00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 let me add my welcome. My name is Sam. I'm one of the pastors here at St. Paul's. And
00:00:06 --> 00:00:11 as you've heard multiple times tonight, we're kicking off a new series. We're going to spend
00:00:11 --> 00:00:17 some time in the book of Philippians. And the series is entitled Joy for Everyone. This
00:00:17 --> 00:00:22 series is going to be about the search for joy. It's going to be about fighting for joy.
00:00:22 --> 00:00:27 It's going to be about trying to take hold of the joy that God has built into the Christian
00:00:27 --> 00:00:36 life. But like so much that is in the Christian life, it's going to be simple, but not easy.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:41 It's going to require change. It's going to require repentance. It's going to require
00:00:41 --> 00:00:49 discomfort. It will also require a willingness on our part to recognise that often we are
00:00:49 --> 00:00:55 our own barrier. So we are often the biggest barrier to our own happiness, our own joy.
00:00:55 --> 00:01:02 So we're going to need some honest reflection. But on offer is what Peter describes in the
00:01:02 --> 00:01:10 New Testament as an inexpressible and glorious joy. And I think we're going to find it waiting
00:01:10 --> 00:01:15 right in front of us. So before we begin, let's ask God to open our eyes, to fill our hearts
00:01:15 --> 00:01:20 and lives with joy so that others might come to know the kind of satisfaction that's only
00:01:20 --> 00:01:29 found in Jesus. Father God, please open our eyes and our hearts that we might hear you speak
00:01:29 --> 00:01:35 tonight. Shape us by your spirit to be the joy-filled community that you have designed us to be.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:46 Amen. Do you ever feel lonely in a crowd? So you're completely surrounded by people, yet at the same
00:01:46 --> 00:01:57 time alone? Do you ever feel isolated even when you're among your friends? They're there, but you
00:01:57 --> 00:02:04 just don't feel connected. Do you ever feel like that here at church, surrounded by brothers and
00:02:04 --> 00:02:11 sisters in Christ? We love family language here. And yet somehow you still feel lonely.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:19 It's possible to be in proximity with people all the time without actually having any deep connection,
00:02:20 --> 00:02:25 or at least no connections with the people that you're with. I've got friends you might say,
00:02:25 --> 00:02:33 they're just not here at church. God tells us in the Bible that he has designed this community
00:02:33 --> 00:02:41 to be the place where you find your deepest connections, to be the place where you get joy,
00:02:41 --> 00:02:47 where you have rich relationships. But I know that for some of us, that's just not how it feels.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:54 That's just not our experience. And this letter that Paul has written to the Philippians is
00:02:54 --> 00:03:01 a letter that's just saturated with joy. Their relationship seems to be this just fount of
00:03:01 --> 00:03:06 encouragement and love in spite of challenging circumstances, in spite of the distance in their
00:03:06 --> 00:03:12 relationship, in spite of spiritual opposition. These guys just have a relationship that produces
00:03:12 --> 00:03:20 joy for everyone involved. I mean, we're only 11 verses in to this book. We're going to work our way
00:03:20 --> 00:03:25 through it. We're 11 verses in, and already there is, you get this sense there's some serious
00:03:25 --> 00:03:32 love going on between Paul and this church. I mean, he's over the top in these first 11 verses.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:33 He says,
00:03:33 --> 00:03:40 I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers, I always pray with joy
00:03:40 --> 00:03:48 because of your partnership. I have you in my heart. God can testify how I long for you with all the
00:03:48 --> 00:03:55 affection of Christ Jesus. There's real intimacy and love in those words. I mean,
00:03:55 --> 00:03:59 if you are planning a love letter or an encouragement letter to somebody who matters in your life,
00:03:59 --> 00:04:05 the bar has just been raised. I don't know if any of you have come across the children's book,
00:04:05 --> 00:04:12 Guess How Much I Love You. It's a great book, and it has a little nut brown hair and a big nut brown
00:04:12 --> 00:04:18 hair. And the big nut brown hair is the dad, and they're going back and forward with the book
