11 Sunday after Pentecost 8/12/07 Text: Philippians 2 Title: Help for the Hurried Life week two
11th Sunday after Pentecost
8/12/07
Week two of four-week sermon series
Text: Philippians 2
Title: “Help for the Hurried Life”
Last week we started the series, “Help for the Hurried Life.” A study that I think we all need. Before I start the second sermon in the series I want to go over one more time the difference between being busy and being hurried. Being busy is external. It is the things of life that we all do while being hurried is internal. It is the attitude we have toward being busy. Being hurried is caused by not having a clear understanding of God’s goal and thus purpose for their life.
That is why we are having this month long study of Philippians. Last week, as we studied the first chapter of Philippians in our daily devotions, small group Bible study and first sermon we found that we are, as Christians, slaves of God.
I would dare say that being a slave to anyone, even God, probably struck many of you as being strange and more than likely made you feel uncomfortable, for it goes against our nature.
Being a slave of God means that we are totally owned by God and we do not want to be owned by anyone. Being a slave of God means that we are to obey him in every way and we don’t like that either.
We might not like it, but if we are Christians we slaves of God and thank goodness for that, for God has a specific goal in mind for his followers and as a follower of Christ you really cannot live your life as a Christian unless you know that goal.
Think about it for a moment. It makes sense, you must know the goal to know how to live your life, whether it is in business, school, or your personal life. If you do not know your goal you will do nothing but run around living a very hurried life full of stress and unhappiness.
Now I know that all of you want to live a better and unhurried life, but the idea of being a slave, even of God, does not sound like a good thing. But who would you rather be owned by, yourself who you really can’t trust to always lead you in the right way, the devil who will lead you in the wrong way, or God who cannot lead you in the wrong way?
The answer is obvious, at least you would think it would be, but how we fight being a slave, as we try to be free, only to find ourselves slaves to the world and all its troubles.
Life moves at an incredible speed, at least it seems to as it leaves us exhausted. Why does life leave you that way, you might be wondering. Well, according to God’s word, as we read it in Philippians chapter two, it is because, and this is going to be hard to take, we are focused on ourselves. You say that cannot be true, for the reason that you are exhausted and hurried, is because you are focusing your attention to self.
What I am saying, is that living a hurried life comes because a person does not understand that God is in charge of everything. We need to change the lenses through which we see the world. You see, when you believe that you are an independent person, free of anyone’s influence you are viewing the world through lenses that are not the same as the lenses that you would see the world through after you have become a slave to God.
When you look through a slave’s lenses your focus changes from yourself to others. Are you looking through those lenses now? Here is an easy test you can take to see what lens you see the world through.
When you see a person in need do you see a problem, a nuisance, someone who is going to cause trouble in your life, or do you see a person who you want to show the love of Christ to?
You really have to be honest with yourself at this point, for you cannot continue on your trip to living an unhurried life until you can come to grips with this question. For you see once you know that you are seeing the world through the lens of self then you can make the change.
God’s Word is very clear about this. We read in verse three of chapter two. “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” There is the challenge. We need to look at others and see they are more important than ourselves. You think you can do that on your own? I don’t think so, anymore than I can, at least without God’s help.
Verses 5 through 8 are great verses. (read the passages) We could spend a month or more on just these verses. Did Jesus focus on self? Did he put himself before others, or think that he was worth more than others? Of course he did not, for he humbled himself.
I know, your probably thinking he is God and so he would have the ability to do that, but in thinking that you have forgotten that Jesus lived his life on this earth as one of us. He put his godhood aside to live and die for us. He knew his goal and he willingly obeyed the Father no matter what it took.
If you can’t get past the view that Jesus did not use his godly powers to resist temptation there is another couple of examples in chapter two of people putting others first. In verse 19 through 22 you see Timothy humbling himself to serve others. In verses 25 through 29 you can read of Epaphroditus and how he humbled himself to serve others.
What God is showing us through Paul’s writings is that you have a different attitude toward self and others when you live you life as a slave to God.
How many here today, mumble and grumble as you serve God through the work of the church? How many do not volunteer to help with the work of the church? Why is that? It is simply that they are thinking that they are serving God through their own power.
Even strong Christians too many times think that they are doing God’s work on their own. After all the Bible sometimes gives that impression. We only have to look at verse 12 to see what I mean.
Paul is telling us, “to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Now that sounds like we are to earn, or at least help God in our salvation doesn’t it? We know that is not true, so what does it mean?
To find the answer we need to keep reading. In verse 13 we read, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” What a discovery. You see it is not you that is doing the work. Oh, you are using your muscles, your brain, and whatever other gifts God has given you, but you are not doing it alone, unless God is lying to us. And we know that he cannot lie.
