have done to me physically.
Please be understanding about my personal care habits. I spill things. I lose things. I get unduly excited when I try to figure out my bank statements. I can’t remember what time to take my medication, or if I took it already. I take too many naps. Sometimes sleep helps to pass the day.
Well, there you have it: Time, Patience, and Understanding. Those are priceless gifts that I want.  Finally, in his letter, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” I know I can, too! It’s a wonderful feeling to know His eye is on the sparrow and I know He cares for me. I guess being old isn’t so bad after all!
Love,
Mom

Patiently…

4.     Love her attentively.

Mothers listen as you pour out your heart…she has a sympathetic ear, and always has…and even as an adult you’ve gone to her when you want someone who will really listen and understand…and she’ll always be on your side.

It’s no wonder we like to talk to mom…she listens…but now she has issues, and now it’s your turn to be her “rock”…and take time to listen…it’s payback time!

“But, she’s always complaining”…yes, just like you did!

Talks about herself / asks same question over and over…

In their older days, our parents have many fears / anxieties…may we treat them as we’d hope to be treated when we are in their shoes!

Attentively, patiently…

5.     Love her gratefully.

Ill.—An elementary science class had been studying magnets, and how metal objects are attracted to them.  At the end of the semester the teacher put on exam this question:  6 letters, starts w/ “M”, picks up things, what am I?  Over half the children wrote [say it together...] “Mother”!

She needs a sincere thank you, and not just today, but from a genuinely thankful heart when least expected!

If you who are sitting here are as blessed as I am, because we have our children and our parents.”  May it cause us to realize 2 truths:  one about our parents:, and how we won’t always have them.  And another about our children:…let’s be the kind of parents we ought to be!

6.     Love her generously.

There’s nothing too good for her, we could never repay her, but we ought to die trying before she does!  She didn’t spend on herself unless all your needs were met…she could easily do without, and now it’s time for her to have something she wants!

        She clears her schedule so she can run you around…she gives up opportunities so you can have more opportunities!

In a maths exam there was the following question, state your answer as a fraction:  If there’s 10 at the table and one apple pie, how much does each one get?  One ninth! /  “Don’t you know your fractions?”/ “Do you know my mother?  If there’s that many at the table and only one pie, she won’t want any!”

Love her generously…

7.     Love her honorably.

Exodus 20:12

    Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

This is binding as long as your mother lives.  Another command says children, obey…non-binding when you leave home, but “honor” is different!  If the husband is the head of the home, then the mother is the heart…don’t break her heart!

“Yeah, but my mother wasn’t honorable!”  Well, the Bible says nothing about that qualification…it only asks, is she your mother!

        By the way, it’s the only one of the 10 commandments which includes a built-in promise of blessing!

When God created mothers

When the good Lord created mothers, He was into His sixth day of overtime, when an angel appeared and said,

“You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.”

The Lord replied, “have you seen the specs on this order? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic; Have 180 moveable parts … all replaceable; Run on black coffee and leftovers; Have a lap that disappears when she stands up; A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointing love affair; And six pair of hands.”

The angel shook her head slowly and said, “Six pair of hands? No way!”

“It’s not the hands that are causing me problems,” said the Lord. “It’s the three pair of eyes that mothers have to have.

“One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks ‘What are you kids doing in there?’ when she already knows. Another in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn’t, but what she needs to know, and of course the ones in front that look at a child when he goofs up and say, ‘I understand and I love you,’ Without so much as uttering a word. “I’m so close to creating something so close to myself. Already, I have one who heals herself when she is sick …can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger …and get a nine year old to stand under a shower. Not only can she think, she can reason and compromise.”

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the mother. “There’s a leak,” she pronounced, “I told you that you were trying to put too much in this model.”

“That’s not a leak,” said the Lord, “it’s a tear.”

“What is it for?” asked the angel.

The Lord replied, “It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness and pride.”

“You’re a genius!” shouted the angel.

With a somber look on his face, the Lord said, “I didn’t put it there.”

How about a hand now for the crowning jewel of God’s creation:  our mothers!

Lord, help us never to be too busy for mom…if you could take time and great effort for her on the cross in your death, help us to love her while we have her in our life!