So what is Sex For, Anyway?

Message: Sex

Matthew 19.1-12

Text: Matt 19.4-6

Today we’re entering a minefield. The issue before us is crucial, but uncomfortable; it is exactly the kind of issue we should talk about, but often don’t. Why? Because it addresses something so basic to every human being we are threatened by it.

The issue is sex. There, I said it; it’s now out in the open. So while you may find this awkward or embarrassing because of your own sexual past or opinions, please hold judgment until we’re finished.

Let me give you a snap shot of what’s going on.

On the one hand, this morning we celebrated the baptism of two infant boys. They are, obviously, the result of two sexual beings – a man and a woman – coming together in love and security. They are the result of a deep emotional, spiritual and physical joining. This is sex as it was meant to be.

But, on the other hand, today the typical 10-11 year old will have already seen sexual images up to and including nudity. By 15, 1/3 of all 15 year olds will have had sexual intercourse. By 18 the number will double to 2/3. And, half of them will have had multiple partners. Studies suggest teen boys have sex to gain social status and girls are looking for intimacy. Both can be traced to a lack of close friendships or family bonds. Some will have had sex because simply due to peer pressure. I understand this personally, in grade 9, my best friend was sexually active. In Grade 12 a different friend found himself a dad.

In Canada during 2005 there were over 30,500 teen pregnancies. That is about 3 for every 100 women between the ages of 15-19.  Over half of these pregnancies ended in abortion.  By age 19 25% of women will have had at least one STD, which can seriously affect their ability to bear future children.

And all these statistics apply in and outside of the church. The average age for a teen’s first experience with sexual intercourse is 17½ years old. The only group of singles to produce those willing to wait for sex are those who take faith very seriously and in that group 1/3 wait until the age of 21.

I could continue with statistics of those who divorce because of infidelity, or the sexual habits of those who invite others into a marriage, but I think we get the point.

It really seems that given the state of things in our world today, teaching the Bible on this topic should probably happen more often than once in a long while.

And so that our goals today are clear we’re discussing:

What is sex for?

And what does the Bible really say about the place and sacredness of sex?

Let’s read a text from the New Testament that addresses these matters. Matthew 19.1-12.

⁴ “Haven’t you read,” Jesus replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Jesus has a clear and simple understanding of where sex fits in life. As the one through whom all things were made, Jesus knows also how human beings are sexual in our core.  Before the Fall into sin and distortion, our first parents were made in two separate and distinct genders – sexes. No confusion and no distortion.  Adam was a male; Eve was female. Their body chemistry, their brains and their physical characteristics determined by God’s creative work. The result is that today a typical male – me - can only relate to others as a man and see the world as a man does. I don’t understand the female condition, I can’t. Just as women cannot truly understand the male condition.  And this is good, it keep life interesting. The Apostle Paul says it’s a mystery.

Being two distinct genders our first parents were drawn to each other. Adam sings poetic:

²³ The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called ‘woman,’

for she was taken out of man.”

He is drawn to Eve and she to him. They belong together on every level. They intuitively understand that it isn’t good to go through life alone. A partner is needed one in whom they can be fulfilled as a pair of different but equal life partners. Created for union with each other; In a perfect world, God intends that men and women find a partner to open themselves to. Someone to share life with. Someone to help them understand themselves and their urges. Someone who will help them mature. Someone who arouses them and desires intimacy– intimate communion on every level. Emotional, spiritual and physical. To be one flesh means to be known and to know at all these levels, noting left out. No secrets, no resistance, no domination. God is pleased when they embrace; all is as it should be. They are naked and not ashamed, invited to know each other mind and body. Willing to enjoy a deep, meaningful relationship that includes an exciting and fulfilling sex life for both husband and wife.

We should remember like all else in the Garden, everything God established there is good. Being male is good; being female is good. Being sexual is good and having sexual intimacy is good.

Genesis 1.27-28, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. ²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth”

That’s a clear invitation, isn’t it? And other Bible texts agree that even after the Fall, sex is good.

Proverbs 5.18-19 “May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. ¹⁹ A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.

Song 1.2,4; 2.6 “²  Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine. ⁴  Take me away with you—let us hurry!  Let the king bring me into his chambers. ⁶  His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me

But sex also needs protection.

The next verse in that passage says, this:

 “Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”

You see after the fall things don’t necessarily become sinful, but they certainly do become marked, distorted and disordered by sin.

