Philippians - Purpose Keeps Us Going
In this powerful sermon, Pastor Marty Parker from Beach Church delves into Philippians 1, revealing how understanding and embracing our purpose in Christ can profoundly change our lives. By applying God's Word, we draw closer to Him and navigate life's challenges with faith and trust. Join us to discover how your purpose can keep you focused and motivated, even in the toughest times.
When we apply God's Word to our lives, we draw closer to Him and begin to trust Him more. Trusting God helps us understand our purpose, which keeps us going even through difficult times. Knowing your purpose can motivate you, keep you focused, and sustain you through challenges and distractions.
Understanding Purpose: Philippians 1:20-26
In today's passage, the Apostle Paul exemplifies a life driven by purpose. Let's read Philippians 1:20-26:
20 For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. 21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. 22 But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. 23 I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. 24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. 25 Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. 26 And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.
Paul's life purpose was to serve Christ and His people, magnifying Christ through both his life and his death. His mindset was that whether he lived or died, it was for the glory of Christ.
God's Direction in Our Lives
God directs our lives for a purpose, as seen throughout the Bible:
Ruth: Though she may not have recognized it, God guided her steps, leading her to Boaz's field and eventually into a pivotal role in the lineage of Jesus.
The Woman at the Well, Noah, Moses, Joseph: Each experienced God's purposeful direction, often through circumstances that seemed coincidental or challenging.
God is constantly working in our lives, often in ways we may not immediately see. He places us where we are for a reason, and there are no accidents or coincidences with God.
Personal Testimony: Finding Purpose in Pain
I struggled with understanding my purpose during a challenging period in ministry. My life was full of despair and hopelessness, and I wanted God to change my circumstances. However, when I began praying for God to change my heart about my circumstances, I found that He had placed me exactly where I needed to be for a purpose.
For instance, I experienced a heart attack, which wasn't a stroke of bad luck but part of God's plan for me. This taught me that suffering cannot destroy the real purpose of life. Life is not just for happiness and personal fulfillment but for serving and honoring God.
Living Out Our Purpose
As Christians, our calling is to become like Christ, a process that continues throughout our lives until we see Him face to face. Purpose keeps us going, as illustrated in Philippians 1:20-26. Even in the midst of pain, chaos, and life's challenges, we can hold firm to the belief that God is directing us.
Reflection and Prayer
Consider these questions:
Does your purpose keep you going?
Have you questioned where God has placed you?
Are you fearful of where God is guiding you?
Don't let the pain and suffering of this world keep you down. Embrace the purpose God has for your life, which is far better than anything we could ever want or imagine.
Philippians - Things That Have Happened
In this powerful sermon, Pastor Joe Donahue explores the life of the Apostle Paul and how his imprisonment became a tool for spreading the Good News of Jesus. Through Paul's story, Pastor Joe highlights how pain can either make us bitter or better, emphasizing the importance of our attitude in overcoming life's challenges. Join us to learn how to transform your pain into a doorway for personal growth and positive change in others.
If any early follower of Jesus was considered a “superstar” it was the Apostle Paul. He had the origin story of being a former persecutor of Christians. He hunted them down. He chased them out of towns. He was a Pharisee following in the footsteps of those Pharisees who worked with the Roman government and murdered Jesus. But then – he had a life-changing encounter with Jesus.
He met the resurrected Jesus on the Road to Damascus. A few days later he received the Holy Spirit. He became a missionary, traveling from town to town, telling people that hope for their broken lives can be found in Jesus.
Hope for the forgiveness of sins.
Hope for a relationship with the true God.
He planted churches. He raised up leaders. Wherever Paul went, people became followers of Jesus. People surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus and their lives changed. They stopped placing their hope in false idols, in sorcery, in witchcraft, in Caesar and began to live lives of worship to God.
It was a radical change.
And many Roman citizens and the government of Rome did not like it. Paul’s message was that there was only one GOD…but Rome believed there were many gods. So, Paul was arrested. He was placed under house arrest and chained to a wall…for two years.
I have never been arrested. I do not know what that feels like. I love the fact that we have many men and women who are part of Beach Church who know what it is like to sit in a jail cell and experience the GRACE of GOD that has changed their lives.
