Title: Our True Joy (Philippians 1:1-6)
[Philippians 1:1-6]
[1] ♠Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints and bishops and deacons who live in Philippi in Christ Jesus: [2] ♠ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Build [3] ♠ I give thanks to my God every time I think of you [4] ♠ Whenever I make a supplication, I always pray for all of you with joy [5] ♠ It is because of your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now. [6] ♠ We are sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion by the day of Christ Jesus.
The vision of our church in 2006 is “a community that grows by spreading the Kingdom Dream”. The subject scripture is Philippians 1:6. On the first day of the new year, we would like to share joy based on this message. The joy of Jehovah gives us strength. The three wills of God for us in Jesus also begin with “Rejoice always.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16) I pray that we can all taste and know this joy and live by the power of God.
First, we can rejoice in the life of a servant for the Lord.
Paul uses the word servant when he introduces himself (Romans 1:1, Titus 1:1). Paul's joy starts from the fact that he lives as a servant of Christ. What is the most important purpose of life for a believer in Jesus? It is the passion of Jesus that becomes my passion. What should we remember as we look to Jesus and live after him? Jesus, who came as King of kings, forsook his equality with God, who he was, and humbled himself to the point of death (Philippians 2:5-8). When we live with this lowliness of Jesus, whom we believe in and follow, we can live a life in harmony with the Lord and enjoy joy. Just as the beautiful sound of an instrument must be tuned to come out, our lives must be tuned to Jesus. When we are in harmony with the Lord, there is the joy of walking as one with the Lord. This starts with the appearance of the species. Jesus endured the cross because there was joy before him (Hebrews 12:2). There is joy in this humble place.
At the seminary farewell dinner, there was a place to share what we had learned over the past three years. I can't forget the two professors, the white-haired old man, who carefully prepares the food at that time. The lesson God gave through these two professors is that the center of theology, that is, the conclusion about God's love, is to resemble Jesus and serve as the Lord. Descending to a position of service as a servant is the secret to enjoying the joy of heaven.
Second, joy is given through grace and peace in the Lord.
It happened in France, which was in poverty after World War II. When a woman who had lost her husband and raised four children cries out in poverty, she gains wisdom to write all the promises in the Bible on a piece of paper and put it in a piggy bank. And whenever it is difficult, take out the word of promise from the piggy bank. One day, when she thought that all hope had been lost, the woman who was crying before God was walking towards the piggy bank, but she fell down and spilled all the papers in the piggy bank. At that time, the woman realized that “all is yours.” We can rejoice because the one who gave up his only begotten son for us gave everything as a gift. (Romans 8:32)
Third, our joy comes from the work of the gospel.
In Luke 15, the owner is always looking for the lost sheep, coins, and son. Whenever we find what we lost, what we have in common is the image of God enjoying uncontrollable joy while having a feast. Every time a soul returns to God, we hold a feast and invite us to be used in the gospel ministry. Why does our faith become cold? It's because they don't do the gospel ministry. In 2006, I hope that there will be more cries of lambs in churches and attics.
Finally, you can have joy because of your faithful God. Joy comes from God's faithfulness. When I see myself, I feel disappointed and just fall down. God works for His glory, not by looking at the human form. God made a covenant with Israel and wanted to become the God of Israel and Israel to become God's people. However, even if one side is faithful to the covenant, if the other side is not faithful, the covenant will not be kept. In a situation where the covenant is not kept because of Israel, God does not abrogate the covenant but establishes a new covenant. This new covenant was not written on stone, but written on the tablet of the heart. God sovereignly writes it on our breastplate with the blood of the cross. Because it was once written on our breastplate, like the prodigal son, we are bound to come back someday. When I ran away because I hated the covenant, God showed the faithfulness of writing the new covenant on our breastplate.
Once we are saved, God will surely accomplish it until the day of our salvation (Philippians 1:6). God does not want any of us to be lost and He wants to keep us until the last day (John 6:39-40). Nothing can separate us from this love of God (Romans 8:35). If the faithful God has accomplished salvation, you must believe that He will do it to the end. Our hope and joy lies in your faithfulness.
We believe that the Lord's Church will surely triumph. The kingdom of God is sure to come no matter how much resistance there is. The first thing that started in the city of Philippi was the beginning of the gospel in Europe. Although there is no church in Philippi today, this promise continues to be valid, and eventually the gospel is delivered to the whole world through the transformation of Europe.
The joy of pleasing God is our ability. May you find joy in the position of servanthood, in the riches of the kingdom of heaven in believing in Jesus, in the ministry of the gospel, in God's faithfulness, serve God to your heart's content in 2006, and overflow with the joy and power of the Lord in your home, business, and church. I wish.