Sermon: "Restoring the Joy With Others and Yourself"

Eighth in the "Philippians" series.
Delivered August 6, 2006 by Rev. Pat Hartsock.
Other sermons in this series - 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9

Theme: God intends us to have healthy reconciled relationships with others and to be healthy spiritually, emotionally and mentally ourselves.

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Well good morning everyone. John, thank you for the privilege of the pulpit. It's an absolute delight to be back here. Gosh, I see so many faces and so many memories, thank you. It's a joy and a privilege. If you would like to please take your own Bible or a Bible in the pews and turn to Philippians, Chapter 4, beginning at Verse 2.

"I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, 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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

Will you pray with me please? Lord as far as the words of this your servant depart from your Word may they be quickly forgotten, as far as the words of this your servant speak your Word and truth may your Holy Spirit bring it home and transform us according to your will so that the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts would be acceptable in your sight, you who are our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

An elementary school teacher had a rather contentious elementary school class; the kids were always fighting with each other, they were mad at each other, they were constantly fighting, there were bullies in the class and it just seemed like they were negative. So she brought in a big pile of potatoes and a whole bunch of potato sacks and she told the class, she said, "I want you to come up front and I want you to pick up a potato and if there is anyone in this class that you are angry at, you haven't forgiven, you don't like, you haven't been reconciled to, I want you to write their name on the potato and I want you to put it in the sack. I want you to do the same thing if there is anybody in your family that you have done that. I want you to do the same thing if there is anyone in your neighborhood that you are like that towards; that you don't like and you are angry and you haven't forgiven. I want you to put their names on the potato and I want you to put the potato in the sack." Well all the kids came up and some of the sacks were pretty heavy. What's in your sack? If I were to give this assignment to you, what's in your sack? You see the teacher said that the sack had to stay with you everywhere you go, you have to take the sack and put it down by your desk, when you go home on the bus you have to take it on the bus, when you sit down at the dinner table you have to put it right next to you at the dinner table and when you got to sleep you have to put it right next to your bed. Do you know what potatoes are like after they have been in a sack for a while? They stink and they grow eyes. It's just ugly. Do you have any potatoes in your sack? Euodia and Syntyche did, didn't they? I plead with you Euodia. I plead with your Syntyche. Agree with each other. They were fighting.

Now isn't that interesting and I have heard this so many times, people will come to me and they say, you know we need to be more like the New Testament church. Have you ever heard people say that? Like there is something wrong with the 21st century church compared to the New Testament church. You know, back to the pure church. Do you know who was in the pure church? People. Do you know what people did? They didn't like each other and they had fights and Euodia and Syntyche did and Paul says, "agree with each other." Now sometimes two people can't do that. Have you ever met two people that just can't get along, they just won't be reconciled? Look at the next Verse 3, "Yes and I ask you loyal yokefellow, help these women." In other words, be a reconciling agent. Don't just say, "Well you know these two they just never get along. You know about them." No, help them. Help them to be reconciled. Be a part of the body of Christ.

So how do you do this? How do we move from this contention to an attitude of reconciliation? How do we get through this? The Apostle Paul looks in Verse 4 and says this, "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice." Now, I want you to notice something; I want you to notice the same thing in this verse that you need to notice in another verse in the scriptures, I have had a whole bunch of people come up to me and they say this, we are supposed to be thankful for all circumstances, for that is the will of God for us in Christ Jesus. We are to be thankful for all circumstances. Wrong. That is not biblical. We are to be thankful in all circumstances. I am telling you there are some circumstances in my life I am not thankful for. They are hard. They are painful. They are some evil things that have happened towards me from other people. They are not good, but I am to be thankful in them. And I don't think Euodia and Syntyche were supposed to rejoice in their conflict or rejoice even in their reconciliation. What does he say, "Rejoice in the Lord and again I say rejoice."

Verse 5. Now I think some people think that some verses in the scriptures are just afterthoughts, like well Paul just added this. I don't think he just added it. "Let your gentleness be evident to all." I think for us as Christians it's as important how we do what we do, as what we do. I think the scripture is very very clear on this. Some of you have memorized 1st Peter 3:15 and by the way the beginning of 3:15 is this,

"Set apart Jesus Christ as Lord in your hearts."

That is the very first beginning of 1st Peter 3:15 and then it goes on to say this,

"Always be ready to give an answer for the hope that dwells within you."

How many of you have heard that verse before? Do you know the rest of the verse?

"But do it with gentleness and respect."

You know what the problem is with us evangelical Christians? We want to nail people with the gospel. Man, they are going to find Jesus and we don't do it with gentleness and we don't do it with respect. We forget that how we do what we do is as important as what we do. Paul says to this church in Philippi, the one that is full of contention he says,

"Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice and let your gentleness be evident to all."

