Psalm 51 is what the church calls a Penitential Psalm, one of the seven Psalm of penance. Penance as a sacrament as its origin in the Catholic Church in which a person seeks forgiveness of sins.

The Psalmist in developing Psalm 51 uses the historical episode involving one of the most shameful events in the history of Israel—the story of David and Bathsheba.

But it is also provides good news for the Christian church in which we receive God’s grace and forgiveness.

Clint McCann, in his commentary on the Psalms in The New Interpreter's Bible says, "Any good history book is mainly just a long list of mistakes, complete with names and dates. It is very embarrassing."

" And this is especially true of the Bible. Israel's story is a long list of mistakes, corrupt kings, false prophets and unfaithfulness.

King David's story is very embarrassing. David lusted for Bathsheba and he plays a role in the murder of her husband, Uriah. Uriah was a soldier and David had him placed a dangerous situation on the battlefield and then those around him were asked to abandon Uriah.

In the New Testament So is the behavior of the disciples embarrassing in the Gospels. The disciples deny Jesus, one betrays him and the others abandon him at the cross. They seek positions of power as James and John want to be seated at the right and left of Jesus when he comes into his kingdom. They also have difficulty in understanding that Jesus must die on the cross.

The situation was also embarrassing in the early church. It is especially obvious in the letters of Paul that most of the churches have factions and fight among themselves.

So are the denominational and congregational lives of the contemporary church. So are the details of our own life stories, if we are honest enough to admit it. In short, Clint writes, "Psalm 51 is not just about Israel or David, it is also about us! It is about who we are and how we are as individuals, families, churches -- sin pervades our lives. It is very embarrassing." That is the bad news. But I do not want you leaving here without the rest of the story. You see, Psalm 51 is not just about human nature; it is also about God's nature. "Steadfast love...abundant mercy" are the phrases we encounter.

And the good news is that God is willing to forgive sinners and is able to re-create people. Israel's life as a nation is an example. David's life is an example. Yes, sin is a powerful and persistent reality, but God's grace is an even more powerful and enduring reality.

By the grace of God, a persistently disobedient people become partners with God in "an everlasting covenant." It is a covenant based on the love of God and his grace.

By the grace of God, dull and disobedient disciples of Jesus become known as those "who have been turning the world upside down."

By the grace of God, Saul, the former murderer, becomes Paul, ambassador for Christ. And by the grace of God, you and I can be made clean and new as well. And that is good news indeed.

Let us look closer at the story of David and Bathsheba. Following the death of Uriah, the Lord sends Nathan the prophet to David. Nathan tells David a little parable about a rich man who killed the lone lamb of a poor man. David condemns the rich man in the story and Nathan tells him that David, "You are the Man."

David confesses his sin and is forgiven, but there are dire consequences. The first child to Bathsheba dies and David’s family almost falls apart. But David is allowed to live and remain king, despite the fact that he had broken about half of the Ten Commandments.

Although he is forgiven, his sin had consequences. Our sins, although forgiven also may have dire consequences, too.

But what is important in the story of David’s sinfulness, is that God’s grace prevails. You may have noticed the words mercy, steadfast love and abundant mercy are used to define God’s graciousness.

Like David, we are expected to pray to God to "blot out our transgressions" and wash us thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Notice parallel use of the words transgressions, iniquity and sin.

These parallel words are a direct reference to Exodus 34:6-7 when the Lord said to Moses: The Lord is a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.

These words were made at Sinai in connection to the Golden Calf story. Both Israel in this story as well as David were forgiven. Both Israel and David are justified, made right with God, by God’s grace. So it is with the psalmist, who quite rightly admits that God is proved right in God’s judgment, but later affirms also that "my tongue will sing of your righteousness."

Many of us have difficulty with the idea of original sin--That we are people who were born in sin because of the acts of Adam and Eve. We say we are fallen. In this Psalm, the writer says "I was born a sinner when my mother conceived me." How can a little innocent baby be a sinner? How can someone at that age consciously sin.

What seems to be more appropriate is that the child doesn’t have a conscious "sinful nature" but he or she does have a human nature. And we know my our nature that we are sinful.

The writer then says that against God and God alone he has sinned and done evil in God’s sight. This is an overstatement. When we sin we affect the lives of many people. Forgiveness does not remove consequences. In Exodus we learn that sins have an effect on us, and our family to the third and forth generation. We may have told a lie about someone that is accepted as truth. That person’s reputation is destroyed. And may be the person’s family, his profession, and so forth.

When we sin against someone, we should ask God’s forgiveness and then ask forgiveness of those who are victimized. That’s what Jesus taught when he said we should forgive seventy times seven times. And that means more than saying your sorry. That means that you will be repent, change the direction of your life, and be made new—a new creation.

The poet prays for cleansing. He wants to be whiter than snow. He says,"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me." The poet wants to be transformed and have a new attitude. He wants to be new and he wants a right spirit within himself. The poet asks for re-creation of mind and will (heart) and of inner disposition and energy (spirit.) Confession is where this all starts. "O Lord, open by lips and my mouth will declare your praise."

In the next to last stanza, the poet declares that God takes no delight in sacrifices. This passage seems related to Romans 12:1-2 The acceptable sacrifice to God is a "broken spirit and contrite heart." A broken spirit rests in one who is no longer self-centered, but God-centered. They look to God for answers. The contrite heart means that a person deeply regrets his or past actions. The heart means the will. They will to act different as new creations.

It is no accident that these passage sounds a lot like New Testament theology. Especially Paul. The Old Testament is the source of many Christian beliefs and concepts. The Bible is one book. The truths of the Old Testament are continued to be found in the New Testament.

The Psalmist actually asks God not to take the Holy Spirit of God from him. He adds, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain in me a willing spirit." The holy Spirit in this case truly is talking about one’s share of God’s Spirit that becomes a part of the self.

Many of the Psalms issue a complaint against God and ask for God to change their situation. This Psalm is unique in the church because it doesn’t say change my situation. The writer wants God to change him. Instead of praying change by situation I will praise you, Lord, we are called upon to pray: Change me, Lord, for I am the problem. In many ways, Psalm 51 is a proclamation of the good news of the justification of sinners by God’s grace.

Psalm 51:17 sounds much like Romans 12:1-2: I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this word, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The Psalmist anticipates Paul’s advice. The Psalmist speaks of a God of mercy in verse 1, the psalmist presents his or her whole self as a living sacrifice in verse 17. And we have the transformed Psalmist in verses 10 and 12. He is able to discern the will of God in verse 13 and begins to participate with God in transforming the world. By the grace of God, amid the persistent reality of human sinfulness, there is a new creation.

Yes, this is a Psalm that calls us to seek forgiveness, but it also a Psalm of God news that reveals God’s grace. God is merciful, gracious, and his steadfast love endures forever.

One of my most treasured memories is of visiting Harmonie State Park in southern Indiana some years ago and seeing about 100 deer gathered at a feeding ground along the Wabash River. In contrast, this past summer we vacationed in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Northern Georgia. We traveled through Cherokee State Park on the way. Drought had ravaged the area and a stream that was once beautiful white-water rapids was as dry as a bone. Only the large rocks on the rock bed were visible. On the far side of the rock bed were two deer searching for water.

"As the deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God" What a beautiful image we have in Psalm 42. I can see the braying of a deer over rivers and streams gone dry. This Psalm or song says we are like the deer who is thirsty and can’t find water. However, our thirst is for God. We long for God. Like food and water, God is a necessity of life.

