The Cross as Substitution (Isaiah 53:4-6)

 

A substitute is a person or thing that takes the place, function, or role of another. If we think of the substitute teachers we have had in our school years, we may remember how poorly we treated these victims. When a hockey player is injured and a farm team player is called up, he may be considered a poor substitute for the veteran player. Or consider a dish you are making and suddenly realize you are missing an ingredient, and you are forced to improvise. In each of these scenarios the substitute is a second-choice backup to the original. 

            On the other hand, substitution can be an honorable and heroic thing. When a person takes the place of another in order to bear their pain and save them from it. This is noble. We admire those who spare other people pain or death. We admire them even more when it costs them their own comforts. Moses was willing to have his own name blotted out of the Book of Life if God would spare Israel (Ex. 32:32). The Apostle Paul wished that he could be accursed by God if only it would save his Jewish brothers (Rom. 9:3). 

            We cannot help but be moved by such heroism. Maximilian Kolbe, the Polish priest in Auschwitz death camp, exemplified this. When a number of prisoners were chosen for execution, one of them shouted that he was a married man with children. Kolbe stepped forward and offered to take his place. The German officer agreed and sent Kolbe off to die.

            As we come to the cross today, we approach with this perspective: At the cross, Jesus does not merely stand with us in suffering; he stands for us, taking our pain, our punishment, our place. For Jesus himself said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends,” (Jn. 15:13). There is no greater example of substitution than Jesus.

 

 

 

1. The Servant Took Our Pain (Isaiah 53:4)

 

The best expression of this substitution is found not in the NT, but in Isaiah 53:4-6. Here Isaiah shows how the Servant takes our pain…This passage is known as the Song of the Suffering Servant. Isaiah doesn’t identify the Servant by name, but he described what the Servant would do for the people of God. 

            We observe the substitution immediately as Isaiah wrote, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…” The Hebrew word “borne” means “to lift up and carry a heavy load.” A great weight is placed upon the Servant, and it is described as “our griefs” and “our sorrows.” Life is full of griefs and sorrows, you will admit. But where do these griefs and sorrows come from? Why is the world the way it is with mass shootings, sexual immorality, and greed? The Bible tells us that our griefs and sorrows are the result of sin. And sin takes us back to the ultimate problem, which is not our suffering, but the cause of our suffering, our rebellion against God. 

            The Suffering Servant has come and taken that burden off of us. It has been placed on his shoulders. The image of this burden is taken straight out of Leviticus 16. On the Day of Atonement, (that’s one day every year when sacrifices were made for the sins of the nation of Israel), two goats were set aside. One goat was slaughtered for the people before the LORD and its blood sprinkled on the mercy seat. But the other goat was allowed to live. The priest would lay both hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the iniquities and transgressions of the people. Then we read, “The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness,” (16:22). What do you think happened to the goat out in the wilderness? 

            This imagery is where we get the term “scapegoat.” When a business is failing to meet its goals and quotas, the top brass sometimes try to lay the blame on a mid-level executive, some oblivious rube who has really nothing to do with the fortunes or misfortunes of the company. Someone has to take the fall; someone has to take the blame; this guy is expendable and he gets the axe. Does it help? For a time. But it never removes guilt.

            Isaiah is saying what Leviticus only hinted at: this Servant is not a ritual animal sent away for a year, but a person who bears sin once for all. Isaiah says, “…yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” In other words, when someone suffers like this, we deduce that they deserved it. Look at Jesus on the cross. What…did…you…do? Who did you tick off? 

            Jesus suffers alone for our griefs and our sorrows. His sufferings were for us, but we had no part in them. The world stands aloof as he takes on our moral failings and spiritual diseases. We are not mentioned except as contributors of the sin that caused his pain. Our pain. He takes OUR pain upon himself. Jesus is the scapegoat for our sin. (2 Cor. 5:21)

 

2. The Servant Took Our Punishment (53:5)

 

So, the Servant takes on our pain expressed as “our griefs” and “our sorrows.” Now Isaiah goes deeper, He shows us the Servant taking our punishment…Isaiah describes the root of these griefs and sorrows as “our transgressions” and “our iniquities,” or simply, sin. You can see that the situation is no longer a matter of dealing with the “troubles of life,” or that the Servant merely steps in to take our pain; the Servant takes on punishment that belonged to us. He takes on our penalty. 

            Isaiah says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement…” (stop there for a moment).

            Transgression and iniquity are not everyday words. We know “sin” but don’t use it much these days. Therapists would talk about syndromes or conditions. These terms put moral failings outside of ourselves putting the responsibility elsewhere. It’s not my fault. Isaiah doesn’t mess around: he tells us the Servant was pierced for “our transgressions” and “our iniquities.” We have missed the mark. We have fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). We have crossed the line and broken the law. We have ruined ourselves with sin. And the Servant has taken OUR punishment. 

            I will admit these terms for sin are quite dramatic, and not many of us would describe our sins this way. A few might. But I wonder if we feel the weight of our sins in such terms. Do we really deserve the punishment that was heaped on the Servant? Think of the worst sins and the worst sinners in history and compare yourself. Our temptation is to soften Isaiah’s language. But human history does not allow us to.

            One of the most evil minds of the Holocaust was a man named Adolf Eichmann. After WWII he escaped to Argentina to avoid the death penalty. In 1959, Mossad found him and secretly brought him back to stand trial in Israel. 

            As the trial proceeded, witnesses to were called to testify against Eichmann: all were former concentration camp prisoners. One man, Yehiel Dinur, had escaped Auschwitz, was called on to testify. Dinur entered the courtroom and stared at the man in the bulletproof glass – the man who murdered his friends, a man who personally executed a number of Jews, and ordered the death of millions more. As Dinur stared at Eichmann, Dinur suddenly fell to the floor sobbing and yelling. Overcome by hatred? By memories? By this evil man? No, Dinur later explained it was because Eichmann was not the demonic personification of evil that Dinur had expected. Rather, he was an ordinary man, just like anyone else. And in that instant, Dinur came to a stunning realization that sin and evil are the human condition. “I was afraid about myself,” Dinur said, “I saw that I am capable to do this…I am exactly like he.” 

