The Attitude of Mission.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] Amen. [0:01] Well, go ahead and have a seat. [0:02] Welcome to Village Church. [0:03] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve. [0:05] I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:07] And as always, I am thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you.

[0:11] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them to Philippians chapter 2. [0:15] We’re going to be starting in verse 14 this morning. [0:19] And so we’re going to be back in Philippians this morning. [0:21] We took a week off last week to kind of cast some vision for church planting, and we’re [0:27] coming back into it. [0:28] Now, what I’m going to be on where the word is concerned this morning was kind of supposed

[0:34] to be a part of the sermon that ended up just being on verses 12 and 13. [0:39] But it was such an immense subject that I kind of had to break it up into two sermons [0:44] first, because I didn’t want it to be a three-hour sermon. [0:47] And secondly, because he kind of does a part one, part two thing on us, because he goes [0:54] from verses 12 and 13, which are general statements about the work of God in our lives. [1:00] And we love general statements about the work of God in our lives, because we can do whatever

[1:04] we want to with those statements. [1:05] We can apply them however we want to in our lives. [1:09] But then in verse 14, he does something very interesting where he takes the general and [1:17] makes it immensely practical. [1:19] He takes something that I can define under my understanding, this working out of my salvation [1:25] with fear and trembling.

[1:27] And he says, this is actually where that’s going to start, and this is actually where [1:33] it’s going to hurt in your life. [1:36] Because he goes somewhere that I wouldn’t naturally go. [1:40] I would take something like, you know, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, [1:44] because it’s God that works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. [1:49] And I would take that, and I would do something in my mind that seems bigger than what he’s

[1:54] going to talk about. [1:55] I would talk about, you know, starting this huge gospel movement, telling everyone about [1:58] faith in Jesus Christ. [2:01] But Paul doesn’t do that. [2:03] And I think he does it for good cause. [2:05] He goes to our attitude.

[2:08] And Paul actually goes to this place where he’s going to build a foundation upon which [2:13] the gospel movement is built on, because if we don’t start with that foundation, we’re [2:18] going to try to start a gospel movement and then wreck it very soon through our attitudes. [2:25] And so Paul goes somewhere about grumbling and disputing. [2:30] And here’s where I need your help this morning. [2:33] Because as I was studying this passage, and it just started getting bigger and bigger

[2:35] and bigger, more applicable and more applicable and more applicable, I got really uncomfortable, [2:41] because the language that he uses in this text goes to the Old Testament about the [2:46] relationship between Moses and the nation of Israel. [2:49] And when it starts to be about leadership and the people that he leads, well, that’s [2:55] a tough sermon to preach because it’s kind of personal. [3:00] And so here’s what I want you to understand this morning, that the key to understanding

[3:06] grumbling and disputing is understanding how guilty you are of grumbling and disputing. [3:12] And I speak from personal experience here. [3:16] There is no one in this room that’s innocent. [3:19] None of you. [3:21] Now, somebody’s in here and you’re like, what are you talking about? [3:25] I am just such a positive force in the lives of others.

[3:29] You’re probably the worst. [3:32] That’s Satan is literally lying to you right now. [3:36] We all have this just default mode of really negativity. [3:44] That if it’s one thing you don’t have to teach a child how to do, it’s complain.

[3:51] I’ve never sat my kids down and been like, all right, guys, here’s complaining 101. [3:57] Yeah, they are at Ph.D. levels right now. [4:02] All right. [4:02] They’re just they’re just good at it. [4:06] And so this complaining and disputing is something that’s very easy for us to do because it’s [4:12] our natural tendency as sinful people.

[4:16] First because we live in a fallen world. [4:18] We live in a world that’s radically corrupt because of sin. [4:23] And so it’s easy to be negative because we live in a negative world. [4:26] Watch the news for three minutes and you’re depressed because it’s negative. [4:32] It’s rare that we see anything that’s encouraging in the world around us outside of the Church [4:38] of Jesus.

[4:39] But then when we enter into the Church of Jesus, our temptation is to bring what is [4:44] natural because of sin into a place that’s all about redemption from sin. [4:49] It’s all about grace. [4:50] It’s all about redemption. [4:51] It’s all about restoring the hope that only God has for us in our lives. [4:57] So we have to start from a place of guilt if we’re ever going to get anywhere with

[5:01] this notion. [5:02] If you’re ever going to receive anything that the apostle Paul’s talking about today, [5:07] you have to start from a place of admitting your personal failure where this is concerned. [5:13] And so so if we can agree on that, let’s move forward. [5:16] In verse 14, here’s what the apostle writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. [5:20] He says, do all things.

[5:23] Mm. [5:24] All things. [5:25] All right. [5:26] In the original language, the word all is very interesting because it means all.

