Calvary Chapel Bakersfield: Recent Episodes
Calvary Chapel Bakersfield
In studying the book of Philippians the overriding theme is that of JOY. Paul speaks of the joy filled life that is not based upon the circumstances of life but is constant. Here in just three verses Paul shares with us the secret of contentment.
Its been well said, “OUR LIVES ARE ALWAYS MOVING IN THE DIRECTION OF OUR strongest thoughts. What we think shapes who we are.”
“Finally” means the rest or the things that remain. “In conclusion”
Verses 8 and 9 contain two verbs… Paul is calling his listeners to action. Not just action to do but as we see in verse 8 the action is to think, to mediate, to ponder. And the second verb we see in verse 9 is to do, to do what you think about. Thoughts produce action like the old saying by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”
Are you aware that the number one threat to our joy is fear, worry, anxiety so when the apostle Paul speaks about deep lasting and satisfying joy its only right that he addresses the very thing that stands in our way. What you have to love about how the apostle Paul goes about addressing the issue is he does so in two short verses. I like that. The solution to our worry and stress is not as complex as some might think. Simple yes, simplistic no.
Think about it for a moment… what are you afraid of.
Perceived worry from real fear. Most of us worry about things that will never come to pass all the while ignoring things that are right in front of us. Its estimated that 20% of all drivers don’t wear seat belts, and that 75% text while driving. How about cigarette smoking? It says right on the package that smoking is the number one cause of lung disease and can kill you.
Let me begin this morning by asking you, what first attracted you to Jesus? What was it about Him that made you want to give up everything this world has to offer to follow Him? If we are like any of the apostles or earliest disciples at all, it is His love.
Ephesians 3:17-19, “being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
The greatest attraction the church has to the world around us is our love, our sacrificial love for one another because of the sacrificial love of Jesus for you and for me. The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:13 that the greatest things in this life are faith, hope and love and that of those three things love is the greatest. More than truth, more than holiness, love is what draws us to Jesus and what Jesus says draws the world to us.
In Philippians chapter three we read an autobiography of sorts of the apostle Paul’s life. He tells us about his past in verses 1-11 and his present situation in verses 12-16 and then his future in verses 17 through verse 1 of chapter 4. This morning we want to look at how the apostle Paul was able to not to live with a victims mentality or to live only for today and missing out on the blessings of what lies ahead for them that believe.
It was C.S. Lewis who said, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”
This philosophy of life is what governed the apostle Paul’s life. Paul had no problem with his past, he simply wasn’t bound by it but realized God was using it to shape his present circumstances in life and preparing him for his future. I mean how else does Paul write a book like Philippians from a roman prison cell laced with the words joy and rejoice some 16 times? Like that famous quote from Dale Carnage that says, “Two men looked out from their prison cell, one saw bars the other saw stars.” The apostle Paul saw stars. Let me ask you a very important question this morning as we study this text.
If I had to sum up the apostle Paul’s words in verses 1-8 in a thought it would be from the American missionary Jim Elliot who said: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
This is what Paul experienced: He gave up his religion and his reputation, but he gained far more than he lost.
Paul gained a personal experience with the risen savior, with the living Lord.
Finally… The word finally here isn’t like Paul is saying “In Closing” and then like any good preacher continue on for another 20 minutes. No, the word “Finally” here means, “for the rest” as the apostle Paul has much to say and the word “finally” is simply introducing a new topic Paul wants to address which happens to be “false teachers” Judaizers. Judaizers were a group who taught that faith in Christ was fine so long as Gentile believers also followed Old Testament Law for their salvation, namely circumcision.
If anyone knows life can be hard its the apostle Paul. Remember he is writing this letter to the church in Philippi from a Roman prison cell. Nothing has been easy about the apostle Paul’s life since coming to Jesus. Thats what makes him such an authority on joy. He uses the word “joy or rejoice” some 16 times in jut 104 verses.
Here’s a question to ask ourselves right off the bat this morning. If you aren’t awake yet this should get you thinking… Ask yourself this question… “If everyone in the church was just like me what kind of church would my church be and to add to it, would you even attend it.”
The apostle Paul knew the value of having true friends who you can count on not just when life is good but when life is tough. The Christian life is a war, a constant battle so having friends you can count on during both the thick and the thin is critical to our success.