            That’s a confession of one’s own iniquity. I too am distorted by sin. My loves are disordered – that is, I love things out of proportion to their true worth. I am twisted in the core of my being. But the Servant steps in and takes my burden. “Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” He was pierced through – a violent and excruciating death; he was crushed and broken to pieces – no doubt by the burden of my sin. He did so you could know Peace – to have peace with God (Shalom); so you could be healed – healed from your guilt; healed from your shame; healed from your past; healed from your doubt. This healing flows from that punishment.

 

3. The Servant Took Our Place (53:6)

 

Finally, Isaiah leaves no room for evasion: the Servant has taken our place. You have heard it a thousand times: Jesus took the cross that was meant for us. We deserved the punishment that he endured. He died for us. But do we own it?

            You cannot escape this harsh reality. Isaiah wraps the responsibility around all of us, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

            Why sheep? Why not cats? “All we like cats are mischievous and sly.” Because sheep are dumb. My brother had a sheep for a time – he named it Lambert. When I first met Lambert, he was a beautiful little lamb who sweetly came for cuddles. A while later, I saw Lambert had grown bigger and his wool was full of garbage. He liked to roll in the filth. Lambert also had a habit of jumping out of his enclosure and breaking into the garage at night to chew on things. Sheep are just not very clever. They wander off; they chew grass without a care of where they are headed – even off a cliff. 

            The imagery of sheep is appropriate. As sheep, we do not inadvertently wander away; Isaiah very specifically says we are guilty of willfully straying from the shepherd. We wander through neglect, through distraction, through choosing our own way even when we know better. The parable of “The Lost Sheep” makes me reflect a lot on this. Jesus tells how the shepherd leaves the 99 to search for the one. Why is “the one” lost? That lamb wandered away. How does the shepherd hope to find a tiny lamb in a great wilderness? That lamb keeps wandering, following its appetites, until it is caught in some inescapable situation. Then it cries out. That’s the only way the shepherd could find it. 

            Jesus likens himself to the shepherd who does the searching. But in other teachings, Jesus is the Lamb who was slain and by his blood we are forgiven, cleansed, and made whole (Rev. 5:9-10). 

            Paul reflected on this too saying, “For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering,” (Rom. 8:3). Jesus took our place as the sheep, the goat, the substitute.

 

As I was praying recently, I began to meditate on what figure of authority most impacted me. I rejected political figures, prime ministers, presidents, and kings. I mean, who do you want to please most in life? Who do you seek affirmation from more than any other person? 

            It occurred to me that teachers have been that figure of authority in my life. In yours it may be a boss, a spouse, or people in general (if you are a people-pleaser). For me it has always been teachers. To please my teachers was a priority. Do the lessons. Get good grades. Demonstrate that I was learning. I didn’t always get an A; if I scored in the 80s and 90s, I was content. I never received a perfect mark of A+ or 100%. My goal was not to be the teacher’s best friend, only to impress him or her that I was capable. 

            If God is my teacher, nothing less than 100%, an A+, is required. But you and I cannot hand in that perfect paper. Our work is not good enough. Only Jesus can.

            Jesus does not merely improve your grade. He takes your failing paper, signs his own name to it, and hands you his perfect obedience as a gift. He substitutes his work for yours so that you can pass the course. Jesus will take your failure and suffer the consequences in your place.

            That’s the cross of substitution. If you are still trying to pass on your own work, lay it down. The substitute has already done the work for you. The substitute has taken your pain, your punishment, and your place.

 

                                                AMEN

            

Being Content in a World of "More" ("Ode to Joy" Series on Philippians)

BEING CONTENT IN A WORLD OF “MORE”

 

Never before in the history of humankind has a people had access to so much. We have plenty of everything: food, material things, wealth in general. And yet satisfaction and contentment are rare. Something new is always supplanting the device we already have with new features. 

            There is a Greek myth that illustrates this tension of having but wanting more. Tantalus, a friend of the gods, commits a heinous crime, and as punishment he is forced to stand waist deep in a pool of water in the underworld for all eternity. Above him is a fruit tree with ripe fruit easily within reach. Yet whenever he reaches up his hand to grab the fruit, the tree branch raises up as well just out of his reach. And whenever he bends down to scoop some water to drink, the water recedes away. He is left forever tantalized by what is just out of reach. 

            Just out of reach. A little more. A little more and I would be happy. A little more what? A little more money? A little more recognition? A little more house? Then will you be content? Is happiness just out of reach? 

            Are you aware of the extent to which your joy and contentment in life are tied to what you have or the circumstances of your life? 

            If I’m honest, I’m not always aware.

            Most people are not aware and don’t want to be aware. Doesn’t matter if you are Christian or not, we are often oblivious to the effect of our circumstances on our joy. We might be embarrassed if we connected the dots between where we are in life and how we feel about life. If we did become aware of this connection, we would be challenged to make changes in our lives. Changes we don’t want to make. 

            Are you content with your life? On the one hand, we should be content with who we are and what we have. On the other hand, we should never be satisfied in our journey to know Jesus better. Paul teaches us that the two are connected.

1. Thanks, but no thanks (4:10; 14-18)

 

Paul’s letter to the Philippians is really one long “thank you” note. It’s taken till the end of the letter for Paul to get there, but he did want to thank this church for the financial gift that they sent to him. 

            Paul “rejoiced in the Lord greatly” that they were able to show their concern for him. Something seems to have prevented them from doing so: a lack of funds perhaps, no way to send it…who knows? But he’s glad that they could show concern for him. 