[5:33] Do all things without grumbling or disputing that you may be blameless and innocent, children [5:42] of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation among whom you shine [5:50] as lights in the world. [5:53] I just want to stop right there and I want to just start and then we’ll move on. [5:57] All right. [5:58] And so point number one, just jumping right into it.

[6:00] Stop complaining. [6:02] Stop complaining. [6:04] And I just lost half of you. [6:07] Because you’ve convinced yourself of something that isn’t true, but you believe it to be [6:12] true, because the greatest liar in your life is you. [6:16] No one lies to you more than you lie to yourself.

[6:19] It’s just a fact. [6:21] The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can become healthy. [6:24] All right. [6:26] You are tempted to live the lie that your complaint is different than everyone else’s. [6:33] Their complaint is the bad type of complaint. [6:37] Their complaint is the sinful type of complaint.

[6:39] But what you don’t understand is that I have holy complaints. [6:44] My complaints are sanctified. [6:47] My complaints are more valid than everyone else’s complaints. [6:51] I come from a place where if everyone would just listen to me, everybody would be better off. [6:58] I was talking to a guy the other day and he said, now I know this might sound arrogant, [7:02] but I’m right 99% of the time.

[7:07] And someone in the same conversation looked at him and said, dude, that doesn’t sound [7:10] arrogant. [7:11] It’s the definition of arrogance.

[7:16] And there’s these lies that we tell ourselves that our sin isn’t as sinful as everybody [7:23] else’s sin. [7:24] And what I want to help you with right now is to understand your sin is just as sinful [7:28] as everyone else’s sin is sinful.

[7:33] When the apostle begins the passage, he talks about these two things. [7:35] He talks about grumbling and he talks about disputing. [7:38] Now in the original language, the reason I say stop complaining is because grumbling [7:42] is the same word that we’ve brought over to English that means complaining. [7:46] But the reason that most versions of the scripture translate it grumbling is because [7:51] of the attitude that’s in the original language is actually about a sound that we make.

[7:57] It’s this guttural sound that we make when we disagree with something. [8:02] It’s when you’re told something that you don’t like or you don’t want to do and you walk [8:07] away speaking at a level that you don’t think that they can hear but is really negative. [8:14] That’s what’s called mumbling under your breath, by the way. [8:17] And my children do it really well. [8:19] As I told you, I’ve never had to teach them to complain, but they complain about a lot

[8:23] of things. [8:23] Every time I tell them to do anything that they don’t want to do, do you know what their [8:27] reaction is? [8:27] They’ve never looked at me and said, father, thank you so much for this sanctifying experience [8:31] of being able to do something that I don’t feel like doing. [8:34] Look at me, and they’re actually very honest.

[8:37] And that’s something about children that I love is the honesty. [8:39] We learn to lie later in life. [8:41] They have this honesty to say, I don’t want to.

[8:45] Have you ever seen a child stomp up the steps saying words that you know are offensive and [8:50] you know you need to hurt them over, but you’re not sure what they said?

[8:57] And what’s interesting is my children, they have this great ability to do things that [9:02] I don’t want them to do, and that’s the thing that gives them joy. [9:05] And when I try to correct what they did that I didn’t want them to do, that’s what makes [9:09] them look at me as if I shouldn’t sleep that night, because they may sneak in and kill [9:14] me. [9:16] My youngest, just the other day, he’s got this box, and it’s like this little cubby

[9:20] that we’ve got in him, and he’s got all these magnetic tiles that he plays within them. [9:24] And he walked right over there, and he’s just grinning, and I love it when he grins. [9:28] I mean, it’s just this beautiful grin on the face of my son. [9:30] And he picks up that box, and I’m like, he’s going to play with the toys I bought him. [9:34] And he goes, ha ha ha ha!

[9:37] He’s dumped them everywhere.

[9:40] So I look at him, and I’m like, all right, you know, he’s going to play. [9:42] That was a weird look. [9:44] It was weird. [9:44] It seemed somewhat devious and against me, what he just did. [9:49] Give him a mulligan. [9:50] About an hour later, I’m like, hey, hey, buddy, buddy, you left a mess.

[9:54] Can you clean that up? [9:56] The mess-making brought this jubilation into his life that I’ve never seen in another person. [10:03] But as soon as I started creeping towards the issue of undoing it, [10:10] I don’t want to.

[10:14] I said, man, I didn’t do that. [10:20] And how quickly I forget what I did to my parents. [10:25] Many of the very same things, but we kind of get this amnesia about our negativity as children, [10:30] our complaint as children. [10:32] And we have to ask ourselves, why is it so natural for us to have these guttural complaints [10:39] about things that are actually good and are actually helpful in our lives?