Originally sex was meant to come last in a relationship. First the couple came together, exploring on an emotional and spiritual level who the other is and who they are. Creating a bond that will endure before and after physical sex is even possible. And this exploration is carried out carefully, a step at a time because the goal is to become fully open with the other, to test whether the other loves the person or is just after the person’s body. They say beauty is skin deep, but true love sees the true person.

Since the Fall disordered sexuality makes that hard to grasp. Because of the curse males often dominate and use women for their own selfish pleasures. For their part women resist godly leadership and use men for their own selfish pleasures. In both cases a person has become a thing. A series of living, breathing sex toys. In distorted forms of sexuality there is no connection, no person, just things used selfishly. 

There is a lie in our world that says this is okay. Our bodies are unimportant; true fulfillment comes only on the emotional or spiritual level. It’s a lie. 1 Corinthians 6 teaches us that sex joins people in the same way that is described in Genesis 2. The two become one in body, mind and spirit. Whether we believe it or not, there is no such thing as casual sex. All sex is personal – it involves the whole person and it is never casual because two are joined on every level.

We are spiritual beings not objects to be used for another’s pleasure. Using other people directly or through pornography will never fulfill the good and deep need residing in each person. This is a difficult but inescapable reality. We have sexual needs because we are made that way, and equally important are our emotional and spiritual needs. Abusing one will affect the others.

To be healthy, the three must be kept together. This is why true love must be established before physical sex is safe for both participants. True love involves handing your heart, your ‘self’ to another. It’s risky and requires vulnerability. It’s the hard work required before sex can have the meaning God intends. True love is giving up control and becoming vulnerable to be joined to or to join with another at every level of being.

In having sex you hand over more than just your body; everything is opened before the one who takes. Emotions, thoughts, beliefs and body. What if the one you hand all this to, is only just playing around with it? What if their only goal is to take your body? What if after enjoying your body selfishly, they casually through your heart aside?

In Matthew 19 Jesus says what God has joined let no one tear apart. What is a broken heart but to be betrayed in these ways? To be used and discarded. What happens is that scar tissue begins to form around the heart. Let’s be honest, unchecked participation in disordered sexuality is ultimately a prison that prevents the person from fining true intimacy. It becomes more difficult to open to another person. I wasn’t safe then, will I be safe now? It becomes more difficult to have self-respect. It becomes more difficult to be faithful when married.

So what is sex for and why is it sacred needing protection? The Bible is teaching us that sexual union is the climax of a deep meaningful relationship, not the foundation. Ultimately, sex belongs in marriage because marriage is the only container strong enough to protect sex and those who engage in it.

And if this makes no sense to you, then you are probably not yet ready for sex.

Next week we’ll talk more about marriage, but in the time we have left, let’s see how everyone sitting here can live responsibly as sexual beings.

1.       Take responsibility for your own sexuality.

Frequently the Bible asks, are we slaves to bodily urges distorted by sin or are we free in Christ?

³ It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 1 Thess 4.3-4

The point here is simple. Married or single, our bodies and how we treat them matters.  Almost all youth both male and female will go through a period of self-exploration and masturbation. This is normal and while it is a normal phase of sexual release for teens or a responsible alternative to intercourse for those who are older, it should never become a substitute for the hard work of building that relationship we’ve been talking about. And yes, for those who are married masturbation may continue as a mutually agreed upon activity either alone or together. The truth is that in healthy sexuality there is always a desire for self-satisfaction to deny it is to be naïve or dishonest, but nothing should prevent the goal for the two becoming one on every level.

2.       Keep sex within the protection of marriage.

No doubt this message goes against our culture, but here goes anyway. Singles, desiring intimacy is normal and a worthy goal. At the same time singleness may be God’s call on your life. We read that earlier and if so there will be a sense that God has given the grace to live out that call.

But, if lifelong singleness is not for you then please keep in mind that waiting is appropriate. Singles have just as much opportunity to form satisfying intimate friendships as married people. Singles committed to this are often better at relationships than married people, many of whom rely on sex as a substitute for intimacy. Again, the truth is that we do not need sexual intercourse to be whole people.

Abstaining from sex before marriage also builds for the future. It helps form a strong self-image so that the sense of worth is based on being made in the image of God rather than on animal urges or a desperate search for belonging at any cost. Abstinence before marriage helps with fidelity in marriage. Why is it surprising when a spouse who was promiscuous before marriage struggles with fidelity in marriage?

To that end singles should consider the following questions before they decide to have sex

1.       Am I ready to reveal all my hopes, dreams and fears before we have sex?

2.       Am I ready to engage the adult responsibilities of marriage and family life?

3.       Am I sure that my partner is as committed to the same level of vulnerability as I am?

4.       Have we both shared our sexual past, openly, honestly and forgiven ourselves and each other?

5.       If you are engaging in sex right now, is it wise to continue or is it preventing a deeper more important bond from growing?