Note the paradox of the situation. The Psalmist is lamenting God’s absence in a prayer that is nevertheless addressed to that same God. There is no doubt that this psalmist feels distant from God. But it’s not as if the poet has concluded there is no God. The writer is not an atheist or agnostic. He is like a believer those faith has grown weak and his or her connection to God has been broken.

This Psalm is about the need by human humanity for the life that the living God bestows, revives and restores. Why does the Psalmist use the term "living God?" In this case, it is because God is like fresh, flowing water. Israel was a land of frequent drought. People were keenly aware of water sources. In Jewish culture, "dead water" referred to standing and stored water that was caught in cisterns during periods of rain. "Living water" referred to water that was moving as in rivers and springs. Such water was precious because it was fresh.

We know the body can’t live without water. Without it we die. Likewise, the soul can’t survive without God. That is true of every human soul. It doesn’t matter whether we are pious or ungodly. God created the human soul to be in correspondence with God.

Where that correspondence is with God is lacking, we experience something like the thirst that is unsatisfied. I don’t know what you would call this phenomenon. A special kind of depression. But God’s grace calls out to everyone. He wants us all to know him.

The purpose of this sermon is not to question whether there is a God or how we know God. The purpose is too talk about that longing for God and what role memory plays in our religious experience.

The Psalmist here knows that without a close relationship to God that there is an emptiness, a thirst. The Psalm is very personal. In it written in first person.

However it appears to be a communal liturgy used in the temple. Experts on the Psalms believe 42 and the following Psalm 43 were once united—one Psalm.

At the end of each stanza, verse 6, 11 and 43:5, a refrain is repeated like a congregational response. The refrain reads:

Note, that the refrain that appears three times, removes the reader back from a lament to hope and praise.

God created the human soul to correspond with God. We are made to have a personal relationship with our creator—the living God. This poem reveals that this correspondence, this relationship has been disturbed or interrupted or broken. The Psalm recognizes this break in communication by saying: "When shall I come and behold the face of God? My tears have been my food day and night while people say to me continually "Where is your God." The face of God is a phrase used to speak about entering the Temple in Jerusalem.

Memory is key to our being close to God. When we feel alienated from God or can’t feel God’s presence we should look to our memories. The Psalmist here remembers the special moments he had in a temple or synagogue. The Psalm was probably written after the exile and the temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians.

The poet almost sobs. He is singing the blues. He is down in the dumps. He says: These things I remember as I pour out my soul: How I went with the throng, and led them in a procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival."

Memory or remembering was not only important for the Hebrews. It is important for us. In our Communion liturgy we recall the mighty acts of God and Jesus. We take the bread and wine in the Holy Meal as a way of remembering Jesus and his work on the cross.

We all have personal memories of faith. I remember the day I was saved. I remember the joy. When I get down and have doubts and trials, Yes, pastors have doubts and trials, I think about that day. I know the answer is not to cast my head down and whine and worry about my situation. Like the Psalmist, I know that remembering those special moments calls be back to God.

Many of you have treasured moments of worship. Some of you feel that way each Sunday. It is a time to pour out your soul and to be refreshed by the grace of God we receive in the various aspects of grace.

I treasure the moments of worship I have with you here. It is not about me, or preaching or praying or reading scripture. It is about feeling God’s grace because I am here in worship. I know I am naïve, but it always amazes me that God’s people would ever miss a chance to worship and receive God’s loving grace. Worship is about being in a place where we can communicate with God. Where we can find his Spirit and love.

Praying and worshiping is about bringing our needs to God. Praying and worshiping are ways in which we communicate with God. This need may be brought to God in private places as well as the communal setting of the sanctuary. It is a Psalm with a message to us in our lonely places as well as in public places.

The Psalmist of the 42^th Psalm has other memories. He especially recalls the headwaters of the Jordan River and Mt. Hermon and Mt. Mizar. "Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me." The waters were great and powerful and so were his experiences with God. But, in contrast, now only tears paradoxically nourish the writer’s quest for communion with God.

The relationship has become dry. He no longer has the presence of the living God. He bemoans: "Why have you forgotten me?" Jesus on the cross probably remembered this Psalm and Psalm 22 which opens "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me."

The poet speaks of an enemy. His adversaries taunt him. This is a common theme in the Psalms. God delivers us from enemies who are taunting us.

In the Psalms, on many occasions the enemies are those who have conquered and exiled the Hebrews. Because they have been conquered, the Jews feel like they have deserted by God. They are taunted by their conquerors. In Psalm 137, there is a very vivid image of this taunting by the "rivers of Babylon" where the Jews sat down and wept and recalled Zion, Jerusalem. "On the willows there we hung up our harps. For there our captors asked for songs saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion."

In the case of Psalm 42, the taunt is "Where is your God?" It is a similar taunt by the soldiers at the cross, when they said to Jesus, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself." Or as the criminals crucified on Jesus left and right said, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"

In Gethsemane, Jesus prayed that God would "remove this cup from me." He too felt like God, the Father, had deserted him. Even Jesus had a moment of doubt about his mission. He too felt deserted as the apostles continued to go to sleep.

We, also, have questioned "Where is my God?" We have felt deserted and thirst for the presence of God. This may have happened due to a sickness or some tragic circumstance that has befallen us.

The speaker in this poem is a representative person. These are universal questions and troubles. And they apply to us.

What is keeping you from a vigorous relationship with God? There are all kinds of enemies. Sickness may be an enemy. Friends can be enemies. Ideas can be enemies. Our cultural surroundings can be an enemy. Metaphorically, an enemy is something that keeps us from fully enjoying our faith. Something that keeps us separated from God.

As people of the way of Christ, many of us experience taunting. Some of our friends and those not so friendly may let you know that they don’t believe in God, or doubt God, and taunt us with their ideas. They say, "You don’t really believe those things in the Bible, do you?" Their goal is to test your faith and make you feel stupid and backward in case you say you do believe.

Yes, we may thirst for God because we feel we must be like our friends and believe like our friends. We are afraid to be ourselves. So the joy and experience of salvation leaves us and we doubt.

In fact, in many ways we live in a taunting society that challenges our faith at every turn. We live in a violent society, a society that questions the very existence of God, and challenges our faith. We live in a secular society that is motivated mainly by greed and pleasure and self-centeredness.

We live in a society that gives us very negative messages:We don’t need to go to church or we don’t need to be involved in a community of faith. A society that tells us that morals are relative. A society that tells us there is no absolute truth. Everything is relative. We live in a society where there are strong messages telling us to not believe in God.

If we do not resist these cultural communications, these ungodly messages, we loss our closeness to God. Our spiritual lives become unhappy, downcast, and unfulfilling. We thirst for God. We are children of God made in his image and our purpose is to communicate with him and to do his will.

About 50 of the 150 Psalms are called personal or community laments. The laments mimic real life. In them, the writer and or the community start with sadness. At the end of most of them there is a section of praise and hope.

Many of us, too go back and forth. We may have difficulties during the week days. The very existence and power of God is challenged. But then we are touched by the power of God’s grace as we worship here on Sunday.

Or we might experience that hope in the life and bravery of those who are facing such difficulties as disease and cancer and great pain. We see in their face that hope. We are touched by the power of God’s grace.

We, too, find faith through reading the Bible, a book of memories about how God has been with the Hebrews, with Jesus and with the early Christians.

Jesus in Gethsemane echoed the langue of these Psalms in speaking of his own downcast, disquieted soul in Matthew 26:38. And in John 12:27, Jesus says, Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—"Father save from this hour? No it is for this reason that I have come to this hour."

In the gospel of John, Jesus reveals himself as the source of the water that satisfies the thirst of the soul. He says that to the Samaritan woman at the well, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life."

