Nick Emery Philippians Series

RWC Weekend Review – Recap of Philippians 2:1-18

While our lead Pastor is on sabbatical we are in a series this summer going through the book of Philippians. Philippians is a letter saturated with joy. It provides one of the clearest pictures of the way Jesus lived out joy throughout His life and it encourages us to have the same attitude, or mindset. With that said, we are focusing on four different aspects of our mindsets: the single mindset, the submissive mindset, the spiritual mindset and the secure mindset. Today is our first Sunday talking about the submissive mindset, looking at the example of Jesus and the apostle Paul.

The joy of the submissive mind comes not only from serving others and sharing in Christ’s suffering, but mostly through the truth that we are glorifying God. Our example comes from Jesus, the energy to do this comes from the Holy Spirit, and the result is: true and lasting joy.

– Philippians 2:1-4
How do we experience the joy of the submissive mind?
1) Build real humility and service into your life.
So the encouragement we have from Paul in these verses is what? Personal responsibility! Before God, we must be responsible for ourselves – for our humility towards others and our care of others. Each person must choose regardless of what others are saying or doing, to submit to Christ personally and stay humble and demonstrate the example of Christ by putting others first. And we must do this corporately within our church, but also within our homes, within our families and within our marriages. Selfishness will ruin you – it will ruin your family, it will ruin your marriage, and it will most certainly ruin the church. But real humility, that is authentic and genuine, it will build you up – it will build up your family – it will build up your marriage and it will build up the church.

– Philippians 2:5-11
How do we experience the joy of the submissive mind?
2) Choose to live out the humility of Jesus Christ daily.
So how do we, every day, choose live out the humility of Jesus Christ? Do we go die on a cross for the sins of the world? No, we can’t do that. We aren’t God. So, what can we do? If we want to experience true and lasting joy, joy found in the submissive mind and if we are dedicated to building humility into our lives then how do we choose to daily live out the attitude of humility found in Jesus Christ? We follow hard after Christ. We lay down our right, to be right and we serve. Verse 7 says he took on the very nature of a servant. So do that, daily. See, Jesus was the best teacher – through Him we see how God thinks and therefore how we should think. Jesus was the best example – through Him we see how we ought to be living daily.

Read Isaiah 53. So similar to Philippians 2:5-11 isn’t it? The Messiah’s strength, His true glory, is shown by humility, suffering and mercy. God works in ways we don’t expect – don’t limit Him and His work in and through your life. Experience the joy of the submissive mind and seek to live out the humility of Jesus Christ daily.

– Philippians 2:12-13
How do we experience the joy of the submissive mind?
3) Ask God to change your desires. Ask Him to help you to want to do His will.
Be fueled and powered by the Holy Spirit alone. Apart from God’s example, let only other faithful followers of Christ be your encouragement of holy living. Obey God’s Holy Word – don’t just read it and let it be good head knowledge. Obey it. And, always be looking for ways to serve others. God will change your desire to submit to His will, just ask Him to change your desires – and trust He will.

– Philippians 2:14-18
How do we experience the joy of the submissive mind?
4) Believe that God’s promises are true and they are going to work in our lives.
God’s work in and through us will take time. Submitting to His leadership is key. Even when we can’t see what God is doing we must trust in God by faith.The submissive mind leads us to true joy, for it makes us more like Jesus Christ. And, it takes faith to exercise the submissive mind.

Listen to this message online at:  http://www.rwcsac.org/media/sermon-podcasts

Next week we will be looking at Philippians 2:19-30. I want to encourage you to join myself along with others from RWC and daily read through the Scripture that we will be focused on next week. Read it on your own or with your family or a friend. Pray through it and daily ask God to reveal to you His heart within this truth.

Nick Emery Philippians Series

RWC Weekend Review – Recap of Philippians 1:27-30

Let’s not forget that the letter to those in Philipi was written by Paul when he was in prison. And even though Paul was a prisoner, Paul was rejoicing. There was a secret to his joy: single-mindedness. He lived for Christ and the advancement of the gospel message of Jesus Christ alone. “Single-mindedness” is an attitude of the heart and mind that says “no matter the cost I long to see Christ glorified and the Kingdom of God advanced through sharing the life-saving gospel message of Jesus Christ.” And this, my friends, is what Philippians is all about. Philippians is a letter saturated with joy. It provides one of the clearest pictures of the way Jesus lived out joy throughout His life and it encourages us to have the same attitude, or mindset.

