Holy Hypocrites

Philippians 2:12-18. Work out… for it is God who works… like dad telling his kid to pedal the bike, even while he holds the seat for balance and pushes it forward. The kid may just sit there, frozen and move forward, but to truly grow, and thrive, the child must still work.

Psalm 40. Notice, there’s no promise here of deliverance from every single trial. Notice what God does give, a new song of praise to God. Verse 11, mercy, steadfast love, and faithfulness…

Philippians 2:1-11. Jesus said in Matthew 22, the greatest commandments, love the Lord your God first, and love your neighbor as yourself second. These are the brick and mortar commands, as I like to think of it... And Paul echoes that in these verses.

Philippians 1:18-30.  One line in today’s passage summarizes Paul’s entire existence… What have we learned this season, from Galatians and Ephesians? I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me? So, what does that new life look like?

Philippians 1:12-18. If you were praying for someone, and trying to find a chance to share Jesus with them, and someone else did before you… would you be happy? Did Paul suffer for his own glory?

Philippians 1:1-11. And 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...

Psalm 39. My hope is in you, Lord. When we consider that, it takes such a weight off. Our lives aren’t hinging on our own aptitude, our own success or failure. If you WANT a challenge for weekend, commit Psalm 39:7 to memory. Cherish it and let is lighten your load. As we like to say in our youth group, he's G-O-T-C-H-U… He’s GOTCHU. And that’s wonderful.

Ephesians 6:10-24. Today we conclude the book of Ephesians, and the tone here is urgent. I dont think I have taken this passage seriously enough in the past… but Paul is not using war terminology lightly.

Ephesians 6:1-9. What if we treated every interaction as if it was with Christ? How would you treat your son or daughter differently? How would you treat your mom or dad differently? How about your boss or your employee? People society expects us to disrespect, people society ALLOWS us to disrespect… What if it was Christ?

Ephesians 5:22-33. Paul says in verse 30, we are members of his body, Christ’s body. For all of us, married or single, let’s stop fighting over our own little corner of control. Let’s stop being eyes trying to hear or noses trying to see. Let’s embrace the roles God created and equipped us for, and celebrate how he made us all to fit together for his glory and the spread of the gospel.