We are called upon to respond as the woman did, "Sir, give me this water, so that I have never be thirsty…"

We all have a collective memory in Jesus when we taken Holy Communion. We take the bread and wine as Christians have done through the centuries. In fact, Holy Communion is a sacrament of memory. Jesus calls us to take the cup and the bread in remembrance of him. Christians through the centuries have taken communion in soaring Gothic cathedrals, in the splendor of St. Peter’s basilica. Christians also have remembered Jesus in in the catacombs of Rome, in prison cells, on the run from communists in China and in air raid shelters as the Nazi warplanes bombed London.

All of us, no matter where we are in the religious belief spectrum, we search and long for God. We are all thirsty. Like breath, water is a necessity.

In the end we need to remember that God in Christ is the source of our real happiness and he provides us real life and real satisfaction through private prayers and Bible reading as well as in our worship here in this place. We can’t escape our need for God. He is a necessity like food and water.

When we thirst for God, let us turn to God in prayer and recall the great things God has done for us. He does not forsake or forget us. He is our Rock and our Salvation.

"The Meaning of Life"

What is the meaning of life? The world has a lot of answers if you don't already have one. We hear from the world around us: "Go for the Gusto" and "The one who dies with the most toys wins." Both of them are bumper sticker meanings of life.

The meaning of life is what makes us tick. What makes us get up in the morning or not get up? Jesus says we are to love God and neighbor with all our heart, all our mind, and all our soul.

I believe in the Great Commandments, Jesus is giving us the meaning of life. There is no other short passage in the Bible that more clearly wraps up in a nutshell the meaning of life. But is the meaning of life that simple? Is that all I have to do to have real meaning in life? It can’t be that simple? God must require more than that?

I don’t need to go to God’s house? I don’t have to go on missions? I have heard this Great Commandments also used as an excuse for not worshiping God and not going to church. They say, "All I have to do is love God and love my neighbors."

It seems to me that if you truly follow these directions to love then you will without hesitation attend worship, give to missions, pray daily, read your bible, do good works. You will follow the other suggestions of Jesus and the Bible.

However, Jesus doesn’t say that this is all you have to do. In fact, the only thing he says is that the love of God is the greatest and love of neighbor is like it. Let’s look at Matthew 22 and examine closely what the Great Commandments and what they mean. First we need a little background.

Jesus was in the temple. It was Jesus’ his last week on earth before the crucifixion. The Jewish leaders are questioning Jesus in order to find evidence against him. They wanted to put him to death. The Hebrew leaders were afraid that Jesus would cause an insurrection and there sweetheart deal with the Romans would fall apart.

Then we have the episode of our text, the Great Commandments. The Pharisees had heard how Jesus had "silenced" the Sadducees so they gathered together and one of them, a lawyer, asked Jesus a question to test him. Lawyers were experts on the Hebrew religious law.

"Teacher which commandment in the law is the greatest?" he said. This sounds like a fair question. Jesus, the son of God, should know the answer. It is a question we would all like to know.

However, for the Pharisees this was not a friendly question. They believed that all 613 laws and commandments in the Old Testament were equally valid. If Jesus failed to answer correctly, he would accused of being a heretic. However, I don’t think they expected the answer that Jesus gave them. Jesus, knowing their hearts, responded:

In truth, this statement is not found as it reads in the Old Testament. It is a combination of the Shema, Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and a statement found in Lev 19:18. Shema is the first word of the command, which means "Hear!"

Deuteronomy 6: 4-5 reads: Hear O Israel: The Lord is your God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your might." Notice Jesus makes a little change in the statement.

The Jewish people said the Shema each morning and evening. They posted them on the doorposts of their homes, and the Jews placed scripture in little boxes that they attached to their foreheads and their arms.

The Shema was clearly important to the Jewish people. Meanwhile, Lev 19:18 reads: You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself." This is a statement found in the Holiness Code. The code gave commandments about ethical living under the law of Moses.

Because the Shema words are first and are called the first commandment, then we assume it is the most important commandment. But that is not what Jesus says. He says it is the first commandment. He doesn’t say it is the most important.

There is an unusual phrase: "And the second one is like it." What that means in the Greek language is that the two phrases are equal.

Jesus is saying that it is important that we love God and love neighbors and enemies as well—according to the story of the Good Samaritan and the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus tells to love even our enemies. In fact, in Luke’s Gospel, the story of the Good Samaritan immediately follows the Great Commandments. I believe the story of Good Samaritan is the best illustration of what it means to love neighbor and enemy. We are to do something to help others. Not just say "I love you."

But what does love God mean? I believe love means devotion to God and serving God and fearing fruit or good works to demonstrate our love. We believe in God, we serve him, and we obey his teachings not because we expect a reward but become we love him because he loved us first.

It is also interesting that Jesus doesn’t say "Love everyone in the whole world." This seems like a better way to include everyone. Not neighbors and then later in a separate saying include enemies.

Jesus wanted us to know that we were to love those near us, our neighbors. That’s what neighbors mean (and enemies). Those who we dealings with on a daily basis, those here in our community—both our neighbors and friend and those who don’t like us. It is a closer personal understanding of love.

Now some would want us to have a third commandment. Modern psychologists say that it is important for us to first love ourselves. We call it self-esteem. In fact, the passage in Matthew implies that we should love ourselves—as yourself. Self-esteem is very important to our very existence. But I think the self-esteem is best preached in texts found in the creation stories and in the salvation stories. We need to all remember that we were made in the image of God and through his salvation we are members of the family of God.

Jesus does say that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. As yourself really means we are to love our neighbors with all that you are. If we love others, then we honor them. We humble ourselves in such a way as to give others importance. Jesus frequently says the first shall be last and the last shall be first. It is about honoring the personhood of others.

Jesus knew that there is really a problem with self love. He knew that if he encouraged self-love he would be encouraging selfishness. Self love tends to crowd out love of God and love of others.

At the conclusion of the passage on the Great Commandments, our text, Jesus says that "On these two great commandments hang all the law and the prophets." The word translated hang could be translated as dangles, like dangles from a nail on the wall.

It is through these two commandments that all things have meaning. In fact, it seems to be that the Great Commandments are really the meaning of life in a nutshell. They also wrap up all the laws of God found in the Bible.

The study of the 613 torah-based commands were studied by the lawyers, the scribes and priests. They were religious professionals. But what about the everyday person. The carpenter, fisherman, housewife, farmer. Both of those alternatives were too complex.

In a nutshell, Jesus has provided us with the meaning of life. The Great Commandments are more than commandments. They reveal to us the meaning of life. The meaning of life is what makes us tick. What makes us get up in the morning or not get up. Jesus says we are to love God and neighbor with all our heart, all our mind, and all our soul. The phrase "all the" phrase is significant.

Jesus realized that we need to devote ourselves to God and others, not things, and that devotion should be complete in order to bring meaning to our lives.

Your understanding of the meaning of life determines how you will live. If you think life is something you endure until your death comes, then that is how you will live. You will endure your existence until you die.

If you think the meaning of life is faith in God and his grace, then you will live and find faith and grace. If you don’t think it is a about faith and grace, then your religious life will also be less than satisfying. It will be boring and routine. You will have secret doubts.

If you get out of bed just to avoid the pain or trouble of losing your job or displeasing your family, then that will define your existence. You will live for that purpose alone. But if you get out of bed each day to make a difference in the world then that is the purpose you will serve no matter what the tasks of that day are.

