WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:04.080 Hello and welcome to the Redemption Church Podcast. 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:10.720 We're a church in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada that exists to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission. 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:12.480 The spirit of the Great Commandment. 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:14.640 Thanks for joining us today. 00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:32.240 Father, we bow before you and God, if our hearts are attuned to what we just sang, we have this overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the fact that we've been given life already beyond the grave. 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:35.600 And God, that's not something we've experienced yet, Lord. 00:00:35.679 --> 00:00:37.520 We haven't experienced death. 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:40.320 We haven't experienced the grave. 00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:50.799 And yet, Lord, we are reminded this morning of what's beyond that, of eternal life, of eternal life that's given to us because of what Jesus has accomplished. 00:00:51.679 --> 00:00:55.679 Dying on the cross and being raised to new life. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:58.159 And because of that, Lord, everything's different for us now. 00:00:58.320 --> 00:01:00.880 If our faith is in you, everything is different. 00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:04.400 Lord, all anxiety is gone. 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:07.359 All insecurity is gone. 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:11.680 All dissatisfaction with the things of this world, it's gone, Lord. 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:15.040 And we have found all that we need in you. 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:17.920 And yet, Lord, we can say that with our lips. 00:01:18.079 --> 00:01:21.760 We can hear that prayed, and yet we feel at times very different. 00:01:22.079 --> 00:01:25.439 Lord, we feel the crushing anxiety of this world. 00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:28.000 We feel the insufficiency of our performance. 00:01:28.159 --> 00:01:33.680 Lord, we feel the despair and the depression of living in such times of darkness. 00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:42.159 And so, God, we pray this morning as we open up your word, Lord, this beautiful gift that you've given to us, Lord, your spoken word to us. 00:01:43.120 --> 00:01:47.519 God, would you show us the reality that is ours in Christ? 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:52.319 And Lord, decrease the gap between who we are right now and who you're calling us to be in Him. 00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:54.079 God, do this work in our midst. 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:55.120 I'm so aware, Lord. 00:01:55.200 --> 00:02:00.400 I'm so aware of a pre as a preacher of how much I need this work done in myself, Lord. 00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:02.719 I preach this message to myself first, Lord. 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:03.120 I need it. 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:04.239 I need your work. 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:06.480 God, we're all here. 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:07.840 We need you to work in our midst. 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:09.840 And so do what we pray. 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:11.520 God, change us. 00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:13.520 I pray this all in the name of your Son. 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:14.400 Amen. 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:15.599 Amen. 00:02:15.759 --> 00:02:16.879 You can grab your seat. 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:24.080 As you two, you can take your copy of God's Word and open it up to Philippians chapter one. 00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:26.960 And our ushers are going to be making their way to the front of the worship center. 00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:33.360 And if you don't have a copy of God's word, uh you can stick your hand into the air and they're going to make sure that they get a copy into your hands. 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:36.639 And if you don't own a copy of God's word, then you can keep this. 00:02:36.719 --> 00:02:37.599 This is our gift to you. 00:02:37.680 --> 00:02:41.039 We trust that as you read it, you will be blessed. 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:45.919 Now, this morning we're starting a new series on the book of Philippians. 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:56.400 And when the elders and I come up with our preaching schedule, we always seek to be as intentional as possible with what we believe God wants to do in our midst. 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:04.240 And so we don't try, you know, it's not like we have a big wheel in the office, and you know, we've got all the names of the books of the Bible in there, we spin it, we pick one out at random. 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:07.039 We try to be as intentional as possible. 00:03:07.199 --> 00:03:16.639 And so I want to just think with you for a moment about why we might choose the book of Philippians, and there are a multitude of reasons, but maybe just let me put a few before you. 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:24.639 The first is because this Philippians is very likely one of your favorite books in the entire Bible. 00:03:24.719 --> 00:03:31.360 I told my small group this week we're preaching through Philippians, people were fist pumping, they were jumping in the air, two people were hugging each other, jumping up and down. 00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:33.680 I thought this is a crazy reaction. 00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:37.120 Some of that was made up. 00:03:37.439 --> 00:03:47.840 And yet there is this excitement, I'm sure that's in you as we go through the book of Philippians, because I'm sure that for many of you, like for myself, you can remember working through Philippians and the Lord really working you. 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:53.360 I remember one of the first books where I really became serious in my walk with Christ. 