[10:44] And the reason is that we are all born with this default mode of sin. [10:50] And it is never more apparent than when we grumble. [10:57] It’s a sign that something is deeply broken within us because this is a difficult sin [11:04] to admit that you are guilty of.

[11:09] When we talk about kids cleaning up their toys and just these complaints that make us [11:15] laugh, we have to understand that in this text, he’s actually taking it to a level [11:19] that we’re going to be even more uncomfortable with because he’s not contextually speaking [11:25] about the everyday issues of life that just make you tired. [11:31] No one wants to clean their house. [11:33] If you do, come on over.

[11:36] All right, I got plenty.

[11:39] But what he’s actually talking about based on the context of where this passage falls [11:45] down, is he’s talking about the issue of humility and pride. [11:49] He’s talking about the issue of church unity because of what we talked about in chapters [11:54] one and two. [11:55] He’s talking about the issue of a growing faith and the work of God for discipleship [12:01] in your life.

[12:03] And he’s saying that if you live and do not address this default mode of complaint, this [12:11] default mode of grumbling, you will not grow as a disciple of Jesus and you will not further [12:19] the mission of the church. [12:21] It is that vital to the goal of Jesus Christ.

[12:30] In verse 15, he uses a very interesting phrase that strikes you when you first read it until [12:36] you understand where it came from. [12:38] He uses the phrase a crooked and twisted generation to describe what you are not to be like, but [12:46] instead that you were to give hope to. [12:49] And so he’s saying that when you live your life in grumbling, when you live your life [12:53] in disputing, you are living like a crooked and twisted generation.

[12:58] And this is actually the language that the book of Deuteronomy chapter 32 uses to describe [13:05] the nation of Israel in the wilderness.

[13:10] When over and over they complain to Moses, they say, why have you brought us away from [13:17] Egypt just to die? [13:20] They complain and they say, this land that God has promised us, there are giants everywhere. [13:26] I wish we had stayed in Egypt and died. [13:28] I’m thirsty. [13:29] I wish we’d stayed in Egypt and died.

[13:31] I’m hungry. [13:32] I wish we’d stayed in Egypt and died. [13:34] And Moses is beating his head against a wall and he’s saying, oh God, why are these people [13:39] so negative?

[13:42] And so he’s drawing a direct correlation to the nation of Israel in the wilderness and [13:47] he’s saying the people of God under the leadership of Jesus Christ in the church must run from [13:54] this. [13:55] Because look what it did to Israel. [13:59] It’s going to shipwreck your faith in Jesus Christ. [14:04] Did you know that grumbling is rooted in disbelief?

[14:08] Grumbling is rooted in disbelief because when you think about the context of what was going [14:12] on in the nation of Israel, why did they not believe God to the extent of going into [14:17] the promised land? [14:18] Because they distrusted His promises. [14:21] It’s that God, we know you’re big, but we don’t believe you’re that big. [14:25] And when you think about it, these are people who had seen the plagues fall on Egypt.

[14:31] These are people that as Egypt is closing in, they see Moses under the power of God [14:38] use His staff to part the Red Sea and then they see that same Red Sea save them from [14:44] their enemies.

[14:46] They saw Moses take just the thickets and turn bitter water into drinking water. [14:53] They saw Moses hit a rock and it became a fire hydrant.

[15:00] They were hungry and God provided manna, this miraculous food that somehow met every dietary [15:06] need that a human being could need every single day over and over and over again. [15:11] And then when they complained about that, that same God gave them quails to eat.

[15:17] Over and over they see the work of God to the extent where even as they didn’t believe [15:24] enough to go into the promised land, as they walked for 40 years in the desert, in the [15:29] wilderness, their shoes never wore out.

[15:35] And yet what did they do? [15:38] Grumble, grumble, grumble, grumble, complain, complain, complain, complain. [15:42] And we bring it into our lives and we begin to look at our really refusal to actually [15:50] give into the hope that Jesus has for our lives. [15:55] We begin to understand why He’s getting us away from grumbling and disputing because [16:01] this is not something that we are immune from.

[16:05] This grumbling that the nation of Israel did was not a grumbling against really practical [16:10] things. It was a grumbling against the vision of God for their lives.

[16:16] It’s the refusal to submit to biblical leadership and the attitude that comes out when we think [16:21] we have better ideas than the people that God has placed in leadership over us have.

[16:30] There’s a lot of things that shock me still. [16:33] I’ve been leading many years leading as a pastor in a couple of different scenarios, [16:39] but I still get shocked over the things. [16:41] That it wasn’t that just seminary didn’t prepare me for these things. [16:45] It was that nothing in the world prepared me for these things.