During Jesus time, a scribe or priest had time to do all that studying. But what about a fisherman or a homemaker or a farmer? How were they supposed to do God's will and take care of their families. They didn't have the time or the resources to learn all those 613 laws. The laws were a burden on the backs of the people. Jesus grew up in a carpenter's home. He understood the problem. He had probably seen Mary and Joseph wrestle with the everyday problems of life.

What is the meaning of life to you? What is your reason for living? Philosophers have come up with a lot of answers, but none is better than the command to love God and neighbor as self.

You can do so much with this as a foundation of your life. You can apply it every walk of life. Joe the Plummer can have it, Mary the Doctor, and John the Store Clerk. Bill the school teacher. You don’t need to be a priest, a pastor, a social worker.

What is your meaning of life? Is it merely to avoid trouble and pain? Do you want only pleasure? Why did you get out of bed and come to church this morning? Was it out of a sense of duty? Or was it to worship and enjoy the presence of God?

The meaning of life is quite simple: love God and your neighbor. But this means to be devoted to and serve God and to honor all people. This is the highest purpose. It should be the foundation of all else. We can do this while we perform our job, while we grocery shop, while we talk to our children. In fact, the greatest thing about this great meaning of life, is that it covers the whole of life.

You have to decide that you will live to glorify God and love your neighbor. It is a conscious commitment that all you do will be in service to God and others. Why do you get up in the morning? To love God and my neighbors? If loving God and your neighbor is your reason for living, then your life will have meaning. God's love will define your actions. And his grace will fill you life.

While we have been studying Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we have noticed several important themes, all of which have been topics in our series of sermon—love, joy, unity, humility, sharing, grace, fellowship, salvation, selflessness, honor.

One of the underlying themes of the letter also is peace. He speaks much to the problem of disharmony and unity at the church in Philippi. In our passage today, Paul talks about the peace of God and defines God as the God of Peace.

I would like to conclude our series with a sermon that recognizes Paul’s contribution to the Christian understanding of peace. A contribution that has been overlooked somewhat.

When we think about peace in the Christian faith, we focus primarily on the contributions of Jesus who blessed peacemakers and urged us to live with each other in peace, to love our neighbors and enemies, and to be non-violent.

In our text for today, in Philippians 4, near the close of the letter Paul gives several final exhortations to the church in Philippi. He urges them to be gentle, to not worry, and to rejoice in the Lord always, and promises them the peace of God.

He also says in verse 7: And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

And in verse 9, he says: "Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me and the God of Peace will be with you."

Paul uses the phrase "God of Peace" seven times in his writings. Well, you say that doesn’t sound very significant. Paul says a lot. However, it is if you look at how few times Paul uses divine attributes in describing God. "God of Hope" occurs only once in Romans 15:13, and "God of Love" only one in conjunction with "God of Peace" phrase in 2^nd Corinthians 13:11.

Peace is an important concept in the gospel and also in Paul’s letters, but there is a linguistic problem that clouds the issue. One of the most important concepts in the Old Testament is "Shalom." The word is used more than 250 times in the Old Testament. In Hebrew, Shalom, has a variety of meanings. It means peace, lacking conflict or war, but it means well-being, wholeness, justice, righteousness, and salvation, and is even translated as prosperity.

The problem that there is not such an all-inclusive word in Greek and English. In Greek the word is eirene, (eh-ray-nay means lack of conflict between people or groups.) The Greek word has little or no relationship to the ideas of well-being, wholeness, justice, righteousness, salvation or even prosperity, although at times it appears that the word "peace" in the NT is being used similarly to shalom. For example—the phrase peace of God. It appears to mean well-being like shalom.

All the writers of the New Testament were Jews and they understood the word "eh-ray-nay" or peace to mean "Shalom," too. In fact, the Greek version of the Old Testament called the LXX or Septuagint also used eirene in lieu of the Hebrew Shalom.

Also complicating the problem is that peace or "eh-ray-nay" has several meanings in the New Testament. We talk about God making peace with us, of God giving us his peace (as we see in this passage), and then there is peace is used to describe harmony between people.

This morning I would like to focus on those three uses by Paul

1. God makes peace with us

2. God gives us peace

3. And the peace and harmony between people and groups.

In Romans, Paul proclaims the peace that Jesus has brought in salvation. In Romans 5: 1 Paul says: Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul frequently uses the language of peace when he talks about our personal relationship with Jesus. Reconciliation is one of those words.

In verse Romans 5:10, we read: For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely having been reconciled, will we be saved.

. In Paul’s 2^nd letter to the Corinthians, he describes a ministry of reconciliation —of bringing enemies and foes together. He says that if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation, everything old has passed away; see everything has become new!"

Then he adds, "All of this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us."

It is obvious that Paul has the idea of shalom in his usage of reconciliation. He is bringing about salvation through the gift of peace to all people. Reconciliation makes enemies friends. God is a God of Peace. It is clear in this passage that reconciliation is God’s initiative.

Paul sermon on reconciliation concludes by saying that the people in Corinth are to be ambassadors or peacemakers for Christ. In Jesus, God also breaks down barriers.

Paul talks about peace in the terms of breaking down barriers between people. In Christ, God is a God that welcomes all people into the family of God. God not only wants to be at peace with Jews, he also wants to be at peace with Gentiles, everyone, black and white, yellow and brown

Another distinctive text in Paul about the God of Peace, is found in Ephesians the second chapter. He says there are two groups, the circumcised and the uncircumcised who were without God in Christ. The latter group were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world."

Using some symbolism from Isaiah 56, Paul says they were far away, but now are near to God in Jesus Christ. He adds, "For he (Jesus) is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups one and has broken down the dividing wall that is, the hostility between us." He is talking about the walls in the temple that divided the Jews and the gentiles.

Jesus has "abolished" the law so that one new humanity might be created instead of two, thus "making peace." Jesus came to preach "peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near." Through Jesus they are one and have access in one Spirit to the Father. They are no longer strangers and aliens, but are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God."

Today, it may be difficult to clearly see what Paul was trying to do. The church has left its Jewish tradition and there is no longer a Jew versus Gentile issue. However, all people are welcome into God’s family. Paul has left us a message that is more than just getting the Jews and Gentiles together. He is trying to get all peoples together. It is not just about circumcision and the law.

In the letter to Galatians, Paul tells us in 3:28: There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." We are all one in Christ.

God makes peace with us when we believe. In Christ, his peace extends to all people. His grace is for everyone who responds to his love.

In our text today, Paul also urges us to be at peace with each other.

Paul also says that God promises us a peace that "surpasses all understanding." This peace of God "will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ."

This peace is beyond understanding. It is gift of God to all who are believers in Jesus. Our hearts are at ease. We do not live anxiously, full of unnecessary worry. God gives his peace to those who trust him.

This admonition sounds like Christ who tells us in Matthew 6 to not worry about our life, what you will eat, or drink, or about your body, or what you will wear. Jesus adds, "But seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and his righteousness and all things will be given to you."

Jesus and Paul are talking about bad anxiety. Anxiety that is self-centered and counter-productive. Paul admits in several of his letters that he has anxiety or worries about his new church starts. But this is not the kind of bad anxiety that is self-centered. For example, many of us this week are very worried about our investments and our retirement as Wall Street takes a nose dive.

We should not worry because we have made peace with God and he provides us with his peace. Peace from God is an inner tranquility based on peace with God. It is a peaceful state of those whose sins are forgiven. A tranquility that happens when believers commit all of their cares to God.

In 1^st Peter 5, we read: "Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you."

This peace in its full dimensions of God’s love and care are truly beyond human comprehension. It guards our heart, Paul says, it is if the peace from God puts in a sort of "protective custody." Like in the military, it guards us from anxiety.

