Have you ever been hurt by someone?

So hurt that the pain has stuck with you and makes it hard to get through the day without dwelling on it?

They lied to you. They lashed out at you.
They betrayed you. They abused you.

Emotionally. Mentally. Physically. Spiritually. Wherever the pain resides, one thing is true: it hurts.

Oftentimes, pain is deafening.

It can be so loud that it is all you hear, all you see, and all you feel.

Surely, there are times when the pain subsides, even for a few moments, a few days, or a few weeks.

And that can make things even more difficult because the result is you feel like you’re on a roller coaster. Down… up… down… down… up… up… throw in a corkscrew and loopty loop… down… up…

“How are you doing?” someone asks.

Your mind searches your heart. Hey, heart. How are you doing? Can you tell me? And please, when you answer, do me a favor, and speak to me in English. Last time I tried talking to you, I didn’t understand you. It’s like you’re speaking a different language. Make it plain, please. Make it simple. Ugh. Here we go again. I don’t know what you’re saying. I just don’t know.

Snap back. They’re waiting for you to answer.

Can you be honest? Or do you just go with the simple, totally untrue telling of a word that has become a normal defense mechanism for these common interactions?

“Pretty good,” you respond.

And as those words leave your mouth, your heart shrinks back, knowing that you just lied to this person in front of you.

Because, let’s face it, you aren’t doing pretty good, but it’s easier to say that than it is to step into the ambiguous wilderness of saying, “I don’t know.”

Pain. When a person is on the other side of it, it can be easy to fantasize at getting back at them.

You scheme. You converse. With no one but an imaginary version of the person who is responsible for your pain.

But now, with every step back into the anger fantasy, you’re doing one-two combos at yourself. Left jab, right straight. Left jab, right straight. Directly on the chin of your heart.

It’s just a way to deal with the pain. To grab for control. Even if it is make-believe.

Pain isn’t fun.

But how we respond to it makes all the difference. Jesus’ half-brother, James spends a good deal talking about pain and suffering in his letter to Christ followers scattered across the Roman world.

He even speaks on their behalf and shouts down some rich land owners who were taking advantage of these impoverished Saints (see James 5:1-6). His declaration of judgment on these oppressors puts this truth on full display for anyone and everyone to see:

No wrong will go unpunished.

For the oppressed, the person full of pain, this is a truth to rest in.

Justice will roll down from the mountaintop and fill the valley.

For the oppressor, the person who has hurt another, this is a truth that demands repentance.

No wrong will go unpunished.

The playing field has been leveled. The oppressor will get theirs. The oppressed will be relieved of their suffering.

And at the same time, the idea that no wrong will go unpunished is a little hard to take. Because you’re probably like me. Not just a pain-receiver but also a pain-distributor.

You’ve wronged. I’ve wronged. Let’s make it plain, we’ll call it what it is: sin.

And so here it is again. No wrong will go unpunished.

Every one of your sins will be punished.

But the question is this: will this punishment be paid on your back or Jesus’ back?

The King of the Universe—Jesus Christ—declares that He’ll willingly take your sin and place it on His back, paying the infinite price to have your sin be paid for so that you can be ransomed.

What does He require from you? Surrender.

For those who have been hurt by someone, rest in the fact that no wrong will go unpunished.

For those who have hurt someone, repent and turn back to God because no wrong will go unpunished.

Rest or repent.

Or maybe… for you… for me… it’s both.

Want more?

I’d love to go on this journey of following Jesus with you and help you grow your faith and increase your impact. So let’s be email friends. I’d love to send you a copy of my two free eBooks: Bible Hacks: Understanding the New Testament and Do Something: Cultural Crises and the Gospel. And I’d love to give you my free daily devotional: Journey to Knowing God. You’ll get all this (and updates with new content) when you subscribe to the blog.

The post Have You Ever Been Hurt By Someone? appeared first on Brandon Kelley.

My mind has gone around and around since seeing what took place on January 6, 2021 at Capitol Hill.

My heart hurts. Solomon said that “there’s a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Eccl. 3). This is not a time to celebrate or cheer. This is a time to weep, a time to mourn.

As a citizen, I’m embarrassed.

As a Christ follower, I’m appalled.

But those words don’t quite cut it. I can’t help but think of the issues and problems underneath the actions.

We have an idolatry problem in this country. The idol? Politics and for some today, a President. When a people’s hope is most realized in a person or a group of people, that hope will be like pouring water into a bottomless bucket. It’s empty. And not only is it empty, it leaves the ones holding the bucket frantic and panicked.

And one of the more unfortunate things about our time today is that this isn’t just a problem “in the culture,” this is a problem in the church. In some cases, to an alarming degree.

“The left” calls itself Christian Progressives. Scriptural teachings on sexual ethics are dismissed, abortion is celebrated, and the Bible is picked apart and which truths to adopt and believe from it are judged by the preferences of the people reading it. They co-opt Jesus to fit their political persuasion.

“The right” doesn’t really call itself anything, but there is a name for it – Christian Nationalists. God bless America is the rally cry. The Republican Party is God’s greatest hope. The church needs the government to protect her. All prophecies in Scripture point to our current events within the borders of this country. They co-opt Jesus to fit their political persuasion.

Be on guard. Politicians and political parties want to leverage your fears for their own ends. They will use rhetoric as a weapon, and make no mistake, it is one. Many others do this as well. And over the years, I’ve learned this the hard way.

This is a time for us to all ask God to search us, to know us, to know our anxious thoughts, and to see if there is an offensive way in us.

Allow me to say it bluntly: this is a time for true self-reflection and repentance.

If you have placed your hope in our President, it’s not too late to shift that hope to King Jesus.

If you have placed your hope in your own ideas and your own standard of truth and morality, it’s not too late to shift that hope to the Jesus who died for you.

If you have placed your hope in this country, it’s not too late to shift that hope to the everlasting Lord.

If you have placed your hope in this culture’s shifting ethics, it’s not too late to shift that hope to the sure and steady shoulders of Jesus.

If you have placed your hope in an election, it’s not too late to shift that hope to the One who needs no vote, for He sits on a throne.

If you follow Jesus, then please remember this and hear me clearly: you don’t get to co-opt Jesus to fit your preferences. HE is the KING.

He is the only One worthy of your worship.

His Kingdom goes beyond the geography of this country.

His blessing is bestowed upon you by grace through faith. And when you surrender to this King by faith, He calls you to do something radical – to pick up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Him (Luke 9:23).

That means you are called to obedience to His ethic. And it also means that you must begin recognizing that He should be in the driver seat of your political perspective.

If you follow Jesus, love your country. Be politically active, for in that sphere (as in other spheres of life), we can work to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).

But do so cautiously because politics can be a devious tool of the devil who wants to steal, kill, and destroy. Do so with an awareness that it is a vast platform for your heart to be wooed into idolatry.

My friends, may we be the Christ followers who refuse to worship the donkey or the elephant but, instead, worship the Lamb.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9

The post In Response to the Capitol Hill Riot appeared first on Brandon Kelley.

