Project: Philippians

You probably think of the Garden of Eden as a place of paradise, and it was. But have you ever thought of it as a place of WORK? As it turns out, that's exactly what it was. When God created the perfect world and put people in it, He created them to work, and He said, "Don't worry; this is gonna be GOOD!" 

In today's podcast I want to unpack that idea from the view of the Apostle Paul, who clearly had the same perspective. As a matter of fact, the only reason Paul wanted to get up every morning was so that he could work. But it wasn't just any work that he was interested in. What he really wanted was FRUITFUL labor. 

I think if he had a t-shirt, it might have said "Will work for fruit!"

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

"All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

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(Phil 1:22-24)

This may be one of the most important podcasts I've ever recorded. It certainly is the most transparent. Today, it is my goal to take you on a candid and revealing tour inside the vacillating heart of the Apostle Paul, and of my own. But though this may be a tour into a dark valley, I trust that you find that we will not get stuck in the misty depths, but we will emerge on the other side... and we will be transformed by the journey.

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

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(Phil 1:21b)

As I write this, 2024 is half over. And do you know what the unrivaled highlight of this year has been for me? The answer might surprise you: it was the memorial service for my dear and precious mom. No, I was not happy to see her go. Far from it! It was a day of deep sadness and the most blubbery weeping that I have ever done in public. BUT, it was also a day of great celebration and joy. How could that be? How could a day of such bleakness be so triumphant? Only one reason: because for my mom, to live was Christ, and to die was gain. Her death was a great loss for me, but a glorious reunion for her -- a reunion that she had been looking forward to with all her heart. And it is a reunion that I am looking forward to as well. 

And so did the Apostle Paul. Join me today as we ponder that together for a few moments...

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

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(Philippians 1:21a)

“But fairest of all was the great white gem, which the dwarves had found beneath the roots of the Mountain: the Heart of the Mountain, the Arkenstone of Thrain.... 'For the Arkenstone of my father,' said Thorin, 'is worth more than a river of gold in itself, and to me it is beyond price.'” (The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien)

Some gems are so precious that are no words to describe their beauty adequately. Some verses in Scripture are like that as well. I, for one, feel completely unworthy to even lift today's verse into my hands, let alone speak about it. But, if all I can do today is coax you into meditating upon it yourself, I will have accomplished enough.

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

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(Philippians 1:20b)

The theme of today's podcast is “themes”.

A theme is like the common thread that ties something together. It is the unifying idea. Themes elevate a simple sequence of events into a true work of literature or art. You might say that themes are the beating heart of all meaningful narrative. 

They give stories depth and resonance. They give sermons coherence and power. And they give lives direction and meaning. 

Join with me today as we study what I believe to be the central theme of Philippians... and of Paul's life.

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

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(Phil 1:20a)

If I asked you to name your most embarrassing memory, I'll bet you wouldn't have much difficulty remembering it (although you might not be too keen on telling me about it!) As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure that all of us have a whole string of deeply buried (maybe even long repressed) memories that are shrouded in embarrassment, humiliation, and shame. That's normal, of course, and just part of being human, I suppose. But have you ever wondered how much our lives are shaped and steered by those memories? How many of our decisions and core values are directly a result of our earnest intention to avoid ever having to experience those mortifying memories ever again? Many of us shield ourselves and build a highly-engineered fortress around our hearts, guarding our words and actions to carefully eliminate any risk of saying or doing anything that will be snickered at or scorned upon. We want to avoid shame and embarrassment at all costs, so we climb in our bunker and guard the door. It is a tragedy, really. Too many of us live shackled to shame.

The Apostle Paul found a different path in life. He had shackles, no doubt. But his shackles were made of metal and they didn't hold him back from being one of the most revolutionary men in all history. Paul had learned the secret of living free from the shackles that bind most of the rest of us. His secret? Cultivating confidence in the coming of God's goodness and grace.

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

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(Phil 1:19b)

Have you ever watched a movie and just wished you could be there? Perhaps it was some inspiring adventure story about a courageous warrior or hero who surmounted the obstacles and hung in till the end. After you watch a film like that -- when the final music surges and the credits roll -- isn't there something inside your soul that just yearns to be a part of such a heroic story? Friends, I believe that feeling is the Spirit of God within you, forging your heart to be like His. But here is the exciting thing: we CAN be a part of those stories. In today's episode we are going to learn about a group of people who were part of Paul's apostolic story. They weren't with him physically, they weren't sharing his chains or his prison food. But, nevertheless, in Paul's mind they were right their next to him, holding up his arms like Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses. And that is our privilege too, my friends: through our prayers we get the radically powerful privilege of participating in some of the most heroic stories in the kingdom of God. And when the final credits roll at history's finale, our names will be on that list of those who contributed to the victory of Almighty God. It's a astounding thought, isn't it? I tell you, I wouldn't believe it myself, if it weren't taught to us by the Apostle Paul himself.

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

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(Phil. 1:18b-19a)

Are you a "high beams" Christian or a "rear view mirror" Christian? When you are coursing down this journey of life, are you the type of person that strains to look down the road as far as you can -- to see what's on the distant horizon? Or are you instead always glancing in the rear view mirror -- looking back to see what's gone behind? Or maybe you're just too focused on the things in the vehicle to bothered by what's outside the window -- too busy adjusting the stereo or the cabin climate. Well, today we're going to look at Paul's stunning ability to not just look down the road a little ways, but to pull out his binoculars and fix his eyes on his ultimate future. And it is that stalwart determination to live in light of eternity that transforms his opinion about the bumpy, broken jalopy that he happens to be riding in.

(NOTE: I updated this recording to delete a rather long explanation of past, present, and future salvation. I felt like it wasn't contributing to the main point of the message, and the podcast was already too long, so I removed it. If you're interested in that topic, let me know and I'll send you the amputated portion!)

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

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(Phil 1:18)

Have you ever had a flat tire on the freeway? I certainly hope that you never do, but for those of you have had an experience of this sort, you know the distinct sensation of having to "drive against the pull". You see, when one of your tires is flat, it knocks the alignment of your steering way out of whack. And as a result, when you try to drive straight (even if you're just trying to make it to a safe place on the shoulder of the road), your entire car feels like it is working against you. You have to intentionally and strenuously pull the steering wheel "against it's will" just to keep your car headed in a straight line.

The Apostle Paul teaches us that the same thing can happen in the Christian Life. Sometimes adversity hits us and disables us and knocks us out of balance. And if you are not extremely careful, that adversity can seriously mess up your alignment and pull you in a direction that you don't want to go. In our passage today, Paul is going to teach us how to drive against that wayward pull -- how to steer our hearts and lives against all the feelings that want to tug us off course. He shows us how to respond to the tragedies and attacks in our lives with a sober and confident, "So what?"

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

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(Phil 1:15-17)

I remember the first time I drove home from college. Near the middle of the long, multi-state road trip, I stopped at a rest stop, and when I was done, I got back on the freeway ... going the wrong direction! It was at least half an hour before I realized my mistake! What a blunder!

But, oh, my friends, a much worse tragedy than driving the wrong direction in your car is going the wrong direction in your life. And the scary thing is -- we are all vulnerable of making that mistake. Today, let's use the next few minutes to take a good look at God's Positioning System, so that we can make double sure that our hearts haven't taken a wrong turn.

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I'd love to hear from you! [email protected].

Music: "Most Holy Place," by Doug Beiden. https://www.beidenmusic.com/music.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.