As Americans we have a tendency towards individualism. When I was in seminary, I met a lot of Korean students who really struggled with this. In their culture, the way that you learned was to adopt your teacher's way of thinking and talking. For them, that was honor. In the US, that's called plagiarism! What Paul is talking about in Philippians 2 is a way of thinking together that is quite different from the modern American way of thinking for yourself...

often do we sing about loneliness at church? This is a problem in both traditional and contemporary worship songs. The old Trinity Hymnal only contained one song ("His Eye Is on the Sparrow" -- 618) that used the word lonely to describe us, and even that song asks "why should my heart be lonely...when Jesus is my portion?" It almost rebukes us for feeling lonely! But Psalm 25 is a song for the lonely. It promises us that we will not always be alone ("the friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him") – but it does not pretend that we will always experience that nearness of God. Sometimes we are lonely. And that's okay. I'm not saying that loneliness is a good thing! It's not a good thing! But it is not a sin to be lonely!What should you do when you are lonely? We have God's promise that it won't *always* be like that – but when we are lonely, we have a song to sing.

Calvin was right when he said that "there is no middle ground between these two: either the world must become worthless to us or hold us bound by intemperate love of it."This life has value for us only because here "we begin…to taste the sweetness of the divine generosity," but that taste of divine sweetness should prompt us to long all the more for the heavenly life.Therefore, Calvin concludes, "no one has made progress in the school of Christ who does not joyfully await the day of death and final resurrection."If you do not "desire to depart and be with Christ," then you are not thinking rightly about your life in Christ!I would suggest that you will only come to say that "to live is Christ" when you believe from the heart that "to die is gain"...

Psalms 20-24 bring us through a sequence of songs about the kingdom. Psalm 20 started by asking the LORD to send help from the sanctuary in order to deliver the Messiah – the LORD's anointed king.Psalm 21 then is the song of praise as the Messiah celebrates God's salvation.Psalm 22 is the song of the suffering Messiah as he passes through death into life everlasting – and there is a way in which Psalm 22 captures all these themes – because Psalm 22 says "All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations." (v27-28) The Kingship of God and the kingship of his Messiah is ultimately about the nations coming to worship the LORD. Psalm 23 then says that the King – the Messiah – looks to the LORD as his shepherd – and will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.So when you hear in Psalm 24 – "Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?", Psalms 20-23 have set you up to think – the Son of David? The Messiah!? The one whom God delivers from death and exalts to his right hand?

The same voice that was crying out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" in the last Psalm – is now saying "Yahweh, my shepherd" in this Psalm.It is worth remembering – not just on Easter Sunday – but all through the year, that even as our Lord Jesus walked through the valley of deep darkness – the valley of the shadow of death – he did not fear evil.Even as he was forsaken – afflicted – abandoned – yet even then could he say, "you are with me." Yes, it is true that Jesus was the eternal Son of God – and so he was one with the Father even as he hung on the cross. But that's not the only reason why he could say "you are with me."He was also the LORD's Anointed – the Messiah – the one in whom God and Man walked together as one Person! He was one with the Father from all eternity – and in the incarnation, he had joined God and man in his own flesh!And yet, on the cross, while he remained the one who holds the universe together by the word of his power – He did not experience that closeness – that oneness with the Father.He experienced our alienation – our affliction – he bore our sin and our misery. He did not cease to be who he was – but he took to himself all that we are – so that he might join us to himself!!This is what Psalm 23 is all about.

The church in Philippi was not fractured with division like the Corinthians. There was no major heresy – like in Galatians.The church in Philippi had its share of personal conflicts (Euodia and Syntyche) and faced plenty of dangers (Paul cautions them against the Judaizers), but Paul's central concern in this epistle is to urge the church to make progress in their faith.As one commentator puts it, "the world is too perilous and the gospel too glorious, for them to be content with past achievements." They must press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus. (3:14)And so I want us to reflect on the book of Philippians as an opportunity to us to grow in our own discipleship...

