← ArchiveSunday, February 22, 2015DateFebruary 22, 2015Speaker—TextJohn 15Passages in this sermonPhilippians 40:23John 1526:42Matthew 1930:24TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00Amen. Thank you. Thank you, choir. Thank you, Miss Kim. Thank you. If you brought your Bible, turn with me to Philippians chapter 4, or if you got your iPad, just power that thing right on up. Philippians chapter 4. We're going to be finishing our series of Call the Joyful Heart0:29today. Philippians chapter 4, it's been a kind of a task for me to pick and choose which of these these texts that we handle through this Philippians series, because I tell you, there's just so much in the book of Philippians. You could just go verse by verse by verse, and really probably never be able to cover it all, because it's just so thick. Paul writing to the church at Philippi in0:59chapter 4, verse 10, though. But I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. Verse 12. I know how to get along humble means and how to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstances I've learned the secret of being1:29filled and going hungry, and both of having abundance and suffering need. Verse 13 is one that we know a lot to those of us that have been around church at any length of time. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me and my affliction. Verse 15. And if you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel after I2:00departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone. For even in Thessalonica, you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full and2:27have abundance, have an abundance. I am amply supplied, having received from Ephroditus what you have sent and a fragrant aroma and acceptable sacrifice well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to God, to our God and Father be the be the glory2:52forever and ever. Amen. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you. Especially those of Caesar's household. Grace, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Let's pray. Father, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in3:22your sight. Lord, we love you. We praise you. We thank you for what you're about to do in our midst today. God, I pray that as we unpack your word, you receive all the praise, all the glory, all the honor. Father, I pray that you will take us from this place entirely motivated, more committed than ever before. Lord, walk us away from this place today, Lord, with a sense of urgency, a sense of expectancy.3:48Father, I pray that we walk away from here more energized for kingdom work than ever before. God, I pray that we walk away from here, maybe some in this room, with a salvation experience for the first time, maybe. Maybe some in this room needs a time of recommitment of their life to you. And God, I pray that you change their course today. Father, I pray that you change all of our courses4:16today. I pray, Father, we'll be more committed so that we can find true contentment. We love you. We praise you. We praise you. We thank you for what you've already done in our midst today. God, do your work in this place. In Jesus' name we pray. And the church said, amen. Commitment comes from true4:38contentment. When we find our contentment in Christ, we will find that necessary thing that makes us more committed to the cause of Christ that will therefore lead us into finishing the race strong. Now, let me say that once again. We've got to first find that contentment in him. Christ in you, the hope of5:05glory is what he writes to the church at Colossae. He says, Christ in you is the hope of glory. So when we find that contentment in Christ Jesus, we will find the necessary things that take for us to be committed to the cause of Christ. I was on a conference call this week with a, it was kind of one of those, uh, uh, uh, several church, uh, pastors and I were in a, uh, a meeting, a go-to meeting conference call5:30this week for the specific reason for us to bounce ideas off on how we can encourage the New Testament church in North America. We are finding that there on any given week, no matter what the normal size or average attendance in a local church, like one pastor said, we average about 2,200 people on any given5:52Sunday in our worship gathering, about 2,200 people in this particular church on any given, he said, but it's not the same 2,200 every week. He said this week, it might be this group of 2,200. Next week, it might be this group. He said, we've come to this understanding that church ministry, us being involved in the local church has become just another place setting on our calendar. It's another thing that we do. It's not6:21the expectancy. Now, I'm not saying that to all of y'all because many of y'all are here week in, week out. You're committed to it week in, week out. You are committed to coming to a worship gathering for that encouragement, that, that thing. Church is part of your DNA. Doing church together is part of your DNA. But we find so many people that are not contented. They're not content in life. And the reason6:45that they're not content in life is because they've not found that connecting point to be committed to. For some reason, along the way, we've missed the mark, leading us to not be able to finish the race strong. Contentment is a highly prized, highly prized, but very elusive virtue. Though it comes only to being rightly related to God, trusting in his sovereign, loving, purposeful, providence,7:12people, nevertheless, we find ourselves seeking where