Choose to Be Reasonable.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] Well, go ahead and have a seat. [0:01] Welcome to Village Church. [0:02] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve. [0:04] I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:06] 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 4.

[0:15] We’re going to be starting in verse 1. [0:18] Now, we’re kind of heading towards the end of our series on Philippians. [0:22] We just have a few more verses to make our way through. [0:25] But kind of as a way of review, last week we ended chapter 3 and we saw that living [0:32] as a citizen of heaven is about living by faith. [0:37] It is about living by the faith that God is there, as Francis Schaefer said, and He is

[0:43] not silent. [0:45] And the Father, there’s some seats right over here, gang, if you’re in the back looking [0:49] for a seat, we’ve got some seats over here on the far wall. [0:52] But that God has revealed Himself to us. [0:56] He is not, as some would say, an invisible creature in the sky, but instead He has made [1:04] His presence known.

[1:06] He’s done it through prophets, He’s done it through priests, He’s done it through kings, [1:10] and ultimately that led up to God making Himself apparent, making Himself known through the [1:18] person and work of Jesus Christ. [1:20] That God actually became a man. [1:24] He dwelt among us, as John 1 says. [1:27] He lived a perfect life.

[1:30] He died a death not for His sin, but He substituted Himself to pay the penalty for my sin and [1:37] your sin. [1:38] And then He rose from the dead to show that there’s no condemnation that has power over [1:43] Him. [1:44] There’s no penalty that has power over our God, but instead He rules, He reigns, and [1:50] He has a unique ability, and that is the ability to not be conquered by death.

[1:56] You do not have that ability, I do not have that ability, but God does, and He made it [2:01] abundantly clear that He wants to share that with us through Jesus. [2:06] And as the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3, that what we desire, what our base ultimate [2:15] want in this life is the power of resurrection. [2:19] And Paul said that he wants to know Jesus, and he wants to know the power of His resurrection, [2:24] but to know the power of His resurrection, you have to submit your life to the process

[2:29] of God. [2:30] You have to become acquainted with what he says are the sufferings of Jesus. [2:36] Now I do want to warn you a little bit that when we live by faith that the good news [2:42] of Jesus is true, it changes you. [2:47] And so the book of Philippians is abundantly applicable. [2:50] He takes these deep doctrinal and theological truths, and He makes them very applicable

[2:55] to our lives. [2:55] It’s telling us that these aren’t things that we just kind of nod our head in agreement [3:00] with, but instead, if it doesn’t invade your life, if it doesn’t revolutionize your existence, [3:05] then it’s not something you actually believe. [3:08] But in chapter 4, I want to warn you, the apostle meddles a little bit, a little more [3:16] than he’s meddled before.

[3:18] And so in talking about Philippians 4, specifically in the first seven verses, I’m going to meddle [3:22] today, all right? [3:24] That’s because that’s what Paul does. [3:26] And so I’m going to get in your life, and I’m going to talk about things that you need [3:29] to be weary of, and I’m going to talk to two groups of people this morning specifically [3:35] that sometimes you don’t want me to talk to you, and those are people that are pretty

[3:39] sensitive. [3:41] If you know me, I’m not a very sensitive person, but some of you are, and I love you. [3:46] But I’m going to deal with that today. [3:48] People that get offended easily, people that get angry at people easily, people that experience [3:54] more dissension and more conflict in their lives than other people do. [3:58] So Paul talks about that here, but he’s also going to talk to another group in that, and

[4:02] sometimes your sensitivity is a symptom of this, but he’s going to talk about those of [4:07] you that are anxious. [4:09] He’s going to talk to those of you that struggle with anxiety in your life. [4:13] And so I’m going to deal with that a little bit today, because Paul makes a very, really [4:18] controversial statement when the Holy Spirit speaks through him, and he just says, cut [4:23] that out.

[4:25] Don’t be anxious about anything.

[4:30] So how you’re going to receive that today is going to dictate a lot about how God actually [4:33] works in your life. [4:36] But faith in Jesus gives us a new identity to live out, an identity in which we are not [4:45] defined by our struggles, but instead we are defined by the hope over our struggles, and [4:53] that is Jesus Christ himself. [4:56] And he’s going to say that you’re going to find the hopefulness for where your identity

[5:00] is in a very interesting place that you often don’t think about, but he’s going to tell [5:06] you that you’re going to find this in the Church of Jesus Christ. [5:09] You’re going to find this in what is called the body of Christ. [5:14] Did you know that you are not the body of Christ? [5:18] You are not the Church. [5:20] Sometimes you think you are, but you’re not.

[5:22] Individually you are not. [5:25] See what the body of Christ is, is a collective of followers of Jesus Christ. [5:31] And so the Church, for all intents and purposes, for our unique need today, you need to understand [5:38] that the Church are the followers of Jesus Christ collectively that you’re gathered [5:43] with today. [5:45] But you are not the Church.