[16:50] And this isn’t isolated us. [16:52] I mean, these grumbling and disputing can get to the point where we can actually have [16:57] churches that are splitting because one group of women says, use this diaper. [17:01] The other group of women use this diaper and no one has the sense to actually look [17:06] and say, are we really dividing over where we defecate now?

[17:14] And it goes to the heart of what we actually value in this world.

[17:23] See, because the level of your grumbling and disputing actually reveals the values of [17:30] your life.

[17:34] Disputing is an interesting thing because it’s actually a posture of selfish ambition. [17:39] The term for disputing in the New Testament is the same term that we use for argue, [17:45] but it goes deeper than just an argument because an argument is something where both sides [17:50] could be right. [17:51] Disputing goes further and it says that you’re disputing from a posture of selfish [17:57] ambition where even if the other person is right, it goes beyond right and wrong and

[18:02] to the heart of you’re actually defending your pride in that moment.

[18:10] It says your grumblings can very quickly go to the form of disputing.

[18:16] It’s the negative movement that puts a barrier up to going forward because you want others [18:21] to come to a consensus about your way being right. [18:27] Because you can’t imagine a world in which someone else could be right and you be wrong. [18:34] Grumbling and disputing are always sourced in ungodly discontentment.

[18:43] I’ve seen some people who they wouldn’t admit this outwardly, but they actually live as [18:49] if their spiritual gift is pointing out every problem that they can find.

[18:54] It’s like we look at the fruits of the spirit and we say, you know, I believe that the [18:59] scripture is inspired by God, but I think he forgot one, my complaints. [19:03] I seem to be really good at complaining. [19:06] And so much so that you act as though it is your spiritual gift. [19:09] And what makes it worse is that you don’t even have a history or any intention of helping.

[19:17] You just literally want to come drop a problem and walk away. [19:21] You want to come drop a problem and say, you fix it, I’m out.

[19:30] You simply feed, quite frankly, off of discouraging others.

[19:37] I remember when I was growing up, my father always told me, he said, son, don’t bring me [19:42] problems, bring me solutions.

[19:46] Because just diagnosing a problem isn’t really that helpful.

[19:52] It’s OK to see a problem. [19:53] It’s OK to inform somebody if there is actually a problem. [19:57] But what always amazes me is that when you walk around looking for problems, here’s the [20:03] key, you’re always going to find them. [20:06] Always. [20:08] And I love it when people come and they just drop problem after problem after problem when

[20:12] you’re on a leadership team and it’s just like, yeah, these are things that we noticed six [20:16] months ago. [20:17] And you know why you can’t figure out how to address the problem? [20:20] Because we haven’t figured it out either.

[20:24] And it’s as if everybody thinks that we sit here and we think, man, I love how bad that is.

[20:33] I’ve noticed problems about eight months before you probably did.

[20:38] But what’s amazing, though, is when we actually understand how the move of God works in our [20:44] lives and we actually live to be an encouragement, we actually live to be a help, well, we don’t [20:49] just bring problems, but instead we bring partnerships.

[20:55] And we come and we say, I want to help with this under your leadership. [21:01] How can I help? [21:03] Do you know how revolutionary different it is? [21:05] How different those two attitudes are?

[21:11] See, friend, if all that you can see is what is wrong, a lot of times you believe a lie. [21:19] You believe that when all that you can see is wrong that there is no right going on. [21:24] But actually it doesn’t mean that at all. [21:27] See, when all that you can see is what is wrong, that simply means that you aren’t taking [21:31] part in what is right. [21:34] Because there’s right going on all around you in every situation.

[21:39] It’s just you have to have the faith to open your eyes and say, God, show me what you are [21:46] doing so that I can be a part of that. [21:50] And when you look at life that way, did you know that you will actually become the solution [21:56] to a host of problems? [21:58] And more than that, you will begin to understand that all of those things that you thought [22:03] were problems aren’t really that big of a deal at all because you’re focused on being

[22:09] a part of what is right. [22:11] You’re focused on being a part of helping others. [22:13] You’re focused on being a part of making disciples. [22:16] You’re focused on being a part of moving the mission of Jesus forward and knowing that [22:22] Grumbling and disputing have never helped anyone with anything.

[22:29] And I think you know that just simply by the way you handle when people grumble and dispute [22:34] about you. [22:36] So why do you think it’s different when you do it? [22:38] It’s not. [22:40] You see, for negativity towards the work of God and the life of God’s people is a sign [22:45] of ungodly discontentment.

[22:48] You see, if you are a continuous voice of negativity, if you seek to be the contrarian [22:55] point of view on matters in most of the situations, I want you to understand that that is not [23:02] a sign of spiritual health. [23:05] It’s actually a sign that you aren’t working your salvation out with fear and trembling. [23:10] It’s actually a sign that you just aren’t a part of the move of God that is going on.