I do not know what it is like to be confined to a certain amount of space, sleep in a certain spot, have somebody tell me when it is time to wake up, go to sleep, what to wear, and what to eat…
Wait a second – that sounds like Parenting.
And when Paul was arrested – some people were ecstatic…but they thought, “His arrest isn’t enough. We need to make it harder on him…”
So, they devised a plan. Just outside the quarters, Paul was confined; day after day, they preached to anybody who would listen. They told others that Jesus was the Son of God, and nobody could be saved except through Him…
Paul was able to hear them from within his place of confinement…mocking his ministry. So as he wrote this letter to the Philippian church, Paul addressed the fact the fact that other people were trying to make life more difficult for him. Let’s begin reading in Philippians 1:12-18.
Philippians 1:12-19 (NLT2)
12 And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. 13 For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. 14 And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear. 15 It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. 16 They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 17 Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18 But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. 19 For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.
Scholars tell us that this was one of the first times that Paul had been arrested for his faith – if not the very first time. No doubt, some early followers of Jesus were discouraged when they heard that Paul – the “superstar” preacher, had been arrested.
This imprisonment caused pain for Paul and Pain for the early followers of Jesus. May I ask, is there something in your life that has recently caused pain for you?
As much as we would like to think that some people never experience pain…we all do. Painful seasons of life happen to us all.
Some may experience a miscarriage.
Some have recently experienced the death of a family member.
Some have experienced the pain of a diagnosis or disease.
Some people have to deal with childhood trauma.
Other people have to deal with a marriage that seems to be on the brink of disaster.
Some people have to deal with being rejected and not accepted by others.
So how should followers of Jesus manage pain in our lives? What type of Pain Management should we be involved with?
How do we walk through painful seasons in life?
First, we have to understand that even for followers of Jesus…
PAIN WILL MAKE ME BITTER OR BETTER
Pain will make me BITTER or BETTER.
What do I mean by that?
I have met people with the chronic symptoms of bitterness. I love them. God loves them…but they sure make it hard to be around them. They are almost always a victim. They are always blaming other people when something bad happens to them.
The moon is too bright. The sun is not bright enough. They complain about their work, their family, their church. They always seem to speak negatively about other people.
They simply are not pleasant to be around…have you ever met somebody like that?
Look—if you struggle with bitterness, I want you to know that you can change. God can change you, and God can help you become a better person. If you struggle with any hurt, habit or hangup, Celebrate Recovery meets every Friday night at 6 PM in Adventure Beach, and can help you overcome bitterness and negativity.
Paul was arrested for telling other people about Jesus, but the arrest did not make him bitter. In fact, it made him better. His confidence in the Lord grew. It actually grew! He could have complained and said,
“God – why did you let this happen to me? I have been busy telling people about the good news of Jesus and now you let me get arrested.”
“Thanks a lot.”
But instead, his pain made him better.
Philippians 1:12-13 (NLT2)
12 And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. 13 For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ.
When he said, “helped spread the Good News,” he was making it clear to the early church that this setback, this discouragement, this two-year imprisonment would not cause him to take a step backward in his faith. He said the pain actually helped him carry out his mission to spread the good news of Jesus…Now the whole palace guard had heard the good news about Jesus.
I love it.
He is chained to the wall of the house. And smiling.
He is confined and chained up for two years. And joyful.
He tells every one of the guards…you know why I am here? Jesus. Jesus sent me here to tell you about Jesus. He acknowledged that even though the people outside his window had wrong motives, the gospel was still being preached. When people experience church hurt and see a church leader's selfish motives, they can begin to question whether or not God has been working through this pastor or church leader.
If this person is so bad, how could God have been working in my life? If these things are true, was God ever really working in my life?
If you have recently asked yourself questions like that, I understand. These men outside Paul’s windows had selfish motives to make Paul’s imprisonment worse, so they preached hard and loud. Paul said, as long as Jesus was being preached, that’s all that matters. Let me add this. God can use the teachings of a selfish, self-centered, corrupt pastor to help you grow in your faith.
In Numbers 22:21-39. God spoke through a Donkey to get Balaam’s attention. If God can speak through a donkey, God can speak through anybody. So, it’s understandable if you leave a church when you discover the truth about the church leader; just don’t doubt the work that God has been doing in your life.
