Excellent. Well, good morning. I am instructed to give the message this morning and um yeah, one of the funny things about preparing a message is they want to know the title and they want to know what you’re speaking on on the Tuesday. And when it’s not there and it’s not ground down, you kind of got to just throw it out there. So, um I my text today is the book of Philippians. And before you guys start running for the gym and going, “Okay, I don’t want to listen to a whole book and listen to Jason.” Know that the book of Philippians and these books that Paul has written should be thought of as letters. When I went to school, my professor used to always say to me, you should be taking these as letters, and you should be reading them as you would read a letter. And any letter that I received, and I’m I’m old enough to have received letters in my day, but any letter that I received that I cared about, I usually sat down and read it in one sitting. So this morning, we are going to try to get through the book of Philippians. And anytime that I had doubts this week about how is this going to happen, I had to lean into some scripture in Philippians that says, I can do all things through him who gives me strength. Now, Philippians Philippians is is one of those books. It’s only four chapters long. It’s only three and a half pages long in your Bible. So, we we can do this. Um, but there are some very deep theological thoughts in Philippians. As you go through Philippians, there are many, many phrases that you will have heard already and said, “I remember hearing that. I remember leaning on that. I remember a sermon on that.” because it is just packed full of oneliners that go if I can memorize that one I can get through this time in my life. it. Chapter 2 verse five in um preludes the the six verses that I want to really focus on this morning. And it starts with in your relationship with one another have the same mindset of as Jesus Christ. And then it goes into who being in the very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And having been found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on the cross. So, I am a visual person. I I like to to anybody who’s come to my Sunday school class at 9:15 in the mornings on Sundays. Anybody who knows that I have a little whiteboard that I just I’m I’m writing on cuz I like to just see it. I I need to visualize it. It helps me memorize it. It helps me to to to use it. So, we’re really dealing with Christ at the very top in the Trinity, right? Father, Son, Holy Spirit represented by triangle. And let’s not confuse it with any other God. It is the Christian God who comes down in something called the incarnation. We call that the incarnation. And comes to our world. He dies. He humbles himself on the cross and goes to death, which would we would call hell. Why? Because the penalty for sin is death. The wages of sin is death. That’s found in another one of Paul’s letters to the Romans. Right? Three days later, he have resurrection. All right. He hangs around on earth for 40 days after the resurrection. He stays with humanity for 40 days to show us I’m here. I resurrected from this. And then he goes back. So let’s just eliminate the earth. We know and then just to kind of understand this process that he’s gone through. What happens because of his humbling? Therefore, God exalts him and gave him the highest place, gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the father. Those are the six verses that this whole letter hinges upon. That’s the that’s the example that Paul is saying. follow that example as you walk your Christian life out on this earth. Right? Again, we can eliminate. So, in your relationship with one another, as we relate, right, as you deal with the Roberts and the Jennifers, right, as the Pastor Doug, we’re a family. I’ve been here for three years and and like it’s been amazing. I It’s been a tough week. I I had a funeral yesterday at my old church. a 30-year-old kid had passed away and to see that and we see my church grieving but never once did someone say come back Jay which you know okay but the other side is never once did I think of going back either this is my family this is my three years I’m like I love this church I love what we have here I love that we can talk to one another and as Paul talks to the Philippians I want to talk to you this morning too and and go. We’re family and we got to start leaning into one another and not start. We have been I’ve gone to Robert with many of my problems and said, “Here’s what’s going on.” He’s got a listening heart and pastor Doug does, right? We share the burden. We share the load together in your relationship with one another. Ian Rosemary have the same mindset as Christ. Ian saying, “Get closer to the thing.” All right. Sorry. I figure my voice can carry but maybe not. Thanks Ian. All right. Who being in the very nature of God did not consider equality something to be used to his own advantage. This journey of Christ is not just about saying I’ve got I’ve got everything now and so let’s just keep accumulating greater wealth. I gave up that addiction and now I’ve got a bigger bank account. Okay. So, I get to go on more trips. No. Sometimes when you’ve released those things to God, you got to keep releasing them to God and saying, “Now, what do I do? What is the journey now?” He made himself nothing. He humbled himself. We humble ourselves before one another. And God will exalt us. That is our journey as well. In your relationship with one another, have the same mindset as Christ. Our path, we start at the top and we go, I am king. I am Lord. Before you come to Christ, who’s Lord of your life? You are. or whatever idol you’ve put your faith into, whatever you’ve given