Make Ready a People

Luke 1:1-25

I am really encouraged by this message. I hope it brings you a spiritual blessing this morning.  I think it will be different than you expect and so I hope the Holy Spirit just really moves your heart to be encouraged by this message this morning.  The Christmas message really starts off about 400 years before the first Christmas in the book of Malachi chapter 4.

Malachi 4:1-6

“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things,” says the LORD Almighty. “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Rejoicing and Being Content

 Philippians 4

Welcome! Today we finish our series on the book of Philippians, focusing on Chapter 4. Last week, in Chapter 3, we were warned to watch out for those who imply that practicing certain external things (basically, living as Jews) made people more godly. Paul, the author of Philippians, instead explained that our focus should be on knowing Christ Jesus, that so-called righteousness produced by external practices and self-effort were worse than useless, that instead what we should pursue is our relationship with Christ, that in this pursuit we would find righteousness that comes from God. It is Jesus, and not our feeble attempts at self-effort, that transforms us into His image. If I may summarize: If our goal is to know Christ, we will find Christ and righteousness; but if our goal is righteousness, we will find neither Christ nor righteousness. After encouraging us to stand firm, Paul, led by the Spirit to pen these words, writes this:

I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. – Phil. 4:2-3

Knowing Christ and Pressing On

 Philippians 3

Welcome! Today we continue our study of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. This week on several occasions I had the opportunity to talk with people about matters of faith, and repeatedly I heard the idea that religious belief systems are all about what one must do to be “good”. I heard the idea that the essence of religion is the desire to better oneself, and that there is value in religion in that it motivates and inspires people to be better than they “naturally” are.

This sounds good, doesn’t it? After all, our world is a dark place, and there are all kinds of pressures to bring us down to our baser instincts, to have us give in to our most selfish desires, to take because we can, to live out the Darwinian so-called law of “survival of the fittest.” Not only this, but there is satisfaction in revenge, there is release in acting upon anger, there is even a pleasure in power, and this pleasure is not diminished by the means one uses to obtain this power.

Sending and Serving

 Philippians 2:19-30

Welcome! Today we resume our study of the wonderful book of Philippians. I want to start by giving a recap of some of the things we have discussed over the past few weeks. In Chapter 1, Paul gives thanks for the Philippians, calling them his partners in the gospel. And he says that, because they are his partners, he “prays with joy” for them. He then tells them his prayer, that their love “may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.”

Paul then talks briefly about his chains, as he is in prison, but he then says he rejoices. With Christ’s help, he expects and hopes not to be ashamed, but to exalt Christ, whether he lives or dies. He then calls on the Philippians to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel, contending for the faith without fear, even if they are persecuted or suffer.

In Chapter 2, Paul then calls on them to have the love of Christ, being one in spirit and purpose, and he says that this will make his joy complete. You can see how joy is a major theme of Philippians; Paul has joy as he thinks of the Philippians, he rejoices as he thinks about his personal situation, in prison, chained to a soldier at all times, and he says that seeing the Philippians living together in love and unity and purpose together will be, in effect, the icing on the cake of his joy.