A Theology of Unity

Series: Breakout
June 22, 2008

The first week I tried to get everyone excited about our Breakout series, which is really a study taking us all the way through the letter to the church in Philippi. The second week I tried to get everyone even more excited by talking about the major theme of the letter: the joy-filled Christian life. Then last week I dropped the bomb and talked the whole service about suffering.

I thought if ever there was a service that was going to drive people away in droves it was going to be last Sunday. Basically, we invited you to embrace suffering as a major component not just of life, but specifically as part of the Christian life. You can expect to suffer as a Christian, and you can expect to suffer even because you are a Christian. But, that you can use that suffering as an opportunity- an opportunity to glorify God and grow in Him. You can run away, you can throw up you fists and shake them at the world and at God, and really you can, and all of us probably will at some point in our lives. Or you can turn to God, to glorify God and to grow in God. That’s what Paul, the author of the letter to Philippi, did. He turned his imprisonment to God. He used it as a platform for ministry. He used it to go deeper into God, deeper into his relationship with Jesus, deeper into complete submission, dependence into service.

There are many of you who simply said this is my experience. I have suffered, but it’s made me go deeper. I have suffered, but through it I glorify God. I have suffered, but I have grown in faith, in hope, in love. Folks, I commend you because I have heard stories of suffering that far surpass anything I’ve experienced in my life. I commend you because you have suffered, but you have not wasted it. You have taken it, you have owned it, you have used it. And you know what- that’s not normal. That’s a God thing. That is God working in your life, to turn your suffering into glory and growth.

Now like I said last week, we aren’t supposed to avoid suffering at all costs, but neither are we supposed to pursue it. It’s a reality of this life that we use to glorify God and grow in him. But there is another way to glory and growth. Let me tell you a prayer I learned a long time ago. It’s a prayer I started praying regularly since some difficult times in my youth. It’s a prayer that goes something like this-

God, if I can learn the easy way, please teach me the easy way.

Folks, I’m just going to confess to you that I’m not a strong man. I run, I bike, I swim, I bench press 350 pounds, ok, 300, ok maybe 250 on a good day. I may try to look tough, act tough, talk tough, but I’m not. I don’t like to suffer. I don’t like pain. I don’t like hunger. I don’t like thirst. I don’t like to have my heart broken. I don’t like to see people I love suffer. I don’t think I’d last a minute in prison. I like hot meals and a warm bed. I like to hold my woman in my arms. I like to play with my kids. I like to be healthy. I like healthy relationships.

I don’t like to learn the hard way. Now given the choice between learning, and not learning, between growth, and stagnating, I’m going to take growth, I’m going to take learning. But if I can learn and grow the easy way, instead of the hard way, I’m going to take the easy way. But some people spend a lifetime learning the hard way. Every lesson has to come with a price. They can’t simply take good and wise words and apply them to their life. They have to test every limit. They have to experience the consequences before they apply the truth. I’m no masochist people. I’m far from it. I’m a hedonist. I’m all about maximizing pleasure. I’m all about enjoying God, enjoying people, enjoying life.

And the great thing is- so is Paul. So this is what Paul then goes into for the rest of Philippians. God doesn’t want us to suffer forever, and so He is righting the wrong and suffering in the world. God doesn’t want an eternity of pain and sorrow and tears, so he is coming again, the bible tells us, to put to right all the wrongs, to bring justice, righteousness and peace. Perfect Shalom, to use the Hebrew word- the perfect state of harmony between God, people, and all of creation- both heaven and earth. He gets into this in chapter 2, but I want to go back and preface this with Paul’s prayer in chapter one. It’s too good to miss:

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ- to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11

Look at that prayer. Let’s break it down into its three parts:

First, “that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.” Have you ever known a young couple in love? That stage where they ask, “What do you want to do tonight?” “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” “I know, we can just sit on this couch and look at each other all evening long.” “Oh there’s nothing I’d love more.” “Oh I love you.” “The world has never before known a love like this.” We have at least three engaged couples here at Connections now, and let me be the first to tell you, this as the minister that will officiate your wedding- you are pathetic. WE see you looking at each other and batting your eyes. One says, “I have to use the rest room,” and the other says, “Hurry back, I’ll miss you.” You have no idea how much comic relief you provide the rest of us.

But it’s a great stage, a stage not to be missed or cut short. Because you are making the emotional tie that is going to take you into the next stages of your life together, and that’s a love that abounds more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. Robin and I don’t really have the time now to sit on the couch and bat our eyes at each other, but I love Robin better now heading into our 12th year of marriage because I have a depth of knowledge and insight about her only surpassed by God. I know what she’s like in good times and bad, in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health. And I will continue to learn to love her better, to know her better, to know how to encourage her, support her, challenge her.

Paul wants the same for us in Jesus. When we first believe in Jesus, when His Spirit comes into our lives, when we go from being spiritually dead in sin to alive in Christ, it’s often like first love. Everything is great, cup cakes and sprinkles. And that’s a great stage. But we can’t sit on the couch with Jesus forever saying how much we love each other. We go and we grow. We grow in knowledge and depth of insight.

Here’s why, the second part of that prayer: so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ Jesus. This is an encouragement couched in a promise. He is encouraging them to grow in this love so they can discern what is best. Some of you here love Jesus. You have come to put your belief in Him, you are now alive in him and in love with him, but folks, now you need to learn some discernment. It’s time to grow up a bit and learn to discern.

This is actually quite a passion of mine, and thus, if I’m not completely weird and different from everyone else in the world, something that is deeply desired by many of us. I long for discernment. I pray for discernment. I want to be able to discern rightly what to do with my life, how to live in this world, where to invest my time and talents and resources, how to launch this church, how to lead this church, how to be a husband, how to be a father, how to love my neighbors. I want discernment, but it’s a confusing world, with competing values, and controversial beliefs. I want to be like the men of Issachar! What does that mean? 2 Chronicles 12:32, when the tribes of Israel, the nation of God, were being listed counted, tells us the men of Issachar understood the times and knew what Israel should do. I have always, always longed for that spirit of discernment, that I might understand the times and know what to do, that the church today might understand the times and know what to do, that right here, right now, Connections would be the kind of church that would understand the times here in London, and know what to do. To know how to grow God’s kingdom and this church, to reach out to our city, to bring them into worship and go with them into mission. We need discernment.

The encouragement is this- to be discerning so we may be pure and blameless. You know what it’s like to feel dirty and guilty. It doesn’t feel good. But to be pure and blameless, not in any smut or condescending way, but to just know we stand pure and blameless before God, before our spouse, before our children, before the world, that is golden! If you’re stuck in the dirt and guilt, ask forgiveness. Be forgiven. Then get discerning.

Because there is a promise here for the believer- pure and blames until the day of Christ Jesus. I elude to this a lot, because the bible alludes to this a lot, and someday soon I’ll really develop the promise in a sermon. But the Christ-follower has the giant, huge, guiding promise that stands out in front of us helping us to learn discernment, helping us in our suffering, offering us joy and hope, and it’s that Jesus Christ is coming again. That is the path of redemption that this world is on: Jesus came, Jesus ascended back to Heaven, Jesus send the Holy Spirit, and Jesus will return. Then all who put their faith in Him will be pure and blameless for all eternity in the new heavens and earth. Many of you believe that already, some of you are still learning about it. It is central to our faith and relationship with God, and I’ll tell you all about it sometime.

Paul prays one, that your love may abound, two, that you will be able to discern, and finally, three, that you will be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ- to the glory and praise of God. Filled with the fruit of righteousness. Fruit that grows only through life in Jesus and the filling of the Holy Spirit. Whole passages of the bible are dedicated to teaching us about the fruits of the Spirit. Here Paul squeezes them all into one word- righteousness. The fruit of a life set right with God.

This doesn’t come naturally, this is something that must come from God and grow from God within us. My son Justin has entered the fighting 4’s you’ve heard of the terrible 2’s- they have nothing on the fighting 4’s). Justin is genuinely a sweet boy, but all the sweetness in the world can’t defeat the reality of a sinful nature. Lately that nature has been rearing it’s ugly head. He’s been fighting with everyone, especially his sisters. Robin intervened the other day when he was pulling his sister’s hair on the trampoline. She took him aside and started lecturing, “Justin, we do not hit, kick bite or fight or pull our sisters hair. You need to love you sisters.” Justin then, with all sincerity Robin said, hit knocked himself on the head in frustration saying, “I keep forgetting that!”