00:04:18 --> 00:04:24 beginning with little nut brown hair saying, guess how much I love you. And big nut brown hair says,
00:04:24 --> 00:04:30 I don't think I could guess that. And little nut brown hair says, well, I love you as high as I can
00:04:30 --> 00:04:37 reach. And then big nut brown hair looks down at him and says, well, I love you as high as I can reach.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:41 And they go back and forth, outdoing each other with their love, trumping each other.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:47 And it's escalating until just before little nut brown hair is about to fall asleep,
00:04:47 --> 00:04:54 he gazes up into the night sky and spots the furthest thing that he can see. And he says,
00:04:54 --> 00:05:02 I love you all the way to the moon. At this point, big nut brown hair responds simply with,
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 wow, that is far.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:14 The affection in these first 11 verses, the love between Paul and this church and from this church
00:05:14 --> 00:05:22 back to Paul is a to the moon and back kind of love. It's a relationship that is treasured in both
00:05:22 --> 00:05:28 directions. Both parties have just this love and benefit from being in relationship with one another.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:35 And you read that and you think, isn't that kind of the relationships that we want here as a church
00:05:35 --> 00:05:41 family? Wouldn't it be amazing to have that level of richness? And yet at the same time, it's kind of
00:05:41 --> 00:05:47 intimidating. I mean, I don't know if any of my friends, not just here, but anywhere would speak
00:05:47 --> 00:05:54 about me with this level of love and appreciation. Paul and the Philippians have this incredible
00:05:54 --> 00:05:59 connection to one another, but there's actually a whole bunch of reasons why they shouldn't have
00:05:59 --> 00:06:07 such deep connections. In the passage that Jimmy read out for us from Acts 16, we get the beginning
00:06:07 --> 00:06:13 of the church in Philippi. And it's not the whole story, but we're told about three conversions.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:22 You've got Lydia. She's some sort of wealthy, probably Asian fashionista. You've then got a demon
00:06:22 --> 00:06:30 possessed slave girl, and then you've got the head jailer. So rich, you know, flamboyant, fancy,
00:06:30 --> 00:06:36 upper class person, demon possessed slave girl, and kind of rough around the edges, tradie.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:43 There is no scenario on earth that has those three people hanging out in a room together,
00:06:43 --> 00:06:49 let alone having rich, deep, beneficial relationships, not to mention Paul, who's a random Jewish tent
00:06:49 --> 00:06:56 maker who just kind of swans in and out as he's travelling past. That's not the recipe for deep
00:06:56 --> 00:07:03 connection. The richness of their relationships is not natural or logical. They're not from the
00:07:03 --> 00:07:07 same backgrounds. They don't have the same interests or hobbies. They wouldn't even hang
00:07:07 --> 00:07:15 out in the same parts of town. And yet somehow they are bound together. Somehow they are a source
00:07:15 --> 00:07:22 of encouragement and joy in one another's lives. And there's only one thing substantial enough
00:07:22 --> 00:07:29 to take that mishmash of people and connect them, make them into a community. And it's there in verse
00:07:29 --> 00:07:38 three. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
00:07:38 --> 00:07:47 because, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. It's the gospel.
00:07:48 --> 00:07:54 That's the common ground. And whenever you read the word gospel in Philippians, it's shorthand.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:59 Paul's wrapping up a whole bunch there. It's shorthand to say, it's the good news that Jesus came and died
00:07:59 --> 00:08:05 for unworthy people, that he rose again and he offers to forgive people and adopt them into his family.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:12 It's these people having received that love, that forgiveness, that adoption, that grace.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:18 Jesus is the thing that can take completely different people and make them a family.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:25 Jesus is the thing that has the power to draw people together and connect them to God.