00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:56.879 I was listening to a sermon series and the pastor was working through Philippians. 00:03:57.039 --> 00:04:02.960 I remember just listening to these sermons over and over and over again because God had so much for me in here. 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:13.919 In fact, if you wanted to start a business selling Christian mugs, if you just took some of the most popular verses from Philippians, you could have a really successful business. 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:16.160 That's why Joel wants to see you in the foyer. 00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:18.720 He's got a little stand-up shop set up with some Christian mugs. 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:20.959 That was, I'm just kidding, that's not true at all. 00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:26.000 And yet there's many verses, aren't there, in this book that have kind of taken on a life of their own. 00:04:26.079 --> 00:04:28.160 You can think of Philippians 4.13. 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:30.800 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. 00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:32.079 Or Philippians 4.4. 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:33.759 Rejoice in the Lord always. 00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:35.360 Again I say, rejoice. 00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:38.240 Or one of my own personal favorites, Philippians 1.6. 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:45.199 I'm sure of this that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:52.240 These are many amazing verses, and yet, in many ways, some of these verses have kind of like created a life of their own. 00:04:52.319 --> 00:04:57.759 They've been pulled out of the book, and it's important that we understand exactly what each of them are saying. 00:04:58.959 --> 00:05:07.600 The second reason why we have chosen to work through Philippians at this time is because Philippians really gives legs to the series that we just finished on the church. 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:20.639 If the church series was kind of like making us book smart about what Jesus says the church is to be and how we are to live, well then Philippians is the street smarts of the church. 00:05:20.879 --> 00:05:26.879 This is what the intimacy that God created the church to experience then looks like. 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:50.879 And as we see the fellowship, the gospel partnership between Paul and this church that he planted, as we see the intimate relationship between them, my hope and my prayer is that it becomes overwhelmingly compelling to us that we see the level of intimacy between Paul and the church, and we say, Lord, I want that for me. 00:05:51.279 --> 00:05:53.920 I want to be a part of that kind of community. 00:05:54.160 --> 00:06:04.800 And we not only begin seeking it for our own lives, but begin praying for it in the midst of our own church that God would give us this fellowship like we will see between Paul and the Philippian church. 00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:16.959 And thirdly, and the last point, and really because we have to stop listing points at some point, there's a lot of things we could say about why we might do Philippians. 00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:30.079 But I really believe that the situation that the Philippian church finds itself in as it seeks out Paul's welfare is very similar to the situation that we find ourselves in. 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:39.040 See, one of the main reasons that Paul writes Philippians is because he's in jail, he's very likely in jail in Rome, and he's visited by Epaphroditus. 00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:42.959 And Epaphroditus is sent by the Philippian church, it's like a thousand-mile journey. 00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:56.319 It's a ridiculous journey to make in that time, and yet the Philippian church was so concerned about the well-being of Paul that they sent Epaphroditus with, they loaded him up with gifts, they loaded him up with food to care for Paul. 00:06:56.879 --> 00:07:03.360 And when Ephroditus gets to Philippi, he he or sorry, to Rome, he he kind of crawls into Rome. 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:06.079 He almost dies himself making the journey. 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:13.360 And he crawls up to Paul's jail cell and finds that Paul is doing as well as ever. 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:27.040 And so Paul writes this letter because he meets with Epaphroditus, he receives the gifts, and he writes a letter to the Philippian church, sending Epaphroditus back, hoping to send Timothy along with him in the near future. 00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:37.360 And so, very much what caused this letter to be written was that the Philippian church was looking at what had happened to Paul, and Paul was the father of their faith. 00:07:37.920 --> 00:07:46.720 All the grace and peace that have flowed from God into their lives had really flowed through Paul, and they're looking at Paul, and here's Paul in chains in prison. 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:49.199 And immediately their mind goes to this. 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:53.040 If Paul's in chains, well, maybe the gospel's in chains. 00:07:53.519 --> 00:07:57.360 Maybe this good news that Paul preached, maybe it doesn't actually work. 00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:01.839 Maybe the power of the gospel has come to a screeching halt. 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:05.920 We feel that, don't we? 00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:08.160 In our day and age. 00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:20.480 In fact, we just finished a series where we talked about the words of Jesus in Matthew 16 pretty constantly, where Jesus said that he would build his church and that the gates of hell would not stop it. 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:25.600 And yet we look around at our culture, we look around at our society in many ways. 00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:36.639 Doesn't it kind of seem like the gospel is losing power, like the gospel is no longer affecting our culture and our country and our society like it used to? 00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:40.799 I mean, you don't need me to quote statistics here. 