[5:48] And part of the problem that you’re having in your life is you are seeking to live out [5:52] your identity in Christ. [5:53] You are seeking to find discipleship alone, and you were not designed to. [6:00] And some of the reasons that you seek it alone, you seek to be kind of a lone ranger for Jesus, [6:06] is because of what we’re going to talk about in the first few verses. [6:10] Now what I love about these first few verses of chapter four is that Paul doesn’t beat

[6:13] around the bush. [6:13] He calls people out by name. [6:16] Here’s what he says starting in verse one. [6:18] He says, therefore, and that therefore means in light of everything that I’ve said thus [6:23] far, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, [6:32] my beloved.

[6:33] So those terms stand firm. [6:35] What we’re going to have following us is a diatribe on what it means to stand firm, [6:41] and he’s going to give a warning to a few people that aren’t standing firm. [6:45] And so the reason that you need to stand firm in the Lord is because he’s saying there [6:49] is objective truth that we believe, and you need to endure in your trusting in Jesus. [6:57] You need to endure in your faith in Jesus.

[7:00] Why would you need to endure? [7:02] Because it’s going to be hard.

[7:06] Whenever you see a command in scripture like this, he’s not telling you it for no reason. [7:12] He’s not saying stand firm because nothing’s ever going to try to bring you down. [7:18] He’s not saying stand firm because there will never be forces trying to push you down. [7:22] He’s saying stand firm because there will be things that make you want to crumble. [7:30] There will be events in your life that make you not want to endure in faith. [7:36] There will be circumstances in your life that will make you want to divorce yourself away

[7:41] from the body of Christ. [7:43] And he’s saying, don’t give in to that, because that’s not what God has called you to do. [7:49] And he says in verse two, he says, I entreat you, Odea, and I entreat Sintiqe to agree [7:56] in the Lord. [7:58] Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women. [8:03] I like that he says it that way.

[8:05] Help them, Lord. [8:07] Who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest [8:15] of my fellow workers whose names are in the Book of Life.

[8:24] It’s an amazing set of phrases that he used right there that oftentimes we skip over [8:30] them because we can’t pronounce the names. [8:32] And we’re like, when I can’t pronounce the names, there’s nothing to learn. [8:37] And the opposite is true, all right? [8:39] Usually when you can’t pronounce the names, it’s because you just didn’t live in that [8:43] culture, all right?

[8:45] And so here specifically, there is a great thing for us to learn by the example that [8:51] he’s using with these two women. [8:52] Now understand that the scripture doesn’t tell us the specifics of what was going on [8:59] in this situation. [9:00] I don’t know what was happening between these two women that caused the argument. [9:05] I don’t know the circumstances around why they were fighting.

[9:11] But I can tell you that it was obviously enough to where it was affecting the entire church. [9:18] It was enough that the apostle Paul says, I can’t just address these two women. [9:23] It’s gone so big. [9:24] It’s so overblown. [9:26] This conflict between these two women is affecting everyone in the church. [9:32] And my assumption in that, what I pull out of that is that it was so large that people

[9:36] were taking sides. [9:39] It was so large that there was beginning to be division in the church. [9:46] It wasn’t just that these two ladies disagreed on something and then they said, well, we’re [9:51] not best friends anymore. [9:53] We’re not BFFs anymore, but hey, man, it’s all good. [9:56] No, this was a situation where sides were being taken and it wasn’t just this one offense,

[10:01] but now it had grown into many offenses because like what, you don’t agree with me? [10:06] You agree with Sintiqe? [10:07] Oh, I see whose side you’re on. [10:10] And so now it’s causing dissension. [10:12] It’s causing division among all of them. [10:14] And the apostle is saying, stop it.

[10:18] And I think he doesn’t tell us exactly what’s going on under the inspiration of the Holy [10:23] Spirit, because it doesn’t matter.

[10:27] It doesn’t matter who’s right. [10:29] It doesn’t matter who’s wrong. [10:32] Paul says it matters what’s happening to the church. [10:37] And he wants them to basically get over it. [10:39] But what does he want them to root the reconciliation on? [10:44] Note the last phrase that he uses that I read, whose names are written in the book

[10:50] of life. [10:52] Your identity in Christ is always more significant than the details of your conflict.

[11:03] Your identity in Jesus and the good of the church of Jesus Christ is always more important [11:11] than whether you are right or the other person is right. [11:14] It’s more important than whether you prove your point or you don’t prove your point. [11:19] It’s more important than whether the church at large thinks you’re a smart person or whether [11:24] they look at you and say you’re a petty person. [11:28] He’s saying the fact that you are sisters in the gospel needs to be the ethic that

[11:35] dictates everything in your life. [11:38] But note the amazing thing he says. [11:40] He says you are both Christians. [11:43] He’s saying you are both believers. [11:46] And because of that, regardless of anything that ever happens, you should be able to [11:53] work together.

[11:55] Number one this morning, you need to choose to be able to work with others. [11:59] You need to choose to be able to work with others. [12:01] Some of y’all have a tough time with that.