00:08:27 --> 00:08:33 See, the picture we get here in this first half of Philippians 1 is the gospel-shaping relationships
00:08:33 --> 00:08:37 in three specific ways. And it's what I want to focus on for the rest of tonight.
00:08:38 --> 00:08:44 Firstly, the gospel establishes gospel connections in their relationship.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:50 So every relationship that you have in life, every single relationship that you have in life,
00:08:50 --> 00:08:56 has some point of connection, has something that's common to both parties, which is the foundation
00:08:56 --> 00:09:01 for your relationship. So it could be that you work in the same place.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:06 And so you're in proximity with each other for five days a week and for eight hours a day
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 and you get regular interaction. That could be a point of connection.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:13 It could be that you both like the same sports team and so you journey together through the
00:09:13 --> 00:09:19 highs and lows that go with that. It could be that you have the same taste in music and so
00:09:19 --> 00:09:23 you go to concerts together. You share new music that you've discovered.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:31 It could be that you have the same parents. It could be that you have a cause that you believe
00:09:31 --> 00:09:36 in and so you share that concern. Maybe you even serve together doing it. It could be that you have
00:09:36 --> 00:09:42 multiple points of connection, but it stands that for every relationship there has to be
00:09:42 --> 00:09:48 connection. There has to be a thing that joins you. And here's why this matters. This is really
00:09:48 --> 00:09:57 important. The strength of connection, the depth of relationship, the quality of friendship
00:09:57 --> 00:10:06 is directly proportionate to the significance of the thing that connects you. Say that again
00:10:06 --> 00:10:14 because that's a mouthful on a cold Sunday night. The strength of connection, the depth of relationship,
00:10:14 --> 00:10:22 the quality of friendship is directly proportionate to the thing that connects you.
00:10:23 --> 00:10:29 So in other words, if your connection is that you catch the same bus each day, so you've got a bus
00:10:29 --> 00:10:34 friend, person you sit with on the way to work or the way to school or whatever it is, that's not
00:10:34 --> 00:10:41 significant. Catching that bus is in a big part of who you are or your identity and so when you stop
00:10:41 --> 00:10:47 catching that bus, that connection will probably fade or disappear. Your bus friend will be done
00:10:47 --> 00:10:53 unless you've found another point of connection that can somehow endure. But if your connection is
00:10:53 --> 00:10:59 something major, something significant, like maybe it's a shared traumatic experience, maybe it's something
00:10:59 --> 00:11:05 that's close to your heart that you both care about, there's a good chance that even when there's distance
00:11:05 --> 00:11:10 in your relationship, even when there's less time spent together, that the connections remain strong
00:11:10 --> 00:11:17 because the point of connection is more important to you and so the relationship is more substantial.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:27 Now, we need to understand what it means as people of God to be connected by the gospel.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:34 We need to understand what it actually means when we use phrases like brothers and sisters in Christ.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:41 I mean, look at the way, the shape of the relationship between Paul and the Philippians in these passages.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:51 In verse 3, Paul thanks God for the Philippians. It's not, thanks guys, you're awesome, I'm so encouraged
00:11:51 --> 00:11:56 by you, thanks for the money that you've given me and all that. It's, I thank God for you.
00:11:57 --> 00:12:02 God is the direction that he's focusing on. The connection between the two of them is through God.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:07 And then even when he's expressing his affection back to them and not his appreciation of what he's received
00:12:07 --> 00:12:14 from God, he says in verse 8, I long for you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
00:12:15 --> 00:12:21 Again, it's through God. That's the point of connection. The warmth and love and closeness
00:12:21 --> 00:12:28 and encouragement that Paul has for them is through Jesus. He loves them the way Jesus does.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:36 Gospel connections are Jesus' connections. That's the foundation for any gospel relationship.
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40 See, sometimes when we think about our relationships with other Christians,
00:12:41 --> 00:12:44 we think about them as being connected to God a bit like a triangle.