And that’s the simple truth and reality of our lives- we keep forgetting these simple truths, we keep forgetting so we keep praying- we pray to abound in love with depth and insight, to learn to discern through the filling of the Holy Spirit, to be filled with the fruits of righteousness.

Now I want to jump over to chapter 2 because in these first few verses we have an amazing description of what a life of righteousness looks like.

Philippians 2:1-4. 1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

This is one of those passages that’s so good I’m afraid to preach on it because I don’t want to mess it up. But let me reflect on it with you just a bit. Paul makes a personal plea here. It’s an interesting move. He asks them to make his joy complete. It’s kind of crazy, but the fact is, Paul can say this and have it mean something. Paul planted and pastured this church. He came to Philippi and the church started with a purple cloth maker, a formerly demon possessed girl, and a roman jailer and his household. He loved the church and people of Philippi. He earned their loved and respect and admiration. So he can say, hey, make my joy complete, because they know what is going to bring him joy is going to be for their own good. What will bring him more joy than anything else in all the world? Being free from prison? No. Riches? No. Fame, popularity, power, prestige? No, no, no! There is only one thing in all the world that has the power to make his joy complete…Unity in love and spirit and purpose! Nothing would bring him more joy, more pleasure, than to know that the church stands together in unity.

The only way this is going to happen is if we are all praying to abound in love; if we are all growing in spiritual discernment, looking forward to the day of Christ’s return; if we are all living lives filled with the fruit of righteousness. This is only going to happen if everyone gets past his or her own dumb personal platforms and gets on with doing and being what is best for everyone. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but consider others better than yourselves.

I think what Paul is asking them to do is perhaps the hardest thing in the world for any of us humans to do, but is the one most necessary and needed thing in the world for all of us to do- to humble ourselves and truly put other people and their needs ahead of ours. Do we really know what effect this would have on our lives and on our world if we were completely unified, as the church, putting everyone else’s needs ahead of ours? Putting everyone else’s interests ahead of ours? What if more folks like Kathryn took six months to service in a developing country? What if more folks like Ben and Jen took students to share the gospel on university and college campuses across Canada and around the world? What if more folks like John, and Mike and Thea raised thousands and thousands of dollars to end the cycle of poverty in our world, and biked across the continent to raise awareness and education?

• Today, if this would happen, every man, woman and child in London would be fed, and housed, and would hear the good news of Jesus Christ. Today, if all the churches, if all the believers did this, this would happen in every city on every continent in the world!
• Tomorrow, everyone in every far reaching town and village would likewise be fed and clothed and housed.
• Tuesday everyone would have access to fresh drinking water.
• Wednesday every spear and every tool of war would be melted down into turned into plows to till the ground.
• Thursday medical care would make it every sick and wounded and hurting person.
• Friday everyone would have all their basic needs met and would have meaningful work.
• Saturday everyone in the world would know what the love of Jesus Christ truly looks like when the church comes together and puts everyone needs ahead their own.
• Then, by next Sunday, Jesus would just have to come back again because the only thing that would be missing would be the final defeat over all sin and death in the coming Kingdom of God.

I can picture it, I can imagine it, I can pray for it, but none of it is going to happen until I get past my own selfish desires and start to put other interests ahead of mine. None of it is going to happen until I can just love my own wife a little more than myself. Until I can just walk across the street and introduce myself to my neighbor and say, I just want you to know that you can ask me for anything, anytime, because I’m a Christian, and Jesus commands me to love my neighbor. None of this is going to happen until I willing to say this is going to cost me some time, some energy, some emotion, some stability, some financial gain. It’s also going to cost me some selfish ambition, some vain conceit, some pride, some personal interest. But you know, maybe that’s not a bad price to pay to see lives changed and the entire world changed because all of us, all Christ followers in all churches on all the continents started putting everyone else’s interests and needs above their own.

This is my prayer for you: that your love may abound, that you will learn to discern, that you will be filled with the fruit of righteousness. Then that you will make my joy complete, as your pastor, by being one in spirit and purpose, putting everyone’s interest above your own.

A Theology of Suffering

Series: Breakout
June 15, 2008

Last we unpacked what I could have called “a theology of joy.” We live in a culture that is joy-obsessed. People are searching for it with all their heart, mind, soul and strength. But because they have made joy their god, they find themselves not on the upward trajectory to happiness, but the downward spiral to misery. They accumulate stuff, they become workaholics, they look for the one person to make them complete, and joy continues to elude them. But this desire for happiness and joy is God given, it is good, and it’s part of what it means to be human. So we don’t abandon the search for joy, we just need to look in the right place!

We look to God. We affirm that true joy, the kind of joy that isn’t faked or forced, that wells up inside of us, that transcends time, place, situations and circumstances, comes only in God. For our God is a God of joy, who made joy, who is joyful, who gives us joy in Him. We put our life in Him, we put our faith and trust in Him, we put our belief in Him, and when we get our purpose straight in Him, we are, as CS Lewis put it, “surprised by joy.” We are surprised to find the joy of the Lord. It’s the icing on the cake, the after-effect we we’re expecting, which makes it all the better.

But joy isn’t the whole story of our lives is it. In fact, our desire for joy really stems out of the other side of the coin, the other extreme of our lives, and that’s the reality of suffering. In this book of the bible we are studying, Paul, the author, rejoices over the church he planted in Philippi. He prays for them, he thanks God for them, he has the full assurance that God will complete his plan and purpose for them. And he knows that Jesus is coming again, maybe in his lifetime. He knows Jesus will come and complete his work of redeeming and renewing all of the creation. He will complete His redeeming work in all of us, His children. This is the source of his joy! God started a great work of salvation in our world and in our lives, and He will see it through to completion. His plans for the world and our lives cannot and will be thwarted. God is in control!

But there’s the crazy thing: all of this, he shares from a jail cell. He shares from one of the most miserable, hopeless, helpless situations a man can find himself in. He writes this letter of joy even while he suffers. And that’s what we want to get into today. Let me read for you where the letter picks up in verse 12:

Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The later do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motive or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice!
Yes and I will continue to rejoice for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life of by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain! Philippians 1:12-21

Paul has been thrown in prison for telling people about Jesus and calling them to put their life and belief in Him as Lord and Savior. We might think that is crazy in our modern world with so many freedoms, but this was in fact one of the greatest crimes against Rome. For Rome demanded that the emperor alone is Lord and Savior. You can have other gods, worship them, whatever, but the emperor is the Lord, and he is your salvation. Paul is building a church on a different Lord and savior- Jesus.

And as if suffering in prison wasn’t enough, he suffers more because his enemies are stirring up trouble for him. They are stirring up so much trouble that Paul isn’t sure if he is going to live or die. But what’s amazing is that this doesn’t really bother him. To live, he says, is to serve Christ, and to die is to be with Christ. In fact, he goes on to say he is torn between the two. Part of him just wants to end the suffering that he knows in this world, to be put to death, and to be with Jesus; the other part knows that God continues to have a purpose and plan for his life on this earth. That plan is even evident in prison. For even there, perhaps all the more there, the gospel is being preached and is changing lives. All the guards, all the prisoners, all the brothers in Jesus know that he is in chains for the gospel. And as long as he is, he will continue to preach and to encourage the other believers. So Paul will press on in joy and in suffering.

What Paul has done, through his own suffering, and through the suffering of Jesus Christ, has given us a very tight “theology of suffering” to help us makes sense of our own suffering. What I don’t have to convince you of this morning is that you will suffer. I don’t have to convince you because you already agree with me whole-heartedly. “No argument here George, I have suffered and I continue to suffer, and in fact, I don’t think you have any idea how much I suffer.” You shed many tears, you have sleepless nights, you have know pain and misery and sorrow and sadness. If there someone here who doesn’t agree with me that there is suffering in this world, I’m just going to say, wait. I don’t say that smugly, or with some perverse pleasure in suffering. I’m just saying, you’ll find out soon enough. If you don’t think there’s suffering just stick with me, because someday you’ll need what I’m about to tell you.