[12:06] Some of y’all have a tough time being a team player. [12:09] Some of you have a tough time being nice.

[12:15] Some of you have a tough time owning your flaws. [12:20] Some of you cannot imagine a world in which you could be the source of conflict. [12:27] Some of you can’t imagine a world that could possibly exist where you’re not perfect. [12:35] Some of you can’t imagine a reality that could possibly exist where you’ve offended [12:42] someone and you’re wrong. [12:45] Or you’ve been offended and they’re not wrong.

[12:50] You were just offended over something silly.

[12:53] You can’t imagine that world.

[12:57] Imagine it. [13:00] Because it’s the one you live in.

[13:06] Friends, the Apostle Paul is giving us the reality that the mindset that we look at [13:13] our relationships in is not one that’s like the rest of the world. [13:19] It’s not somebody got something over on me, I got something over on somebody else. [13:25] Our mindset is driven by one thing and one thing alone, who we are in Jesus and how [13:33] that affects our lives. [13:35] The Apostle is saying if the two of these ladies would realize who they are in Christ

[13:42] then they would understand that their mission is to build the Church of Jesus Christ, not [13:47] divide the Church of Jesus Christ. [13:50] That their responsibility in Christ was to be a part of the Church with an unshakable [13:58] commitment to the health of the Church above absolutely everything else. [14:02] But here’s the key you got to understand, being a part of the Church isn’t easy. [14:08] Being a part of the body of Christ is difficult.

[14:11] If you want to know a reason why you shouldn’t be a part of the Church, show up to one.

[14:21] Someone’s going to do something to offend you quickly. [14:24] Probably five someones the first day.

[14:28] But the Apostle is saying there’s one reason why you can’t live without the Church. [14:36] There’s one reason why you must be a part of the body of Christ. [14:41] There’s one reason why your commitment to the Church of Jesus Christ should override [14:46] every other commitment you have in your life. [14:49] And you know what that one reason is? [14:51] He writes it this way, he says because your name is written in the book of life.

[14:55] What he means by that is because you claim that Jesus is God. [15:02] And he says you want to know why you should choose to be able to work with others? [15:05] Because Jesus has said that that is the best life that you could possibly have and Jesus [15:11] is not a liar.

[15:14] If you are a Christian then the people of the Church are the body of Christ and that’s [15:20] where your life is going to grow. [15:22] That is where your faith is going to grow and there is no plan B. [15:26] And Philippians 2 he tells them this, he says complete my joy by being of the same mind, [15:31] having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. [15:34] You know what he’s saying to these two women right here?

[15:37] He’s saying that you are not living that. [15:41] You are intentionally promoting two mindedness. [15:46] You are telling everybody get behind me if you want to get right. [15:49] And then the other person says no get behind me if you want to be right. [15:52] That’s division and the apostle is saying you are completely disobeying the call of [15:57] God to be of one mind.

[15:59] Did you realize that the Church is a team with a shared mission? [16:04] Did you know that? [16:06] Rather than distracting arguments that they wanted everyone to pick sides over, the apostle [16:13] is saying they should invest their focus and energy on furthering the mission of Jesus

[16:22] and completely get the attention off of their conflict. [16:26] But that’s not natural is it?

[16:30] Most conflict arises because of self-centeredness. [16:34] Friends we have a collective identity as the body of Christ. [16:39] We are to unite. [16:41] And because of that when we have something against someone or someone hurts our feelings [16:46] or someone says something that we disagree with or looks at us with a wrong facial expression [16:51] that we took the wrong way, well quite often when somebody gives you what you think is

[16:57] a dirty look, a lot of times it’s because they had a bad burrito last night. [17:02] And it’s got more to do with the feeling in their stomach than their feelings about you. [17:07] See you have to understand that when someone oftentimes says something and you say I can’t [17:16] believe he said something I disagree with. [17:20] Okay, so you can’t imagine a world where someone has a different opinion about something [17:24] than you have?

[17:25] You can’t imagine that. [17:27] You can’t imagine a world where somebody looks at a situation and thinks different [17:31] thoughts about that situation than you think. [17:34] You can’t imagine that world. [17:37] Imagine it because it’s this one.

[17:40] I mean so often we put so many expectations on other people that are guaranteed to disappoint [17:46] us in the end. [17:48] Guaranteed. [17:50] If you think that you’re going to walk into a room and have people always agree with you, [17:54] have people have things that always line up with you, then you’re crazy.

[18:00] Friends, we live in a world where people know a lot of things that you don’t know. [18:06] Because so often half of your problem is that you don’t know what you don’t know. [18:12] And when you don’t know what you don’t know, you give yourself this stamp of approval [18:17] where you say I’m going to disagree with people all the time. [18:20] And in the end you’re the one that gets hurt because you’re unteachable. [18:24] You’re completely unteachable.