            That “joy,” Paul says, is more about them than it is about him. Their concern (mentioned 2x in v. 10) is linked to the word “partnership” in v. 15. The Philippian believers had a vested interest in Paul’s ministry, they were concerned that the gospel be preached, because they were committed partners with Paul in the ministry (14-15). So, his joy is rooted in their faith being expressed in action and concern. In other words: “I’m glad for your sake.” 

            But then Paul says something strange: “I don’t really need the gift.” He says literally, “Not that I am speaking of being in need…” (11a) and “Not that I seek the gift…” (17a). Isn’t Paul in need? He is in prison and prisons were not nice places. The food was barely edible and the conditions were deplorable. Yet Paul says, “I don’t need anything.” Or at least, he doesn’t need things in the way we typically need things. He needed things; he’s not on a hunger strike or radically denying himself. Paul is suffering and has needs.

            Suffering, however, changes the way we think about needs. It gives us a perspective on what we really need. When your child is ill or a relationship fails, priorities change and needs become more acute, more refined. You don’t need a bigger house when you need healing from cancer. 

            In the midst of Paul’s suffering, he experienced the Lord’s sustaining presence. He grew more confident of what the Lord could do in the absence of friends or supply. Paul was grateful for the money, but even if they didn’t send it…

2. I have Learned to be Content (11)

 

Paul said that he didn’t really have needs because, “…I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content.” 

            To be “content” may have triggered the Philippians to think of the stoic philosophers. They were known for their self-denial. They were committed to eliminating all external dependence, to detach from all physical needs, and to live without help from anyone. One of these stoics saw a child drinking with her hands and threw away his cup so not to be outdone by a child. Weird stuff!

            Is that Paul’s idea of contentment? No, of course not. It is tied more closely to his comment to the Corinthians, “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,” (2 Cor. 3:5). The key is not self-denial for the sake of some appearance of holiness, it is trust in God. God is the key to contentment. It is not fatalism or laziness – it is a rejection of our natural self-sufficiency and independence. 

            Jeremiah Burroughs, in his book The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, wrote, “My brethren, the reason why you do not have contentment in the things of the world is not that you do not have enough of them. The reason is that they are not things proportional to that immortal soul of yours that is capable of God Himself.” 

            I love that! We cheat ourselves of what is truly fulfilling in life by trying to satisfy our longings with temporary pleasures. We cheat ourselves of God. 

            Joni Eareckson Tada, who has lived a paralyzed life for decades, commented on “contentment” saying: “For me, true contentment on earth means asking less of this life because more is coming in the next. Godly contentment is great gain. Heavenly gain. Because God has created the appetites in your heart, it stands to reason that he must be the consummation of that hunger. Yes, heaven will galvanize your heart if you focus your faith not on a place of glittery mansions, but on a person, Jesus, who makes heaven a home.” The only way you can learn contentment is by finding Jesus to be enough. 

 

3. Learning the Secret of Contentment (12)

 

Contentment cannot be achieved in a day. It is something to be learned over time. That’s what Paul says, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need,” (12). 

            Contentment is not natural to our minds. We aren’t born content. We have to learn it since we are born discontent and dissatisfied. As Sam Storms noted, to learn this lesson we must experience life and its ups and downs. Note that Paul said that he learned to be content even in abundance. As a child starts out in school learning her ABCs, then learning to read and to write and eventually to research difficult subjects, we also need to grow, mature, move from one stage to the next until we find Jesus to be sufficiently beautiful, powerful, and sweet so that even in the face of great loss, the loss of everything hardly registers on our hearts.

            How do we cultivate contentment like Paul’s in our own hearts? 

First, we must believe that God is a good, caring Father. Burroughs again wrote, “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.” Contentment is knowing that God is with us in all situations, good and bad.

Second, contentment is a gift from God. And we must ask for it. Jesus Christ died to make us holy and holiness includes contentment. To be content is to yearn after Jesus and receive what his blood has purchased for us. 

Third, we must learn to practice self-denial in a world of more. Our culture is all about self-indulgence. Get as much as you can. Enjoy as much as you can. But the Christian life is a life of intentional denial of self for the sake of the gospel. We don’t deny ourselves because something is bad, but sometimes “good things” distract us from the love of God in Christ. 

            Truly, the only way you can learn to be content is by finding Jesus Christ to be enough. Paul wrote earlier in Philippians, “…whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ…I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…” (3:7-8).

 

4. I can do all things? (13; 19-20)

 

This provides the context for us to understand what Paul says next. Lest we misunderstand this popular verse and I begin to sing a solo for you because I can do all things, let’s pause.

            Paul has just said he could face hunger, deprivation, and extreme need because he has Jesus. He has learned contentment in those situations. So, what has he learned? What is his secret? That it is through an intimate relationship with Jesus who gives him strength that he can do all things and face all things. 

            He has in mind the beauty and glory of Jesus, the wonder of his saving work on the cross, the power and energy of his resurrection life, the consistency and constancy of his intercession on our behalf, and the hope and expectation of his second coming. In that frame of mind, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” 

            A small boy was trying to lift a heavy stone but could not budge it. His father saw this, stopped to watch, and finally said to his son, “Are you using all your strength?” “Yes, I am,” the boy cried. “No,” the father said calmly, “You’re not. You haven’t asked me to help you.” 

            We can say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” but if you are like me, you forget to ask for that strength. My nephew’s son used to say, “Me do it!” But he clearly needed help. 

            What do we need help with? The ability to remain free of bitterness and envy and mistrust when circumstances take a turn for the worst. The ability to resist comparing my stuff with the stuff others have. The ability to rejoice in the Lord when life is one trouble after another. In all things, Jesus gives me the strength to be content in him when all the world falls away from me. 

            “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though it waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling,” (Ps. 46: 1-3).

 

What does true contentment look like?

            It looks like a heart of peace. Remember the peace of Christ that guards your hearts and minds in 4:7? He gives us the ability to be content in the middle of the storm.

            It looks like a heart full of grace. When we are content, we are able to see and enjoy God’s grace in our lives. We have the vision to see the smallest gifts from God. And as we freely receive in grace, we are able to freely give. We have open hands because we do not cling to our “stuff.” 