What I do want to convince you of this morning is that suffering is in fact part of the Christian life. That you will suffer in this life- so use it! You will suffer in this world, so take advantage of it. You will suffer in your life, so seize it as an opportunity. You will suffer so don’t waste it! Today I want us to develop our theology of suffering, and I want to be very clear about this- Suffering is not to be esteemed as a virtue, not avoided at all costs, but rather, seized as an opportunity to glorify God and grow in our faith.

First, I want to be very clear suffering is not to be esteemed or pursued. This is one far end of the spectrum, and the earlier of the two mistakes we make regarding suffering. The early church rightly observed, and embraced the fact, that Jesus suffered. This was revolutionary in itself. We are going to get into this in a big way in chapter 2. It was compelling for many, it was transformational, that Jesus suffered. So some folks when to the extreme to actually pursue suffering. They sought to deny themselves pleasure, to deny themselves beauty, and food, and drink, and joy. The actually sought to be martyrs, they wanted to suffer and die for Jesus. Folks, there is nothing noble in this. There is nothing biblical in this. Suffering is not to be sought after. Suffering is not the way it’s supposed to be. The bible story begins with a world where there is no suffering. There was no pain, no sorrow, no suffering before sin entered the world with the fall of man. The bible ends with a world where suffering is again destroyed. Suffering is not to be elevated to a timeless Christian ideal to seek through the centuries and into eternity. The logical conclusion to seek suffering is to seek life outside of a relationship with God, apart of Jesus, apart of the redemption only he can offer, and that is sick, that is wrong. We don’t seek suffering, that’s not the same as seizing it as an opportunity.

The other extreme is to deny, or avoid suffering at all costs. To say that suffering has no place in the Christian life. This is to deny reality, to deny what the bible teaches, and to deny ourselves opportunities that God has placed before us. The extreme of avoidance is more modern mistake. To avoid pain and suffering physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, at any cost. There is a false gospel that says the Christian life is free from suffering. And if you are experiencing suffering, you just need to pray more, work harder, confess some sin. Now to be sure, that is sometimes the case. When certain types of suffering come into our lives, the right response is repentance and confession. I’m talking about kind of theology that says this side of Jesus’ return we are to actually pursue a life free and void of suffering. A theology that says all pain and suffering is merely evidence that somehow we are not right with God. This is a lie, this is a works based salvation, and sadly, this kind of theology actually leads to more compound suffering in many peoples lives.

This view taken to the extreme completely loses sight of the fact that Jesus suffered, that Paul suffered, that all of the disciples, but one, to the best of our knowledge, did in fact die as martyrs. This view taken to the extreme denies the reality of suffering in Jesus life because of sin, denies the reality of suffering in our lives and in our world.

There have been parents of sick children who have let their children suffer because they think they have to just have faith, and just pray enough, and that they shouldn’t use their brains and get help. And their children have died. And when that happens to people in churches that teach this kind of theology, the church is forced to decide- do we change our theology and comfort them in their suffering, or do we stick with our theology and rebuke them for not praying, repenting or having enough faith to save their child. Then they decide to not change their theology, and they rebuke and cast out the parents. These folks are left suffering because they’ve lost their child, they’ve been ostracized by their faith community, and they believe that is was their lack of faith that killed their child, when it was their wrong theology. It is the saddest irony that not having a proper theology of suffering actually increases the experience of suffering in so many lives.

Which is why we now move to outline the true causes, purpose, and response of suffering. Suffering is not to be sought, not to be avoided, but a reality of life and can be used as an opportunity. And here’s how it starts to work out:

First, we suffer because we live in a fallen world. Sometimes, in fact a lot of the time, the source of suffering just traces back down to the fact that we live in a fallen and sinful world, and there will be pain and suffering in this world until Jesus comes back to redeem all of creation. So we suffer because it’s fallen world and we can’t really pin the blame on anyone, because it’s just to complex. We call this original sin, that we don’t have the option but to be born into a sinful and fallen world, that we are sinful and fallen people, and that a huge amount of suffering will be a part of our world and live because of this. We suffer physically because of poor immune systems, we suffer emotionally because we are emotionally bankrupt, we suffer relationally because we are broken people, we just suffer in this fallen world.

Second, sometimes we suffer because of our own dumb choices. We suffer the consequences of our decisions, and our mistakes. If you jump out of a plane without a parachute, you are going to suffer the consequences of gravity, which isn’t so bad until you suffer the reality of the ground. If you are a lousy husband or wife, you are going to suffer divorce, and all the emotional and financial suffering that follows. If you break the law, you will suffer imprisonment. There is nothing noble or redemptive about this kind of suffering. If we learn a lesson, yes, but if we suffer because of our dumb mistakes we can’t run around saying, “I’m like Jesus, I’m blessed because I’m persecuted, I’m a saint because I’m suffering.” No, you’re suffering because you’re a fool, and you need to repent and confess that, and change the way you think and act.

Third, we suffer because of others choices. We suffer because of what others inflict upon us. We suffer because others, like us, are sinful, selfish, fallen people and sinful fallen selfish people often do horrible things to other people. This is why we have laws, why we have police, why we have wars, because we inflict suffering on other people, because people inflict suffering on us. We suffer because someone drinks too much, gets in their car, and kills our spouse. We suffer because a parent abuses us, and they abuse us because their parents abused them, and a vicious cycle of suffering is perpetuated. We suffer because a thief takes our bike to buy drugs (let it go George, let it go).

Before the final cause let me add this- let us never forget that we are often the “other.” It’s our choices and actions that cause others suffering. The hard reality of life, of my life in fact, is that many decisions I’ve made have caused pain and sorrow for other people. We can never say, “Why doesn’t God just root out all evil and sin and suffering in the world, because if he did, he would have to start with me, then you, then everyone else. Because everyone of us has been a source of suffering in the world.

Fourth, and finally, and in all these areas, we suffer because God allows it. And here’s where we have to get our thinking straight. God is not the source of suffering, but God allows suffering to come into our lives. Now if it were not for the grace and mercy and love of God, I believe we would all be overcome with suffering and death instantaneously. We’d simply be wiped out. However, God’s hand of mercy acts as a giant floodgate stopping the suffering and death that would overcome us all. But suffering and sin do spill over. God is aware of this, allows us, and so God uses this.

Suffering is not to be sought, not to be avoided, but a reality of life and can be used as an opportunity. Jesus suffered physically, you will suffer physically. Jesus suffered emotionally, you will suffer emotionally. Jesus suffered relationally, you will suffer relationally. It is a part of this fallen world and it can be claimed as an opportunity. And opportunity for two things- for God’s glory, and our growth.

Suffering will grow you. You will grow in your faith, you will grow in compassion, you will grow in prayer, you will grow in resolve, you will grow in maturity. How many of us have gone through a dark valley? We have suffered greatly, we have hurt terribly, we would never in a million years want to go through that lose, that grief, that pain that persecution, that suffering again. To desire that would be sick and self-loathing. But neither would we trade what we have learned and how we have grown for the world. Some of you know what I’m talking about. You are who you are because of the suffering. That’s because you used if for God’s glory.

Others here, maybe you don’t, you’re still lost in the pain of suffering. Many people, when suffering happens, when crisis hits, they are not ready for it, and it puts them into a tailspin. Many of you have been in that tailspin, you’re still spinning, your dropping fast, your dizzy and disoriented, and you are just waiting for the firey crash. To you I simply have one encouragement- please don’t give up on God, because God hasn’t given up on you. Please don’t turn away from God, but turn to God. Right now, maybe this is your darkest hour, your worst suffering, you tailspin. I implore you, don’t lose hope, don’t lose faith, don’t think for a minute that God has lost you. But now, right now is the time to turn to God who like no other God, will stand with you in solidarity with suffering. To you in that tailspin I want to tell you that God is with you and God can help you. So turn to the God who knows your suffering and pain. And turn this suffering around to opportunity.

