8/11/2024 - Charles Zimmerman - Family Week 1

conference um still trying to keep the sand on the beach here every year I feel like it's a losing battle but they're still trying and the reminder that they still think the pedestrians had the right of way that that makes no sense to me at all people coming back you have a 2,000lb car and a couple hundred pound people but yet the people get the right that makes no sense the Bible Conference things are changing and yet I'm reminded that the main things don't change at all right mission values are constant some of the how some of the methods may change um but the ultimate goal doesn't change at all and that that that is more than a good thing it's a wonderful thing well we've been looking at some reminders from Philippians and so I thought we would remind ourselves of where we've been this week as we get started we said that the beginning of the book kind of gives an overview of what's coming and at the end he kind of wraps it up uh so let's Advance at one here we go the overall theme of the book remember we started by saying uh John John Paul tells him what he's going to tell him he tells him and tells him what he told him and in the beginning he says servants and Saints share Grace and peace we're not end users we're conduits conduits we experience God's grace and peace and he wants us to extend that to those around us after that uh we looked at the first one he who began a good work in you will complete it and we're all in process that means and so in process means it can be frustrating we're sometimes dangerous and a mess and yet God promises to finish what he started and we can rejoice and take rest in that next one for me to live as Christ and to die as gain and we talked about how no verbs in the original there to live Christ H to die gain and we often spend a lot of time thinking about as as rightfully so what's going to happen on the other side but maybe a question we need to wrestle with just as much what if we keep living what are we going to be living for how do those other priorities those things kind of invade our lives so not just what happens when we die I'm going to live then how do we live if we wake up tomorrow morning all right next one not looking to your own interest but to the interest of others you know I I was thinking about this um this morning driving back how this is maybe one of the most countercultural principles that that you find in the Bible and it isn't just concerning other people we live in a culture that continually tells us the real problems are out here but the solution is in here just follow your heart understand you know what you really want inside run after that and everything will be fine yeah but the message of the scripture is the real problems in here and the solution is out here the solution is Jesus and then how do we live recognizing we often are the problem we don't live for ourselves we live for others and so you can't get more countercultural than not living for your own interest but for the interest of others all right our next talk what did we do whatever gains I consider loss and we looked at resumés and getting access through qualifications and we said ultimately the qualification that we need uh the only item we need on the credit side is Jesus and all the other things that we often think are credits are actually debits all right and next one think about such things we even had the verses here put them up find brothers and sisters whatever is true whatever is Noble whatever is right whatever is pure whatever is lovely whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things think about these things and we said our minds our lives are like storage containers and we're continually putting stuff in but when stress and pressure comes what you put in is eventually going to come out and so we need to make sure that we're putting the good things in and allow the spirit to plant those ultimate themes in us all right well our topic this morning here's how I want you to remember it have you ever noticed that there are literally dozens of three-digit um numbers that have great meaning and value to us so let me mention a few of these in see if you know the answers if you have an emergency at your house or at your workplace what number do you dial see that's a three-digit number right now suppose you want to go to the movies or you want to watch a movie at home on Netflix whatever and you want to watch an old British spy show with lots and lots of sequels what would his number be 007 right now suppose you want to fly and visit uh Britain kind of where he does a lot of his work or where he's planted and you fly on a big plane that has kind of a bubble on the front of it that would be a Boeing 7407 and we hope the doors don't blow off as you're driving over there and while you're on that plane you're seated at next to a person that is obviously a prophecy nut what number do you not want to write on your napkin yes they got all these three-digit numbers now if you work at Calvary Church and you want to get your voicemail you dial 770 and then your voicemail comes on and it and if the voicemail is kind of boring and you don't really care what the person says you will delete that by dialing star now I know that that's not a three-digit number but if you ever wonder why I never call you back that was because it got boring and anyway lots of three-digit numbers well the number I want you to remember this morning is the number 419 and here's where 419 comes from God promises to meet all of our needs and if you put the 419 verse up keep going