JOY In Suffering
Speaker: Sam Low
Date: 17th July 2016
Passage: Philippians 1:12-30
00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 Do you ever feel disappointed by the amount of joy that is in your life,
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 specifically in your Christian life?
00:00:08 --> 00:00:10 Or maybe you're not a Christian.
00:00:10 --> 00:00:14 Maybe you're still thinking about whether or not that's something for you.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:19 And I wonder if you look at Christians and think they don't seem that joyful.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:24 They kind of just seem like everyone else, somber, serious,
00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 everyone else minus the fun stuff.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:35 If you're a Christian, do you hear Jesus' words in the Bible,
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 places like John 10 where he says,
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 I've come that you might have life and have it to the full?
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 Do you hear that and think, yep, that's me.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:43 My life is full.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 Or do you hear it and think it sounds really nice,
00:00:49 --> 00:00:52 but it's not really how my life feels?
00:00:53 --> 00:00:54 Why the disconnect?
00:00:54 --> 00:01:01 Why being told life can be full and joyful and satisfying and amazing
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 and then a different experience in our day-to-day or week-to-week?
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 I mean, have we misunderstood God?
00:01:09 --> 00:01:10 I mean, are we reading him wrong?
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 Do we have a wrong idea of what he means by joy?
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 When he said life to the full, did he actually mean it'll be horrible,
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 but hey, it won't last forever?
00:01:19 --> 00:01:23 Instead of kind of joy the way we normally think about it,
00:01:23 --> 00:01:26 was he talking about some kind of steely resolve,
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 you know, some kind of grit your teeth and persevere version of joy?
00:01:30 --> 00:01:35 Maybe some kind of abstract version of joy
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 that's a bit more intangible and harder to pin down,
00:01:38 --> 00:01:42 so it's harder to say if you do or don't have it.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 But we know what joy is.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:49 You know what joy is.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:54 Even if you want to distinguish it out from being something more substantial
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 than, you know, just plain, simple happiness,
00:01:56 --> 00:01:57 you know what joy is.
00:01:57 --> 00:02:05 It's that feeling you get when what you desire becomes yours,
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 when the thing that you want becomes yours.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:11 It's that feeling you have when you get down on one knee
00:02:11 --> 00:02:12 and ask her to marry you and she says yes.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 It's that feeling you have when you desperately need a job
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 and a letter of offer arrives.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 It's that feeling you have when you share the gospel
00:02:21 --> 00:02:25 with somebody who's been resisting it and even opposed to it
00:02:25 --> 00:02:26 and they say yes.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 It's when your desires get fulfilled.
00:02:30 --> 00:02:31 That's joy.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 You know what it feels like.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:37 It's that deep, overflowing bubbliness.
00:02:38 --> 00:02:42 The dictionary describes it as a feeling of deep pleasure or happiness.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 It's all those good feelings just kind of turned up a bit
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 with that higher degree of intensity and substance.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 I mean, joy is great.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:51 We know what joy is.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:52 Joy is desirable.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:57 But is it a word that you would use to describe your life as a Christian?
00:03:01 --> 00:03:05 Is it the main word you would use to describe your life as a Christian?
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 Now, we can still get out of this one because you might say,
00:03:09 --> 00:03:13 hey, I know that some people are like those overtly joyful people,
00:03:13 --> 00:03:14 but that's just not me.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:19 And I can testify on this one because I'm what I like to refer to as emotional.
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 I struggle to express emotions whether they're up or down.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:27 I only have one tone of voice, whether I'm happy or sad or anywhere in between.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 And you might be sitting there going, yeah, that's me too.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:30 I don't really express myself.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 So I'm joyful, but I'm just, I'm doing my back flips on the inside.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 You know, I'm cheering and clapping and everything, but it's internal.
