Building up to God: A Sermon on the Tower of Babel

Building up to God

Genesis 11: 1 – 9.

Introduction

Our Scripture this morning is one of those familiar Old Testament stories that many of us remember from children’s Sunday School or from a childhood Bible “picture book.”  It is the story of the Tower of Babel.

One of the things that separates the story of the Tower of Babel from other biblical stories we learned as children is the fact that we don’t often hear “grown up preachers” preaching sermons about this story.  (Of course, I prefer you to keep your opinions to yourselves about whether or not we have a “grown up preacher.”)

We hear sermons about David and Goliath; Jonah in the belly of the whale; and even Noah’s Ark; but we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the Tower of Babel.  And when was the last time you heard a sermon on Sunday morning about this biblical story?

I think there are some important lessons we can learn from this story…

Genesis 11: 1 – 9…

What’s the big deal about building a tower?  Why would God get so concerned about what the people were building?  If building towers is so bad, then cities like Houston, Dallas and New York City must be in big trouble with God. 

Preparing for this sermon led me to do a quick Internet search on the world’s tallest building.  When I was a child, the tallest building in the world was the Sears Tower in Chicago.  Today it is known as the Willis Tower.  It has 108 floors and stands 1,450 feet tall.

The world has come a long way since I was a child.  The world’s tallest building today is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  It has 163 floors and tops out at 2,717 feet tall!

I wonder how the Tower of Babel stacks up to the world’s tallest building today…

More than likely, the biblical story refers to a Babylonian ziggurat.  It was a kind of pyramid with seven “floors.”  The bottom floor was the widest.  The floors were built like stair steps leading up to a temple on the top floor.

Ancient people often worshipped their gods on the tops of mountains.  They thought they could get closer to the gods by getting higher off the ground.  When people lived in low lands, they built their own mountains with a temple on the top.  Again, they hoped they could get closer to their gods by climbing higher above sea level.

This biblical story functions on several different levels.  One of the basic meanings of this story was to explain why there are so many different languages in the world.  You can imagine a child asking her father why people from different lands spoke different languages.  The father could tell the story of the Tower of Babel.  And, everyone is satisfied.  (The child gets her answer, and the father gets to tell a story.)

Another basic meaning stems from God’s actions at the end of the story.  In verse 8, we read that God “scattered” the people.  God confused their languages and scattered the people all over the earth.  This is the fulfillment of God’s command to Adam and Eve in the Garden as well as God’s command to Noah after the flood.  God commanded that the humans should “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.”  In Genesis 11, we see that the humans had only upheld two-thirds of God’s command.  They were fruitful and multiplied.  But they had not filled the earth.  The Tower of Babel explains how God achieved his purpose to fill the earth with people.  God scattered them across the face of the earth.

But there is another way to read this that goes beyond the basic ideas of languages and filling the earth…

Genesis 11: 2…  2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

This sounds like a very innocent verse.  It almost sounds like a geography lesson to help us locate the Valley of Shinar.  But, there is a very important spiritual lesson in this verse.  In the Book of Genesis, east was a very important direction. 

When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden.  Do you remember where they moved?  They moved east of Eden. 

When Abraham and Lot grew too large to live comfortably in the land they had to separate.  Abraham gave Lot the first choice of where he wanted to live.  Do you remember where Lot moved?  He moved to the east to Sodom and Gomorrah.  (And you know what Sodom and Gomorrah are remembered for.)

In the Book of Genesis, when people move to the east, they are moving away from God.  With this in mind, I think we can read something about the spiritual condition of the people as they settled in the Valley of Shinar.  They were moving away from God.

This is not an innocent story about people who simply wanted to build a city with a tower in it.  They were moving away from God and their efforts to build a city and a tower were signs that they didn’t want to live according to God’s will and purpose.  They wanted to live their own lives and to be free from God.

Genesis 11: 3…  3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 

Notice how this verse contains a quote and an explanation.

One way to look at this is that the narrator is helping his audience understand what is going on.  The people who would have read this originally would not be familiar with the concept of building with bricks.  They didn’t build with bricks, because they didn’t need bricks.  They lived in a region of the world that was filled with rocks and stones.  Why go to all the trouble of making bricks when all you have to do is gather up stones for building material?

Another way to look at this is that it shows how the builders relied more on themselves than on God.  God doesn’t make bricks.  God makes rocks and stones.  People make bricks.

In the ancient world making bricks was a technological breakthrough.  If people ran out of rocks and stones, they could still build houses and towers as long as they could make bricks.  Or, if they lived in a region of the world where there just weren’t enough rocks and stones, they could just make bricks.

