Gulf Coast Community Church - Sunday Sermons

Speaker: Jerry Cisar

Jacques Ellul, a philosopher, spoke about how to destroy money’s controlling power over our lives. He said, “There is one act par excellence which profanes money … an act for which money is not made. This act is giving. … giving attacks something sacred.” Money desires to be our god, but when we give it away, we break its controlling power over us. But there is more.

Money is transactional—a means of exchange. Something occurs between two parties with each exchange. When I go to a restaurant and give them money, I expect service. When your company pays you, they expect that you have done your job. If they find out otherwise, they fire you. We wouldn’t dare enter a working relationship without discussing money. We shouldn’t dare enter a marriage relationship without discussing money. Like it or not, money influences every human relationship in some way.

Matters of money can be a minefield of danger for our hearts. Paul is keenly aware of this which explains how carefully he acknowledges the Philippians’ generous gift. Paul also wants them, and us, to know that when we have the right perspective on money, giving can be the best transaction we could ever possibly make.

Handout: http://media.gccc.net/2018/12/20181209.pdf

Speaker: Jerry Cisar

Do you want the peace of God to be among us? Do you want to have the unity, love, and harmony in our relationships that Philippians so thoroughly describes?

Martha Graham, who danced and taught dance for over 70 years in the 20th century and may have influenced American modern dance more than any other, suggested, “It takes about ten years to make a mature dancer.” … “Dancing appears glamorous, easy, delightful. But the path to the paradise of that achievement is not easier than any other. There is fatigue so great that the body cries even in its sleep. There are times of complete frustration. There are daily small deaths.”

Graham goes on to say that we learn not only how to dance, but how to live, by practice. It seems she was very familiar with Paul’s writing. If one wants to be a great dancer or live as a follower of Jesus, it will require practice. In this Sunday’s text, Philippians 4:1-9, Paul calls us to practice and tells us quite specifically where and how to practice.

Join us in worship as we explore the application of Paul’s instructions to us through the letter to the Philippians.

Handout: http://media.gccc.net/2018/12/20181202.pdf

Speaker: Jerry Cisar

Does it take a miracle for you to live the Christian life as you conceive it? If not, could it be that what you are trying to live is not the Christian life at all? Are you intending to live any differently because you are a Christian? Is the fact that you are a follower of Jesus relevant to how you live?

There were some in Philippi for whom the gospel had not transformed how they live. Paul has hinted at the trouble in Philippi since the beginning of the letter; now, he is getting more specific. There are some in the church living as enemies of the cross of Christ. Some for whom confidence in the flesh is the driving story of their lives.

What is the problem? The problem is that their destiny is destruction, their god is their desires, and what they glory in will one day prove to be shameful. In short, they are not heavenly minded enough to be of any earthly good. Stephen E. Fowl is right when he says, “Whoever these believers are, we must assume that as Christians they did not set out to become enemies of the cross.” That means it is possible to be enemies of the cross without intending to. We must intend something else.

What does it mean to be an enemy of the cross? How do we make sure that we are living as citizens of heaven?

Handout: http://media.gccc.net/2018/11/20181125.pdf

Speaker: Jerry Cisar

“Beware of the dogs Beware of the evildoers. Beware of the mutilators.” So Paul begins this new section of Philippians (3:2). What does this mean? For that matter, how does it relate to the rest of the chapter? In order to understand the dogs, there is something we need to learn from Kermit the frog.

“It’s not easy being green.” Depending on your age and the context in which you grew up, that line could mean one of a few different things. These differences point out an important truth about understanding Scripture (believe it or not!). Kermit’s song has no eternal value. The loss of the original idea is not a real loss. But when the same thing happens with Scripture, even if the new understanding is helpful for other truths, it might (and often does) mean that we have lost the truth that was originally communicated—a truth that does have eternal significance.

Philippians 3:1-11 is one such text. Join us as we explore the glorious truths which Paul puts forward from his own life. Truths which he calls us to join him in following as he follows Christ… to join in the parade.

Handout: http://media.gccc.net/2018/11/20181118.pdf

Speaker: Jerry Cisar

How should we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are persecuted for their faith around the world? You might think they want us to pray for the end of their persecution. Yet in many cases, they send word back to those of us who are in the West to pray that they would suffer well, in order to bring glory and honor to Christ.

It is also reported that those same brothers and sisters in Christ who live under persecution, pray for us that we too would learn to suffer well. That might seem odd, but with all the distractions available to us in the form of wealth, leisure, entertainment, and gluttony, they pray that we in the West would turn from worldliness and live lives worthy of the Gospel.

We know from Philippians 1:27, that the Philippian believers were suffering, but apparently they were not suffering well. Paul had to write, in last week’s text, telling them do do everything without grumbling and arguing. He wasn’t speaking hypothetically, “in case” they were ever tempted to grumble. They were grumbling and arguing among themselves.

Paul wants to insure that the Philippian church applies the glorious gospel teaching he has just given them. So in this week’s text (2:19-30), Paul describes the lives of two people they can imitate, and gives them two promises that strengthen the likelihood that the Philippians will follow their example, obeying Paul’s instruction.