            It looks like a heart ready to submit. When we are more firmly rooted in God’s presence – knowing he is with us and never abandons us – we are set free from our anxieties and can give up worldly pursuits to rest fully in the love of God. Then anything can happen because I have Jesus.

            It looks like a heart flowing with worship. The greatest gift of true contentment is sincere worship. We receive all things from life with thankfulness to God for the good and always patient through the difficult. We can say with Joseph, what was meant for evil, God meant for good. 

            We close with a challenge: Answer this…

            I will be content in life if only __________. 

            I can experience genuine and lasting fulfillment in my life when I have ______________. 

            Life is worth living if and only if ____________.

            What would you write in those blanks? How would you respond? 

            My prayer for you and for me is that we fill in the blank saying: I will be content in life if only I have Jesus. I can experience genuine and lasting fulfillment in my life when I have Jesus. Life is worth living if and only if I have Jesus.

 

                                                                        AMEN

 

Credits: I read and adapted some of this material from the following writers

Sam Storms, sermon “Independence through Dependence on Christ” Samstorms.org

Andrew Hess, “How to Find True Contentment” Boundless.org January 30, 2023

Marc J. Sims, “The Secret of Contentment” marcjsims.com

"Always": The Christian State of Mind ("Ode to Joy" series on Philippians)

“ALWAYS”:

THE CHRISTIAN STATE OF MIND

 

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice.”

            This is an easy verse to memorize. It was, in fact, the first verse I memorized as a camp counselor at Red Rock Bible Camp. Another older counselor encouraged me to dwell on this verse and recite it often. It was a good one. Very positive. Very upbeat. Good instruction. 

            But as I recall, I don’t think I truly understood this verse. What does it mean to rejoice? What does it mean to “rejoice in the Lord”? And then there’s that crucial word “always.” And that’s the one that causes the most difficulty. Always? 

            How am I supposed to rejoice when there are unresolved wars in the world? How can I lift up my hands in praise when my soul is down in the dumps? Do I rejoice when the doctor says I have cancer? Is it possible to rejoice when your children are rejecting the faith? Do you rejoice when the bill for your winter tires is cutting into your budget? Rejoice in the Lord always? How? 

            We might think that Paul is telling us to be excessively cheerful idiots in the face of difficulty. It sounds like we are supposed to pretend that everything is sweetness and light, that everything will turn out alright if we just think positively. This is just plain naivety, Paul. We can’t do it. Especially the realists amongst us. Is this what Paul is saying?

            No, Paul is not asking us to blindly accept difficulty and tragedy with a smile. He is inviting us to develop a vision of life and its challenges that engages them through a renewed mind. No longer do we despair or panic when disappointment strikes. Paul is saying that through Christ we can face all things AND rejoice. 

            Let’s work this out as we unpack Philippians 4:4-9 and understand what Paul means. 

 

1. Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS! (4:4-5)

 

As Paul instructs us to “Rejoice in the Lord always…” we need to remember that Paul wrote these words while in prison. He is alone most of the time in a cold, dark cell; food comes only when a friend is allowed to bring him something; his only companions are the rats and the lice he picks from his beard. The outcome of his prison stay is uncertain. Paul is awaiting his sentencing. He could be beheaded any day for declaring “Jesus is Lord” over and above “Caesar is lord.” And this is just the climax of his life; Paul has known more suffering and deprivation that we can imagine (read 2 Corinthians 11:24ff).

            So, if we think that Paul is being overly optimistic and naïve, we forget that he has experienced it all. And he still rejoices. 

            When Paul says “rejoice” it is in the present active voice. That means it is ongoing; he could say “keep on rejoicing.” Don’t stop. 

            The powerless platitude “be happy” is not helpful. Charlie Brown once said, “Happiness is a warm puppy.” Until the puppy runs away, or it dies. This is happiness based solely upon circumstances; how good things are going. This joy falls apart when the bank account is empty or your health fails. 

            In contrast, Paul has written extensively about “joy” in this letter in the strangest of circumstances. Preachers are taking advantage of his imprisonment, yet he rejoices (1:18); he speaks of being poured out like a drink offering (spent in serving them), and he rejoices (2:17-18); even as he describes the opponents of the faith, he rejoices (3:1); he rejoices in this church (1:4); he rejoices in the growing faith and his part in it (1:25); and again he tells these people THEY are his joy as they follow Jesus (4:1). Joy fills this letter and it’s really weird!

            But here’s the critical part; don’t miss this: Rejoice in the Lord! Not in the circumstances, but in the One who is above all our circumstances. Paul’s joy, our joy as believers, is intimately and ultimately tied to Jesus Christ. This phrase “in the Lord” is used 9 times in the letter and it centers us in the realm of where we are to act, think, and feel. We are to hope (2:19), trust (2:24), receive one another (2:29), stand firm (4:1), agree (4:2), and rejoice IN THE LORD (3:1; 4:4, 10). Whatever we do, we are to do it with a consciousness of the Lord Jesus’ presence, that he is with us in anything and everything. He has not left us alone; he is with us.

            Jesus is our joy. Jesus is our satisfaction, is another way of saying it. If we approach our jobs with the aim that this work will satisfy my need for purpose and enrichment, there most certainly will be days where you doubt that. If you go on a vacation with the expectation that this holiday will meet my need for rest and recuperation, you will be disappointed when the weather disagrees. But if we are conscious of the Lord Jesus in all we do, we find the one who loves us is present even in the cloudiest of days. Always. 

            And this is why Paul can say, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand…” (5). Our reasonableness is not just about being agreeable because we have Jesus. This word group starting with “rejoice” and being reasonable is about having a posture of endurance while the Philippians are being harassed. It’s about forgiveness. It’s about modeling Christ to those who are hostile to us. They can do that because their joy is not dependent on whether people like them or not. Their joy is in Jesus. And so is ours.