A Romanian pastor, in the wake of the intense persecution of the church under communism, wrote,

“Christians are like nails- the harder you hit them, the deeper they go!”

• When the world hits you, go deeper
• When you lose your job, go deeper
• When you lose your health, go deeper
• When you lose your spouse, go deeper
• When you lose your child, go deeper
• When you start to lose your faith, go deeper
• When you start to lose your hope, go deeper
• When you start to lose your love, go deeper

The harder you get hit in this world, the deeper you need to go deeper into Jesus. Because, we do NOT worship a God who knows nothing of suffering and rejects us in our suffering. NO we have a mediator in Jesus who suffered in every way like us, and more!

The world hit Jesus with rejection…betrayal…lies…whips…rods…with stones… The world hit Jesus with nails, and hung him on a cross, where he suffered not only the physical pain, the excruciating pain in his body, he suffered more. He suffered in a way we can never know, and this is the great mercy of Jesus, that he took this suffering we could not bear. Jesus, the Son of God, without sin, perfect and pure, took the weight of our sins, of our world, and he hoisted them on that cross. He suffered the consequences of the sins he never committed, he suffered the death we should endure. And for that moment, in a way we can’t comprehend, he suffered the withdrawal of his heavenly father.

I believe this with my whole heart- the greatest cry of anguish the world has ever heard, the greatest pain and suffering that anyone has ever know, is the suffering that Jesus felt at that moment when he said on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” For that moment Jesus suffered hell- Jesus suffered what it means to be separated from holiness and glory of God. It was metaphysically torn from himself, ripped apart from his own being. It’s a suffering we can’t even imagine because of the common grace of God.

When you get hit, go deeper. When you suffer, go deeper with Jesus. Go as deep as you have to go. Go as deep as Jesus calls you to go. And then God will be glorified in you.

The Pursuit of Happiness

Series: Breakout
June 8, 2008

Last week I spent some time setting up our breakout series and the letter to the church in Philippi. If you missed it, it’s online. Today I want to set up what the book of Philippians is largely about – the pursuit of happiness.

I was born in the states and grew up under the revolutionary document call the Declaration of Independence. This document states that all men (they caught on to slaves and women later) are created equal, and all of us are endowed by our creator with certain rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

That’s a fascinating declaration. You have the right to life and we can create a government where that can largely be enforced. We’ll argue a bit about when life begins and ends, does we ever have the right to take a life in between, but for the most part, we can enforce this. You also have the right to liberty, unless you’re a slave or a woman, but give it some time. So don’t take someone’s life, pay your taxes, and you’ll basically be free. Great enlightenment ideals, great biblical ideals. Then we have this third piece- you have the right to happiness. Well, not really. We can’t make you the promise of happiness, but we offer you this- the right to pursue your happiness. Don’t take a life, don’t take anyone’s liberty, and you’ll be free to pursue happiness. Basically we can say that the American experiment is basically the unfettered, unrelenting chasing after a dream- happiness.

So America must be the happiest place on earth, right? Well, I actually have no idea, but I do know this, on the website, the pursuit of happiness.org, America is not number 1. It’s not even in the top ten. But do you want to know who is? Yeah baby, you got it- Canada. We just barely made it in, by the skin of our teeth! Number 10.

But isn’t it interesting, or sad rather, that the very place where we’ve elevated the pursuit of happiness to one of highest ideals, is not even in the top ten happy places in the world. Despite Bobby McFerrin’s appeal, we still worry, and we aren’t just happy. That much like REM appears, we’re not just shinny happy people.

Have you ever seen one of those ads where they talk about being 100% satisfied? If you’re not 100% satisfied with your bank, call us, if your not 100% satisfied with your sex life, call us. That’s brilliant marketing, terribly misleading, but brilliant. Because really who is ever 100% satisfied? It’s not going to happen this side of heaven! Let me propose this, our relative happiness, or unhappiness, has a lot to do with where we are looking, what we are expecting. And the truth is, we are looking for love in all the wrong places, and we’re looking for joy in many of the wrong places.

I’m nowhere close to 100% on what I imagine would be a happiness scale. I mean, folks who know me I’m glad to say, really say I’m a fun guy and pretty fun to be around. Dare I say, I’m as happy and satisfied with my life as anyone I know. But when I think about it, I’m not where close to being 100% happy. My bike got stolen. I still have aches and pains. I struggle with my fragile male ego. My wife isn’t a like one of the stepford wives. My kids drive me nuts. My car needs constant maintenance. My house isn’t paid off yet. I mean, when I really think about it, there’s a lot in our lives to not be happy about. But on the other side of the coin, John gave me a free bike, I have my health, I have a wonderful real wife, the best in the world. I have three amazing kids. I have a car and a home. But am I 100% happy? That sound kind of ridiculous to me.

This is not a comprehensive list, and neither do I want to overly analyze this socially or psychologically, but I propose that people are looking for happiness in three main areas- in possessions, in power, and in people. Looking at many folks it is clear that they are pursuing possessions. It seems to be the whole point and passion of their life. They work for it, they cheat for it, they are slaves to the market, when the market is up, all is good, when the market is down, all is miserable. Some seem to truly love money itself. Like scrooge Mc duck swimming in his money, or Montgomery Burns bathing in money, it’s just money that seems to bring them joy.

They want the biggest, the best, the most and more. It’s the newest car, the latest gadget, the finest clothes, it’s just stuff. What’s the new saying, the one with the most toys wins. And that’s really how so many live. You know that people actually get addicted to stuff. Just stuff. The thrill of getting more stuff. They compulsively shop and accumulate more clothes, more jewelry, more shoes, more music, more of anything and everything.
Personally, I don’t want lots of toys. I want to be friends with the guy who has a lot of toys, and then enjoy his toys while he’s at work trying desperately to pay for all his toys, who then has a massive heart attack because he’s so stressed out over his toys, and who subsequently wills all his toys to me. I’m always encouraging my neighbors to buy a boat, put in a pool, get stuff, then let me play with it!

Others pursue it in power. They often think they can buy happiness not with stuff, but with the more intangible things like power and fame. People lust for power. They direct their education to get power. The look for relationships that can position them for power. They get into relationships because they can exert power. If possession can become an addiction, how much more power. The old saying goes, power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. But it’s a corruption we are so happy to embrace. But powerful people are, again, very often miserable people. The stress, the responsibly, the lust for power is overwhelming.

Some pursue happiness in people, in relationships. They live their life looking for the right person to come and make all their hopes and dreams come true. Their happiness is on hold, because it’s wrapped up in a person they’ve never meet, a person who might not exist, a person, if your outlook and expectations are really messed up, a person who can never exist. Because ultimately no person can bring you the happiness that you desire. In fact, what I’ve seen time and time again is that people get involved in a relationship with the stated or unstated expectation that this person will truly be for them everything they’ve always wanted, hoped and dreamed for.

Folk, particularly you folks that maybe are still looking or hoping to find that one, let me break the news to you, the one doesn’t exist. Now I’m not saying relationships aren’t awesome and hold the power for joy in our lives. IN fact, I don’t think we can really be joyful and happy without relationships. But again, it’s this expectation, this need, to have your joy fulfilled in another person. But the truth is this- no person can sustain your happiness. They’ll try. There are plenty of folks who will try to be your savior, your messiah, your everything, because they think that true joy is in being god to someone. But folks, I’ve seen it time and time again, it’s doesn’t work, it doesn’t last, the whole thing falls apart. Two people come together, expecting the other one to meet their needs, and they keep taking and taking from each other, pulling fro the other, protecting themselves, and it doesn’t work. It doesn’t end in happiness, it ends in pain. Your ultimate happiness can’t be wrapped up and dependent upon another person.

