Mineral Springs Church of Christ Podcast

In the second of the #Blessed sermon series, minister Aaron Hill focuses on Jesus' statement in the Beatitudes, "Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted." Mourning comes to all. It is a time of deep emotional distress. In the Old Testament, the people had a set practice for mourning, setting aside at least seven days or up to 30 days for a mourning period. While we don't have these same practices in modern times, we still go through the painful process of mourning loss. David understood loss and recorded his laments in the book of the Psalms. In fact, 40% of the Psalms are laments, of which Psalm 13 and Psalm 31 are examples. From these and other lament Psalms, we can learn about mourning. First, we find that we can be honest with God about our feelings, turning to Him instead of trying to numb the pain or fix ourselves. In the process, we can trust in God and rejoice in the steadfast love of the Lord, in His salvation, and in the promised resurrection. We will have times of mourning, but in those seasons of pain there can be beauty as we rely on the promises of God.

In the first sermon of this series, minister Aaron Hill discusses what it means to be blessed in Jesus' terms. During the time when Jesus was preaching, His listeners believed in a retribution theology as some do today, meaning people who do good deeds receive good things, but people who do evil deeds receive bad.  Jesus didn't teach that then, and He doesn't teach it now. When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, onlookers would not have thought His audience was blessed. They were poor, sick, and afflicted, yet Jesus begins His message by saying that the poor in spirit will inherit the kingdom of God. It is not those who proclaim their righteousness who are righteous, but those who understand they are not righteous and cannot be without the power of God. Our spiritual need is more dire than our physical needs. Don't be so focused on what is in front of you that you can't see what you really need.  Seek God's kingdom first!

In his final lesson in the Philippian series, minister Aaron Hill points out that as in other letters, Paul begins with grace and ends with grace, and explains a structure Paul uses in many of his letters. He often begins with an issue, gives a solution, then compliments something his readers do well. In chapter 4 of Philippians, Paul begins by addressing a conflict between Euodia and Syntyche. He urges them to resolve their conflict, telling them to be concerned about one another, to make their requests known to God in order to access God's peace. Paul was content, and when we rely on the God of peace, we can have that same contentment. So could Euodia and Syntyche. We can have strength through Christ to be content even as our world relies on us being discontent with our situations and our possessions. We, too, can and should show concern for one another and seek contentment through God's peace.

In Philippians 3, Paul warns the Christians in Philippi not to base their faith on external achievements, to not seek to have a righteousness of our own, something we achieve through our strength, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. Minister Aaron Hill reminds listeners that righteousness doesn't come through our accomplishments; our accomplishments mean nothing. Righteousness is only available through the accomplishments of Christ. Throughout life, we may set and surpass many goals, but achieving righteousness won't be one of them. Righteousness is not something we can achieve by our own willpower.  Righteousness comes from the faith of Jesus. Becoming like Christ is a lifetime process. We cannot change ourselves on our own. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, we can focus not on who we were but on whom we can become. 

What does it mean to be a servant? In Philippians 2:19-30, the apostle Paul discusses two men who show themselves servants of Christ: Timothy and Epaphraditus. Minister Aaron Hill tells listeners that people can be servants in different ways. Timothy is like a son to Paul, and he likely follows in Paul's footsteps as a teacher. Paul characterizes Epaphraditus as a brother, a fellow soldier, a worker, a messenger, and a minister to Paul's needs. He is a virtual Swiss army knife of servanthood. He doesn't mind risking his life to perform these duties likely traveling many, many miles over land and sea to deliver Paul's messages and meet Paul's needs. No doubt he chose service over comfort on multiple occasions. Do we choose comfort over service to God? Are we soldiers? Are we willing to become soldiers for Christ. Let Christ work on you. If you don't, you can't be His soldier.

Obedience matters. As minister Aaron Hill leads listeners through Philippians 2, he reminds us that obedience is not just about following rules. It is about submission. It is about to whom we submit rather than to what we submit. When we don’t will and work for the pleasure of God, we are disobedient. Submitting to God makes us holy; it makes us change. This kind of submission is tied to salvation, salvation both now and for eternity. We can’t engage in secret discontent and heated disagreement because that extinguishes our lights. We become like the world. Each breath we take is because Jesus allows it. We need Jesus. We can’t do this on our own. In light of the desperate need we have for Him, submit to Him.

Paul admonishes the Philippian Christians in Phil. 2:1-11 to not be selfish. Minister Aaron Hill leads listeners through an exegetical study of these verses in his message. Paul’s words repeatedly emphasize that we are not to do anything from selfish ambition, that we are to think of others first, counting them as more significant than ourselves. We should look to the interests of others rather than focuses solely on our own concerns. We must give up what power we have to become servants as Jesus did, who gave up the power He had as God and took on the form of a servant. 

In Philippians 1:12-30, Paul addresses people who question his actions. Minister Aaron Hill reminds listeners in part 2 of a series on the book of Philippians that the letter was written to the Philippians, but it is recorded for us. It is in these scriptures that Paul recognizes that some share the word of Christ from the wrong motives, and some share from good motives. He tells the Philippians that the message is not about the preacher; it is about the proclamation of Christ. It is here that Paul writes, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul is selfless. He is willing to suffer more on earth because that is more profitable to those he teaches. While being a Christian ensures many blessings, it is not a free pass from suffering. Paul recognizes that; he has been changed by Christ from the inside out, as all followers of Christ should be. 

The classic text on love is I Corinthians 13. Through this text the apostle Paul emphasizes that without love, our words and our actions mean nothing. But what is love? Guest speaker Kraig Martin discusses the nuances of love, a word that we use daily though in a number of different ways. Whether it is a desire to eat good food or a desire to be with another person or even a desire to protect another human being, we use the same word: love. We are made to run on love. It is to our souls what oxygen and blood are to our bodies. While we may find it hard at times to have the love God demands we have for others, He wants to change us internally so we will have the love we need. Our love and our ability to love start with God.

Pride isn't necessarily a bad thing, not as long as we don't value things too much, not as long as everything else takes a backseat to God. In the first sermon of a series entitled Too High Philippi, minister Aaron Hill opens with Paul's greeting and comments to the church at Philippi. IPaul is proud of the Christians in Philippi. In Philippians 1:3, Paul says that he thanks God every time he remembers them. Could he say the same of us? What makes us memorable? What should make us memorable? Are we servants? Do we pray for each other with joy? Are we partners with each other? Have we received the good news so that we might produce good works? Do we have assurance  that we partake in the grace of God? Do we have deep affection for each other? Is our love defined by knowledge and discernment? Philippians teaches how to bear fruit through a relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.