Philippians 1:19-26 - Happiness & Hope

Debrief

Debrief offers an abridged outline of the Sunday sermon for individuals or Community Groups alike, to re-engage the content of the Sunday sermon.  This outline is far from complete, but serves to give a track or road map to walk through the content of Sunday in another context during the week.

BIG IDEA: The Big Idea of this Sunday was focused on the relationship between our happiness and our hope.  Christians ought to be the happiest people on earth, because they are the only ones that ultimately have hope in the truest sense of hope.

The Bible says that there is no real hope apart from Jesus Christ. 

Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants and promise, having no hope and without God in the world. – Ephesians 2:12 

HOPE = Outcome – (Time + Means)Hope = Certainty - Uncertainty Is

Your Outcome Fixed?   (v:19-21) 

 The happiest Christians on earth are certain about their outcome.......that they will ALWAYS be with Jesus

Salvation (perfect tense):  salvation past as well as salvation present and salvation future Paul is not merely talking about his certainty of his present deliverance, but his certainty of his future deliverance  (Job 13:16)  (Direct quote from GK OT) Paul has hope because he knows the One that can ultimately deliver him is also the One that has delivered him and can presently deliver him.

Paul has hope through:

• The Prayers of God’ People
• The Presence & Power of God’s Spirit  (Romans 8:1)
• The Prayers of God’s People FOR the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers AND THE CONSEQUENT help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance……

Eager Expectation:  watching something intently with your head turned intentionally away from other objects (Tunnel Vision) 

Because of the Presence of Jesus in the past, present and future, and through the power and presence of the Spirit through the prayers of God's people, Paul is CERTAIN of his OUTCOME.......he will be with Jesus.......the only place there's hope
Honored: (lit) made large; to make big or great

Because Paul is CERTAIN that Jesus is with him, and he with Jesus, in every circumstance in life.....and in death, Paul can make Jesus big in any circumstance.  This is the outcome of having our OUTCOME FIXED

Are Your Variables Flexible?   (v:22-26) 

The happiest Christians on earth on the most flexible Christians on earth.

Paul could be the happiest Christian on earth in the most unhappy circumstances on earth because he understood that the Christian life is all about fruitful Labor NOT Luxury.

Paul could be the happiest Christian on earth, even in death, because he believed that being in heaven was FAR BETTER......because being in heaven meant being with Jesus 

Paul is not choosing death and running from life, but he’s choosing death because it means gaining life…..in Christ. 

There is not much that the Bible says about Heaven   But what it DOES SAY is that we will be with Jesus.  That’s the MAIN THING

If our OUTCOME is FIXED, our VARIABLES can be FLEXIBLE, even if it means suffering and death, because we still know we'll be with Jesus, either way.

When we aren't certain of our outcome.......when we don't know for certain that our outcome is fixed, we try all the harder to fix our variables, instead of being flexible.  What we're not certain of we try to control.

Diving In

 Diving In offers a few questions to help you re-engage the concepts from Sunday.  Feel the freedom to use all of the questions, or to simply camp out on just one.  These questions aren't intended to answer all the issues that surface through the thrust of this weeks' message, but to simply raise them and allow you time and space to process them, ideally in the context of your Community Group.

• How have you seen Jesus deliver you, save you, in the past?  What do you know about how Scripture says Jesus will deliver you in the future?  How does that color the way you walk through the circumstances you're in in the present?  What does that do to your hope?
• How have you seen the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, through the prayers of God's people, give you assurance of your outcome in the midst of the outworkings of life?
• How has Jesus been "made big" in the midst of the things in your life lately?
• Are you certain you're with Jesus, and Jesus is with you, in the things of today?  Are you certain you'll stand blameless before Jesus on THAT day?  Why?
• Would you say your tendency is to be flexible with the variables of life, or to try to fix the variables of life yourself?  What might this say?
• Would you say your tendency is to see life more as Luxury or fruitful Labor?

Deep End

The Deep End is a short and simple formation exercise you can use to dive deep into your heart before God. Feel the freedom to divert from the directions if that makes it easier for you to connect with Jesus in this exercise.

• First, quiet your heart before the Lord. If you find yourself distracted by various thoughts (things on your “To Do” list, etc.), don’t “fight” the distractions, but rather spend some time praying over those things. Hopefully soon your heart will quieted down and you will be able to hear the Lord speaking to you.
• Next, spend some time reading and meditating over Philippians 1:21.  Commit this one verse to memory if you have yet to do so.
• After that, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you one specific way that living is 'Christ' to you today, even in the midst of what might seem like not so desirable circumstances.  Ask the Spirit to reveal to you the way Jesus would walk through that particular circumstance.
• Last, read over Romans 8:11.  What kind of hope does this promise give you as you walk through this circumstance like Jesus, with Jesus and for Jesus?
• End your time by thanking Jesus for the hope He alone has given you.

My hope is that these simple exercises in The 60 will help what we discovered during this week be distilled, and deepened in your heart and life with Jesus.

Matt

For The Elders