Why do I say that? God tells us in his Word that he is the one doing the work. He has given you your job. He has set the goal, your purpose in life. He has given you your willingness and ability. All you have to do is to serve others. The job is easy because he has already worked it out. You are not to feel overwhelmed, hurried, or any of the other things you feel now.
God will achieve the goal through you. He will, for if God says that is the way he works then that is the way he works. Does that change anything in your life? Maybe you are uncomfortable about letting God have control in your life. I hope not, for if God’s Word is is active in your life letting him have control will give you a feeling of peace, a sense of freedom as you live your busy life. You are no longer hurried or harassed, because you now know you are the flesh and blood, the living proof of God’s love.
Pretty radical isn’t it. It should be, for being a living breathing Christian is about living a radically changed life. It means a busy life of service without grumbling.
Feeling a little bit guilty, maybe big-time guilty? You don’t think you can live that kind of life and continue doing all you have been doing. You are right; you cannot on your own.
You will still have to make choices. You will have to cut some things out. You will have to decide if you want to follow God, yourself, or the world. I am telling you it will not be easy, for you are going to have to change something that is so ingrained in you, you don’t even know that it is the way you are. You are going to have to change your vision of self-centeredness to having a vision of Christ.
Will you be busy, of course you will? Will you get stressed from time to time, of course you will? Will you get worn out? Of course you will. Will you fail? You better believe you will.
But this I will guarantee you. You will not be hurried as long as you stay focused on this one truth; it is God’s work that you do, so you have nothing to be worried about, nothing to complain about, nothing to resent, or regret. Your life is being lived just the way it is suppose to be lived.
You are doing what God created you to do. What could be better than that? When you understand that, you will be seeing others through Jesus eyes, grace filled eyes and you will know what they need, the same thing you need, love and forgiveness, a release from their self-centeredness.
Live your life in peace as you cling to God’s grace. The forgiveness won by Jesus on the cross is the only way to escape a hurried life, a worthless life.
Help for the hurried life is not about finding some magic bullet or reading the latest self-help book, or listening to Ophra, or Dr. Phil, or having shorter to do lists, or even sticking a devotion, as important as that is, in front of your busy schedule.
Help comes only in the grace of Jesus; grace that forgives you forever; grace that reorients your life forever. You have that grace. You have that life. Now get out there and enjoy your life as God want you to live it, as a slave of God knowing that it God who is working in you. He is the one who gives you the will and the ability to live the life you can live. Amen
8/12/07
Week two of four-week sermon series
Text: Philippians 2
Title: “Help for the Hurried Life”
Last week we started the series, “Help for the Hurried Life.” A study that I think we all need. Before I start the second sermon in the series I want to go over one more time the difference between being busy and being hurried. Being busy is external. It is the things of life that we all do while being hurried is internal. It is the attitude we have toward being busy. Being hurried is caused by not having a clear understanding of God’s goal and thus purpose for their life.
That is why we are having this month long study of Philippians. Last week, as we studied the first chapter of Philippians in our daily devotions, small group Bible study and first sermon we found that we are, as Christians, slaves of God.
I would dare say that being a slave to anyone, even God, probably struck many of you as being strange and more than likely made you feel uncomfortable, for it goes against our nature.
Being a slave of God means that we are totally owned by God and we do not want to be owned by anyone. Being a slave of God means that we are to obey him in every way and we don’t like that either.
We might not like it, but if we are Christians we slaves of God and thank goodness for that, for God has a specific goal in mind for his followers and as a follower of Christ you really cannot live your life as a Christian unless you know that goal.
Think about it for a moment. It makes sense, you must know the goal to know how to live your life, whether it is in business, school, or your personal life. If you do not know your goal you will do nothing but run around living a very hurried life full of stress and unhappiness.
Now I know that all of you want to live a better and unhurried life, but the idea of being a slave, even of God, does not sound like a good thing. But who would you rather be owned by, yourself who you really can’t trust to always lead you in the right way, the devil who will lead you in the wrong way, or God who cannot lead you in the wrong way?
The answer is obvious, at least you would think it would be, but how we fight being a slave, as we try to be free, only to find ourselves slaves to the world and all its troubles.
Life moves at an incredible speed, at least it seems to as it leaves us exhausted. Why does life leave you that way, you might be wondering. Well, according to God’s word, as we read it in Philippians chapter two, it is because, and this is going to be hard to take, we are focused on ourselves. You say that cannot be true, for the reason that you are exhausted and hurried, is because you are focusing your attention to self.
What I am saying, is that living a hurried life comes because a person does not understand that God is in charge of everything. We need to change the lenses through which we see the world. You see, when you believe that you are an independent person, free of anyone’s influence you are viewing the world through lenses that are not the same as the lenses that you would see the world through after you have become a slave to God.