And finally for those who are married, are you still enjoying sex, why or why not? You too can ask each other questions that build intimacy and openness.

1.       Do we only has sex because of physical desire or a need to be touched?

2.       Is sex also important as a means of bringing us closer even when we don’t feel like it?

3.       Is sex the icing on the cake or is it all that seems to keeping us together?

4.       Are we both protecting our own and each other’s sexuality?

The only way that sex provides the full wonder of what God desires for us is when the relationship is intimate, growing and fiercely guarded by both partners. Next week we’ll discuss marriage.

Halloween or Bust?

Today is October 30, one day before All Hallows Eve – Halloween - or as many of us know it, Reformation Day.  A day of mixed activities and ideas to say the least. The origins of this day trace back to the Celtic people of Europe and the British Isles. It was their Harvest Festival called ‘sowin.’ But it was only after the evangelization of Ireland and England that customs like pumpkin carving emerged. The idea was that the hollow pumpkin represented purgatory and the candle inside the soul of a loved one needing purifying in order to be ready for heaven. And slowly on more customs and traditions re-emerged  or were added until the day is rather dark. Featuring themes of death, evil, the occult, or mythical monsters. So interestingly, a non-Christian festival becomes Christianized only to become something dark, fearful and the largest commercial holiday of the year in terms of decorations, costumes and chocolate sales.

So, while it is fun to play dress up or have costume parties, the type and kind of costume is rather important. Just as the type and kind of home decoration and participation in this festival is something to think carefully about. I wonder if our Thanksgiving a couple weeks ago would be enough.

Moving on, as I mentioned October 31 is also known as Reformation Day. Not a response to Halloween as such, but surely a response to the spiritual life of the Church. A man named Luther was overcome with concern for the Church of Jesus Christ and over time and conversation he wanted to see change. Luther wanted people to live their faith. He wanted them to take responsibility for the care and upbringing of their children in such a way that they would meet Jesus and respond to his call. Luther wanted the Church to change and to abandon traditions, and policies that made the church spiritually weak.

It was the year 1517 and the time was ripe for revival. The time was right for God to rouse people like Luther, Calvin and others, to have them challenge the way things were and to cast a renewed vision for the Church of Jesus Christ. One of faithfulness, purity and devotion, where disciples of Jesus could mature in the faith. So that groups of the faithful – congregations – would be a witness, in how they care for each other; in how they invite those who do not know Christ into the freedom given by Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A freedom from fear, death and the need to give into temptation. A freedom to truly live to the glory of God, fully alive in Christ, blessed by God to be a blessing in the world.

These men wanted renewal and revival. They did not want a new church or churches. They wanted a renewed church. They took Ephesians 4 seriously. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. And yet because of sin, pride, fear and greed the church divided and it has been dividing ever since.”

Some say if a person engages a sin once – let’s say the sin of lying – then it becomes easier to do it again, and again, and again until finally there is no sense of sin or guilt in that person at all. Paul calls this having a burned conscience. That can’t be good, can it?

And so let’s take a look at what the events of 1517 have brought us.

Moving forward from the time of Jesus there was one church and then two divided east from west about 1000 years ago. Then at the time of the Reformation the west divided into five main branches: The Roman Catholics, The Anglicans, The Lutherans, The Anabaptists and The Reformed Church. Now 500 years after that even it is estimated that there are 1500 different denomination in North America and approximately 38,000 worldwide.

Whatever happened to “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”?

In Ponoka there are at least 15 churches and yet when we gather for a community service once per year only a few, a minority officially join.

·         There is no doubt that the Body of Christ is visibly divided.

·         There is no doubt that the pace of division has increased over time.

·         There is no doubt that the very things that should unite us are often the things that divide. And it seems there are two. The Bible and the sacraments.

Too often, the Bible is the battle ground. And while we do read

Titus 3.9-10: “Warn divisive people once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.”

This scene has been acted out all too often while the reason for the Spirit’s warning may be overlooked.

Titus 3.8: “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.”

Too often the arguments that birth new churches are about side issues and not the main thing.

The Bible is the Word of God because it reveals the Son who is the living word. The issue for all the New Testament authors is that true faith is built on Jesus the Christ, God in flesh, the redeemer and king. That is the central issue, and the test of true faith. Divide over that, yes, but not over the need for circumcision, right behaviour on Sunday or timing or style of baptism or the meaning and method of the Supper.