Handout: http://media.gccc.net/2018/11/20181111.pdf

Speaker: Jerry Cisar

“In one study, researchers found that happy people complain less” (Psychology Today). They may have been able to save some time had they read Paul. Philippians 2:14-18 begins with an imperative (command) to “do everything without grumbling or arguing.” You could say “complaining or bickering.”

Paul’s buildup to delivering this instruction indicates that he must think it is a vitally important. In 2:6-8, Paul described the unwavering obedience of Jesus to the Father all the way to the point of death. In 2:12-13, Paul commends the Philippians past obedience, and calls them (and us) to an increasing obedience. After all this build up, whatever he asks them to do next, obedience must be very important.

Why is this command to do everything without grumbling or arguing so important? It may help to know that this same paragraph ends with another command – a double command to rejoice. These two commands, set at each end of this paragraph, tell us that we can’t be joyful while we are grumbling and arguing among ourselves. You have to let go of grumblings in order to enter the joy of Christ. To experience joy we need to stop our complaining.

Is your joy complete? Are interpersonal complaints and disputes, grumblings and bickering, keeping you from experiencing full joy in Christ? Join us in worship as we explore this theme in Philippians 2:14-18, part six in our series: Slaves of Christ – The Message of Philippians.

Handout: http://media.gccc.net/2018/11/20181104.pdf

Speaker: Jerry Cisar

Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Or so we are told by the 19th Century British historian, Lord Acton. You may have heard of the Stanford Prison Experiment in 1971. It demonstrates how people can be easily corrupted by power. According to the study, humans are prone to use power abusively! Even those who have a much healthier view of their fellow man, naturally use power for their own advantage, even if not abusively.

Last week we saw in Philippians 2:6-11 that, in Christ, God did not use His power to His own advantage, to trump all, but rather for the advantage of others. Apparently absolute power does not always corrupt. And this week we discover that Paul insists that we who share in Christ do likewise—that we use our power for the advantage of others!

But how? How will we have this way of thinking that was in Jesus also in us as a people so that we use power in the same way Christ used power?

Handout: http://media.gccc.net/2018/10/20181028.pdf

Speaker: Jerry Cisar

After meditating on Philippians 2:6-8, Charles Wesley wrote the hymn, “Amazing love! How can it be that you, my Lord, should die for me?” I think he saw the point clearly. In light of the fact that Paul tells believers to have the same way of thinking as Christ, Paul desires that others will be able to look at the church and say, “Amazing love! How can it be that you, you followers of Jesus, should give yourselves up for one another?”

In the world of the Philippians, Caesar Augustus had been exalted to the highest place… so they thought. To Caesar every knee would bow and tongue confess that he is Lord. It was the law. They had the power and military might to enforce it. But the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ dealt a crushing blow to the powers of Rome and it’s emperor worship.

“Why?” Crucifixion was a public sign of what happens to all who refused to bow to Caesar as Lord. After Rome had dealt their worst to Jesus, God raised Him from the dead and exalted Him to the highest place—a place above Caesar and every other power! Rome has nothing left to throw at Jesus!

While this is the glorious gospel, Paul brings it up because he wants the church to live this gospel…. to think (and therefore act) the same way as Christ. Join us as we explore what this means for us as followers of Jesus Christ.

Handout: http://media.gccc.net/2018/10/20181021.pdf

Speaker: Daryn Kinney

As an art major I spent time learning how to see the object or figure in front of me. My eyes were trained to find the points and planes of an object. It always required intentional and careful observation. The careful observation of the object right in front of me – that’s what drawing class taught me. Hebrews 3:1-6 is kind of like that drawing class. We’re told to “fix our eyes on Jesus” that is, make the careful observation of Jesus the foundation of our faith. It’s going to require something of us but then again anything of value always costs something.

Handout: http://media.gccc.net/2018/10/20181014.pdf

Speaker: Jerry Cisar

It’s hard to say whether or not you can know more about an artist by his or her art, or more about the art by knowing the artist. Regardless, we can understand an artist more, if we study his or her art. We can certainly understand Dali more by becoming familiar with his art.

If Christ is the artist, the church is His art! We can’t separate the art from the artist. The world looks on and will try to know the artist by the art. Unfortunately, the church has too often offered cheap reproductions and not the real thing. Real art is costly.

Deitrich Bonhoeffer contrasts what he calls, “cheap grace” with “costly grace.” “Cheap grace is the mortal enemy of the church. Our struggle today is for costly grace.” The authors of one commentary on Phiippians write, “Nineteen centuries earlier, the Apostle Paul warned again cheap unity—the deadly enemy of Christian identity and mission. Cheap unity is a form of free association around a slogan or an ideology among people who claim identity with Christ, even community under the name of Christ, but without the personal sacrifice required for Christ-like living.”

In Philippians 1:27–2:5, Paul is calling us to costly unity—unity that is not around slogans but is costly because it requires the sacrifice of Christ-like living. Costly because it requires the surrender of personal will to the will of God, giving without expecting anything in return, and loving concern for others that overshadows our preoccupation with self.

Join us as we gather to worship Jesus Christ.

Handout: http://media.gccc.net/2018/10/20181007.pdf