Prayer is a sure antidote for anxiety. Prayer and anxiety are two great opposite forces. He says we are to also give thanks. Thanksgiving is also a valuable to anxiety.

The peace of God here is far more than an absence of conflict. Rather, it is total well-being, like Shalom, and it comes from God. To those who are in Christ Jesus and who share his attitude, this peace guards our "heart and mind." become theirs.

In our text today, Paul is speaking about a conflict between two women leaders in Philippi. They are Euodia and Syntyche. He wants them to be of the same mind in the Lord. They have worked alongside Paul in the ministry of the gospel. Earlier Paul has used the Philippians hymn (2:6-11) as an example of how he wants the church to work in unity, in harmony. He wants them to strive side by side and not to be divided in their main purpose.

In this text, it is interesting that Paul doesn’t take sides in the dispute between the two women. In fact, he suggests that those closer to the situation to be peacemakers and try to reconcile them. A good piece of advice.

In Philippians 2:2, earlier in the text, he urges the church in Philippi to be like-minded. He urges them to do so because they have share the same grace and love of God. And they are one in the Spirit of God.

He goes on to urge them to be to be humble like Jesus and that will bring unity because in so doing we lay aside our selfish interests and become interested in the needs of others. That’s what brings about peace.

Paul also has a good understanding of Jesus sayings about peace and non-violence. In our text, he urges the Philippians and us to allow our "gentleness" to be evident to all. Gentleness is the opposite of quarrelsomeness and of violence. What we do and what we say will be influence to what think about too. Paul urges us to think about what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable excellent and praiseworthy. Peace truly fits in this these categories.

Jesus gives his great teaching on non-violence in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:38-48. He says that his followers are not to resist an evildoer, but if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also."

In the same passage, he also urges us to "Love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you." He later adds, "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same."

In Romans 12, Paul repeats Jesus’ teachings about loving enemies and not cursing them. Paul says, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them."

He also urges the Romans to live in harmony with one another. They are not to seek revenge. He says " Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved never avenge yourselves…"

He also says we are not only to love our enemies and be at peace with them. We also are to take care of their needs. " If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads."

God also wants us to live in peace with others. We are to break down barriers. Breaking down barriers includes our relationships with other people. We are to seek justice and fairness. We are to make sure that the poor are protected and have justice. We are to treat people equally despite their race, gender, sexual orientation, and location in the world.

Truly there should be harmony and unity in our family of faith. God wants us to strive to live as Jesus lived, humbly and by honoring others. We should be more interested in others than ourselves. We should be peacemakers in the family of God.

And the message of Shalom also is talking to our relations with the family of nations.. In our UM Social Principles in the Book of Discipline, we as United Methodist’s have professed belief that " War is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ."

We are not a peace church that rejects all war and we do not as a denomination encourage people to refuse to serve in the military. However, we do encourage people to search their hearts. We should support people who do reject all war and refuse to serve in the military.

Our Book of Discipline also says that we "reject war as an instrument of national foreign policy" and that it is to be employed only as a last resort in the prevention of genocide, and the brutal suppression of human rights and in the case of unprovoked international aggression.

The United Nations defines "major wars" as military conflicts inflicting 1,000 battlefield deaths per year. There are currently eight major wars, according to the United Nations. There are more than 40 other, civil insurgencies and intrastate conflicts. Most of these are fueled as much by racial, ethnic, or religious animosities as by ideological fervor. Most victims are civilians, a feature that distinguishes modern conflicts. During World War I, civilians made up fewer than 5 percent of all casualties. Today, 75 percent or more of those killed or wounded in wars are non-combatants.

Isaiah in chapter 11 has a wonderful vision of future world where the wolf will live with the lamb. And there will be a great deliverer, who will be called the "Prince of Peace." As Luke says, the angels proclaimed that peace to those who have received God’s favor or grace.

Some would cynically say that this vision is not possible in this world. I reject this kind of hopelessness. God wants all people, but especially the redeemed, to be a people of peace—living peacefully together and being peacemakers.

Jesus and Paul both preached Gospels of peace. God is the God of Peace and we are his children. We should reject hostility and violence and work to reconcile all people to each other and to God. That is the work of the God of Peace. May we pray as St. Francis prayed:

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred . . . let me sow love
Where there is injury . . . pardon
Where there is doubt . . . faith
Where there is despair . . .hope
Where there is darkness . . . light
Where there is sadness . . .joy

And as our hymn says: Let peace begin with me.

Text: Philippians 1:1-11 

Sitting in a small house is a balding man writing a letter. His shoulders are stooped, his hand and foot are chained. Accompanying him in those chains is a rather large man with armor displaying the seal of the Roman army. The year is around A.D. 63 in the city of Rome.

Paul is writing a letter on papyrus sheets. The occasion that prompted this letter was a monetary gift sent to the apostle Paul from his closest friends in the church that met in Philippi.

The tone of his letter is not complaint, grievance, lament, or bitterness. It is a letter of joy. The beginning paragraph contains a prisoner’s prayer of thanksgiving. That’s right—thanksgiving!

This is the first sermon in a series of sermons on Paul’s letter to the Philippians. I have chosen to preach from this letter because I think it has important messages for our churches today.

On Paul’s second missionary journey he went to Philippi where he planted a church. You can read more about it in Acts 16. Following the founding of the church, Paul and the people in Philippi continued communicating with each other. They sent him encouraging notes and financial support for his ministry.

Paul is now under house arrest in Rome. The Philippians have sent Epaphroditus, one of their members to Rome, a dangerous 700 mile trip that took several months, with a financial gift for Paul. Paul is grateful for their prayers and love and support, and out of that excited gratitude he writes this letter to them..

He begins this letter by thanking God for them, and in the midst of this opening greeting he says: "I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now."

The word translated "share" is the Greek word Koinonia, which is sometimes translated fellowship or partnership Koinonia is used elsewhere to define a close relationship or fellowship in the Christian community. The word’s usage implies intimacy, trust of one another and sharing off material goods.

The Philippian church has been faithful in the spreading of the Good News—the preaching and teaching the gospel in their community. Paul and the church in Philippi are partners in the spreading of the good news.

Paul’s joy is derived from how the Philippians had joined him as partners in spreading the Good news and from his confidence that God will continue his good work in them.

In verse 7, he says that all of the folks at the church in Philippi share in God’s grace with me. He uses that word Koinonia again. All believers receive God’s grace—his unmerited blessing. Like the Christians in Philippi, we also are blessed when we share bonds with missionaries and other Christian ministries.

Through our generosity we are blessed by supporting mission projects, such as those in Haiti, or the Heifer project, or the special Advance mission offerings. We too are part of this ministry. I am confident that you who participant in the Crop work either through walking or donating, will be blessed also.

Paul is also talking about their sharing receiving grace as a result of their preaching and teaching of Christ in Philippi. They are sharing the gospel with others. Sharing the gospel is a very loving act. In our sharing, we are letting others know that God loves them and cares for them.

We should share the gospel, but share it a loving way in which people feel the love of Jesus. It is an act of friendship. It is a great act of love. If you have Good News, you don’t keep it in secret, you share it with others.

How do we share the gospel locally? Well, we have worship services on Sunday morning. We support many mission causes. We have fellowships and dinners. We share the gospel through our example. We have influence through our lives. Live a loving life—that is how we win friends and influence people for Christ.

This morning we start Sunday School for Children and for Adults. And in a couple of weeks we will start an evening Disciples Class and a morning mini-disciples class on the Psalms. During the year, there will be other educational opportunities.

