WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:00.959 Good morning. 00:00:01.840 --> 00:00:03.120 Happy New Year. 00:00:03.759 --> 00:00:10.560 Man, I've been eager to see you, been eager to kick off the new year, be here this Sunday, and I hope you enjoyed your Christmas. 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:12.240 You start off the new year. 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:16.399 There's always the whole cliche of New Year's resolutions. 00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:17.600 All of that. 00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:27.839 I find when I talk to many of you, either you have been at one time in your life, or you are currently in a season of life where you feel stuck. 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:31.760 And it may be, you know, on a maybe that's a sliding scale. 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:33.280 You feel stuck in maybe some smaller areas. 00:00:33.439 --> 00:00:34.399 Maybe just life in general. 00:00:34.479 --> 00:00:36.320 You feel just sort of stuck. 00:00:36.560 --> 00:00:38.960 Can't quite get the traction that you're hoping for. 00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:46.960 Maybe you look around and you see you had an idea of where your life would be, and here you are in 2026, and you're just like, this isn't where I thought it was going to be. 00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:48.479 Maybe, maybe that's a career. 00:00:48.560 --> 00:00:49.920 Maybe it's just will of sin in general. 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:51.520 You're like, I just didn't think I'd be here. 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:53.359 You just can't get some traction. 00:00:53.759 --> 00:01:01.600 And it really amplifies it when you look around, and maybe you see some peers in your life, and you go, they seem to have no problem finding some traction. 00:01:01.679 --> 00:01:04.159 They're just sort of like blazing a trail. 00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:08.319 You're, you, you, you feel stuck, and everybody else is just sort of leaving you behind. 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:09.840 That's a that's a terrible feeling. 00:01:09.920 --> 00:01:16.799 And if you're not careful, I mean, that makes for some very frustrating and very discouraging days. 00:01:17.519 --> 00:01:22.400 You know, when I I'm talking to church people, or at least I'm talking to a group of people that are in church today. 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:29.680 And I and normally if you're in church, you're usually willing to admit that this book has some significance to it. 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:37.200 You may not, maybe you don't read it very often, maybe you don't even know much about it, but you go, I I realize the Bible has some importance to it. 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:42.239 And and I and it's a bit of a challenging book because I find a lot of people just don't like to read. 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:44.400 Come on, you don't have to be shy about that here. 00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:45.280 I think you're in good company. 00:01:45.359 --> 00:01:47.840 There's a lot of people you don't like to read, you're like, that's not really my thing. 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:48.319 I get that. 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:52.239 And then you're and then it's like, and then of all the books to read, it's like this book. 00:01:52.319 --> 00:01:53.439 I mean, this is a big book. 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:56.719 This is a lot of words that I really struggle to understand. 00:01:56.959 --> 00:01:58.959 This is a complicated book on top of that. 00:01:59.120 --> 00:02:02.079 And and see, most of us, this is how we think about the Bible. 00:02:02.159 --> 00:02:04.000 We think about it academically. 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:06.480 We come to it and we go, how do I understand it? 00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:07.519 How do I think about it? 00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:08.159 You know what? 00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:09.360 I don't really like to read. 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:16.159 And so what ends up happening oftentimes is the Bible gets put up on the shelf next to all the other big books we don't want to read. 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:16.960 Are you with me? 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:19.599 So it just sort of like collects dust, and there, and there it is. 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:26.560 And one of the things we lose sight over, and if you're if you're new to Christianity, Christians call this the Word of God. 00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:31.759 And there's something to that because Christians believe that there's actually power in it. 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:36.719 That's not usually something we think of in a really big, boring book that's complicated to read. 00:02:36.800 --> 00:02:40.479 I don't think it's boring, but I can understand how people come to that conclusion. 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:42.080 But there's power in it. 00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:42.879 There's power. 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:51.360 In fact, in fact, this actually holds the power that enables you and I to live differently. 00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:55.199 Actually, it actually has a really unique power. 00:02:55.360 --> 00:03:02.400 And I and I think sometimes we get confused because it is a lot of words, and sometimes you're just like, I struggled getting through eighth grade, and now I'm supposed to read the Bible. 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:04.000 And it's just like, I get that. 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:06.960 I honestly I'm very sympathetic to that, that that frustration. 00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:12.400 But the point of scripture is actually not to make you smarter, it's actually to make you more like Jesus. 