The bible speaks a lot about this. A man names Solomon achieved power, fame, riches and wealth. He had the whole world at he fingers. Anything he wanted, anything he desired, he had. He wrote a book of the bible that goes into detail his pursuit of happiness. Ecclesiastes. It’s fascinating. Thomas Wolfe said it is the greatest work of writing he has ever read, it’s wisdom the most lasting and profound. Solomon begins the book with these words- “Meaningless, meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” Right there you know this is going to be a really fun book, great to read to the kids at night before bed. Then he begins to take us through his life, and his pursuit of happiness. He acquired wisdom and knowledge, more than anyone else on earth we’re told. He was given this directly as a gift of God. And what was his conclusion- with wisdom comes much sorrow, with much knowledge, more grief. There you go kids, do yourself a favor and drop out- just kidding. But many of us have been there. We know knowledge is wonderful, but it can also be hard. Without something else in your life, without something more, the very wisdom and knowledge you acquire can become a burden. Many of you have experienced this- the university and college years can be some of the most difficult as young people need to learn not just information, but how to manage and make sense of the information, the education, they receive.

Moving on- pleasure, that is meaningless too. Solomon denied himself nothing- food, drink, and especially women. The dude had thousands of women in his household. He amassed riches and wealth like the world has never seen. He took on projects, he worked diligently, he had it all, he had the power, fame, fortune. Finally, in the end of his hedonistic pursuit of please in any and every way he could find and experience it, he said this.

“Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him- for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives and man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work- this is a gift from God.’ Ecc. 5:18-19

And all of these things, possession, people relationships, power, all of this stuff, instead of bringing us joy, can have the exact opposite effect- they can become prisons. They become bars that hold is in, chains that hold us back, weight that wears us down. They are not the source of happiness and joy. Joy in not found in money, power, fame, possessions. North America has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. And the single most diagnosed and medicated illness in NA is depression. In our pursuit of joy, in our all out, no holds barred search for joy we have uncovered and experienced it’s antithesis- depression.

When Paul wrote to the Philippians from a prison cell he said, “I thank my God every time I remember you in all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with JOY because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he (God) who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Ph. 1:3-6

Brothers and sisters, I want you to take confidence in this- God began a good work in you. You are a good work, you are a great work. You are made, known and loved by God and he has a good work in store for you, and he will bring it to completion in Jesus Christ. And there in is our joy- in what God is working out in us, where he is leading us, when he will complete us in the day of Jesus’ return.

When we become a Christian the Holy Spirit is in our lives. Notice I say in our life, because we are told from the bible that when we come to believe in Jesus, when we put our faith and trust in Him and give our life to him, we do so only because the Spirit first moves us. Think of it this way- your parents didn’t consult you before they conceived you. It just doesn’t work that way. And so it happens this way spiritually. This is why Jesus uses the analogy of being born again. Your earthly parents brought you into the world, and your heavenly father brings you into Spiritual life through his Holy Spirit. The bible is very clear on this. Dead things don’t come back to life without God. Spiritually dead things don’t breathe spiritual life and birth into themselves- they can’t, their dead.

I say all this in relation to joy, because I don’t think we can create joy in our lives. Rather, we can only choose to accept the gift of joy and begin to cultivate it in our lives. Once the Spirit moves in us to bring us spiritual birth, he also births in us certain fruits. They are available to us, and need to be cultivated and nurtured in us. The first is love, because God is love. The second is joy.

I think that’s pretty great. I’d have to say that given the choice for what I’d want God to give me, first I’d have to say life, here and eternally, and guess what, that what God first offers us. Second, I’d have to say love, because without love, with out being loved, well, what would life be. And as I think about, as I’ve prayed about it, I’d have to say the third greatest thing we could experience in life is joy. And that’s exactly what the bible tells us God wants to birth in us.

Joy comes as a gift from God. Joy also comes in know that God will complete his work in you. Since he chose you, since he called you, since he saved you, since he began this great work in you, he will bring ot to completion. God is a great finisher. He’s a great beginner to- he began a great work in creation and a great work in you. But even better, he’s a great finisher. And he will finish his world of joy in you life.

Finally, joy comes from our confidence in the return of Christ. Jesus will finish his work during our lifetime, or at his return. Either way, it will be finished in us. And for the follow of Jesus this is if infinite comfort and joy- to know that Jesus will come and finish this work.

CS Lewis, a famous Oxford scholar who came to faith in Jesus in his adulthood, became the greatest Christian apologist of the 20th century. And one of the most fascinating things he wrote, in my opinion, is simply the title of his autobiography. Obviously, when you write a book about yourself, and come up with a title, you are going to want to say a whole lot in that word or words. The title he chose to capture the first half of his life, and especially his Christian conversion, was “Surprised by Joy.” His experience of coming to faith in Jesus surprised him with joy. He was looking for meaning, for purpose, for a cohesive world view, for all the things you might expect an oxford don to long for, but what he found was the his longings were all meet in this person named Jesus, and in Jesus there was joy. It came to him as a gift, it caught him off guard, and it was wonderful.

And that’s the rub- when we get beyond our search for happiness, and ge to with our search for God, with knowing God, with serving God, the bonus is joy. And so I invite you to give your life to God, to join in partnership with the Gospel, to believe that God will complete his good work in you, that Jesus is coming again. And be surprised by the joy of God that takes root in your life.

To All the Saints...

Series: Breakout
June 1, 2008

All of our messages here at Connections can be viewed on the spectrum of a cross. When we look at a cross we see three things- the vertical, the horizontal, and the intersection. We’re either talking about our vertical relationship with God. Who is God, what has he done, what is he like, what does he desire? We start with looking at God and our relationship with him. Second, we look at our relationships horizontally, with our neighbors. This may be people very close to us- family, friends, actual neighbors- or it might reach out pretty far to people around the world. Third, we will really zero in on that intersection, that place where we meet God, where we really look at ourselves. This comes from the greatest commandment that Jesus gave to us- love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

What I didn’t say before was how we’d approach this. Over the past few months we’ve developed series that we hope answer real questions and meet real needs in your life. Usually they are topical in nature, but always you have learned, if you’ve been here before, that we bring the bible into the picture. We want everyone to know that we really believe that the bible is the word of God to us, it gives us the history of God’s work and revelation in our world, tells us where our world is going, and teaches us what we do with God and for God in our world right now. It is one of our “Signs of Belonging” at Connections, that we study and apply God’s word.

But I will tell you this- there is an inherent danger in starting with topics and series. Sometimes you get an idea in your head, a topic you want to talk about, but because the starting point is the topic, you then have to work back and bring scripture into it, and whenever you do that you run the risk of reading into the bible what is not there. You run this risk of manipulating or forcing the text into your preconceived ideas. I can say that most all the ministers I know are great folks who love God and who believe in the bible and want to preach really good, inspiring, helpful messages. But sometimes I’ve heard good people just slaughter a bible text, trying to get something out of it that isn’t there. And that’s just wrong.

But there is an antidote, and we want it to be part of our rhythm and routine here at Connections. It’s simple- just go to the bible with no agenda except an openness to God’s revelation. Just go to the bible, and go where it leads you. And that is what we are going to do. We are just going to go to the letter to the church in Philippi, often just called Philippians, and go where it leads us. When you go all the way through a letter like Philippians you’re forced to examine parts you might other wise gloss over. And when you get into those parts, it’s amazing what you discover. And I hope and pray that that builds confidence in all of us to just go to God’s word and let it speak. To let is guide us and read us. I know that sound crazy, but that’s what happens so often- we actually feel like the bible is reading us and our lives. That’s because it is God’s revelations to us.

Now let me begin by making no assumptions. Philippians is part of the New Testament in the bible. The NT starts with the four books telling about Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Then we have the book of ACTS, the story of the birth of the church. Then we get into a bunch of letters that were written to the churches and to individuals to help guide them, instruct them, encourage them, or even rebuke them. Many of these letter were written by a man named Paul, who it will suffice to say now, started out trying to destroy the message of Jesus and His followers, encountered the resurrected Jesus, and was transformed in the leader of the church. He spent his life traveling the known world planting churches everywhere he went.

Now as we get into Philippians we know enough about it know some of the big things that are going to come out. We know two main things that will keep coming up over and over. First is the context in which Paul, the author, wrote this letter, and is from a prison in Rome. Second is the overall tone of this letter, and that is joy. It’ soften called the letter of joy because of it’s wonderfully uplifting and inspiring tone. So we know that this letter is about breaking out of the traps of this world, and breaking into the joy of the Christian life. We know that we will hit some amazing themes, of knowing joy despite our circumstances, of discovering what real fellowship; real partnership in Christ is all about.