yourself over to, but you’re basically saying, “I’m running the show.” And then what happens? The law comes. The standard that you’re going, whoa, I can’t meet that one. There’s Let’s just consider the Ten Commandments. the the same law that that the Muslims follow, that the Christians follow, that the Jews follow. The Ten Commandments are valid in all three of those religions. You got billions of people supposed to believe in ten commandments. That’s the same 10. Do we follow it perfectly? Absolutely not. No one can. And that’s part of the point of the law, too, is to show you that you can’t do it. But when you come to that and you go, I can’t do it. You’ve got to give it somewhere. Christianity is where we break off. It’s it’s that place where you go, I can’t do it, God. I’m a sinner. And Christianity says, here is your savior. Give him your sins. Give him your junk. Now, Christ draws us into that. No one can come to the f to me unless the father who sent me draws them and I will raise them up. So it is God’s journey for us to he he’s the one that’s leading us into that. Now this process of of giving ourselves and our sins to Jesus is called justification. It’s that in incarnation phase where you come off the throne and you come down to Christ and say you take my sins. And there’s a swap that goes on there. You give him your sins but now you’re empty. So what happens? You take his righteousness because of what Christ has done on the cross. You are now standing in a position of righteousness today. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord, he and Savior, he is enough. You can stand before the father and say, “I’m righteous because I believe in him and what he’s done for me.” That’s justification. But there’s an further process that this letter goes and talks about and it is the process of sanctification. The process of becoming holy. Any of us who have journeyied know that okay yes I I gave my life over to Jesus but it wasn’t it hasn’t been perfect since then. There there have been some struggles in that time. My parents have been married for 55 years and I’ve seen some of the struggles that they’ve gone through. I think and I’ve never been married but I still think I can say when you walk through a marriage there is some processes of sanctification that take place. >> Yeah. It it you got to go through some tough stuff to really see that person is committed. That person’s in it. That person’s into me. No matter what junk I bring, that person’s into it. And you learn to love even in a greater degree. You learn how to love that person, how to journey with that person. Jesus is savior, but is he Lord? In your relationship with one another, have the same mindset, humbling ourselves, allowing God to elevate us. All right, let’s get to this letter. We haven’t even started the letter. We just kind of ripped apart a little part of it. I thank my God every time I remember you and all my prayers for all of you. I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion till the day of Christ. First things first, the gospel is three things. 1 Corinthians 15 says, “The gospel is three things. He died for our sins according to the scriptures.” The scriptures at that time would have been the Old Testament. He died. He rose again from the on the third day according to the scriptures. Oh, my computer’s bugging out here. Maybe I don’t need it, though. But that’s the gospel. Just the three things. He died for your sins. He he he was crucified for your sins. He died. So, he’s he’s dead. He’s not just sitting there half alive. No, he is dead. He fully has gone to this place where sins go, which is death. But three days later, he rises from the dead. So in the partnership of the gospel, so we’re all in that partnership together. We’re all living that out. We’re all spreading that amongst others. But it is God who started this and it is God that’s working in you to do this. And that seems to take a lot of pressure off it that you kind of go, you drew me into this, God. I believe you are Lord and Savior. Now do what you’re going to do. I don’t have to strive for it. I don’t have to be more. I just have to trust that you’re doing that good work in me and in us. Paul’s in chains. this the book of Philippians, the letter from Philippians is Paul in jail. He’s writing in jail. He is he founded Philippians in 52 AD. So we’re talking like 32 22 years after Christ ascended to heaven. Paul’s going around. He does four missionary journeys. And on one of the second missionary journey, he goes to this place called Philippi, right? And he just talks to them about Jesus. just a simple conversation. There’s no internet to mass media or, you know, none of that. It’s just basically have a conversation with somebody and see where it goes. Maybe you get in front of a a group of people and and talk about Jesus, but you’re just talking about Jesus and what he’s doing in your life. That’s the journey of the Philippians. So, 10 years later, one of these first Philippians is one of Paul’s first churches. 10 years later, Paul’s in jail and it’s house arrest, right? He’s not getting beaten and whipped, but it’s still bad. But 10 years later, he writes the Philippians this letter and says like, I’m in chains and for to me to live as Christ and to die is gain. He’s he doesn’t know if he’s going to live or die. Now, that’s got to cause a little turmoil in you. But he continues on and he says, if I’m to go on living in this body, this will mean fruitful labor. Fruitful labor means that we can still do something. Some people are like, “I’m justified. I’m good. I’m done.” But there’s work to be done. There’s a greater blessing in heaven. There are treasures in heaven to earn. There are different harvests of the parable of the swer 30, 60, 100fold, run their ways to win the prize. There’s a deeper journey that’s that says continue on. Don’t just sit in your justification that you’re okay before the Lord. And you are. No. because of that do live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel. That’s a huge calling. That’s a massive calling. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm, striving together as one. Stand firm in the one spirit. striving together as one for the faith of the gospel. We do this in unity, dude. We do this together without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. You’re okay. You’re saved. We We don’t have to worry about death anymore. That’s been taken care of. I just I look at death and I look at my friend who who had a funeral and he’s 34 years old and I’m going, “Ah.” And that’s tough on his dad who’s now all alone. That’s tough. And I I mourn with him, but I don’t worry about the kid. I I’m going, that kid was saved. That kid lived for Jesus. He We heard stories. He was a DJ at the at the Bear a few years ago, and we had a lot of guys from the Bear come and and they loved him. You could tell like they weren’t talking about Jesus, but they were talking about the love they felt from this guy. I’m going, “Yeah, that’s the guy I knew, too. not frightened in any way by those who oppose us. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer. Good news. You’ve been granted the the position to suffer. That’s a tough one for me to go granted. Whoa. But I also look at some of the sufferings I’ve gone through. And those are the greatest lessons that I’ve taken from life to go and say, “This isn’t mine to carry. This is Christ’s. I don’t have to carry this alone. I can go to a small group and tell them what I’m going through and they can start to say, Jay, why are you thinking that way? There are so many things that I’ve learned through my sufferings since you’re going through the same struggle you saw I had and now here that I still have this struggle against the thoughts that oppose us and the the outside influences that oppose us as well. Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, any comfort from his love, any common sharing in the spirit of any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being likeminded, having the same love, being one in spirit and one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility, value others above yourselves. Not looking to your own interests, but to each of you to the interests of others. That’s a tough one in our in our society that says get ahead, right? Gather all you can gather. You know, to see somebody else making it and and you’re kind of going, did I mess up, God? something wrong here. But you just got to give it to God and just saying I am who I am. It’s all all sin, all mistakes are given to him on the cross. You just stand before God and just say, “You got me right.” And the answer is always yes. And then you got to go, “Well, what do you want me to do?” and he starts giving you ideas on how to live your lives, what to do today as a 20year-old or a 30-year-old or 50year-old. We all, I’m sure, come before the Lord and go, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do today. Well, just wait. He’ll he’ll tell you what to do. continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it’s God who works in you. God’s got a plan. God is working in you today. And he wants you to humble yourself before others. So that plan is probably going to include others. How do I serve that guy at my work that nobody seems to talk to? And I got my buddies and I want to talk about the Oilers and how they’re going to make some changes next year. And boy, we’re going to be hoisting that cup. Meanwhile, this guy’s sitting alone. Take a chance and just go over there and say, “Hey, how you doing?” Serve him. How are you serving your church? I can’t sing like these girls, but boy, I enjoy it. When you guys are harmonizing this morning, it’s like the angels were singing. That’s one spirit. That’s one mind. When God puts that and you don’t have anything to do with that and you go, “Yeah, that’s what I needed today, God.” And that’s God. You know, Richard preached last week. I don’t even know if I tell this story. Richard was preaching last week and he has all these images. Richard, and the one image I had was God breathing into Richard and and Richard breathing in. And then all of a sudden we’re sitting as a congregation and Richard breathing out and you and I as a congregation breathed in. And that image stuck with me all week. God’s using the church to breathe into us so that we can go out and breathe into others. And we just got to take him in. And the beauty of just even this moment, these four sections that I can see, I go, I I’m so appreciative of for so many different reasons of different sections here, the artists in here, the friends that go for walks with me. There are so many good things in this room right now that I go, “Thank you, God. Thank you, man. I get to celebrate with some friends. 