Paul’s arrest. His pain made him BETTER.
What about you? Does your PAIN make you better?
If you are not intentional about becoming better when you experience pain, by default, you will become bitter. You have to be determined when you walk through hardship that you will not let this devastating event that has occurred to you make you a bitter person.
Rest assured, your…
ATTITUDE DETERMINES OUTCOME
Now, your ATTITUDE can not take away your diagnosis. Your ATTITUDE can not cure disease, but your attitude when facing pain and discouragement in your life can determine whether or not you become a better person.
Those people outside Paul’s house wanted to make life miserable for Paul. In the streets, they were “mocking” the Good News of Jesus. Up and down the streets, they yelled that people needed to trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. They thought that by doing so, they would make life more difficult for Paul. So, how did Paul say that their motives in preaching the Gospel did not matter in verse 18? We see HOW later in his letter in Chapter 4:8.
Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.
Paul’s attitude was determined by focusing on the things that were excellent and worthy of praise. Anyone without Jesus can focus on the negative…but followers of Jesus have hope, and when we walk through pain, we must focus on the things that are just, pure, lovely, and full of virtue. As you focus on these things, it will become clear that…
YOUR PAIN CAN BE A DOORWAY TO LIFE-CHANGE FOR OTHERS
Paul said his pain actually was helping him in telling other people about Jesus. The pain of his arrest gave him an opportunity to demonstrate LOVE and FORGIVENESS to the people guarding him. But Paul’s attitude was simple: He chose to use his PAIN to bring the life-changing good news of Jesus to other people. If he had not been arrested, he may have never shared the good news with the prison guard. God has used the pain I experienced as a child as a doorway to life change for others.
Before I turned thirteen:
My dad sexually abused me. He was an alcoholic with an Irish temper.
Night after night, he would holler, scream, and play loud country music.
My mom finally had enough; she left him, and we moved into a domestic violence shelter in Nashville, TN.
I ran away from there and went back to my dad.
My dad sent me back to the shelter and the shelter had me placed at a Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Hospital for three months.
Then, my mom couldn’t afford me, so I moved in with my nana for my High School years.
And, after I graduated from High School, I surrendered my life to Jesus.
For over 26 years, I have been transparent about my childhood and the pain I experienced, because I understand my pain can be a doorway of life change for other people. It’s uncomfortable, and sometimes, it makes others uncomfortable. But my pain is a doorway to sharing the life-changing good news of Jesus. And so is yours.
I firmly believe in the power and the promise of Romans 8:28
Romans 8:28 (NLT2)
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Everything means everything.
Your cancer diagnosis is a doorway to sharing the life-changing message of Jesus with your medical team. Your Church-Hurt is a doorway to sharing the life-changing message of Jesus with others. Your child’s crazy behavior in school is a doorway to sharing the life-changing message of Jesus with his teachers. Every bit of pain God allows in your life can be redeemed to impact others if you are willing to allow the pain to make you better and amplify the message of Jesus.
So live Romans 8:28 like you really believe it.
Philippians - Unfinished
Pastor Joe Donahue launches our new series on Philippians, exploring Paul's profound transformation and his powerful message to the early church. Pastor Joe emphasizes our dual identity as both slaves and saints in Christ, highlighting the significance of being bought by Jesus' blood and living out our faith joyfully and obediently. Join us in uncovering how Paul's teachings can inspire us to spread the Good News and deepen our relationship with Jesus.
With four girls, we have many toys that I never played with as a child. One Christmas, among the typical toys, an unusual and sometimes offensive creature waited for Sofia to open it.
Furby.
This little guy can be fed, showered, use the bathroom, and lay eggs through an app on our phone. He talks and uses his own language, which is mixed with English. He’s a rather silly toy. One of the unusual things about Furby is that the designers of that particular model designed him so that his personality is shaped by the way he is treated. The designers shaped him to learn and adapt constantly, and his personality was shaped by the attention he received.