I want to read the first part to you now.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

That’s all the further we can get today, because there is so much there. Several years earlier, we’re not exactly sure, but probably a little more than a decade now, Paul was out on his second church-planting mission. The story is told in Acts, and we pick up the story in chapter 16. Paul and his posse wanted to go into Asia to tell people about Jesus. Strangely, God wouldn’t let them. I don’t understand it, I don’t know how it happened, they wanted to go, they intended to go, but the Spirit wouldn’t let them go. Later, Paul had a dream that they were supposed to go into Macedonia.

This gives us the assurance that God is sovereign. It assures of us two things- God won’t let us go where he doesn’t want to go, and he will get us to where we are supposed to go. I talk to a lot of Christians who spend a lot of time worrying about God’s will, which is crazy, be we know God’s will is sovereign, God’s will will be done. But they worry that they might have missed the boat of God’s plan for their life. Somehow they have messed up their life and God’s plan. Let me tell you this- you can mess up your life. You can make bad decisions. You might make foolish moves that cause you and others and the world damage. That’s the price we pay for having free will- the dumb things we do. But God’s plan, God’s will for the world can’t not be messed up by you or me. If there is somewhere you should not go, because it is an integral part of God’s plan, God is going to stop you. If there is somewhere you absolutely have to go, God will get you there.

If God wants you out of Asia, and into Macedonia, because it’s part of His plan, it’s gonna happen. If God has something that specific in store for you, it’s gonna happen. So we also have this assurance- if nothing bizarre happens to stop you from what you’re doing, and you are faithfully trying to follow God’s path, it would appear that you are on the right path. The point is this- God’s plans can’t get messed up, and that’s a great assurance. If God wants you to do something very specific, you are going to do it. If you are faithful to God, your really are genuinely serving him, and nothing dramatic happens to change your course, you’re on the right course! So stop worry, rejoice, and press on!

Back to the plan god had for Paul- he and his posse end up in Philippi, because God had a very specific plan and purpose for the church in Philippi. They arrived and immediately started talking to people about Jesus. A woman named Lydia came to believe in Jesus as the Lord, she and her whole household were baptized, and the church begins. Paul keeps preaching. A demon possessed girl started following them around. She was a slave girl, and the demon gave her the ability to predict the future, and this gave her own the ability to make a whole lot of money off of people like a carnival side show. The girl kept saying that Paul and the posse are servants of the most high, and they are telling people the way to be saved. That was actually the complete truth. Paul casts out the demon, rather un-dramatically, just saying in the name of Jesus come out. The owner is furious because he’s now lost one of his major streams of income, he stirs up trouble for Paul, and get them stripped, beaten and locked up in jail.

That night, at midnight, Paul and the guys are praying, singing, and actually having a good old time in jail, when an earthquake strikes. The doors break open, their shackles break loose, and they are free to breakout. The jailer sees what has happened, sees the doors opened, and without even going in is about to kill himself. Better to take his own life quickly than endure capital punishment from Rome. Paul shouts out, don’t do it. We’re all still here.

The jailer went in, saw Paul and everyone there, and his response is what I suspect any rational, thinking persons response would be- he fell before them and asked, “What must I do to be saved?” Their simple response- “Believe in the lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved- you and your whole household!”

He simply believed. He believed and he was saved, he believed, and he broke out, he believed, and he was free. And it’s still that simple folks. Believe. Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you will be free, you will breakout of the jail and the chains that hold you.

That’s what we are talking about this whole series- believe, and be saved. Believe, and breakout. Believe and breakout of the bars that hold you back. Believe and breakout of the shackles that chain you down. Believe and break free from the prisons of your own design, the prisons that others have built around you, the prisons that the world has placed you in. Believe and be saved and breakout and know that God’s plan is going to work itse;f out in and through your life!

Now fast forward some 10 or more years. Paul’s in prison again, but there is no earthquake. He’s in prison, and God doesn’t move the doors to set him free. I’m reminded from the scene in Prince Caspian, I just saw it this week witih my kids, where Lucy is talking to Aslan, and she so worried because Aslan hasn’t doen the same thigns he did last time the children were in Narnia. She wants him to work in the saem comfortable ways. Aslan says to her that he doesn’t work in the same way twice. Which tell sus that God is still at work, but it’s going to look different.

Paul knows that God is still at work, he’s just not working in the same way. Paul is still serving God, Paul is still advancing the gospel, and Paul is still sharing the story of Jesus to anyone and everyone he can. And when Paul finds himself back in the same circumstances he was in back in Philippi, but now in Rome, he writes to his favorite church. He writes to his dearest friends, he writes to his partners I ministry in Philippi.

What does he say, “From Paul and Timothy, servants of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” In fact, the word in the Greek is Doulos, slave. He is self-described, self identified as a slave of Jesus Christ. He’s not a slave of Rome, though he’s in a Roman prison. He’s a slave of Jesus. He’s a slave of Jesus and he is thus free. You see, the thing about begin a slave is that you can only have one owner. A slave by definition belongs to someone, he or she belongs to his master. Paul belongs to God, and he knows his life is in God’s hands alone. He knows who his master is. And no matter what might happen to him, no matter what they would do to him, he belonged to God for he is a slave of Jesus Christ. And folks, that’s a good place to be no matter who we are, where we are, what our circumstances are- to be slaves of Jesus and Jesus alone.

Who are you a slave to? God, or man? God, or the world? I don’t care who you’re a slave to if it’s not God, because if it’s not God, it’s not worth being a slave. If it’s not God, it’s not worth your life. If it’s not God, it will cost you your life. But if it is God, and this is the crazy thing, you’re free, no matter what the world throws at you.

Paul, the slave, writes to the saints in Philippi. It’s an intentional juxtaposition. Paul the slave, writes to the Philippians the saints. Paul their pastor, their leader, their friend and brother, calls himself a slave, but them saints. And that is want we can call ourselves. When we make ourselves slaves to God, we because the saints of God. How does that make you feel? You are a saint. How cool is that! I’m changing my business card- Saint George the Dragon Slayer. I get to be a saint in the eyes of God.

You know what you have to do to become a saint in the eyes of the world? This is fascinating. First, you have to die, that’s a real downer right there. Years later people have to remember you and start saying you may have been a saint. If this goes on long enough, and gains enough momentum, a bishop will come to investigate the possibility that you might have been a saint. He writes a dissertation on you that is sent to the Vatican for review by a panel. After a panel of cardinals clears you, you go on to the pope who has to declare you venerable. The next step is to you beautification, which is really tough because it requires a post-mortem miracle, and let me tell you, miracles are hard enough to perform when you’re alive! If that is proved, you can be declared blessed and a group of people has to start treating you sort of saint like, but just like you might test-drive a car. After another miracle, you are declared a saint, but the whole thing can be withdrawn if you end up not being a very effective saint. This, by the way, is the much simpler process initiated in 1983 by pope John Paul; you don’t even want to know the old process.

You know what you have to do to be a saint according to the bible- believe. When you believe you are saved, when you are saved you are in Jesus and His spirit lives in you, and you are a saint. I like that. Turn to the person next to you, say hey, if you believe, you’re a saint. That’s pretty cool. Put it on your resume. Put it on your University application. Put it on your facebook status. I know it probably makes you cringe. You don’t want to think so highly of yourself. Well that doesn’t matter, because the bible tells us that God thinks that highly of us. When we believe, when we belong to God, when the Spirit lives in us, we are saints!

So from Paul the slave, to all of us now, the saints, he begins with the first and last best word. “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Grace and peace are the gifts of God to all who believe, to all who call upon the name of Jesus to be saved. Grace and peace is what’s offered to all who are ready to breakout and break free. When Paul says grace and peace to you what he is saying is that he wants us to experience what he has experienced, to know what he knows, to have what he has. He wants all of us who feel like slaves to the world and slaves to sin to take the gift of grace, to be set free.

