Sermons

We like to brag about things that make us look good. Paul had every right to brag about his religious upbringing and accomplishments. As a Jew he had done everything that a Jew was required to do and then some. And yet he says that all of his accomplishments and reasons to brag and rejoice in himself as loss rather than gain. The only gain that Paul would rejoice in was the life, death, resurrection and reign of Jesus Christ.

We have great reason to rejoice in the work of Jesus because his accomplishment has been credited to our account and we have been given all that is necessary to have a right relationship with the God of the Universe. As a result, we can echo Paul's words, "Rejoice in the Lord."

Selflessness is inconvenient. It is hard. It means we will lose a lot, maybe even our life. Jesus' life and ministry were not convenient for him. From his birth to his death Jesus was inconvenienced and was willing to give up all that he had in heaven in order to bring us great joy.

There is great joy in assurance. Paul tells the church in Philippi to live in obedience by working out their salvation with fear and trembling. If they are assured in their faith, they, like Paul in his time of suffering, will be able to rejoice in their time of suffering. Our assurance of salvation comes from the word of God. God promises that if we have trusted Jesus as our Savior than we have all that we need to be in perfect relationship with Him. There is nothing on earth or in heaven that will separate us from the love of God. This kind of assurance produces great joy in all circumstances of life.

Jesus left all that he had in order to give us all that he is. We call this the humiliation of Christ. His humiliation was voluntary. He desired to do the Father's will and in fact covenanted with God the Father before time began to become a man in order to save the Father's people from their sin.

While on earth, Jesus found great joy in doing the Father's will – even when it was hard and even when it led to his own death. As painful as Jesus' last prayer in the garden was, we still sense a deep-seeded joy in Jesus. He was going to accomplish all that the Father had willed. Jesus was able to remain steadfast in joy because the Father's will was also his will.

In order to have the kind of joy that Jesus had we too must humble ourselves willingly to the Father's will. We must constantly be willing to go to the places that Father has in store for us. It is in those places, whether of pain or happiness, that we can experience great joy because we are submitted to the Father's desire and plan for our life. The maximum amount of joy is found in the heart of God's will for us regardless of where that will lead us in life.

Suffering and salvation are both graced by God to the citizens of heaven. This idea of suffering as being graced to the believer is a far cry from what many preachers and churches proclaim today. Many churchgoers are told that belief in Christ leads to earthly prosperity and success. When trouble comes their way they bail on their faith because they don't understand that suffering and salvation are two different sides of the same coin.

How can a mother who has lost a child sing "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!" just minutes after receiving the news that she won't see her child on this old earth again? How can a husband draw close to the Lord when his young wife is dying of cancer? How can a man sing the praises of a sovereign God when he doesn't know where the next meal for his family will come from? Paul says that his joy in prison comes from a confidence that Jesus will be honored in Paul's life or in Paul's death. We have proof that Paul was right! We are still studying his letters to this day and billions of people are changed because of his perseverance to continue in the faith.

What is first in your life? If you have been part of a church for any amount of time than you already know the difference between what the answer should be and what it actually is. You might know that the Gospel should be first and foremost in your life – but is that reality? The reality of whether or not the Gospel is first in your life is directly linked to the depth of joy you can experience in all situations.

Real relationships bring real joy which is only found in Jesus. Real relationships that bring real joy are built and sustained by the Gospel. This means that we see one another as co-laborers in Christ and that we have something bigger than ourselves in common with one another.

Our first worship service on our new property in the heart of west Middletown.

God's tactics for winning battles is very different than ours. He chose Gideon a very weak man to win a great victory for Israel. Today, God works through Christ in a very similar way: he chooses the weak things of this world to shame the strong. Christians will find the source of great spiritual victory when they realize their weakness and embrace dependency on the living God in Christ.