[18:26] It amazes me as a pastor that people will come up to me and they’ll say I can’t believe [18:31] you believe this about the Bible. [18:34] What you’re actually saying is you can’t believe I would think differently than you do about [18:37] the Bible.

[18:40] Have you ever thought maybe I have a perspective that you don’t have? [18:42] Because I often am trained by people that are older than me, people that are wiser [18:46] than me, people that spend more time on the word than I do and they have a perspective [18:48] that I’ve never thought about. [18:50] And it’s amazing. [18:50] It’ll change my mind.

[18:52] But the problem is you’ve become so committed to your way of thinking, to your pettiness [18:58] and to your self-centeredness that if anyone has the audacity to challenge you and to [19:05] seek for your growth, you’re immediately offended that someone else could possibly [19:12] know something that you don’t know. [19:14] And in the end you become overwhelmed by the fact that God could possibly be different [19:18] than you.

[19:20] I hope he is. [19:23] I pray that he’s different than me. [19:25] I have a feeling he might be.

[19:29] Friends, what you are standing firm in is more important than your petty feelings. [19:34] We must seek unity rather than vengeance. [19:38] We must seek unity instead of taking our ball and going home when we get our feelings hurt. [19:44] We must seek unity over pouting. [19:47] We must seek to work together rather than to cause division. [19:53] Now, I know that you don’t think your feelings are petty.

[19:57] But why do you think you’re such an expert? [20:01] Why do you think that your default feelings are always right? [20:06] I mean, why do you trust yourself so much? [20:10] Have you made 100% right decisions all the time? [20:14] Have you ever looked back and said, whew, hindsight should have gone a different way? [20:19] All right, that’s a very important moment in your life to look at because that’s why

[20:23] you shouldn’t trust yourself in every situation. [20:25] That’s why. [20:27] And there are many, many reasons for that. [20:29] But you’ve got to understand that God has called us to work together. [20:35] Ephesians 4.32 is so vital in this situation. [20:39] Ephesians 4.32, the Father tells us, he says, be kind.

[20:42] And many of you are like, aha, there it is. [20:45] That person wasn’t very kind to me. [20:50] Validation.

[20:52] Keep going.

[20:56] Tender hearted. [20:57] And here it is. [20:59] Forgiving one another. [21:01]

[21:03] See, when your feelings are hurt, it’s not that it’s not happening. [21:07] It is happening. [21:08] When someone offends you, it’s not that it isn’t happening. [21:11] It’s not that it isn’t real. [21:12] It is happening. [21:13] It is very real.

[21:14] But how you react to that is what determines whether you’re exercising your faith in Christ [21:21] or not. [21:22] Because he doesn’t just say sweep it under the rug. [21:24] Note what he says. [21:26] He says, forgiving one another. [21:27] Why?

[21:28] Just as God in Christ Jesus did what? [21:31] Forgave you. [21:33] And so where is he going with that? [21:35] What is he meaning by that? [21:36] He’s saying that that person hasn’t hurt you to the extent that you have hurt Jesus.

[21:45] And if Jesus can forgive you, who are you to not forgive?

[21:54] Who are you?

[21:57] Number two. [21:59] It would really help the team if you were reasonable.

[22:04] Just going to lay it there. [22:05] It would really help. [22:06] Have you ever encountered somebody, it’s just like that person, you’re not being reasonable. [22:13] You’re just not even being reasonable right now. [22:14] You’re not thinking straight. [22:17] I mean, you’re in La La Land right now.

[22:18] You’re crazy.

[22:21] And that happens. [22:23] And that’s why in the next verse he says this. [22:26] He says, rejoice in the Lord always. [22:29] Again, I say rejoice. [22:31] Now here’s what he’s doing right there. [22:32] He is doubling down on stand firm.

[22:36] Now what he’s doing is he’s saying this is what you root down into in order to endure [22:44] with the right mindset. [22:46] Because then he goes into this. [22:48] He says, let your reasonableness be made known to everyone. [22:52] The Lord is at hand. [22:54] See, he’s saying these two women in this specific situation, here’s how you as a collective

[23:00] group, here’s how you as the body of Christ can understand how not to live like that. [23:07] He’s saying you must stand firm, root yourself down in rejoicing in the Lord. [23:11] That is a theme that goes throughout Philippians. [23:14] And he’s saying when you root down in God, when you root down in rejoicing in the Lord, [23:20] it will change your mindset, which changes your outlook. [23:25] And you will live reasonably.

[23:28] You see, rejoicing in the Lord is vital for your life and your mindset. [23:34] John MacArthur wrote that stability in your thinking is directly related to how a person [23:40] thinks about God. [23:43] When people get their attention off of God, when people begin to think improperly about [23:48] God, when people cease to rejoice in God, they will wreak havoc all around themselves. [23:56] And so if you’ve ever wondered, why do I leave a path of destruction behind me?

[24:03] Why are my relationships, why do they seem to be doomed to failure?

[24:09] Why does my life seem to be defined by conflict all around me?