When Sofia received Furby, she was six years old, a snuggler, and a lover. She would cup Furby in her hands, nuzzle their nose, pet him lovingly, and treat him sweetly. For the first few days, he cooed and ooh-ed and said things like, “Me like that. Me love you.” Furby’s personality was warm, loving, and caring…until our two-year-old, Violet, got a hold of him.
On Day 3, while Sofia was occupied with something else, Violet carried Furby around the house by his foot, sometimes by his ear, banging him against the wall, the stairs, and her toys. He tumbled down the stairs and was dropped on his head a few times…then she sat him down and walked away. Later, when Sofia picked him up to snuggle with him, the Furby yelled, “No likey!” He made all kinds of odd shrieks because Violet had shaped Furby’s personality, too.
Most toys that came into our house were finished products, but the Furby remains unfinished, even today.
He, like us, is unfinished.
If you are a follower of Jesus, take a moment and reflect upon who you were the day before you surrendered to Jesus as your savior. What did you find pleasure in? What did you want to do with your life? If you had any, what were your goals and objectives? Hopes and aspirations? Desires?
Now, fast forward one day to the moment after you surrendered your life to Jesus. You experienced the life-changing power of the Spirit of the Living God and were made brand new. What did you find pleasure in? Who did you want to become like? What were your hopes and aspirations? Desires?
And now, fast forward to this moment. This worship service. This sermon. Are you any different from the moment you were saved? Have you changed? Perhaps you have become stronger in your faith. More disciplined. More joyful. More seasoned.
Or perhaps your journey from that day to this has been riddled with ups and downs. Two steps forward, one step back. Perhaps you have backslidden several times yet still cling to your hope in Jesus Christ. Or perhaps you are not as joy-filled as you once were. Perhaps you feel empty on the inside…shallow. Not a deep trust and closeness with Jesus, but a hesitant faith.
Today, we will look at Philippians 1:6. You will be encouraged. Regardless of where you are on your journey…Christ is not finished with you.
Let’s read:
Philippians 1:6 (NLT2)
6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
In describing to others the moment we surrendered our lives to Jesus, we may at times use language like:
“I trusted in Christ.”
“I surrendered my life to Christ.”
“I was saved.”
“God saved me.”
But…
GOD BEGAN THE GOOD WORK.
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you.”
It is interesting that the Greek word Paul chose for “began” is only used once other time in the New Testament.
Enarchomai: to make a beginning
The use of this verb communicates that it indeed was God who BEGAN salvation in our hearts.
“God made the beginning.”
He is the initiator. We did not initiate our salvation – if we did, it would be considered a “work.”
And, we understand we are not saved by works but by Grace.
By using the verb enarchomai (en-ark-home-eye), Paul reminds the Philippians that God began the work in their hearts. And, the very first time Paul visited Philippi in Acts 16, we see a perfect example of God initiating salvation in someone’s heart.
Acts 16:13-14 (NLT2)
13 On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. 14 One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying.
The Lord opening the heart of Lydia is the perfect picture of God making a beginning in a person’s heart. Lydia listened to the same message we preach every weekend.
She heard Paul tell her that God loves her.
As humans, we sinned and rebelled against our creator God. We chose sin and rebellion rather than obedience. But God’s love never changed. We sinned, and the punishment for sin was death. Yet, God loved us, so Jesus voluntarily came to the earth to pay our punishment for sin. Then, he rose from the dead, returned to heaven, and will one day return. As Lydia listened to the Good News, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted Jesus as her Savior.
That is what happened to me. I heard that Jesus paid the price for sin through dying on the cross. While I listened, the Lord opened my heart to trust Christ as my Savior.
It wasn’t a WORK I began.
It wasn’t a journey I began.
It was a supernatural encounter with the Living and Holy God who loved me and gave up his Son for me. Then, Paul uses another word to teach us that:
GOD WILL CONTINUE THE GOOD WORK
Paul used the word Ergon for the word work.
Ergon: that which one undertakes to do, undertaking …
Paul used this word to communicate God is presently working in your life. If you have surrendered your life to Jesus, God will continue to work! It is an ongoing undertaking of God for each of us who have surrendered to Him. We can find great confidence and inner strength when we understand He not only initiated our salvation, but he has been working in our hearts since then as well! From the moment you trusted in Christ – God has been working in your heart.