it cannot be found. We are looking in money. We're looking at possessions, power, prestige, relationships, jobs, freedom from difficulties. By the way, there will never be freedom from difficulties. We will always have difficulties. That will always happen. Kids will have snotty noses. Excuse me for using the word snotty noses. We could have said runny noses, but that doesn't seem right because they're not leaving their face7:41and running off. It's just this coming down this way, right? We kids are going to get sick. We're going to have people that get, have car accidents. We're going to have all kinds of situations. We can never be free of difficulties. They're going to happen. That's part of life. Commitment is not made because we don't understand what it is to be truly committed. We don't understand where the power of the completion comes from. Sometimes we talk about it. We believe that we8:10think we know about it, but we really don't surrender to it. So therefore, we are not as content in our own skin. Not content. The power of completion comes from being safe and content in Christ. Again, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Say that with me. Christ in you, the hope of glory. When we unpack this8:32particular text today, it deals with our being content in Christ. And when we fully grab our relationship with him, the deep contentment comes from the deeply committed heart. When we are totally surrendered to his Lordship. And some people say, committed to what? Committed to church attendance? Committed to Sunday school? Yes. Committed to ministry? Yes. Committed to sharing our faith?9:01Non-negotiable, by the way. You're a Christ follower? Believe in Jesus Christ, saved by his grace? It is a non-negotiable for you not to share your faith. It doesn't say only those who are seminary trained, only those who have college degrees, only those who teach Sunday school, only the deacons get to share that. No. Let me tell you something, folks. If you're saved by his9:27grace, it's a non-negotiable. It's just like a non-negotiable to worship him in spirit and in truth. Right? It is a call and a command to every believer that we should share our faith. So what are we committed to? We're committed to the full counsel of God. We're committed to the full working of the Holy Spirit in our life. Commitment comes with the full work of Christ. Committed to be a fully devoted disciple maker of all the nations. Committed to the following the true spiritual leadership9:55of the church. A vision that God has given that true spiritual leadership of the church. We're committed to that process. You say, what does this text have to do with that? And here's the message truth. True contentment comes, true contentment comes from three resources. The providence of God, the power of God, and the promise of God, and are all adequately sufficient for the everyday demand of life. Let me10:23give you a couple of thoughts that God put into my heart this week. Because we've gone through some, we call temperature changes, have we not? We've gone through some temperature changes. It's a little bit warmer today. It was a little bit warmer yesterday than it was Friday, I would say. Would you not? There's a difference, vast difference actually, in thermostats and thermometers. Now, here we are sitting in a building that the heat's not working, and we're wondering why the thermostat needs to be10:53bumped up. Where's Bill? Get Bill, go pump up the thermostat. Well, he would, then the gas would start coming in here, and we'd all be just dead right here, right? We can't because the gas is off right now because we've got a leak, and they're going to repair the leak. It's all going to be fine. Everybody's going to be a-okay. But there is a vast difference between thermostats and thermometers. Thermometer registers the temperature around us. Thermostats regulate the surroundings, and it can be changed,11:20it can change the surroundings when we need them changed. We can make it hotter, we can make it colder. The thermostat tells us that. Paul was a thermostat. He was never, he never, never, up and down in his spiritual walk. He was not the victim of circumstance, but the victor over circumstances. Now, remember when we started this series four weeks ago,11:49we started talking about the Apostle Paul, where he was when he wrote this letter. Remember, he was chained to the famous, quote-unquote, Philippian jailer. Not just one, but four of them daily for 24 hours, six hours a day. He was chained to these guys, chained to them, actually attached to those guys. He was incarcerated writing to the church at Philippi, the church that was kind12:15of going through some difficulty that was brought on by what? Two women in the church got crossed up and caused some difficulties. Now, it could have been two men, but it just happened to be two women, so we like to pick on them. Amen? So, these two women called this difficulty, so there was a situation going on, but the Apostle Paul never once let the circumstances that he was in cause him any pain.12:38He wrote this joyous letter to the church at Philippi. If you look at chapter 4, verse 11, he says, I accept all things. Not that I speak from want, I have learned to be content with whatever circumstances I am. So, Paul is saying, I can accept all things. Chapter 4, verse 13, very familiar13:02passage. Most of us have memorized this verse. Paul says, I can do all things. We teach this to athletes all the time. I mean, I ever heard Fellowship of Christian Athletes