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:45.919 We can look and see that the church is in decline in our day and age. 00:08:47.039 --> 00:08:49.600 Churches left, right, and center are closing their doors. 00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:56.960 And if that's not enough to discourage us, we look outside the church and we see that culture is increasingly secularizing. 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:06.720 15, 20 years ago, I'm sure you can remember, we we kind of looked at at the world and we felt like we were on the outside. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:13.440 And we would put you know songs on the radio like Jesus Freak, and we'd be like, yeah, we really are freaks in this world, aren't we? 00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:21.039 That was a pop culture reference for Christians, I think, that probably didn't land with some of you the way that it landed with me. 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:39.679 That song was constantly on, feeling like I'm a freak because I'm following Jesus, and now, but but now more than ever, in a way that you possibly probably couldn't imagine 15 or 20 years ago, to be a Christian is really to be offensive to secular values, the values of our society. 00:09:41.279 --> 00:09:43.039 We feel this tension almost daily. 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:49.039 In fact, a few weeks ago, the the men of our church met together to eat KFC. 00:09:49.919 --> 00:09:51.120 That was a secondary thing. 00:09:51.279 --> 00:09:57.759 We met together to talk about what it meant it means to be a man in this day and age, a biblical, to pursue biblical manhood. 00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:03.600 And many of the questions, in fact, I think almost all of the questions surrounded culture now. 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:12.799 How do we carry out what the Bible's called us to be as men when culture is so far away from the biblical standard? 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:33.440 It's increasingly difficult to send our kids to secular schools, it's increasingly difficult to keep our jobs in secular institutions, it's increasingly difficult to live among our neighbors without being labeled something like bigots or an enemy at least of cultural progression because of our Christian values. 00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:38.960 See, it wasn't long ago we were to be a Christian, it was kind of like a net gain in culture. 00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:52.320 And even politicians were worried about things like building churches, and yet here we find ourselves in this day and age where to be a Christian has profound effects, negative effects in our culture and our society. 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:55.759 And we we might look at that and we might ask the same question. 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:58.240 Has the gospel lost its power? 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:02.320 Is the gospel no longer as effective as it once was? 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:09.840 Is the gospel in Newmarket, in Ontario, in Canada, in the world, is the gospel in chains? 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:18.559 As we ask that question, Paul has much much to provide for us in the way of an answer. 00:11:19.200 --> 00:11:34.960 And his answer really is this that if our life is in Christ, that if your life is rooted in Christ, then all of these external signs really mean nothing. 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:48.480 If our life is rooted in Christ, then we understand that He's the prime example of this, that it is the suffering of God's children that leads to exaltation. 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:52.240 It is the cross before the crown. 00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:56.399 So let me ask you this as we embark on this series in Philippians. 00:11:57.679 --> 00:12:06.639 You ever see the way that the world's going and just feel a sense of concern, maybe a sense of anxiety, a sense of fear, a sense of disillusionment? 00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:15.120 Do you ever wonder if the church, if the gospel is gonna make it? 00:12:16.559 --> 00:12:18.720 I want you to know this morning that God knows. 00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:20.480 He knows how you feel. 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:28.000 He knows every night that you are awake with that anxiety, with that fear, with whatever negative feeling it is that you have. 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:30.240 He knows, he hears. 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:37.919 And this morning, and throughout this series, he wants to guide us to the place of joy. 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:47.840 And he wants us to know that none of these external things that are happening, if you know Christ, if your life is rooted in Christ, none of these things can rob you of that joy. 00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:54.480 There's a path that you and I can walk on this morning. 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:57.360 That is a path of joy. 00:12:58.240 --> 00:13:05.360 Now, 14 times in the book of Philippians, Paul will bring up this word, either in the noun form or the verb form, of joy. 00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:13.919 Whether it's a command to rejoice or whether it's speaking of joy, 14 times in the short book, Paul will speak of joy. 00:13:14.240 --> 00:13:17.840 Now, over 50 times, Paul will bring up the name Christ. 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:25.279 And nine of those times, Paul's gonna be fleshing out a theology of what it looks to live in, what it looks like to be in Christ. 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:30.480 And so just from those statistics alone, we get a sense of what Philippians is all about. 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:37.039 Philippians is all about the joy that you can have in Christ regardless of your circumstance. 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:46.159 No matter how much it seems like you're losing in life right now, if you know Christ and you are in Him, then you can have joy. 00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:49.360 This is the promise for you. 00:13:51.039 --> 00:14:00.159 In fact, it's probably good for us to define joy here, and I believe as we work through the series, we'll come back to this a number of times, but I really want to set the foundation this morning of joy. 