The seasons of hard you endured.
The brokenness.
The moments you almost walked away from your faith in Jesus.
When you experienced the miscarriage.
The diagnosis.
The betrayal.
The divorce.
God is taking all the pain, heartache, and crud that living in a fallen world brings and is PRESENTLY using it to craft your character so that you become more like Jesus. All of the good. All of the bad. He uses those things to cut away the parts of you that do not reflect Jesus so you continue to LIVE more like Jesus and reflect Jesus to people in need of a Savior.
He is working on the foundation he laid! From the moment you surrendered, God has been working in your heart. Whether you have wandered far from Christ or not – He has been working in your heart.
None of us are finished.
God has not stopped working in our hearts.
But…why?
Have we not been made NEW? Is not the old gone, but the new here? What work is there to do within our hearts if we have already been made right with God? If we have already been perfected through the blood of Christ, what work could He possibly do? After all, Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 6:11 (NLT2)
11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
If we have already been made right with God, why would God continue to work in our hearts? A few paragraphs later, Paul speaks about the ongoing work of the Lord in the hearts of the believers…and this time, he tells them…
Philippians 2:13 (NLT)
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
God continues to work in our hearts to give us the desire and the power to do what pleases Him!
This October, our staff and leadership will have an annual planning meeting. Each ministry will come prepared to share its Goals and Objectives for 2025, centered around our Mission to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.
I will not dictate their goals; they will develop them because I have learned that when it comes to following Jesus, it is impossible to accomplish goals if you lack desire. Without desire, we will not finish goals that require hard work. And you can trust that:
GOD WILL FINISH THE GOOD WORK
God began the good work in your life and continues to work in your life, giving you the godly desire to do what pleases him. God will finish the good work in your life.
He began it.
He will continue it.
He will finish it.
Paul described what the finished Christian would look like as the Lord continued to work inside them.
Paul said in Acts 20:24:
Acts 20:24 (NLT2)
24 But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
The unfinished goal for followers of Jesus is to invite others to experience a life-changing relationship with Jesus. Are you inviting others to Jesus? Invite them to church, to lunch with you afterward, to a relationship with Jesus simply by inviting them to experience worship here at Beach Church. Paul’s attitude was so strong that he could write, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the TRUTH that his life was worth nothing to him unless he used it to finish the work of telling others. Even though God had used Paul in the past to tell countless others about Jesus – unless he was used in the future, it meant nothing to him. He wanted to finish the unfinished work.
Do you?
Do you sense the desire and compelling tug of the Spirit of God to tell others about Jesus and finish the work?
Listen to the words of Paul written about ten years later to Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:7 (NLT2)
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.
Paul wrote to the Philippians from a prison cell and told them to finish...roughly ten years later, he sat in another prison and wrote to Timothy that he had finished the race. Paul finished the work that had been assigned to him. Let’s strive to finish our assignment and lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus by inviting them to worship with us.
Philippians - Slave and Saint
Pastor Joe Donahue launches our new series on Philippians, exploring Paul's profound transformation and his powerful message to the early church. Pastor Joe emphasizes our dual identity as both slaves and saints in Christ, highlighting the significance of being bought by Jesus' blood and living out our faith joyfully and obediently. Join us in uncovering how Paul's teachings can inspire us to spread the Good News and deepen our relationship with Jesus.
I am excited to kick off our sermon series from Philippians! Over the next 18 weeks we are going to be teaching from the letter that Paul wrote to the Philippians. Before he became a follower of Jesus, Paul was a Jewish terrorist. He was one of the leading pharisees that persecuted followers of Jesus – but then – Paul surrendered his life to Jesus, and everything changed.
Instead of being the persecutor, he became the persecuted.
He was chased out of city after city by the Jewish religious leaders.
He was threatened, beaten, stoned, and left for dead.
He often went without food, was often in prison, and was constantly on the move telling people about Jesus and leading others to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.
As Paul traveled and preached, people responded to the good news and surrendered their lives to Jesus. Churches began to pop up. Paul would help establish leaders in the churches who would help people grow in their faith and then he would move on to another city. Many of the Letters Paul wrote, were written to churches he had planted. When Paul wrote Philippians, he was under house arrest for preaching the Gospel.
