Enjoying Life
In A (Mostly) Joyless World
Enjoy Life In Spite Of Problems
Philippians 1:12-30
Introduction:
It All Depends
How many of the people you know do you consider truly happy?
My observations lead me to believe that most people don’t
enjoy life—they endure it. When it comes to enjoying life,
the motto most people follow is, “It All Depends.”
It
depends on the circumstances. Happiness comes from the
older variation happenstance
from which we also derive our word circumstance. This explains the most
common approach to life where happiness depends on the circumstances.
There is, however, a
difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is external.
Our level of happiness rises and falls with the circumstances
of life. Joy, however, is internal. Joy is constant. You
can experience joy in spite of the problems you experience.
Paul is
a perfect example of this profound and powerful truth. Joy
can be experienced in spite of problems. Paul had a dream
to preach in Rome. It really was a strategic dream. Reach
Rome with the gospel and he would reach the world. Paul
was finally in Rome, but he was a prisoner. The circumstances
faced by Paul that landed him in prison all said that he
should have been miserable. He had spent two years in prison
in Caesarea on trumped up charges. When he appealed to his
right as a Roman citizen to appear before the Emperor, he
was placed on a ship to take him to Rome to appear before
the brutally vicious Nero. Along the way he was shipwrecked,
bitten by a poisonous snake and spent the winter waiting
for better weather to sail. Once in Rome he spent another
two years in Rome. Through all of this Paul states that
he rejoices and will continue to rejoice.
What is Paul’s secret? How is he able to rejoice
in spite of daunting problems that would leave almost anyone
else in misery? How can he rejoice when his dreams have
seemingly been dashed? At the very least, it turned out
vastly different than he hoped. Paul explains four secrets
to help us enjoy life in spite of problems.
1st Secret: To Enjoy Life In Spite Of Problems
I Need A Perspective To Live From
Let’s
make sure we all understand a very basic fact: we all have problems. Is there anyone
here today without any problems?
We all have problems. So,
the problem isn’t our problems. The problem is the way we
look at our problems. Your perspective makes all the
difference in the world. Paul could see God’s best in the
worst of situations.
Now
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to
me has really served to advance the gospel.
Philippians 1:12 NIV
God was
at work in spite of the change in his plans that had clearly
made life difficult for him.
As
a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace
guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.
Philippians 1:13 NIV
The same
God who used Moses’ rod, Gideon’s pitchers and David’s sling,
uses Paul’s chains to advance the gospel.
Paul was
chained to Roman guards. They thought they were holding
him captive when, in reality, they had become his captive
audience. Every six hours the guards changed. These men
were part of the elite guard who were the best of the best
chosen to guard Caesar himself. After spending 12 years
on duty, they were allowed to retire and were made leaders
in Rome. There was no more strategic group Paul could have
selected to influence the entire empire.
Historians
tell us that some of Nero’s own family became followers
of Christ. Nero killed his wife, mother and some of his
children because they became believers. Paul’s tough
circumstances set in motion a chain reaction of events that
introduced Christ to people who had tremendous influence
at the power core of the empire. And, it didn’t stop there.
Because
of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been
encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and
fearlessly. Philippians 1:14 NIV
There
are times God uses chains as his means to advance the gospel
in pioneering ways.
Young
mothers can feel chained by the duties of nurturing their
children. Susannah Wesley raised 19 children long before
disposable diapers and formula. One has to wonder how she
did it, but in spite of not having any of our modern, labor-reducing
devices, two of her sons, John and Charles, grew up and
became central figures in the great revival that shook the
British Empire. Fannie Crosby was blinded when she was six-weeks
old. Her blindness didn’t deter her as she became one of
the greatest hymn writers in history. In many ways, her
blindness helped her see things the rest of us never do.
Paul’s
attitude encouraged other believers to speak up for Jesus.
If he could do it while chained to the premier Roman guards,
they could too. His attitude was contagious as he fleshed
out the verse I have placed before you as the theme for
our church year…
And
we know that in all things God works for the good of those
who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans
8:28 NIV
This leads
to our first lesson to enjoy life in spite of problems.
Lesson 1: God has
a purpose behind every one of my problems
Having
this perspective puts you on the road to enjoying life.
2nd Secret: To Enjoy Life In Spite Of Problems
I Need A Priority To Live By
When things
get tough, I need to know what's really important in order
to distinguish the trivial from the significant. I live
my life based on either problems or priorities. Either you'll
decide what's important in your life or you'll let other
people decide what's important. If you don't choose your
priorities, you'll go around putting out one fire after
another—living your life jumping from problem to problem
to problem.
While
Paul is in prison there are others who are preaching Christ
but some of them have misguided priorities. They preach
out of envy and rivalry and selfish ambition. He sums it
up.
The
former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely,
supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am
in chains. Philippians
1:17 NIV
Paul’s
desire was to preach Christ and challenge people to follow
Him. The rivals promoted themselves, hoping that people
would follow them. Paul’s question for people would have
been, “Have you trusted Christ?” Their
question would have been, “Whose side are you on—Paul’s or ours?”