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:12.480 And one of the best ways that I've heard joy defined is this joy is the flag that is flown in the castle of the heart when the king is in residence there. 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:14.080 Let me say that again. 00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:15.759 This is so important for us. 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:26.559 Joy is the flag that is flown in the castle of the Christian heart when the king is in residence there. 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:49.919 In other words, the picture that we're painting is this is that joy is something that is offered to you, which if you biblically find, we're talking theology here, if you theologically understand how to find joy in Christ, then it is a flag that flies, and nothing that happens outside the castle walls can affect that joy because the king is in the castle. 00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:52.960 Christ is seated on the throne of your heart. 00:14:53.279 --> 00:15:06.159 And this is so practical for for so many of us because so many of us are walking through circumstances right now, and there are things happening in your life, and you're looking at these things, these circumstances, these situations, and you're saying, Oh, this is really robbing me of joy. 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:13.279 If God would just change my circumstance, if he just changed my situation, if he just reversed the script here, then I'd have joy. 00:15:14.080 --> 00:15:21.200 And God wants you to understand that it's not what happens outside the castle walls that will bring you joy, it's what happens inside. 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:31.519 That there is a position of your heart, there's a stature of your heart, that so long as you have your heart in this position in submission to Christ, you can have joy. 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:43.679 In a world where there's every reason for anxiety, in a world where there's every reason for despair, in a world where there's every reason for apathy, Christ is calling us to joy. 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:47.840 This morning we want to set a foundation for that. 00:15:48.399 --> 00:15:58.000 And one of the ways that you know that Philippians is one of my favorite books, as you'll see up here, oh, we we already went to the first point, but you'll see the title slide says Philippians 1, 1 to 5. 00:15:58.159 --> 00:16:05.919 And I had to make a last-minute decision in between the time that these slides were made and the time that we are spending together this morning to cut this sermon in half. 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:13.120 And so we're really talking about the foundation of joy here, and we're spending our time this morning in the first two verses of Philippians. 00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:14.799 There's so much here for us. 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:16.960 Look at what Paul says. 00:16:17.519 --> 00:16:26.799 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with the overseers and deacons. 00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:33.919 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:36.320 Here's what we're doing this morning. 00:16:36.399 --> 00:16:38.559 We're setting a foundation for joy for our life. 00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:40.159 How do we find joy? 00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:41.679 What's the foundation of joy? 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:48.240 Where do we plant our feet if we want to see this indestructible joy in our life? 00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:53.440 Ultimately, the call of Philippians is to seek joy's foundation. 00:16:53.679 --> 00:16:58.399 Now notice here that Paul begins by, as he often does, introducing himself. 00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:02.799 And yet he doesn't only introduce himself, he's also introducing Timothy. 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:09.839 And Paul in these verses is saying, I'm writing this to you with the authority of both myself and Timothy. 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:18.799 Now we'll see through Philippians that it's very much Paul who's writing, and he'll speak of his own personal situation in a way that Timothy would not be able to. 00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:29.279 And yet what Paul is doing here is including Timothy corporately to say that Timothy is in agreement with all that Paul writes. 00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:35.200 Now, this is significant because the Philippian church is very familiar with Timothy. 00:17:35.359 --> 00:17:39.279 And Timothy's actually going to play a significant role in the future of the Philippian church. 00:17:39.359 --> 00:17:47.359 Later in Philippians, we're going to read, Paul hopes to send Timothy to the church in order to encourage it, and so that Timothy might be encouraged himself. 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:54.240 But Timothy's not only a significant player in the future of the church, Timothy's also a significant player in the planting of this church. 00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:57.279 In fact, I think it's good that we get a context of the Philippian church. 00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:01.200 So do a favor, do me a favor and turn over to Acts chapter 16. 00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:04.000 Acts chapter 16. 00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:13.359 I want you to see the miraculous foundation of the Philippian church as Paul planted it. 00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:32.799 Now in Acts chapter 16, Paul is with Timothy and Silas and Luke, and he's on a second missionary journey, this journey that he is making around Asia Minor to preach the gospel and to plant churches. 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:37.599 And in verses 6 to 10, we really get a phenomenal picture of what's happening. 