Most of us got a small taste of what it would be like to be under house arrest a few years ago when we had Covid. But in Paul’s case it was a little different. He was chained up – but friends and others could come and go as they pleased. So, Paul spent two years chained up, teaching about Jesus.
Paul began his letter with his traditional greeting – let’s read it:
Philippians 1:1-5 (NLT2)
1 This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the elders and deacons. 2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 3 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.
Any time I receive an email, text, or message, one of the very first things I do is to see WHO sent it. If it is an anonymous letter or spam, I throw it in the trash can. Now, I have softened a bit on this, but if someone does not think it is important enough to sign their name, I do not think it is important enough for me to read. And, I am guilty of writing anonymous letters in the past. Mostly to girls that I liked in Middle School…and high school…
If you have your hand up, we are also collecting handwriting samples for the future just in case. Paul never wrote an anonymous letter. From the start, he said HE wrote it, and WHO he was sending it to.
From his greeting, we see that…
A FOLLOWER OF JESUS IS A SLAVE AND A SAINT
Your identity always matters. In my younger days of driving, I was known to speed and drive recklessly. One year, I was pulled over five times for speeding, and I even was given a ticket for riding in a friend's trunk. That’s a sermon illustration for another day. Every time I was pulled over, the Officer asked for my Driver’s License first. The identification that I handed to each officer told him exactly what he needed to know.
In verse one, the word Paul used for Servant in the original language is Doulos. (doolos) It means SLAVE. Paul described himself as a SLAVE of Jesus.
He is in chains.
He is locked up for telling people about Jesus.
And he identifies as a SLAVE.
But – he also called the Jesus followers he was writing, saints. In the original language he used the word hagios (hag-ee-os) which means “morally blameless and pure.”
These two words, side by side, sum up how followers of Jesus should describe themselves. We are slaves. We are saints. Think about the weight each of those words has behind them. First,
A SLAVE IS BOUGHT, BELONGS, & BIDDABLE
In Early America – slavery was a horrible evil. Men and women in Africa were living out their lives peacefully, and then, by force, they were taken from their families and sold in the United States. They were bought by a master and often beaten, treated harshly, and thought to have less value than cattle.
If you are a follower of Jesus, you too, have been BOUGHT. A transaction has been made. A price has been paid.
1 Corinthians 6:20 (NLT2)
20 for God bought you with a high price…
It is a clear teaching throughout the New Testament that Jesus BOUGHT you with his blood. There is no higher currency than the BLOOD of Jesus. Nothing is as valuable as the blood of the Son of God. So that means, you BELONG to him! He owns you. You are his property. We belong to Jesus. We have been adopted into his family through the blood of Jesus. We belong to him, and we belong with him.
Since he bought you and you belong to Him, that means you are biddable.
When Paul called himself a slave of Christ, he implied that he did God’s bidding. That he was the hands and feet of Jesus. That Christ lived his life through Paul. And if you are a follower of Jesus, I encourage you to ask yourself what God is bidding you to do for him.
Whether you are the youngest in this room or watching online your responsibility as a follower of Jesus is to DO his bidding. A slave of Jesus never gets to retire. Do what he wants you to do.
Serve in the way He is calling you to serve.
SLAVES do their master’s bidding. You have been BOUGHT, you BELONG so continue to be BIDDABLE. That is what Paul implied when he called himself a slave.
Then look how he addressed the Philippian followers of Jesus in the second part of verse one…
“To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi.”
It is a little uncomfortable to think about ourselves from God’s point of view. In most of our prayer time with God, as we describe ourselves, we most likely lean toward our sinfulness.
I am a miserable sinner.
I am the chief of sinners.
Undeserving of grace and forgiveness
While those thoughts are true, I also think we need to remind ourselves of how God sees us. God sees us through the lens of Jesus's sacrifice. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, I am no longer only a sinner. I am a SAINT.
You are too.
A SAINT IS HOLY, HAPPY, & HELPS SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS
I grew up Catholic. I attended Catholic school until fourth grade, and later, I went to Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. The walls of the school and church were covered with images and portraits of Saints. The Saints were always portrayed with glowing halos above their heads. Their hands folded in prayer…. a cross necklace… in my mind…they were HOLY…
Saints were people I could never identify with.