Our Christian education is a way in which we share the gospel. We are teaching Jesus. We are teaching the Bible. Children especially hear about Jesus for the first time. They hear about the love of God and sing "Jesus loves me."

We also offer a Sunday School class for adults after the fellowship time for those who don’t sing in the choir. There will also be two disciples’ classes, a short term and long term, starting Sept. 17 and 18. We still have openings? But we need to know by Tuesday.

Our denomination has a theme this year for Christian education. It is on the front of our bulletin. It reads "Sunday School. It’s for life." I dare say there are some people in our denomination who believe Sunday School and Christian education is only for kids. You would not say that sharing the gospel is only for children—would you? It is the same thing. We are to share the gospel with children and adults. But that’s what Sunday school for children and adults is all about—sharing the gospel and in turn sharing God’s grace.

Some tend to apply the concept of "retirement" to the church. I don’t find anything about retirement in the Bible. There is no retirement in the church." Of course, when you get 75, we may not call on you to climb up on the roof. (Although we have a couple of 75s who have been seen doing things reserved normally reserved for people in their 20s and 30s.)

Paul’s prayer for the Philippians speaks to his prayers for the church in the future. This is found in vv. 9-12. Here are his prayers:

1. That love would abound more and more. He wants their love to increasingly grow—more and more.

2. He wants them to grow in knowledge of God and to grow in moral insight so they will be able to discern the BEST.

3. And He wants them to be full of the fruits (works) of righteousness—a relationship in faith with God.

The NRSV of the Bible translates this key passage:

"And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God."

Head and heart are not opposed in this passage. It is far more profound that we might initially think.

Our love needs to be informed by knowledge of God. If we are going to grow in love, we need to study and learn about God. Love must mature.

In verse 6, Paul is confident that God will complete and bless the good work he has started in them. Our lives are continually under construction. We are being built and matured. This is true with love and knowledge of God.

True love, requires knowledge and insight in order to help others reach their full potential. Love is more than affection. Paul says that he loves the Philippians with the compassion or tenderheartedness of Jesus. But he also says that love requires knowledge. It requires the head. It requires study. It requires thinking.

True Christian love, agape, is a sincere desire also for what is best, for excellence. You may have wondered why your love hasn’t grown. It may be that you have grown in knowledge. You have relied on heart instead of head. God wants us to construct our lives out of the best. He wants the work to be excellent. Later in the letter Paul says we should meditate on such things that are true, noble, pure, lovely, and whatever is of good report.

This takes effort, but we have the help of Holy Spirit.

Paul says mature love, helps us to determine what is best. That is superlative. Not good or better. It is best. Many of us are willing to settle for the good. We don’t strive for the best.

One way in which we can improve our gifts and skills as Christians, as well as our love for God and for others, is through Christian education. How much more to do you know about God than you did five years ago? 10 years ago? 20 years ago?

Paul prays that the Philippians would grow and mature. Some people have worked 20 years in one place, but only have one year of experience. They repeat the same job and the same experience over and over.

God wants us to move from the basics of our faith to a more mature and advanced understanding. Sometimes our faith appears weak because we have not moved from the basic teaching to the more advanced understandings.

In Hebrews 6, the writer urges us to go on toward perfection (maturity), leaving behind the basic teachings about Christ… We are warned about being "sluggish." Don’t be lazy.

In 1^st Corinthians 14:20, Paul says: "Brothers and sisters, do no be children in your thinking, rather be infants in evil, but in thinking be adults." In Romans 12:1, we are urged to be "transformed by the renewed of your minds so that you may discern what is the will of God…" Later, in Philippians, Paul urges us to be of the same mind as Christ.

From scripture it is obvious that God wants us to do what is best. Not what is good. With the help of the Spirit, God wants us to apply ourselves in the study of his word. This will result in the growth of our knowledge as well as our love for God. We also will be more capable in our ability to share the gospel with others.

Paul says our study will help us determine what is best. It will help us improve our critical thinking. If we select the best, we will be pure and blameless. What is blameless? It is translated from the Greek aproskopos as not offending. Not causing someone to stumble. Our behavior would not cause someone to stumble or fail to accept Jesus. The idea of pure involves being absolutely sincere without mixed motives. We are to purge evil from our lives.

The source of our love for God and for other people is God. The goal to be pure and blameless on the day of Christ will be achieved by God, however, not by us. It is achieved by God’s grace. However, God calls us to act to improve our gifts and to enhance our knowledge and love of him.

How, then is this passage relevant to our churches

1. It urges us to share the gospel in many ways

2. Paul explains that we grow in love through knowledge

3. Christian education is an important way in which we can grow in knowledge as well as in love.

4. We are to mature to be constructed in Christ so that we will be able to make the best decisions concerning our lives.

5. And in the last verse, Paul reminds us that all we do is for the glory and honor of God. We can’t do these things my ourselves. Let us do God’s will and grow in love and knowledge.

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As you probably know, an oxymoron is the joining of two words that don't seem to go together. For example: light darkness, a deafening silence, a bold retreat, a powerful servant, and the most outrageous one—a short sermon .

And when you put the ideas of joy and suffering together it sounds like an oxymoron. We think of joy as being something that takes place in pleasant times. Joy accompanies good times, not difficult times.

This is the second sermon on Paul’s letter of Philippians. I’ve titled it: "Joy Despite Difficulties." Joy is one of the major themes, of the letter. Paul says we have joy in difficult times.

Joy in difficult times? Yes, it is true. We have a narrow view of joy. We think of joy in terms of temporary happiness caused by enjoyable circumstances in life. A family reunion. A wedding. A birth. A Mediterranean cruise. Winning the lottery. Watching your football team win the big game. These are all joyful in the human sense.

But Paul introduces us to a joy that is deeper than anything we have conceived with our minds. It is a joy that is not dependent of circumstances. Yes, joy for Christians is present in the good times . . . but it is also present in the difficult and painful times.

Joy also for the believer is continual because of our relationship to Christ. Joy is an important Christian concept. It is a fruit of the Spirit.

This morning we are going to begin to look at some of the specific circumstances that Paul was facing and how he was able to face them with joy. In chapter 1;12-26, we are told how Paul faced difficulties.

Let us first look at the category Paul’s difficult circumstance. Paul’s difficulty was that he was in prison in Rome.

Many of you have had family members who faced difficulties with the law. Or you may be having financial difficulties, or you may have family members who have lost their joy and have been unemployed.

Paul was in chains under house arrest in Rome. He had been falsely accused in Acts 21 of bringing a gentile into the Jewish part of the Temple in Jerusalem. They had dragged him out of the temple and tried to kill him. This led to his arrest and appearance before Jewish authorities. He claimed Roman citizenship and endured a shipwreck while being sent to Rome for trial there.

Earlier, Paul had faced many other difficulties. In Second Corinthians 11, he reports that he was imprisoned several times, he had five times he had received 39 lashes from Jewish authorities, he was beaten, stoned three times, and face dangers from bandits, and was at times cold and hungry.

Yes, Christians are not given immunity from difficulties. In Philippians Paul models behavior and attitudes that are Christ-like. He has a very positive and joyful attitude. His troubles are not what is important, but the church and the advancement of the gospel. He makes the best of a bad situation. He says that this has actually resulted in the spread and defense of the gospel.

Our response to difficulties is more important than the difficulty itself. In this case, Paul has taken the opportunity to preach and witness to his Roman imperial guards and to all the other prisoners. He has told everybody that his imprisonment is for Christ.

Roman soldiers stood four-hour shifts. They were chained to prisoners. Paul probably had the opportunity to talk to at least six soldiers everyday. I dare say he had made some converts. He is enthusiastic about this opportunity.