00:03:36 --> 00:03:37 You just can't see it.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 I just express it differently.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 I don't like to be annoyingly happy like some people are.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:46 You know, you don't want to be that person who's standing at the bus stop in the rain
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 when the bus comes, hits the puddle, sprays everyone.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 People are swearing, cursing, sending abusive emails to Sydney buses.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 But there's just that one person smiling and, you know, just, you know,
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 it's nice to be refreshed with water.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 And you're just thinking you're a fraud or an idiot and I want to punch you in the face.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 And you don't want to be that annoying people.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:08 And just before we go on, if you are one of those people who has that punch reflex at that moment,
00:04:09 --> 00:04:14 sit on your hand because for the rest of tonight, Paul's probably going to annoy you.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:20 Paul's going to be one of those annoyingly joyful people in a ridiculous situation.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:25 This letter, Philippians, in the New Testament is a letter between Paul and the Philippians
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 and it's written in response to a visit.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:32 So Paul's in prison and the Philippians send a guy named Epaphroditus to visit him
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 to see how he's doing because they've heard he's in prison.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 They've heard he's doing it tough and they want to know what's going on for him.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 And so from this verse, verse 12 through to the end of chapter 3,
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 is kind of the bit where Paul starts giving them details.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 Well, sort of.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 Have a look at verse 12.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 Now, I want you to know, brothers and sisters,
00:04:54 --> 00:04:58 that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 Now, before we get too far into this, we're going to slow down in this verse.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 Paul doesn't really give any detail about his situation.
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 Even as we read the rest of this section, even as we get through the whole book,
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 we know he's in chains, we know he's shackled.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:15 But what we know from other parts of the Bible is that Paul is most likely writing this
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 while he's a prisoner under Roman guard.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:18 Literally shackled.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 Literally chains on his hands and feet.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 Constantly with a soldier guarding him with him.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:25 Never alone.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:26 Not comfortable.
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 He's not in a minimum security day spa.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:33 However, the Roman Empire prided itself on its ability to be brutal.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 Paul's not in a pleasant place when he writes this letter.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:46 He doesn't know whether this imprisonment will end in him being executed or him being released.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:50 He doesn't know how long he's going to be stuck as a prisoner.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:57 And he's there because he did what God told him to in the first place.
00:05:58 --> 00:05:59 He preached Jesus.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:07 Now, if this was me, I would have been sending you status updates every 10 minutes about just how tough it all was.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:17 I would have been letting you know every detail about every sore and scar and wound and beating and terrible food and all that I could.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 Because I would want you to comprehend just how tough it was for me.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 I'd want you to appreciate what I was going through, to have empathy for it.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:27 And no one would think any less of me for that self-indulgence.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:34 You would think it's reasonable if I'm in that situation to claim it, to put my hand up and say, this is tough.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:42 But all Paul gives, and remember, this is a letter to some people who are his close friends.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 His dear, precious brothers and sisters, who he loves.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:52 And all he gives them, by the way of detail, he says, dear brothers and sisters,
00:06:52 --> 00:07:04 I really want you to know, what he's about to say is important, that all that has happened to me, that's it.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:06 That's the detail.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:07 All.
00:07:10 --> 00:07:16 I mean, the Philippians sent Epaphroditus traveling across the world because they wanted to know what was going on for Paul.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:18 They wanted to know how he was.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:19 They sent him with provisions.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 They sent him with well wishes, with money.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:25 In fact, Epaphroditus nearly died on this journey to go and see how Paul is going.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:34 And all the Philippians get back is, hey, I want you to know that all that has happened to me,
00:07:35 --> 00:07:40 it's like all that has happened from Paul's perspective is just incidental.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:41 It's not important.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:44 I'm not going to go into these details.
00:07:44 --> 00:07:50 I've got something important to say, but apparently his own personal situation and suffering
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 don't rather mention.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:57 They're not worth bringing up except as kind of background to what he actually wants to talk about.
00:07:58 --> 00:08:03 Now, it's not to say that his situation is not real and painful and difficult.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 It's not to say he wasn't hurting or sad.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 It's not to say that it's bad to be any of those things.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:13 But for him, it's just not the most important thing.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:20 If he's just got one letter to these people that he loves, he wants to tell them something that matters most to him.
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 And so, verse 12.