There’s an old anachronism that we teach kids in Sunday school about grace, it so simple a kid can memorize it. Grace means “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” We get the riches of God through what Christ has done for us. We get to live because he died. We get eternity because he rose from the grave. We get to pray because he sits at God’s right hand. We get to call God Father, because he calls us his brothers and sisters. We get to live with the Spirit because he sends him to us. We get to serve him, because he sends us out. We get to be ambassadors, because he believes in us. We get to advance the kingdom of God, because God chooses us. We get it all, we get it all, because of Christ. We have grace, we have peace, we are free, we can breakout.

Today, I invite you to believe and be saved. Believe and become a slave to God. Believe and become a saint of God. Believe and breakout, break free, break into the life that God has called you to. Believe.

Naked Before Others

Series: How to Look Good Naked
Sermon: Naked Before Others
Ben Jolliffe
February 16, 2008

We spent a week looking at how do we get naked before others. In light on the pervasive loneliness and isolation in our society, it seemed to make sense to talk about what our Creator has to say about how we can exist in community. Enjoy.

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So, I spend my days on the campus of the University of Western Ontario, surrounded by 30 000 odd students not including the faculty, support staff and others. I am immersed in humanity. And having never lived in Saskatchewan, Montana or outer space, I have actually been around people my entire life.

So probably have you, and today’s issue is how do we get naked before others? Obviously it’s not an issue of reduced clothing, but an issue of being real. The underlying assumption behind this message is that we have difficulty connecting with others.

It’s true. It is an issue that invades our lives, that invades my life and your life. We would call the issue loneliness. You feel alone, I feel alone, we all feel alone surrounded by tons of people, living in a city of 350 000. We can still feel alone.

In the book Bowling Alone, the Harvard Business School profiles loneliness in our society. It traces the increase in loneliness and isolation over the last 25 years.


Let me give you some of the statistics from the book:

Playing cards is down 25%. Think of it, there are 2 possible causes of this;
1. We hang out less 2. Baptists are increasing.

An evening with neighbours down 33%. Most of us don’t even know our neighbours, all we know is old guy, punk guy, medical marijuana guy. Bible says love them, we don’t often know them or talk to them.

Family dinners down 33%.
Having a party with friends, down 45%. Now we are not talking about getting drunk, breaking commandments, but this is getting together for dinner, Settlers, watching The Office.

The Readiness of the average American to make a friend is down 33%. So not only do we have fewer friends, we aren’t even ready to make more. Everyone is walking around saying ‘ I would like a friend.’ Who wants to go first? Not it! Everyone wants everyone else to initiate.

The average person has only 2 friends, down from 3 in the 80’s. So it’s not looking good. It is kind of depressing to think that of the 30 million people in Canada only 2 of them like you, and that is dropping.

And don’t forget the coffee shop phenomenon, which Starbucks has unleashed on the world. This is a very unique environment where lonely, socially isolated people gather to drink bitter coffee and ignore each other in community.

Additionally, when I think of people I would like to give my life to, I naturally think of kijiji (online local classifieds). Online the other day, I noted that our local kijiji web page for London ON which under casual connections (which is code for hoping to break the law) lists 604 options for new relationships. People are lonely and looking for love.

Even in church, even in our church, there exists a problem. People come to church, hoping to make friends, to meet people, make some connections, to get rid of the loneliness. The very name of our church highlights that. Connections Community Church. A place to connect.

But in a recent issue of today’s Christian Woman, don’t ask me why I was reading it, but they did a survey, which I did not participate in. But 42% of respondents answered that they feel quite lonely. That is Christian women, who read Christian magazines. If there is a problem among women, you know it must be epidemic among men.

The bottom line is people are disconnected, they are isolated, they are lonely, they are hurting and it is epidemic. It is in the culture, it is in the church.

So before I get to our main passage this morning, let me quickly outline some of the Bible’s Teaching on this issue. That’s where we as Christians begin.

Let’s start with God. That is where we always start. We believe in a God as a trinity. He is at the same time, one and three. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. They exist together in perfect oneness, community, with respect, love and relationship to each other.

God did not make us, as some religions teach, because he was lonely or bored or incomplete. He was already perfect. He already had all he needed.

But he did create us in his image and likeness. Male and Female. He created us. And everything was good in the garden except one thing, that man was alone (Gen. 2:18). We are not created to be alone. We are created to exist in community with each other, the same way God exists in community with himself.

But as a society, we have this warped notion that as we grow up, we can do it by ourselves. That in the words of Kelly Clarkson, we can be ‘miss independent’. That we can make it on our own, that we don’t need anybody. We become self-sufficient. But being created by God to be like Him, in his image means we are supposed to exist in loving community with others.

However, there is an issue. Sin.

Now I am married, I have been married for 7 months and 3 days. It has been great. And in my immeasurable experience of being married, I have realized this: we have 2 problems with our marriage. Me and Jen. Without those two problems, our marriage has huge potential for awesomeness. But we exist. And we have issues with sin. I have a propensity to be selfish and to sometimes place my wife’s needs lower than mine. I sin against her all the time.

Last week George went to town on this issue of sin and how it separates us from God, and how Christ’s sacrifice has bridged the gap and we need to confess our sins to him so he can forgive us.

But the sin in our lives does not just disconnect us from God, it also disconnects us from each other. It brings death to our relationships. If I am your friend and I punch you in the solar plexus because you beat me at Risk and gloated in my face that will bring death into our relationship.

And this is the root of why all people struggle with loneliness. Because we all sin. We all fall short of God’s glory. One of the effects of sin is broken relationships. Disconnected lives. Broken hearts.

So here we find ourselves, created to be like God in community, longing for it, looking for it, but yet unable to find it because of our brokenness.

And so we come back to Scripture, as the authority for our lives, asking it, what is the deal with broken relationships? What is the answer to loneliness? How do I connect with others? How do I get real with people? How the heck do I get naked before others?

And so let me read for you from Philippians. We are going to jump around a bit, but let’s start in Philippians. This letter is written by a guy named Paul, who planted a bunch of churches and wrote most of the new Testament. At this point in his life, he is a jail cell, all alone, probably facing death, under house arrest – and he writes a letter to his friends from a city called Philippi.

In Philippians 1:3 – Paul says, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Paul, facing death, all alone, abandoned by friends is praying and thanking God because of the partnership in the gospel that he has with the people of Philippi.

See the common answer given to the problem of loneliness is that you need a friend. But that is not true.

Because, most, if not all of your friendships are based on proximity and affinity. This can be easily demonstrated by your high school yearbook.

If you have ever gone back and looked at your yearbook, you may notice many profound comments and piercing insights into the human experience. Comments like ‘Never Change” or “Rock on” or “BFF - Best Friends forever.”

And you think, who is that person? And why did I let them write in my yearbook?

See what you had is proximity. You went to the same class, you had lockers beside each other, you made fun of the jocks at lunch time. You had proximity. You spent significant time together in the same geographic location. You just had the illusion of friendship.

Or maybe with some others you have affinity. You both like the same sports team, you have the same hobby, you like hamsters, you both have no jobs, whatever.

But in both cases, when you move away, or you get in a fight, or things change, the relationship ends. And even when the relationship is ‘on’, you feel like you are gliding along the surface, or always talking about the Leafs or getting your books our of your locker, because nothing of value holds your relationship together.

And this extends to church. We have a lot of proximity, we have some affinity…But do we have something that goes beyond some surface connection. With most people we have some wispy semblance of a real relationship.

The deep, on-going, abiding connection that you really long for, that God created you to experience is still missing. It never was there. We all have this longing, we all have this need for real relationships. We can’t get by without them.

But we are like cars running on diesel fuel. In their song, Love is the Reversal, Switchfoot calls it “the worldwide train wreck. The come undone.” The whole world is broken somehow.

We try to fill our need for transparency and real relationship with this hodge podge of proximity and affinity. We have been convinced that if we simply hang around with people long enough, or do enough stuff with others that we will end up in a satisfying, abiding, deep relationship.

You won’t. It will never work. Think of all the people you might call at 2 am when life is crashing down around you. You pick up the phone and whose number do you dial? Do you call the guy who works in the cubicle next to you, or the guy you play hockey with, or the girl that you sit beside in biology class?