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:53.519 Paul is going through Asia Minor, city to city, and the spirit is very intimately leading him and his team of preachers, so that he tries to go to some cities and the door is clearly closed to that city's, and yet other cities the door is clearly opened. 00:18:54.160 --> 00:19:06.880 And then we find in the midst of this leading that Paul has a vision, you read of it in verse 9, it's a vision of a man from Macedonia standing and urging him and saying to him, Come over to Macedonia and help us. 00:19:07.440 --> 00:19:16.079 This would be like if your neighbor, you know, tomorrow morning stood out on the front of their porch and called over to your house and said, Hey, hey, come preach the gospel to us. 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:19.920 You'd be like, All right, I think something significant significant is happening here. 00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:27.440 And so Paul, in obedience, goes to Macedonia and he goes to one of the major cities of Macedonia, which is Philippi. 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:34.960 Now, I'm sure you can imagine the anticipation of Paul and his team of preachers as they approach Philippi. 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:42.240 God has called them here, they have called him here, asking for his help, asking him to preach the gospel. 00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:53.759 And yet, what we find is that when Paul gets to Philippi, God's work is almost completely absent. 00:19:54.160 --> 00:19:56.720 So that there's not even a synagogue in Philippi. 00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:03.200 At that time, according to Jewish custom, if you had more than 10 Jews in a city, you could start a synagogue. 00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:10.480 And so as Paul goes to Philippi, he always looks for the synagogue first in any city he goes to, but he can't find it. 00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:15.039 And so in verse 13, we read this of Acts chapter 16. 00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:24.000 On the Sabbath day, we went outside, the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer. 00:20:24.559 --> 00:20:31.839 There's no synagogue, but Paul hears that there are a small group of God believers who are meeting to pray. 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:36.799 And so Paul comes to this place and he meets there a woman named Lydia. 00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:39.359 And Lydia is from another city. 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:43.599 She's a successful businesswoman and a worshiper of God. 00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:46.079 And there Paul preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:52.799 Lydia is saved, and we're told in verse 15 that Lydia and her household then invites Paul to her house. 00:20:53.680 --> 00:20:57.359 And there there's the first church meeting of the Philippian church. 00:20:57.519 --> 00:21:02.880 It's just this miraculous work of God in this one family. 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:05.599 Well, the work doesn't stop there. 00:21:06.720 --> 00:21:11.839 See, in verse 16, Paul meets a girl who is possessed with a demon. 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:17.519 And he delivers that girl to salvation in God. 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:19.440 He preaches the gospel of this girl too. 00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:22.799 And this gospel, this girl is then saved. 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:30.160 And yet the Philippians are noticing, the city is noticing, and so they throw Paul and Silas in jail. 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:35.119 And yet you find something about the apostles at this time is that you just can't rob their joy from them. 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:36.079 It doesn't matter what you do. 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:37.759 You beat them up, they come back joyful. 00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:41.920 You throw them in jail, look what they do in jail in verse 15, sorry, verse 25. 00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:48.559 About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:53.920 Philippians were looking at these guys and being like, these guys are so annoying. 00:21:54.079 --> 00:21:56.319 They just won't stop having joy. 00:21:56.960 --> 00:21:59.759 You can't break them, you put them in jail. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.960 And they just stay up all night singing. 00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:12.720 See, there's a joy that Paul exuded when he planted the Philippian church. 00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:15.839 That the Philippian church had seen firsthand. 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:22.960 What the Philippian church had experienced was really the explosive power of the gospel. 00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:36.559 It's the power that Paul speaks about in Romans chapter 1, where he says, For I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 00:22:38.079 --> 00:22:40.160 But now time has passed. 00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:46.079 And the Philippians, they write to Paul, wondering if the gospel really still has this power. 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:52.480 They had seen firsthand the gospel move in power, and they wondered, does it still have that power for me today? 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:54.720 And I wonder if you're at a place like that. 00:22:55.200 --> 00:23:00.559 I wonder if you're at a place where you can look back to a time in your life where like God was so near to you. 00:23:00.880 --> 00:23:04.240 You would read the word of God and it was like the ink was fresh. 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:06.559 You'd feel the ink to see if it would come off on your fingers. 00:23:06.640 --> 00:23:08.400 It just seemed so relevant to your life. 00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:12.720 But now you find yourself in this place where you've just grown apathetic to God's work. 00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:18.000 You feel like, is God still so near to me as he was back then? 00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:22.880 Is God's word still so powerful as it was back then? 