In week 4 of Life’s Big Questions, we consider the question of destiny. It’s the question we ponder we’re reminded of our own mortality. What question is that? Where am I headed after this life? Is there something after this life? What happens after I die?

Subscribe on iTunes

Subscribe on Stitcher

Over the last few weeks, we’ve dealt with some rather deep questions about life. Where did I come from? Why am I here? How should I live? But I would imagine that if we ranked these questions in terms of how heavy each of them are, they would likely all be ranked below the question we’re going to consider today: where am I headed after this life?

What happens when we die? Where do we go? Do we cease to exist? Is it the ultimate and personal the end on the last page of the story of our lives? 

Beliefs — Most Americans and Christians

According to a study that Pew Research conducted in 2014, 7 in 10 Americans believe in heaven as a place “where people who have led good lives are eternally rewarded.” 

That same study revealed that 58% of Americans believe in hell—a place “where people who have led bad lives and die without being sorry are eternally punished.”

Notice the difference between belief in heaven and hell? Even among self-professing Christians, more people believe in heaven than believe in hell. 

According to research done by the Barna Group, those who are born-again Christians who believe that their eternal destination after this life is heaven because of what Jesus has done also believe a number of other things about death, those who are dead, and the way to heaven. 

10% of born-again Christians believe that people are reincarnated after death.

29% of born-again Christians believe that they can communicate with those who are dead.

And most staggering of all, 50% of born-again Christians believe that a person can earn salvation upon doing good works. 

Beliefs—The Rest of Americans

And while most Americans believe in heaven and even more than half of Americans believe in hell, there are plenty of people out there who, if they were answering the question, where am I headed after this life?, they would have much different explanations.

Some people believe that life after death is a ceasing to exist all together. When your body fails to keep going, when your brain “powers down” everything that makes you you ceases to be. Death is the end. There is nothing else.

Others believe that life after death will consist of some kind of existence as a “state of mind” more than anything physical. 

Hindus and Buddhists believe in various doctrines of reincarnation with the goal for Hindus being to reach mokṣa which is a release from reincarnation and an experience of utter bliss and the goal for Buddhists is to reach Nirvana.

And many New Age belief systems combine a buffet line of different religious beliefs, kind of piece-mealing things together and this often includes some form of belief in reincarnation.

Many others, thought, aren’t sure what they believe about life after death. 

The Overarching Belief in Our Culture Today

Nonetheless, the quickest growing belief in our culture today that is pervading the minds of young people and old people alike is that all paths lead to God. 

That as long as you’re a good person, it doesn’t matter what religion you believe in, it doesn’t matter really, we’re all headed to the same place. 

The really bad people? Those people might be sent to hell. 

But at the end of the day, if you’re a halfway decent human being, you’re headed to heaven.

But is this belief valid? Is it true? Does it have any ground to stand on?

Here’s the interesting thing to me…Vince Vitale puts it best:

“‘All paths lead to God’ is a tempting sentence. It has a certain positivity to it. But in actuality only Christianity even claims to lead to God.”

Islam doesn’t claim it. Modern-day Judaism doesn’t claim it. The Eastern religions? They don’t claim it. 

So what gives? Why do we believe that there is a heaven and that there is a hell?

Why do we desire to live beyond this life? Why does death feel so weird and misplaced? Why does it feel like it wasn’t meant to be this way?

It’s because it wasn’t supposed to be this way.

Isaiah 59:1-2 — Sin and Separation

Indeed, the Lord’s arm is not too weak to save,
and his ear is not too deaf to hear.
² But your iniquities are separating you
from your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not listen.

With God to Separated From God // Heaven and Earth Together to Separated

Let’s go back in time a bit to the beginning. 

Where did I come from? Remember, I told you that our first question will impact all the rest. 

In the opening chapter of Genesis, it tells us that God created man in His image and in Genesis 2, it shows us a beautiful picture of God dwelling in the same place as Adam and Eve. In a real way, heaven and earth were together. These two different realms were one. They were together. God was with man and man was with God.

But Genesis 3 shows us that sin separated man from God because man missed the mark of living out the image of God. Man was removed from the Garden of Eden, the Temple where man and God were together. 

And let me propose something:

What if what we see in Genesis 1 and 2 is what things were supposed to be like? Heaven and earth together. God and man together. No sin. No death. No separation.

This would explain why we’re not satisfied with how things are. This would explain why we yearn to know God. This would explain why our desires go beyond what can satisfy in this world. This would explain why human beings, from that point and on, have been on a quest to experience transcendence. 

It’s because we were made to live with our Creator. 

Genesis -> Exodus -> Temple -> Incarnation -> Holy Spirit -> ???

The thrust of Scripture shows us time and time again that God continues to pursue us and seeks to bring heaven down.

The garden of Eden, God came to earth to be with Adam and Eve.

When the Israelites were rescued from being slaves in Egypt and began their exodus in the wilderness, God told them to build a Tabernacle. And what happened there? God was present with them in the Tabernacle and through the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire. In the holy of holies, heaven met earth. 

When King David came into power, he desired to build a house for God. Eventually his son, Solomon built it and it was called a Temple. And what happened there? God was present in the Temple. In the holy of holies, heaven met earth. 

Then what do we see? The word was with God and the word was God. And the word became flesh and tabernacled (dwelt) among us. In Jesus, heaven met earth. God stooped down to earth. God became man. And at His death? The veil that surrounded the holy of holies was torn from top to bottom. 

Then what happened after that? We talked about this a lot last week. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in His church. The Temple went from a garden to a tent to a building to a people. In the holy of holies, the church, you and me, heaven has met earth once again.

So what is next? 

What if I told you that your understanding of heaven might be vastly wrong? What if I told you that the truth about what is to come after this life is far better than what you have believed up to this point?

Let’s look at it.

Revelation 21:1-7 — Heaven Comes to Earth Again

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

³ Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.

⁵ Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” ⁶ Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life. ⁷ The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.

In the End, God Will Undo What Was Done in the Beginning

Doesn’t this sound familiar? It should. Because God is undoing what was done in Genesis 3. He’s extending into eternity what was meant to be when He created all things. 

God will, once again, bring heaven down. 

A new heaven. A new earth. He is making everything new. 

In fact, if you take the time to do a wonderfully beautiful Bible study, read Genesis 1-2 and then read Revelation 21-22. 

Where am I headed after this life? Well, through Jesus, we will enjoy the reality of a new earth with God dwelling with His people of which we will be a part. Instead of experiencing evil, sin, and death, we’ll experience Him, the source of all things that are good. We’ll be His children. 

Stairway to Heaven — Escalator Coming Down

This corrects so many of our wrong beliefs about what “heaven” will be like. 

I believe that most American’s concept of the after life is more shaped by Led Zeppelin than it is Scripture. 

What do I mean?

Well, there isn’t a stairway to heaven. But there is an escalator and it’s coming down toward us because heaven is coming down.

That’s right. Once again. God is bringing heaven to earth. This time it’s a new earth, but it will be earth nonetheless. 

Not Floating on Clouds

We won’t be floating on clouds playing harps. 