[24:17] The hard truth is, it’s because you probably think about God the wrong way. [24:22] The really hard truth is, is you’ve probably defined God as you.

[24:30] And so you have no hope to wreak anything but havoc, because you are not the reconciler, [24:34] God is. [24:35] You are not the redeemer, God is. [24:39] When you get your focus off of God, you always put the focus on to yourself. [24:44] And so you will live your life thinking, what about me? [24:48] What about me?

[24:49] What about me?

[24:52] Most of the problems in the world are because you’re saying, what about me? [24:56] I’m saying, what about me? [24:57] This person is saying, what about me? [24:59] How can you ever live in unity when everyone is saying, what about me?

[25:06] Rejoice in the Lord gives you the mentality, what about God? [25:12] What has God called me towards? [25:14] How does God define my identity? [25:16] How does God define my worth? [25:18] How does God define my actions? [25:20] And that is a mindset that promotes unity.

[25:24] Let your reasonableness be made known to everyone. [25:27] If you have different versions, the term reasonableness there is translated many different ways. [25:32] And the reason it’s translated many different ways is because we really don’t have a term in English [25:37] that really gives the full expression of what the term in the original language means. [25:43] What it means is that you think straight in a gracious way. [25:50] So it’s not a cold reason.

[25:52] It’s not a cold logic. [25:55] It is a reasonableness that is gracious in the way that it treats people. [26:01] It is a sweet reasonableness that gives charity towards the fault of others. [26:07] And so in this gracious humility, we learn to treat people with the grace that God has [26:13] treated us. [26:15] And so he’s telling these two people, you’re not being reasonable.

[26:21] You’re not being gracious. [26:23] You’re so ungracious that you can’t think straight. [26:26] Because you are not applying the way that God has treated you in the gospel to the [26:33] way that you treat other people.

[26:38] You ever noticed that when you’re angry, you can’t think straight? [26:44] You ever thrown something you were so angry? [26:47] I mean, if you haven’t, you’ve really missed out. [26:50] You know, it’s just this cathartic moment where it’s just like all of your anger and [26:54] all of your frustration. [26:56] This inanimate object, you are going, baby.

[27:01] You ever thrown something after being angry and then like had that moment of regret? [27:05] Like I paid for that. [27:09] Now it’s broken.

[27:12] I mean, we don’t do things that make any sense in anger. [27:15] I mean, I’ve seen people punch holes in walls over anger. [27:20] I used to work in an office and we did transcript evaluations all the time. [27:25] And there was this one guy and he had a little bit of a temper. [27:27] All right. [27:28] He wasn’t the kind of guy that I sat with at lunch.

[27:30] But he got so angry over the way someone transferred a course in and he disagreed with it. [27:38] He got so angry over that that he got up out of his cubicle, walked over and I watched him. [27:46] He put his fist through a wall.

[27:51] And I just stood there. [27:55] Dude, it’s not that big of a deal.

[27:59] It cost him his job. [28:00] He got fired. [28:02] Security had to come and escort him to his car.

[28:07] Because when you’re angry, you don’t think straight. [28:10] I love road rage. [28:12] It’s one of my favorite things to see. [28:15] I am convinced that people, when they’re behind the wheel, are capable of greater evil than [28:22] they are at any other moment in their lives. [28:26] I mean, have you ever been in like a traffic jam or, you know, or in like a parking lot

[28:31] and somebody took the parking space or something? [28:33] You ever killed anyone in your head?

[28:36] All right, here’s the deal. [28:37] Everyone that laughed has. [28:40] All right. [28:40] And those of you that aren’t laughing, I’m actually concerned with what you’re trying [28:44] to cover up by your non reactions. [28:46] All right.

[28:46] Maybe it wasn’t just a thought. [28:47] I don’t know. [28:48] Maybe you did things. [28:49] All right. [28:51] Don’t tell me. [28:52] All right.

[28:52] I don’t want to be involved. [28:54] But when you are in that car and somebody does something and you’re just like, how dare [29:00] you? [29:01] One time I was driving down the road with my wife. [29:04] She doesn’t know I’m telling the story. [29:06] She probably does now.

[29:08] But I love being in the passenger seat when my wife is driving because I become an out loud [29:14] Yelp reviewer. [29:15] All right. [29:16] And I and I tell her I review everything that she does. [29:19] She hates driving with me in the car. [29:20] But I guess it’s a kick out of it.

[29:22] So I can’t stop myself. [29:24] And and so this one time we’re driving on the road and she got just just furious and [29:30] she’s like, I can’t believe he did that. [29:33] And I was like, I’ve been sitting here with my eyes open and I saw him do a thing, but [29:39] it seemed like a normal thing and I could not figure out what is she mad about. [29:45] I just don’t even know.

[29:46] And if you’re a husband, you don’t want to admit that. [29:48] You know, you just want to be like, I know terrible. [29:52] I’m sitting like, oh, and then so I finally got up the gumption. [29:56] I said, hey, what did he do? [29:59] And she said, man, he went into that turn lane too early.

