Sermon Tone Analysis

*Philippians XV: Jesus in the Everyday *

*Philippians 4:2-5*

*/March 2, 2008/*

 

    

Sarah’s Hell-a’lujah song.

I took last week “off” to work on the website:

 

1.

If you got to TGCConline.com, it will take you to “About.”

2. The links are on the left, next is the “online Community.”

3. Next, “Sermons & Resources”

4. Next, “Movies...”

5. Next, “Prayer Room”

6. Finally “Calendar & Events”

7.

You can also click to see the full calendar.

I would love to see a *photo* *album* of church events.

Talk to me if you are interested in helping out with that or anything else.

·         The goal is to *inform*, *build* community and *equip*.

*Opening prayer*

 

·         Nicole’s father, and Dave Bishop and his family.

·         Eyes to see how to live Christ out in everyday life.

*Jesus in the everyday *

 

Paul is drawing to the end of the letter.

The main body of it wraps up with 4:1, and now he begins his *closing*, throwing out a ton of reminders and *miscellaneous* *commands*.

·         All of them are centered around living out the *radical*, life *transforming* change Jesus has made in us, in *everyday* life.

·         We have passed from *death* to *life*.

Peter and I went to a *conference*, and I was impressed by one of the speakers, who is an *economist*.

In the way he talked, his *Christianity* *permeated* his perspective.

This is how we’re meant to be, our *thoughts*, *attitudes*, *perspectives*, and *actions* should be so thoroughly *transformed* by the power of Christ that he pours out in every conceivable way.

·         Not *weirdly*, not as two separate tracks, but *integrated* and *naturally*.

I have *titled* this sermon “*Jesus* in the *everyday*” because we are going to look at four ways in which the Christian’s life should be *qualitatively* *different* because of what Jesus has done in us:

 

1) We get along, 2) We rejoice, 3) We are gentle, 4) we are not anxious [cut and preached following week due to time]

 

Turn to Philippians 4:2-7 but we will read as we go.

There are pew Bibles available.

*Bring* your *Bibles*, so you can keep track, and more importantly, *make* *notes* in you Bible.

*drama in philippi*

 

The mark of Christianity is *unity*, yet two women in the church are having a hard time getting along.

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.

/Philippians 4:2-3 NIV /

 

Paul does not tell us what the problem is, which tells us a lot:

 

·         It was not *doctrinal* and it was not *moral*.

·         What we have here is some first class *drama*.

It was about was *big* *enough* to be addressed in the Bible, which causes us to believe they were *leaders*.

They were probably *deaconess* and their rift could bring a rift into the church.

Paul pleads, begs them to “agree with each other.”

The Greek phrase means to have a common *heart* and *mind*, it mean *harmony*.

·         It is being in *community* with each other.

*Bigger churches need unity more*

 

The *bigger* this church gets, the more important *unity* and *trust* between the *leaders* becomes.

Currently we are *too* big for this to be a true community.

We cannot all share life together, so we meet in *smaller* *groups*, but we mostly *know* *each* *other*.

Q   How do we maintain unity when we are too big to know everyone?

We are going to grow.

We *proclaim* the *truth* of God, we live in *community*, and we *reach* out and *engage* our culture.

We will *maintain* and *develop* community in smaller *groups*, but to prevent becoming several *small* *churches* meeting in one building, the *leaders* (group leaders and elders) must be in *community*.

·         Some scholars think these women both *hosted* *house* *churches*.

*Mediators *

 

But Paul knows that these ladies are beyond being able work it our themselves, so he appoints a mediator: “I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women...”

 

Q   Who was this “loyal yokefellow”?

Paul?

He doesn’t say (and he *isn’t* *shy* about *naming* names), which leads me to believe it is an *open* *invitation*: If you are my yokefellow, and you are able to help, then do.

·         The mark of a *mature* *Christian* is that he or she can help *bring* *unity*, rather than being drug into the *drama*.

·         A mediator can’t take *sides* with either party, but place his or her *allegiance* with *Christ* and *unity*.

The *mediator’s* *job* is to remind these women that they share a *common* *purpose* (“contended at my side for the gospel”)and they share a *common* *family* (“whose names are in the book of life”)

 

 

*Getting along*

 

And now turning back to bringing Jesus into everyday life:

 

·         We bring Jesus into everyday life by getting along and helping others get along.

In all relationships, we should be the peacemakers.

·         One of the greatest keys to this is *humility*.

·         If we’re not so interested in being *first*, it is amazing how much better we get along.

And specifically looking at relationships with *Christian* *co*-*workers*: What does it say when Christians coworkers are more interested in their *differences* than *similarities*?

*Rejoice*

 

The *second* thing that should make Christians different is their ability to *rejoice* in all *circumstances*.

Rejoice in the Lord always.

I will say it again: Rejoice!  /Philippians 4:4 NIV /

 

This isn’t a denial that *life* is *hard*.

Paul wrote this from *death* *row*.

But we rejoice because we know that *God* is *good*.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.*

*/Romans 8:28-30 NIV /

 

Before we were *born*, God knew that we would *choose* *him*.

And the point is that our *entire* *life* is like *book* before him.

We *can’t* *tell* at any given point what’s *free* *will*, what God *controls*, and what he *allows*.

·         But we know that our story is a *not* a *tragedy*.

The second way that we bring Jesus into everyday is by rejoicing in all circumstances.

In the *everyday* we should be filled with *joy*, and in the *dark* times, *peace*, *trust*, and *hope*.

*Gentleness*

 

Likewise, we should also be known for gentleness.

Let your gentleness be evident to all.

The Lord is near.

/Philippians 4:5 NIV /

 

/Epieikes:/ BAG: “Not *insisting* on every *right* of [the] letter of [the] law...*yielding*, *gentle*, *kind*, *courteous*, *tolerant*.”

Christians should be known for being the *gentlest*, *kindest*, and most *courteous* people in the *office*, in the *checkout* line, and even in *traffic*.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.*

*/Philippians 2:5-7 NIV  /

 

The knowledge that *Jesus* is *near* *motivates* us to act like him.

Nearness can mean either *nearby* or *soon*, and Paul means both.

We bring Jesus into everyday by being gentler, kinder, and more courteous than the world around us.

 

 

 

 

*Benediction** *

 

May the Holy Spirit fill you and make your unity, joy, and gentleness know to all.