Bret Hammond

There are verses from our Bibles that find their way to our refrigerator doors. We put them there to remind us of their truth or promises. Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice," might be one of them. It's a great reminder of God's call to rejoice despite our circumstances.

But the verses immediately before this call to rejoice likely won't find their way to our refrigerator. In verses 2 and 3, Paul writes of two women in the Philippians church who weren't getting along. "I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord." This verse isn't the stuff of refrigerator doors—it's the stuff of gossip sessions. Can you imagine the talk around Philippi the morning after this letter was read in church? What did the locals down at the coffee shop think of these two ladies called out by the apostle Paul? What did they make of his call for them to help these two agree?

Can you imagine? Well, in this message we will. We'll imagine how this letter might have been received by people who weren't any different than us. And since the names Euodia and Syntyche seem far removed from our world, we'll bring them closer and hear what Paul has to say about "Eunice and Cindy."

There are people on your list and people on mine, those who showed you what it truly means to be a Christian. Through their kindness, they demonstrated the love and compassion of Jesus. They made the life of faith seem possible and within your grasp. If they could do it, you could do it!

In Philippians 3:17, Paul writes, "keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us." Sometimes we need to look back to see those who showed us what this life looks like. When you can't see your way forward, remember.

My priorities changed at 3:53 this morning. A little girl named Ruby came into the world, and I want to do everything I can to know her. But, to do that, some things that used to be important will have to be laid aside, and other things that previously weren't important to me will have to be taken up, like being known as "grandpa."

I hear something of my change of priorities in the words of Paul from Philippians 3:8, "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ." Paul's priorities changed, and knowing Christ became the center of his being. Everything he had previously held dear had to fall into step behind Jesus.

The Beatles told us they get by with a little help from their friends. A generation earlier, Cole Porter told us friendship is just the perfect blendship. Then my generation came along, and we were stuck with Michael W. Smith telling us friends are friends forever, which we sang at every campfire on the last day of church camp.

The song lasted longer than most of those friendships (or it felt like it did anyway).

Whatever your "friendship anthem" is, you know the importance of those relationships you hold most dear. In Philippians 2:19-30, Paul pauses from his teaching and encouragement to tell the Philippians about a couple of his friends. He details what they mean to him personally and how he couldn't get by without a little help from them.

In this message, we will hear about Paul's friends, and we will see our friendships reflected in his words.

It's a standard movie trope; we've seen it over and over again. The hero stands over an active bomb while the timer counts down to zero. He looks at the wires before him and asks over his phone, "Do I cut the red wire or the green wire?" His hands shake as he closes his eyes, hopes for the best, and snips the black wire.

(The hero might be colorblind)

"Fear and trembling" describe those moments as the timer beeps and the hero makes his decision. Those are also the words Paul uses to describe the daily living out of the Christian life. "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). It is an expression that means "with utter seriousness." But, of course, as Paul uses the phrase, it's less about cutting the right wire than living the life that glorifies Jesus.

(Cutting the right wire might be less stressful!)

In this message, we look at what our salvation looks like when it's lived out with fear and trembling.

(I'll give you a hint; it looks a lot like Jesus)

"Make my joy complete." What could someone else do for you that would make your joy complete? Pay off your debt? Buy you a new home? Make sure your favorite team finally won? Whatever it is that would make your joy complete says a lot about what you've got your heart set on.

Paul wrote to the Philippians, "complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind." The greatest joy Paul could imagine from his prison cell was that the Philippians would love each other the way Jesus loved them.

If we can do that for each other, we will make our joy complete!

We're fascinated with famous last words. Everything from the inspiring, like Todd Beamer's recital of the Lord's Prayer followed by "Let's roll," to the ironic, like Union General Jon Sedgwick, whose last words were, "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist—." Will our last words reflect the faith that sees us to death?

The Bible doesn't record Paul's last words, but we would imagine them to be something like his words in Philippians 1:21, "To live is Christ, and to die is gain." Those are worthy words, and we all hope that our last words reflect something of that kind of faith. But that's not a matter of memorizing and rehearsing the words, and it's not a matter of waiting until the end to say something brilliant. Instead, it's about the faith we live out today that sees us to that moment.

How do we live today with a faith that will see us through this life and to the other side?

"Disability." "Disbelief." "Discontent." "Dislike." The prefix "dis" comes from the Latin meaning "apart" or "away." So to have "disbelief" is to move away from belief. To be "discontent" is to be apart from contentment, and to be "disliked" means you probably shared your opinions on Facebook.

"Discourage" . . . "to part with courage." When you're discouraged, you lose your bravery—your ability to move forward in the world. Discouragement robs you of your momentum, meaning, and mojo. It stops you in your tracks and keeps you from seeing new possibilities and opportunities.

We live in discouraging times. To keep moving ahead, we need to find a way to inoculate ourselves against discouragement. I believe Paul has some ENcouragement in Philippians for those who are facing DIScouragement.

"Don't pray for lighter burdens, but for stronger backs." I like that quote, even though I would prefer lighter burdens.

In Philippians 1:6, Paul writes, "I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." It almost sounds like a promise of lighter burdens, or at the very least burdens God bears for us. Paul's confidence is in the God who promises to see us through to the end. But just a few verses later, he accompanies this promise with a prayer for stronger backs, stronger love, and deeper commitment.

In this message, we dig into God's promise and see the prayer that accompanies it.

Jeff was a good friend, an active member of our church, and a wonderful volunteer. He will be missed.