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:28.640 We have this desire to experience God's grace afresh, like we did. 00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:38.480 And Paul writes Philippians to say that the power of God that was working through him when the church was planted still works through him now. 00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:40.720 Nothing has changed. 00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:43.519 He still has everything he needs. 00:23:43.920 --> 00:23:48.400 See, in many ways, Philippians comes a book where it could easily become a book of complaining. 00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:57.759 In every chapter, Paul is going to talk about something that he has lost, and yet in every chapter, Paul is going to point us to his joy. 00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:05.680 Paul includes Timothy because he was profoundly important in the planting of the church. 00:24:05.759 --> 00:24:10.400 But Timothy is also an example, I think, of what Paul is going to talk about so much in Philippians. 00:24:10.559 --> 00:24:20.240 So then Philippians chapter 2, verse 21, speaking of Timothy, Paul says, For they all seek their own interests, but not those of Jesus Christ. 00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:26.880 And sorry, starting in verse 20, he says, I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:29.839 Paul has seen such a work in Timothy. 00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:31.839 It's an exemplary work. 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:36.160 Timothy doesn't seek his own interests, Timothy seeks the interests of Christ. 00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:45.680 That's why in Philippians 1, verse 1, going back to Philippians now, you'll see that as Paul describes himself in Timothy, he says that they are servants of Christ Jesus. 00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:49.680 They're servants of Christ Jesus. 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:54.559 I want you to see this first about seeking a foundation of joy in your life. 00:24:54.720 --> 00:25:05.279 The first thing you need to do if you want to seek a foundation of joy, if you want to set a foundation of joy for your life, the first thing you must do is seek to be a servant of Jesus' will. 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:13.200 The question that you must ask yourself every day is not what interests me today. 00:25:13.359 --> 00:25:14.640 What do I want to do today? 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:22.400 But if you want joy in your life, then the first thing you need to ask yourself is this what does Jesus want of me today? 00:25:23.279 --> 00:25:25.200 Timothy does this in every way. 00:25:25.519 --> 00:25:27.920 He doesn't seek his own interests, he seeks those of Christ. 00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:31.839 And so Paul labels both Timothy and himself a servant of Christ Jesus. 00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:35.920 Now, I think that the language servant is probably a little soft here. 00:25:36.799 --> 00:25:43.839 In fact, the Greek word here is doulos, and elsewhere in Scripture, Dulos is actually translated as slave. 00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:47.599 This is a word of ownership. 00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:53.119 Paul is saying in every way that he is in submission to the will of God. 00:25:53.599 --> 00:25:59.200 What God says, what Jesus Christ calls him to do, so Paul does. 00:25:59.839 --> 00:26:06.319 It's the same word that's used of Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate example of this in chapter 2, verses 6 and 7. 00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:21.839 It says there that Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a doulos, a servant, a slave, being born in the likeness of men. 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:26.000 Now, this is what Paul is showing us practically. 00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:37.839 Practically, he's showing you and I this morning that the greatest way that you can serve your own interests is not actually by making life all about yourself. 00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:41.039 Isn't that what we often do? 00:26:41.359 --> 00:26:52.559 We often think that if we truly want a happy and fulfilled and joy-filled life, then what we need to do is make sure everything revolves around me. 00:26:52.799 --> 00:27:00.640 And Jesus is calling us this morning to say, you will not have joy until everything revolves around him. 00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:11.599 The foundation of joy is when your life's aim is to seek Jesus' interests and not your own. 00:27:12.720 --> 00:27:17.440 And so the question is not what do I want to do today? 00:27:17.599 --> 00:27:20.720 The question is, what does Jesus want me to do today? 00:27:20.880 --> 00:27:25.680 And I want you to understand that when it comes to your joy, this changes everything. 00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:37.519 You see, when we have an attitude of serving our own interests, we actually can't serve anybody else's interests, and we especially can't serve Jesus's interests. 00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:49.359 And so when we have this attitude of desiring to serve our own interests, what happens is we actually expect Jesus to then serve us. 00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:51.839 Do you understand that? 00:27:52.960 --> 00:28:04.319 Like when we when we have this attitude of like, I'll find joy by seeking joy in and of myself, we actually have this expectation that God exists to serve our own interests. 00:28:05.680 --> 00:28:08.400 And many of us live like this. 00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:14.559 Many of us live like God is like sort of this genie in a bottle. 00:28:14.880 --> 00:28:17.039 And he's around for when you need something. 00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:29.759 Like when God, when all of a sudden your life isn't enough, all of a sudden you lack something, like your health is taken from you, or you're in some situation where you're just like at wit's end, you don't know what to do, then God is there for you. 00:28:30.880 --> 00:28:33.119 And many of us live like this. 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:39.920 And so let me ask you, really practically right now, who's who's serving who right now in your walk with the Lord? 00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:42.640 Are you serving the Lord? 00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:47.359 Or is the expectation that Jesus is serving you? 00:28:49.599 --> 00:28:59.680 See, if you have this complex where the reason you're not joyful in life, the reason you're not happy in life is because of some sort of circumstance in your life. 00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:03.599 Like maybe it's it's your marriage. 