[30:06] I mean, I was baffled and I said, well, he went in it when it started. [30:11] She shouldn’t do that. [30:14] And I remember I was like, yeah. [30:17] But in my mind, I was like, huh? [30:20] But see, she had a rule that everybody else should live by, but they didn’t know.

[30:29] See, but how often do you bring that type of mentality into your relationships where [30:33] you have a rule and you haven’t shared that rule with anyone, but you sure are holding [30:38] everyone accountable to that rule that you haven’t shared and everybody around you, you [30:44] know what they’re doing? [30:45] They’re like, there’s something wrong with this person. [30:46] They’re not reasonable.

[30:50] Because you’re not. [30:52] You’re not. [30:54] But the gospel has called us to view our relationships in unique ways. [31:01] That the way that we treat people in this world, specifically in our domain, is to [31:08] be distinct from the way that everybody else treats everybody. [31:11] But sometimes the sin comes into the life of the church.

[31:15] And that’s what’s happening. [31:16] In this text, when you are rooted in God, though, you’re living out a different column [31:24] in Philippians 3 20. [31:27] Just as a way of reminder, the apostle tells us he says, live the future now. [31:33] Live as citizens of heaven. [31:36] When you live with constant reminders of how forgiving God has been to you.

[31:43] Here’s what you need to know. [31:44] You will be forgiven to others. [31:49] When you live putting constant reminders in front of yourself, reminding yourself all [31:53] of the time of how good God has been to you, of how much grace God has given to you, of [32:00] how much favor God has given you that you do not deserve.

[32:06] You will be gracious to others. [32:10] If you really want to help the church around you. [32:16] If you really want to be a person that unites rather than a person that divides, friend, [32:21] become a more reasonable person. [32:24] Is your mindset driven by your faith in Jesus or do you simply trust your natural mindset [32:32] about everything?

[32:36] I got some news for you. [32:37] Your natural mindset is radically corrupt.

[32:42] And I have an inkling of a notion that if you look behind you at some of the conflicts [32:49] that you’ve had, some of the really the havoc that maybe you’ve wreaked in the way that [32:53] you’ve treated people. [32:54] I think it’s very easy for you to at least to yourself admit that that’s true. [32:59] Your natural mindset can’t always be trusted.

[33:03] Your instinctive response to the way people act can’t always be trusted. [33:09] But you know what can be trusted? [33:11] The gospel.

[33:13] How does the gospel of Jesus inform the way that you treat other people? [33:20] How does it inform the way that you deal with conflict? [33:22] How does it inform the way that you forgive?

[33:26] Rejoice in the Lord always. [33:29] Number three this morning and this is interesting. [33:32] Don’t be anxious. [33:33] Do not be anxious. [33:35] When I was originally going through the book of Philippians preparing for the series, [33:40] I saw don’t be anxious and it’s such a verse that we quote oftentimes that it didn’t seem

[33:46] to fit with this conflict scenario that the Apostles talking about. [33:51] But then if you get into it and you start understand that the Apostle is talking about [33:55] our mindset and how our outlook is so affected by our mindset that it invades our [34:01] relationships and the gospel needs to be this overarching power that impacts our [34:07] relationship to where we view our relationships through the lens of the gospel of Jesus. [34:12] Then the topic of anxiety makes perfect sense because so much of the conflict that will

[34:19] arise in your life so much of the burden of being unreasonable in your life will come [34:25] out of a source of anxiety for your life.

[34:31] So the Apostle writes in the very next verse in verse six. [34:35] He says do not be anxious about anything.

[34:42] Anything anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving. [34:48] Let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God.

[34:55] Which surpasses all understanding.

[35:00] Will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

[35:06] He brings it full circle. [35:09] Anxiety is an interesting topic because it’s a real struggle that many people have. [35:15] It’s a larger issue than it once was in our culture and our society.

[35:21] But we got to admit that this is a hard command. [35:26] You see anxiety has become a common experience that many seem now to find their [35:34] identity in anxiety. [35:36] Many maybe you define your life by anxiety. [35:42] That you say you know I am a person that struggles with anxiety. [35:46] So here’s the things that you have to do for me.

[35:49] Here’s how you have to act around me. [35:51] Here’s what I need from you. [35:52] And so you are defining every day by this experience by what God is actually calling [35:58] a struggle. [35:59] But let me be clear anxiety is a real issue. [36:02] It’s a real struggle that people have do not think that I am about to minimize the

[36:09] struggle. [36:10] I have personally met with and sought to be a help to many people that struggle with [36:15] anxiety. [36:16] And I want you to understand though that for many I believe that part of the problem is [36:20] the way that you think about your struggle. [36:23] I think that you think about your struggle wrongly.

[36:27] The way that you think about anxiety is wrong.

[36:32] Want to be clear.

[36:35] Anxiety is sin.

[36:39] Say one more time.