Usually prison is a shameful experience. For Paul, it is an opportunity to serve Jesus. The only thing that is shameful for him is that he not boldly preach and that he not magnify and glorify Christ.

His difficulty has also had another joyful effect. His imprisonment has emboldened Christians in Rome and the surrounding area. They speak with "greater boldness and without fear."

Again, when we boldly face a difficult situation, whether it be disease-related, family problems or financial problems, we give courage to others. We inspire others. Others see how we handle the difficult situation and they are inspired. I have heard of similar situations here in the church. Many of you have faced cancer boldly and inspired others.

Paul says that he has been able to face difficulties because he is "confident in the Lord." The phrase "in the Lord" and "in Christ" are frequently used in the letter to the Philippians. It fact the phrase is used 26 times. It is frequently used in other letters, too.

To be in Christ is to belong to him. To be surrounded by his presence, his Spirit, his love. It is Christ who makes us confident. It is Christ that gives us joy. We are naturally joyful in good times, but this joy we have in Christ does not disappear when we have difficult times.

Secondly, Paul is joyful despite detractors and rivals. Paul has detractors—those who are jealous of his ministry.

In this case, he says that those who proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition have done so to increase his suffering. But what does it matter? No, he says: it matters only that "Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true, and in that I rejoice."

He rejoices when Christ is preached. This a very compassionate and selfless behavior. He doesn’t let personal attacks give him anxiety. The fact that Christ is preached is the most important thing. In this he rejoices. Paul in his difficult circumstance holds his convictions graciously and selflessly. Even in the first century, rivalry and disputes were common in the churches. It’s just our sinful human nature.

Paul is positive and confident in the face of difficulties and detractors and the possibility of death. He has the prayers of friends and he is surrounded by the Spirit of Jesus Christ—the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is both the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

He is confident that he is going to be victorious in his struggle with the Roman and Jewish authorities. He is going to be delivered, freed. These prayers and the presence of the Holy Spirit will lead to his deliverance from prison and assist him in his difficulties.

Thirdly, Paul can be joyful despite the possibility of death. Paul faced the most daunting trial of life . . . the prospect of death. Even in this circumstance Paul has joy.

Paul says: "For to me, living is Christ and death is gain." If he died, he would be a greater place in the presence of Christ. But Paul believes that he will live because he is needed by his churches. His ministry is more important than his personal satisfaction. He again models selfless behavior

As Paul sits in his jail cell, he knows at any moment his life could be snatched from him. He knows he is innocent but he also knows that Nero is on the emperor and he was well known for his arbitrary executions. At any time, Nero could command his death on just a whim. But Paul did not have a sense of despair. We don't see him withdrawing or being filled with fear and anxiety. Paul seems unconcerned about death.

The first thing he says about death is that he views it as "gain" rather than loss. This is not the prevailing notion in our churches. We talk about people "losing the battle" with disease. When someone we love dies we often say we have "lost them". When treatments are exhausted Doctors say "there is nothing more we can do" in an attitude of defeat and resignation. We view death as the ultimate defeat. But this is not Paul's attitude toward death. He sees it not as defeat . . . but he sees it as victory. Christ in the resurrection has defeated death. We are resurrection children of God.

Paul talks about his desire to "depart" to be with Christ. The word translated "depart" is a significant in this passage. The word is used for "striking camp". Another words it is the idea of taking your tent down and moving on. The word is also used for pulling up the anchor of a ship. Both words denote the temporary nature of their current stop.

In 2 Corinthians 5 we read these familiar words from Paul

Paul taught that life is just the first stop in the journey of existence. Death is the transfer point that leads us to home. It is only the first chapter, or maybe the introduction, to the book of our life.

Paul is not praising martyrdom. In fact, it appears he is trying to discourage the concept of martyrdom. We are to live! He wants to continue rejoicing with the church in Philippi and experience the joy of the faith.

He says: "If I am to go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me…" I admire Paul's attitude here. Paul is determined that if he is to continue on in life he was going to live as productively as possible. He believed if he was given more days on earth, it was for a purpose. So he intended to life productively while he was alive. He wants to glorify or exalt Christ in all that he does.

Too many of us stop living before we die. God wants us to keep on living in Christ. He doesn’t want us to retire. Living means opportunities for Christ.

In Christ, we do not die. It is death that has died. We are resurrection people who live forever in the presence of God. Paul says, Death has been defeated in Jesus Christ. "O death where is your victory? O death where is your string? Death is swallowed up in victory.". Our Christian hope is that God awaits us on the other side of death.

But you say, Pastor, this death and eternal life stuff is difficult. I imagine all of us would like to really know what is beyond life on earth. That’s why such shows as "Ghost Whisperer" are popular on TV. We would like to really die for a few minutes so we could get on the other side, but we would like to come back.

You have probably heard that we really don’t know what happens when we die. Paul tells us that we go immediately into the presence of Christ. That is a promise that gives us hope.

The lesson of this last part of the text is intensely relevant. Especially so for those who,

In each of these situations, we can no longer pretend that the temporary nature of life does not matter. This passage speaks to our deepest fears and our most profound times of loss.

It gives us hope and lets us know that in Christ Jesus there is joy even in suffering and difficulties.

Our joy in Christ makes it possible for us to face difficult times with confidence and in the hope of eternal life.

We are resurrection people who live forever in the presence of God. Rejoice I say. Again, I say rejoice.

" Negotiated sacrifice"

The purpose of this sermon is to ask you to consider making a sacrifice this morning. No, I’m not asking you kill a goat on the altar. Nor am I asking you to give your new plasma TV to God.

We all know the old evangelical hymn "I Surrender All" It begins: "All to Jesus I Surrender, All to him I freely give." Our text today contains an early Christian hymn that could be titled "Jesus Surrenders All." Jesus also gave his all for us. I just read it. The lyrics give us some important directions for Christian living.

Jesus didn’t do things to benefit himself. He preached, healed, and taught to help others in obedience to his Father God. He really didn’t have any regard for himself—he was willing to be obedient to God’s will and die on the cross.

On the front of our worship bulletin, you can read part of the hymn again: "Being born in human likeness, and being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on the cross."

This is the third in my series of sermons from Philippians titled "Christian Living." Paul, in our text this morning, urges us to be altruistic because Jesus was altruistic. Altruism is a word that means we are selfless. We more frequently use the word humble.

What motivates you? Self-interest or the interest of others? According to the study of ethics and philosophy we have choices. On one side is altruism and at the opposite end of the spectrum is greed.

The philosopher August Comte wrote about altruism. He defined altruism as actions for the sake of others with no thought of self. Another term used to define self-interest is "enlightened self-interest." The term defines our desire to do something because of possible future reward. People get together at barn raisings when there is a storm because if their barn is razed in the next storm they will also receive help from their neighbors. This is an example of deferred gratification. Another example—we help the needy because in the future we might go to heaven. I hope this is not true for you.

Another key term in the study of self-interest is "rational selfishness." It is term generally related to Ayn Rand’s philosophy. We are to first look out for our own well-being and to achieve goals for the good of ourselves. Although this is a rather harsh philosophy, it probably has more followers than we would like to admit to.

There is also "unenlightened self-interest" or greed. Unabashed self-centeredness! Self-centeredness was very prevalent idea at the time of Jesus. The philosopher Aristotle said it was not virtuous to be humble and selfless. He said the ideal person—one who was great in wisdom and virtue—dishonors himself if he or she doesn’t act like a person of great value.

Jesus radically redefined honor as giving up privileges for the sake of honoring others and honoring God. The culture of the first century was a time when people competed fiercely to gain more favor or honor than their peers.