00:08:23 --> 00:08:38 As a result, it's become clear throughout the whole palace garden to everyone else that I'm in chains for Christ.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:44 See, all that stuff which Paul can't even be bothered writing about, his suffering, his isolation,
00:08:44 --> 00:08:51 his potential impending death and execution, all that has served to advance the gospel.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:53 The gospel is what he wants to talk about.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:55 Jesus is what matters to him.
00:08:55 --> 00:09:03 His deepest concern, even in his horrible circumstance, is that people keep hearing about Jesus.
00:09:04 --> 00:09:09 That the message of Jesus who died on the cross and rose again continues to be proclaimed.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:14 What he cares about is that other people get a chance to know what he knows.
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 That God is a loving God.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 That God is a forgiving God.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:25 Paul's life is consumed with this gospel agenda.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 With a Jesus agenda.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 Self-preservation, comfort, doesn't matter.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 Not important.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 Reputation, doesn't matter.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 Have a look at verse 14.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:42 Because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:50 It's true, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:54 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I'm put here for the defense of the gospel.
00:09:55 --> 00:09:58 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely,
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I'm in change.
00:10:02 --> 00:10:08 He's excited because while his ministry is limited, he's only got one person at a time that he can talk to.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 And even them he's been talking to about Jesus.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 He's excited that while he can't be out on the street corners preaching,
00:10:14 --> 00:10:18 while he can't be in the synagogue talking to people about how amazing Jesus is,
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 other people are doing it.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:21 Other people are taking on the job.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:29 His reputation as the gun speaker, as the amazing evangelist, as the celebrity pastor,
00:10:29 --> 00:10:35 is probably shrinking because these new people are stepping up and taking on all the roles that he used to have.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 And what's his response?
00:10:37 --> 00:10:37 Great.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:40 It's not about me.
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 Even when people are preaching with mixed motives.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:45 Did you catch that?
00:10:45 --> 00:10:50 Some people are preaching Jesus, hoping that somehow it's going to cause trouble for Paul.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 And how does he respond?
00:10:54 --> 00:10:54 Verse 18.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 But what does it matter?
00:10:58 --> 00:11:02 The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true,
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 Christ is preached.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:07 And because of this, I rejoice.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 What does it matter?
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 He's in prison.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:16 These guys are preaching Jesus with some weird mixed motive,
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 hoping it's going to make his life more difficult.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 And he's like, this is amazing.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 Because people are hearing about Jesus.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:32 His life is so consumed with a desire to see the gospel go forward that he just wants people to meet Jesus.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 He doesn't care if he's the one who gets to tell them.
00:11:35 --> 00:11:40 He doesn't care if him being in prison is the means by which that happens.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:46 Because the deepest desire of his heart, the thing that matters most to him,
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 is that Jesus is preached.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:57 And because that is happening, even in shackles, he rejoices.
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 He's still joyful even as he suffers.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 And he goes on, verse 18, second half.
00:12:04 --> 00:12:04 It says,
00:12:04 --> 00:12:34
00:12:34 --> 00:12:45 He wants more than anything else for his life to adequately point to Jesus as his saviour,
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 as his treasure, as his joy.
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 And his only fear is that he would fail at that.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 He's not scared of prison.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:59 He's not scared of physical pain, of emotional pain, of struggle in life.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:04 His fear is that he would fail to adequately point to the one that is his source of joy.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 Jesus.
00:13:08 --> 00:13:13 And yet even in that fear, he eagerly expects and hopes that he'll be strengthened by the Spirit,
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 that he'll be able to stand firm.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:20 Whether that's in his death or in his release and further ministry.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:30 He's confident God will sustain him and satisfy him, regardless of his situation.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 So that Jesus is exalted.
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 And so he keeps rejoicing.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:43 In his arrest, in his struggle, in his limitation.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:47 I mean, his life is so full of joy, it seems illogical.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 I mean, he's the quintessential, annoying, joyful person.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:58 In your moment of deepest anguish, he would be smiling, ready for a hug or a high five.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:05 I sometimes wonder if the Philippians who knew him well would have received this letter,
00:14:05 --> 00:14:12 opened it up and been reading it and started to ask the question whether or not Paul had lost his grip on reality.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:19 Or whether they were wondering if, you know, maybe he's lost a few marbles and, you know, he doesn't know what's going on.