[23:18] You need to understand number two, your attitude impacts your mission. [23:23] Your attitude impacts your mission. [23:26] Note what he says in verse 15.

[23:31] He says that you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish. [23:36] And that’s a bold statement that he’s making there because he’s actually talking about [23:40] what the gospel does in your life. [23:43] He’s saying that if you are defined by grumbling, if you are defined by disputing, it calls [23:49] into question your faith.

[23:54] How do I know that? [23:56] Because what is it that makes you blameless? [23:57] What is it that brings you innocence? [23:59] What’s the work of Jesus? [24:02] But then note that he goes beyond those two. [24:04] And he says children of God without blemish.

[24:07] Now there’s only one thing that can make you a child of God. [24:10] And that’s faith in Jesus Christ. [24:13] That’s the belief that Jesus died to forgive me of my sins. [24:15] He rose from the dead to give me a new life. [24:18] And what Paul is saying is if all you’ve got is complaint, if your life is marked by how [24:24] often you see what is wrong, by how negative you are, by how contrarian you are, by how

[24:29] many times you complain about this, that, or the other thing. [24:32] And you’re just button heads with everybody around you. [24:35] You’re just disputing. [24:37] You’re just protecting. [24:37] You’re just filling your turf. [24:38] You’re just filled with selfish ambition.

[24:40] The apostle is saying, friend, you’re not working out your salvation with fear and trembling. [24:45] Do you actually have faith in Jesus Christ? [24:49] Because unity comes from a blameless faith. [24:54] Unity comes from a blameless faith. [24:57] I have never seen hopefulness be a source of division.

[25:05] I mean, have you ever heard somebody say, oh, my goodness, that person is just so filled [25:09] with hope. [25:11] Man, their hope is running rampant all over the church causing so many problems. [25:17] We just can’t handle that level of hope. [25:20] It’s so divisive. [25:23] And that sounds crazy, because it is.

[25:26] Hopefulness never divides. [25:28] And that is exactly what the gospel of Jesus is to give into the life of His people. [25:33] No, he says, because if you are having faith in Jesus, you’re that child of God, you’ve [25:39] received redemption, you’re seeking to be restored, you are hopeful about the future [25:44] because of what God is going to do in your life and in the lives of others. [25:48] You will stand out in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation among whom you shine

[25:55] as light. [25:56] Now, how would you shine a light in a crooked and twisted generation unless you are wildly [26:00] different than that crooked and twisted generation?

[26:04] And what is he drawing a correlation between? [26:07] He’s saying it is a crooked and twisted generation that is filled with grumbling and dispute. [26:13] Jesus, if you are to shine a light in that crooked and twisted generation, don’t be [26:18] filled with grumbling and dispute. [26:20] So what should you be filled with? [26:21] He goes on.

[26:22] He says, holding fast to the word of life so that in the day of Christ, I’m, he’s talking [26:30] about the sacrifice of your faith. [26:36] I am glad and rejoice with you all. [26:41] Likewise, you be glad and you rejoice. [26:47] Two in two. [26:49] He’s saying the crooked and twisted generation are marked by grumbling and disputing.

[26:54] The people of God are to be marked by being glad and rejoicing.

[26:59] In Numbers chapter 14, the nation of Israel had gotten to a place where they were very [27:06] discouraged. [27:07] I mean, they were overrun with discouragement. [27:09] They were working towards what God had promised, but it wasn’t as easy as they thought it [27:14] was going to be. [27:15] Following Jesus is never easy.

[27:19] God was requiring effort that they didn’t foresee and paths that they didn’t like. [27:25] And so they became discouraged and they became very cynical. [27:29] And here’s what they said. [27:31] And all of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. [27:34] Now, imagine being in Moses and Aaron’s shoes right here. [27:37] This is all of the people.

[27:39] We’re not talking about a dozen people and hundreds of thousands of people against Moses [27:45] and Aaron. [27:46] I would have just walked away in defeat. [27:50] And they all look at Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation said to them, would that [27:54] we had died in the land of Egypt or would that we had died in the wilderness? [28:00] Rather than looking to faith for encouragement, they grumbled and disputed against Moses’s

[28:06] decisions. [28:08] You see, that was their outlet for the one they were really mad at. [28:11] They weren’t mad at Moses. [28:14] They were mad at God. [28:17] They didn’t distrust Moses. [28:19] They distrusted God.

[28:21] They say it would be better if we had died in Egypt.

[28:28] It’s an amazing thing, this world and the negativity of it. [28:31] And if there’s anyone that understands cynicism, it’s me. [28:34] I am naturally just a very cynical person. [28:38] I function under the mandate that if it can go wrong in this world, it will go wrong in my life. [28:45] It’s just a cynical way of looking at life. [28:48] And now some cynicism is okay.