 

2. Pray about all things ALWAYS! (4:6-7)

 

Our joy is often stolen by the worries of life. In our advent series, I spoke of the anxiety epidemic that I experienced in college students. There are enough troubles in life, from the cost of living to relationship crises, to weight us down with worry. To “rejoice always” faces roadblocks in the realities of Canadian living.

            Paul anticipates this because he knows of his own anxieties. And his response is this: “…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…” (6). 

            He doesn’t make light of our anxieties; he knows they are real. But he is convinced that God is able and powerful to help us in any trouble. Some say, “Go ahead and pray, but I’m going to do something,” as if to say, “prayer is doing nothing.” Prayer is not inactivity; it is not passive; it is not being apathetic or denying the problem. Prayer is how we fight life’s battles. Prayer is the answer to anxiety. How so?

            Sam Storms contrasts anxiety with prayer (see chart) and shows us that anxiety causes us to look to ourselves for answers while prayer turns our gaze to God. Anxiety narrows our focus of life into “me and my” where prayer opens our hearts to a more expansive picture and reminds us that God is bigger than our problems. And it is human to try and solve our own problems, but problems are often beyond our ability to solve; but God is able to do more than we imagine. It is easy to look around, to the left, to the right, or ask ChatGPT for an answer, but prayer draws our gaze upward. Our anxiety likes to control us and rule us; prayer turns the control over to God.

             Rick Warren writes, “Worry is the warning light that God is not really first in my life at this particular moment because worry says that God is not big enough to handle my troubles” But DA Carson said, “The way to be anxious about nothing is to be prayerful about everything.” 

            There are six aspects of Paul’s prayer to consider: “in everything” – every circumstance, no matter how small or trivial, “by prayer” – seeking God on your face or while kneading dough with words that may not make sense, “supplication” – going to God with everything in your being and depending on his grace, “with thanksgiving” – meaning that we remember how God has been faithful in the past and will be faithful with this, “with requests” – being specific in the “what” not the “how,” “God” – being present before God. This is how we are to pray…

And God’s response to prayer is powerful: “And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,” (7). I pray this over people frequently because of the power in these words. 

 

3. Prepare your mind ALWAYS! (4:8-9)

 

The peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I would love this to be automatic. But the truth is we have some work to do in helping God to instil this peace in our minds. 

            Rejoicing in the Lord always is a state of mind. Praying is training the mind to go to God with everything that causes anxiety. But if we feed our minds with that which makes us anxious, we work against the peace of God. 

            I believe this is why Paul moves into these verses about these virtues. He instructs the Philippians with two commands: Think and Practice. 

            Think about these things: Things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, things that are worthy of praise. Philosophically, you don’t have to be a follower of Jesus to think about these things. They are pretty general and good. Knowing Paul, however, and the repeated use of “whatever,” I am certain that we are meant to consider these “whatevers” through a gospel lens. For example, whatever is true is truth that conforms to the gospel of Jesus. Whatever is just – that which is good and right – is best discerned through knowing Jesus. In other words, Jesus is the standard by which these virtues are measured. Am I feeding my mind the things of God?

            What we feed our minds determines what dominates our thinking, right? News; commercials that show us things we don’t have and should desire; crimes that dominant our society. Our addiction to TV is one example of feeding at the world’s trough of anxiety; it is the source along with online media of these “anxieties.” I’m a TV junkie so I point fingers back at myself. Most of us average about four hours of TV a day (or if you include our devices, who knows?). On average, a person who reaches the age of 65 will have watched nearly 8 years of their life watching TV. Now, what are you watching? I heard a good one the other day: Instead of asking what’s wrong with it (what I’m watching)? Ask, “What’s right with it?” 

            Is your mind at war with itself? Are you worried about many things and at peace about nothing? Consider what you are feeding your mind with.

            Paul says, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you,” (9). The correlation between what you think and what you do is tight, I mean, it’s so connected! What have we learned from Paul? To rejoice in the Lord; to pray about all things. Practice this attitude, this state of mind. The alternative is to feed our minds and ultimately practice that which exacerbates anxiety - As Petra sang back in the 80s “Garbage in, garbage out.” Similarly, if I want to live a life that counts for something, I need to take in good stuff. 

            We spoke of the peace of God guarding your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus; that theme returns as we speak of the mind. If we think or meditate on the gospel of Jesus and practice the life of Jesus – the God of peace will be with you. The peace of God and the God of peace are the same presence, because the person of God is our peace. 

 

The Christian state of mind involves seeing life through a mind renewed by the person of Jesus Christ. I admit, this is a radical way of thinking. It is not normal. It is radical because we live in a world of vengeance (of getting even), a world of despair and hopelessness as newsfeeds tell us of some new calamity or problem, a world that just not fair. And in this kind of a world, we are supposed to rejoice in the Lord.

            Gordon T. Smith of Ambrose University said, “…the Christian mind is marked by a deep identification with the pain and suffering of our world – in our experience and in the work and relationships of others. We do not despair…we do not grumble and complain. Rather, with patience and perseverance, we allow our own experience of pain and disappointment to draw us…into the Passion of our Lord, so that increasingly we can see and respond with a Christian mind, that is, a crucified mind, to the life and work to which we are each called.” Thus, we rejoice in the Lord always, because Jesus has overcome the worst of life that we can experience. He has won.                        AMEN

Standing Firm Together in 2026 ("An Ode to Joy" Series on Philippians)

STANDING FIRM TOGETHER IN 2026

 

As we enter into a new year as a church family, we enter with the promise of a clean slate. There is a hope that we are leaving behind the troubles of 2025 and can begin afresh. We have hopes of new and better things to come. Let us apply that hope of a “clean slate” or new beginnings to our relationships as well.

            Wouldn’t it be great to put old wounds to bed and let go of offenses we have with each other?      