We won’t be simply existing in some transcendent state of mind. 

Our bodies will be raised, we will be given new bodies, and we will fully exist as new creations in God’s new creation with Him as He dwells with us and we dwell with Him.

Revelation 21:8 — This isn’t for everyone

Unfortunately, this beautiful place of no more death, no more tears, no more pain, and no more grief is not for everyone.

⁸ But the cowards, faithless, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Verse 7 says those who will inherit the new heavens and new earth are those who conquer. And how do we conquer?

Through Christ, we are more than conquerors. It is only through Jesus. 

So for those who are still in their sin and not covered by the blood of Jesus, there is a different destination. It’s one that doesn’t sound pleasant in any way shape or form.

And the unfortunate thing is that this isn’t only a place for the really bad people. It’s a place for all sinners. Because when we understand the depth of even the smallest sin, the lake that burns with fire and sulfur is what we deserve.

We don’t deserve new heavens and new earth. We don’t deserve to be made new. But because of God’s grace, all people have an opportunity to receive eternal life. But not all receive it.

And Scripture is clear: the world will be judged.

Acts 17:30-31 — God commands all people everywhere to repent

Interestingly enough, Paul said these words when he was speaking to pagans who had no foundation for the God of the Jews.

³⁰ “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

Sometimes in our efforts to be relationally driven in our witness, we never share the hard truth of what God is commanding of us. 

Those who repent and surrender to Jesus will enjoy eternal life with God. Those who don’t?

Scripture describes a graphic reality:

2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 — Eternal Destruction

⁵ It is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also are suffering, ⁶ since it is just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you ⁷ and to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us. This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels, ⁸ when he takes vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord’s presence and from his glorious strength ¹⁰ on that day when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at by all those who have believed, because our testimony among you was believed.

This isn’t a fun thing to talk about. It’s not a fun thing to preach. But the bad news of what we deserve without Jesus makes the good news of what’s in front of us through Jesus all the more beautiful. 

Make no mistake: our rebellion and our running away from God, our fighting against God and our denial of God has a penalty that none of us will escape on our own. 

That penalty is eternal destruction. It’s described as a lake burning with fire and sulfur. It’s described as a place with the gnashing of teeth, suffering, and punishment. It’s a place described as the second death. 

Those who deny God here will get their goal for eternity—separation from Him. Separation from light. Separation from goodness. Separation from life. Separation from love. Separation from joy. Separation from hope.

Jesus Describes a Scene of Judgement — Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus, the king, will return. Angels will be with him. And he will take a seat on his throne. All people will be gathered before him. And everyone of us will be taken to the left or the right. 

Some will be taken to his right and some to his left. 

Then Jesus, the King of kings, will tell those on his right to come to Him for they are blessed by His Father and they get to inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for them from the foundation of the world, the new earth.

The reason being because they fed Jesus when He was hungry, they gave Him something to drink when He was thirsty, they took Him in when He was a stranger, they clothed Him when He was naked, they took care of Him when He was sick. And those people who are being welcomed into the kingdom ask Jesus, when did we ever do that for you? When did we see you and do that for you. And in response, the King says that whenever they did those things for the least of his brothers and sisters, they did it for them. 

What does He mean by that? There’s a beautiful reality that happens when we are rescued by God through Jesus. Scripture uses this wording all throughout the New Testament saying that we are “in Christ.” And since the church is the family of God and the body of Christ, when we serve our brothers and sisters, we are serving Jesus. More on that in our next series.

But then there is a group of people on the left of the King. And instead of saying come to me, He says to them, depart from me, you are cursed, and go into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 

Why? Because I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was a stranger, I was naked, I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t do anything to help me. 

And they will be surprised. Because in their eyes, they never saw Jesus in need. They never thought that the serving the least of these was serving Jesus. 

And Jesus says that those on His left will go away into eternal punishment and the righteous will go into eternal life.

Implications — Faith Works, Selfishness Destroys

What we see here is Jesus judging the world. We see that without Him, selfishness will rein. But with Him, we will be changed and will become people who live by the fruit of the Spirit. We will be people who serve those in need. Why? Because God has given us a new heart. As He has loved us, we love others.

But opposed to the love of Christ is selfishness. And it destroys. It is like pulling the pin of a grenade and letting that explosive fall to the ground at our feet without moving away. It doesn’t end well.

Bring it All Together — Where am I headed after this life?

So… Where am I headed after this life?

There seems to be two options: with God or without Him. Eternal life or eternal punishment. 

God, from the beginning of humanity’s existence, has shown us time and time again His intention to dwell with us. He showed us in the garden, in the tabernacle, in the temple, in the coming of Jesus, in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and He will show us once again, in the end, when all things are made new, and out of heaven comes a new city on a new earth where God will dwell with His family, His people, the church. No longer will we be separated in any way from our Father. We will be with Him.

There isn’t a stairway to heaven. But there is an escalator and it’s coming down toward us because heaven is coming down.

But for those who rebel against Him, who ignore Him, who fight Him, who rage against Him, who sin against Him (even a little), their path is a place known as hell. What will it be like? We don’t know for sure. We have pictures, though. A lake of fire, sulfur, eternal punishment, the second death, and separation from God. Separation from light. Separation from goodness. Separation from life. Separation from love. Separation from joy. Separation from hope.

And because of our sin, hell is what we all deserve. But because God loved us so much, He gave His one and only Son so that we wouldn’t perish, but have eternal life. 

How to respond to God’s Grace

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. While we were lost, He came and found us. While we were sick, He came as the Great Physician. And He has remained patient with us. 

Today is an opportunity to respond to God’s grace. Today is an opportunity to surrender to the King of kings. Today is an opportunity to draw near to the God who desires to be with you. But sin has separated you from Him. But the good news is that Jesus was victorious over sin and death. And He has given us a gift—salvation in His name. But we must receive that gift.

And all throughout the New Testament, we are told how we should respond to God’s grace. 

We are to surrender to Him in faith and trust. We confess our sins to Him because we see that we’ve rebelled against Him. And we turn away from the path we’ve been going down. We turn our attention to Him and let Him take over our lives. And then we take part in a powerful act of submission where we are baptized into Him. We go down into the water, immersed in it and this signifies Jesus’ death and in so doing, we are joining Him in His death. Then we are brought out of the water and joined with Him in His resurrection. 

The apostle Paul, a man who did all kinds of things wrong in his life—he persecuted Christians, taking part in arrests, beatings, and murders of Christians  was confronted by Jesus as someone who was persecuting HIM—was given a chance to respond to God’s grace and after it was made clear to him who Jesus was, a man named Ananias asked him:

“And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” — Acts 22:16 (CSB)

And so I extend that same question to you. Why are you delaying? What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name. Because it is only at the name of Jesus that you can be saved.

Where am I headed after this life? Jesus has made a way for you to be with Him. 

The post Life’s Big Questions: Where am I headed after this life? appeared first on Brandon Kelley.

In week 3 of Life’s Big Questions, we consider the question of morality. It’s the question we ponder when we’re faced with a difficult decision or we’re in a tough situation. What question is that? How should I live? What is right and wrong? How can I live a good life?