[28:50] Look, if your car breaks down, my wife, this isn’t in my notes, I’m getting in trouble, [28:55] but I started so I can’t stop.

[28:59] I had to, she was taking part with me in some church planner assessments a few weeks ago. [29:04] And it was a wonderful time of encouraging brothers. [29:07] And we drove separately because I had to leave the assessment and drive about an hour and a half away [29:12] to host a prayer summit for one of the denominations that we take part in. [29:17] And so I’m like, I mean, the assessments were long and I’m just like, I got to get out of here.

[29:24] And so I’m like, okay, honey, I love you, get away. [29:26] I’m leaving. [29:27] And so we leave, she goes to her car, I go to my car, and I’m like about to hit 64 heading towards Charlottesville. [29:34] And my phone rings and it’s her. [29:37] And I’m like, I don’t think she misses me already.

[29:42] This is the bat phone. [29:43] Something’s gone wrong. [29:45] So I answered the phone and said, hey, hoping, praying, don’t inconvenience me.

[29:55] Um, I hit the curb, popped my tire. [29:58] I don’t know what to do. [30:00] I didn’t say, you know, I love you, honey, be encouraged in the Lord. [30:05] But also I didn’t say the wrong thing. [30:07] I just said a thing. [30:09] And that thing was I’m turning around.

[30:13] So I turned around and I’m like, oh, my goodness, I wasn’t mad at her. [30:16] Sure, she’s a terrible driver, but I knew I was marrying into that.

[30:27] And so this is literally the second time this has happened.

[30:31] And so I turn around and I’m like, oh, my goodness, I’m going to be so late. [30:35] And I just, if you know me, you know that I do not like being late because it just, I don’t know. [30:40] And so I go, and then I didn’t get mad until I saw that she had tried to park in front of a fire hydrant. [30:47] And then I was like, and it’s illegal.

[30:52] And so here’s the key, all right? [30:54] You are not going to make it out of that experience without being cynical, friend. [30:59] No one ever says, awesome, a flat tire. [31:04] If you do, might be some issues to work through. [31:07] All right. [31:09] So in that moment, I’m cynical.

[31:10] But when the problem comes is when that type of cynicism invades your faith in Jesus. [31:19] And you begin to distrust what God has promised for your life. [31:24] You begin to distrust the processes that God has called you to. [31:28] You begin to look at techniques and that makes you become sinful about your view of leadership and about your treatment of leadership. [31:36] And you think the value of your opinion is greater than God’s call for you to live in submission.

[31:44] That’s sinful cynicism. [31:46] When you think that you’re the smartest voice in the room and you cannot be voted down even by people God has placed in leadership of your life.

[31:57] You must continuously be on guard against what that will do to you. [32:04] Because you will not come out of that type of sin.

[32:11] Without wrecking your life unless you repent. [32:15] Many people have wrecked their faith over their own unguarded grumbling and disputing and blamed everyone but themselves on their way out.

[32:28] Friend, be glad and rejoice and be defined by that. [32:33] See Israel knew what God had promised.

[32:37] They just didn’t trust it. [32:39] Nor did they trust the process that God had laid in store for them to get there. [32:42] They knew what God had commanded. [32:43] They knew who God had put in leadership. [32:46] Yet they grumbled against every bit of it. [32:50] It wasn’t a mark against God.

[32:53] It wasn’t a mark against God’s promises. [32:56] It wasn’t a mark against God’s commands. [32:59] It wasn’t even a mark against God’s leader. [33:03] It was a mark against their faith in Jesus. [33:08] You see friend, it is easy to blame others for your discontentment. [33:11] And that’s why it’s your go-to response.

[33:17] Friend, you have to take responsibility. [33:19] You need to repent. [33:20] You need to submit to God. [33:22] You need to obey Him. [33:25] The half brother of James writes about disputing with people through the lens of selfishness in James 4. [33:31] He writes this.

[33:32] He says, what causes quarrels? [33:34] What causes fights among you? [33:36] Is it not this that your passions are at war within you? [33:40] And right there is like, ouch! [33:43] Because when you’re quarreling, when you’re disputing with someone else, [33:47] what do you think your biggest problem is?

[33:49] That someone else.

[33:52] No, James doesn’t say, what causes quarrels? [33:55] What causes fights among you? [33:58] Aren’t they idiots? [34:00] Those people are so stupid. [34:02] If they could just get on your page, everything would be great. [34:04] No, he doesn’t even get to the content of the argument, does he?

[34:08] No, what does he do? [34:09] He says, the thing that’s causing the quarrels, the thing that’s causing the fights, [34:13] are the passions that are at war within you.