These are gifts meant to inform, initiate and strengthen faith. But, over the years Christians have thrown words at each other like spears; they have fired arguments like bullets to prove rightness or wrongness creating congregations better known for being judgmental than loving. Places that aren’t safe for their own members.

There is no doubt that some divisions have been about who best knows the mind of God as if to speak for him. And that says Isaiah and Paul is foolish pride.

And, there is no doubt that in spite of the Church’s past God is still making something good out of or in spite of our division. The following are published by Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (2006).

It is estimated that

·         There are 2,084,509,000[1] people in the world who identify themselves as Christians.

·         There is not one country or region on earth where there are no Believers. Did you know that in Saudi Arabia there are an estimates 1.5 million disciples of Jesus?

·         It is also reported that every year

·         Approximately 83 million Bibles are distributed globally.
On average 171,000 Christians worldwide are martyred for their faith

·         And finally the growth of Christianity is still faster that the growth of the world’s population. So while the church is shrinking in Canada, the United States and Europe, it’s growing powerfully in Asia and Africa. And the churches that have the strongest growth are those who embrace the ministry of the Spirit allowing God to renew and revive. Congregations willing to let go of some traditions so that the Gospel of Jesus is fresh and alive for today.

New wine in new wineskins.

That’s what Jesus was about.

That’s what Luther and Calvin were about.

Are we ready for the next age of the church?

Is the church of Jesus Christ here and across the planet ready for renewal and revival? Clearly in some places it is. But for all those places where we see decline it’s time to ask why.

I have a theory based in the natural world. It goes like this: if a tree is healthy it will grow and bear fruit. If it isn’t, then it will die. And even if it is healthy it will reach its allotted age and then die fulfilled. Trees never stay the same. They grow or die. Do you agree?

And following that theory I believe it’s also true of people, of businesses and congregations. Things that are healthy grow, but are limited by a natural lifespan. Things that are unhealthy and left that way – people, businesses or congregations – die. It can be a slow death and painful. And there is seldom fruit.

So taking the theory to its end, the principle applies to so called ‘spiritual’ things as well as physical ones. Why? Because the two cannot be separated. Looks can be deceiving. Jesus said that inner spiritual health is just as important as outer appearances. Therefore for people, business and congregations to be truly healthy they must have spiritual inward health.

Healthy congregations take care of their spiritual health because those congregations grow, flourish and provide a powerful environment of healing, worship and growth in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Spiritually healthy congregations bear fruit. Spiritually unhealthy congregations by comparison are unfruitful wither and die.

Grow or die, nothing ever stays the same.

Except for God alone and he is the one we need above all.

The Father provides all we ever need.

Jesus provides the vision for the Church.

The Spirit makes it happen in and among His people.

The Spirit is calling God’s people to, “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” Because “there is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all”

So, could it be that for congregations and denominations to be healthy, for denominations to repent and remove the walls of separation, for revival and renewal to come in our time, that the Spirit is calling his people to confess their unity in Christ and to make every effort to pursue it?

Could it be there are ways to encourage each other through the bond of peace?

It seems so.

The first thing to keep in mind may be the simplest. The church is not one because Christians have decided but because Christ has established. The Church is Christ’s idea and Christ calls each member of it. And invites all to respond by loving him and his people, living within the bond of peace together. And that takes maturity.

It takes spiritual maturity to accept that in every congregation sin will happen and yet Jesus allows such things so that we grow in love, not division. By confessing sin to each other. By restoring each other in love.

It takes spiritual maturity to accept that in every congregation there will be those who are passionate for Jesus, indifferent toward Jesus and secretly opposed to Jesus. Jesus said the wheat and the weeds will coexist until the end. Our calling is to live in the world as it is.

It takes spiritual maturity to be quick to listen and slow to anger. Judgment is a Christian’s chief temptation, isn’t it?

It takes spiritual maturity to remain unified in spite of differences in interpretation on non-essential matters.

It takes spiritual maturity to love one another just as they are and to allow the Presence of God to help the less mature see Jesus more clearly so that they may be changed.

It takes spiritual maturity to welcome those who are different and invite them to investigate who Jesus is regardless of the lifestyle they currently have.

And Spiritual maturity comes from the Spirit to those who ask as they go through the trials of life. As they go through the difficulties of learning to serve others. As they experience the pain of the world and the despair of those who do not know how to live well.

Spiritual maturity comes in learning to love ourselves. To accept God’s promise: I love you, there is no greater love that can be demonstrated than to die for one’s friends.

Such maturity can only happen where there is spiritual health and protection from accusation or judgment.