00:12:46 --> 00:12:50 So this is me and I'm connected to God. There's the line of connection.
00:12:50 --> 00:12:57 You're over here and you're connected to God as well. And then we add this third line of connection,
00:12:57 --> 00:13:04 which is related, but somehow separate. That's not the picture here in Philippians 1.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:12 That's not what's going on. It says that I'm connected to God by Jesus. By his death and resurrection,
00:13:12 --> 00:13:19 I'm connected to God. And if you're a follower of Jesus, you are connected to God by Jesus' death
00:13:19 --> 00:13:28 and resurrection. We are actually drawn together in God. There's not separate stands. It's all part of
00:13:28 --> 00:13:38 the one connection. Our relational link is Jesus. God is in every relationship between Christians.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:44 He is the source of every relationship between Christians. He is the foundation for it. He is the
00:13:44 --> 00:13:51 enduring strength of it, which means no other point of connection comes close.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:58 Because there is nothing more significant in the life of a Christian than the God who has called
00:13:58 --> 00:14:04 them and loved them and forgiven them and brought them into his family. He is our defining reality.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:11 In him, we've been recreated for his purposes. Our lives belong to him, which means every other
00:14:11 --> 00:14:18 thing in our life kind of fades when it comes to significance. And so for God's people, it actually
00:14:18 --> 00:14:23 doesn't matter if you're the same age as me. It doesn't matter if you're the same marital status
00:14:23 --> 00:14:29 as me. It doesn't matter if you like the same music or food, if you spend your recreational time doing
00:14:29 --> 00:14:33 what I do, if you vote liberal or labor. It doesn't matter if you were born in the same country,
00:14:33 --> 00:14:37 if you speak a different language, if you eat the same food that I like, if you earn more money than me,
00:14:37 --> 00:14:44 if you dress like me. It doesn't matter. Because the most significant thing in our lives is the same.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:50 We're connected by the thing that matters most to us, Jesus.
00:14:53 --> 00:15:01 We are both loved, both forgiven, both adopted through Jesus' death and resurrection. We are both
00:15:01 --> 00:15:08 on the same journey towards heaven. We both have the same call on our lives to live in all things for
00:15:08 --> 00:15:19 the glory of God. That's gospel connection. Now, the other option, and maybe the habit we fall into,
00:15:21 --> 00:15:25 is to focus on and build our relationships based on the more peripheral connections.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:29 They're still real. They're still valid.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:34 But instead of going, the connection between us is Christ,
00:15:35 --> 00:15:40 we build relationships based on the connection of the fact that we're
00:15:40 --> 00:15:42 in this building at the same time, once a week together.
00:15:44 --> 00:15:47 Or that we do dress the same.
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 Or like the same music.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 Or follow the same sports team.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 Or live in the same area.
00:15:53 --> 00:15:59 But what happens is, if we settle for those weaker connections,
00:16:01 --> 00:16:06 our church relationships end up just being poor imitations of the rest of our relationships.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:11 Because we've lost sight of what actually makes Christian relationships unique.
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 Jesus.
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 The gospel.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:19 When the gospel is the centre of a Christian relationship,
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 when Jesus is the connection point,
00:16:21 --> 00:16:29 every relationship built on him is an opportunity for you to encounter the source of all joy,
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 Jesus himself.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 If Jesus is the thing that draws us together,
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 if he's the foundation,
00:16:37 --> 00:16:39 if he's the means by which we have a connection,
00:16:39 --> 00:16:45 every interaction in that relationship is an opportunity to encounter Jesus.
00:16:45 --> 00:16:54 The gospel shapes relationships by being our point of connection,
00:16:54 --> 00:17:01 and it transforms them into opportunities to encounter the all-satisfying saviour, Jesus.