00:14:19 --> 00:14:22 And so he's sitting in prison singing out of blissful ignorance.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 He doesn't actually understand the intensity of what's going on.
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 He doesn't understand that he's potentially about to die.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 He doesn't understand how serious this is.
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 But that's not his issue.
00:14:34 --> 00:14:39 Because there's plenty of places in the New Testament where we get a glimpse into the suffering that Paul experienced
00:14:39 --> 00:14:42 and the personal anguish that he went through.
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 He knows what's going on.
00:14:45 --> 00:14:51 Even here in verse 20, he knows that he requires a degree of courage if he's going to stand firm.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:57 He asks the Philippians to pray for him so that he can remain joyful in Jesus,
00:14:57 --> 00:15:02 so that he can continue to point to Jesus and celebrate the gospel being proclaimed,
00:15:02 --> 00:15:06 even when he doesn't get to be a part of it, even when he's stuck in chains himself.
00:15:06 --> 00:15:11 See, his joy in this passage is not a denial of his situation.
00:15:14 --> 00:15:18 It's a perspective that's so transformed by the gospel
00:15:18 --> 00:15:24 that his circumstances are no longer the main thing.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:32 They're no longer the starting point for him when he measures whether or not his life is satisfying or fulfilling
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 or what he hoped it would be.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:37 Having met Jesus in the gospel,
00:15:39 --> 00:15:42 having discovered a God who loves him unconditionally,
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 a God who guarantees his eternal future,
00:15:45 --> 00:15:49 that is now all that matters.
00:15:58 --> 00:16:01 Gospel joy is not a denial of the challenges that you face in your life.
00:16:03 --> 00:16:07 Gospel joy is not about pretending that things don't hurt when they do.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:14 We don't get the kind of joy that Paul has here by pretending that our relationships aren't broken,
00:16:14 --> 00:16:18 by ignoring the fact that we don't have the money we need to pay the bills,
00:16:18 --> 00:16:23 or just being blissfully ignorant about whatever struggles are in your life.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:29 Gospel joy is found in having our priorities so transformed
00:16:29 --> 00:16:33 that our joy is no longer tied to our circumstances,
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 it's tied to Jesus.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:40 In our pain,
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 in our sadness,
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 in our struggle in day-to-day life,
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 we can have something more important.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 The one who died for us and rose again.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:56 The unconditional love of a heavenly father.
00:16:58 --> 00:17:03 Paul summarises what it looks like to have your perspective shaped in verse 21.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 This is his life credo.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 He says,
00:17:07 --> 00:17:09 For to me,
00:17:09 --> 00:17:11 to live is Christ,
00:17:11 --> 00:17:13 and to die is gain.
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 It's a great memory verse.
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 I'm sure you've heard it before.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 We love it.
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 Amen, we think.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 For me,
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 to live is Christ.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 No, it's not.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 It's just not.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:34 I wish it was.
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 But we're just not even close.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 Even just as a hypothetical,
00:17:43 --> 00:17:47 I know that this would not be my response if I was in Paul's situation.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:50 I would be whinging,
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 complaining,
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 yelling at God.
00:17:55 --> 00:17:58 I know in my life now how controlled I am
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 by my day-to-day circumstances.
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 I know that my joy levels fluctuate based on
00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 what kind of food I got to eat today,
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 how bad the traffic was on the way to work,
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 how stressful things are,
00:18:09 --> 00:18:11 how many things I have going on.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:15 But not for Paul.
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 For him,
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 to live is Christ.
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 It's all about Jesus.
00:18:25 --> 00:18:25 Everything,
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 to die even,
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 is a gain because he would get Jesus.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 His whole life
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 is consumed
00:18:33 --> 00:18:36 with a heart's desire to see Jesus exalted.