Paul’s
attitude amazes me.
But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every
way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached.
And because of this I rejoice.
Philippians 1:18 NIV
Paul’s
question, “But what does it matter?” can be literally translated
as, “So what?” He says, “That’s right. So what does it matter
if Christ is preached?” I rejoice and I will continue to
rejoice! No one was going to steal Paul’s joy—no circumstances
or critics.
It
is well known that two of the greatest English evangelists,
John Wesley and George Whitfield, disagreed on theology.
Both were successful. Both preached to multitudes with thousands
coming to Christ. One day Wesley was asked if he expected
to see Whitfield in heaven. He replied that he did not expect
to see Whitfield in heaven. The follow-up question asked,
“Then you do not think that Whitfield is a converted man?”
Wesley answered, “Of course he is a converted man! But,
I do not expect to see him in heaven because he will be
so close to the throne of God and I will be so far away
that I will not be able to see him.” The two may not have
agreed but they didn’t allow envy to cause opposition.
I
wonder how many arguments in marriage are over little, inconsequential
things that don’t really matter. Is it worth losing
your joy? When the priority is wrong, we believe that the
most important thing is to win the argument—even if it means
damaging, and possibly destroying, the relationship. Just
in case I haven’t been clear, let me state the lesson.
Lesson 2: Focus
on what really matters
3rd Secret: To Enjoy Life In Spite Of Problems
I Need A Power To Live On
Life can
wear you down and wring you out. Taking on one problem after
another saps your
energy until you lament, “I don’t think I can take anymore.”
Do you know what I’m talking about? You’re sick and tired
of being sick and tired! You need to recharge your batteries.
You need a fresh power supply.
Yes,
and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through
your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
Philippians 1:19 NIV
Paul identified
two factors that kept him going through four
years of imprisonment. The first was the prayers of people
and the second was the help given to him by the Spirit of Jesus Christ. His power reserves came from outside of himself.
The Greek
word translated as help
provides much deeper meaning. It is actually the word for
our English word chorus. How is it then translated as help?
Whenever a Greek city was going to put on a special festival,
somebody had to pay for the singers and dancers—the chorus.
The donation called for had to be a lavish one, and so this
word came to mean “to provide generously and lavishly.”
Paul was not depending
on his own dwindling resources; he was depending on the
generous resources of God, ministered by the Holy Spirit
and supported by the prayers of God’s people.
Because
of this Paul wrote…
I
eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed,
but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ
will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
Philippians 1:20 NIV
You may
need to latch on to the word hope. That’s really smart.
Cornell University did a study
of 25,000 POWs who survived World War 2. They found a prisoner
could handle tremendous pressure and danger as long as there
was hope. Once hope was lost; all was lost.
Where do you find the hope to keep on keeping on?
Paul’s says the prayers
of God’s people and the rich resources of God’s Spirit provide
the source of hope that doesn’t disappoint. Here’s the
lesson…
Lesson 3: With
God’s power nothing can devastate me
If I am
going to make it in life I need a perspective to live from—something
so I can see the way things really are and not the way I
feel they are. I need a priority to live by so that I do
first things first and I'm not taken away by non-essentials.
And, I need a power to live on that gives me the strength
to keep going and keep on keeping on.
4th Secret: To Enjoy Life In Spite Of Problems
I Need A Purpose To Live For
Paul understood
that he might very well face execution. The important thing
for him was that Christ be exalted—or magnified—whether
that happen by life or by death. The purpose for which Paul
lived was to magnify Christ.
Does Christ still need to be magnified? Sure,
He does. But
how, we wonder, can a human being magnify the Son of God who created the
universe?
Think about it this way. The stars are much larger than any
telescope ever made, but the telescope magnifies a star
and allows us to see it more clearly. The believer is the
telescope who magnifies Christ and brings Him closer so
people can see Him more clearly. For the average person,
Jesus is a hazy figure who lived sometime in the past in
a place that seems far more important than it really is.
You are the lens through which Christ is magnified so others
will be able to see Him. As the unsaved person watches a
believer go through a crisis, they can see Jesus magnified
and brought so much closer.
The telescope brings distant things closer while the microscope
makes tiny things look bigger. To the unbeliever, Jesus
is not very big. Other people and other things are far more
important. As the unbeliever watches a Christian go through
a crisis experience, he ought to be able to see how big
Jesus Christ really is. The believer’s body is a “lens”
that makes a “little Christ” look very big, and a “distant
Christ” come very close.
That was
Paul’s purpose for living. Can you think of any greater purpose in the
entire world? Paul
had his freedom taken from him. He had his friends taken
away. Privacy was non-existent and ministry had been seriously
curtailed. Everything
had been taken away from him except the one thing they couldn’t
take—his purpose to exalt Christ whether it be by his life
or his death. That’s why Paul could say,
For
to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:21 NIV
Paul isn’t
suicidal, but he isn’t afraid of dying either. He is torn
because he knows living benefits many people but death would
set him free to be with Christ—a far better outcome for
him. Motivated by his purpose he is convinced he will stay
for their progress and joy.