Verse 6. Now when a church is in conflict and there is conflict within the church it usually creates anxiety. It has in the Philippian church and so he says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God." According to the Bureau of Standards, if you have a dense fog that covers seven square city blocks, 200 feet deep, you have one half a glass of water. You can't see. You can maneuver. Fog is rather overwhelming, but there isn't a whole lot of substance to it. You know that's what's true of a lot of our anxieties? They are hard and you can't see through them. They are overwhelming, but there isn't much substance to them. Do not be anxious about anything. Now let's just stop there, right? No. That's not healthy. That's denial. How many of you have been anxious about something in the last three weeks, lets say? I mean anxious. Let's confess. I am anxious about something. He doesn't say, "Don't be anxious" and then sort of says that you are on your own now, go ahead, live. No, he says, "Okay if anxiety is hit, this is what you do. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and that word is προσευχηκαι. That word means προσ is "towards" and ευχηκαι is to pray. And really it is saying to pray towards God. It's really what the word means. προσ means toward. Pray toward God. Do you know what our problem is, my problem is? Here is what I do; I don't know about you, I got a problem and I got anxiety here is what I do. "Oh man, this has really got me. God, this is a mess. I really need your help. It has just got me. I can't handle it. Help me. I am betwixed. I am between. I don't know what to do with all of this". Do you do that? Do you know what happens? That defines you. Turn towards God. Pray towards him and say, "God you see this thing down here? I need your help. It's a mess. I know you can do it." You see what happens, it changes everything doesn't it? It changes your whole being.

Alright, this just came to mind. 2nd Corinthians 3:18, "Beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed from one degree of glory to another through the Lord as a spirit." When you behold your anxieties you will be transformed to more anxiety. When you behold your God, you will be transformed in to his likeness. That's what Paul says, "pray" and then he says "with prayer and petitions" and that word petitions in Greek is δεησει. Do you know what it means? Wrestle. That is what it means; to wrestle with something before God. It doesn't mean to just write off your anxieties. It means to wrestle with why you are anxious before God, to come before God honestly and wrestle, with prayer and petition with thanksgiving.

Now that is rather odd isn't it, because have they got an answer to their prayer yet? And you think to yourself well how can Paul ask me that? Well Bob, this Thursday I am going to have a bill that is going to come due and I don't have any money. I can't pay it and then the bill collectors are going to come and all I need is $50 and if you would just give me $50 I promise I will give it back to you. Do you think you could help me out? Thank you. Thanks Bob. Do I have the $50 yet? No. But he told me I would have it right. Why is it that we believe friends and say thank you to them before the answer comes, but we think its odd to say thank you to God before the answer comes. The Apostle Paul is really clear; you pray with prayer and petition and thanksgiving before you got it and then what does he say in Verse 7? "And the peace of God."

By the way it was so precious last service Murray Smoot was sitting back there in a wheelchair and Murray Smoot began every funeral service I experienced with him from the moment I came to this church till I left, "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you, not as the world gives I give unto you. Let not your hearts be troubled. If you believe in God believe also in me." How many of you know that Murray Smoot does that at every funeral? Every funeral. That is the peace that Paul is talking about here. He is talking about a peace that is not like the peace that you and I experience which is circumstantial peace. This peace is God's peace and if you give him your anxieties, his peace will come in to your life and it will mount guard on your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Okay, so here is what I do. I don't know about you, but this is what I think. Okay God, I am going to give you all of my anxieties. Okay, you've got them. Everything that I am anxious about is yours. I am done. Do you know what happens? It's just like the demons everyone. Jesus gave a parable about the demons and he said, "If they cast out a demon and nothing comes in to fill that space, ten demons will come back. What happens to you and me? I give God my anxiousness and if I don't fill my mind up with something, then ten times the anxiety comes.

By the way, just an aside about anxiety. I need to give you a personal testimony about anxiety. Some of you know about the anxiety that I experienced here on Palm Sunday in 1981. Palm Sunday in 1981 our third son was born; 1:30 in the morning at GBMC. About 2:30 in the morning I go back to the nursery and open the door and one of the doctors were talking to the other doctor and Dr. Gerkens was talking to Dr. Goshorn on the phone and I heard this, "Well we think that the Hartsock's child has Down's Syndrome" and I had done a paper on Down's Syndrome so I knew what it meant and I just became a mess. I went to tell Ann and we cried and we hugged and I had to go home because I had two other boys at home and precious Carol Corey was at our house watching our boys and I walked in the front door and she looked at me and I fell apart. I just sat down on the stairs on Thornton Road and I cried and I cried and I cried and I projected the next 10 years, 20, years, 30 years, 40 years of my son's life. I mean the poor kid is just born and I am already projecting all these years of his life, all this trouble, all these struggles; he's a person with Down Syndrome and that means this and that means that.