Before looking ahead this morning lets look back for a moment and remember how we got here to this text this morning…
The apostle Paul is writing from a Roman prison to a little church in Philippi that he started a number of years before and where he also spent time in jail. All for loving Jesus and wanting to share Jesus life with them. He was writing to say thank you for offering him care while he was in prison and to address an issue of disunity that arose between a couple of women in the church.
We all now what a “couch potato” is, “a person who spends little or no time exercising and a great deal of time watching television.”
Are you aware there are “pew potatoes” too? If you follow the analogy of the couch potato then you understand a pew potato is someone who attends church and watches everyone else without becoming actively involved.
Christianity is a participant sport you might say. It takes work to get into spiritual shape the same way it takes hard work to get our bodies into shape too.
Paul addresses the subject here in Philippians 2. Paul might have titled this message, “Working out what God is working in you…”
Speaking of working out… Here is some interesting statistics for you.
This morning in Philippians 2 we come to what some consider to be the most profound and theologically important words of all of the New Testament writers. In verses 5-11 the apostle Paul points out that Jesus is the ultimate example of what service is like. In just a few verses the apostle Paul makes clear that it was God Himself clothed in human flesh who came from heaven to earth not to be served but to serve, and not just serve but to sacrificially serve by giving His life on Calvary’s Cross. Paul points to Jesus as the ultimate example of both faith and practice and is why I titled this mornings message a “Race To The Bottom” because unlike the ladder of success the world promotes which is always upward, Jesus made it clear in both His teachings and in His modeling that the greatest among us is the servant and when you study the life of Jesus Christ you see the greatest service and the greatest sacrifice of all.
Picking back up in our series “Joy Filled Living” in the book of Philippians the apostle Paul is writing to a church that he started and that is doing really well. Its a good church, a growing church and obviously a pretty mature church based on the unity we find there. I have read this book, all four chapters, all 104 verses countless times now in my life and I am always amazed at the apostle Pauls joy. To think he is writing this book from a roman prison cell and the major theme of his writing is joy. 19 times Paul mentions joy.
Have you discovered in your own life that people more than circumstances have a tendency to rob us of our joy. I remember Pastor Chuck Smith sharing at a Senior Pastors Conference years ago (half kiddingly) he said, “the ministry would be great if it went for the people.”
The book of Philippians is a book about joy. 19 times in just four chapters the apostle Paul talks about joy, unshakeable joy even in the midst of the most trying of circumstances. Remember that the apostle Paul is writing to the church in Philiipi from a Roman prison cell. Uncertain of his fate he takes time to write to a little church he planted and wanted to encourage.
When you think about joy are you aware Jesus wants us to have joy? You recall that in John 15:11 Jesus said to His disciples, “These things have I spoken unto you, . . . that your joy might be full”. If the disciples had never seen Jesus laugh or smile they would not have understood what He meant by joy. Yes, Jesus was a man of sorrows but He also was overflowing with joy too.
I titled this mornings message “It’s Not About Me” for the simple fact that I believe that much of the apostle Pau’s success in this life was his awareness of the tension all believers must deal with in experiencing JOY this side of heaven.
Paul he understood what Casey Kasem, the American radio personality would say as he closed his radio program “American Top 40” each week, “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars”
Perspective…
Have you ever met someone that a first you didn’t like them but the more you got to know them, the more you understood their story, something changed in you and you began to like them.
Paul, the prisoner of joy writes the book of Philippians from a Roman cell about JOY. The main these of this book is about JOY. In four chapters, 104 verses in all, the words joy, rejoicing, and gladness appear some 19 times.
I shared with you last week there is a difference between happiness and joy.
Paul is writing this letter to the church at Philippi, which was actually the first church that he started in Europe. You can read about the days that Paul spent in Philippi in Acts chapter 16, where you can read about one of the first converts in Philippi, a woman named Lydia, and also hear some of the specifics of Paul’s hard times in Philippi.
Phillipi was a heavily gentile city. There was no synagogue there. No Jewish presence.
In any city where there were 10 adult males they were required to build a synagogue.
With no synagogue the Jews would go down to the River side to worship. A beautiful place in nature.
Jesus is entering into His public ministry 3 1/2 years Jesus will go about preaching and teaching that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
First thing Jesus does is He is led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil… the Christian life we see right away is a battle from day one.
As Jesus begins His public ministry about a year has gone by now since His baptism. He was in Nazareth where He was as the Scripture teaches, “a prophet is not without honor except in his home town.”