there we go my God will meet all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus in fact if you think about about it that's not only a future promise we're the living reality that God has been faithful to keep that promise in fact um you could have 419 stickers that you place all over your life your kids could have 419 um stamped on them I tried to convince my wife to get a 419 tattoo on her forehead so I would remind but she wasn't too excited about that my address should be 419 my license plate should be 419 my office number at my door at my office door should be 419 everything in my life should be 419 you know so often I go through life thinking that I've earned this I worked for this but I was only using what God gave anyway to deploy it to pursue what I've got and so 419 I should put those stickers all over my life and so should you now a couple reminders before we actually dive into the context notice it says God will meet now we know he has met but it's says he will me and it doesn't exactly say when I don't know about you I can believe in the promise but then I'm going to kind of wrestle with God about the timing of it h we need to trust the timing to God he also says he will meet your needs see I spell that NE DS um do you ever confuse needs and wants uh for example I used to not need Starbucks but now now I do we used to not need two cars but now we do I used used to not need a new car but I think I'm beginning to need one right and funny how things that are wants slip over into the needs come God doesn't promise I'll meet all of your wants come up with the longest laundry list you could think of and I'm here to supply no no he's not our Genie he'll meet all of our needs future tents and needs and how's he going to meet them according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus and here here's what I think when Paul is assessing calculating his total net worth he doesn't look at his bank account he doesn't pull out his portfolio he doesn't look at the properties he owns he looks at Jesus what do you look at when you calculate your net worth do you calculate your network with gospel glasses on or do you calculate it based on the things that you'll leave here or that you'll wind up be dis being disappointed in anyway well let's read the context of where 419 appears if you have your Bibles your phone whatever you want to use I'll begin reading in verse 10 of chapter 4 we're going to just kind of Breeze over another one of those famous reminders and we'll finish in verse 20 so here's what Paul writes and John mentioned thank you letter here you're going to see them give thanks for what they've done I Rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me indeed you were concerned but you had no opportunity to show it I am not saying this because I am in need for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances 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 content in any and every situation whether wellfed or hungry whether living in poverty or in want I can do all things through him who gives me strength yet it was good for you to share in me in my troubles 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 for even when I was in thessalonica you sent me Aid more than once when I was in need not that I desire your gifts what I desire is that more may be credited to your account I have received full payment and have more than enough I'm amply supplied now that I received from epaphroditus the gifts you sent they are a fragrant offering an acceptable sacrifice pleasing to God and my God will meet all your needs according to his riches to The Riches of his glory in Christ Jesus to God to the god of our father to our God and Father be glory forever and ever amen all right well that's look at the context now the context of 419 is 418 and 420 right you don't forget that it's pretty profound right and here's what you need to see about 418 and 419 context of 419 418-420 here we go four 418 I've received full payment and have more than enough I'm amply supplied now that I've received from apodius the gifts you sent Paul's thanking them and in verse 20 he's glorifying God he's thanking them but glorifying God In N in 19 it says God's going to meet all your needs but God often meets our needs through other people that's what 418 says and so he's thanking the Philippians for being used by God to meet his needs but he glorifies God for meeting his needs through the Philippians and my guess is you as you look back over your life you can point to people that God has used to meet your needs and you we need to realize that God wants to use us to meet the needs of other people and that takes us right back to the beginning of where we started this thing um servants and Saints share Grace and peace right so our responsibil is to be sharers of Grace and peace be the answer to your own prayer in a sense right pray to meet other people's needs pray that their needs will be met and then stop and think how can you go about meeting those needs God used the Philippians to meet Paul's needs Paul thanks them but glorifies God that's the textual context but you know there's a bigger context than that Paul was in prison and what you need to know about prisons were tough for example let me just tell you what prisons did not have back then I wasn't there then but I I read they didn't no golf courses no tennis courts no fitness centers no law libraries no TV no Wi-fi no Counseling Services no food clothing no no sanitary not only conditions but no sanitary Provisions prisons were tough that's the situation pulls in