Honor is a key idea in altruism. The cross of Christ was a stumbling block in the ancient world because it was the cross was a shameful and dishonorable way to die. It was a way of death reserved for criminals. The world of Jesus didn’t understand that he sacrificed himself for our sins. The dominate idea of the culture of the time was that it was a good thing to be No. 1 and dishonorable to be last. Sounds very modern! Doesn’t it? They wanted their names up in lights. In contrast, in the Kingdom of God we are to bring honor to others and to do all things to the Glory of God. Quite a difference in philosophy!

Jesus urges us to be selfless and humble. One of the key virtues of the Kingdom of God is love of others first. Jesus says the first in the kingdom must be last. We are to be servants. He says, "Blessed are the meek...’ The word translated as meek in the Sermon on the Mount may also be translated humble.

Before quoting the hymn, Paul says that his readers in Philippi should "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interest of others."

In the line before starting the hymn, he adds: "Let the same mind be in you that was in Jesus Christ." The hymn itself starts in verse 6. It is really an outline of the story of Jesus, an unselfish Jesus who surrendered all. The hymn has three movements or verses: (1) Jesus was divine and existed before creation, (2) Jesus made himself nothing by taking the nature of a lowly human, a slave, and was obedient to the wishes of God. (3) And because Jesus was obedient in the crucifixion, he is now exalted above all things so that all creatures will bow before him and declare him Lord. This is the essence of the story line of the hymn. Paul in including or writing the hymn is interested in more than the beautiful poetic story. He is preaching and the hymn is a preacher’s illustration. He wanted the church in Philippi to see how living like Christ would bring about humility in individual members and unity in the congregation. Christ is the supreme example of humility.

This text is a call to be of the same mind and work together for the Kingdom of God. It doesn’t mean we are to practice some mindless political correctness that demands we all think the same way. We are to work together and serve one another with the same attitude of Christ. He wants us to have the same purpose. (being like-minded) The way we do this is to live our lives like Christ—unselfishly.

The Philippians seem to be one of Paul’s favorite congregations. They had given him financial and spiritual support for a decade. They have brought him much joy. They had a great love and passion for the gospel. In the opening prayer of thanksgiving, Paul complements them for sharing the gospel with others. Today, in this time, a great majority here have a great love and passion for the gospel.

The Philippians were not perfect, however. They had disputes. Paul’s message about unity and humility is prompted by events in the church at Philippi. In chapter 4, verse 2 Paul addresses a conflict in the church. It is so important he includes their names. Paul says, "I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel." It sounds like both women love the Lord and have a passion for the church. Their love and passion for the church was a great strength, but it now had turned into a great weakness.

While at Western Michigan University, a colleague of mine had a very intelligent daughter who was an artist and she loved to write stories. A great strength. But at night she had terrible nightmares that were horrible stories. Her great strength while awake became a great weakness when sleeping.

I also think one of my greatest strengths is my love and knowledge of the Bible. But it is a weakness in my preaching because I give too much background material and go off on theological tangents.

Many churches have had controversies concerning style of worship—liturgical or informal, styles of music, traditional or contemporary. In the worship wars, both sides have a love and passion for the church. But this great strength suddenly becomes a great weakness and the church suffers.

We have many members who have as their greatest strength their love and passion for the church. People are capable of acts of great generosity and service because of their love and passion for the church. At the same time, their love and passion for their church can lead to conflicts.

Think about the controversies in the past here? Isn’t it true that all those involved in the conflicts believed that they were acting out of a love and passion for the welfare of the church?

Paul pleads for unity among the Philippians. He wants them to be "standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side, with one mind for the faith of the gospel." That word, "striving," is an interesting word. Similar to the word "struggle" in the reference to Euodia and Syntyche. Paul wants the church to strive and struggle in unity.

What is it that threatens church unity? What threatens our unity are actions or attitudes that begin with the word "self:" self-absorption, self-glorification, selfishness, self-centeredness. We dig in our heels based on the believe that we are right and "they" are wrong.

Some believe humility is weakness—it is surrendering to others. Humble people don’t necessarily have an inferiority complex. A humble person honors others. It takes a great deal of courage and self-sacrifice to be humble. We are told we need to have self-esteem, too. In like manner, you can’t honor others unless you have self-esteem yourself.

As Christians we believe that humility is an important virtue. It enables one to see ourselves in one’s rightful condition as a creature of God and to see fellow creatures as equally deserving of respect and honor.

Sometimes we believe we have rights in the church of God because we have longevity. Just because you have been here any longer doesn’t give you any seniority rights. The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard is an excellent teaching on this subject of spiritual pride.

The workers who worked one hour got the same about of pay as those who worked all day. This is a parable about God’s grace. All are welcome into the Kingdom of God and we all should be servants.

Paul’s push for unity in the church begins with a reminder of what we all share in Christ. The reminder comes in a series of statements at the beginning of chapter 2: "If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing of the spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make by joy complete: Be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind."

Paul is reminding his readers that these are wonderful things we all have in common. Since, we share in love, in the Spirit, and great compassion for the church we should work in unity.

More than that, Christ himself has set the example for us. In encouraging us away from selfishness and toward humility Paul tells us, in a few short verses, the story of the unselfish Jesus: Jesus emptied himself, he surrendered all his treasures, all the treasures of heaven, to come to show us the way of salvation and to die for our sins. In 2^nd Corinthians 9:8, Paul says that Jesus was rich, but he came to earth and became poor. Jesus was not forced to do this loving act, he willingly did it. As Christ willingly took a step of humility we are called to follow his example and live lives in a manner worthy of the gospel.

Christ, at any moment in his ministry on earth, could have exerted his power and authority. Jesus denied earthly political, social, and religious power when he rejected Satan in the temptations in the desert.

Instead, Jesus took on the full nature of humanity and followed its pathway to death on the cross for the benefit of others. We are called to similarly live our lives in humility, considering the interests of others before our own interests, remembering what we share in Jesus Christ.

The conclusion of the hymn provides for a stunning reversal. Humiliation is replaced with exaltation—the one who took the form of a slave becomes Lord, a title that signals Jesus’ restoration to divine status and cosmic authority.

In 1^st Peter 5, we are told that "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he will exalt you in due time."

How can we be altruistic? Selfless? Remember, I started the sermon by asking you to make a sacrifice. One way in which we can put the interest of others first is through what I call "negotiated sacrifice." In a sense you are negotiating with yourselves. But you also please God. What is this sacrifice? A prayer.

Paul in Romans 12 says we are to be a living sacrifice, and in 1^st Peter we are called to offer spiritual sacrifices to God. A sacrifice is something of great value given to honor God—to the glory of God. We also give sacrifices of praise, according to the writer of Hebrews. These sacrifices of praise are from the lips but also are good deeds.

The next time there is a conflict, a jealousy, a difference in opinion, I ask you to pray. Pray for understanding of your differences with others. Ask God to help you understand the other position or positions in the controversy. Ask God to help you honor others.

In so praying, we value and honor others. And we honor God. Everyone wants to be honored! Don’t you want to be honored?

I understand that humility is not a popular idea in our "me first" society. Aristotle would have been home in the 21^st century. And probably, Jesus would have met the same end in our generation. Jesus surrendered all and he calls on us to also make sacrifices. It is a way in which we imitate Jesus. Negotiated sacrifice is our striving to understand others, working side by side despite differences, for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the way of Christ.

Let us Pray:

Lord, help me honor others and their ways and ideas. Lord, accept my sacrifice of praise today. Amen.