Everyone of us will face temptation in this life. Jesus was led of the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Jesus defeated the devil and His life is a model of how we need to approach temptation too.
In order to understand the reason for being water baptized, it is important to carefully consider what the Bible says about it… Jesus himself was baptized. He was not a sinner, yet he humbled himself in obedience to identify with us and give us an example to follow.
At the time of John’s ministry the Romans have subdued the nation of Israel. The Pharisee’s and the Saducee’s are the ruling religious leaders at this time.
Esther makes the plot against the Jews known…
Esther asked for her own life and the lives of her people, who had been sentenced to death. If they had only been sold as ... slaves she would have held her peace.
The God News is from studying this passage is we discover that God always meets us where we are and leads us to where we need to go if we will only follow Him.
Simeon says of this baby Jesus that He is a light to bring to revelation… then Simeon delivers a prophecy to Mary that the effect her son would have… “A sign… that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed…”
By Jesus the thoughts of many hearts would be revealed. The life of Jesus would expose the hearts. Thats what we find here in Matthew chapter 2. Three responses to Jesus.
We just started a new series in the Gospel of Matthew and you recall how the story began…
Verse 1: The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
Matthew is the most Jewish book of the Gospels… Matthew is writing to Jews to show them that Jesus FULFILLED the prophecies concerning the promised Messiah.
Mark wrote for a Roman audience, Luke for the Greeks, John’s gospel is for anyone and everyone.
Like I shared last week. I wish the book of Nehemiah closed with chapter 12 with the Jews who had returned to the city at a great place in their relationship with God. But life doesn’t always finish on a high note. Though in chapter 12 we have the Jews rejoicing with singing and with instruments and even a choir that can be heard miles away.
As the book of Nehemiah comes to a close a great question should be dominating our thoughts.How do I apply this book to my own life?
Life isn’t the lesson, its the test. Our lives prove out what we really believe. When our cup gets bumped and it will, whatever we are pouring into it will come out.
Take God at His invitation, drink deep from the well.
The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.
Grace… Its the only way we can be saved. Grace is the only way we can conquer legalism in our lives.
Generosity, Compassion, Righteousness.
God’s desire is that we raise generous, compassionate and righteous kids.
When we experience God’s grace we quit striving to keep the law and start walking with Jesus instead trusting in His perfect righteousness to gain our access to God and heaven.
We are free to choose. Will we walk by faith and enjoy our freedom or walk in the flesh and end up in bondage?
If you have been with us you know by now that Paul was writing to a group of churches in Galatia who were turning their relationship with Jesus into a bunch of rules and regulations. Instead of trusting in what Jesus has accomplished for them on the Cross and trusting in what Jesus had done, they were turning back to the law in hopes of earning God’s favor. Its important to note that any time someone turns away from the Lord to some “so called” new religion or some new way of serving God, they are not turning ahead or progressing but just they opposite, they are going backwards and digressing.
“To be completely satisfied in the moment while patiently awaiting the expectant desire.”
Ezra leads a second expedition from Babylon to Jerusalem to help strengthen the struggling settlers. His purpose is different as the temple is built. He is teaching God’s Word so the people know how to worship the Lord and also how to live lives that are pleasing to God. God prompted Ezra to go and to teach the people.
If you have been with us you know by now that Paul was writing to a group of churches in Galatia who were turning their relationship with Jesus into a bunch of rules and regulations. Instead of trusting in what Jesus has accomplished for us, they were turning back to the law in hopes of earning God’s favor.
Palm Sunday is the beginning of the last week of Jesus earthly life as He completes His mission, to live a perfect sinless life then go to the Cross in our place securing eternal life for all who come to Him by faith.
The last week of Jesus life is known as the Passion week as it deals with Jesus suffering. All that He endured so that you and I might have eternal life.
As you study John’s Gospel, half of the Gospel of John is dedicated to the last week of Jesus life.
All the Gospel writers placed great emphasis on the last week of Jesus life… We should too.
89 chapters all together in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
The book of Ezra is called the Second Exodus but the message of the book is best summed up in a single word, RESTORATION
No Return to the Law 11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to find Jesus as we study Your Word today, and by Your Holy Spirit show us individually how we can apply what we learn to live our lives proclaiming like the apostle Paul, the life that I live now each day I live by faith in Jesus who loved me and gave Himself for me! 4 lessons along the ways It takes faith to live free, and to live by faith takes courage Falling down is inevitable getting up is optional Hypocrisy is contagious To pretend God hasn’t told you something when he has is to live a lie.
