“We hold fast to the word of Life, the labor of our Lord”

Philippians 2:1–4, 14–18 ¹So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ²complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

            Have you received comfort, love, affection, and sympathy from Christ?  Some of you might say no, some might say some, and some of you might blurt out yes, because you think that is what your suppose to say.  Well, we can all say yes because we have.  But the question that I am really asking is how many of you see and realize you have received love, affection, and sympathy from Christ?  Like me, you probably focus on the bad things that happen around you and miss out on the good things that are happening around you.  Why is that?

            Actually the answer to the why unfortunately is as plain as the nose on your face.  Though, some of your noses are far from being plain.  I’m looking up at the ceiling so you don’t think I’m talking about you.  We are more focused on ourselves then we are on Christ.  In this we are all likeminded, that is, we are more focused on ourselves then we are on Christ.  Yes I read the Holy Scriptures more than you do, but my mind still wanders off to what I think is MY PROBLEM instead of concentrating on the solution who is Christ and His Word.  Did you notice the word underlined it is the word also.

            It is not that God wants us not to pay attention to our personal needs but rather that we should pay attention a little more to the needs of others too.  If we pay close attention to Christ, well, then we would be paying more attention to others and we would be filled constantly with joy because we are not looking at MY PROBLEMS, or in your case YOUR PROBLEMS.  You do know worrying is a sin?  Worrying is a lack of faith, and a lack of looking at Christ.

            It is interesting because when I take this advice of looking at Christ I feel that joy I am talking about because I become one minded with Christ.  I know you would rather sulk and feel miserable because it’s just too much work to look at Christ.  And, who has the time?  You know that statement is never true, don’t you?  What we are really saying is that I don’t want to put any effort in looking at Christ.  Besides the world is calling and it is very demanding, and I can touch it.  Are you sure you can’t touch the joy Christ is giving you?

Philippians 2: 14–18 ¹⁴Do all things without grumbling or questioning, ¹⁵that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. ¹⁷Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. ¹⁸Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

 We live our faith in a way that says Christ died in vain, and all of the apostles labored in vain.  Yet there is joy in the fruit of their labor, and a victory in the race they ran.  Christ is the prize because he sacrificed Himself and died on a cross for hard criminals so that we who sin might live.  Not one of us is perfect or better than our neighbor, but we are all forgiven.  Christ works in us through His Holy Spirit who also works through the Holy Scriptures so that you will be brought into faith, and believing brought into repenting, and repenting regenerated through forgiveness, and forgiven into eternal life and relationship as the children of God the Father in Heaven.  We can hold fast to the word of Life through the labor of our Lord.  Amen.

“Jesus said, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose””

            Isaiah 55:9 ⁹For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

            We can read about the attributes of God, Yahweh, our Father in heaven, the Almighty, the Creator, Savior, Christ, Emmanuel; but do we believe them?  So many people throughout all of the history of man have tried to re-create God in their image or try to create gods to govern over the unexplained elements of our lives.  The unexplainable baffles our mind and so we try to explain it through our imagination, science, religion, or ourselves. 

            All manmade gods eventually erode and turn to dust, science can’t prove anything but cling to their theorems and imagined and sometimes flawed theories, and we all try to make ourselves greater then what we really are.  Life is a conundrum we fail to explain on our own; on one hand God has given us some of the answers; on the other hand we want to define life ourselves.  And the problem is all of the experts on life can’t agree.  Science says they have discovered the truth and then twenty years later they discovered a truth to replace the flawed truth they thought they knew before.  Philosophers put a wrench in our lives by telling us there is no such thing as truth, and can’t figure out if what they said is true or not because to them truth doesn’t exist.  Do we have faith in those who are of conflicting thought, or do we have faith in the one mind that has never been conflicted, Yahweh.

            Philippians 1:12–14, 27–30 ²⁷Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. ²⁹For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, ³⁰engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

            Are all churches trying to be a church?  Sometimes it is hard to tell as each church is made up of several personalities that are basically scientists, lawyers, philosophers of opinionated desires and agendas.  Paul tells us to stand firm in one mind.  What does that mean? Should we choose the smartest person, or maybe the coolest person, the most popular person, or the pastor and all conform to that mind we choose?  Or, is it the mind of Christ that we should listen to and be like Him?  After all Christ chose us.

            1 Peter 2:21 ²¹ For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

            In John chapter 17 Jesus is praying to the Father and asking that the Father make us one with Him.  This is to be one in spirit, one in faith, and one in the gospel of forgiveness and salvation that we should be of one mind with our Lord. 

            When we come together to worship, when we come together in ministry, outreach and even in-reach, even when we come together for Christian socializing we should be of the mind of Christ, one baptism, one Spirit, one God in Heaven.