[36:43] Anxiety is sin. [36:46] And the sooner you are willing to define it that way. [36:53] The sooner you will have hope for your future. [36:57] Because God has given us a command. [37:01] It doesn’t get a lot clearer than this. [37:03] The Holy Spirit wrote Philippians 4 through the Apostle Paul.

[37:09] Understand that. [37:11] And this is what it says. [37:14] Do not be anxious about anything.

[37:21] When they give us qualifiers like that, we got to take them seriously. [37:25] If he doesn’t come in and say don’t be anxious about here’s the list.

[37:29] No, he comes in and he says stop it. [37:32] No, no, no, totally stop it about anything. [37:37] And so oftentimes we try to explain away why our situations are unique. [37:41] But when the gospel when the scripture comes in when God has spoken so clearly so distinctly [37:49] about a specific situation it is because he’s trying to speak to you in your struggle [37:54] and he’s trying to get you to struggle well and to repent hard.

[38:00] You must fight in that struggle and you must have hope that there is potential for health in your future. [38:09] Do not find your identity within your struggle or you will be incapable of repenting. [38:17] Some of you have convinced yourself so much of things that aren’t true that you have condemned yourself [38:23] to a place where you are incapable of a hopeful future. [38:27] You are incapable of hoping for a life where you’re obeying the command of God. [38:33] Where you say anxiety is just the baseline.

[38:39] Do you know what you’re saying there? [38:41] You are saying you are intentionally choosing a path where you’re going to disobey a command of God for the rest of your life. [38:50] And I don’t think you want to do that. [38:53] I don’t think that’s what you’re trying to go after. [38:56] So when you find your identity in Christ you will have the power to struggle well. [39:01] It is going to be a struggle.

[39:04] You are overcome at this point by fear of something that you think is outside of your control. [39:11] But here’s the key, it’s not outside of your control. [39:14] And part of the problem is you think it is. [39:16] In John 14, 27 Jesus tells us that fear is something that he came to give us freedom from. [39:23] But he says it this way, he says, [39:25] Peace I leave with you, peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you.

[39:31] Let not your heart be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [39:36] Jesus wants his people to be people defined by peace. [39:44] When your default mode is fear, it may feel overwhelming to think that you could ever have true peace. [39:53] I mean it could. [39:55] I understand why it does. [39:57] Fear is a pervasive thought.

[40:01] But here’s the key.

[40:05] Jesus promises that you can have peace rather than fear.

[40:10] And Jesus is not a liar. [40:13] Do you believe that? [40:15] You see there are tools in this world that can help us in our struggles. [40:20] And I agree that doctors do at times need to be involved. [40:24] But do not let that become an excuse for disobedience. [40:29] Do not allow your present struggle dictate the hope that you have for your future.

[40:35] Here’s how a scholar by the name of Dean Abbott puts it. [40:38] He says, in this psychologized age, [40:42] it often sees anxiety and depression as symptoms of a disordered mind. [40:47] When they are often signals, we are making poor choices and out of sync with the right principles.

[40:58] See, I believe that the root of some people’s anxiety is actually the term conviction.

[41:06] But you are so overwhelmed with how you want things to be, [41:13] that you would rather call it anxiety because you actually don’t want the hope of what you could become.

[41:21] That God has called you to live a certain way and you are so adamant that you will not live God’s way, [41:28] that you paralyze yourself in fear of living anyway. [41:33] And rather than growing your faith, you shrink back in fear.

[41:39] I’m convinced that the majority of your anxiety is actually sourced in the fact that you are just making poor choices, [41:47] and you refuse to make better choices. [41:49] And so instead of making better choices, what do you do?

[41:54] You claim anxiety.

[41:57] Friends, don’t confuse conviction for your sin with anxiety that paralyzes.

[42:04] 1 Peter 5, 7, Peter instructs us. [42:09] He says, cast all of your anxieties on God because God cares for you. [42:16] And that right there is where so many people in our culture will say, oh, come on, Christians. [42:21] It’s not that easy. [42:24] You can’t just let go and let God. [42:26] That’s not what the text says, nor did the text say it was easy.

[42:30] You might say, oh, faith isn’t the answer all the time. [42:33] And I would say faith is never not the answer.

[42:37] You see, it’s not that faith isn’t the answer. [42:40] It’s that your faith isn’t the answer. [42:44] Faith in God is always the answer because that faith always produces a life worth living. [42:54] Faith is mocked when we say, oh, it’s not that easy. [42:57] Friends, who said faith was easy?

[43:02] Who told you that lie?

[43:05] Who told you that part of the scriptural narrative is faith makes everything easy?

[43:11] Friends, faith is the hardest life you could live. [43:17] Faith is the most difficult path that you could ever walk. [43:22] Living by faith is the hardest thing you will ever do. [43:26] And that is why you need to do it.