Relationships of proximity and affinity seem okay, but when life comes crashing in, they fade away.

Paul knew that, because he was there. That is why God inspires him to write of his partnership in the gospel with the Phillipians. His friends of proximity and affinity were gone.

What we need, is gospel partnerships with people. The difference being that in a friendship, your hobbies, or your geography make up the foundation. But in a gospel centered partnership, Jesus is the foundation and the center.

Because as I mentioned before, we are all sinful. And there will come a point in every relationship when one of you will sin. And what you do with that sin is of huge significance. If golf is the center of your relationship, you don’t know what to do with sin, you can ignore it, but it will destroy your friendship.

But! In a gospel partnership, it is a different story. In a gospel partnership, you both know that Jesus died to take away sin and forgive us for all of our stuff. Sin is going to happen, but Jesus died to pay for it.

In a gospel-partnership we agree to do life together, to treat each other the way that God treated us. John says, God loves us, so we love others. Ephesians says God forgave us, we can forgive others. Corinthians says, God reconciled us, we can reconcile with others. We give with no expectation to be paid back. We give because God gave.

Sooner or later, what you will realize is that everyone has as issue.

I remember going to IKEA in high school with my friends to walk through the displays and buy a couple of small funky items. But my favourite part of the store (except for the cheap hotdogs) was right at the end before the checkouts. Off to the left there is a section called ‘AS IS” which is full of couches and furniture and all kinds of stuff that had been damaged in some way, or had been returned.

We would always dig through it all to try and find some sweet treasures for a bargain. I was always so proud to get stuff cheaper than everyone else.

And what I ended up realizing as I journeyed through life is that I kept getting frustrated with all my friends. All of them would so stuff that annoyed me. They would say things that hurt me, they would ignore me. Or I would do it to them. And I longed for a deep friendship.

Even when I got into dating relationships, there was always lots of misunderstandings, hurt feelings, sin. And I came to understand that everyone, everywhere, including me comes with the as is tag. We all have sin. We all have emotional issues. We have junk in our trunk. It may be immediately apparent, but everyone has it. Even my wife, who is nearly perfect. Sin is always part of the picture as long as live.

But this is the absolute brilliance of a friendship or relationship centered on Jesus. There is a way to deal with it. When we hurt someone else, we go to them and ask their forgiveness and we repent. They forgive us and we repair the relationship. When they sin against you, they repent and you forgive.

A gospel partnership places Jesus at the center, because he is the only one who can deal with sin.

Paul goes on to say in Philippians, that when he prays for the Philippians, he prays with joy, remembering all that had happened in their relationship.

That is another thing about gospel partnerships, people pray for each other. We pray for each other’s best, for each others needs, hopes, dreams, feelings, hurts. We lift each other up to our God asking for him to bless, help and comfort. There is a spiritual side to the relationship, where together we are on a mission to serve and glorify God. And we pray together.

And we have end up with good memories. Paul says that when he thinks of them, he has joy. When we think of our gospel partnerships, we don’t have to deal with guilt or bad feelings or grudges. When we deal with our sin, and are forgiven by Christ and our friends, we can let go of our hurt and guilt. We can think of others with joy. Gospel partnerships lead to good memories.

Gospel partnerships are about dealing with sin, praying for each other, making good memories and choosing to do life together.

And right now some of you may be saying to yourself, that is what I would like. I would like a friend like the one you are talking about. I want someone who will pray for me, love me, talk to me, call me, ask me to do stuff, go to church with, even rebuke me if necessary. That sounds like a good deal.

And I agree. That does sound pretty sweet. Who wouldn’t want that?

But the problem, and this is where we first need to get naked, is that we are all inherently selfish.

We all come with our agendas to friendships or relationships, looking someone who can fill our need, who can meet our desires, instead of thinking how we can be that for someone else. We wait for the relationship to come to us. We expect to fall backwards into it.

And I am preaching this to myself. It is God’s irony and sense of humour that I got to preach this sermon today. Because if this text is talking to you, it is yelling at me. For my whole life I have wanted something like this. A friend who sticks closer than a brother. And I have come to almost every single relationship in my life looking for what I can get out of it. I have struggled to want to be that friend to others. I am prone to love things that kill relationships. I live in the shipwreck of the fall, in the dirt of sin, and my old nature is stained dark by sin. I tend to roll along the surface, friends with everyone and no one. To be honest, if my life came crashing down tonight, I don’t know who I would call besides my wife.

And if I ever want to break free, and if I ever have a hope of having a deep relationship, I need to take the first step. And so do you. If you only ever come expecting to get, you will leave disappointed. Getting naked before others begins with taking first steps.

But just for a moment, imagine if we became a church of people who cared enough to take the first step? If every time a person walked through the doors of the theatre, someone loved and cared about them and chose to be their friend? If we intentionally chose to go deeper with a few people so that we could know the joy and awesomeness of real connection. That would be a church that I would want to be a part of.

Today, is about first steps, let me give you a few ideas:

1. You might need to become a Christian. Maybe you’re here because you are burned out on life and relationships and doing things your way. You have heard about what relationships should be like and you think, “I can’t do that.” And you are right, you can’t. We all need Christ to forgive us and help us. The only way you can have real relationships is when Christ anchors them. Your first step may be to trust Christ with your life before you start to trust others.

2. It could be a first step to join a connection group here. Get over your selfishness and pride and start to get naked with others. You get into a little community with other people where you can take first steps to expose your true self.

3. It could be a conversation, where you approach a friend of proximity or affinity and take it to a deeper level. Ask them to go out for coffee, confide something important to them, invite them over for dinner. Be a little more naked with your desire for connection.

We have to get naked and be real and take the first step. And it will require some vulnerability. Being exposed. But as the people of God, the physical representatives of God on earth, we have to be this way. Not just with each other, though that is important.

But there will be people who walk through the doors of this theatre, who have been burned real bad. Some of you today may be listening to this message thinking, he has no idea what I have been through. And I don’t.

But I can tell you this, is that as a Christian community, we will do our best to love you. It doesn’t mean nothing ever goes wrong, or no one ever sins, but it does mean that we will repent and reconcile every time we do.

A gospel partnership is not about relationships that never have bad parts. It is about Jesus using other human beings to help us through the bad parts so we can continue deeper with him.

Because in the end, it is not simply the relationship, it is the people. Everyone is created in God’s image, everyone has value, everyone has worth, everyone is loved by God, everyone is stamped with God’s image.

In the end, it is about God. God knows we need other people. He knows it is not good for man to be alone. He knows that we need help to get through life. And he knows that we are going to sin against each other. That is why he came and died. Jesus paid the price for our sin. Jesus gives us the gift of relationships so that we can grow and know him and know ourselves more.



I was in Edmonton for the summer in 2004 with a Campus for Christ mission project. During the course of the summer we took a trip to Jasper and camped in the mountains for a weekend. It was freezing at night. But the Saturday was just beautiful. It was about 22-23 degrees and sunny. So, being young and immature, we decided to go swimming and cliff jumping, in a mountain lake. Which is a little chilly. Eventually we found the place and it turns out there is a nice big cliff there.

I have done some cliff jumping before, but 70 feet is a little outside my range. So I was about to give a manly excuse for not jumping off the big one when 3 of the guys started talking about how they had already jumped. So I thought to myself, Dang.

So I walked around to the top and peered over the edge and again, Dang it’s a long way down. And I am a bit scared, because you can’t just hop off, but you had to run and jump to get out over some rock ledges.

But, I backed off, then looked again, and backed off, took a deep breath and hurled myself off. And it was awesome. Such a huge rush flying that far. I never regretted it.

And today some of you may be looking over the edge at relationships with others, with gospel-centered partnerships and saying, “there is no way.” It’s dangerous, its foolhardy, it is going to hurt, I am going to get injured. I am waiting till someone comes to me.

But I think God may be telling me and telling you and telling our church that this is a jump we need to take. This is a risk that is worth taking. Because he is guiding us, he is helping, and he knows that it is worth it. So, let’s do it, let’s get naked.