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 And so joy and satisfaction
00:18:40 --> 00:18:42 and the measure of fulfilment in his life
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 are no longer connected to
00:18:43 --> 00:18:45 transient comfort or control
00:18:45 --> 00:18:47 or situation or circumstance.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 Now it's just about Jesus.
00:18:55 --> 00:18:57 Now his joy is attached
00:18:57 --> 00:19:00 to a desire that is guaranteed.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:04 His deepest desire
00:19:04 --> 00:19:06 is that Christ would be exalted.
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 And God's will
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 in his creation
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 is that Christ would be exalted.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 What God is doing
00:19:16 --> 00:19:19 is revealing Jesus
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 so that one day
00:19:19 --> 00:19:21 every knee will bow
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 and every tongue confess
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 that he is Lord
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 and Paul's joy
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 is now wrapped up
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 in that unstoppable direction.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 His joy is now inevitable.
00:19:30 --> 00:19:34 Because God himself
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 has guaranteed to do
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 what Paul desires most.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 I mean,
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 how do you even stop joy
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 for someone like this?
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 How do you make him,
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 you know,
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 less annoyingly joyful?
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 You can imprison them,
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 beat them,
00:19:53 --> 00:19:57 they'll just rejoice
00:19:57 --> 00:20:00 because nothing's changed.
00:20:01 --> 00:20:03 They're still loved by God.
00:20:03 --> 00:20:05 They still have Jesus with them
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 in their circumstance.
00:20:07 --> 00:20:07 They still know
00:20:07 --> 00:20:09 that he's being proclaimed
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 even if they're not the ones
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 who get to do it
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 because God's going to make it happen.
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 You can kill them
00:20:14 --> 00:20:17 but then they see that as a win
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 because then they get to go to heaven
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 and they get Jesus
00:20:19 --> 00:20:22 without any distractions,
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24 without any of the bad circumstances.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 They get all the good stuff
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 and nothing bad
00:20:25 --> 00:20:27 so they rejoice even more.
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 His source of joy
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 is immovable.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 It can't be taken away from him.
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 The killer of joy
00:20:39 --> 00:20:41 is disappointment.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:44 It's when what you desire most
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 doesn't happen.
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 You don't get the thing
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 that you care about.
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 And so for the Christian,
00:20:51 --> 00:20:53 the only possible joy killer
00:20:53 --> 00:20:56 would be if there was some enemy
00:20:56 --> 00:20:58 that was powerful enough
00:20:58 --> 00:21:01 to stop Jesus being exalted.
00:21:02 --> 00:21:04 Some enemy that was powerful enough
00:21:04 --> 00:21:07 to stop people from proclaiming Jesus,
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 stop people from knowing
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 and treasuring him.
00:21:11 --> 00:21:15 And suffering can't do it.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:19 Hardship can't do it.
00:21:20 --> 00:21:23 In fact, the church often grows quickest
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 and most dramatically
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26 when the church suffers.
00:21:27 --> 00:21:29 The ancient historian Tertullian wrote
00:21:29 --> 00:21:31 that the blood of the martyrs
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 is the seed of the church.
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 What he was referring to
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 was that basically
00:21:36 --> 00:21:39 all of the key extreme growth movements
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 in Christian history
00:21:40 --> 00:21:43 were preceded by extreme persecution,
00:21:44 --> 00:21:46 by the murdering of Christians,
00:21:46 --> 00:21:48 the imprisoning of Christians.
00:21:48 --> 00:21:50 Because what happens then
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 is these annoyingly joyful people
00:21:52 --> 00:21:54 continue to be annoyingly joyful,
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56 even though everything about their lives
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 says they shouldn't be.
00:21:57 --> 00:21:59 And everybody else looks at that
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 and says there's something there.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:03 And that something is Jesus.
00:22:03 --> 00:22:07 When we suffer,
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 but continue to rejoice
00:22:09 --> 00:22:12 because Jesus is all satisfying,
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 Jesus is exalted
00:22:15 --> 00:22:18 and others come in to know
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 and taste and experience
00:22:19 --> 00:22:21 the same joy that we have as Christians.