Don’t get me wrong.  Technology is a wonderful thing.  I love having central heat and air at home and at church.  I enjoy having a cell phone that is smarter than I am.  (Sometimes I enjoy it more than at other times.)  I like having a computer that gives me access to hundreds of years of human knowledge at the tip of my fingers.  However, there is a huge drawback to technology. 

No matter how simple or complex the technology is, technology brings a temptation.  When people learned how to make bricks (and today with access to human knowledge on the Internet), we felt tempted to think we no longer needed God.  We have deluded ourselves into thinking that we have advanced beyond God.  We think the concept of God is outdated and old fashioned.  We think that we have reached a level of self-sufficiency that excludes our need for God.  This self-sufficiency was just as incorrect in Genesis 11 as it is today.

Technology and scientific discovery can be good.  They have accomplished a wonderful quality of life that exceeds anything our parents and grandparents ever imagined.  But we still need God, because we did not create ourselves; we cannot meet our own needs; and we cannot resolve our basic sin problem on our own.

Genesis 11: 4…  4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." 

In verse 4, we read the fundamental motivation for building the tower.  The builders wanted to “make a name for themselves” and to guarantee their own futures. 

The Bible uses the word “name” very similarly to the way we use it today.  To make a name for myself means that I want to establish my reputation and to leave a legacy.  It is an almost universal desire.  Most of us want to make a difference in the world.  We may act humble around our friends and family, but we would love to have something named after us so that we know our lives were not lived in vain.  People give money to universities so they can have their names put on buildings and scholarships.

But the Bible also uses the word “name” to refer to a person’s character.  That’s why the Bible tells us about several individuals who had their names changed.  But in each of these stories, God changed their names.  When God changed their character, God also changed their names.  Abram became Abraham.  Jacob became Israel.  Simon became Peter.

Despite our very best efforts, we cannot change our own character.   Only God can change a person.  Only God can “make our name great.”

The reason we cannot change our character is the fact that we are sinners.  Our very basic nature is sinful, and the individual things we do are unrighteous, unholy and sinful.  As sinners, we cannot fix our sin problem or pull ourselves out of sin.

Perhaps you have heard the statement that religion is the primary cause of all the suffering and wars the world has ever faced.  This was certainly not true in the Twentieth Century.  The biggest perpetrators of suffering and death in the Twentieth Century were Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.  Hitler never claimed to be a Christian and merely tolerated the presence of the church in Germany.  Ironically, the Soviet Union was formed in reaction to the role of Christianity and the church in Europe.  Its founders believed that they could create an atheist state more peaceful than any “Christian” state.  But, when the Soviet Union fell, the rest of the world discovered official records detailing over 3 million executions!  (These 3 million “official” executions do not include deportations, imprisonments, forced labor camps and artificial famines inflicted by the Soviet regime.  Ultimately, the Soviet Union was responsible for over 20 million deaths![1])

The primary source of suffering and war is not religion.  It’s people.  People have a fundamental sin problem and when people are left to live according to the rules we create for ourselves, the result is suffering and war.

Genesis 11: 5…  5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 

Don’t miss the humor of this verse.  The builders used the very best of human knowledge and character.  They had access to the very best technological advances of their day.  And they built the largest tower anyone had ever seen.  Standing on the ground, it appeared that the tower stretched into the heavens…all the way up to God.

But, when God wanted to get a look of this human creation…God came down.  God couldn’t even see it without coming down from Heaven.

Conclusion

I wish this had happened to me, but it didn’t.  It happened to a woman named Kelly Fryer who serves as a Lutheran minister.  (I found this story thanks to technology and the wonders of the Internet.)

When Kelly Fryer was in seminary, she had to go to class on a day that everyone wanted to be outside.  It was a beautiful day.  Everyone was daydreaming and not paying attention to the lecture.  The seminary professor figured out that no one was paying attention and that he was wasting his time teaching the class.

The professor closed his book and announced that he wasn’t going to waste another breath on this class.  Then, he went to the chalk board and drew an arrow pointing straight down.  He told the class, “If you understand that, you understand everything you need to know about Christian theology.”  And left the room.

Kelly Fryer says that the first thing she thought was, “He thinks we are going to Hell.”  But, the professor explained it in the next class…

He drew a similar arrow on the board and said, “God always comes down.  There is nothing you can do to turn that arrow around and make your way UP to God.”