            Francis Schaeffer observed that Christians in many countries have something in common. That which leaves bitterness between us can last for twenty, thirty, or forty years. And at issue is not what we believe about God or the teaching of the Bible – these are not the source of our wounds. “Invariably it is the lack of love – and the bitter things that are said by true Christians in the midst of differences…It is these unloving attitudes and words – that cause the stench that the world can smell in the church of Jesus Christ among those who are really true Christians,” he said. 

            How we disagree has long term implications. We are going to have disagreements with one another – it’s human! The mark of a good relationship or a good church culture is not the absence of disagreement but how those disagreements are handled.

            Imagine a group of people walking across a foot bridge. If everyone walks in slightly different rhythms – some faster, some slower – the bridge stays stable. The movement cancels itself out. But if people begin to fall into step without realizing it – stepping in the same steps again and again – the bridge can start to sway. Not because anyone is trying to cause damage, not because the bridge is weak, but because small, repeated movements start lining up in the same direction.

            Engineers discovered that it doesn’t help to find blame, or to panic, or even to shut the bridge down. The solution is restoring balance – helping movement happen in a way that the bridge was designed to carry. 

            That’s really the image Paul gives in Philippians 4:1-3. The Church at Philippi was a good church with good people. But there was an imbalance in the fellowship that threatened to destabilize a beautiful thing.

 

1. Remember who you are (4:1)

 

How we deal with disagreements as Christians shows what we believe way down deep about the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And how we help others with their disagreements show what we believe way down deep about the unity of the Church. Are we going to allow disagreements to divide us or are they an opportunity to let Jesus unify the un-unifiable? 

            At the recent EMC ministerial, I met a pastor from Alberta whose church was divided over the political issues of Israel. It was said to be a matter of how they read the Bible on Israel, but the truth is less spiritual. Two hundred people left the fellowship over this impasse. 

            Paul would have been grieved over this split. Division was contrary to the Apostle’s thinking on church. Consider how he viewed the church at Philippi, he said, “…my brothers (and sisters) whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved,” (1). 

            Paul piled on five affectionate terms for this fellowship of believers to express who they were to him and to God. He used the same term twice, “my beloved,” in the Greek to emphasize his heart for them. Remember that this church included the wealthy (Lydia), a former soldier turned jailer, and a young woman who had been demon-possessed. It was an odd collection of people who had nothing in common except Jesus. But they were not just a collection of people, they were to Paul a treasured community. 

            If this is the way Paul viewed the believers in this church, then we are called to view each other this way too. And if this is the way we are to view each other, then to be divided is scandalous. Remember who you are: brothers and sisters in the family of God; a people in a love-relationship with God and each other; a people living in the joy and victory of Christ’s reconciling work. To be divided works against that testimony. 

            What’s at stake in our life together as a church is nothing less than the glory of God. The world is watching how we do relationships, how our faith in Christ affects relationships. So how we handle disagreement shows the world what we really think about Jesus.

 

2. Remember Who brings us Together (4:2)

 

Paul then gets specific. We have one little verse and a lot of questions. Paul writes, “I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord,” (2). 

            There are a lot of theories about who these two people were, but we do know they were women (by virtue of their names). Some say that they were representatives of the general disunity in the church at Philippi. But the fact that they were named indicates they were real people and very important to their community (otherwise it is rare for Paul to name people). Were they leaders of house churches? Were they among the overseers and deacons (1:1)? Whatever they were, Paul calls them “coworkers” in the gospel (4:3). 

            Euodia and Syntyche seem to have been in a quarrel that has become significant enough for Paul to write about. Can you imagine a letter being read before the entire church naming you and your adversary? So public! Yet it seems like everyone knew about it anyways. 

            Notice how Paul approached the conflict. He did not take sides. He did not shame them or tell one or the other they were wrong. Paul calls on both women to agree in the Lord. The word “entreat” means to “urge” or “strongly encourage.” 

            “To agree in the Lord” recalls what Paul said earlier in this letter. He said, “…if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy be being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind,” (2:1-2). Paul essentially reminds them that they are both united to Christ, so whatever disagreement they had must be held up to the light of Christ and who they are in Christ. Their identity in him supersedes any disagreement. 

            Christ is the great reconciler! We should be reconciled to one another! You need to resolve your conflicts with the other! I don’t think Paul is asking us to agree on everything. But he is calling us to embrace a common vision and to remember that we are committed to the same Jesus. 

            I know from my own experience how hard it is to resolve conflict with someone who has hurt you. It can keep you up at night and worry its way into your brain so that it’s all you think about. I did a little study on resolving conflict that revealed some steps we can take to make peace:

1) Pray – Ask the Lord to give you courage and love to go and speak to the person you are at odds with.

2) Examine yourself – while you zero in on the speck in your neighbor’s eye, check to make sure you don’t have a log in your own eye (Matt. 7:3-5).

3) Take the initiative – Jesus calls us to be peacemakers and not to wait for others to apologize. Matthew 18:15 tells us to go and talk to our brother or sister and work out our issues.

4) Speak the truth IN LOVE – I have heard this said many times, speak in terms of “I” versus “you.” It helps to say, “I feel hurt…” rather than “You hurt me…” because one speaks of personal feelings and the other is accusatory and condemns. It may simply be a misunderstanding. (Eph. 4:15)

5) Listen – There is another side to this story; there always is. James tells us to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to become angry (Js. 1:19).  

6) Forgive freely – this is the most powerful step in the process of resolving conflict. How can we argue with Paul’s teaching, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you,” (Eph. 4:32). This will glorify God since by demonstrating God’s grace and reconciling power you are reflecting his posture to us. 

            

3. Remember what’s at stake (4:3)

 

Let’s insert an eternal perspective to this process of conflict resolution in the church. Paul mentions that a motivating factor in making peace in the church is that these women and the people he is writing to in Philippi are all written in the book of life. 

            That perspective helps us to remember that your relationship with the other person and with God is more important than the issue that has caused this conflict. And it goes against the purpose and identity of the church to confess unity in heaven and practice disunity on earth. 