In the Catholic church, a person can only be called a Saint after they have been through a long process called canonization. It happens long after that person dies. They look for at least two miracles that happened through their hands. They read all of their writings to make sure they were theologically sound. Their actions, attitudes, and works are examined closely…then if they pass the process, they are made saints.
But, from God’s perspective, there is only ONE step to become a Saint.
Romans 10:9 (NLT2)
9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
A SAINT can be a drug addict who has surrendered her life to Jesus. You might think of them as an ex-addict, but God says she is a saint.
A SAINT can be an alcoholic who has surrendered their life to Jesus. You may call him a drunk, but God says he is a saint.
A SAINT can be a man who has surrendered his life to Jesus but still struggles with temptations to be unfaithful to his spouse. You may call him an adulterer, but God calls him a saint.
The married couple who have each surrendered their lives to Jesus are SAINTS, but they struggle with bickering back and forth. You may say their marriage is crumbling, but God says they are SAINTS.
If you have convinced yourself that you are worthless and add no value to this world, God says you have been chosen and purchased and that you are a masterpiece. If you feel like a zero on a scale of 1 to 10, God says that you are a perfect 10. The sacrifice of Jesus has made you RIGHT with God – YOU have been perfected in his sight. You have been made HOLY. As Holy as Jesus is and was. And since you have been made HOLY you should live HAPPY.
Happy because God loves you.
Happy because God KNOWS you.
Happy because God lives within you.
Happy because have been chosen and adopted by God.
Happy because you are free from condemnation.
Happy because you have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit.
Happy because you have been forgiven for all your sins.
Happy because you are a citizen of Heaven.
Happy because you are born of God, and the Evil one cannot touch you.
Happy because you are the dwelling place of the Most High God
Happy because you can approach God with freedom and confidence anytime day or night.
Happy because you will never be rejected, abandoned, deserted, overlooked, or treated poorly by the one who gave his life for you.
God’s TRUTH about your identity matters more than your negative thoughts about yourself. Because a follower of Jesus is HOLY and HAPPY, they HELP spread the GOOD NEWS of Jesus to others.
Paul said in v. 5.
Philippians 1:5 (NLT2)
5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.
Sharing the GOOD NEWS of JESUS is all of us working together in unity. Our mission is to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.
When you invite others to church – you help lead people to Jesus.
When you serve on the tech team, you help lead people to Jesus.
When you help in the Junior High ministry, you help lead people to Jesus.
When you serve on the First Impressions team, you help lead people to Jesus.
When you serve in the Kids ministry, you help lead people to Jesus.
And if you are interested in serving to join us in our mission, grab one of those connect cards, fill it out and drop it in the offering box on your way out. We believe that people who have experienced the overwhelming love of God want to show others the same love they themselves have experienced – and we often do that by helping and serving.
A few years ago, I served as Lead Pastor at a church that averaged about 2,500 on the weekend, and I volunteered to serve in the Junior High Ministry on Thursday night. I was not up-front preaching…I sat quietly in the back of the room, and when the students went to small groups, I grabbed a broom, a dustpan, and a trash can and went to work sweeping up candy wrappers, skittles, crushed candy bars. Then, I filled a mop bucket and went to work cleaning up all the cans of Coke that had spilled onto the floor.
I was finishing up when a 7th-grade boy came over and said, “Are you the Janitor?”
I said, “What makes you think I’m the janitor?” He said, “Because you are mopping the floor. Aren’t you the Pastor? Why are you mopping? That’s what the janitor does.”
I told him, “I am a Pastor…but I shouldn’t be if I am not willing to mop floors and serve others. I don’t ever want to be guilty of asking other people to step in and serve but be unwilling to myself.”
I am a SLAVE and a SAINT and there is nothing else I would rather be!
When you experience difficult days and seasons, know that you can overcome any difficulty that comes your way because you belong to Jesus. You do not face life alone because you have been bought by the blood of Jesus, and you belong to Him.And if you are facing life alone without Jesus, you don’t have to. Jesus can be your Lord and Savior if you surrender your life to Jesus and commit to following Him.