Our greatest efforts aren’t good enough (or tall enough) to reach God.  Technology will never reach the point that we no longer need God.  Character development will never be good enough to achieve God-like character.  Perhaps we can add here that religion and religious activity can never get us into Heaven.  The only hope we have is for God to come down and rescue us…to save us from sin…to change our character.

Ultimately, this is the story of the Bible / the Gospel / the Good News.  God comes down to us.  God came down and made himself known.  God broke into Abraham’s life and called him to go to the Promised Land.  God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai and gave him the Law.  God spoke to the Old Testament prophets and revealed his will for his people.  God spoke through the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus.

We would never know God on our own…Unless God came down to us.

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[1] Statistics from The Black Book of Communism in Alister McGrath, The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World (New York: Doubleday, 2004), pp. 231 – 237.  Also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Book_of_Communism

Our Heavenly Home

Our Heavenly Home

2 Corinthians 5: 1 – 10

Introduction

Do you ever get a song stuck in your head?  You keep singing it over and over in your mind, or maybe even singing it out loud?  Even if it is a good song, it can drive you crazy if you can’t get it out of your mind.

That happened to me this weekend.  All weekend long, I have been singing one of the songs our staff “quartet” sang at the Valentine’s Day Banquet Friday night…This World Is not My Home.

Of course, when I got the word that David Campbell had died this morning, and knowing that was the last song David sang in pubic, I now think that was probably the Providence of God.  God was using that song in my head to prepare me for this day and to remind me of our Heavenly home.

Here are the words we sang with David on Friday night:

This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through,

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue;

The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door,

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

Just over in Gloryland we’ll live eternally,

The saints on every hand are shouting victory;

Their songs of sweetest praise drift back from Heaven’s shore,

And I can’t feel at home in the world anymore.

(Chorus) O Lord, you know, I have no friend like you,

If Heaven’s not my home, then Lord what will I do?

The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door,

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

2 Corinthians 5: 1 – 10...  1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

This Scripture falls in the context of Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth.  In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul wrote about how important it is for Christians to stand up under trial and persecution.  Many believers were being ridiculed for their faith in Jesus, and others were losing out on new jobs or even promotions in their old jobs because of their faith.  There were financial and social risks involved in being a follower of Jesus.  There were even some areas where Christians were physically beaten or killed because of their faith.  And Paul writes to us telling us that we can find comfort in knowing that suffering is part of following a Crucified Lord.  Do you hear the comfort in that statement?  It is comforting because it emphasizes how we are not really “at home” as long as we live physical, earthly lives.  Our home is in heaven, in the presence of God himself.

               

Tent (v. 1).

The first thing that occurs to me in verse one, is the way Paul obviously uses the image of a “tent” to communicate something temporary.  The earthly tent is something that can be “destroyed.”  It will not and cannot last forever.

Paul used the image of a “tent” to refer to the human body.  Your body will not and cannot last forever.  There are physical limitations to our life on earth.  Some people live to be over 100 years old, while other people live just short lives.  But no one can live on earth forever.

The second thing that occurs to me is how this relates to Paul on a personal level.  In several places in the New Testament, Paul boasted about how he never preached the Gospel for money.  He earned his living working a secular career, so that no one would accuse him of benefiting financially from the spread of the Gospel.  And Acts 18: 3 tells us that Paul’s career was as a tentmaker.  He made his living making tents for people to use and live in.  He is being realistic about his own career path.  He works diligently, day in and day out, to build something that will not and cannot stand the test of time.  Maybe there is another sermon in this…No matter how hard you work, your career will not and cannot last forever.

It also occurs to me that Paul had a thoroughly Jewish upbringing.  He knew the Scriptures that we know as the Old Testament.  He had learned from his earliest memories of childhood how God had rescued the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt.  God led them across the Red Sea into the desert where they lived for forty years…in tents.  Do you know what another word for tent is in the Bible?  “Tabernacle.”

In ancient Judaism, there was an annual event known as the Feast of the Tabernacles.  Jewish people from all over Palestine and the known world would return to Jerusalem to worship God and remember what God had done to deliver them to the Promised Land.  The whole landscape of Jerusalem would be populated by travelers living in tents to remember how their ancestors had once lived.

Paul knew this well.  Paul perhaps had even participated in the Feast of Tabernacles and had lived in a tent with his family as a child.  Paul had probably made tents and sold them to families who were traveling to Jerusalem for the Feast.

Paul knew that living in a tent was one option for a family traveling.  Paul knew that the Hebrew people had lived in tents for forty years in the desert.  But Paul also knew that tents are only temporary.