The church in Philippi was not fractured with division like the Corinthians. There was no major heresy - like in Galatians.--The church in Philippi had its share of personal conflicts -Euodia and Syntyche- and faced plenty of dangers -Paul cautions them against the Judaizers-, but Paul's central concern in this epistle is to urge the church to make progress in their faith.--As one commentator puts it, -the world is too perilous and the gospel too glorious, -for them to be content with past achievements.- They must press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus. -3-14---And so I want us to reflect on the book of Philippians as an opportunity to us to grow in our own discipleship...

Psalm 22 is - in many respects - the perfect song for Good Friday. All four gospels quote or allude to Psalm 22 when talking about the cross.--So why use Psalm 22 for Easter Sunday----In Psalm 22 we hear how David passed through suffering and affliction - and yet -you have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen- - and the LORD -has heard when he cried to him.- And so the families of the nations shall worship before the LORD - because -kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.---If -kingship belongs to the LORD- - then who is the Messiah - the LORD's anointed-----In Psalms 20-21, the focus was the LORD's anointed - the Messiah.--In Psalm 22, you see a suffering servant who passes through affliction to glory. Then, as we'll see over the next couple weeks, in Psalm 23, the LORD is the shepherd of the shepherd-king, and in Psalm 24, the LORD himself is the King of Glory.--Think about what this meant for Jesus on Good Friday and Easter Sunday- What did Jesus mean when he said, -My God, my God, why have you forsaken me---- And particularly, what does it mean to say -my God------My God, my God- is a confession of faith. You are the God of my salvation. You are the God who saves me -remember Psalm 88 from Friday night-.--Right now you seem entirely absent. You do not answer. Indeed, you are the one who is doing this to me---And yet, you are my God - I am living right now - Jesus says - at the beginning of Psalm 22- and I am the one who will bring Psalm 22 to its completion in three days---When we sing Psalm 22 on Good Friday, we only sing the first half. But because it is Easter Sunday, we must sing the whole thing--

The church in Philippi was not fractured with division like the Corinthians. There was no major heresy – like in Galatians.The church in Philippi had its share of personal conflicts (Euodia and Syntyche) and faced plenty of dangers (Paul cautions them against the Judaizers), but Paul's central concern in this epistle is to urge the church to make progress in their faith.As one commentator puts it, "the world is too perilous and the gospel too glorious, for them to be content with past achievements." They must press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus. (3:14)And so I want us to reflect on the book of Philippians as an opportunity to us to grow in our own discipleship...

Psalm 22 is – in many respects – the perfect song for Good Friday. All four gospels quote or allude to Psalm 22 when talking about the cross.So why use Psalm 22 for Easter Sunday?In Psalm 22 we hear how David passed through suffering and affliction – and yet "you have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen" – and the LORD "has heard when he cried to him." And so the families of the nations shall worship before the LORD – because "kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations."If "kingship belongs to the LORD" – then who is the Messiah – the LORD's anointed?!In Psalms 20-21, the focus was the LORD's anointed – the Messiah.In Psalm 22, you see a suffering servant who passes through affliction to glory. Then, as we'll see over the next couple weeks, in Psalm 23, the LORD is the shepherd of the shepherd-king, and in Psalm 24, the LORD himself is the King of Glory.Think about what this meant for Jesus on Good Friday and Easter Sunday! What did Jesus mean when he said, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?!" And particularly, what does it mean to say "my God"?"My God, my God" is a confession of faith. You are the God of my salvation. You are the God who saves me (remember Psalm 88 from Friday night).Right now you seem entirely absent. You do not answer. Indeed, you are the one who is doing this to me!And yet, you are my God – I am living right now – Jesus says – at the beginning of Psalm 22: and I am the one who will bring Psalm 22 to its completion in three days!When we sing Psalm 22 on Good Friday, we only sing the first half. But because it is Easter Sunday, we must sing the whole thing!!