event I've ever been to, this verse always comes back up. Why? Because it's a great verse for athletes. I can do all things through Christ who strengthened me. So, he says, I can accept all things. I can do all things. And then13:31he says, I can have all things. We have not because we, what? Ask not. Church, let me tell you something. That's not naming and claiming theology. That's gospel. We will receive all God wants us to have. He will make sure he meets our needs. Look at verse 18. But I have received everything in full, he says, and have abundance. I ample supplied, having received from Ephroditus, what you have sent,14:00a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. So, Paul is saying, I accept all things. I accept where I am. Now, church, I want you to gather in here real close. There is a phenomenon that happens14:26in church work when you lose one senior pastor and you're in transition between that senior pastor and the next senior pastor. The phenomenon is in Baptist work, we don't have a board, we don't have a bishop, we don't have a hierarchy that's going to send the next guy without you knowing. We don't have that. So, we're autonomous body believers. You know this. But I want to give you a quick history lesson.14:53We as Southern Baptists, especially, we're autonomous believers, right? This church is standalone. There's no group that tells us what to do. Why? We govern ourselves. We love on each other. We fight amongst our other. We gripe amongst each other. We gripe about each other. Amen? Don't we? Let's get real, right? So, we love our pastor or we don't love our pastor. And we lose our senior pastor or our15:19staff. What do we do? We get together and we pray, do the right thing. And then we gather a team together and we get a search committee because that's what our blessed bylaws tell us we've got to do. Exactly. It's all great. All this is great. And so, we get that bylaw. We get that team and they start their process and they get trained and they go through the process and it takes time and time and time. And here's what happens. We get frustrated. You know why? Because they're not moving fast15:48enough. Now, y'all may be the exception to the rule. Y'all may not get it. Y'all may not be frustrated. Y'all may be the exceptional church. And I pray you are. But this is my eighth intentional interim. And I doubt very seriously you're going to be much different because here's what's going to happen. There's going to be a couple of us knuckleheads. And I say us because I don't want you to feel like I'm pointing at you. But a couple of us knuckleheads in the room, we're going to get16:18so frustrated because they're not finding us a preacher. Now, let me ask you the question. Do you want us to hire a preacher or do you want them to find us a pastor so we can call a pastor? I think we want to call a pastor because we can hire a preacher tomorrow. There's a bunch of them out there. But he may not be God's man. Amen, Brother James? And so what we're going to do is that we're going to get all frustrated about that. We got to accept this is the situation of where God has us16:48as a church. Nothing gets by God. He's not sitting in heaven going, oh my goodness, Sharon. I'm so, what did I do? I let this happen. Chris left the church. He's gone to work for this company called SCORE. He's doing another ministry and loving life, living the dream. But oh my goodness,17:12I cannot believe I let Chris do that. Do you think God that got past God? No. He orchestrated everything. Why? Because he owns it all. This is his circumstance. This is the place where he has us. Aren't you excited? I guarantee I am because I got a place to preach. I got a place to serve. I got a place to love on folks and lead and operate in my gifts. I accept,17:41Paul said, right where I am, chained to this jailer. I accept it. Hallelujah. He is content because he's committed. Second thing, I can do all things. I thought that was kind of strange. Here's the apostle Paul, chained to this jailer, Brad. And he says, I can do all things through Christ who18:07strengthens me. Really, Paul? You are chained to this guy. And then when this guy shifts up, the next guy's going to come. And you're chained to the next guy. And then the next guy. And Paul says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Why? Because he leads the Philippian jailer to what? Faith in Christ. Because not only is he accepts the circumstances.18:37Woo, I'm having fun. Accepts the circumstances. But he says, I am committed because I have the opportunity to share Jesus Christ with this guy. Right here in the midst of it. I am content. I accept all things. I can do all things. And then finally he says, I can have all things.19:01And I find that interesting. Here he is incarcerated. How can you have all things? You have no internet connection? Are you kidding me, Paul? You don't even have an iPad. Neither do I. I got an iPhone, but I don't have an iPad. My wife's got more technology than I've got. Why? Because she gets19:27everything. If I want her to say I said that, I'll tell her myself, please. He says, I can have all things because he is being supplied all things. Why? Because he's being supplied all things because God said, you are content. I can give you all things. And my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Church, let me tell you something. Nobody has19:55come up to me and said, you need to preach on this today, Dan. This is where God has walked me through to get us to this point. Not one person's