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:20.560 The point of the scripture is not that you would become this a valedictorian of your church, if that's ever such a thing. 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:21.199 I don't know. 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:22.319 That's not the point. 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:25.439 The the point is something far deeper than that. 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:28.159 And you need to know this if you're new to Freedom Church, you need to know this. 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:30.080 Good theology is important. 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:33.360 Like sound doctrine is critical. 00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:43.360 In fact, as my role as as a as a as lead pastor of the church, one of my primary roles is to is to ensure and guard sound doctrine. 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:46.560 But don't miss the forest for the trees. 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:55.919 The point of scripture, the point of God's word is to actually empower you to live a spirit-empowered life like Jesus. 00:03:56.400 --> 00:04:02.960 The point is is to actually enable you to live in covenant partnership like with Jesus. 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:08.639 It's actually to enable you to live on purpose for Jesus. 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:11.759 Like that's actually that's actually what this is supposed to do. 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:15.520 And it actually has the power to do that. 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:20.079 If I were to ask a lot of you, if I was asking, hey, how how are you today? 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:21.519 How are things going? 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:24.639 Most of us, we don't necessarily just actively think this. 00:04:24.720 --> 00:04:26.079 It's just sort of reflexive. 00:04:26.240 --> 00:04:29.360 We we usually go, what's going on in my life right now? 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:34.800 What what am I is is life up into the right, or am I in a very frustrating season? 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:40.959 And then based on that, we go, whether or not I'm doing good, I'm doing great, I'm doing poor, I could be better, whatever that looks like. 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:45.120 That's normally how our thought process goes. 00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:50.639 We're gonna read today in the book of Philippians, and I and I'm and I just just a little sneak peek. 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:54.560 God's will for your life is to actually be a lot more stable than that. 00:04:55.040 --> 00:05:04.560 God's will for your life is to actually have a lot more stability with your joy and your peace and your hope than just the ups and downs of our circumstances. 00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:14.319 I was thinking Mac this week, about um several years ago, our church, we're gonna be five years old at the very end of February. 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:15.759 How crow, how crazy is that? 00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:18.000 I don't know if maybe it's not crazy to you, it's crazy to me. 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:20.639 Okay, so that and and we didn't even time that on purpose. 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:22.879 If you're like, well, that was convenient, it was convenient, wasn't it? 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:25.759 Moving in March 1st, the day after we turned five years old. 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:27.839 I did not admit, I didn't even try to do that. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:29.600 We tried to move in a long time ago. 00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:32.000 Just like it's like the Lord is in it, I suppose. 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:32.879 So there it is, right there. 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:35.120 So there we're moving in like five years to the day. 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:37.120 We're moving into our new building. 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:42.000 We moved here, Bethany and I moved here in 2020 to plant Freedom Church. 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:43.360 That is why we moved here. 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:46.879 And um, we were we were living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 00:05:47.120 --> 00:05:49.600 And um, it's it's a long story about how we got here. 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:54.160 If you want the whole story, come to Discovery 101 next week, and uh, we'll tell you more about that at the end. 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:59.040 But you come to that next week, and that's where you get to hear more of the full story about where we're from and how we got here. 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:04.000 But but in 2020, that's when we that's when we packed everything up and we moved up here to play at this church. 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:06.399 And and um I don't know if you remember that year. 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:07.680 Anybody remember 2020? 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:09.279 It's it's kind of a memorable year. 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:09.920 I don't know. 00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:12.959 There was this thing called COVID happening everywhere. 00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:14.879 It's the world, it's the year the world shut down. 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:16.879 Like it was, yeah, y'all remember that year? 00:06:17.040 --> 00:06:24.720 And um and you yeah, you don't know this, but I'm gonna I'm gonna tell you to give you some context here because here's something maybe you didn't know in 2020. 00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:28.959 It was like things like record lows on church attendance. 