Sermon Notes 11/25/2012

Joy in Temptation

Philippians 2:12-30

The Doctrine of Providence, that God is in charge of human history and God is good, and that God works things out just in the nick of time to help us learn what he has to teach us.

So when we pick up this section of scripture, their need was exactly as our need. Some of their responses are like some of your responses. And my hope is to use what Paul has written, as inspired by God, to help us have some insight on how we should proceed as a church.

Verse 12

“Therefore” – “therefore” is picking up on what has transpired in Chapter 2, verses 1 through 11, and that is that Jesus Christ is God, who humbly came into human history to live a perfect life without sin – the life we have not lived – to go to the cross and die as a substitute in our place for our sins, paying our penalty for sin, which is death.

That he ascended into heaven and he is now glorified. He is exalted. He’s ruling and reining over all people’s times, places, nations and cultures, from his heavenly throne, and that Jesus’ name is above every name. That in the name of Jesus, every knee should bow and every tongue confess in heaven and on the earth and under the earth that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father. Jesus has made a new people. Jesus has made a new way of life, and Jesus’ name is to be exalted in all things, in all ways, at all times by his people.

Therefore, my beloved,

·         He planted the church

·         He pastored the church

·         He loved his people

·         Just like I planted and pastor this church

As you have always obeyed

·         How many of you really don’t like that word obeyed?

·          We live in a culture that is committed to disobedience.

·         Children should rebel against their parents – disobey them.

·         Parents are encouraged to disobey spiritual leadership in the church People are encouraged to disobey God – to disobey scripture.

·         It’s sort of hip and trendy and cool and admirable in some circles to be disobedient. To be disrespectful. To be defiant.

·         I’m guessing none of you woke up this morning and said, “God, teach me to obey. I want to obey. I love to obey. I long to obey.

Here is what he is saying – if you have loving Godly leadership, obey that leadership. If you have parents who love the Lord, obey them. If you have a boss who is a decent boss, obey them at your job. If you have pastors, leaders, in ministry who give you council, obey them.

here’s the deal – most of us disobey because we think we’re smarter than everyone. We think we’re better than everyone, and we think that we see ourselves more clearly than they do. And we’re wrong, because we’re blind to our own blindness and we’re foolish to our own folly, and if someone loves God and loves us and speaks to us, we should obey. We should listen. We should consider. And that requires what we spoke of last week – humility.

Read Verse 12-13

The doctrine of regeneration

·         Jesus Christ is God. He died to take away our sin. That is true. But in addition to that, he regenerates us

·         It is about God taking out your heart of stone, which is rebellious and foolish and hard hearted and obstinate and stubborn and wicked and depraved and sinful. and he replaces it with a heart of flesh. That is not a perfect heart, but a heart that is tender toward God that desires God.

·         Regeneration is being transformed, utterly changed from the inside out. A new heart, which Proverb says is the wealth spring of our life, or a new nature, to use that language, or a new identity. It’s a new center. “You become a new creation,” Paul says. You change from the inside out.

·         What accompanies that new nature – that new heart – is new desires. You desire things you never desired before.

·         Paul’s language. “God is at work in you.” “If you’re a Christian, God is at work in you.”

·         The Christian life is not without passion. It actually is very passionate

·         One theologian says that divine sovereignty and human responsibility is like two pedals on a bike.

·         The Christian life is not so much about what you need to stop doing.

o   It’s about what you need to start doing –

o   To replace an old affection with a new affection –

o   To replace an old pattern with an even better life through Jesus.

·         The first thing that God changes in us is our will.

o   Usually the problem is our will.

o   We want to do evil.

o   We want to do sin,

o   So God has to change our will.

o   Some people argue for free will. I don’t want free will. I want God’s will.

You will have conflicted desires, You’ll be tempted to sin. But if you truly have a new heart – a new nature – you’re deepest desire will be the desire to obey God, to live for him, to live life like him, to be someone who follows in the pattern of the life of Jesus.

For his good pleasure”:

·         God owes us nothing. But here’s the truth. God is a great God. Satan is horrible. Sin is terrible. The world is fallen, but God is good. God is a good God. And God takes pleasure, He delights in doing good.

·         God is good and God is pleased to do good for you.

·          God wants to save you, help you, change you, encourage you, convict you, instruct you, transform you, change your desires

·         He wants to transform your heart from the inside out. God enjoys doing that.

·         God loves saving people. God loves forgiving people. God loves changing people. He just does. It’s all for his good pleasure.

There are a few things that get in the way –in the way of working out of your new heart and new desires and new passions and new appetites and new gifts and new power. He addresses those in verse 14.

“Do all things without grumbling or questioning,”

·         This is complaining and whining and nitpicking. And it’s grumbling.

·         He is not saying to lie about your position in life (say your good when your not)

·         You can be honest. Paul’s honest. He is in prison. They might kill him. It’s not his favorite thing to do. It’s sort of rough for him.” He’s honest. You can be honest without complaining and grumbling.

·         When you think of grumbling, complaining, whining, what group of people in the Bible comes to mind first? The Israelites in the Old Testament!

o   They kept complaining. Until what? They died. That’s one way to stop complaining.

·         Some of you, you complain all the time.

·         When you’re grumbling, you’re so busy arguing with God, you don’t have time to listen to him.

o   You’ve not taken the time to ask the question, “Okay, God you’re good. You’re doing something good in me. What do you want me to learn?

o    How can I grow?

o   What are you trying to teach me?

o   What do I need to repent of?”

Does this mean I can’t have a question? You can have a question, but there’s a difference between having a question and always questioning. A question is “I don’t understand. This doesn’t make any sense. I’m confused. Explain this to me. Show me what God is saying here. I don’t know what happened. Could you help me understand?” That’s a question. Questions are perfectly fine.

Questioning is more like interrogation. Questioning is, “I don’t trust you. You’re guilty until proven innocent. I’m holier than you and smarter than you, and until you convince me, I’m convinced you’re wrong.”

Questioning, grumbling – sins to be repented of. Sins that actually get in the way of working out what God has worked in you.

Stopping to say, “Okay God, what are you trying to teach me? What are you trying to grow me in? What do I need to repent of? What do I need to learn here? Please don’t make me walk around my house for 40 years until I die. Please give me the humility to learn so I can figure this out and move on with my life.”

“That you may be blameless and innocent”

·         We need to come up with big words to justify our rebellion.

·         We have all these silly ways of getting our way. And the best thing to do with someone who’s hard hearted, rebellious and stubborn, is to go up and ask these questions – “Are you blameless and innocent?”

o   Then tell me where you’re not blameless and innocent.” Then that would be your sin

·         Are you blameless? Are you innocent? There’s always something for us to repent and learn.

Read Verse 14-15

·         Sometimes people who say they’re Christians get so consumed in their own disobedience.

o   They get so consumed in their own self-righteousness.

o   They get so consumed in their own feelings

o   Their own hurts

o   Their own wants

o   Their own needs

o   They forget that they’re supposed to be a witness to the world.

He’s saying, “You know what, it’s a crooked, jacked up world.” And non-Christians are watching you, and they are asking the question, “Does Jesus make a difference?” And if you’re questioning God and if you’re one who continues to complain all the time and one who disobeys God, what he’s saying is people are watching. And they’re gonna say, “You know what? The church is as joke. That person’s a hypocrite. And Christianity doesn’t work because Jesus is a fraud.”

Some of you may not understand that a lot of people are watching you – friends, family, co-workers, neighbors – and how you live will indicate to them whether or not this doctrine of regeneration is true and Jesus really changes anybody.

Read Verse 16,17,18 and Preach it !!