come up to me. Not one pastor search committee member has come up to me and said, boy, they're hounding us because we can't find a preacher. Not one of them. They're so busy trying to go through the mountain of paperwork they're going through right now. They don't have time to listen to your whining. If you want to whine, call Brad. He will listen all day long.20:22That's his job. He's the pastor of whining over here. He loves that stuff. Sharon is his partner. They love that stuff. Let me tell you something, church. I want you to gather in here close and you know, we're laughing about this, but let me just, this has nothing to do with the outline. This is just on my heart and I want you to hear my heart. I've been here six months, so I think I've got a little bit right to say this. It's time for us to connect together like we've never connected before. It's20:49time for us to bathe that pastor search committee team in prayer. Say, I, I, you're going to find him. We commissioned you. We prayed for you. We voted for you. Whatever we got you to do, we gave you money to do it. Whatever we got you committed to do, we're going to bathe you in prayer and we're going to stay committed to that process because we know you're going to do your job in that process. And Paul said,21:16he says to the church at Philippi, I am committed because I accept all things. I can do all things and I have all things. And my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now here's the message. Three things. That's just kind of the opening comments.21:46The message. Number one, three spiritual resources for joy and contentment that will lead us to joyful commitment. Number one, the undeniable providence of God gives each of us to fulfill his great commandment. Back up to verse 10. But I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have received,22:12you have revived your concern for me. Means you have gotten your heart back in tune and you understand that some of the needs that I have. Indeed, you were concerned before, but here's the key, you lacked opportunity. We have many opportunities as a faith family. But here's the problem. We have the opportunities,22:34but we have a lack of commitment. Wow, I thought I'd gotten at least a grunt out of that. We have a lot of opportunities. Right here. Look at all these opportunities. But let me ask you the question. Don't raise your hand because I don't want to put you on the spot.23:03How many of you have moved into the area of commitment? For those names right there. It's one thing to say, I've been praying for them. That's well and good. We need to continue to do that, right? But what we got to actually do is we got to go tell the truth. We got to go tell the story. Why? Because that is the plan he left for us. Non-negotiable. That is the only plan. That is the only way. Doubt very seriously any other way it's going to happen.23:31No, why? Because that's exactly what he told us to do. Go tell the story, church. So the providence of God. The word providence is the Latin word, the first part, verse three letters. Pro is meaning before. Video is where we get the V-I-D-E. Video means to see. So it's before to see. Life is not an accident. It is an appointment.23:56God has an appointment for every one of us. Folks, let me time out here just for a second because I don't want to beat you up. I'm not beating you up. I'm just telling you straight forward. We don't need to do church any better. We just need to do church life. Amen? We have, I apologize. Let me apologize for all the ministers. We have beat you up doing church.24:27Haven't we? Got to do this. Got to do that. Got to do this. No, what we got to do is come worship in spirit and truth. Get some equipping of the Bible study and get some nuggets from church and doing life together. And then going out there and sharing the story together. So the providence of God gives each of us to fulfill his great commandments. Secondly, the unfailing power of God confronts, comforts us of each, each of us during the demands of daily life.24:52This is another resource. Look what it says in verse 11. Not that I speak from want. I have learned to be content from in whatever circumstance I am. I know how to get along with humble means. How to live in prosperity. And any and every circumstance, I've learned the secret of being filled and going hungry.25:19Both of having abundance and suffering. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Church, listen to me. The power of God is what comforts us. It's the power of God that gives us the contentment. Most of us have learned how to be humble because difficult times come and we immediately run to the Lord. When we go through some situations, oh, let's call upon the name of the Lord.25:47But we have a harder time understanding how to live with plenty. Prosperity has done more to damage believers than any adversity has ever done. Because we've got so much, we can do so much, we can go so many places and do so many things. Amen? We've got more people in debt than ever before. Why?26:17Why? They're in debt to buy things they can't afford, to impress people they don't even like. Right? Prosperity. We've got opportunities to do that. I love what J.B. Phillips, his translation of verse 13, he says it this way. I am ready for anything through the strength of the one who lives within me. Next week we begin a brand new series out of John 15. We're going to unpack 17 verses. We're not going to leave that text.26:47John 15, I think, is some of the greatest writing. John 