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:31.759 Like that's the stuff people were saying in the church world, right? 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:34.000 They're like, nobody's going to church anymore. 00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:36.399 Nobody, everybody stopped giving to churches. 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:38.079 Like this was a theme in 2020. 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:42.959 They're done giving, they're done attending, and then we were like, and we're gonna go plant to church. 00:06:43.040 --> 00:06:47.839 And I remember the first time somebody came to me, they were like, Wow, you guys are gonna plant a church in the middle of COVID. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:50.319 And I thought, that's right, we're full of faith. 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:51.199 Let's do this. 00:06:51.439 --> 00:06:55.920 And then I remember like the 20th person who finally said that to me, and it sounded differently that time. 00:06:56.079 --> 00:06:59.759 It was like, you're gonna plant a church in the middle of COVID. 00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:01.439 That's what I heard. 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:03.680 I don't know if they said it that way, but that's what I heard. 00:07:03.839 --> 00:07:09.279 And by that time, I kind of wore down a little bit, and I thought, I started, and I'm I hate to admit it, but this is the truth. 00:07:09.519 --> 00:07:11.279 I started feeling sorry for myself. 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:12.319 I really did. 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:13.600 I was like, You're right. 00:07:13.759 --> 00:07:16.000 I'm getting the wrong end of the deal here. 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:17.360 Like, really? 00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:21.439 If this is from the Lord, and and the jury's out, we'll see if this is from the Lord. 00:07:21.519 --> 00:07:23.920 Okay, if this is from the Lord, it's like, God, really? 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:27.040 You couldn't have waited till the economy was like way up into the right? 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:28.399 You know, you couldn't have waited a lot. 00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:30.160 Like, did you read the news? 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:34.079 Like it was just, I was just like, my goodness, I started feeling sorry for myself. 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:40.160 And then I remember Bethany and I, we we went to this event, it's on the other side of the country, and and um this lady was speaking. 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:42.240 If I said her name, a lot of you would know who this was. 00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:46.000 And she was talking, and she made this, she said this phrase. 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:49.519 It probably doesn't mean much to you, but it meant everything to us in the in that moment. 00:07:49.680 --> 00:07:58.319 And she said, she said, if God has called you to this, do you then have the right to uncall yourself? 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:01.519 Yeah, tell me about it. 00:08:02.399 --> 00:08:05.519 And we turned around and see in that moment, nothing changed. 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:07.040 The news didn't change. 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:09.040 Nothing changed. 00:08:09.199 --> 00:08:13.439 More stuff was still closing, fewer people were still uh going to church. 00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:18.399 What happened was is my perspective, our perspective was recalibrated. 00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:20.480 We began to see things differently. 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:23.040 We began to see things the way God saw them. 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:28.160 And two weeks before that, I was a bit discouraged and suddenly I wasn't. 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:30.160 That's what is that? 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:32.720 How does that how does that happen? 00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:40.399 We're gonna we're gonna take through this this series that we're in, recalibrate, and we're gonna be going through the book of Philippians. 00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:44.639 If you're here at Freedom Church, if you don't know this already, if you're new, you you you should know this. 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:51.200 We teach the Bible in different ways, and so we'll teach thematically, so we'll have different series where we focus on a particular theme. 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:55.519 Uh, and then we try at least once or twice a year to go through an entire book out of the Bible. 00:08:55.600 --> 00:08:59.440 And so we're starting off our year going through the book of Philippians, and that's a pretty easy one. 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:01.440 It's all it's a four short chapters. 00:09:01.519 --> 00:09:07.120 It's an easy one to go through over the next uh you know, six to seven weeks together. 00:09:07.279 --> 00:09:09.519 And um, I I'm this this book. 00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:10.720 I want to give you some context. 00:09:10.960 --> 00:09:19.360 I want I want you to I want to help you understand this book because it we have a lot, there's a lot of you here, you're new to faith, you're new to Christianity. 00:09:19.600 --> 00:09:23.759 Um, some of you, this I mean, you you you've made commitments to follow Jesus very recently. 00:09:23.919 --> 00:09:26.080 Some of you, you maybe you've even been in church. 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:27.919 You're just you're just new to the Bible. 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:32.320 You're just now in a season of your life where you really want to be serious about understanding your Bible better. 00:09:32.480 --> 00:09:40.000 Some of you, that again, you've your Bible's been on the shelf, and um, and and this is the year you took it down, and you're just going, I want to be more serious about my faith. 