Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Good Morning...

Let me ask you something, how do you know if you have enough of something?

We are half way through the month of August so lets use the summer as an example.

“Have you had enough summer yet?”

That question is going be answered different ways by different people.

When some of us hear that question, we hear

“Have you had enough summer vacation so you are ready to get back to School?”

Some of us would hear “Have you had enough time at the cabin or beach or camping?

Have you had enough time in the boat, fishing?

Or playing baseball?

Softball?

Or Soccer?

Have you had enough time connecting with family and friends around picnics, reunions and outdoor gatherings.

Have you had enough grilling out, drinking lemonader or ice tea?

Have you had enough ice cream?

This is Demetri Panciera, an italian who has holds the world record for the most scoops of ice cream on top of a cone.

Catch me after the service to guess how many you think is there.

He probably doesn’t think there is such thing as enough ice cream.

Using this scale then we would say “No” the summer just went too fast and we wish we could have more Summer time.

We just didn’t have enough.

Some of us would say a very emphatic “No” we have not had enough, how could you have enough of these things.

But others of us would answer that question very differently.

From our perspective we have had enough Summer.

“We have had enough of the kids being home “boared” all day”

“We have had enough of the hot temperatures and the air conditioning with the high electric bills”

“We have had enough of the monsoon rains, at least this summer when it rains it pours!

“We have had enough of the air conditioner with it’s high electric bills.

“We have had enough of the mosquitoes, gnats and ticks”

“We have had enough of running the kids around to the fishing pier or the baseball, softball or soccer field”

“We have had enough of mowing the lawn”

Using that scale, we would say that we have had enough of summer.

I submit to you that the answer to whether or not you have had enough of something is largely based on the scale you use and how much value you put on the things on that scale.

If you are more of a spring, fall or winter person then you reached your “enough” for summer a long time ago.

But if you love the summer time then you might think that you never can reach “enough” summer time.

Tension

Of course the reason that I bring this up is not to just give you a moment to reflect on your summer experience, but because the Apostle Paul said that he has found the secret to having enough in every situation he is in.

Not just enough of his favorite season in the year, but total contentment at all times.

What would that be like?

To have unshakable contentment no matter what was going on around you.

To be so satisfied in something that you felt that you really had no unmet needs.

The fact that anyone could say such a thing is assounding, but it is especially remarkable when we consider where Paul is at when he made these claims.

And remember where Paul is at when he wrote this letter to the Philippians.

He is imprisoned waiting to hear if he will be released or beheaded.

And listen to this, Paul had to rent his place of confinement.

It was not 3 hots and a cot paid for by the generosity of the Roman correctional institution.

He had to pay his own way, the only thing the Roman government provided for him was a chain to a Roman guard day and night.

If that wasn’t enough, we read about how some of the leaders of the local Christian Church in Rome had become jealous of Paul’s gifts and reputation so they began a smear campaign against him.

We can understand a tactic like this because even today there are some “so called” pastors, teachers or evangelist attempt to build their following on the backs of hatred toward other pastors and teachers.

Instead of just boldly preaching Jesus as they should, in their envy and jealousy they get peoples attention by condemning other gifted pastors who don’t do ministry the same way they do.

This is exactly what Paul was dealing with as he said back in chapter one that, “They are thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.

And if that wasn’t enough, Epaphroditus, the man that the Church in Philippi sent to minister to Paul’s need had become so sick that he nearly died.

The Philippian Church heard of this, and Paul was worried that the Church would think that this was some sort of sign that Paul was no longer faithfully serving the Lord Jesus so he sent him back to assure them that both He and Paul are doing well.

From all outward appearances it would seem that Paul’s life has given him very little to be content in…and yet, he so confidently declares that he has everything he needs sitting in prison , that you would think that he was sitting in the most luxurious palace your mind can imagine.

Well that is what we are going to look into today so if

Open your Bibles with me to , p. 982, I’ll pray and we will learn Paul’s secret together.

Once we have determined that standard then we have two choices.