and in the midst of that situation he says and my God will meet all of your needs and God use you to meet my needs it's incredible prisons were tough but not just that finances were tight finances were tight in Philippi you can read about that in Corinthians when Philippi is in Macedonia and Paul writes and says the macedonians have given more than they were able to give it wasn't that they gave out of their super abundance they gave out of their lack they gave out of not having they gathered what they could and they were stepping down what they were going to be able to do and supply for themselves by giving to Paul in his need Paul recognizes that prisons were tough finances were tight and the gifts were made anyway that kind of reminds us reminds me you know there are two narratives we talked about this uh a couple nights ago here are the two narratives your perspective is either writing the script and asking God to be a supporting actor in your story second narrative being overwhelmed by the fact that God has asked you to be a supporting actor in his story if you're a supporting actor in his story you'll recognize that you've got a privilege to put your resources into play to meet other people's needs so that their eyes will turn to God and God can meet their needs and he wants to use you to do it if God is just the supporting actor in your story story then you're going to be wonder how how you can leverage other people manipulate them to supply what you want or maybe your prayer life becomes just an exercise in getting God convincing God to do what you want and to accomplish things that you want to have accomplished only two narratives you being a supporting actor in God's story or asking God and somehow thinking God should be a supporting actor in your story uh only one of those narratives turns out correctly and well all right well how does our culture fit then how's our culture fit in well our culture has messages right and uh so I was trying to think what are the main messages of our culture well here's the first message that our culture continually bombards us with compare everything's about comparison right and so don't tell me you've never had this you pull up at a traffic light and you compare Vehicles right I have to admit I did this a couple times coming down here today but the funny thing is I always compare up I don't compare te down like I don't pull up and say boy thank you God for this for this vehicle I've got and you know I want to pray for that person they may need I always compare up why don't I have that kind of car why don't I have that year car why don't I have that particular I always compare up I don't compare down and our culture calls us to that most advertising and Market is BAS based on comparison compare yourself with this image compare yourself with what with the Fulfillment that this product could bring compare compare compare but it's always comparing up compare what they have or what what you may have with what you don't have interesting Studies have been done the Olympics wrap up today and I don't think onethird of these things are actually sports but whatever they are it's fun watching right and as they wrap up um I'm always reminded of these studies and they're done every every time an Olympic comes up every time an Olympics comes up um gold silver bronze I'll ask you see if you know who are the happiest athletes those that win the gold that's right right you won nobody else better at that sport in the world I mean the basketball team yesterday they're all excited right the women's soccer team from the United States excited they're the goal they're the winners the best in the world at that sport on that day okay second who are the second happiest group of people bronze that's right because why bronze Compares their winning a medal with all of those that didn't win a medal and you know of the medal win winners the group that's most disappointed and in many cases ticked off silver metal winners silver metal medal winners don't compare down they compare up if only I I could have won the gold if only this was different if only that person didn't jostle me if they didn't cheat I could win to go well where are you um what's your attitude and where do you compare is it up or down that's the message of our culture and can I just tell you and look we all live this to some degree I know I do if you live a life of comparison as our culture tells us you will always live frustrated you'll always live with a little sense of anxiety and anger because you feel you deserve these other people don't deserve compare that's a message of culture that's not a message of the Gospel now here's another message from our culture worry worry um uh I it was kind of a whirlwind trip for me back home I'm really glad to be back because ever since I left here Wednesday night until yesterday afternoon about 4:00 I was kind of like non-stop I stopped over to uh see the grandsons and my daughter uh and son-in-law they were at a pool I stopped and I no sooner get there and all of the groups around all young parents around them the discussion was how in the world are we going to pay for college for these kids they're in first and second grade now we're not going to be able to do it here was the line we're worried are we going to have to go in debt is are we going to be able to be supplied what's going to happen Financial worry occupational worry about your physical health we worry about everything and that message is exasperated in our culture right it fans the Flames of comparison and the Flames of worry well here's another one