Subscribe on iTunes

Subscribe on Stitcher

Taking Sides

Happy Mother’s Day moms. Today, we’re continuing on in our series, Life’s Big Questions. Throughout the last couple weeks, we’ve been considering a couple of life’s biggest questions. Those questions that we ask when we are deep in thought. Those questions that we are beckoned to ask when we are outside on a clear night, staring at the stars. Those questions that we ask when we are reminded of our mortality.

We started out by asking the question where did I come from? And then last week we asked the question why am I here? So we’ve covered the big questions of origin and meaning so if you weren’t with us in the last couple weeks, you can go to fccfamily.com and catch up by clicking the sermons tab. 

Messages are also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube so you can connect with it in those places as well. 

But today, we’re asking the question, how should I live? Which is really the question of morality. 

And moms, you know this to be true: a big part of our kid’s journey of morality is dictated by who they choose to surround themselves with. We were all in school at one time. At recess, in gym class, in class projects, we would take sides. We would choose to go with this crowd or that crowd. And depending on what side we take would depend on the kind of behavior we would engage in.

Taking sides. It’s an important thing.

Examples of Taking Sides

For instance, with today being Mother’s Day, I know that we could have some fun. Moms, what would you rather receive for Mother’s Day? Flowers or chocolate?

Well moms, you’re welcome because I don’t want you to have to choose. When you walk out of the sanctuary today, you get to have both. And the moms said, amen!

But let’s include everyone on this taking sides thing.

You have to choose, okay?

Coke or Pepsi?

Dogs or cats?

iPhone or Android?

Morning person or night owl?

Phone call or text?

Cake or pie?

Big party or small gathering?

What’s worse: laundry or dishes?

Couch or recliner?

You get some extra money: save it or spend it?

How should I live? Comes down to taking sides…

As you can see, taking sides impacts how you live.

But what if I told you that this truth goes far beyond a fun list of this or that? What if this principle of taking sides was the key to living the way God wants you to live? 

Let’s look at what God’s word has to say.

Introduce Galatians

If you have a Bible, go ahead and turn to the book of Galatians, chapter 5. 

The book of Galatians is a letter that the apostle Paul wrote to Christians living in the region of Asia Minor or modern-day Turkey. These Christians had become susceptible to a group of people called the Judaizers. This was a group of people that in answering the question how should I live? taught that in order to live a faithful life to God, Christians had to observe the Mosaic Law. Which essentially meant that non-Jews had to become Jews before they could follow Jesus. 

But Paul combats that idea very strongly, in fact, I’d encourage you to read the entire book of Galatians in one sitting later today or this week. It’s not a long book and it will be eye opening to see just how quickly people can try to replace Jesus with Jesus and something else. 

Here’s the challenge for us today. In discussing the question how should I live? we can easily jump to the idea that us being favored by God, us being saved by God, us being rescued by God may initially be through God’s grace through Jesus but then our ongoing status of remaining in His grace is through us keeping up with religious rule keeping. 

In other words, we can easily go from believing in amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me to I better be perfect or else. 

And that’s what a group of people were trying to convince these Christians in Galatia of. 

And all of us are susceptible to it. Because many of us want control. And keeping religious rituals and rules is something we can get immediate feedback on. Not to mention that’s how many of us were raised: do good, you’ll get a reward; do bad, you’ll get punished. 

But the crazy thing about God’s grace is that the only One who actually did do good, He got punished and those who are bad? They were the ones who get the reward.

So let’s dive in.

Galatians 5:13-15

¹³ For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. ¹⁴ For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.

Jesus Changes Us — Makes Us Free — Gives Us Ability to Love

Here’s what Jesus does: He changes us, makes us free, and gives us the ability to love.

The Bible says, “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” and “for freedom Christ has set us free.” 

In other words, without Jesus, we are in bondage to sin and death. Without Jesus interceding on our behalf and rescuing us, we are under the rule and rein of sin and death. We are in shackles to sin. We will not escape death. We will not be victorious over the things that plague us. We will continue to be broken.

But what Jesus did on the cross is He took all of our sin and put it on Himself. He paid for that sin by living a perfect life and being the perfect, eternal, infinite sacrifice to pay the infinite, eternal penalty of sin. And when He rose from the dead on the third day, He defeated death so that now, through Jesus, we enjoy a relationship with God as if we had never sinned. We are set free from the bondage of sin. It no longer reins over us. It still will hinder us because we are still on this sin-stained world, but God also gave us a gift—a gift of freedom—His Spirit. And because of that, we have the ability to love. We have the ability to, out of freedom, to choose God, to choose to walk in His ways. How? In Jesus Christ the power of the Holy Spirit. 

The whole law is fulfilled in one statement—to love your neighbor as yourself. And we CAN do that now because Jesus did it and the Holy Spirit now lives in us compelling us and leading us toward living the life of Jesus.

I: Eats, Sleeps, Breathes, Bleeds — Sport/Love

For those of you who are football fans, you know the name Tom Brady. And for most of us, because we’re not Patriots fans, and especially if you’re Colts fans, you don’t like Tom Brady. 

In fact, when Jesus says to love your enemy, some of you may picture Tom Brady. 

But regardless of if you like him or not (and let’s be honest, the reason those of you who don’t like him don’t like him is because he’s really, really good), he is someone who eats, sleeps, breathes, and bleeds football. 

There was a documentary done on him and it outlined just how dedicated he is to the game of football. 

And I remember watching one of the episodes that talked about his offseason routine. He takes football so seriously that he has used his resources to surround himself with people who will optimize his body in every way to be able to continue to perform at the top of the sport even while he is aging. He continues to break records. He is the oldest player to win a Super Bowl MVP (39) and the Regular Season MVP (40). And even though he is 41, he continues to be one of the best in the business.

Why? Because for him, football is life. 

Can you imagine if we were people who, when others looked at us, they would say wow, they just seem to eat, sleep, breathe, and bleed the love of Jesus?

I think that’s what Scripture repeatedly shows us. 

That because we have been changed by God, because we have been given a new heart, because we are people who get to walk with God, we get to be people who elevate love above everything else.

How should I live? It begins and ends with living the love of Jesus.

Galatians 5:16-18

¹⁶ I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

I: Taking sides — Piper

Taking sides impacts how you live. 

Parents, we see this with our kids all the time, don’t we?

Moms, you know this story line well. Your kids start doing something they shouldn’t do after you’ve told them not to time and time again, you repeat to them what is best for them, and they keep doing what they’re not supposed to do, and then they end up hurting themselves. 

This happened in very apparent ways this week with my daughter, Piper.

She is a vivacious little girl. She is full of energy and she often uses that energy to jump around, dance, and act silly. But sometimes that comes back to bite her.

The first time this week was on Tuesday. We’re sitting at the dinner table, enjoying our meal. And then Piper stands up on her chair and starts dancing. I tell her to sit down and eat because (a) we’re eating dinner and (b) she could fall and hurt herself. No more than two seconds later, I look at one of the boys who I was helping feed and then I hear a loud thud followed by a terror-filled, pain-filled cry. 