In fact, during the forty years in the desert, God instructed Moses to build a special “tent” that would be the place for the people to worship God.  Worship had to be in a tent as long as the people were on the move.  A Temple was not possible.  Temples cannot be taken down and packed away to carry to the next stop along the road. 

I believe Paul is teaching us that as long as we are on this earth, our dwelling places will always be temporary…Tents.  This fits very well with the teachings of Jesus to his disciples.  When Jesus called the first twelve disciples, he issued a very simple call: “Come.  Follow me.”  The Christian life is a life of being on the move…Following Jesus…Going where Jesus goes…Doing what Jesus does.  And since we are on the move, we need to live in temporary shelters.

House (v. 1).

Verse one contains instructions that we have temporary residence on this earth, but it also contains a promise.  If the earthly tent is destroyed, then we have an eternal house in heaven.  This house is secure, because it was not built by human hands.

In John 1: 14, we read a wonderful verse describing the Incarnation of Jesus.  John began by telling us that the Word was present with God from the foundations of the earth.  The Word was present and active in the act of Creation.  Then verse 14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

The NIV interprets this verse by using the phrase “made his dwelling.”  However, in Greek this is just one word.  Literally, it says Jesus “tabernacled” among us.  Now remember that a tabernacle is a tent.  So, another way to interpret this is to say, “The Word became flesh and ‘pitched his tent’ among us.”

Incarnation means that Jesus became one of us.  Jesus became flesh.  Jesus lived in a tent, just like you and me.  Jesus had a temporary body of flesh and blood.  This temporary body went to the cross where Jesus literally and physically died.  But that was not the end of the story.

John 14: 2: “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.”

This is what Paul wrote about in 2 Corinthians 5.  There is a place in heaven that is secure.  This place in heaven is not temporary; it is eternal.  It is not a tent; it is a house.  It was not built by a human tentmaker; it was prepared by God himself.

Body (v. 2 – 4).

Paul tells us that it is natural for us to want to leave this earthly, temporary body and groan for our eternal, secure home in heaven.  But, here is the difference between what we believe as Christians and what other people believe.  Wherever we reside, we will have a body.  As Christians, we do not believe in a disembodied state of being.  When we die, we will not become ghosts or spirits.  We don’t even become a part of God or a part of the heavens.  We will have a bodily existence.

The body is a very important part of our theology.  First, Jesus was Incarnated in the “flesh.”  Jesus had a body.  He had emotions and felt pain.  Then, after the crucifixion, Jesus rose again in the body.  He walked around, his disciples saw him and touched him.  Jesus even ate breakfast while the disciples were watching.  He had a body.  Then, forty days after the resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven…In the body.  And Jesus promises us that when he returns to earth, he will return in the body.  In the same way, he promises us that when we live with him in heaven, we will be given new bodies.

Have you ever wondered why Christian theology places so much emphasis on the human body?  It is because of relationship.  A body makes it possible for us to have a relationship with others.  Because I have a body, there is a clearly defined place where my person stops and your person begins.  There is a boundary that separates.  You and I are not the same.  But at the same time, our bodies define who we are.  Body is the way we know each other and the way we are known by others.  Knowing is the basis of relationship.  This is why I believe the Bible teaches that we will know and be known by others when we are in heaven.  Body makes relationship possible.

Conclusion: Holy Spirit (v. 5).

And now Paul tells us this is what we were created for.  We could certainly make a case for relationship with others as our purpose.  But here, I believe Paul is telling us that we were created for heaven.  One day, we will fully realize our God-given purpose, by shedding this earthly tent and moving into a secure, eternal house in relationship with God and relationship with others.

But how can we know if we are going to heaven?  The Holy Spirit is the “deposit guaranteeing what is to come.”

This is a wonderful biblical image of what God has planned for us.  The Holy Spirit is a deposit.  There are two interesting ways this Greek word “deposit” was used in secular Greek.  First, it was used in legal contracts, for example the sale of land.  If a man signed a contract to purchase land from another, he would often place a deposit or “earnest money” on the land to guarantee that he would fulfill his end of the bargain.  Second, it was also used to describe an “engagement ring.”  When a man intended to marry a woman, he would give her an engagement ring to guarantee that he would fulfill his commitment to marry her.

So, how can we know if we are going to heaven?  Paul says that God gave us an engagement ring when he gave us the Holy Spirit.  This is your assurance that God has built a permanent house for you.  This is your guarantee of heaven…God inside you.

Grace and Joy

Grace and Joy
Philippians 4: 21 – 23.