00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:09.359 Maybe your spouse is just not the person that on your wedding day you thought they were going to be. 00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:16.480 And maybe your sp maybe your spouse actually does things that that you feel like it robs you of joy and happiness. 00:29:16.559 --> 00:29:23.839 And you have this picture of like, if they would just be like this, if they would just be like this, then I could live a joy-filled life. 00:29:32.160 --> 00:29:38.400 Maybe for others of us who think the reason we lack joy right now is because we lack some material thing. 00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:42.640 Our house is too small, car is too old. 00:29:43.440 --> 00:29:57.519 I want you to see if this is the way that you view joy, that you don't have joy and happiness because of some sort of circumstance in your life, you need to know that your heart is situated for Jesus to serve you and not you to serve Jesus. 00:29:57.680 --> 00:30:06.720 Because what you then are saying is that if Jesus delivers me from the situation, if Jesus puts me in a better situation, then I'll have joy. 00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:14.960 And instead, what Jesus is looking to you in the situation is and he's saying is this, I've put you here so that you can serve not your own interests. 00:30:15.119 --> 00:30:18.319 This isn't about you, this is about me. 00:30:19.599 --> 00:30:21.759 See, many of us, we have things backwards here. 00:30:22.160 --> 00:30:27.039 There are many of us who slip into treating God like this genie in the bottle. 00:30:27.279 --> 00:30:32.240 And so when we find ourselves in a place of need, then it's the then we walk close to God. 00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:47.839 And so long as we don't have that circumstantial thing, and so long as God doesn't work things out the way we want them to go circumstantially, we will not be joyful. 00:30:49.440 --> 00:30:57.839 See, many of us are like the mature version of the toddler who's in your house who stamps their feet when they don't get to read the book that they want to read. 00:30:58.240 --> 00:31:04.000 And many of us, like very practically, if you if you can imagine the mature picture of that, the mature version of that, that's many of us with God right now. 00:31:04.079 --> 00:31:05.119 Our arms are folded. 00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:09.119 Until you do this for me, God, I will not be joyful. 00:31:09.680 --> 00:31:12.960 Until you change my situation, I will not be happy. 00:31:13.279 --> 00:31:15.519 But this morning I want you to see what's happening. 00:31:15.680 --> 00:31:18.319 God is unleashing a new foundation for joy. 00:31:18.480 --> 00:31:21.920 God is showing us that you won't find joy when you seek your own interest. 00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:26.799 You will only find joy when you serve Jesus' interest. 00:31:28.720 --> 00:31:30.799 This is the foundation of joy. 00:31:31.039 --> 00:31:38.319 The one who views themselves as a servant of Christ, the one who does what Jesus wills them to do. 00:31:38.880 --> 00:31:42.000 This is where your joy is found in giving yourself over to the service of Christ. 00:31:42.079 --> 00:31:47.039 But secondly, I want you to see that joy's foundation is found through devotion in Christ. 00:31:47.359 --> 00:31:48.480 Devotion in Christ. 00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:52.480 And so you'll notice there that Paul and Timothy are servants of Christ Jesus. 00:31:52.640 --> 00:32:01.359 And then he writes in the second half of verse 1, he says, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with the overseers and deacons. 00:32:02.240 --> 00:32:03.920 Now it's significant here. 00:32:04.319 --> 00:32:12.640 Paul could have called the church at Philippi anything, and yet he chooses this word very specifically. 00:32:13.039 --> 00:32:18.559 He chooses to call these Christians at Philippi saints. 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:21.440 Well, what is a saint? 00:32:22.240 --> 00:32:35.599 The answer for many of us as we think about uh as of what comes to mind as we think about saint is probably much like the child who, when asked what is what a saint is, he said, Well, they're the person who's on the window who's dead and keeps the light from coming in. 00:32:36.160 --> 00:32:44.319 And that's very much you know what we think about of a saint is the really the Roman Catholic view of this dead person who's kind of been immortalized in history. 00:32:44.559 --> 00:32:49.039 And the Roman Catholic view of saints is that these are people that we pray to. 00:32:49.440 --> 00:32:56.319 And yet here we recognize that Paul is calling every person who is in Christ Jesus a saint. 00:32:57.359 --> 00:33:01.359 Now, the meaning of a word saint is really a holy person. 00:33:02.240 --> 00:33:04.400 And that's pretty significant, isn't it? 00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:11.759 If I came up here this morning and I said, Hey, hey, listen, holy people, all the holy people in this room, I have a message for you. 00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:14.799 My guess is that many of you would be like looking at the person beside you. 00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:19.920 Like, I think that must be them because I know my life and I don't feel that holy at times. 00:33:20.559 --> 00:33:25.680 If I came up and I said, hey, listen, I have a message for you, but only for you if you're devoted to God. 00:33:25.759 --> 00:33:30.720 If your life is separated from sin, you're devoted to God, you're a holy person, this message is for you. 00:33:30.880 --> 00:33:32.640 Many of us would probably zone out. 00:33:33.279 --> 00:33:40.640 We look at our life, I know that there are many areas in my life that I am not devoted to God, that I am not separated from sin. 00:33:40.960 --> 00:33:44.799 All of us, if we're honest with ourselves, would fall into that category. 00:33:44.960 --> 00:33:50.559 And yet, as Paul looks at the Philippian church, he says that every Christian here is a saint. 00:33:50.720 --> 00:33:57.839 Every Christian is a holy person, every Christian is a person who's devoted to holiness and separated from sin. 00:34:01.039 --> 00:34:07.599 What Paul is doing here is showing us that in Christ, our identity is an identity of holiness. 