more do you ever and this kind of goes with it more um there are a couple of uh things that I've learned here are things that every Christian I know of believes in theory right in theory it's a good thing to give is't that right in theory in theory and a and a second corollary that goes like this um one day I'll have enough but not yet you ever notice how those two things go together it's kind of the more you know it's a good thing to give in theory and if I didn't have these real needs and I'm barely able to get by it's a good thing to give in theory I'm just not able to do that yet and I know that there is such a thing as enough I just haven't received it yet once I get there I'll be generous once I get there I'll live as God calls me to you know what if that's the strategy of compare worry and more you're never going to get there and you'll live a life driven by culture compare worry more rather than live a culture of contentment as Paul describes all right so here's how we're going to end we're going to talk about some motivating factors so motivating factors as we read those verses toward the end of Philippians um Paul reminds us of why he can say my God will meet all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus because he looks back to God meeting his ultimate need which is the center of the book in Chapter 2 and we're going to end by reading that here's the first thing he says when we need to live lives of gratitude gratitude and so he says Philippians because of your gratitude to God for what he's given you in the gospel you're overflowing in gratitude by making this small gift to me now here's why gratitude's important have you ever noticed that Gifts of gratitude are really good thing but Gifts of gratitude pale in comparison to the cost of the service for which you're grateful noce that gives a gratitude really important but they pale in comparison when it comes to cost for the act of service for which you're grateful let me give you some examples suppose you are going away for a week and you ask your neighbors it's the middle of the you know middle of early summer grass is growing and your neighbor says you know what I I'll I'll take care of your house for you I'll check on things I'll mow your lawn twice while you're going to take care of all that and so you're grateful for that service so you come home and to show your gratitude for your neighbor making that sacrifice place of spending a few hours that week taking care of your lawn you bring them a mug from the Bahamas right that's a gift of now it it pales in comparison to the few hours that they had to work on your lawn and maybe even did weed whacking some weeding around a bit and the gift the mug pales in comparison to the service but it's a good gesture right how about this one um friends volunteer to take your three kids to the shore for a week maybe they bring them to Harvey Cedars for a week so what do you do you buy them a pack of McDonald's coupons right for take they take your kids for you buy them you know a $25 pack of coupons taking to kids for a week at small gift of gratitude for a giant um AC of service maybe um maybe you help your neighbor lose their cat which is a big Act of service right and for that heavy duty Act of service um they get you a puppy right notice the gift of gratitude pales in comparison the act or here's another one suppose you find out someone in your development has severe kidney disease and um you discover that someone else is a match they donate their kidney to the neighbor that needs the transplant and for that act of service giving a kidney the recipient gives the neighbor a book to read during recovery right that's good gifts of gratitude they pale in comparison though right that's what we need to remember when we're talking about gratitude for the gospel our gifts are much smaller than the things I just mentioned the gifts that we can put into play giving thanks to God for the ultimate Act of service it's less than a mug it's less than a puppy it's less than some coupons it it's less than whatever you can think of are small Gifts of gratitude pale in comparison to the act of service but they're still important because gift G Gifts of gratitude are the means by which we say I remember and I thank you that's that's not the only way another motivating factor is desire now this John referred to this earlier I think when he said a fragrant Aroma your gifts are a fragrant Aroma um so let me ask you where what smells cause you to do this wow yeah um when you get home and realize you forgot to take stuff out of the refrigerator and it really SM is that yes yeah no no no you quick close the door right and send your wife in to throw that stuff away right no when you walk into the um the Crispy Cream Store right I'm not a yum Yan donut guy or a Dunkin guy I'm a Crispy Cream guy yeah and especially when the lights blinking right just or when Bacon's frying right 50 lbs of bacon at Harvest Cedar right yeah you you walk into the dining hall you just suck that in right or you walk into a bakery or maybe one of your neighbors or friends is a great cook and makes cake or pies you walk in and just and then there are other smells oh we we can't get away quick enough right you don't inhale too deeply put a hand over your mouth you're be well here's my question we're more than two quarters into this year already how does God inhale what you've done the first two quarters of this year does God say yes yes are our lives our attitudes fragrant Aromas or stenches in the nostrils of God you see we put into play what God smells day by