00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:44.080 So I want to give you some context to help you understand the book of Philippians here. 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:48.159 We learn a lot about this book in in Acts chapter 16. 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:51.360 It's not on the screen or anything, but you we learn a lot about it there. 00:09:51.519 --> 00:09:53.200 It's written by a guy named Paul. 00:09:53.360 --> 00:10:00.240 Paul plants a church called in in the town of Philippi, which is on the outer edges of the Roman Empire. 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:08.720 And he it's written to the Philippians, or who are the people who live in Philippi, in particular the people who are in the church here in Philippi. 00:10:08.879 --> 00:10:12.240 And we learn that he actually did it on his second missionary journey. 00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:13.600 So you don't know who Paul is? 00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:17.200 He wrote a significant part of the New Testament, and he was a missionary. 00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:20.879 He would travel around to places and he would plant churches. 00:10:21.039 --> 00:10:26.960 Sometimes he would spend a lot a little bit of time, sometimes he would spend a lot of time there, and he would plant churches all over the place. 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:30.080 This place in particular, there are no other churches. 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:31.840 In fact, there's not even a synagogue. 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:34.879 They find a place where people seem to be praying down by the river. 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:39.440 That's where they end up gathering, and they plant this church in Philippi. 00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:41.840 It's actually the first church in Europe. 00:10:42.080 --> 00:10:43.120 The church in Philippi. 00:10:43.200 --> 00:10:43.519 It's amazing. 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:45.679 This is the very first church in Europe. 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:48.720 Now, Paul tried to go to a couple different places before he went here. 00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:50.159 You read this in Acts 16. 00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:56.240 He tried to go to a different a couple different places, and it says that it was that he got cut off, stopped, wasn't able to go there. 00:10:56.399 --> 00:10:58.159 And then he gets a dream, a vision. 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:02.000 And it's this guy in a place called Macedonia, and he says, Paul, come over here and help us. 00:11:02.159 --> 00:11:04.080 And he wakes up and he goes, That was the Lord. 00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:06.480 God's telling us to go to this other place. 00:11:06.559 --> 00:11:08.240 And there, and then they they attended God. 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:10.159 And sure enough, it was the Lord, and they went out there. 00:11:10.240 --> 00:11:10.639 How about that? 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:11.440 How neat is that? 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:13.360 How discouraged do you think Paul might have been? 00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:14.399 How about his companions? 00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:18.080 Every time we try to go here, the door shuts, and every time we go to go there, the door shuts. 00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:19.360 Just like, maybe God's in it. 00:11:19.440 --> 00:11:19.679 I don't know. 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:21.120 Anyway, that's encouraging to me. 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:22.159 Anyway, so there you go. 00:11:22.240 --> 00:11:23.120 That's what's happening. 00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:24.240 That's how he gets here. 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:30.240 In a lot of ways, this letter, again, it's a letter written to this church in Philippi. 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:34.639 After they would read it, they would typically send it on to some neighboring churches. 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:37.440 It's I it's actually, in a way, it's a thank you letter. 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:43.360 I know at the end of 2025, a lot of you got you got like an end-of-year giving letter from Freedom Church. 00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:47.679 And we said thank you in there, and we gave you some updates about what's happening here at Freedom. 00:11:47.840 --> 00:11:49.600 In a lot of ways, this is what this is. 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:58.000 He has a lot of encouragement in it, but he's saying thank you because the church in Philippi is financially invested in Paul's ministry. 00:11:58.159 --> 00:12:07.919 They're financially connected, they're partnered in prayer with him, and so he's writing this letter because these are his friends who are deeply connected and partnered with him in ministry. 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:19.759 Now, if you've ever heard any messages on this book, I'm gonna tell you there's one resounding theme that anybody who teaches out of the book of Philippians is gonna talk about, and it's this word joy. 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:23.039 In fact, it's often called the joy letter. 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:24.480 You're like, okay, that's that's great. 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:26.240 That's some churchy language, isn't it? 00:12:26.559 --> 00:12:28.080 Joy, rejoice. 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:34.000 There's 16 variations of that word in just four short chapters. 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:38.240 I doubt any of you use that language literally ever. 00:12:38.399 --> 00:12:41.200 I will say this, I don't, except when I'm preaching, right here. 00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:42.639 That's when I use the word joy. 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:46.960 I usually use words like happy, celebrate, right? 