Nurturing maturity happens by providing an environment where infants, children, youth and adults can explore faith in Jesus. Ask questions, reveal doubts, learn from each other and gently correct each other – all the while loving each other, trusting that Jesus is Lord of the church. Not the “Dominie,” (a Dutch word commonly used for minister), not the Elders, or the bishops, or a synod.

Yes, this is a vision, a goal, a stretch. It’s unrealistic on any human level, but it is our future and our present reality, whether we like it or not.

500 years ago God brought revival and renewal to the church. A clear reminder and encouragement that “there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” John 10.16 Today as we sit together and reflect on that, let’s commit, recommit to being a place where faith is formed and love for God , self and others is obvious by what we say and do.

---

[1] Africa - 500,000,000; Asia - 277,000,000; Europe - 551,000,000; Americas - 804,000,000; Oceania - 26,000,000; Middle east - 18,000,000

Celebrate the Difference?

Monday is Reformation Day, yes I know it's also Halloween.
Interesting that for most people the second is familiar and the former a ?
Reformation Day remembers the protestant Reformation's beginning. A renewal movement that's given us more types of churches than some realize and few can justify. I have to do a lot of reading each year on the topic and as I get older I just wonder and get depressed. What's the argument about? Am I still protesting and should I be? And it seems no matter how much we try, the same old tendency to argue keeps reappearing. I spotted this little slogan and thought it expressed my feelings pretty well.
Just for the record, I want to celebrate our differences. And I really do want to hear what others have to say.

Thankful?

Thanksgiving Day has come and gone. We had a good weekend. One of our daughters, her husband and three children came for a visit along with one of our sons. Just under half of our entire family all together for a few days. It was awesome. Those of us who have good family relationships, who still have living parents and get along well together are blessed. No doubt about it.

But, living apart, even just an hour by airplane is hard. We like living in Ponoka, but separation from those you love is a loss that lingers.  I know that I’m not the only one who feels this way. Many people live in situations where they don’t get along with other family members. And whether they admit it or not, that’s a loss they grieve. For many others who do get along, getting together can be very difficult due to distance, age or well, death. That’s more grief and loss. It seems that’s the situation we’re all faced with in one way or another.

I think it’s important to acknowledge that reality especially after Thanksgiving Day as we head toward Christmas. Being in denial about what is sad or broken in life and relationships doesn’t help. Trying to fill loneliness or isolation with stuff, or getting high, doesn’t help. Sure a night out drinking will cause a person to forget their troubles for a while, but it all comes back with a headache all too soon, doesn’t it?

And besides, we aren’t built to live alone or cut off from others. We need the connection that comes through others. The Bible teaches that both things are necessary in order to be contented. It also teaches that the only way to believe and really embrace this is through the gift of Jesus. He was a man just like us. He grieved for lost friends and he embraced family, friends and co-workers with a deep passion. They were people and they were important for who they were and not what they could do. That’s a great example to follow and maybe that produces a couple of suggestions.

First, It may help all of us to be more thankful if we viewed people the way Jesus did. Each one a gift; someone to learn from and lean on when life is hard; someone who also will need the same things from us; someone who will never see things exactly the same way as we do, but to choose to get along with them anyway; someone to forgive when they inevitably hurt us. And in forgiving realize that no one goes through life without needing to apologize frequently.

And second, the example of Jesus teaches that even God in human form couldn’t do life on his own. He needed friends and people to confide in; he needed help to get the work done and he needed to time to kick back and enjoy the company of others.  

It’s a funny thing that if the Son of God needed these rather common experiences to be thankful and content, I wonder why so many of us live as though we can do without them.

Content?

Philippians 4:4-20

Theme: Contentment is a by-product of faith and trust that Jesus is near; GOD is active in more ways that we can imagine and therefore by the Spirit we can have the strength to cope with whatever comes our way.

We’re continuing in our series in Philippians. And in the letter, the Apostle Paul is trying to explain something about life. He calls it, being in Christ. So, we’ve discussed God’s love for people, God’s willingness to do whatever possible to bring us into close contact with himself. And last week we talked about how all of this, when accepted, produces joy. The topic today is contentment as a further result of being in Christ. Let’s see what that means.

A. Who is content?

To begin, let’s take a look at a couple of pictures. The first I have is called the Scream by Edvard Munch, showing an agonized figure, a man? A woman? Overwhelmed.

Edvad said of the painting: “I was walking along a path with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.” Paul would say all creation is groaning.