Now do you ever project? Do any of you have that same problem that I have? I came to church that morning and I was walking around and I was a mess, wasn't I? And the collegians they didn't know what to do you know here is their pastor and he's a mess. And so I am walking around and I am telling people about the next 20 or 30 years of Jay's life. A young man that I was discipling named Mike Woods walked up to me and looked me in the eye and he said this, "Pastor Pat, God doesn't give you grace for rejection. He only gives you grace for reality." I have never forgotten that. Do you know what we do? We create these artificial realities that we projected out there and then we invite them back in to the present and we get all upset and anxious over them and then we say, "God help me. God, come on and give me grace for this reality." It's not real everybody. You created it. I created it. Don't be anxious. Don't project. Don't project anxiety and bring it back in to the present. Project God by the way. And I want to let you know my son is 25 and I have to apologize to him every time I use this illustration. Do you know why? Not because I use the illustration, but because I projected such a horrible future and he has done exceedingly, abundantly, above all that I could have ever asked or imagined. Amen.

Now you give up all of your anxieties. I am done! I am free! And the demons come back. Why? Because we have forgotten Verse 8, because we are the New International version translators. Did you notice something? Verse 8 is a new paragraph in New International version. I don't think it is. I don't think the paragraph ends till the end of Verse 9. I think Verse 8 is a part of Verse 7. I think what Paul is saying is this. You give God your anxieties, but don't leave your mind and your heart empty. Fill it up. What does he say in Verse 8? "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy" what, what? What do you do? Tell me? Think on these things. Think on these things. Don't let your mind be empty. By the way there is a huge difference between Christian meditation and Eastern meditation and all you young people that they want you to go yoga and other things and they want you to empty your mind; that is not Christian. That is not Christian. Christian meditation is not to empty your mind; Christian meditation is to fill your mind. Fill you mind with that which is right. Fill your mind with that which is excellent. Fill you mind with that which is pure. Fill your mind with that which is true. That is what Paul says. Paul knows it. He knows psychology how you need to be healthy and so he says, "think on these things."

And then in Verse 9, "Whatever you learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, DO IT!." Excuse me. It got your attention didn't I? Now there is a company who came up with an idea about 15 or 20 years ago and they were going to use this one little mark and that was going to be their insignia for their company and people said that was crazy. It just won't work. It's a check mark. Now when you watch a golf match and you see somebody walking down the fairway with a hat on and a check mark on the side or you see somebody ready to sprint down the runway and he's got a check mark on his shoe or you see somebody whose got a shirt on with a check, who made it? Who? We got it didn't we? Do you know what Nike Steam is? Three words. Three words. Just do it. That's Paul. Do you know what would drive me crazy after church on Sunday and I am sure it drives John crazy too. They walk up to you and they shake your hand and they say, "Nice sermon. Nice sermon. It was such a nice sermon." I don't want a nice sermon. Just do it. That's what Paul is saying. Paul is saying, Philippian church: If you have seen it, do it. So when you leave this sanctuary, do it.

If you are not reconciled with somebody and you are walking around with a sack of potatoes, just do it. Go. Be reconciled with your brother or your sister. Go; be reconciled to your actual brother or sister, your mom, your dad, your friend in the body of Christ. If you have anything against them, or they have anything against you, go empty your sack. By the way, if you take a rotten potato and you put it in the ground, guess what it does? It creates new potatoes. In other words, it will grow. Get rid of it. Throw it out and new life will come for you and you will have an empty bag and empty sack. That is all that Paul is saying.

And that's what this table is saying. The ground at his table is level. Everybody in this room comes on level ground at this table. Everyone in this room comes to this table needy. Amen. I want to invite you to this table. John and this session have given me the privilege of inviting you to their table, this table, Central Presbyterian Church's table, but you know it isn't Central's table, in fact you know something, this is not even a protestant table or a Presbyterian table. This is Jesus Christ's table. Jesus Christ established this table and he established it for everyone who believes in him as Lord and savior and if you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and your savior you are invited to this table this day. And if you think to yourself, well I have been good enough this month. I have been good enough this week. I think I can come. I think I am okay to take this table, you don't understand this table. This table is for sinners. This table is for failures. This table is for people who desperately need the broken body and the poured out blood of Jesus Christ. So in the name of Jesus Christ come to his table for it was on the night when he was betrayed that after he had prayed he took the bread and he broke it and he said to his disciples, "This is my body broken for you, take eat this in remembrance of me." Then he took the cup as I do ministering in his name and he said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Drink this, all of you in remembrance of me." The Apostle Paul who was personally discipled by Jesus Christ for three years, that's in the scriptures, that's what he says put these two things together and said, "As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you declare the Lord's death until he comes again." Another translation of that Greek word is you shout it from the housetops everyone. There are a lot of people that want to bypass the death of Christ; lets get to the resurrection and life. You don't get the life without death. You don't get eternal life without the death of Jesus Christ, your Lord and savior.

Let's pray. Thank you Jesus Christ for being our Lord and our savior, for giving your life for us. Lord, we come to your table needy, we come to your table sinful, we come to your table desperately desiring to be reconciled to you our living God and to one another. In the name of Jesus Christ, come. In the power of the resurrection, come. In the freedom of the Holy Spirit, come. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

© 2006, Rev. Pat Hartsock
Central Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, MD 21204 410/823-6145
www.centralpc.org