That girl kept dancing and fell off the chair and hit her head on the floor as she fell.

Then, not to be outdone by herself, on Wednesday night, I was in the kitchen after I got home from the office and she was acting silly and hanging on the oven door handle. Sara and I have warned her many times that that’s not a good idea and we don’t want her doing it. Well, this particular time, she decided to get a little more air under her feet and as she hung on to the oven door handle, the door opened and she smacked her head on the floor again. Same cry. Same pain.

In every moment, our kids have an opportunity to take our side and listen or to take their own side and do what they want to do. And oftentimes, it doesn’t end very well because they take their own side. 

But we see that in ourselves too…

But the thing is, we don’t just see that dynamic at work in our kids, do we? How many of us see that dynamic at work in ourselves?

I certainly do. And what Scripture is saying is that there is a decision we get to make every moment of every day. We will either walk by the Spirit or we will walk by the flesh.

What the Holy Spirit Does

And when we walk by the Holy Spirit, we get to enjoy the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives and through our lives.

When we walk by the Spirit, He magnifies Jesus to us. He leads us in walking in the way of Jesus. He gives us strength to fight against sin and to choose to walk in the good things God has prepared for us to do. He is our advocate, bringing our deepest longings and desires to the throne room of God. He leads us to love difficult people.

When we take the side of the Holy Spirit, we live out the life of Jesus. 

And again: How should I live? It begins and ends with living the love of Jesus.

Galatians 5:19-26

As we read this, I want you to pay attention to the way the things of the flesh contrast the fruit of the Spirit. 

The fruit of the Spirit is what the Spirit is going to grow in us as we allow our hearts to remain tilled and ready to receive God’s leading. 

But again, we have a battle raging inside of us and around us to take the side of our flesh.

Read Galatians 5:19-26

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

This is how The Message Bible, a paraphrase puts it (vv.19-21):

Sexual Immorality, Moral Impurity, Promiscuity — LOVE

“It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex;”

Here’s the thing: God knows that we’re tired of always trying to reach a point of pleasure that lasts and satisfies our desire to be loved.

And then compare that picture of living with the love of Christ which is the foundational flavor the Holy Spirit will grow in our lives as we walk with Him and He walks with us and is in us.

Idolatry, Sorcery — JOY

“a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion;” 

Instead of that, the Holy Spirit wants to give us joy. He wants us to be able to live with a satisfaction that goes beyond any thing we can accumulate, any resource we can hoard. He wants us to live with JOY.

Hatreds, Strife, Jealousy, Outbursts of Anger — PEACE

“paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper;” 

Instead of that, the Holy Spirit wants to give us a peace that passes all understanding. A peace that is present in the presence of our enemies, a peace that is present in the presence of other’s success, and a peace that is present in the presence of things not being in our control.

Selfish Ambition, Dissensions, Factions, Envy — PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS

“an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival;”

Instead of that, the Holy Spirit wants to grow inside of us patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness. He wants us to experience the freedom of not being shackled to achievements, to power, to worthless goals, and to other people’s opinions and standards.

Drunkenness, Carousing, and Anything Similar — SELF-CONTROL

“uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.”

Instead of that, the Holy Spirit wants to give us the freedom of being able to take the side of Christ and be consumed with Him. He wants us to be able to, in the face of temptation, choose living the love of Jesus. 

We Live By the Spirit, So Let’s Keep in Step With the Spirit

Paul is clear: living by the flesh doesn’t lead to inheriting the Kingdom of God.

But make no mistake, Paul is not saying that our behavior saves us. He is saying that those who are saved have crucified the flesh because they belong to Christ Jesus. That when we surrender to Christ, when we are immersed into His life and go down in the waters of baptism, we die to our old selves, we are crucifying our flesh, and then we rise up and join Jesus in the resurrection and receive new life, we are also immersed into the Holy Spirit and He begins to take over our lives, giving us the desire and strength to take the side of Christ and deny the flesh what it wants to do.

In other words, we live differently because God’s Spirit lives in us.

We live out the love of Jesus because the Holy Spirit lives in us.

Different From the World — Attractive Faith

In a world full of sleeping around, taking advantage of people, objectifying women, and cheating, imagine what a people who genuinely love people would look like.

In a world that is looking for happiness in anything and everything but the real thing, imagine what a people who are full of real joy would look like.

In a world that is full of hatred and anger, imagine what a people who have a peace that passes all understanding would look like.

In a world that is full of divisions, envy, and rivalries, imagine what a people who live with patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness would look like.

In a world that is full of addictions and one-night stands and all the rest, imagine what a people who live with self-control would look like.

In a word, that group of people would be attractive. 

The world would want what that group of people have. 

And that should be our story, church.

Sin still hinders us, but it doesn’t reign over us…

That yes, sin still hinders us, but it doesn’t reign over us. We are becoming the people who God wants us to be, the people we were meant to be, the people who are living out the good things God has prepared for us to do—to be witnesses to a watching world.

My friends, we can start to fight against the flesh. You know, there’s a difference between practicing sin and sometimes sinning. 

Some of us in this room have things we’re practicing—things we’re not battling against. But we can choose to take the side of the Spirit and start fighting.

All of us need to ask: where have I gotten out of step with the Spirit?

When you look at the flavors of the fruit of the Spirit, where have you gotten out of step with the Spirit?

Lately, for me, it’s been in joy and peace. I know God wants me to live with joy and live with peace, but oftentimes I try to take matters into my own hands and when the matters of life are in my hands, it never leads to joy or peace.

So what is it for you? Where have you gotten out of step with the Spirit?

A Challenge to Us All

Here’s a challenge for us all.

Just choose one flavor of the fruit of the Spirit to focus on this week and ask God to get you back in step with Him.

And just think:

Moms: imagine having _____ when you’ve struggled to have _____.

Moms, imagine having patience when you’ve struggled to have patience. Imagine having gentleness when you’ve struggled to have gentleness. Imagine having joy when you’ve struggled to have joy. 

God will do it. He will do it.

God’s Design: Fruit of the Spirit, Character of Jesus

I love how amazing this promise is because the fruit of the Spirit, what God wants to give us, is the character of Jesus. 

Jesus is love, Jesus is joy, Jesus is peace, Jesus is patience, Jesus is kindness, Jesus is goodness, Jesus is faithfulness, Jesus is gentleness, Jesus is self-control.

Take a Side: have you surrendered to Jesus?

Taking sides impacts not only impacts how you live, it impacts every aspect of your life—both here and for eternity.

Next week, we are going to ask the question, where am I headed after this life? But if you noticed, this passage gives us a taste. Taking the side of your flesh and going against Jesus guarantees that you will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Left to ourselves, we have no hope. We have no hope of living well. We have no hope of dying well. Left to ourselves, we are hopeless.

But with Jesus, not only will we live well, we will die well. And not only will we die well, but we will live well for eternity with Him.

Have you surrendered to Jesus?

Have you stepped into God’s embrace and received His love?

Without Jesus, we are enemies of God.