What caused the scream? It may have been the artist’s sensitive nature realizing that all is not right in the world. Focused in part of the situation of his manic depressive sister.  Some say that this painting describes an individual suffering from a mental disorder known by a sense of going through the motions of life but not experiencing it, feeling as though one is in a movie, loss of connection with one's identity, feeling as though one is in a dream, feeling a disconnection from one's body.

Do you ever feel your life slipping away like that? Just one job after the next, another patient, field; no say in the matter, just going through the motions?

I have another painting. This one may also be familiar. It’s by Vincent VanGogh entitled Starry Night. Painting while in a hospital working through a depression, VanGogh offers hope. The bright moon and stars are light in the darkness. The gentle swirls of the night are not black, but blue. A moment of calm in his anguish.

He once said of the night that “There are moments in life when everything within us too is peace and atmosphere” Starry Night is a fight between a man and his anxiety. And the man believes that darkness will not overcome the light.

So both paintings are a response to life. The Scream an anguished cry of hopelessness and Starry Night, a scream for hope, light and love.

And now the point: which reality best reflects where you are in life. Or to put it another way, are you content? Is there a deep urge for different/better/more going on inside that threatens to overwhelm? Is there a calm that seems unreasonable given the business and challenges of life?

What do you think it would it take to be content?

A cure, another baby, reconciliation or healing from a past hurt? Would contentment come with one more quarter, a larger practice or class or congregation?

Our text says,” ¹² 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 in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Wow, so who’s there yet? I confess that I’m not. Taken at face value Paul seems to have few complaints about life and I believe that. The Bible repeatedly teaches that contentment is a sign of spiritual maturity. So, while I’m not fully content with my life, the lingering dis-content does bother me. And that it bothers me I take as a good sign. Maybe others here can relate.

Let’s explore our text and maybe discover the source of Paul’s contentment. There are three things to say and the first is that

B. Biblical contentedness is

1.      Just as important in plenty as in want

Paul stresses that having or not having is not the issue. He’d experienced both and in the end it makes no difference.  It seems that consumerism has confused many people into believing that more is better and contentment comes through having more of whatever we may desire.  Paul didn’t believe it then and contented people don’t believe it now.

So Paul does not write his thanks for their gift because he had felt neglected. He writes because he sees them maturing in their faith. His joy was never based on what he had; Paul’s joy and contentment was based on believing that God would meet his needs in Christ Jesus. That is a statement of maturing faith.

Bottom line: contentedness has nothing to do with how much or how little one has or any other external factor.  And as I spend time with people who believe as Paul does, I see it’s true.

“In Christ, many have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

The second thing about Biblical Contentedness is that it is

2.      realistic and Intentional

In verse 14 Paul mentions his troubles. Paul is not in denial; he acknowledges reality. In this life, with or without Jesus, there will be trouble.  Mature believers know that living in denial is dangerous because it is a recipe for fragile immature faith. Faith is tested and strengthened through pain and hardship Paul has spoken on that time and again. It’s why he reminds us that we share in Jesus’ suffering. It makes Christ followers strong and mature, wise in the world as it is.

At the same time, the truth is that God hates suffering.  But rather than writing about how God has let him down, Paul makes no excuses and gives no easy answers to the source of his troubles. He will focus on the one who walks with him through all of it. So when trouble comes some ask: Is it a test? Is it intentional, an act of discipline from a loving heavenly father? Are some troubles allowed for some other purpose? Are some troubles bound to come because that’s normal for followers of Jesus? Or is trouble simply the reality of living in a broken world?

The Bible teaches all of the above, but the point is that believers are called to take troubles seriously so that reliance on the Spirit and contentment may grow. And in this way Paul is also intentional. Rather than trying to dodge troubles or to deny them. He faces what comes because he is convinced that Jesus is near. Both in the sense of being present in all of life, unseen but close. And he is convinced that Jesus’ return will happen at any moment.

Paul believes that Jesus’ words are true: no one knows the day or hour when the end will come – save the father. And for that reason, trying to figure it out is useless. The power of the Christian life is in living each day with passion; doing whatever it is we do the best we can – to God’s glory. It may be the last day we have.

Mature believers aren’t looking for an escape or deny the reality of suffering; they have not given up on God being able to fix things. They have not given in to joyless obligation. Living with a strong belief that Christ is near means being prepared, alert and watchful, making every day count as a precious gift from God. Paul lives that way; mature believers live with a view to the life to come so that they can truly live right now. For the sake of others, for the sake of the world, for their own joy and contentment. As we read, so as to attain to the resurrection.

They know that they can do all this through him who gives strength.