            In Christ’s church we have something that binds us together far beyond a constitution or a set of shared goals. We are bound together by the grace of God we have found in Jesus Christ. Literally bound together – like a book – like a book of life. Each of us is a page in a bound book. What binds us together is far greater than what could possibly pull us apart. 

            This is worth remembering. When we find ourselves in conflict with another follower of Jesus and we get angry or frustrated with that person – stop! Your name, beloved, is written in the Lamb’s book of life. No one can take that away. The person you are wrestling with, who has demeaned you, who has caused you to feel small – cannot take away your name in that book. But remember too that the name of this person sits on another page of the same book and will be with you in eternity. 

            When you cannot agree on _______, why not find in Christ what you do agree on and find that it far outweighs what you disagree about? When we disagree and fall into bitterness, we are saying to Jesus, “You don’t matter in this.” But if we seek peace and pursue reconciliation for his sake, we are saying to Jesus, “You matter more than anything.” And I think that’s really what we want to say, isn’t it? 

 

In the beginning, we talked of a bridge that began to wobble because of foot-traffic. It was a good bridge but because of walking in the same spot over and over again, it became unbalanced. When we keep returning to our hurt and rehearsing our bitterness in the church – and this refers to your personal wounds as well – we become unbalanced. 

            Paul didn’t tell the Philippians to stop walking on the bridge.

            Paul didn’t tell Euodia and Syntyche to leave the bridge. 

            Paul didn’t ignore the imbalance in the bridge either. 

            But he does invite them back into balance – to remember to “agree in the Lord.” Remember who we belong to and that we are all “in Christ.” 

            Paul calls us to stand firm in this agreement. That is the only way to present a shared witness of the reconciling power of Jesus Christ to the world. 

            How shall we practice this truth? I want to challenge you to think on this…

If there is someone in the church you’ve been out of step with – someone you are avoiding – someone whose name tightens your chest – someone you have written off….

            Don’t ignore it!

            Decide that Christ matters more than being right, more than being comfortable, more than nurturing bitterness. 

            Reconciliation begins with a conversation, with prayer – and sometimes with asking for help. Just as Paul counseled, sometimes we have to find a “true companion” who will mediate. 

            If the Holy Spirit is bringing a name to mind, don’t push it away. Ask God for the courage to take one step towards restoring the balance on this bridge – the church. We may not fix everything today, but you can take a step in that direction, towards standing firm in Jesus. 

            This church is worth the cost of healing. We are Christ’s joy and crown. Our unity in Christ is worth protecting and it brings him glory. Let’s stand firm together in 2026.

 

                                                AMEN

 

 

The Weary World Rejoices (Advent Sunday #3)

THE WEARY WORLD REJOICES

 

In 2017, Sharon and I, along with another couple, traveled through the Dos Cabezas Wilderness in Arizona. Our destination was the stronghold of the Apache leader, Cochise, in the Chiricahua Mountains. The road was long and lonely and seemingly endless. It was a dry, uninhabitable and desolate place.

            Upon reflection, camping in this wilderness would have been unsettling. Coyotes, roadrunners, cougars, and rattlesnakes were all around. We were far from any settlements. Sharon would have been nervous.

            Someone once said that the whole purpose of camping is to make a person long for home. Paul Tripp added, “Our world isn’t a very good amusement park. No, it’s a broken place groaning for redemption. “Here” is meant to make us long for forever. “Here” is meant to prepare us for eternity.” 

            The year 2017 marked the beginning of a wilderness experience for me personally. My wilderness journey was one of questions, rethinking my ministry calling, wondering where I had gone wrong in pastoring, wondering if I could hear God again. I had no idea what my future would be. (This particular wilderness experience lasted four years)

            Anyone who follows Jesus will ultimately discover they are in a “wilderness experience” at times in their journey. What is a wilderness experience? Why does it happen to those who are faithful to God and who try to please God with their lives? 

            The Bible is full of stories of the wilderness and how it shaped the people involved. Following the Red Sea crossing, the Israelites entered into the wilderness and discovered many challenges and tests regarding their relationship with Yahweh. They ended up wandering for 40 years in the wilderness. David was forced into the wilderness by a jealous King Saul who wanted to kill him. And Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to enter into the wilderness where he was tempted for 40 days by Satan. The first word in Isaiah 35 is “wilderness” and it brings to mind all of these experiences.

            No believer can avoid the wilderness experience – it is an experience we must all go through as followers of Jesus. It can take the form of depression, a crisis of faith, a traumatic life event – it is not one thing but takes many forms. It is not a fun time or one that you crave. Being in the wilderness is lonely and filled with doubt. You feel deserted by God. You feel spiritually dry and long for God to “say something.” 

            “Why? Why am I going through this wilderness experience?” you may ask. Because it is only in the wilderness that God can speak to you. In Hebrew, the word for “desert” means “a place of listening.” It is in the wilderness that God takes and refines you and teaches you to be dependent upon him. It is here that you shed false identities, where your pride and self-sufficiency are stripped away to reveal your true self. 

            The cause may be sin, as it was with Israel in Isaiah’s prophecy (ch. 34). Other times it is not punishment but a testing, a challenging of your beliefs and a preparation for a deeper purpose, a fuller spirit. 

            That’s where Isaiah begins this vision in ch. 35. He exuberantly describes the transformation of the wilderness from a dry and thirsty place to a green garden, “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing.” (1). The themes are growth, blossoming, joy and singing. What does that sound like? Exodus terms – it sounds like deliverance; it sounds like coming out of the wilderness into the Promised Land.

            That’s the secret of the wilderness experience; it has a purpose; testing comes before resting. If you can endure the spiritual desolation of the desert, the loneliness and the lying thoughts that tell you, “You are abandoned,” there will be a time of restoration. 