Through Jesus, we are children of God.

I pray that you’ll take a side—the side of Jesus.

The post Life’s Big Questions: How should I live? appeared first on Brandon Kelley.

In week 2 of Life’s Big Questions, we consider the question of meaning and purpose. It’s the question that seems to chase us throughout our lives as teenagers, young adults, and for many, it continues to chase us as we grow older. What question is that? Why am I here? What is the meaning and purpose of life?

Subscribe on iTunes

Subscribe on Stitcher

The seats in the back of cop cars are not comfortable. At all. 

They don’t have any cushions, no leather, they are just hard plastic. Needless to say, it’s not a fun place to be—the back of a cop car. 

Some parts of that night I remember vividly. Other parts are foggy. 

We had gotten pulled over in Fort Wayne. And the next thing I knew, I was somewhere I never thought I’d be. I was worried. I was scared. What would my dad say? What would my mom say when she found out?

Did I mention those seats were uncomfortable?

It’s dark. It’s late. And we’re driving down N. Anthony Blvd. The view of familiar places becomes altered when you’re sitting in the back of one of those cars. 

What would my dad say? Well, I didn’t have to wonder about what my dad would say for very long. Because I was taken back to his house. Yes, I wasn’t arrested. But my step-mom at the time was. She had a warrant for something minor if I remember correctly. And I was with her while we were on our way to the store or something. 

Here’s the point: Why we are where we are matters.

Why I was there mattered. The why of my location impacted the purpose and the significance of that moment. 

Why am I here?

And that brings us to this week’s big life question: why am I here?

When you’ve asked that question, maybe you didn’t word it that way. There’s all kinds of ways to ask it:

• What is the meaning of life? What’s it all about? Who are we?
  Why are we here? What are we here for?
• What is the origin of life?
• What is the nature of life? What is the nature of reality?
• What is the purpose of life? What is the purpose of one’s life?
• What is the significance of life?
• What is meaningful and valuable in life?
• What is the value of life?
• What is the reason to live? What are we living for?

When you boil it down, when we ask the question, why am I here? we are yearning for an answer to the meaning of life.

And meaning really has two parts to it. (1) purpose and (2) significance.

In other words, we’re asking, is there an intent to our existence and do our lives, does our very existence have any meaning beyond ourselves? Is our existence a piece of a bigger story? Are we a part of a grander narrative?

3/4 of the World Thinks About This Question

It has been shown that nearly 3/4 of the people around the globe think about the meaning of life on a regular basis. 

And since most of the people in the world are thinking about the meaning of life and asking some version of the why am I here? question, it’s reasonable to assume that there will be an assortment of answers offered.

Answers to the meaning of life

• The meaning of life is to live your truth. What’s true to you? Live that out. Live your truth.

• To live your dreams. In fact, there are plenty of self-help gurus out there who will gladly help you decipher your life’s purpose and meaning. Here’s how the recipe goes:
  • Consider your dreams
  • Clarify your values
  • Set some goals
  • Figure out what you’re good at
  • Aim high
  • Go for it!
  • Be disciplined
  • Believe you can achieve your goals
  • Involve others
  • Never give up!

• The meaning of life is to achieve biological perfection. To live forever or die trying. To keep your consciousness even after your physical body dies through downloading your brain onto a computer (I’m not kidding).

• The meaning of life is to seek wisdom and knowledge.

• The meaning of life is to do good.

• Life or human existence has no real meaning or purpose because human existence occurred out of a random chance in nature, and anything that exists by chance has no intended purpose. Life has no meaning, but as humans we try to associate a meaning or purpose so we can justify our existence.

• And if all this talk about the meaning of life frustrates you, then join David Seaman in saying, “The meaning of life is to forget about the search for the meaning of life.”

• Or go with the American dream as it has evolved: work, retire, and get a hobby.

• Or feel free to look inside yourself. Your meaning is what you decide it is.

• The meaning of life is that this is all an illusion.

• The meaning of life is to keep doing this life over and over again until we get it right.

Create or discover

At the core of these answers are two categories: created meanings or discovered meanings. 

In other words, people have made a choice. They either believe that the meaning of life is up to them to create or it is up to them to discover. 

It is either a subjective creation of their own volition. Or it is objective and discoverable, but it is not up to them to dictate. 

Another answer to consider

And while many people have offered many different answers to the question why am I here? there is yet another answer to this question that we’re going to consider. And that is what God says about the matter.

I don’t know about you, but I’m convinced that He’s an expert on this matter.

So strap on your seat belt. You’re going to need it.

Isaiah 43:6-7—Created for His Glory—Microscope/Telescope

God is speaking to Israel here through the prophet Isaiah and in the midst of speaking to Israel, God drops a truth bomb of epic proportions that was true for Israel and is now true for the Jews and Gentiles who are in Christ Jesus, who are in God’s family called the church.

Here’s what He says.

⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’
Bring my sons from far away,
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
⁷ everyone who bears my name
and is created for my glory.
I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.”

Created for His glory

Did you catch that?

They, we, were created for God’s glory. 

Why am I here?

I am here for God’s glory. What does that mean?

It means that I am here to magnify the truth about who God is. I’m here to honor Him, to magnify Him.

Microscope/Telescope

Think about this: there are two ways to magnify something. (John Piper gave this illustration and I think it’s helpful.)

You either use a microscope and make small things big. Or you use a telescope to make big things that are at a great distance closer to their true size.

Too oftentimes, we treat God like He is small. We consider Him a little here and a little there. He is on our mind a little here and a little there.

We do not glorify God by magnifying Him through a microscope. We magnify Him through a telescope. He is mighty. He is light. He is the source of all things. He is love. He is holy. He is beyond our comprehension. He is full of grace and truth.

And He created us for His glory. He created us so that we would be living testimonies and telescopes magnifying Him to all people. 

Going Back to Genesis 1, 2, and 3 — With God/Know God

But let’s go back to the beginning because I think it shows us the picture of what God had in mind when He created us for His glory.

As we talked about last week, God created all things. And as He created, He would comment on the progress of the canvas He was painting. He created the Universe and He called it good. He filled it with planets and stars. He called it good. He created the earth, He created water, He created plants. He called it good. He created animals and fish. He called it good. 

But then He did something different. He made human beings in His own image. He made human beings to be like Him and then the canvas went from being good to great. And this was far before Jim Collins wrote his book. God’s creation went from good to great. 

And what do we see moving forward?

We see God being with Adam and Eve. We see Adam and Eve knowing God. They dwelled together in the garden. They enjoyed each other’s company. God walked with them. He dwelled with them. They knew their God. They knew their Father. They knew their King. And He knew them.

But then that relationship was fractured when they dishonored God by doing the exact thing He told them not to do. The beings that were made for His glory, that were made to honor Him, that were made to magnify Him, they dishonored Him, they ceased to live out their purpose. They elevated themselves above Him. 

And ever since then, we have had a relational void in our souls. 

So what do we see? We glorify God by knowing Him and honoring Him

So what do we see here? We were made for His glory. And what does that look like? It looks like knowing God and honoring Him.