Judah is about 20 years from being taken into captivity by the Babylonians so these next kings go in rapid succession as the nation heads towards captivity.
Here in the book of Galatians we are reading a letter written not to a person or a church but a group of churches that the apostle Paul had started on his first missionary journey and now word has got back to him that these churches who were so eager about the gospel, so excited to hear and receive the truth of the Gospel that Jesus Christ, God’s own son had come to earth pay the ultimate price on Calvary’s Cross and purchase our salvation. Jesus came to set the captives free and to set at liberty those who have been oppressed. The churches of Galatia came to Christ, the only way a person can come to Christ, and that is through faith alone in Christ alone by grace alone.
The book of Galatians is a life changing experience for anyone who has tried hard in this life to be good enough on their own to make it to heaven and come to the honest realization we just aren’t good enough no matter how hard we try.
Manasseh will have the longest reign of all the kings but he was also the most wicked king. You might call Manasseh King Ahab 2.0. 55 years compared to his fathers 29 years. Obviously his long reign had nothing to do with his worthiness, its only by God’s grace. He takes the throne at 12 years of age. Not a good age to become king of any thing. So much change is taking place. Manasseh is the prodigal son of the Old Testament. His father is considered the greatest king next to King David. The story of Manasseh in some ways is an encouragement to parents with prodigals.
The book of Galatians is a life changing experience for anyone who has tried hard in this life to be good enough on their own to make it to heaven and come to the honest realization we just aren’t good enough no matter how hard we try.
Whenever revival breaks out you can be sure the devil won’t be far behind. In chapters 29-31 we read about the revival that began under king Hezekiah and now will come under attack here in chapter 32 as Sennacherib, the king of Assyria comes to Judah in an attempt to overthrow Jerusalem.
Judah experiences revival under one of her greatest kings, King Hezekiah, who has reestablished the worship of God and made worship the center of national life.
Tonight as we study chapter 29 we come to the reign of Hezekiah. Besides King David, King Hezekiah would be the greatest king in the history of God’s people. In the following four chapters, we’ll see revival break out, and in studying them, hopefully we’ll learn how revival can be ignited in our own hearts, as well. I don’t know about you but I am really excited to study these chapters with you and to pray that we too would experience revival in our own lives too.
John is like a family album in that it reveals for us God’s family. In the same way children resemble their parents, God’s children share in His likeness.
Thomas Manton wrote, “None walk so evenly with God, as they who are assured of the love of God.”.
One of the good kings of Judah, King Uzziah has passed on and now his son Jotham is reigning in his place.
If there is a single word that best describes what we are studying tonight the word would have to be INFLUENCE
John here not only repeats the imperative to love one another in 4:7-5:4, but also he hits it longer and harder than at any other point in the book. 28 times in 21 verses John speaks of love as He wants to make sure that we understand that love is not an optional virtue in the believers life.
Love is to be the distinguishing mark of the church in the world. John goes so far as to say that if you do not love others, you do not know God, 1 John 4:8. With this in mind this morning we all need to examine our own lives by God’s love.
As we read the text again this morning there are 8 points John seems to make to teach us “Whats Love Got To Do With It”
. The Promise is To You 2. That it Might Grow In You 3. To Pass through You 4. To change the world round You
6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end.”
Biblical love is a self-sacrificing, caring commitment that shows itself in seeking the highest good of the one loved.
If there is a single word that best describes what we are studying tonight the word would have to be INFLUENCE
What’s love got to do with it? Everything for God is love!
John the apostle of love talked about love in this little epistle more than any other writer
As the Apostle of love John enjoyed the benefits of Gods love. He recognized Gods love for Him. Love is what transformed John’s Life. 3 1/2 years with Jesus
John is writing to us to let us know there is a division among us, those in tune with God who are thinking and applying the truth to their lives, to test the spirits, and those who are seeking to draw people away from the truth…
the human factor has the ability to go astray, to water down the Word of God and to become lazy regarding doctrine.
We live in very perilous times.
The last days of deception.
In our study through Chronicles we study to learn, to grow, to be warned and reminded of God’s faithful judgements.