00:17:01 --> 00:17:07 But he won't be displayed through the perfection of your relationship,
00:17:07 --> 00:17:11 or through the perfection of the people you're relating to.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:14 The second way that the gospel is going to shape our relationships,
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 the second way that it's impacted Paul and the Philippians,
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 is by giving them gospel perspective.
00:17:20 --> 00:17:23 So first, it helps them to see the gospel connection,
00:17:23 --> 00:17:26 but second, it gives them gospel perspective.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:32 Now, even though this letter gives us a glimpse of what is clearly a pretty incredible relationship
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 between a church family,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:36 it is far from perfect.
00:17:36 --> 00:17:39 You can be assured that neither Paul nor the Philippians
00:17:39 --> 00:17:41 are under any illusions about the other.
00:17:42 --> 00:17:46 In fact, what Paul rejoices in in this passage
00:17:46 --> 00:17:49 is the incompleteness of the Philippians,
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 is their unfinishedness.
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 Have a look at verse 6.
00:17:54 --> 00:17:57 Just after going on about thanking God all the time and praying with joy,
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 he says,
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 Being confident of this,
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 that he who began a good work in you
00:18:02 --> 00:18:06 will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 Their work's in progress.
00:18:09 --> 00:18:11 Paul looks at the Philippians,
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 and he says there's lots that's great here.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 Even when he prays in verse 9,
00:18:15 --> 00:18:18 and he prays for more love and more knowledge and more insight,
00:18:18 --> 00:18:22 that's assuming there's already some love and some knowledge and some insight.
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 So in this one section,
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 Paul can give thanks for them
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 and get joy from them
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 and celebrate all that's good
00:18:29 --> 00:18:33 and pray that they would grow because they need to.
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 That's gospel perspective.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:42 It's the recognition that we are connected to imperfect people
00:18:42 --> 00:18:45 who are just as in need of grace as we are.
00:18:47 --> 00:18:51 Gospel perspective creates safe relationships where you can fail,
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 where you can fall short,
00:18:54 --> 00:18:56 where you can let one another down,
00:18:57 --> 00:19:00 and where you can find grace in those moments of failure.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:05 Gospel perspective gives you the chance
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 to be who you really are in relationship.
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 No pretending.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 No pretense.
00:19:13 --> 00:19:16 It enables genuine relationship.
00:19:19 --> 00:19:21 As I was preparing this message today,
00:19:22 --> 00:19:24 and in honesty probably for longer,
00:19:24 --> 00:19:27 God has been challenging me on this issue specifically.
00:19:27 --> 00:19:32 I think that I would describe myself as someone who is relationally weak,
00:19:33 --> 00:19:36 and there's a whole bunch of baggage there to unpack,
00:19:36 --> 00:19:39 but as I was preparing this week,
00:19:39 --> 00:19:39 I was convicted
00:19:39 --> 00:19:44 that this is one of my big challenges relationally.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:48 Being willing to entrust myself
00:19:48 --> 00:19:52 in all my unfinishedness to other people.
00:19:54 --> 00:19:56 Being willing to trust the grace of God
00:19:56 --> 00:19:58 to the point where I'm okay with you knowing
00:19:58 --> 00:20:01 the rough edges in my life.
00:20:03 --> 00:20:05 I don't know if this is your struggle,
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 but for me personally,
00:20:06 --> 00:20:10 I can give you the illusion of vulnerability
00:20:10 --> 00:20:13 by sharing the things that I'm comfortable with sharing.
00:20:14 --> 00:20:16 The things that I've put into the category of,
00:20:17 --> 00:20:19 I'm happy for everyone to know this,
00:20:19 --> 00:20:21 even if they're slightly more personal than you might expect.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 But the things that I'm embarrassed about,
00:20:24 --> 00:20:26 I'm not telling you those.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:29 That's what vulnerability is.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:33 It's a willingness to share the things that are sensitive.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:38 And in my life, I'm not good at it.