            In verses 2b-4, we see barrenness transformed into new, lush, and luxuriant life. Isaiah refers to Lebanon, Carmel, and Sharon – these images mean nothing to us – but they were regions of fertility, ordered cultivation, and attractiveness. Water, a symbol of life-giving refreshment and the Holy Spirit, returns to these parched lands and revives them. This is imagery, so you have to remember that it symbolizes a deeper reality. For those of us who have suffered physically or psychologically or socially, a renewal of your inner being is promised.

            But look at the wording Isaiah uses to speak to those with fearful hearts, with anxiety about the future. He says, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Vengeance? Recompense? On whom?

            These words are typically negative in English. They carry the meaning of retributive violence, but Isaiah means something else by using “vengeance” and “recompense.” If you have been in a period of testing, God’s vengeance is nothing other than setting things right. I imagined this as a dislocated shoulder that required a violent snap to put it in its rightful place. It’s really weird to think of God’s vengeance this way, but Walter Brueggemann says, “God’s recompense is received as transformative compassion.” 

            I take that to mean that God’s mercy is so aggressive and so powerful it changes everything. He is so eager to pardon you. He is eager to set things right. He wants to take revenge on everything that hurts us and compensate our pain with spiritual transformation.

            I think we have become so comfortable with our world being out of joint (separated shoulder; we’ve learned to live with it) that we think greed, violence, oppression, and suffering are normal. We have no idea what it feels like to have our world set right. 

            When we are undergoing a wilderness experience, there is another element at work. The devil comes alongside and tells you that life is unfair and this is all you get. His goal is to make you doubt that God will ever restore you and deliver you from the wreckage of life. In the same way he did with Jesus in the wilderness, the devil will show you all kinds of things that will appear to be good, attractive, wonderful. He shows them to you as a tonic for your pain. He tells you they will fill the void of your heart, what you long for. Satan’s strategy is to get us to disobey God, to interrupt our relationship with Jesus, and to steal our hope and blessing. It is in this struggle that we will be tempted to give up and doubt the integrity of God’s Word. 

            So, who does God take vengeance on? On whom will his recompense be felt? The devil for making you doubt. And those who had the power to change our world but were too comfortable and apathetic about the suffering of others. God will come and save you with a terrible vengeance mixed with a powerful mercy.

            Imagine a dungeon so deep that is impossible to see the light of day. A man who had passionately preached about the coming of Messiah was arrested and thrown into the deepest hole. He preached about the One who would set things right and establish God’s kingdom. This man had boldly called sin what it is: SIN! He exposed the wickedness of the wrong man and got thrown in prison. He did the right thing and now he was suffering. 

            We see John sitting in a prison without windows wondering if he was right about Jesus. He heard about what Jesus was doing and asked someone to pose a question to Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we seek another?”This is the question of a man in a spiritual wilderness. Ironically, he was the man who came preaching in the wilderness with a message of promise and hope. Now he needs hope himself. It’s encouraging to know that even spiritual giants have questions. 

            Look at how Jesus answers, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me,” (Matt. 11:4-6). 

            Does that sound familiar? Jesus is not quoting Isaiah 35, but his work reflects the promise of Isaiah’s vision. Tim Keller said that we view miracles as the suspension of the natural order, but Jesus meant them to be the restoration of the natural order. This world was not supposed to consist of disease, hunger, and death. Jesus has come to redeem this world and to heal the world where it is broken. His miracles are evidence of his power and his kingdom but also a sampling of what he is going to do when he comes again. This is a promise, and the weary world is waiting for it. You and I are waiting for it.

            The wait, this season of advent, can be overwhelming. Living in the wilderness is not easy. While we groan in expectation, we are assaulted by questions and doubts. If God loves me, why is this happening to me? I remember someone saying, “Why not you?” On the one hand, who better to wrestle with life’s pains and problems than a follower of Jesus? Someone God has equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit to face life’s toughest challenges. On the other hand, what a privilege it is to be chosen by Jesus to follow him into the wilderness and to learn to love him more. You get to witness the amazing transformation of your wilderness into a garden of joy. You get to witness a miracle.

            One of the miracles of the wilderness is the revelation that God loves you unconditionally. Like Job in his misery, you can ask all the questions of God that you want, you can get angry with him, you can blame him for your pain, and so on. But one thing will never change: the promise of his love. “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Rom. 8:38-39).

            Another miracle is how God provides for us in the wilderness. He gives us his “manna.” If in the desert we ask our questions and we search and search for answers, something will begin to happen in our spirits. God begins to reveal himself to us. He gives us his Word to feed on. And the more we feed on his Word, the more we know him; the more we know him, the more our longings are satisfied in him.

            Then you have discovered the highway to God’s presence (8-10). The Way of Holiness. I love how it says that even fools will not get lost on this highway. There will be nothing on this highway that will harm you, no ravenous beast, no lion to frighten you. (Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life – that highway!!)

            “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away,” (10).

            Ray Ortlund wrote, “All our lives we’ve just wanted to be happy. But all our lives something has always spoiled it. God is saying, ‘Trust me enough to follow me, and I will bring you home with singing. I will overwhelm you with a joy unbroken and unbreakable, and your sorrow and sighing will run for it!” 

            A man from RFC’s past emailed us this week and asked to be taken off the membership list. He was baptized a long time ago. He explained that he had parted company from Evangelical cliches of just “trusting God.” This has bred cynicism in him as he said life is more complicated than these cliches have declared.   

            This man is in his wilderness experience. You may be in your own wilderness and searching for the joy you lost or never had. Wait upon the LORD. Trust him in this: the whole time Israel wandered in the wilderness, God never left them. The whole time Jesus was in his wilderness, the Holy Spirit guided him. 

            James says, “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand,” (5:7-8).

            He will turn your wilderness into a garden; he will turn your sorrow into joy. If it is cliché to say “trust him” then I will tell you from experience, from my own wildernesses, I have known the joy of knowing God better. Trust him. Rejoice in him. Immanuel. He is with us!

 

                                                            AMEN

            

 

Blessed be your name
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be your name
(lyrics by Matt Redman)