15 verse 5, I think, is the launch verse of the entire text. And it says, I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. A few months ago, I was invited to speak midweek at a missions conference. And I went to this church to speak at their missions conference.27:15And it was a celebration. And I was one of their speakers. And they had some speakers, some missionaries in that were from Africa, the nation of Africa. They were there in the continent of Africa. And one was talking about being connected. He preached out of John 15 verse 5. You would think, oh, this missionary is going to come and talk about going and telling. But what he was telling this congregation is, what you need to do is not only go and tell, but what you actually need to do is be connected.27:44When you're totally connected to the vine, you will bear fruit. God will give you that spot to go. And you need to be connected. And he started talking about, he said, all my African brothers, we know when they are disconnected from the Father. And I was sitting there thinking, how does he know that? He said, because every African in this particular nation, they say they have a place that they leave their little hut or their little village, and they will beat a path down through the grass.28:11And they will walk to this particular place to have their time alone with God every day. And they beat the path down, walking back and forth. And we know that they're not connected. Watch this. They're not connected to God because the path starts growing back up. And he asked this question throughout his entire message. Is your path growing back up? Or is your path beaten down? Let me tell you something. When Jesus was standing in the valley of Kidron by the Mount of Olives,28:40when he had just finished the upper room scenario, and he breaks off that branch, and he says, I am the vine. You are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. Folks, let me tell you something. I'm going to give you a heads up right out of the gate. God is asking us to be the branch. Nothing more and nothing less. When we are the branch connected to the true vine,29:09we will bear much fruit. So the unfailing power of God comforts us during the demands of the daily life. And third and final, the unchanging promise from God declares that he will supply all we ever need. I believe I've told this story, but it's worth repeating.29:38I was reading scripture to a lady early days of my ministry. I was invited to come and read to a couple of senior adult ladies in the nursing home. And anybody that gave me, Brad, early days of ministry, you remember this? Anytime you had an opportunity to go do anything for the kingdom, you just did it. Didn't care. Didn't worry about your schedule. You just did it. And this opportunity came. And so I went to read scripture.30:08And I was reading through the gospel of Matthew with this dear, sweet saint. She must have been 100 years old. She was the day. And she was invited. I was invited to come read with her. She wanted me to read through the gospel of Matthew, through the gospels with her. And so I was reading through the gospel of Matthew, and I got to Matthew 19 and 20. And I said, go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptize in the name of the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit. And lo, I'll be with you always, even until the end of the age. And I stopped, and I looked at her, and I said, isn't that a wonderful promise?30:38She said, oh, preacher, no, it's not a promise. I looked at her kind of funny. I said, well, yes, that's a promise. He'll be with us every step of the way. She said, no, no, no, that's not a promise. That's a fact. And it never, ever left my thoughts that if we will surrender to his lordship, his unchanging promise of God declares that he will supply every need we ever need, everything we ever31:03need. Pick it up in verse 14. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, but you alone. For even the Thessalonians, in Thessalonica, you sent a gift more than once for my needs.31:33Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which you increase to your account. But I have received everything in full and have abundance. I am amply supplied and have received from Ephroditus what you have sent me, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.32:01Folks, that's not a nice little saying. Paul, chained to that jailer, said, my God shall supply all my needs. Every time. The unchanging promise of God, from God declares that he will supply every need.32:24As I wrap up today, my question to you, will you surrender to his lordship? When we say, the sovereign Lord of God of the universe, will you surrender to the sovereign God of the universe? Will you surrender your mind and your spirit and your body, every aspect of your life?32:50Let the Holy Spirit renew your strength and your mind through the word of God. Will you ask God today, God, I want to be a part of the greater good. I want to be part of the greater plan. I want you to guard my mouth, guard my thoughts, guard my actions. I want to be seen by the world, if they come encounter with me, seen by the world as one33:17who is uplifting the kingdom, not tearing down the kingdom. So guard your heart and guard your mouth and guard your mind. Because God said, I shall, will supply all your needs. When God's work is done in God's way, for God's glory, it will not lack for God's supply.33:40He will meet our need. Let's pray. Let's pray.33:57Let's pray. Let's pray.More sermons on John →