And finally, Biblical contentedness is

3.      God given

That should be no surprise. How else can someone learn the secret? It’s too big, too radical to dream up on our own.  In verses 8-9, Paul says think about all the ways you see God at work in the world, in your life and mine. Copy what I do and God will grant peace.

Copy, walk the path I’ve walked.

We began with two paintings and I asked which one was truer of your life. We might also say, which path are you walking? Paul’s path involved a moment of clarity when something died. He met Jesus in a flash of light and had a choice to make: remain blind or receive sight.

His religious efforts couldn’t do it. He had to die to self. We all do. Choosing sight meant giving up striving for more/better/different in order to find joy, peace and contentment.

And that image is Paul’s standard answer to what it means to be in Christ. Contentment comes through dying that’s the only way.

A few more pictures may help us understand the situation.

The first is this of a child at the door. Notice the room is dark, the world outside is bright and alive. Notice too, that the foot in the bottom right tells us that a man is watching. This picture tells me that everyone has a choice to stay inside where it is dark, familiar and seemingly safe. But what lurks in the dark? Friend or foe? Molester or liberator? In the dark it’s too hard to tell.  And of course the world outside also has questions. It’s bright and unknown. What lives out there? What can help or harm? The deciding factor must be that in the light wwhat is present can be seen, considered and dealt with.

I see this picture as a way to understand the baptism of infants. God has opened the door to his glorious community alive in the world and as children we are guided to that open door.

Another picture, this one features a man sitting outside. He’s entered the light and now has time for life. He sits. Is he meditating on the deep truths of scripture, or thinking about what to have for dinner? We don’t know of course, but what we can see is that he is at ease in the world he lives in. HE can see it for what it is without out fear or being overwhelmed. He does not appear ready to scream.

Again, much like a profession of faith is taking the next step on the path. It is a step from darkness into light. From a darkened room into a world of options to discover, cherish and share. It’s the evidence of a changed heart.

All believers, no matter how mature, are in Christ. They are in fellowship with Jesus through the Spirit and to achieve that all have to die, go through the doorway.

I’ll ask one more time. Are you content?

If so, praise God! Contentment is one of the richest of blessings to receive.

If not, why not?

Is this all new to you?

Is this all too impossible?

Does it seem like too much of the good life is lost?

Does screaming seem better than breathing deep the atmosphere of peace?

           

The promise for all is that

God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

²⁰ To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 

Affirming Priorities

Philippians 3:1-11

I’m teaching the senior youth catechism (church school) this year. And while there has only been two sessions so far, I’m enjoying the experience. These youthful adults are engaging, lively and interested in what we’re talking about. I see it on their faces and in their responses. My impression is that they want answers or at least better questions when it comes to matters of faith. I like that. As a teacher I look for that; it makes the experience a joy even while it’s a challenge. I’m always tempted to think that I have all the right answers when it comes to understanding doctrine. But when I’m honest with myself, I know that answers are best held loosely. Questions seem to get us much further along the faith journey.

Take the passage before us today. Verses 11 and 12 are the main point and if I don’t have questions about Paul’s statements and passions, then I wonder if I’ve read them at all.

¹⁰I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

I mean seriously: to know Christ? How does that work? What exactly is the power of the resurrection? What is the power of participation in his sufferings? Becoming like Jesus in his death? At first glance that does not sound like fun, does it? And then there is the issue of the resurrection. Many believers don’t even believe in that, or at least know about it as the ultimate reality of having faith in Christ. Too many of us seem to hold onto this life and fear death because they somehow think that after death all we get to do is sprout wings, float on clouds and play harps.

These are real questions and important ones. So what we’ll do today is work through what Paul has been talking about and maybe some answers will become clear or maybe we’ll discover that in a passage like this we’ll end up with partial answers and a new batch of questions. Either way, the Spirit will give us a better sense of being on the journey with Paul and millions of others who what to know Christ in ever-increasing ways.

So, we’ll take a look at three things in the passage: Paul’s caution, Paul’s confidence and Paul’s desire as a follow traveller on the way with God.

Paul’s Caution 1-2

Philippians 3.1-2 are all about Paul’s caution, which is a warning about those who teach anything but living for Christ, by the Spirit, to the glory of God. In Paul’s day and now there are people who want to turn a lively faith into a dead religion.

Paul has discovered that life in Christ is about searching for ways to express God’s love. To see the world and all who live in it as belonging to God. To express love to those who are different because Jesus died to redeem all that is lost.

Dead religion on the other hand is all about us and them. Those who are in and those who are out. As if God doesn’t love those who don’t acknowledge him. He does! As if God doesn’t bless all people with seasons, rain and harvest. He does!