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 Suffering
00:22:24 --> 00:22:26 is not the enemy.
00:22:26 --> 00:22:30 In fact,
00:22:30 --> 00:22:32 the greatest enemy
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 to your joy as a Christian
00:22:33 --> 00:22:35 is comfort.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:41 The thing that's most likely
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 to distract you
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 from an all-consuming
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 gospel passion
00:22:44 --> 00:22:49 is comfort.
00:22:51 --> 00:22:53 Self-sufficiency,
00:22:53 --> 00:22:55 selfish ambition.
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 The greatest enemy
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 of your joy
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 is not your circumstance
00:23:00 --> 00:23:00 right now,
00:23:01 --> 00:23:03 but it's a diluted
00:23:03 --> 00:23:05 or a lukewarm affection
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 for Jesus.
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 It's the heart that says,
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 yeah,
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 I love Jesus with everything,
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 but it's also really important
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 to me in my life
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 to look after
00:23:14 --> 00:23:16 my kids' future.
00:23:17 --> 00:23:19 It's the heart that says,
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 Jesus is number one
00:23:20 --> 00:23:20 and my life
00:23:20 --> 00:23:22 is all about him,
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 but I've just got to get
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 through these exams first.
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 It's the heart that says,
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 God,
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 I want to be poured out
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 for your service
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 so long as it's not
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 too painful.
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 When our hearts
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 wander away
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 from loving Jesus
00:23:41 --> 00:23:43 as the centerpiece
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 of all that we are,
00:23:45 --> 00:23:47 then all that's left for us
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 for meaning,
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 for purpose,
00:23:49 --> 00:23:49 for joy,
00:23:50 --> 00:23:53 is the flippant
00:23:53 --> 00:23:55 and temporary circumstances
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 that we have to face
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 day to day.
00:23:59 --> 00:24:01 Paul doesn't write this lightly.
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 He's not some guy
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 who had a sheltered life
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 in a simple world.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 He knows what suffering is.
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 He knows what it is
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 to experience anguish
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 and anxiety,
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 grief,
00:24:14 --> 00:24:16 but still,
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 he is annoyingly joyful.
00:24:20 --> 00:24:22 in all of his circumstances,
00:24:22 --> 00:24:24 his heart remains consumed
00:24:24 --> 00:24:26 with a love for Jesus,
00:24:27 --> 00:24:29 with a satisfaction in Jesus.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:31 His life stays consumed
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 by a gospel ambition,
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 a desire for Jesus
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 to be the main thing.
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 And the result of that
00:24:38 --> 00:24:40 is joy.
00:24:40 --> 00:24:40 joy.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44 That's how he sits in prison
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 and sings.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:48 That's how he faces death
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 and he says,
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 it's a tough choice for me
00:24:49 --> 00:24:51 because death is a big win.
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 But you know what?
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 I'm going to put up
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 with this suffering
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 so that you get more joy,
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 so that you learn more
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 of what it is
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 to love and treasure Jesus.
00:24:58 --> 00:25:03 Jesus is enough
00:25:03 --> 00:25:06 for us to rejoice
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 even as we weep,
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 even as we suffer.
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 The issue for us
00:25:14 --> 00:25:16 isn't that we've tried Jesus
00:25:16 --> 00:25:18 and there's just other things
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 that are more appealing.
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 The issue isn't that
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 we've tried Jesus
00:25:22 --> 00:25:24 and he's just not as satisfying
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 as we expected.
00:25:25 --> 00:25:29 The issue is that
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 most of us have never
00:25:30 --> 00:25:33 really given Jesus everything.
00:25:35 --> 00:25:37 The idea of it sounds great,
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 to live as Christ.
00:25:39 --> 00:25:41 But most of us
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 have never really
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 handed over ambition,
00:25:45 --> 00:25:47 handed over our very selves
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 and said,
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 God, do what you want.
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 Stick me in prison,
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 I'll sing.
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 If you afflict me
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 with physical illness,
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 I'll rejoice.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 When I was younger,
00:26:03 --> 00:26:05 I remember learning to skate.