00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:47.759 That's normal. 00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:50.639 Joy, rejoice, those are churchy words. 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:52.159 Now, listen, that's okay. 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:55.600 You can I've heard teaching like, well, happiness means this, and joy means this. 00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:57.440 No, no, no, so that's a stretch. 00:12:57.679 --> 00:13:04.879 There is far more meaning to these words than what we often give to the word happy or celebrate. 00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:08.879 There is a depth to him that we often miss, but this is what he's talking about. 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:09.840 This is his theme. 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:11.440 Now, why is that an important thing to know? 00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:14.320 You need to know this because you need this detail. 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:16.159 Remember, context is king. 00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:18.720 Paul's in prison when he writes this. 00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:20.399 Keep that in mind. 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:29.279 The the book, the letter that was written with the whole theme of joy, is written by a guy who's in chains. 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:32.480 That's an important thing to understand. 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:33.919 Okay, let's do this. 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:34.720 I'm just gonna read it. 00:13:34.799 --> 00:13:37.200 We're actually not even going through the whole first chapter. 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:40.399 We're just gonna do the first 11 verses, and I'm uh I'm just gonna start out. 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:43.279 You can open if you have your Bibles, you can open Philippians 1. 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:45.600 We're just gonna read the first 11 uh verses. 00:13:45.759 --> 00:13:47.919 You can follow along on the screen behind me. 00:13:48.159 --> 00:14:03.200 Paul and Timothy, bond servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons, your translation might say, the overseers and deacons, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:34.559 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine, making requests for you all with joy for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ, just as it is right for me to think of this uh of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains, there he goes, he's in prison, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, he don't even take a day off. 00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:36.559 He don't even, prison's not even an excuse. 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:38.000 He's just preaching everywhere he goes. 00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:46.240 You all are partakers with me of grace, for God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:49.200 And this I pray, that your love, I love this. 00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:50.399 He doesn't say, pray for me. 00:14:50.480 --> 00:14:51.120 I'm struggling. 00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:53.600 These bodies, these chains are giving me a rash. 00:14:53.679 --> 00:14:54.639 He don't even say nothing like that. 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:55.759 He's like, I'm praying for you. 00:14:55.840 --> 00:14:56.799 I just want you to know that. 00:14:56.960 --> 00:15:12.480 I pray that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. 00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:13.679 Let's go. 00:15:14.080 --> 00:15:20.720 I mean, again, when you think about the fact that this guy is writing this from prison, you just go, man, how do you explain that? 00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:22.399 Because life's frustrating. 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:23.600 Come on, we can admit that. 00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:24.480 Life can be frustrating. 00:15:24.559 --> 00:15:27.360 I mean, that can be great, but come on, we have some frustrating days. 00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:30.879 And he writes this chains in change. 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:32.480 That's a heart difference. 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:35.440 You don't just change your heart overnight. 00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:37.360 In fact, I think a lot of people think that. 00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:38.879 In fact, that's how we start off the new year. 00:15:38.960 --> 00:15:40.480 This year, I'm gonna be a better person. 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:43.039 This year, I'm gonna I'm gonna get a hold of this kind of joy. 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:44.799 I'm gonna be full of hope and full of joy this year. 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:46.080 I'm gonna be happy this year. 00:15:46.159 --> 00:15:47.360 And we think we're gonna do it. 00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:50.000 Newsflash, you can't change yourself. 00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:51.759 You you you can't change yourself. 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:52.799 I don't know if you know that or not. 00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:55.200 You you don't just flip the switch and suddenly you got a new heart. 00:15:55.279 --> 00:15:55.759 You don't know. 00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:57.200 Only Jesus can change your heart. 00:15:57.440 --> 00:15:59.519 You can, however, change your mind. 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:03.679 You you can change what gets your attention. 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:05.039 Now, you need to know this. 00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:07.759 He's writing to a group of people, he's in prison. 00:16:07.919 --> 00:16:08.799 Well, guess what? 