day is it a fragrant aroma or is it a disgusting smell well regardless of what the first two quarters have been you got two more quarters this year you have this week and here's the reality as we leave we enter the playing field now right it's easy here to think the right things it's easy here to do the right things you have all this you have this community kind of encouraging you and affirming you that's not going to happen when you're home what's going to be the aroma tomorrow what what's going to be the aroma this week what's going to be the aroma the rest of this year how are you going to live is it going to be with gratitude and desire or is it going to be something else and here's another one the motivation is the guarantee notice what the the verse of promise right and my God will meet all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus you can take that to the bank you know threaded through this section is is the fact that um God is our father he mentions that to the Philippians their brothers and sisters we're regularly reminded of that um do you remember when uh when you were little there were no problems at all no difficulties nothing to be worried nervous about if Dad was close right you could be fearful you're nervous and you know jumping into the pool I don't know if I'm going to make it but if Dad's in there to catch everything's good here's my guess one of the most sober days of your life was the day you realized your Earthly father can't fix all your problems your Earthly father can't pay all your bills can't cancel all your debt he can't make all your pain go away what does Paul say but your heavenly father can he can fix all your problems pay all your bills and he promises to meet all of your needs according to according to his riches in Christ Jesus so what's our motivation gratitude recognize we give small tiny little gifts of gratitude for awesome acts of service but it's still important that we do that our desire is that we will live lives that are fragrant Aromas to God pleasing that he can want to suck in the things we do rather than be repulsed by them and we live based on the guarantee that all that he's done is good forever I want to read what I've considered uh what I think is kind of the heart the center the power plant of the book of Philippians and what often happens when these reminders get remember at these famous familiar verses um we often um take them out of context the context that keeps all of those verses in proper orbit is Philippians chapter 2 and in Philippians chapter 2 the identity and mission of Jesus is front and center that's the center and all of the reminders Orit that but so often when we choose to look at the reminders we're ripping them out of their context and they become fairy tales now they they become promises from a genie rather than promises from a father connected to the work of his son so here's what um here's the power plant of Philippians Jesus who being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be taken advantage of rather he made himself Nothing by taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on Earth Earth and under the Earth and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father all of the reminders booed off of that Center so here's my question as we wrap up our week it was a pretty big risk for the Philippians to take up an offering and send it to Paul who was in a real tough circumstance in prison because fin ances were tight in Philippi but they took a risk and they weren't exactly sure how God was going to meet their needs but they sacrificially pulled some resource together and they sent it through aitis to they took a risk the ultimate risk we just read from Philippians 2 Jesus Took the risk he voluntarily left to go on this mission for the joy set before him in that Joy include you and me as followers of his what risk is uh God asking you to take now that you're about ready to return home is it a Financial Risk is it a time maybe it's something you need to volunteer at maybe it's a conversation you've been wanting to have but now it needs to become part of your risk maybe it's a step to join something join a church get baptized join a small group I maybe take the first step toward mending a broken difficult relationship you see risks are only risk if you're not sure of the guarantee at the end the guarantee is absolute therefore our risks are now put in proper perspective so before you uh leave the grounds today maybe uh take a few seconds or maybe even now as we end and solidify in your mind what risk God has been making pushing your way that you need to make before you leave and remember this is just the halftime locker room speech you enter the field tomorrow the game starts when you get home tonight let's not be all stars in practice let's be all stars in the game and the game isn't just here the game is when we leave here let's pray father we give you thanks for taking care of our biggest and ultimate problem in Christ and thanks for prom promising to Journey with us every step of the way from here to home Lord You've removed the risks the ultimate ones from all of the decisions and the journey that we make Lord help us now to answer the question what step do you want us to take how can we be a more pleasing Aroma to you how can we show with gifts of gratitude as as much as they pale in comparison to the act of service and how can we demonstrate that we believe the guarant te and we're living life based on that fact Lord thanks for all the promises but thanks mainly for Jesus who makes them real we pray in his name