Introduction

Today is our last Sunday in the Book of Philippians. I didn’t approach this series of sermons like a traditional “sermon series.”  I didn’t start out with a theme or idea and develop that theme sermon by sermon.  Instead, I approached it as a journey of discovery.  I felt like we were discovering the Book of Philippians together week after week…Listening to Paul’s words and allowing the Bible to speak to us…whatever the Bible might say week after week.

For many Christians, the Book of Philippians is one of our favorites.   At least, it is one of our favorite New Testament books written by the Apostle Paul.  Paul wrote the Book of Romans, but Philippians is not quite as complicated or as long as Romans.  Paul wrote the Book of Galatians, but Paul does not sound as angry in the Book of Philippians.  In fact, Philippians is a very encouraging and uplifting book…One of the recurring themes is the joy that comes from being a Christian.  Joy in the midst of difficulties.  Joy that cannot be taken away by your circumstances.

One of the remarkable things about Philippians is the fact that Paul wrote this book about joy during one of the most difficult times of his life.  The traditional view is that Paul wrote this book from prison.  However, it was not exactly what we think of as prison.  More than likely, Paul was under house arrest in Rome.  He didn’t live in a prison cell.  He lived in a house, where he was free to write letters to churches and people were free to visit him most any time.  But, Paul was not free to leave.  He was constantly under Roman supervision and probably was chained to a Roman soldier around the clock.  (Soldiers would change shifts every four hours.)  During this house arrest, Paul was waiting for a final decision about his life.  There were only two choices.  Either he would be released by the Roman government, or he would be executed.  (Imprisonment was generally not considered a long term punishment.)

Yet, Paul was able to write this encouraging and uplifting book about Christian joy in the face of these difficult circumstances.  He found joy that was bigger than his circumstances…a joy that allowed him to rise above what was happening around him.

But, Joy is not the only theme we find in the Book of Philippians.  Listen to the way Paul brings the Book of Philippians to its conclusion…

Philippians 4: 21 – 23… 21 Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. 22 All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar's household. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Paul’s last words to Philippians sound a lot like his first words. 

Philippians 1: 1 – 2… 1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace

Paul began the Book of Philippians with a prayer for Grace and ended with a prayer for Grace. Of course, this should come as no surprise to people who know a little bit about the Apostle Paul. 

Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles.  He took the Good News about Jesus and the Christian faith beyond the geographical and religious boundaries of Israel and shared a message of Grace and salvation all over the known world.

Paul preached one consistent message wherever he went.  He preached against religion as the way to salvation.  The Jewish Law could not bring about salvation.  The pagan worship practices could not bring salvation.  The only way to be saved was through the crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus.

In Paul’s theology, salvation is necessary because all human beings are sinful.  Our sin nature and the individual sins we commit stand between us and God.  God is holy, Righteous and without sin.  Human beings are unholy, unrighteous and sinful.  Therefore, it is impossible for sinful humanity to be in relationship with the holy God. 

If the holy God has a relationship with sinful humanity, then one of two things must be true.  Either, human sin is not as evil as the Bible makes it out to be.  Or, God is not as holy as the Bible says he is.

In order for the holy God to have relationship with sinful humanity, our sin problem must be addressed / fixed.  And that is why the crucifixion and Resurrection were necessary.  God provided the only pure and perfect sacrifice to address / fix the human sin problem.  We could not provide this sacrifice.  Only God could provide the sacrifice.

Another way to state this is to say that we cannot earn, achieve or even gain our own salvation.  The only way to be saved is to receive it as a gift from God.  And, that is the basic meaning of Grace.  Grace is a gift we receive through no effort or achievement of our own.  We do not deserve God’s gift.  We merely receive it as a free gift.

Joy

Paul began the Book of Philippians with a prayer for Grace and ended the Book of Philippians with a prayer for Grace.  In between these two prayers for Grace, Paul had a lot to say about Joy.

Paul was not having the best day of his life when he wrote the Book of Philippians.  It wasn’t even the best year of his life.  Yet, Paul found reasons to rejoice in the midst of his difficult circumstances.

This is one of the remarkable things about the Christian faith.  As Christians, we have a difficult time explaining the presence of evil and the reality of suffering.  We cannot explain why bad things happen to good people.  However, we do believe that suffering always has a purpose.  There is no such thing as meaningless suffering.

Of course, we need to be careful here.  We do not believe that God is the source of evil.  We do not believe God causes us to suffer (or causes bad things to happen to good people).  Instead, we believe that God brings something good out of every difficult situation.