            Ephesians 4:4-8 ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. ⁷ But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

            We have so many different denominations because we are not of one mind with God rather we are one mind with our different desires, and agendas.  So what would we look like if we strived to be of the mind of Christ and build on our collective faith in the gospel?  How will we grow together to know the mind of Christ, and how much joy can we expect if we let Christ lead us to be of one mind with Him?  It is time for us to improve on the good things that God has already given us, it is time to build up in the joy Christ is waiting to pour out on us.  It is time to use Christ’s imagination and discover how great it is to come together more often in His name.

            Philippians 1:12–14, 27–30 ¹²I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, ¹³so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. ¹⁴And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

            Paul thought being a prisoner because he was standing up for Christ was a means to rejoice as it furthered the Gospel. Rather than stifling it like those who imprisoned him wished it would Paul’s imprisonment advanced the gospel.  Christ knew Paul would suffer, He also knew Paul would not back down from the faith that Christ had built up in Him.  Isn’t this awesome, Christ has faith in His own work through those He continually calls.  This is good news for you and me as Christ has also called us.  Christ has faith in us too.

            Christ did the hard work through His blood, sweat, tears and death on the cross so that He can extend Himself into each person whom He is calling.  It is awesome because Christ calls everyone even though we do not always listen.  But even here there is good news Christ does not give up on anyone so that we do not have to give up on Him. 

            Matthew 20:15–16 ¹⁵Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’

            We might think we choose Christ, but actually Christ chooses us through His great generosity, and it is in His hopes that we do not begrudge Him of this gift.  He has paid the price with His body and blood and then gives His gift to us freely as He chooses.  Awesome!  Right?  We have a savior who chooses us to be with Him in eternal life and relationship, this is really Awesome.  Amen.

 

“This Wisdom Which Surpasses All Understanding“

            1 Corinthians 1:18&25 ¹⁸For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

²⁵For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

            Who is stronger than our Creator, and who is wiser than our Creator?  Yet we think in the way we live our lives we are both stronger and wiser than God by trying to create a designer god that is of our desires.  You don’t believe me?  Which of you feel you don’t need to be in the word of God, or that you are in the word of God at least one hour a week on Sunday morning?  Which of you listen to God and always do as He says, or feel it is not necessary to listen to God because you got it?  Of course if you are not constantly in His word it would be hard to listen to Him.  Which of you when things get tough feel you do not need God to help you get through those tough times or this is the only time you want God around.  Which of you think you can choose to go to heaven and that is the way it will be regardless of God’s choice?  And, which of you think God is not big enough to forgive you by His choice and through His Son.  Which of you think you can hide from God’s sight?  Which of you would willingly go to the cross with the weight of everyone’s sin past, present, and future and die a painful death?

            In man’s wisdom we are happy to crucify the one sent to be our Messiah, in our strength we nailed our savior to a large wooden cross so He would die.  Maybe we are wiser, and stronger than God?  Or are we?  In man’s wisdom we fend for ourselves, to us we, our self, are numero-uno, number one and we serve ourselves first, and sometimes only ourselves.  In the wisdom of Christ He put Himself lower than the angels and came not to be served but to serve, and to serve us.  In man’s wisdom it is about me, me, me, me, in Christ wisdom it is about all of God’s children.

            In man’s strength we fight each other, we tear each other down, we crucify at the blink of an eye, and we blame because we feel somebody has to take the blame and somebody has to be punished not forgiven.  In Christ’s strength He died so that our life could bear fruit and so we are forgiven.

            John 12:24–26 ²⁴Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

            In the wisdom of man we cling to this life, serve only that which is important to this life, and ignore God’s word daily then we turn around and give glory to ourselves and not to God who does more for us than we count.  But Jesus saw that He was to serve His Father and His Father saw to glorify Jesus through His death. 

            When we serve Jesus, our Father in heaven will honor us, otherwise if we do not serve Jesus we won’t receive honor and just might only receive forgiveness.  Are you sure you can live with that?  We all look for the easy, the means to do the least, and then worry if we had done just enough to get by so we can receive God’s mercy and grace.  You are forgiven, are you honored?  Something to ponder in your prayers, do you have a servant’s heart?  Jesus had a servant’s heart.  Aren’t we all supposed to be like Jesus or is it just the pastor who is to be like Jesus?

            John 12:27–33 ²⁷“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” ²⁹The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” ³⁰Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. ³¹Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. ³²And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

            Our Father in heaven glorified His only begotten Son in a way that we would not consider a means to glorify our own children.  Though we too would not like to die in this way, when we realize why Jesus did it, we find comfort and joy that Christ died so that we may live. 

            Our Father in heaven glorified His Son by letting Him be crucified on a cross meant for the worse criminals.  However, this Father we speak of did not let His Son die on this sinner’s cross in vain.  And though many times we try to take the glory away from our Lord, our Lord and Savior had the strength to follow through and die for all of our sin. 

            What wisdom does it take to save the offspring of one’s creation?  What strength does it take to endure the pain given by the very ones you are trying to save?  This wisdom which surpasses all understanding can only come from our Christ who found wisdom and strength through His love for His Father and our Father, and the love of a God who loves and saves His children.  Amen.