[43:30] If you want the power of resurrection, you got to commit to the process of God. [43:34] You see, citizenship in heaven gives you power over your anxiety. [43:40] It really does. [43:42] But you need to stand up in your life and speak the truth that you will stand firm in your faith. [43:50] You will walk by faith. [43:52] You will not let something that God tells you he will aid you to struggle through,

[43:59] define the faith that you can live by.

[44:03] Friends, Jesus came to liberate us from sin. [44:07] He did not come so that we would continue to be defined by our sin. [44:13] The reasons that you give for not being able to live by faith are the sins that God is waiting to empower you. [44:22] To repent of.

[44:26] The question is, do you trust him?

[44:29] Do you trust Jesus to define your life more than you trust you to define your life? [44:36] You see, friends, when we embrace our identity as children of God, [44:40] we understand that we are called to live by faith. [44:44] We are no longer defined by our struggles. [44:46] We are defined by Jesus. [44:49] You see, we can be on the right team, headed in the right direction,

[44:55] with the right mindset of rejoicing in all that God has done. [45:00] Rejoicing in all that God is doing. [45:02] Rejoicing in all that God has promised to do through us. [45:08] But it won’t be easy. [45:10] God wants to take us through a process of struggle so that we can walk stronger. [45:17] So that we can help more people.

[45:20] So that we can love more people. [45:23] But you must allow him to define your mindset. [45:29] You must allow God to define your outlook. [45:34] And you must allow God to dictate your relationships. [45:39] And the more you give over yourself to God, [45:42] the more obedience you will feel called to give over to God.

[45:47] And the more victory you will experience in your life, [45:50] because you will walk through this world and you will say, [45:52] I am not defined by the things of this world. [45:55] My citizenship is in heaven. [45:58] I’m defined by the kingdom. [45:59] I’m defined by the king.

[46:02] Friend, Jesus reigns.

[46:05] Does he define you? [46:09] As we transition into a time of communion, [46:12] I want you to know that these are very difficult commands that God is calling us to obey here. [46:22] As I’ve already said, this isn’t easy. [46:26] I’m not saying it’s easy. [46:28] I’m saying it’s a struggle.

[46:30] I’m saying you can’t do this alone. [46:34] You need faith in Jesus Christ. [46:37] You need his body to surround you. [46:41] You need discipleship. [46:43] You need a hope for your future rather than a condemnation for right now. [46:50] Some of you are in here.

[46:52] And you don’t have faith in Jesus.

[46:56] And so the power that I’m talking about, the obedience that I’m pushing you towards,

[47:02] it’s not relevant to your life. [47:05] Nor is it possible in your life.

[47:09] I want you to understand that Jesus came to this earth and he died for you.

[47:18] All of the sin that condemns you, [47:21] he took the penalty for that onto himself and he paid that penalty. [47:27] And he rose from the dead, winning victory over death, winning victory over condemnation, [47:32] winning victory over the penalty. [47:33] And when you put your faith in him, you get victory over death. [47:39] You get victory over the penalty.

[47:40] You get victory over the condemnation. [47:42] And you get a bright hope for your future.

[47:47] Friend, if that’s you, in just a moment, [47:50] I’m going to ask you to step out into the foyer, which is going to take some faith. [47:55] But somebody will be there to talk to you, pray with you, answer any questions, [47:59] explain to you how you can have an eternal relationship with Jesus Christ. [48:04] Where he will never leave you, he will never forsake you. [48:08] But some of you in here, you are followers of Jesus.

[48:10] You’ve put your faith in Jesus Christ, but you’re looking at your life and you’re saying, [48:14] lots of conflict, lots of hurt feelings. [48:19] I’ve wreaked some havoc. [48:21] I’ve responded poorly when people have wreaked havoc around my life.

[48:26] I’m not really being reasonable all the time. [48:29] I’m anxious about a lot of things in my life. [48:33] I’m struggling to find hope in that. [48:37] Friend, I want to confront you with the reality of the gospel that you claim to believe in. [48:42] On these tables is the broken bread, [48:46] which represents the broken body of Christ, the cup,

[48:49] that represents his shed blood. [48:51] His body was broken, his blood was shed. [48:55] And when we eat and when we drink, we profess to everyone around us, [48:59] I believe the gospel of Jesus Christ [49:03] and I intend to follow him in my life.

[49:10] That means that when you walk out of those doors today,

[49:15] you’re going to struggle to obey. [49:17] But you’re going to seek it. [49:20] The conflicts that are around you, [49:22] you’re going to stop promoting division [49:24] and you’re going to seek unity. [49:26] As hard as it is, you’re going to try.

[49:29] The mindset that you have, [49:30] you’re going to root down on rejoicing in the Lord [49:32] and you’re going to seek to be reasonable in all of your life.

[49:38] And friend, this morning, [49:40] just a moment, if you believe that, [49:42] if you want to follow Jesus, [49:44] go to one of the tables, [49:45] proclaim the gospel by eating and drinking, [49:47] celebrate the death of our King

[49:49] and then live to obey him.