In order for us to truly unlock the power of single-mindedness in Christ and in the faith of the Gospel, we must simply be. As we finish up chapter one of Philippians this morning we will talk candidly about what must be in order to maintain that single-mindedness that says, “no matter the cost I long to see Jesus Christ proclaimed and the Kingdom of God advanced!” So what must we “be” in order maintain our single-mindedness and pursuit of true joy? Paul gives us several things to “be” in order to maintain a common purpose of serving Christ.

Philippians 1:27 & 28 – Way too often the unity we should have as believers is hindered, if not halted altogether by disunity. In these two verses, Paul gives us three things to “be” in order to maintain a common purpose of serving Christ. Paul says…

  • Be worthy

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”  (Eph. 4:1)

  • Be firm– be secure, be steady, be strong…

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Do everything in love.”  (1 Cor. 16:13-14)

  • Be contending – engage in a campaign to achieve – contend along with, be unified…

“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” (Jude 1:3)

Philippians 1:29-30 – In this these verses, Paul gives us three more things to “be” in order to maintain a common purpose of serving Christ. Paul says to…

  • Be grateful –you be grateful for what you encounter…

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt.5:11-12)

  • Be faithful – you be obedient & follow God’s leading; it has its purpose…

“They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,’ they said.” (Acts 14:21-22)

  • Be prepared for the struggle, for the fight…

“We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition.”  (1 Thess. 2:2)

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

“But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:3-4“)

Whatever happens…” Paul says – be worthy, be firm, be contending, be grateful, faithful and prepared. God doesn’t waste pain – He use suffering to build your character and your faith. We struggle with being worthy because our pursuit of true and lasting joy is found in what we can gain or get, rather than who we are in Christ and what we have in Him. We struggle with standing firm, together and thus unified because it’s more about “me and my agenda” and the hopeless self-promotion of “me” than for it to ever be “others” focused. We struggle with being grateful and that directly affects our faithfulness and obedience to Christ. See, and this isn’t just a generational thing either, humans would rather be the recipients of the efforts of hard work, faithfulness and unity – rather than do that work to accomplish that themselves. But if we aren’t willing to do the worked required of us to be faithful and obedient, then it’s no wonder we lack gratitude, the kind that produces true and lasting joy. Because, what is there to be thankful for when we haven’t focused on be-ing passionate about seeking to advance the Kingdom of God by living out a life of joy through the single-mindedness found in the faith of the Gospel of Christ Jesus?!

Paul begins to end this section of his letter to those believers in Philippi by saying “be worthy…!” And then he brings it down to an even playing field and says: we are in this together. We are His beloved and we have been created to be His example of single-mindedness, an example that point’s people to the lifesaving message found in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The joy in the knowledge of this hope is unreal – it should blow your mind. It should prompt you seek more of Christ. This kind of encouragement can’t just be food for thought. It has to be fuel for your life today.

Listen to this message online at:  http://www.rwcsac.org/media/sermon-podcasts

Next week we will be looking at Philippians 2:1-18 and talking about the submissive mind. I want to encourage you to join myself along with others from RWC and daily read through the Scripture that we will be focused on next week. Read it on your own or with your family or a friend. Pray through it and daily ask God to reveal to you His heart within this truth.

Nick Emery Philippians Series

RWC Weekend Review – Recap of Philippians 1:1-11

I am so fired-up about going through the book of Philippians with you this summer. It is one of my favorites – it is a book of the Bible that has transformed my heart and mind in so many incredible ways. And when Pastor Mike shared with me a few months ago about him taking a sabbatical, and that he was going to leave me in charge of his church and to preach through a whole series – I was humbled and excited. After spending time praying I really felt God leading me to prepare to walk through this book with you.

See, a friend asked me a couple weeks ago how I felt about Pastor Mike being gone, and having more responsibility, etc. He said, “Nick – are you just going to try and keep the ship afloat?” (Ship, meaning the church.) And I responded to him by saying: “Afloat? Simply afloat? NO! I want to see this church grow in two months – numerically and spiritually. I want my senior pastor to return from his sabbatical and be able to come back to a Holy Spirit charged church that has come to understand some amazing truths about God’s love and plan for their lives. I want him to come back and see new people involved in the life and ministry of this church like never before. I want, when he returns to see the transformational power of God in each of our lives fully active in every way possible. Afloat? No way! Sailing high? Absolutely!