00:20:39 --> 00:20:42 But gospel perspective gives me permission.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 Because it says,
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 even if you struggle with how to process that,
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 even if you react in a way
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 that might not be exactly how I want you to react,
00:20:50 --> 00:20:52 I have grace in Jesus,
00:20:52 --> 00:20:54 who's in the middle of our relationship.
00:20:56 --> 00:20:58 Which means even as you respond in a way
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 that might be hard for me,
00:20:59 --> 00:21:02 God can empower me to give you grace in your response.
00:21:03 --> 00:21:06 And for us together to walk through that challenge,
00:21:06 --> 00:21:09 we need to look at other people with gospel eyes,
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 knowing that they are imperfect,
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 knowing that they have their struggles,
00:21:12 --> 00:21:14 knowing that their work's in progress.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:18 But also we need to look at ourselves through gospel eyes,
00:21:19 --> 00:21:21 unfinished and still in need of grace.
00:21:21 --> 00:21:25 We need to be willing to be vulnerable with one another.
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 Because when we do that,
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 we actually shine Jesus.
00:21:31 --> 00:21:35 We shine what it is to be unconditionally accepted
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 to people around us
00:21:36 --> 00:21:38 who maybe desperately need that same permission,
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 desperately need to be reminded
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 of that incredible grace
00:21:43 --> 00:21:45 that covers all our failures,
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 all our sins.
00:21:47 --> 00:21:51 Maybe we can give permission to a brother or sister
00:21:51 --> 00:21:53 to be hurting,
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 to be struggling,
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 to be doubting,
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 to be unfinished,
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 to be a work in progress.
00:22:00 --> 00:22:04 The gospel gives perspective to our relationships,
00:22:05 --> 00:22:08 which enables us to display Jesus to one another.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:13 Enables us to shine a light on the author of joy
00:22:13 --> 00:22:16 and so to bless the people that we interact with,
00:22:16 --> 00:22:18 with what Peter called a joy
00:22:18 --> 00:22:21 that is inexpressible and glorious.
00:22:23 --> 00:22:26 And the last way the gospel shapes relationships
00:22:26 --> 00:22:29 is by giving them a gospel agenda.
00:22:31 --> 00:22:33 This letter is between people
00:22:33 --> 00:22:35 who clearly care deeply for one another.
00:22:36 --> 00:22:38 Now what does this incredible love
00:22:38 --> 00:22:40 and intimacy and encouragement
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 lead them to talk about?
00:22:42 --> 00:22:44 What's their relationship made up of?
00:22:44 --> 00:22:47 Verse 5,
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 partnership in the gospel.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 Verse 7,
00:22:51 --> 00:22:53 the shared grace of defending
00:22:53 --> 00:22:55 and confirming the gospel.
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 Verse 8,
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 the affection of Jesus.
00:22:59 --> 00:23:01 Now there are a couple of incidental things
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 that get mentioned.
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 There's a few individuals
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 that get mentioned in this letter.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 But really,
00:23:06 --> 00:23:08 all Paul wants to talk about is Jesus.
00:23:08 --> 00:23:12 To those that he cares about most,
00:23:12 --> 00:23:14 what he wants to talk about is Jesus.
00:23:14 --> 00:23:16 He wants to remind them of the gospel
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 so that they get joy.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:22 Even in talking about his own struggles and situation,
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 which we're going to look at next week,
00:23:23 --> 00:23:25 he does it so that they might get joy
00:23:25 --> 00:23:27 about the way the gospel is advancing.
00:23:27 --> 00:23:33 The details of his situation are context to gospel info
00:23:33 --> 00:23:35 so that they can get joy and be encouraged.
00:23:36 --> 00:23:38 What does he pray for when he thinks of them?
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 Health?
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 Financial struggles?
00:23:43 --> 00:23:43 Weather?
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 Work?