Paul’s
statement is one to which we are consistently called to
test ourselves. How would you complete the statement? Advertisers
provide a range of possible answers.
1.
For to me to live is possessions. It is impressed upon
us that the purpose in living is to acquire all we can.
So, we buy more things with money we don’t have to impress
people we don’t know. This one breaks down because if living is for possessions, then dying is to leave it all behind.
2.
For to me to live is pleasure. The purpose of life becomes
avoiding boredom. Great thrill seekers
like Steve Fawcett are heralded as the ideal until his experimental
plane crashes in the mountains of California where his body
was found not long ago. If
living is for pleasure, then dying brings an end to any
chance of pleasure.
3.
For to me to live is power. We are enticed
to dress for success and drive to impress. We pay for our
power lunch with our power card.
I love the current commercial where the man has designed his
own credit card with a photo of the very large fish he caught.
He insists on paying and people utter an admiring, “Ooooh,”
when they see his card. It all works until a woman who has
a picture of her much larger fish trumps his card as he
now utters his envious admiration, “OOOOOOhhh.”
If
living is about power, then dying means losing it all.
The problem
with all of these is that they don’t last. They won’t last
a lifetime—much less an eternity! If meaning that leads
to joy were found in these things, then the only happy people
would be those with possessions, pleasure and power. If
we are going to have joy in spite of the circumstances,
we must echo Paul’s heart that to live is Christ and to
die is gain.
I agree
with Paul that it would be a very good thing to be taken
to heaven to be with Christ. What would that be like? Become
a Christian and go straight to heaven! But, as with Paul,
God leaves us here. Why? He leaves us here for the benefit
of other people.
Lesson 4: The secret
of JOY—Jesus first, Others second and You third
I am convinced
that the reason there is so much unhappiness in our culture—so
many discouraged and depressed people—is because in our
society there is a total preoccupation with self. What's
best for me? What will make me happy? What is the best thing
for me? When you learn to have a greater purpose in your life than just yourself,
you will have more joy than you can handle. There is
no such thing as problem free living, but when you base
your life on the kinds of values that are going to last,
then problems just aren't as significant. So what if things
haven't worked out as you planned? God has a purpose that
is bigger than your problems. I believe God wants you to
enjoy the rest of your life. It starts with the foundational
values we're talking about this morning.
Conclusion:
What Say You?
Let’s
review where we are so we can state our position.
We Need A Perspective To Live From
Do you have God's perspective on your problem? Are you looking
at the problem from God's viewpoint or just your viewpoint?
God has a purpose behind every problem. You need to pray,
"Lord, help me to see this problem from Your viewpoint.
Help me to see what You want me to learn in this situation.
What do You want to teach me?"
We Need A Priority To Live By
Have you settled the issue of what is really important in
your life? Have you learned to distinguish what is important
and what should come first?
People are so mixed up. We don’t need to be.
Jesus says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”
(Matthew 6:33).
We Need A Power To Live On
Like a
child we protest, “I’ll do it myself,” when God promises
us His power. For some of you this may be your wake up call
to give up and let go.
We Need A Purpose To Live For
We need
to be able to sum up life in a single sentence. When we
die that’s what people will be trying to do as they gather
for our memorial service. How much better it is to fill
in the blank for people of ahead of time. Can
you do it? For
to me, to live is _____________. You should be able to do
it. If you can’t, ask some people you trust to give you
their answers now rather than waiting for them to do it
later. That way you have some time to change the answer.
Why does this matter so much? Why make such a
big deal about it? Here’s why.
In the most recent issue of Pilot: The Magazine of Northwestern College there is an article
titled “Living In The
Light Of Eternity.” It tells the story of a family’s strength through tragedy rooted in Christ
and intentionality. It is the story of the death of Jane
Mulvihill. The Mulvihills are known by many of us because
of many years of supporting Jane’s husband, Joe. On June
11 Jane died of ALS—Lou Gehrig’s disease—just six months
after being diagnosed.
In the interview with the family, the children tell how their
parents didn’t just want to raise kids who were converted
to Christ and happy citizens, but kids who really lived
for Christ. Listen to how that happened in spite of the
problem of having a wife and mother die from a horrible
disease.
Beyond the fun stories of how they were affected by their
parents’ approach, the Mulvihill children learned through
their mother’s illness the value of family identity in deep
and profound ways. “It’s not too often you get to teach
someone how to die well,” (son) Jake observed. “Mom was
not only intentional in living and in parenting but also
in dying.”
Upon learning of her diagnosis, Joe shared that the family
adopted this attitude: “If God exists, and we believe He
does; if He is sovereign, and we believe He is, then we
as a family have chosen to thank Him and embrace this blessing
and His timing in each of our lives as the greater glory
unto Him, even though we would never choose to walk this
path.” (Fall/Winter 2008,
p. 28)
I hear
Paul shouting his “AMEN” to this amazing statement even
as he reminds us,
Whatever
happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel
of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear
about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm
in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the
gospel without being frightened in any way by those who
oppose you. Philippians 1:27-28a NIV