For example: If we have determined that enough is here (hand up) and we are down here (hand down) then we either have to get more of something or we have to lower the standard of enough.

He has found the secret to having enough, and that is what we are going to look into today so if will open your Bibles with me to , p. 982, I’ll pray and we will learn Paul’s secret together.

You have probably noticed that I have brought back in our mailbox this morning

The Apostle Paul planted this church from a team of people who were very diverse in so many ways.

There was Lydia the wealthy fashionista from Asia, the local girl who was delivered from demonic oppression, and the Roman prison guard whose was about to kill himself until the words of Paul and Silas brought him life.

This group and others came together to form the Church in Philippi.

We have said repeatedly that this Church for all practical purposes was a healthy Church and so we wanted to know what does a healthy Church look like.

We have spent the summer exploring this question from the book of Philippians and from so many different pasts of this book we saw how Paul instructed this Church to continue to be a Joyful Gospel Partnership.

Even last week, when addressing conflict between two women in the Church Paul speaks of their partnership in the Gospel and how they need to “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say Rejoice”.

And we even went old School Sunday School an sang that in a round.

Sorry if you missed it.

But even in handling conflict the same themes appear - be Joyful in what Christ has done as your partners together to share and live in the life-giving message of the Gospel.

Amidst the doctrinal teachings and guiding principles of the book we might

With so many rich doctrinal teachings and guiding principles in this book, it is easy to loose sight of the fact that it is still a letter from on person to a group of others.

So just as we pointed out some familiar letters components in the beginning, we will see them clearly in the closing as well.

Remember we starte

Paul’s situation seemed dire and yet he was Rejoicing in the prison below while the Roman Empower was Stressed out in the Palace above.

Last week: Be anxious about nothing but be prayerful about everything.

Tension

Truth

It was two and a half months ago when I introduced this series with a mailbox and I brought it back out again to remind us that the book of Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the Church in Philippi.

In this very personal letter Paul has given the readers glimpses into his personal feelings as well as teachings on very important doctrine.

The Church in Philippi seems to have grown from it’s very diverse beginnings into a a good example of a healthy Church.

So much of the letter is the Apostle Paul encouraging them to keep up the good work, but last week we also read of a conflict between two women.

Yes, healthy Churches have conflict, but they deal with conflict in healthy ways, so Paul instructs them on how to help these women resolve their conflict.

Paul’s instructions were clear, other mature Christians should come along side these two Christian women and help them to agree in the Lord.

They were to not be anxious about anything, but instead to pray about everything.

That was their instructions in a nutshell.

Then God would move in them from the inside-out and the reconciliation that comes would preserve the Joyful Gospel Partnership that every Church should be.

that

The Apostle Paul planted this churchom a team of people who were very diverse in so many ways.

There was Lydia the wealthy fashionista from Asia, the local girl who was delivered from demonic oppression, and the Roman prison guard whose was about to kill himself until the words of Paul and Silas brought him life.

This group and others came together to form the Church in Philippi.

We have said repeatedly that this Church for all practical purposes was a healthy Church and so we wanted to know what does a healthy Church look like.

We have spent the summer exploring this question from the book of Philippians and from so many different pasts of this book we saw how Paul instructed this Church to continue to be a Joyful Gospel Partnership.

Even last week, when addressing conflict between two women in the Church Paul speaks of their partnership in the Gospel and how they need to “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say Rejoice”.

And we even went old School Sunday School an sang that in a round.

Sorry if you missed it.

But even in handling conflict the same themes appear - be Joyful in what Christ has done as your partners together to share and live in the life-giving message of the Gospel.

Last week: Be anxious about nothing but be prayerful about everything.

The book of Philippians has a lot verses that so rich that many people have commited them to memory.

In fact the book has been called one of the “coffee mug” books of the Bible, because if you were to go into a Christian bookstore or website you will found so many Philippian Verses on coffee mugs, posters, greeting cards etc and it makes it too easy to forget the context of these very quotable verses.

The book of Philippians is a letter written in time from on person, the Apostle Paul, to a group of people, the Church in Philippi.