Sermon Notes

Choose Joy: Paul’s Letter to the Philippian Church!

Speaker:  John J Roberts

Date:  March 20, 2022

Text:  Philippians Introduction, 1:1-2

Introduction

Paul writes a thank you note to the Christians in the Philippian Church. 

The Prison Epistles:  Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon

Paul is writing to say thank you…

The other reasons for Paul’s writing

But the overall reason for Paul’s writing is to remind them to BE JOYFUL! 

Paul’s eternal prospective keeps him hopeful and joyful in hardship. 

Acts 16:16-34

Let’s notice what’s going on in the story of Paul and Silas. 

Phil. 1:12-14…

Paul reminds them of their citizenship in 3:20

“God has yet to bless anyone except where they actually are, and if we faithlessly discard situation after situation, moment after moment, as not being ‘RIGHT’, we will simply have no place to receive his kingdom into our life.”

-Dallas Willard

Questions in difficult times:

1. What if we pretended that God is involved?
2. What if we embraced the liminal space?
3. What if we spent more time asking “What can I get OUT of this moment and even this brokenness” than we spent asking “How can I get OUT of this moment and this brokenness?”
4. What if we looked at the opportunities rather than fixating on the obstacles?

Paul’s relationships ensures that he’s not alone as he endures hardship

“MLCC is at it’s best when we are ALL engaged in authentic, life-giving relationship with God and with others.” 

Philippians 1:1-2

Conclusion

What are you walking through right now?  What has got you off balance?  What’s bringing fear, anxiety, or the temptation to live in dependence on self rather than dependence on God?

The invitation: 

• Can you take a step back and evaluate what’s stealing your joy in this moment?
• Can you answer the questions that I talked about earlier?
  • Where gave I seen God’s involvement? Where might I see it?
  • Can I embrace this liminal space?
  • Can you ask… “God what do you want me to get OUT of this moment? Where can I find you?
  • What are the opportunities for the Kingdom?

The challenge:

• Who are you walking with in this moment?
• Who are the people you can count on? Where are you finding community?
• What commitment can I make in the coming weeks to both support, and be supported by others?

Project for next Week:

1. What’s going on in my life right now that causing me fear, anxiety, and in what ways am I leaning on my own dependency rather than leaning on God? 
2. In what ways can I…
   1. See that God is involved?
   2. Embrace the liminal space?
   3. Learn and engage with what God may want me to get OUT of this moment?
   4. See the opportunities rather than the obstacles?
3. Who am I going to walk with and how am I going to walk with them?