But sin shattered our ability to do that. And so sin came in and separated us from the source of life. And with that came death. 

Jeremiah 31:33-34—He will change us—Restore knowing Him

But God isn’t leaving us in our mess. He has been up to something ever since. And He speaks through the prophet Jeremiah 600 years before the birth of Jesus and tells His people about what He is going to do in the future.

³³ “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. ³⁴ No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin.

God is going to do something new. In fact, He already has. 

He’s saying, you need to be changed. I’m going to change who you are. Why? Because I want you to know me again. 

This is the beauty of what Jesus has done. 

He has bridged the chasm that separated us from God. Through His blood, we are brought back to God and we are able to KNOW God again.

In Ephesians 2, Paul talks about how this new covenant, through Jesus, includes both Jews and Gentiles. And what that means is that the question why am I here? has an answer for all people.

Romans 11:36-12:1 — Means Instead of Ends

If you were here last week, I said that how we answer the question where did I come from? impacts the way we answer all the rest of life’s big questions. 

Here Paul connects the question of our origin with the question of the meaning of life.

Read Romans 11:36-12:1

³⁶ For from him and through him
and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever. Amen.

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.

From God, through God, and to God are all things. He deserves all the glory forever and ever.

And in light of that, here’s what our response ought to be: to offer our everything to Him who owns everything as a living sacrifice that would be pleasing to Him, set apart for Him. And when we do that, what we’re really doing is worshiping Him.

But how do we do that? — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 — Holy Spirit

But how do we do that? Scripture tells us.

¹⁹ Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.

Do you see what this means?

The meaning of life is to glorify, know, and worship God the Father through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We were created for His glory. We were created to magnify Him. 

But we can’t do that, we can’t live out our purpose in life, we can’t live out our why for existence apart from Jesus.

We can’t glorify God apart from Jesus. We can’t know God apart from Jesus. We can’t worship God apart from Jesus. 

In the same way, we can’t glorify God apart from the Holy Spirit’s power. We can’t know God apart from the Holy Spirit’s presence. We can’t worship God apart from the leading of the Holy Spirit.

It’s all about God. 

Why am I here?

It’s not about me. It’s about Him.

Don’t Waste Your Life

Young people, don’t waste your life. And those of you who are more seasoned in this thing called life, don’t waste it. 

Don’t buy into the lie that you can find purpose apart from Jesus. Don’t buy into the lie that you can find meaning in your life by simply looking within yourself and living your truth and writing your destiny and chasing your dreams. 

Don’t buy into the lie that your best life is to get a good job, pursue a lot of pleasure, maybe get a family, buy a house, work, work, work, retire, and then start enjoying life.

Your best life is lived when you come to the end of yourself and you realize an important truth.

We are better means than we are ends…

God created us for His glory. We were created to be instruments of worship. We were created to be spotlights shining on Him. We were created to know Him and love Him and honor Him.

But what we tend to do is to diminish God, ignore God, and elevate ourselves.

We tend to make ourselves into the ends of life. In other words, we make our own pleasure and our own glory the goal.

But we are terrible ends. We are means. When we make ourselves ends, we become ugly living examples of selfishness.

Individualism Enslaves You

No matter how we slice it, we have been influenced by the broader culture we are a part of in Western Civilization.

We believe in individualism and we oftentimes let that creep into how we understand our meaning and why we exist. 

We look out for what’s in it for me, what’s best for me, how can I get ahead, how can I live my dream, how can I be more free to do what I want, and all the while we are enslaving ourselves to a master that will inevitably let us down—ourselves.

But there is a better way. The way of our real why.

Draw Near (The Story Flipped From Gen. 3—They Hid) James 4:8

God created us to glorify Him and know Him. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin stained all of creation. And when God entered the garden, Adam and Eve, knowing they had dishonored God, knowing that something was wrong, knowing that their relationship with God was fractured, they hid from God. 

They were created to know Him. They were designed to be with Him. Their why was the way of knowing God. But because of sin, they hid.

But thanks be to God that He flipped the script of the story of humanity. That through Jesus, we no longer need to hide. 

Now we can what we yearn for and were created for…

James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Humanity went from being with God and knowing God to hiding from God and now, through Jesus, we can draw near to Him and He will draw near to us.

Captain

Ami Ayalon said, “when a captain is without direction no wind on Earth will take him there.”

I’m curious. Who is the captain of the ship you’re on?

Are you trying to be the captain? Are you floating directionless in the middle of the sea?

Or are your sails full of air and is your direction headed to the heart of God? 

Is your life, as it is now, drawing near to God or are you avoiding Him? 

Are you mindful of Him or is He an afterthought? 

Is your life a means to glorifying and honoring and magnifying the awesomeness of God?

Or is your life an end in and of itself? Is your life characterized more by mindless wandering or by worshipful stepping?

Do you surrender to the Holy Spirit everyday and ask Him to have His way with you? Or do you only go to God for what’s in it for you?

Why are you here? I want you to really wrestle with that. 

Why are you here? Because why we are where we are matters.

Scripture is clear:

The meaning of life is to glorify, know, and worship God the Father through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We are to tell of His glory, to love people and tell them about what God has done in our lives and what He desires to do in theirs.

We are to magnify Him to others. We are to serve each other, love each other, encourage one another, bear one another’s burdens. Our togetherness, the church’s togetherness should be a witness to a world that is asking “is Jesus real and does He make a difference?”

Without Jesus, we cannot live out the why of our existence. — Invitation

The post Life’s Big Questions: Why am I here? appeared first on Brandon Kelley.

In week 1 of Life’s Big Questions, we consider the question of origins. It’s the question we ponder when we look at the stars and we are reminded of our smallness. What question is that? Where did I come from? Where did everything come from? How did everything that exists begin?

Subscribe on iTunes

Subscribe on Stitcher

Short Clip

Where we come from impacts who we are. You know this to be true. I know it to be true.

It also impacts how we talk…

Let’s play a little game and we’ll see how stereotypical we all are…

Do you say pop or soda? If you’re from here, it’s likely “pop.”

Do you throw your trash in a garbage can or a trash can? Trash can if you’re from here.

What do you call one of those big trucks that pull large amounts of stuff? Semitruck. Other people in other parts of the country call them Tractor Trailers or Eighteen-Wheelers.

What do you call athletic footwear? Tennis shoes? Sneakers? Gym shoes? Probably Tennis shoes, right?

How many syllables are in this word: caramel? Two or three?

Where we come from impacts how we talk.

But where we come from also impacts who we are.

Today’s first question in our new series, Life’s Big Questions is “where did I come from?”

Quick Answer

And depending on how deep you think about this, you might be able to answer it rather quickly.

Where did I come from? Well, I came from… my parents. I don’t want to think about that…

I’m from America. I’m from the Midwest. The state of Indiana. The city of Fort Wayne. I grew up on the south side in Waynedale. I graduated from Wayne High School. 

Where did I come from? 

If you keep digging deeper…

But if you keep digging and rewinding…

I came from my parents, Chad and Vicki. But they came from their parents. And they came from their parents. And so on and so on and so on.