50 years together. What a journey. And they’re beautiful people, too. As most of you guys know, they are beautiful people. And I want to learn from that. I want to know how to love someone for 50 years. Well, I don’t know if 50 years do that, but he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. Do everything without grumbling and arguing. Whoa. Okay, there’s a tough one. 50 years. Grumbling and arguing. Maybe one day, maybe not. Maybe he did it right. I know I wake up sometimes and I’m grumbling and arguing. But I know that sometimes if I can just stop it and not take that that attitude to work, if I can just go, God, you are in control. you you’ve saved me. I’m good there. You may be working on me and it may be hard and I may be suffering, but you’re going to lift me up. I know you are. And I don’t know if that’s happening today, next week, next year, but you know what, Lord? You are doing it. You are the one in control of this journey. You take this. And if I can just maybe think of one thing I’m thankful for. Thank you, Lord, that I had a pillow last night because I work with a lot of guys that didn’t have pillows last night. Thank you, Lord, that I have a church that that I can share with. Thank you, Lord. Thank you. And that list is long. So, it just starts to eat away at that time that I can grumble and complain. I only got 24 hours in a day. I can either grumble and complain or be thankful. So if I can start replacing some of that grumbling and complaining with thankfulness, it starts to take over so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in this warped and crooked generation. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, to suffer for him. Right? We’re suffering here. But no grumbling. I think that leads to sanctification. For everyone looks to their own interests and not of Jesus Christ, right? Look to the looks. Look to the the others. Look to their interests. What do they need? Where does Christ want you to meet their needs? Christ has got everything, but he wants you filling the needs of others that you come in contact with daily. All right, we’re halfway there. Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, who put no confidence in the flesh. 16 times in four chapters, Paul tells us to rejoice or be joyful. And he’s in jail. He knows what he’s talking about when he says no grumbling and complaining. But this mutilators of the flesh, what does that mean? That’s works. Before you come to Jesus Christ, I guarantee you believe in works. Those who are not in Jesus Christ or in Christianity live in a philosophy of works. Karma, you get what you deserve, right? Punished for what you do. Christ breaks through that and says, “Grace, I take your sins. I You can’t pay the penalty. You’re never going to be good enough to get to where I want you to be, which is heaven. You have to trust me. You have to rely on me.” And I guarantee you, the devil will try to put works back on you and say, “You’re in charge. What you do matters, and you’ve got to let that go. You got to let it go. And you got to say, “No, I’m not suffering because I did something wrong.” That’s done. I might be suffering, but do not attach works to it. Let the works go or deal with what is the works because God will discipline you for your works. It says God disciplines those he loves. He’s going to work on you. He’s going to sanctify you. But don’t condemn yourself for that. And if you are, come to the church because that’s a spiritual battle that the church can deal with. Come to the leadership and say, “I’m dealing with condemnation.” All right, let’s deal with this cuz that’s the devil and we can deal with the devil because our God has already defeated him. Come to the church if you’re feeling it. If you’re feeling condemned and going, “I can’t get away from this. I must have done something wrong. Uh-uh. Maybe you did, but it’s done. And we’re going to get rid of that, and we’re going to pray life into you. And it might take time to fully feel like you’re on top of it, but it’s there for you. Just keep coming to the church. We also know the law is not made for the righteous. So, this is this law, right? And it you kind of go, well, it’s got to be a part of it. But but in Timothy, Paul writes, “We know the law is not made for the righteous, but for the lawb breakakers, the rebels, the ungodly, the sinful, the unholy, the irreligious. It is for that that moment that you are still on your own pedestal and you got to come down to Christ and say, “I can’t do this.” Okay, come to Christ and then let him start to work on you. Back to works. Whatever we were were my gains. So Paul has just talked about all these things that he’s done like you know he was a Pharisee of Pharisees and he’s been lashed and all these things and he says whatever the gains you want to give to me because I’ve suffered for Christ I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more I consider everything a loss because the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whose sake I’ve lost all things. I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ and be found in him. Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ. Yes. To know the power of the resurrection and the participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. And so somehow attaining the resurrection from the dead. That resurrection from the dead would be that sanctification moment. Again, I think sometimes God’s working on us and we start to do well, right? We start to get degrees and we start to get, you know, speaking engagements and we start to get, “Hey, look what I’m doing.” You got to let that go, too. You just got to stand before God as a little child and go, “What do you want me to do today?” It it you don’t want to get on that pedestal. It’s just the wrong place to be. You want to stay humble before God and saying, “Okay, God, right? You’ve been equipping me. How do I use what these equippings are for others?” That’s when your equippings become powerful. That’s when you see the miracle of what God will do through your efforts. The little things that you put forward, the the fish and the loaves that you bring forward to God and say, “This is what I have to offer you.” And he says, “Give it to me. I’ll show you what we can do. We can feed thousands with your gift. God can use each and every one of us. How much more can he use all of us together in one spirit and one mind? I have such hope for this church. I love this church. I don’t