00:34:07.680 --> 00:34:10.239 It's an identity of devotion to him. 00:34:10.880 --> 00:34:14.239 This is who Christ has made us to be in our salvation. 00:34:14.400 --> 00:34:21.599 We are a new transformation, and in our new transformation, our desire is for the things of the Spirit. 00:34:21.760 --> 00:34:24.639 This is what Paul fleshes out so much in Romans 8. 00:34:24.719 --> 00:34:29.679 He says, if you are of the flesh, then you're gonna love things of the flesh, but the Holy Spirit has come. 00:34:29.760 --> 00:34:32.000 This is Romans 8 theology, and it's so good. 00:34:32.159 --> 00:34:35.840 The Holy Spirit has come and he makes you cry, Abba Father. 00:34:36.000 --> 00:34:39.440 He puts these desires in your heart that you could never have apart from him. 00:34:40.559 --> 00:34:45.840 Desires for holiness, these desires for devotion. 00:34:46.320 --> 00:34:54.559 I want you to know to understand here that this is fundamental to our Christianity, is our union in Christ, in which he is doing this work. 00:34:54.800 --> 00:35:09.519 So that notice that Paul even talks to the elders, which the ESV has translated there as overseers, and the deacons, and he says that that they are in a separate category, that he's writing to the saints with those people. 00:35:09.679 --> 00:35:11.519 This is for all believers. 00:35:11.840 --> 00:35:18.000 This is true of anyone who is in Christ, that their heart is then devoted to him. 00:35:21.119 --> 00:35:27.920 Paul writes to these people, he calls them holy people, and our question needs to be this: why can Paul call them saints? 00:35:28.960 --> 00:35:31.199 Like, is the Philippian church perfect? 00:35:31.920 --> 00:35:33.280 Are they like really holy people? 00:35:33.360 --> 00:35:38.320 You know, as we think about the Philippian church, should we think about people who like they never sin, they're perfect? 00:35:40.559 --> 00:35:45.519 Well, Paul tells us exactly why he can call them saints is because they are in Christ Jesus. 00:35:45.679 --> 00:35:46.480 Do you see that there? 00:35:46.719 --> 00:35:50.159 Saints in Christ Jesus. 00:35:50.960 --> 00:35:52.960 This is an identity marker. 00:35:53.519 --> 00:36:04.320 In other words, what Paul is telling us is this that who we are as Christians is because of where we are as Christians. 00:36:04.559 --> 00:36:12.960 In fact, it's a little bit of a play on words, and you see this a little bit more in the original Greek, but but Paul's really talking about two different locations here. 00:36:13.519 --> 00:36:21.519 First, he says that these saints are in Christ Jesus, but these saints are also in Philippi. 00:36:22.400 --> 00:36:24.079 Two different locations. 00:36:25.039 --> 00:36:32.239 They're both in the city, and yet they are holy, not because they're in Philippi, but because they are in Christ. 00:36:34.159 --> 00:36:36.239 And so we need to understand this this morning. 00:36:36.400 --> 00:36:43.360 The reason why we are devoted to Christ is because of the work that Christ is doing in us. 00:36:44.239 --> 00:36:46.320 This is God's primary work. 00:36:46.800 --> 00:36:52.559 God's primary work is to work in us so that we desire Him. 00:36:53.039 --> 00:36:56.800 Look with me for a moment, flip over to Philippians chapter 2, verses 12 to 13. 00:36:56.960 --> 00:36:58.400 Paul's gonna flesh this out. 00:36:58.639 --> 00:37:05.199 The primary work that God is doing in us is working in us so that we desire him. 00:37:05.360 --> 00:37:11.119 Look at verse 13 of chapter 2, where Paul says, For it is God who works in you. 00:37:12.159 --> 00:37:14.239 And what is the work that God is doing in you? 00:37:14.400 --> 00:37:15.360 You see it there? 00:37:15.840 --> 00:37:21.440 Both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 00:37:22.719 --> 00:37:27.840 Listen, there are some Christians in the room right now who are always getting down on themselves. 00:37:28.079 --> 00:37:30.000 You're like, you're never good enough. 00:37:30.559 --> 00:37:34.000 All your efforts, they're always like garbage. 00:37:34.239 --> 00:37:38.159 You're always getting down on yourself, you always recognize how much better you could be doing. 00:37:38.480 --> 00:37:47.679 You constantly beat yourself up, you're constantly discouraged, and I want you to see here though, that if there is any desire, I'm talking like desire, not even action. 00:37:47.840 --> 00:37:56.239 If there's any desire in your heart right now to do the will of God, to live for Jesus Christ, do you understand that cannot be put there by the flesh? 00:37:56.400 --> 00:37:58.960 It must have been put there by the spirit. 00:37:59.360 --> 00:38:02.880 You can't fabricate that, only the spirit can do that work. 00:38:03.440 --> 00:38:11.679 And anytime there's this sort of longing to get after God, to pursue him, I want you to see the fingers of God in that. 00:38:12.559 --> 00:38:14.159 This is God's work. 00:38:14.800 --> 00:38:17.679 This is what Paul talks about in Romans chapter 6. 00:38:18.239 --> 00:38:26.239 In Romans chapter 6, Paul has just finished explaining that the reason why God forgives is because when God forgives sin, he gets more and more and more glory. 00:38:26.559 --> 00:38:29.360 It's like it's it's it's really math in Romans chapter 5. 00:38:29.519 --> 00:38:32.480 The more God forgives, the more glory he gets. 00:38:32.639 --> 00:38:33.920 This is the gospel. 00:38:35.039 --> 00:38:37.599 It's so astounding that it causes you to ask this question. 00:38:37.679 --> 00:38:47.760 The question that Paul asked in Romans chapter 6, verse 1, if that's true, like if God's grace abounds when our sin abounds, why don't we just sin so that grace can abound all the more? 00:38:49.599 --> 00:38:53.440 If you really understand the gospel, that's actually the question that you start to ask. 00:38:53.679 --> 00:39:02.159 If God's forgiveness is so free and so full, and he does it because he gets glory, then we should just sin more and more and more so that God gets more glory. 00:39:02.400 --> 00:39:05.039 And Romans chapter 6 deals with this. 00:39:05.199 --> 00:39:07.199 Paul asks the question in Romans 6, verse 1. 00:39:07.280 --> 00:39:08.880 He says, What shall we say then? 00:39:09.199 --> 00:39:13.039 Are do we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 00:39:13.519 --> 00:39:14.719 But then look what he says. 00:39:14.880 --> 00:39:18.159 He points us to the same thing we're pointed to in a Philippians 1. 00:39:18.239 --> 00:39:19.840 He says, By no means. 00:39:20.639 --> 00:39:24.800 How can we who died to sin still live in it? 00:39:25.599 --> 00:39:32.079