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:11.759 These people in Philippi, they've got their own troubles. 00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:18.000 I mean, they're not in an environment that's exactly friendly to this new church that's growing in the city of Philippi. 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:18.799 They've got some problems. 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:25.120 And so before he even addresses their problems, he reminds them, he reminds them who they are. 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:28.399 He reminds them something that's true. 00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:29.679 And I love how he starts this. 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:30.720 I'm gonna pull some stuff. 00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:31.919 This is not exhaustive. 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:34.879 I mean, 11, those first 11 verses, I could spend the next seven weeks. 00:16:34.960 --> 00:16:36.960 We just preach those 11 verses, but we're not gonna do that. 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:40.960 So I'm just gonna pull a handful of things out, and hopefully you'll remember one of them before we go here today. 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:41.840 Okay, so here we go. 00:16:41.919 --> 00:16:42.559 Here's a few things. 00:16:42.639 --> 00:16:43.440 Here's the first thing. 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:47.360 Joy, he says, starts with your identity, not your mood. 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:53.200 Joy, experiencing joy, begins with who you are, not how you feel. 00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:55.120 Who you are. 00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:56.320 Look, we'll read it again. 00:16:56.399 --> 00:17:00.960 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, bond servants of Jesus Christ. 00:17:01.039 --> 00:17:03.120 When was the last time we referred to ourselves as that? 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:07.119 It's just like, I'm a slave to Jesus by choice. 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:09.279 That's what he's saying right there. 00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:10.880 That's that's incredible. 00:17:11.119 --> 00:17:14.480 I'm a slave by choice to Jesus Christ, to all the saints. 00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:18.640 If you're new to if you're new to faith, you probably need to know this. 00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:22.240 Sainthood isn't something you isn't something you ascend to. 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:27.200 That's not something you live up to, that's not something you work toward, and maybe one day you'll be a saint. 00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:32.720 He says, to the saints in Jesus Christ who are in Philippi, he's writing to the saints. 00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:35.200 Meaning, when you're in Christ, you're a saint. 00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:36.720 You know, well, you don't know what I did last week. 00:17:36.799 --> 00:17:38.480 Last week I wasn't living like no saint. 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:39.839 I believe that, by the way. 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:44.079 I believe that last week you probably were not living like a saint, which means this. 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:47.119 You weren't living according to who you actually are. 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:48.079 That's what that means. 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:53.359 You spent a lifetime closing the gap, going, what's true is I'm a saint in Jesus Christ. 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:58.079 What's not true is that my behavior right now doesn't reflect my real identity. 00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:01.119 So he says, Don't, don't, don't take the Lord's name in vain. 00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:03.279 Don't take it on your life and call yourself a Christian. 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:06.559 Don't take on the Lord's name in vain and live your life. 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:08.880 That is a compromise to who you actually are. 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:10.240 You're a saint in Jesus Christ. 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:10.880 Here it is. 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:11.759 Right there. 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:13.680 I should be encouraging to you. 00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:17.119 With the bishops or overseers and deacons, grace to you. 00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:20.640 Well, um, I I I think this is really important here. 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:24.720 He begins with who they are and who they belong to. 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:32.319 I I I think the the cultural moment we live in, this is this has probably never been more relevant. 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:46.720 Before you can talk about before you can talk about some of the most incendiary hot topics of of the culture, it's just like this is where you this is where you differentiate yourself as a Jesus follower. 00:18:46.960 --> 00:18:49.680 Because we can start, we start our conversations differently. 00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:55.200 We start with who we are, with who God is, who we belong to. 00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:57.279 We don't start with how do I feel? 00:18:57.519 --> 00:18:58.960 How what's my opinion? 00:18:59.119 --> 00:19:00.079 What's my perspective? 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:02.720 We start by asking, who am I in Christ? 00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:03.599 Now watch this. 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:08.240 Because Paul, he's not talking about his joy that's just out there floating. 00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:12.319 It's actually tied to a real people and a real partnership. 