Paul’s words to the Philippians show us that Paul was able to see what God was doing.  Even though Paul was under house arrest, God continued to work through Paul and through other preachers.  When Paul could no longer travel to preach the Gospel, other preachers picked up where Paul left off and continued to preach and spread the Gospel.  AND, since Paul was chained to Roman soldiers around the clock, Paul got to preach the Gospel to a “captive audience.”  (More than likely, Paul’s preaching to these Roman soldiers was successful.  He tells us as much in Philippians 4: 22 when he tells us that the Gospel had spread to “Caesar’s household.”  High ranking officials in the Roman government and quite possibly members of Caesar’s own family had received salvation as a result of Paul’s preaching and imprisonment!)

There are some times when we are like Paul and get to see what God is doing through our suffering and difficulties.  But, that is not always the case.  Oftentimes we have to accept by faith that God will bring something good out of our suffering.

There is an important point to notice about Paul’s Joy.  Paul was able to experience and express Joy, because Paul was not focused on himself.  Instead of concentrating on how difficult it was to be falsely accused, arrested, in chains and facing execution, Paul focused on how the Gospel could not be stopped.

In other words, Paul had a bigger purpose in life than being happy and comfortable. 

Do you have a bigger purpose in life?  If the only purpose of your life is to be happy and comfortable, then you will not experience Joy in all circumstances.  Your Joy will fluctuate with your checking account balance or will come and go as your stress level increases.

Paul lived for a bigger purpose.  He gave his life away for other people.  He wanted to be a blessing and encouragement to other people.  He took great risks to start new churches throughout the Roman Empire.  He was willing to go to jail so that other people could experience the Grace of God through Jesus Christ.

Paul’s Joy was not the result of pursuing his own happiness and comfort.  Paul’s Joy was the result of pursuing obedience and following God’s will.

Connection between Grace and Joy

It is not obvious to us in our English translations of the Bible, but there seems to be a connection between the Greek words for “Grace” and “Joy.”

Notice the similarities between these two Greek words.  Chara is the source for the English name “Karen.”  (Anyone named Karen is a joyful person.)  Charis is the source of our English word “charismatic.”  (A charismatic person is a person who is gifted.)

No one is really sure how Grace and Joy are connected.  But there are two very interesting possibilities.

It is possible that the Greek word for Grace developed from the Greek word for Joy.  If so, then we can say that Grace is a gift that brings about great Joy to the person who receives it.  And that is certainly a true statement.  When we stop and think about the great sacrifice that God made by sending his Only Begotten Son to die on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, we can’t help but express Joy.  When we reflect on the fact that Jesus rose from the grave as the first person to experience Resurrection and eternal life, promising that we too can experience Resurrection and eternal life, we can’t help but express Joy.  Then, if we realize that we don’t deserve salvation and eternal life…Wow…There is no greater Joy.

Of course, it is also possible that the Greek word for Joy developed from the Greek word for Grace.  If this is the case, then we recognize that true Joy is not something we can ever achieve on our own.  True Joy is a Grace—a gift from God.  If the world does not give us Joy, then the world cannot take Joy away from us.  If God himself is the source of our Joy, then nothing (and no one) can separate us from our Joy.

Conclusion

This view of Joy as a Grace-Gift from God fits well with Paul’s teaching about the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.

Galatians 5: 22 – 23…  22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

Technically, Paul says Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.  But, there’s not much difference between fruit and gift.  To say that Joy is a “fruit” of the Spirit is to say that Joy is something the Holy Spirit produces in us. 

Joy is not something we conjure up within ourselves.  Joy is a product / produce / result / fruit of the Holy Spirit in us.  Therefore, Joy is a gift from God.

Joy is not something we pursue and acquire.  Joy is a product / produce / result / fruit / a gift we receive when we pursue God and his purposes for our lives.

Paul found Joy in the midst of very difficult circumstances, because he was not actually pursuing Joy.  Paul was pursuing obedience / God’s will.  Paul gave his life away to serve other people.  Paul lived for a purpose greater than himself.  And, Paul found Joy…Because Joy was the result.  Joy was a Grace-Gift from God.

Perhaps this is why we have such a difficult time finding Joy.  We will never find Joy outside of the Grace of God.