00:23:45 --> 00:23:48 Verse 9,
00:23:49 --> 00:23:51 this is my prayer,
00:23:51 --> 00:23:54 that your love may abound more and more
00:23:54 --> 00:23:56 in knowledge and depth of insight
00:23:56 --> 00:23:59 so that you may be able to discern what is best
00:23:59 --> 00:24:02 and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 filled with the fruit of righteousness
00:24:04 --> 00:24:06 that comes through Jesus Christ
00:24:06 --> 00:24:08 to the glory and praise of God.
00:24:09 --> 00:24:11 He prays for their growth.
00:24:11 --> 00:24:16 His heart's desire is that they make it to the end,
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 that God gets the glory.
00:24:19 --> 00:24:21 Now, that's not to say we shouldn't pray
00:24:21 --> 00:24:24 for material struggles or health or anything else.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:27 God encourages us to cast all our anxiety on him
00:24:27 --> 00:24:29 because he cares for us.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:32 But how often are our prayers for one another
00:24:32 --> 00:24:36 marked by an earnest desire
00:24:36 --> 00:24:39 that we would see growth in one another?
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44 How much of our conversation with one another
00:24:44 --> 00:24:46 is marked with talks of Jesus,
00:24:47 --> 00:24:49 talking about what we're learning in the Bible,
00:24:50 --> 00:24:52 talking about what God is teaching us
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 and how he's shaping us
00:24:53 --> 00:24:55 or struggles that we're having in the Christian life?
00:24:57 --> 00:24:59 Now, it's not to say we can't talk about the weather
00:24:59 --> 00:25:02 or the football or whatever else it is
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 that we're talking about.
00:25:03 --> 00:25:07 But if this isn't there at all,
00:25:09 --> 00:25:15 the gospel is an all-consuming reality.
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 Gospel connections point us back
00:25:17 --> 00:25:19 to what Jesus has already done,
00:25:20 --> 00:25:23 point us back to the security we have in God's love.
00:25:24 --> 00:25:28 Gospel perspective recognises the tension we have right now
00:25:28 --> 00:25:30 as forgiven people who aren't finished yet.
00:25:30 --> 00:25:34 And a gospel agenda lifts our eyes
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 to where we're trying to get to,
00:25:36 --> 00:25:38 shows us the end goal.
00:25:39 --> 00:25:42 When Jesus returns, God is glorified
00:25:42 --> 00:25:44 and finally we will be finished.
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 It's everything.
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 It's what has been, it's what is,
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 and it's what will be.
00:25:49 --> 00:25:52 And so it must be on our lips.
00:25:53 --> 00:25:56 It must be in our conversations.
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 It must be in our hearts.
00:25:57 --> 00:25:59 It must be part of our prayer.
00:26:01 --> 00:26:03 It must be in our relationships.
00:26:05 --> 00:26:08 God's design and desire for us as a community
00:26:08 --> 00:26:10 and for our relationships here at church
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 is that they would be joy-filled,
00:26:12 --> 00:26:14 that they would be joy-giving,
00:26:14 --> 00:26:16 that they would be deep and they would be rich.
00:26:16 --> 00:26:19 And the key to that is the gospel.
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 The key is Jesus.
00:26:21 --> 00:26:27 True, lasting joy is only ever found in Jesus.
00:26:28 --> 00:26:31 This whole series is about Jesus.
00:26:31 --> 00:26:33 It's called Joy for Everyone,
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 but it's really about Jesus.
00:26:35 --> 00:26:37 You could replace joy with Jesus.
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 They're almost synonyms.
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 That's how good Jesus is.
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 Don't, because I really like the graphic,
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 but you get the point.
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 It's joy for everyone,
00:26:46 --> 00:26:49 but that joy can only ever be found in Jesus.
00:26:49 --> 00:26:51 The search for joy in your life
00:26:51 --> 00:26:53 is ultimately a search for Jesus.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 It's a search to include him
00:26:56 --> 00:26:58 and encounter him in all the situations
00:26:58 --> 00:27:00 and circumstances and relationships
00:27:00 --> 00:27:02 that he has placed you in.