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:15.119 Which is what we will say this way joy is relational. 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:17.279 It's it's relational. 00:19:17.599 --> 00:19:18.880 It actually grows. 00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:22.079 Your joy actually grows in relationship. 00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:30.799 Some of you, you're you go, well, I'm a Christian, I've been a Christian, I'm I'm I'm my job's going well, I attend church regularly, but you're not a very joyful person. 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:35.839 Because that's actually because you're isolated. 00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:39.519 I'm just saying, some of you, you're like, how do I get a hold of it? 00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:40.880 It's like, well, first of all, you're isolated. 00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:42.000 Problem run right there. 00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:43.039 You're isolated. 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:44.799 Look what he says here. 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:46.480 We're gonna read some of this again. 00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:47.920 Paul and Timothy, that's how he starts. 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:48.640 Paul and Timothy. 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:50.400 That's his spiritual son, Timothy. 00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:51.359 He's not he's not alone. 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:53.920 He's he's tied everywhere he goes, he's tied to somebody else here. 00:19:54.160 --> 00:19:56.319 Bondservants of Jesus Christ, he's to all the saints. 00:19:56.400 --> 00:19:58.720 He's talking about his people, his friends. 00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:01.519 He says, the the Overseers and deacons. 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:03.599 He's talking about those who are leading the church. 00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:04.799 Skip down to verse 3. 00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:07.200 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:08.240 There it is again. 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:18.319 He's talking about other people, the other people he's connected to, always in every prayer of mine, making a request for you all with joy, your fellowship, your partnership, your connectedness. 00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:22.319 Like there's a very deep relational component to this. 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:24.480 You gotta understand, Paul's not writing a letter. 00:20:24.559 --> 00:20:28.480 He's like, guys, I was just thinking about our church picnic last year and how delightful that was. 00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:30.319 And I was just so, my heart was so warmed. 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:32.400 And I thought about those memories of when we were all together. 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:33.359 And now I'm in prison. 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:37.200 And hopefully we'll get out and we can come together and we can have a nice little party when we get back. 00:20:37.359 --> 00:20:38.880 Like it's not sentimental. 00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:43.759 It's it's it's relational, it's missional. 00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:48.559 Little insight into me, and I know this is true about several of you here. 00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:51.279 I'm a veteran, I'm a combat veteran. 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:57.920 And there are some people, there's a handful of people in my life that we experience some hard things together. 00:20:58.160 --> 00:21:01.279 Some of them I haven't even spoken to in years. 00:21:01.680 --> 00:21:04.799 Some of them aren't even following Jesus, some of them are. 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:09.359 But because there's like this tithe, I can't explain it. 00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:10.559 I can't explain how it happens. 00:21:10.640 --> 00:21:12.799 If they called me, I go, I would answer the phone. 00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:15.359 If they if I call them, I know they'd answer the phone too. 00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:16.960 You know this because you don't have to do that. 00:21:17.119 --> 00:21:20.000 Some of you, you've been through some hard things with some other people. 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:24.400 You've had to navigate some serious challenges and serious hardships. 00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:29.279 And there's something about that that's not sentimental, that's deeply relational and deeply missional. 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:32.480 That goes far beyond some warm feelings. 00:21:33.119 --> 00:21:35.039 His joy is tied to that. 00:21:35.759 --> 00:21:40.240 That it's it's relational. 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:43.200 I don't know if you you probably miss this part here. 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:52.480 He says, he doesn't just say, and with your friends, make sure you have some good friends that you get together with and talk about what you think Bible verses mean. 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:59.519 Don't just get together with your friends who will just pacify you and make you feel I'm glad you got those people in your life, I'm glad you got some great friends in your life. 00:21:59.599 --> 00:22:01.279 He actually said, No, he you probably missed it. 00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:04.960 He said, with the overseers and the deacons. 00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:06.240 That's important. 00:22:08.400 --> 00:22:09.279 That's church life. 00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:10.480 I don't know if you know that. 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:18.000 He's assuming that if you're listening and reading his letter, he's assuming you're deeply rooted in church life. 00:22:18.240 --> 00:22:19.279