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 I've told you before,
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 I'm one of three brothers,
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 I've got sisters as well,
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 but three brothers
00:26:10 --> 00:26:12 and I was the least coordinated
00:26:12 --> 00:26:12 by a country mile.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 I had a little brother
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 who was five years younger than me
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 and so it shouldn't have been
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 a competition,
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 but five minutes after
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 we tried anything,
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 he was better at it than I was.
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 And one of the things
00:26:21 --> 00:26:23 I learned as a young person
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 was skating.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 And it resulted
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 in a whole bunch of injuries
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 that I'm still paying for now.
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 But one of the things
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 that you have to learn
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 when you're learning to skate
00:26:31 --> 00:26:33 is what it is to drop in
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 on a ramp.
00:26:34 --> 00:26:36 What that means is
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 you stand on the top of a ramp,
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 you put your skateboard
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 on the edge of it,
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 kind of dangling off the side,
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 you put your back foot on
00:26:41 --> 00:26:43 and you put your front foot on
00:26:43 --> 00:26:45 and at this point
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 there are two options.
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 Go all in
00:26:48 --> 00:26:50 or hesitate
00:26:50 --> 00:26:52 and train wreck.
00:26:52 --> 00:26:54 If you hesitate
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 even a little bit,
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 I can guarantee
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 all you'll get
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 is bruises and bumps,
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 grazes,
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 headaches,
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 stitches.
00:27:05 --> 00:27:07 But if you go all in
00:27:07 --> 00:27:09 and only when you go all in
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 will you experience
00:27:10 --> 00:27:12 the crazy adrenaline
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 and exhilaration
00:27:12 --> 00:27:15 of kind of free-falling
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 but on purpose
00:27:15 --> 00:27:18 and rolling away,
00:27:19 --> 00:27:22 you'll probably still go home
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 at the end of the day
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 with bumps
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 and bruises
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 and grazes,
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 maybe even stitches,
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 but you'll be smiling
00:27:27 --> 00:27:33 because it's an amazing feeling.
00:27:37 --> 00:27:39 If you follow Jesus
00:27:39 --> 00:27:42 but not with everything,
00:27:42 --> 00:27:44 if you make him
00:27:44 --> 00:27:46 your almost treasure
00:27:46 --> 00:27:49 as long as you can keep
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 a couple of other things
00:27:50 --> 00:27:50 in your life,
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 if you make him
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 your life's ambition
00:27:53 --> 00:27:55 as long as it doesn't push out
00:27:55 --> 00:27:55 this other thing
00:27:55 --> 00:27:57 that you really care about,
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 your experience
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 of being a Christian
00:28:00 --> 00:28:02 will be just
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 the bumps
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 and bruises
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 and grazes
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 and stitches
00:28:06 --> 00:28:09 because following Jesus
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 is hard
00:28:09 --> 00:28:11 and that's part of the deal.
00:28:12 --> 00:28:15 but only
00:28:15 --> 00:28:17 if you hand your life
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 over completely,
00:28:19 --> 00:28:21 if you surrender
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 everything
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 that you are
00:28:22 --> 00:28:25 and say it's yours,
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 use it as you wish,
00:28:28 --> 00:28:30 will you be able
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 to get those bumps
00:28:31 --> 00:28:31 and bruises
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 and grazes
00:28:32 --> 00:28:34 and sicknesses
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 and broken relationships
00:28:35 --> 00:28:37 and financial stresses
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 and whatever else
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 you face in life
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 and do it
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 with joy
00:28:40 --> 00:28:42 because even
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 in all of that
00:28:43 --> 00:28:48 you will have Jesus.
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 You will be loved.
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 You will be seeing
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 that which
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 satisfies you
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 more than anything else
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 exalted
00:28:56 --> 00:28:58 in your suffering,
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 in your struggle.
00:28:59 --> 00:29:02 now I'm not giving you
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 specifics about
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 what this might look like
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 for you
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 because we'll probably
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 all have different things
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 that we're trying
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 to hold on to
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 alongside Jesus.