When you look through a slave’s lenses your focus changes from yourself to others. Are you looking through those lenses now? Here is an easy test you can take to see what lens you see the world through.
When you see a person in need do you see a problem, a nuisance, someone who is going to cause trouble in your life, or do you see a person who you want to show the love of Christ to?
You really have to be honest with yourself at this point, for you cannot continue on your trip to living an unhurried life until you can come to grips with this question. For you see once you know that you are seeing the world through the lens of self then you can make the change.
God’s Word is very clear about this. We read in verse three of chapter two. “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” There is the challenge. We need to look at others and see they are more important than ourselves. You think you can do that on your own? I don’t think so, anymore than I can, at least without God’s help.
Verses 5 through 8 are great verses. (read the passages) We could spend a month or more on just these verses. Did Jesus focus on self? Did he put himself before others, or think that he was worth more than others? Of course he did not, for he humbled himself.
I know, your probably thinking he is God and so he would have the ability to do that, but in thinking that you have forgotten that Jesus lived his life on this earth as one of us. He put his godhood aside to live and die for us. He knew his goal and he willingly obeyed the Father no matter what it took.
If you can’t get past the view that Jesus did not use his godly powers to resist temptation there is another couple of examples in chapter two of people putting others first. In verse 19 through 22 you see Timothy humbling himself to serve others. In verses 25 through 29 you can read of Epaphroditus and how he humbled himself to serve others.
What God is showing us through Paul’s writings is that you have a different attitude toward self and others when you live you life as a slave to God.
How many here today, mumble and grumble as you serve God through the work of the church? How many do not volunteer to help with the work of the church? Why is that? It is simply that they are thinking that they are serving God through their own power.
Even strong Christians too many times think that they are doing God’s work on their own. After all the Bible sometimes gives that impression. We only have to look at verse 12 to see what I mean.
Paul is telling us, “to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Now that sounds like we are to earn, or at least help God in our salvation doesn’t it? We know that is not true, so what does it mean?
To find the answer we need to keep reading. In verse 13 we read, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” What a discovery. You see it is not you that is doing the work. Oh, you are using your muscles, your brain, and whatever other gifts God has given you, but you are not doing it alone, unless God is lying to us. And we know that he cannot lie.
Why do I say that? God tells us in his Word that he is the one doing the work. He has given you your job. He has set the goal, your purpose in life. He has given you your willingness and ability. All you have to do is to serve others. The job is easy because he has already worked it out. You are not to feel overwhelmed, hurried, or any of the other things you feel now.
God will achieve the goal through you. He will, for if God says that is the way he works then that is the way he works. Does that change anything in your life? Maybe you are uncomfortable about letting God have control in your life. I hope not, for if God’s Word is is active in your life letting him have control will give you a feeling of peace, a sense of freedom as you live your busy life. You are no longer hurried or harassed, because you now know you are the flesh and blood, the living proof of God’s love.
Pretty radical isn’t it. It should be, for being a living breathing Christian is about living a radically changed life. It means a busy life of service without grumbling.
Feeling a little bit guilty, maybe big-time guilty? You don’t think you can live that kind of life and continue doing all you have been doing. You are right; you cannot on your own.
You will still have to make choices. You will have to cut some things out. You will have to decide if you want to follow God, yourself, or the world. I am telling you it will not be easy, for you are going to have to change something that is so ingrained in you, you don’t even know that it is the way you are. You are going to have to change your vision of self-centeredness to having a vision of Christ.
Will you be busy, of course you will? Will you get stressed from time to time, of course you will? Will you get worn out? Of course you will. Will you fail? You better believe you will.
But this I will guarantee you. You will not be hurried as long as you stay focused on this one truth; it is God’s work that you do, so you have nothing to be worried about, nothing to complain about, nothing to resent, or regret. Your life is being lived just the way it is suppose to be lived.
You are doing what God created you to do. What could be better than that? When you understand that, you will be seeing others through Jesus eyes, grace filled eyes and you will know what they need, the same thing you need, love and forgiveness, a release from their self-centeredness.
Live your life in peace as you cling to God’s grace. The forgiveness won by Jesus on the cross is the only way to escape a hurried life, a worthless life.
Help for the hurried life is not about finding some magic bullet or reading the latest self-help book, or listening to Ophra, or Dr. Phil, or having shorter to do lists, or even sticking a devotion, as important as that is, in front of your busy schedule.
Help comes only in the grace of Jesus; grace that forgives you forever; grace that reorients your life forever. You have that grace. You have that life. Now get out there and enjoy your life as God want you to live it, as a slave of God knowing that it God who is working in you. He is the one who gives you the will and the ability to live the life you can live. Amen
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 12:14 PM
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