During the summer months when everything church related seems to dip, I want to see an increase that can only be explained by the favor and work of the Lord. I want to see an increase in our giving – not just financially, but of our stewardship and of our service. I want to see ministries strengthened with new servant leaders supporting current servant leaders. I want to see parents more equipped through this series to be the chief disciple maker of their children. I want to see seasoned couples connecting with younger couples in a form of incarnational marriage mentorships that is life-giving and God honoring. And as a church, we will have several opportunities over the next 8 weeks to still connect and serve our community and point them to Jesus Christ! I’m fired-up folks…and I hope you are too…

Philippians is a letter saturated with joy. It provides one of the clearest pictures of the way Jesus lived out joy throughout His life and it encourages us to have the same attitude, or mindset. Over the next several weeks we will focus four different aspects of our mindsets: the single mindset, the submissive mindset, the spiritual mindset and the secure mindset. One of the sources of true joy we experience as believers is the fellowship that we have in Jesus Christ. Verses 1 through 11 is what some call the discipline of Paul’s habitual thankful recollection. And there is much that we can learn from this text about being unmoved – and about choosing single mindedness that produces so much joy. Instead of remembering all the mess-ups and fights, the disappointments and even judgment, or bitterness and frustrations – he was genuinely grateful for the people that God had brought into his life. This simple habit of Paul’s would transform the way we think about people. He found joy in his memories of his friends and in remembering them before the Lord in prayer. It was at the throne of grace, before the King of Kings, that he would pray and remember his friends and this remembered fellowship flooded his mind with true joy

Do you want to be unmoved? Do you want to experience true joy in your life?  Point #:1 Daily thank God for His grace, and live in His peace. (Verses 1 &2) Thankfulness links us together in the fellowship of the Gospel. Living in peace also links us together but it also allows us to live out peace and reflect God’s peace towards others.

God’s work for us began when Jesus Christ died on the cross, in our place, for our sins. God’s work in us came about because we confessed and believed in Him as our Savior and Lord. Now the Holy Spirit has taken up residency in our lives and dwells in us, empowering us to be more like Jesus Christ every day. This is the good work, one that God develops in each of our lives. Paul describes in these three verses why we should be unmoved as he shares with us the very process of Christian growth. Point #2: When God starts a project, He completes it. Rely on His provision! (Verses 3-6) Rely on His timing. God will help you grow. He will help you grow in grace. He promises to finish the work He has begun. Be unmoved – God promises provision. Don’t let your present circumstance or condition in life rob you of the joy that comes from knowing that Christ is at work – it will only keep you from intimacy with Him and from growing in grace and peace. When we don’t stay focused like this, it robs us of what the fellowship of the Gospel truly intends for us.

We can share in the transforming power of God’s love and the joy that it produces. But we have to be unmoved. Paul had a sincere love and appreciation for those in Philippi – he longed to see them – but this longing and love for them wasn’t just based on a past experience with them. It came from the unity he experienced when followers of God corporately and passionately seek out the love of Christ Jesus. Point #3: Let the love of God motivate you to love others and purpose with your life, to express that love in your actions. (Verse 7 & 8) This perhaps, could be, the area that most of us struggle with the most. It’s easy to love the loveable. Would you be able to make the same claim that Paul did? That even God Himself can testify of your true, genuine love for others?

Paul prayed for three things: united love, discernment, and a filling of the righteousness of Christ. Now I’m not very good at math – but I’m pretty sure that if you add all three of those things into your life, the sum of it all would equal what it means to be unmoved and filled with true joy that comes from the fellowship of the Gospel. Point #4: We must be committedto praying. (Verses 9-11)

Paul prayed that they would be unified in love. Paul prayed that they would be able to clearly understand what is good and what is bad. And when Paul prayed, he prayed that their lives be filled and marked by a right relationship with God. It’s not about praying about others so that you can get what you ultimately wanted. It’s about praying for them to get ultimately what God wants for them – an unmoved fellowship with the Gospel. Let God convict them of their wrongs. Let God lead them into genuine repentance. Let God be God in their lives.

Do you want to be unmoved? Do you want to experience true joy in your life? Start by daily, thanking God for His grace, and live in & out His peace. Rely on His provision! Let the love of God motivate you to love others and purpose with your life to express that love in your actions. And, make prayer a priority in your life.

Listen to this message online at:  http://www.rwcsac.org/media/sermon-podcasts

Next week we will be looking at Philippians 1:12-26. I want to encourage you to join myself along with others from RWC and daily read through the Scripture that we will be focused on next week. Read it on your own or with your family or a friend. Pray through it and daily ask God to reveal to you His heart within this truth.