[34:19] He says, you desire and do not have, so you murder. [34:22] He says, you covet and you cannot obtain, so you fight and you quarrel. [34:26] You do not have because you do not ask. [34:28] But then he goes deeper and he says, even if you do ask, you do not receive [34:32] because you ask wrongly to spend it on your own passions. [34:35] He says, do you want to know the source of disputings in your life?

[34:38] It is not that you love Jesus so much. [34:40] It is that you love you so much.

[34:44] And he says, you better be careful. [34:46] Because it’s not about the person in front of you. [34:48] It’s about the person inside of you. [34:51] And he says, it goes deeper and deeper and deeper [34:53] to where it’s affecting your relationship with God. [34:56] It’s affecting your prayer life.

[34:59] You’re asking for things and God isn’t answering. [35:02] And he’s not answering in a gracious way. [35:05] Because if he gives you what you want, it will only build your sin.

[35:11] See, friend, ultimately a lot of the problems that you have [35:13] is that you can’t imagine a world where someone knows more than you. [35:19] You can’t imagine a world where someone understands something [35:23] more than you understand something. [35:26] You can’t imagine a world where God would ordain anyone to lead you but you. [35:33] So you grumble.

[35:35] So you argue. [35:38] And you call it helpful critique.

[35:42] See, friend, hope must dictate your path. [35:47] Israel was to be the city on a hill. [35:51] See, God was redeeming this one people. [35:53] They would be the people of God. [35:55] And they would show the world what the people of God were to live like. [35:59] They were to be the city on a hill.

[36:01] But they failed. [36:02] They grumbled. [36:03] They distrusted. [36:04] And so what God did in his amazing wisdom is that the plan was that they would give birth [36:08] to God the Son, Jesus Christ. [36:10] And Jesus would be born.

[36:12] Jesus would live a perfect life. [36:13] I can’t imagine going through life without grumbling and disputing. [36:16] I can’t imagine it. [36:17] But Jesus did it. [36:19] And he did it because he’s the righteous one. [36:21] He did it as your substitute.

[36:23] And then he who knew no sin went to the cross and died taking all of your grumbling, [36:28] all of your disputings onto himself to forgive you for that. [36:34] But then Jesus rose from the dead so that you could have a new life that wouldn’t be marked by grumbling and disputing. [36:42] See, Jesus stands as the hope that the church of Jesus can actually be the city on a hill under the power of God in our lives. [36:50] Because when you put your faith in Christ, God literally lives in you under the power of his Spirit.

[37:00] But it can only happen if you trust him more than you trust yourself.

[37:07] So what does that look like? [37:08] Number three this morning, hold fast to the right things. [37:12] Hold fast to the right things. [37:14] Note what he says in verse 16. [37:16] He says, holding fast to the word of life so that in the day of Christ. [37:19] See, it’s a very interesting phrase because he’s talking about the future.

[37:22] He’s saying that my present reality will impact my future life in Christ. [37:28] The day of Christ specifically notes that day in the kingdom when you stand before Christ, when this life is over, when you die. [37:38] And he says, your day in Christ will be defined by what you hold fast to in this life. [37:45] Now hold fast. [37:46] If you don’t know what that means, it’s this biblical term that starts in the book of Genesis. [37:50] When God creates Adam and Eve, he tells Adam, he says, the man will leave his father and mother and he will hold fast to his wife.

[37:57] It’s a term of fidelity, of faithfulness. [38:00] It means that you will cling to and you will not let go of. [38:05] And more than that, you will live to protect the integrity of that which you hold fast to. [38:11] It will be a defining faithfulness in your life. [38:16] And here he changes it just a little where it’s got the same root word of fidelity. [38:22] But the ending is a bit different.

[38:24] And the ending doesn’t just mean to hold fast with you. [38:29] It means to hold out to others. [38:33] And so when he jumps off of verse 15, he says, you’re to live as lights in the world, holding fast. [38:39] For the hope of others, the word of life. [38:45] So that on the day of Christ, you will not be ashamed is the idea.

[38:50] Every one of us have something that we are holding fast to. [38:52] Every one of us has something that we are holding out for the hope of others. [38:58] The question is, what is it? [39:00] Do not too quickly assume that you’re holding out the gospel. [39:05] Do not too quickly not take inventory as to what you are the most committed to in this life. [39:13] See, because some of you are committed to the baggage that has brought negativity into your life.

[39:20] You’re committed to the sinfulness that gives you shame. [39:22] And so that’s all you can hold out to anybody else because that’s what defines who you are. [39:28] And for that, the gospel says, trust Christ and he will redeem you from all of that. [39:32] But some of you are holding out. [39:37] A plethora of worthless commitments in your life.