I Can Do All Things

Philippians 4: 13

Introduction

David, Jared and I meet together on Monday afternoons to plan the worship service for the next Sunday.  This past Monday, Jared asked me if I had planned to preach Philippians 4: 13 on Super Bowl Sunday.  I didn’t plan it this way, but it does fit.  Philippians 4: 13 is a very popular Scripture for professional athletes.  Look for it during the Super Bowl tonight, and listen for someone to quote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  This was one of Tim Tebow’s favorite Scriptures to print on his eyeblack when he was playing.  But, is this what Philippians 4: 13 means?

Does Philippians 4: 13 mean that you can do anything you set your heart to do if you pray hard enough or have enough faith?  Does it mean that God will give you the strength to accomplish any and all of your goals in life?

Actually, I learned a very important lesson about Philippians 4: 13 when I was a college student working as a counselor and lifeguard at a Christian camp in Mississippi—Central Hills Baptist Retreat.

This camp was primarily a boys’ camp.  For 10 weeks of the summer we had around 200 boys per week.  But for 2 weeks we had 200 girls.  During the weeks of the boys’ camps, I worked as a counselor leading a group of 10 – 12 boys through a week of activities.  But during the girls’ camps, I worked either at the lake as a canoe instructor or at the pool as a lifeguard.

Central Hills required that every activity have a Christian emphasis and should always end with a spiritual application.  This was not hard as a canoe instructor, because every camper came through our activity only one time every week.  That meant we could give the same spiritual application every hour, every day, and no one would hear the same thing twice…This paddle is like Jesus…You can’t make it in the water without a paddle, and you can’t make it in life without Jesus.

But it was much more difficult at the pool.  Every camper came to the pool every day.  That meant that we had to come up with five different spiritual applications and use one per day.

Well, it just so happened that my first year as a lifeguard, I had spent a lot of time in the pool.  And over that time, I had decided that I would learn how to do a one-and-a-half…That is a dive where the diver jumps off the diving board, does a complete flip in the air, then does another half flip and enters the water head first.  I worked all summer on that one-and-a-half.  I started out doing a flip.  Then a flip and a belly flop.  Until finally I perfected my one-and-a-half.  And I must admit that back in my thinner and more athletic days it was a PERFECT one-and-a-half.

During the week of girls’ camp, I practiced my one-and-a-half in between the swimming groups. 

In one of our last groups, there was a little girl who was scared to death of jumping off the diving board.  She finally got up enough courage to climb up on the board and loooooook over the edge into the water.  But she would not jump.

She thought it would be easier if she took a running go before she jumped into the water.  So she backed up to the back of the diving board and raaaaaan up the the very end and STOPPED!  She baaaaaacked up…And raaaaaan to the end of the board and STOPPED! 

Finally it was time for the group to end their swim period, so we blew the whistle and got everybody out of the water.  But that one little girl was still on the diving board.  So I got on the board with her to help her while everybody else sat on the edge and watched.  And the same thing happened.  She baaaaaacked up…And raaaaaan to the end of the board and STOPPED…Grabbed her nose and JUMPED.  Everybody cheered!

When she finally got to the side of the pool, I stayed on the diving board with everyone’s attention.  I started by reminding everyone about how she had been scared of jumping.  I raaaaaaan to the end of the board and STOPPED!  I baaaaacked up and raaaaaan to the end of the board and STOPPED!.  Then, I told how she finally got over her fears and jumped into the water.  Then, I quoted Philippians 4: 13… I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Then…Can you guess what I did next?  I ran to the end of the diving board JUMPED…BOUNCED…and did my perfect one-and-a-half…I knew that all the little girls were thoroughly impressed…

I swam to the side of the pool.  As I was coming up to the ladder to climb out of the pool, I heard a little girl say… Now, do it off the high dive! 

I had never done it off the high dive.

Can you guess what I did next?  I cliiiiiimbed up to the top of the high dive.  I took a deeeeeeeep breath.  I raaaaaaaaan to the end of the diving board.  And I STOPPED!  I couldn’t do it.  I was too scared to try it for the first time with all those girls watching.  I couldn’t do it…AND…I was caught.  I could not practice what I had just preached… I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

But is that really what Paul meant in Philippians 4: 13?  Did Paul mean that no matter what you want to do in life, if you will just pray about it, then Christ will give you the strength that you need to do whatever you want to do?

The best way to determine the meaning of any biblical text is to read it in its proper context.  In terms of context, there are two important things we need to consider:  The Background and The Foreground.

The background of a passage of Scripture is what stands behind the text as we look at it.  The foreground is what stands in between us and the text.  Just like in a photograph (family on the beach).  There is the subject of the photograph (the family)…There is stuff behind the subject that shows up in the photo (ocean)…There is stuff in front of the subject that stands in between us and the subject (sand).