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 Nothing can come close to the joy
00:27:04 --> 00:27:06 of being loved unconditionally
00:27:06 --> 00:27:08 by the one who gave his life for you.
00:27:09 --> 00:27:12 Nothing comes close to the joy of certain hope.
00:27:16 --> 00:27:18 He is the one you need to be satisfied.
00:27:18 --> 00:27:22 He is the one you need to be content to have joy.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:27 And this gospel community,
00:27:28 --> 00:27:33 this network of relationships connected by Jesus,
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 being shaped by the gospel,
00:27:36 --> 00:27:38 being driven by a gospel agenda,
00:27:39 --> 00:27:44 this community of brothers and sisters in Christ,
00:27:44 --> 00:27:48 every relationship that he has placed around you here
00:27:48 --> 00:27:52 is one of the vehicles that Jesus has chosen
00:27:52 --> 00:27:55 to make himself available to you.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 He is the source of all joy.
00:27:58 --> 00:28:00 Not a great church community,
00:28:01 --> 00:28:05 but this community is one of the vehicles
00:28:05 --> 00:28:08 that he has chosen to make himself available to you.
00:28:08 --> 00:28:13 So take hold of him.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:19 Look again at the people around you.
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 See past common hobbies,
00:28:23 --> 00:28:25 past common location,
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 past common background,
00:28:28 --> 00:28:31 and see that what brings you together
00:28:31 --> 00:28:33 is the eternal reality
00:28:33 --> 00:28:35 that you are loved and forgiven in Jesus.
00:28:38 --> 00:28:41 This community is God's gift to each of us
00:28:41 --> 00:28:45 so that we might encounter and enjoy Jesus
00:28:45 --> 00:28:48 with ever-increasing measure
00:28:48 --> 00:28:51 until he comes back and we get all of him.
00:28:51 --> 00:28:54 So let's take hold of him.
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 Let's pray.
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 Father God, we ask that
00:29:06 --> 00:29:10 you would open our eyes to see what it is that you see,
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 to see brothers and sisters,
00:29:14 --> 00:29:18 to see not people who are like us or not like us,
00:29:18 --> 00:29:22 but to see fellow recipients of grace.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:27 Enable us to be givers of grace to one another.
00:29:29 --> 00:29:31 Empower our relationships to be encouraging
00:29:31 --> 00:29:34 and strengthening and joyful and vulnerable
00:29:34 --> 00:29:36 and yet safe.
00:29:38 --> 00:29:40 Help our relationships as your people
00:29:40 --> 00:29:43 to be a place where we encounter you
00:29:43 --> 00:29:45 as you work in those around us.
00:29:45 --> 00:29:49 Fill us with joy, Father.
00:29:50 --> 00:29:52 Fill us with a joy beyond our circumstances
00:29:52 --> 00:29:55 and shine your infinite worth
00:29:55 --> 00:29:57 into a world that is searching
00:29:57 --> 00:29:59 for the satisfaction that only you can offer.
00:30:04 --> 00:30:06 God, do your work in us
00:30:06 --> 00:30:10 so that we might finish the race full of joy
00:30:10 --> 00:30:13 and so that you get the glory.
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 Amen.
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 Amen.
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 Amen.
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 Amen.
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 Amen.
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 Amen.
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 Amen.
00:30:26 --> 00:30:28 Amen.
00:30:28 --> 00:30:30 Amen.
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 Amen.
00:30:30 --> 00:30:32 Amen.
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 Amen.
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 Amen.
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 Amen.
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 Amen.
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 Amen.
00:30:36 --> 00:30:38 Amen.
00:30:38 --> 00:30:38 Amen.
00:30:38 --> 00:30:41 Amen.
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 Amen.
00:30:42 --> 00:30:44 Amen.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 Amen.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 Amen.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 Amen.