[39:42] Whether it be a stupid hobby that defines you. [39:46] Whether it be a sport that you think brings you fame. [39:51] Whether it be a career that means more to you than God, and it is your idol. [39:56] Whether it be a person that you have ordained as the one that if you lost that person, all hope would be lost. [40:05] All of you are holding something out as the hope of your life. [40:09] And what Paul is saying is when your grumblings and disputings come, the first place you need to look is, what am I holding out?

[40:18] What am I clinging to? What is my hope in? [40:21] Is it in Christ or are these grumblings coming from a place because I’m holding out false hope for myself and therefore for others as well?

[40:33] Many people, most people, hold fast to the wrong things.

[40:42] The question you need to ask yourself is, are you holding fast to that which is the light to a crooked and twisted generation?

[40:54] Then he says something really unique because it seems to go against what he’s actually been building his case on, but it actually feeds into it. [41:02] He says this in verse 16 as well. [41:04] He says, so that in the day of Christ, I may be proud. [41:08] He said, well isn’t pride sinful? [41:11] Most of it, but not this time. [41:14] This is the only helpful type of pride that the scriptures give us the possibility of having in our lives.

[41:20] And he says, I want to be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain, even if I am poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith. [41:30] What the apostle is saying is, I want to be proud of the right things in my life. [41:34] I want to be proud of the work of God in my life. [41:38] I want to be proud of how much I held out the faith in Jesus to everyone around me. [41:43] And he says, when I stand before God, I want to be proud of the work that I did in Philippi. [41:51] I want to be proud of your discipleship.

[41:54] I want to be proud so that when I stand before Jesus, I can know that those Philippians that I gave so much of my life to, they are disciples who are making disciples. [42:04] They are taking the hope of God to the world around them. [42:07] They are a light in this world.

[42:13] Are you proud of the right things? [42:17] Because what Paul lays as a potential here, he says, I want to be proud that I did not run in vain.

[42:26] Are you running in vain?

[42:30] Are you putting all of your hopes in the wrong things? [42:32] Are you finding your identity for your life in un-Gospel lifestyles that don’t bring glory to Jesus?

[42:43] And then he concludes and he says, I’m about to die. [42:47] And he was. [42:49] See, Paul understood that he would never probably leave Rome in captivity. [42:54] He understood that for the sake of preaching the Gospel of Jesus, he was going to be executed.

[43:01] He said, I’m going to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith. [43:06] He understood that you can never disconnect your faith from the faith of other people because your faith exists for other people.

[43:15] And he says, because I followed Jesus, I am glad. [43:21] I rejoice. [43:23] I don’t want to die. [43:25] He said, I’ve lived for what was worth it.

[43:29] And he says, likewise. [43:32] He says, you need to do what I’m doing. [43:34] And some of you even blister at that mentality that you would do something because someone else is doing it. [43:39] But if it’s a godly thing, trust me, it’s a good attitude. [43:42] And Paul says, you need to do exactly what I am doing. [43:45] You need to be defined by your gladness.

[43:48] You need to be defined by rejoicing. [43:51] And so I just ask you one question. [43:53] Are you grumbling and disputing more or are you glad and rejoice more? [44:00] One is a mark of enduring faith. [44:04] The other is a mark of unbelief. [44:08] Which do you practice more in your life?

[44:12] See, as we transition into a time of communion, the reality that you have to understand is that when the Gospel comes into your life, [44:21] all of those things that condemned you, all of those things that served to discourage you, [44:27] it’s not that those little things are going to leave, those little things of life that are going to get you down, [44:32] those big things in just the physical realm that can hurt you, [44:36] it’s that you’re going to have a faith that’s bigger than all of that. [44:43] Because you know what God has promised you.

[44:46] He has promised you that He will never leave you or forsake you. [44:49] He has promised you that He will offer you real redemption from sin. [44:53] He has promised you that He is seeking to restore you to the design that God has for your life. [44:58] He has promised you that there’s coming a day where God will refine this world [45:03] and you will experience His presence in His kingdom forever.

[45:10] He’s promised you hope.

[45:13] And He says your faith in that changes everything. [45:18] On the tables around the room, the bread on the plate represents the broken body of Christ, [45:25] the cup represents His shed blood. [45:27] This is the price that Jesus paid for your hope. [45:32] If you’re in here this morning and you know Jesus, friend, I tell you that no matter what’s going on in your life to discourage you, [45:41] no matter what’s going on in your circle of discipleship that you have a better idea about,

[45:48] no matter what’s happening, when you trust Jesus, you come to this table, [45:56] be glad and rejoice.

[46:01] And then walk into this world and say, no one can take my joy, [46:07] simply because of Jesus. [46:11] If you believe that, come, celebrate the death of our King.