Background

                        Philippians 4: 10 – 13… 10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Remember that Paul is in prison as he writes this letter to the church at Philippi…Even though he is in prison, Paul can find reasons to rejoice…

He rejoiced that the spread of the Gospel does not depend on him…Even though one of the greatest missionaries who ever lived is in prison, the Gospel continued to spread and people continued to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. 

He rejoiced in the faithfulness of the Philippian Christians…This is one of the reasons why the Gospel continued to spread…Even though Paul gave a few words of instruction about church problems and conflict in this book, there is very little…The church was faithful to its task, mission, purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission. 

He rejoiced that the Philippian church had sent him some money to help in his Gospel ministry…

And Paul rejoiced in his Contentment…This is an important word for understanding what Paul is saying in this passage.

It is reminiscent of the philosophical teachings of the Stoics.  Stoicism was a philosophy that was very popular in Paul’s day and had quite possibly infiltrated the Philippian church.  Stoic philosophers taught that salvation was something that was possible for any man, woman or child to accomplish for himself or herself.

The Stoics believed that everything physical is evil and everything spiritual is good.  For example, human emotions are a normal and natural part of what it means to be a physical human being.  Therefore, emotions are evil and ought to be suppressed.

The Stoics also believed that God had implanted a little piece of himself in every person.  And all you had to do to be saved is to allow that piece of God to shine through in your life.  They believed that piece of God was your REASON or your LOGIC.

Instead of being controlled by your emotions or your feelings, salvation is achieved by suppressing emotions and living according to your REASON or LOGIC.  They believed such a life could lead to salvation and a state of contentment…Not happy…Not sad…Not angry …Not afraid…Just Neutral, or content…

Paul had a different understanding of contentment.  In fact, Paul tells us that he has learned the secret to being content.  Contentment is not the result of suppressing human emotion.  Instead, contentment is the result of trusting Jesus—reaching a point in life where we realize that Jesus is all we need.

Foreground

                        Philippians 4: 14 – 20… 14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. 17 Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The entire passage we read today (Philippians 4: 10 – 20) sounds a lot like a Thank You Note.  And, we ought to know what a Thank You Note sounds like.  After all, we live in East Texas where sending and receiving Thank You Notes is polite and very common.  But, there are two unusual things about Paul’s Thank You Note:

First, Paul wrote, “Thank you for sending me money, but I didn’t really need or want the money.”

Second, Paul wrote, “Thank you for sending me money, but please don’t send me any more money.”

This is one unusual Thank You Note.  But, Paul did not want the Philippians to misunderstand the financial gift they had sent to Paul.

Paul didn’t want to get caught in a cycle of reciprocity.  If you give me a dollar, I will owe you a dollar.  If you help me, then I will one day return the favor.  If you scratch my back, I will scratch your back.

And, Paul did not want the Philippians to think Paul was beholden to them as a result of their gift.  There was a danger that these well-meaning Christians would think Paul would give them special treatment because they had supported him financially.

Paul broke the cycle with the Philippians by explaining to them that they had not given their financial gifts to Paul.  They had given them to God.  Since they had given them to God, God would be the One to “meet all their needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Ultimately, Paul didn’t need the money, because he was Content.    He had learned how to be happy and joyful and thankful no matter what his circumstances looked like.

Ancient Prayer

I think Paul was expressing to the Philippians the same sentiment we find in an ancient Jewish prayer.  This prayer is found in Proverbs 30…

Proverbs 30: 8 – 9…

8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread. 

9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' 

Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

There are two ways to interpret this prayer from the Book of Proverbs. 

One way is to think of it like the children’s story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  One porridge was too hot.  One porridge was too cold.  One porridge was just right.  One bed was too hard.  One bed was too soft.  One bed was just right.  (I don’t want to be too wealthy or too poor, but just right.)

The other way is to consider that the prayer recognizes God as the source of all material blessings. 

Contentment is not about how much stuff (material wealth) you might have.  Contentment is recognizing God as the source of all your stuff (material wealth).

Conclusion

As I read Philippians 4: 13 in context, I think it teaches us that we have three choices of how our lives will end up…

1)       Frustration…Failing to achieve what we so earnestly desire…

2)       Disillusion…Achieving what we desire and realizing that it will not satisfy…

3)       Contentment…Achieving what we desire and being satisfied…

Paul teaches us that there is only one way to be Content. 

Desiring Christ…Having Christ…Finding satisfaction in Christ…No matter what the circumstances of our lives…

No matter what the circumstances of life… I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me…