It's all going to be alright

Reading: Philippians 1:18b-20

“There, there - it’s all going to be alright”. How often have we reassured our children with these words? Perhaps you were soothed by the same words when you were a child. It is a comfort to know that everything is going to turn out alright. Indeed it can even be a source of joy.

Paul wrote: “Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this (what had happened to Paul) will turn out for my deliverance.” Yet Paul was in prison waiting to hear whether he would be executed or not. Would he live or would he die (v20). And perhaps your current situation holds a large degree of uncertainty too. How will it all turn out?

Paul was convinced that, no matter what the outcome, his situation would turn out for his deliverance. The Greek word translated “deliverance” refers to a state of being safe. How could Paul know that he would end up being safe and even rejoice in the fact when there was a good chance that he might be executed?

The answer has three parts (though this is not as clear in some English translations of the Bible as it is in the Greek). To begin with, Paul’s state of safety would be assured through 1) the prayers of the Philippians, and 2) the help of the Holy Spirit (v19).

God has provided for your safety through the prayers of your church family and the fact that His Spirit is in you. Are you praying for brothers and sisters that are in crisis? Are you firmly plugged into a church family? Have you forgotten that the Holy Spirit is within you? Are you ignoring Him? Do not be like the Galatians who were trying to complete something that the Spirit had started (their salvation) in their own strength (Gal. 3:1-5). God is with you and He is leading you to safety by the Spirit. Further, the Spirit is a guarantee that one day you will make it to heaven, the ultimate place of safety.

Let us turn now to the third aspect of Paul’s safety which is closely linked to Paul’s passion to glorify God. The NASB translates: “I know that this will turn out for my deliverance ... according to my earnest expectation ... that Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or death”.  The word translated “exalted” also means to glorify or to highly praise. It was Paul’s hope and earnest expectation that He would make God famous whether imprisoned or free, by living or dying. Paul knew that his desire to live or die in such a way as to show the supreme value of God would keep Him safe.

The safest way for you to live is by seeking to show God as your greatest treasure in life. Then through the provision of the Spirit, whatever has happened and whatever will happen, you will end up being safe. We have an assurance of safety that will prevail in all circumstances, good or bad.  Now that is something to rejoice in!

Cheers for now - Ian

Joy in discomfort

Philippians 2:11-18a

Just to let you know: I am officially fed-up with adjusting the driver’s seat on my new (second-hand) car. Yesterday, after weeks of careful tweaking and experimentation, I happened to compare my ideal settings with the position of the non-adjustable passenger seat ... they were identical. It was a sad moment. And this doesn’t bring me terribly smoothly to the subject of joy. Or perhaps it does.

Fact is we all want some form of joy that will endure. But we often look for joy in the wrong places. We learned last week that Paul derived joy from the fact that he was changing the shape of eternity through a successful gospel partnership with the Philippians. Partnerships created for the purposes of building the Kingdom of God can become a reliable source of enduring joy. Yet how often do we turn to gospel partnerships as a source of joy? How important are they to us?

Let me tell you about something that is important to me: comfort. I don’t do suffering. The less pain, hardship, chaos, or untidiness there is in my life the better. My friends may even be stunned to hear that I HATE bad smells. Surprising? Given my constitution, maybe it is. But seriously, if there are bad smells in heaven, I don’t want to go. Bad smells came after Adam sinned (in my opinion).

But here’s the thing – life is not comfortable. And if I want an easy life, then I will be a rotten Christian and a stranger to joy. Did not Jesus order me to pick up my cross every day? And did not Paul experience joy though in prison for the sake of the gospel? Roman prisons were not designed for comfort. They probably didn’t smell too good either. That prison was Paul’s cross. Yet Paul did not report on his comfort in verses 12-18a (chapter 1). Instead, he reported on the progress of the gospel and delighted in the fact that the gospel was advancing through his suffering rather than in spite of it.

There were soldiers in Caesar’s palace guard that could only be reached through Paul’s imprisonment. I wonder who God wants to reach through your suffering or tough circumstances? How could you respond to your circumstances in a way that will point people to Jesus? When we look for joy in easy circumstances, our gladness shares will soon start devaluing. But when we focus on how God can use our tough circumstances to propel the gospel, we will find true gladness.

Cheers for now - Ian

The fingerprints of joy

Last week, I wrote about my new (second-hand) car and joy, a vivid emotion of pleasure and gladness. And if I remember correctly, I signed off by asking how one could find joy that will endure, providing strength in this life and a reward in the next. Joy, after all, is something of an elusive commodity, especially when it is linked to transient things like possessions, health, pleasant circumstances or the fact that one’s new (second-hand) car allows one to adjust the level of one’s bottom in the driver’s seat ... sorry – I forgot myself for a moment then.

So this week, I would like to explore the subject of enduring joy. One way of doing this is to begin tracing the fingerprints of joy in Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

The Philippians stirred up pleasure and gladness in Paul’s heart. We see evidence of this when Paul claims that, “in all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy” (v4).  The cause of this joy is spelled out in the next verse: “because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now”.

Therefore, it was a gospel partnership that stoked up the joy in Paul’s heart. A gospel partnership is one that extends the cause of the gospel, holding out eternal life to a dying world. Paul established his partnership with the Philippians when he preached the gospel to them and took a severe beating in the process (Acts 16). Then, the Philippians continued the partnership by supporting Paul financially whether “in chains or defending and confirming the gospel” (v7).

The Philippians supported Paul’s ministry when it was thriving, and when he had freedom to travel and preach (4:15-16). Then when Paul was imprisoned and his ministry appeared to be crumbling, they did not abandon Paul. Instead, they sent Epaphroditus with money to look after him (v18). How could Paul fail to experience joy when he reflected on the wonder of his gospel partnership with these big-hearted and generous people? Further, the fruit of the partnership had eternal value, sparking joy that would endure forever.

I bet that the results are not in on your gospel partnerships. One day, God will let you see how they have shaped eternity. Yet how often do you look to your gospel partnerships as a source of joy? How important are they to you? If you are anything like me, I turn to many other sources of joy that are far less enduring, so please excuse me whilst I go and fiddle with the driver’s seat on my new (second-hand) car.

Cheers for now - Ian

Addicted to Joy

I just got a new (second hand) car. Ah, the joy of it. You know what? This car even has an adjustable driver’s seat. And I’m not just talking about backwards and forwards. By turning two knobs, I can actually raise or lower the level of my bum. How’s that? I know – so what? Nevertheless, I can do it! Woohoo!!

 But ... now that I think about it, I felt the same joy when I got the new (second hand) car that this latest, new (second hand) car is replacing - if you get my meaning. Cars deteriorate. Prince Charming may turn into a flatulent King. Health and wealth come and go. Holidays always come to an end. Clothes go out of fashion. Technology gets superseded. Rugby teams loose (flipping Sharks). The dog pukes on the new carpet.

Joy can seem like an elusive commodity.

In spite of this, I am hoping to turn into a bit of an addict – a joy junkie if you like. My dictionary defines joy as “a vivid emotion of pleasure, gladness”. And the Bible says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). It also says, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Mat. 13:44).

Now that sounds like a good thing. In fact, it sounds like THE thing! Joy brings strength. It floods our hearts with pleasure and gladness. It is what we feel when (like the man who found the hidden treasure) we realise we have found SOMETHING more valuable than ANYTHING else. Bring it on!

Question is: where does one find such joy? And that is the question I would like to leave you with today.

Cheers for now - Ian