Dead religion ends up being all about me at the center of the universe, not God. It makes work, people, the land and everything else into objects to be used up and thrown away. Lively faith on the other hand keeps God in the center; it sees the goodness of God in life, that work, people and the land are precious gifts to be cared for and protected. Paul’s caution, I think, is a good one.

Paul’s Confidence 3-6

And then there is his confidence in verses 3-6. By using the Old Testament sign of God’s promises in circumcision, Paul drives home the point. Verse two has mutilation which is like death and verse three is circumcision which was the symbol for life, for inclusion into God’s people. But cutting off some skin was never going to be enough – it was a sign only. God is always more interested in the inward reality.

Deuteronomy 30.6, “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.”

And this is what really matters. Not good behaviour, not religiously going to church every Sunday, not being nice to strangers. That kind of life is all too often an act. The world Paul grew up in was all about the Law and somehow living up to it. And to be fair many people did live up to it. Paul was one of them. He did everything right. He managed to be born into the right kind of family; he went to the right schools; he followed his religion with passion. And in that sense he was a righteous man. People approved of him as having his act together; the casual observer would have said that he loved God. And to some extent they would have been right.

In some ways it’s fairly easy to gain that reputation today by the same means. The problem then and now is that all of this being right was based on Paul’s efforts and the call on his life being as yet unanswered. Yes Paul was circumcised to show that as a baby and youth he was included in God’s people, just as we baptize our children for the same reasons. But then as now inclusion as a child is not enough. Paul himself says, when I grew up, I had to take on adult responsibility. So too with the children of believers today.

Let’s be clear, our children remain the children of believers until they accept the promises in their baptism. Nothing more and nothing less. The water is not enough; relying on infant baptism or goods deed to save is not enough. As we discussed last week in youth, even the good we do is always tainted with pride or self-interest. We need something else and that is where Paul puts his confidence. He will not rely on his own sense of being a good person. In fact he considers all of his gains to be garbage. Stinky garbage the kind of garbage that people would through into the gutter because they had no sewer system. That’s right, human waste and rotting left-overs.

Paul’s confidence is in knowing Jesus and nothing else.

Paul’s Great Desire 7-11

And that is his great desire. He will not rely on his own sense of right and wrong, but allow the Spirit to shape it. He will no longer hold stubbornly to opinions about what kind of behaviour is right or wrong, but he will allow the Spirit to show him that the way toward life for others is different than his. Paul’s behaviour was nearly perfect and yet he was dead inside.

Changed by the Spirit, it was Paul who said, 1 Cor 9.19, “though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible . . . I have become all things to all people  . . .  I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.^”

So he got involved with people of different backgrounds, ethnic groups and religions. Paul looked for common ground. What makes us alike as human beings rather than what is different.

I once had a very tattooed and pierced man ask if I would be welcome inside the church.

Isn’t it sad that for so many the desire to find out who Christ is has been blunted by judgment over behaviour.

Paul finally understood his deep longing to “know” God. A word that reflects both the way of life that is right and good and intimate fellowship with God. He and so many more have the first part, but miss the second. Good behaviour does not save; it is God alone who changes the human heart. As it says in the prophet Ezekiel:

^11.19I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. ²⁰Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

God is active in the hearts of people all over. And his goal is to achieve the best response possible to grace. Grace getting from God what we don’t deserve. Getting from our parents, friends and teachers what we don’t deserve.

Getting forgiveness, unconditional love and acceptance. This is what Paul knows – he’s experienced it. Have you?

It’s like doing something wrong and being taken out to dinner afterward instead of being punished. Humanly that makes no sense! And that’s the point. Grace is about an invitation into a new way of living where thoughts of doing wrong slowly die.

It’s radical and amazing and life changing and so much more. Grace produces joy. In Greek the words are Charis and chara; very closely related and that helps drive the point home. Joy depends on grace; it emerges out of grace. Joy filled people have experienced getting what they do not deserve and they live with gratitude from that day forward. Never perfectly, but always yearning to share in whatever it is that is living with and for Christ. Including the sufferings and hardships that come by saying Jesus is Lord of my life.

The goal has and always will be to know God because in knowing God we become more human, more alive, more whole. More willing to love the unlovable; more willing to be patient with our fellow travellers in Christ; more able to share in Christ’s suffering so that old and dead attitudes and habits fall away. More aware that what we are is defined by God and God alone. More aware that all people are defined by love, transformed by love and are meant to live to express love in this a fallen world. In a single phrase, to believe that in Jesus we do what God is.