know where it’s going, but I love being a part of it because I think we’re coming together as a congregation. And you probably have many years before I came, but just to be and just to see it working in in White Avenue area and breathing in and out the gospel of Jesus. Not that I have tained all this or have already arrived at my goal. Even Paul 20, 30 years after he has taken hold of the gospel, he’s still saying, “I haven’t got there.” Is that justification? No. He knows he’s saved. Is that sanctification? Absolutely. He’s saying, “I’ve got to keep going. I got to keep putting my giftings. I’m in chains right now. I don’t even know what I can do.” Do you think when Paul wrote the Philippians that he would be thinking, “Yeah, in 300 years they’re going to make this letter into scripture.” Do you think when he’s writing the Philippians, he’s going, “In 2,000 years, some people in a land I don’t even have an idea is out there. they’re going to be using this letter to talk. He doesn’t think in that way. He’s just putting it forward and going, “Hey guys, how’s it going? I’m encouraging you. Rejoice in the Lord.” He’s not writing theological thoughts. God knows where it’s going to go. He’s just putting it out there and trying to encourage them. And that’s his way of serving the Philippians at that time. He’s in jail. He can’t do much. He can’t go to them. Can’t give them a cup of soup. But he can write a letter say I’m thinking of you brothers and sisters. I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. One thing I do forgetting what is behind straining towards what is ahead. I think we got that one already. But our citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await a savior from there. the Lord Jesus Christ who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control will transform our lowly body so they will become like his glorious body that would be us and that ascension that is God coming back and taking us from this earth and glorifying us let’s conclude here chapter 4 the conclusion therefore my brothers and sisters you whom I love and long for my joy and crown stand firm in the Lord in this Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again. Rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Don’t be anxious about anything. But in every situation by prayer, if you’re in that place of anxiousness, I’ve used this one so many times. I’m like, I’m anxious. Well, what does scripture say? Prayer and petition. God, I’m suffering and I don’t want to be suffering. I want to be out of this God prayer, petition. It doesn’t have to be a big long prayer, just honesty before God. But I thank you, God, that you know what, I had a pillow last night. And I thank you that I’m up this morning. And you know what? I’ve I got breath. I’m not in the hospital. I thank you for that. God. Present your requests to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ. That’s a promise. I didn’t know about promises until I got to seminary and I grew up in the church. That’s a long time to not know that. You know what? When when this is being said to you, that’s a promise. So, if I Okay, stop being anxious, Jason. and pray and petition God. Um, give some thanksgiving to him. Okay. What can I expect? And the peace of God which transcends all my I don’t understand how it’s coming, but you know it’s it’s coming. Will guard my heart. Okay. I’m not in trouble. I’m not going to hell. Condemnation thinks you’re going to hell. That’s that’s what you’re doing. You’re going I’m not good enough for you, God. That’s a lie. That is not from Jesus. He took that so you don’t have to carry that. He will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Well, I was going to go into maybe some of the media that’s out there in Canada and America and some of the movies that we watch and but I think you get an idea of you you got to watch what you’re watching. If it’s not that be thankful, turn it to thankfulness and go, okay, I’m going to watch a different type of movie tonight because that one’s not filling me with the good stuff. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put into practice. And then the God of peace will be with you. Follow Paul. He’s our He’s our leader. I know what it is to be in need. I know what it is to have plenty. I’ve learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want or want. Right? He swings the pendulum. I’ve got everything. I’ve got nothing. But he sits in the middle and he says,”I can do all things through him who gives me strength.” You might have everything and got it all planned out what you’re going to do. What if God says to you, “Give it all away and move to Papa New Guinea and become a missionary.” Cuz I found out my pastor yesterday, who was my pastor for 10 years, is now moving to miss Papa New Guinea with his family in the next 6 months. And I’m going, “What does that look like?” when you start having plans with your RRSPs, you know, or your promotion at work, I think we’ve got to start coming back and holding our lives a little bit lighter and saying, “Okay, God, this is what I got. What do you want to do with it today?” Yeah, you can have plans for marriages and celebrations. You got to make plans, but hold them lightly and saying, “God has got my day, and I’m ready for some surprises. and my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ. We’re not dealing with a poor God here, people. We He’s got it all. He created it all. He’s got it all. And expect it all. Whatever you need, just go, “Okay, he’s going to provide.” And this is my prayer. So, I want to conclude now. I’m going to read this prayer out and then I’m just going to pray for us as a congregation. My prayer is that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.