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 We'll all be using
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 different things
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 to dilute him
00:29:12 --> 00:29:14 and ultimately
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 the answer for all of us
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 is to come back
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 to the gospel,
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 to look to the one
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 who died for us
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 while we were still
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 his enemies,
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 look to the one
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 who rose again
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 and sits on the throne
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 over all creation
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 and find that he's worthy
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 of everything
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 or nothing.
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 Find that he's sufficient
00:29:30 --> 00:29:32 in all circumstances
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 or none.
00:29:33 --> 00:29:35 Find that he's satisfying
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 above anything else.
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 The issue is not
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 that we have tried him
00:29:39 --> 00:29:41 and found him unsatisfying,
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 the issue is that
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 we haven't gone all in.
00:29:45 --> 00:29:47 Psalm 34 verse 7
00:29:47 --> 00:29:47 says,
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 Taste and see
00:29:48 --> 00:29:50 that the Lord is good.
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 What are you holding on to
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 in your life
00:29:57 --> 00:29:59 that's now a barrier
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 to your joy?
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 What are you diluting
00:30:02 --> 00:30:04 your own satisfaction with?
00:30:08 --> 00:30:10 Because Jesus offers
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 immovable joy.
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 Incomparable joy.
00:30:16 --> 00:30:18 Inevitable joy.
00:30:21 --> 00:30:23 Imagine if just a few of us
00:30:23 --> 00:30:25 were consumed
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 with the gospel
00:30:26 --> 00:30:26 like this.
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 Imagine the difference
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 that we would make
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 in this community.
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 But also,
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 imagine
00:30:40 --> 00:30:42 just how satisfying
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 it would be.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:46 Imagine the joy
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 that God would have
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 for us
00:30:47 --> 00:30:49 in our day-to-day life,
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 in the good,
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 in the bad,
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 in the struggle.
00:30:51 --> 00:30:55 if we were consumed
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 with the desire
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 that Jesus,
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 our treasure,
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 our saviour,
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 be exalted
00:31:02 --> 00:31:06 as the all-satisfying one,
00:31:06 --> 00:31:08 the only satisfying one.
00:31:10 --> 00:31:12 That's the joy
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 that God desires for you.
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 That's the joy
00:31:15 --> 00:31:17 that God offers
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 to you.
00:31:17 --> 00:31:21 So what do you need
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 to let go of
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 so you can grab
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 hold of Him?
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 Let's pray.
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 Father God,
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 we want to
00:31:36 --> 00:31:38 admit that
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 even though
00:31:38 --> 00:31:40 it seems so obvious,
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 even though
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 there's a part of us
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 that really does
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 want to say
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 with conviction
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 to live as Christ,
00:31:47 --> 00:31:47 that there are so many
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 things in our lives
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 that we hold on to.
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 There are ambitions
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 that we place
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 before you.
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 We treasure
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 our own comfort.
00:32:00 --> 00:32:00 We treasure
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 achievement.
00:32:05 --> 00:32:05 God,
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 there are innumerable
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 things that we
00:32:07 --> 00:32:07 treasure.
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 Give us eyes
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 to see that
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 Jesus is better.
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 Give us eyes
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 to see that
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 we sabotage
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 our own joy
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 by doing it.
00:32:16 --> 00:32:19 help us
00:32:19 --> 00:32:19 to grasp
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 what it is
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 that you love
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 people like us
00:32:22 --> 00:32:25 and enable us
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 to come to you
00:32:26 --> 00:32:26 confident
00:32:26 --> 00:32:29 that we will
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 not be disappointed,
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 that in you
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 our deepest
00:32:33 --> 00:32:33 hearts'
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 desires are met
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 and surpassed.
00:32:36 --> 00:32:36 In you
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 there is joy
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 unmatched.
00:32:39 --> 00:32:39 Father,
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 fill us
00:32:40 --> 00:32:40 with that
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 annoying joy
00:32:41 --> 00:32:43 so that the
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 world around us
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 might know
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 that there is
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 none like you.
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 Thank you for
00:32:50 --> 00:32:50 Jesus.
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 Amen.