Where did I come from?

If you keep digging you’ll find that this question leads us down a path that stretches our minds. It’s a path that comes face to face with realizing that this single question, where did I come from? really is one of life’s big questions. 

Because how we answer this question will impact the way we answer all the rest of the questions we’re going to ask in this series. 

A Confused Culture — Keep Rewinding — Foundational Question

Much of our culture today is confused because when you don’t know where you came from, you don’t know who you really are. 

Where did I come from? This question naturally leads us to the question of the existence of God.

If you keep rewinding and rewinding and consider all the causes that led to you being born and alive today, you’ll reach a point where you ask what was the first cause?

And I think it’s fitting that the biggest question we could ever ask, the most foundational question for all of life’s other big questions is addressed in the first sentence of the book we Christians believe contain God’s words called The Bible.

Genesis 1:1

If you have a Bible, go ahead and turn to the first page, Genesis chapter 1. These are the first words we find on the first page on the first line. 

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

In the beginning Elohim. In the beginning God. What happened in the beginning? He created the heavens and the earth. 

When nothingness became something-ness, God was behind it. 

When the Universe sprang into existence, God was behind it.

When, in an instant, energy and matter and space and time appeared, God was behind it.

When the laws of nature were written, God was the author.

The scientific world has put forth evidence after evidence that our Universe had a distinct beginning. When everything that is came into existence out of nothingness. That there was a point of singularity, a big mysterious bang. 

That in one moment, no dynamite existed and in the next, it had exploded.

How could something come out of nothing?

Where did I come from? — The bible never sets out to prove God’s existence

The Bible, from the first sentence to the last sentence never sets out to prove God’s existence. The fact of God’s existence is the Bible’s starting point. 

Genesis 1:26-27

But Genesis 1 doesn’t stop there. It gives us an amazing account into the mind of God and the motivation of God when He created the first human beings.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

²⁷ So God created man
in his own image;
he created him in the image of God;
he created them male and female.

In the midst of God creating atoms and molecules, time and space, stars and planets, plants and animals, God decided to do something shocking. 

He had saved the best for last. And I know this because He said everything was good. But then when He created human beings and He stepped back and looked at the canvas that He had painted, the beauty that He had crafted, the wonder that He established, He said it was very good.  

But why? Why did the addition of human beings make what God was creating go from good to very good? 

Because God created humans in his own image.

In other words, God created humans like Him.

Every human. Made in God’s image. Every single one. 

Unlike the rest of creation, human beings are rational and intelligent… like God. We are relational beings that function best within community… like God. 

God in Community: Notice in Genesis 1:26, “let us.” Here we see the first clue to the Trinity, that God is three in one. One God, three persons. 

We humans, also, are given the authority to rein and rule over the earth… like God reins and rules over all things including us.

Who we are has its foundation in where we came from. 

Who are you? Why are you? How are you? What are you?

You are someone made in the image of God by the hand of God. And so is every other person who has ever lived.

This explains our angst

And I believe this explains our angst. It explains why we feel like the way things are not how they ought to be. It explains why we have this deep-seated sense of right and wrong called our conscience. It explains why you see people who don’t believe in God doing the very things that God does—caring for the needy, fighting for the oppressed, and giving a voice to the voiceless. 

Our angst is felt like a twisted gut because the world we live in has been tattered and stained by sin. When God created, it was very good. And our hearts yearn for that very good. Our souls yearn to be back in an unblemished relationship with our Creator.

Where did I come from? — God, eden, perfection, goodness

Where did I come from? I came from God.

Where did I come from? A garden called Eden.

Where did I come from? Perfection.

Where did I come from? Goodness.

Because I am from God and live in a sin-stained world, I have a deep sense that I am in an incomplete land, a fractured location. 

Think about this: desires and satisfaction

We all have innate desires that correspond to things that satisfy those desires.

We have an appetite for nourishment that is satisfied by food.

We deal with tiredness and that is satisfied by sleep.

We have relational desires that are satisfied within friendships.

We have sexual desires that are satisfied in sex.

And as Timothy Keller puts it, “We have a longing for joy, love, and beauty that no amount or quality of food, sex, friendship, or success can satisfy. We want something that nothing in this world can fulfill.”

In other words, when you look up at the stars, when you look at something beautiful and it just feels right, when you stand on a mountain and look out at nature, when you stand on the beach and listen to the waves, there’s a reason you long for more.

It’s called beauty. It’s called joy. It’s called love. It’s those things in perfection. And we were made to crave that because we were made in God’s image. We were made by Him in a place of perfect beauty, perfect joy, and perfect love.

That’s why we not only yearn for perfection, but it’s why we are appalled in the evil we see in the world. It’s why we, sometimes, are appalled at the evil in ourselves.

Let’s Change the Camera Angle and See a Fuller Picture: John 1:1-5

You’ll notice something similar here.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ All things were created through him,and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵ That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

In the beginning… all things were created through Jesus. 

He wrote the laws of nature by hand.

Life emanated from Him. He’s the reason you have oxygen to breathe. He’s the reason you have water to drink. He’s the reason you have food to eat. He’s the reason you have gravity to keep you down. He’s the reason you have bones to hold you up. He’s the reason you have a heart to circulate your blood. He’s the reason you have blood.

He’s the reason the earth keeps rotating on its axis and keeps going around the sun. 

He’s the reason scientists can examine the beauty of His creation. He’s the reason for the consistency. 

He’s the source.

Because your life came from Jesus, you will be restless without Him. You will wander without Him. You will be dissatisfied without Him. You will be homeless without Him. You will be lost without Him.

Every one of our hearts yearns for perfect love, joy, and beauty and those are only found in and through the source of perfect love, joy, and beauty—Jesus.

Colossians 1:16

For everything was created by him,

in heaven and on earth,

the visible and the invisible,

whether thrones or dominions

or rulers or authorities—

all things have been created through him and for him.

You are from Christ, through Christ, and for Christ. Your place of origin is a person and His name is Jesus.

God became flesh. When you see Jesus, you see the Father. 

You were made in His image. And not only were you made in His image, but He is the One who created you. You were created through Him. And you were also created FOR Him. 

No longer should we give ourselves a license to separate sacred from secular. 

Where you come from impacts who you are. You are someone who is fully and wholly created in His image. Sunday at 9:30 or 11am is not the only time set aside for Him. 

You, my friend, have been set aside from Him and for Him.

The Prodigal Son

I want you to picture the scene… Jesus is eating with tax collectors and sinners. And observing this, the religious leaders are criticizing him under their breath. 

And Jesus, knowing what was going on with these religious do-gooders decided to tell a series of stories, one of which about a father who had two sons. The younger son wanted his share of the inheritance which was the cultural equivalent of wishing your father to be dead. 

So the father divided his estate between his sons and shortly after, the younger son left his father’s home and traveled to a distant country where he spent all the money he had on wild living. 

So he’s broke and then to make matters worse, a famine struck the country he was in and the little bit he had left was now gone too. So he went to work for someone nearby to make ends meet. And while he was working for this person, they sent him out into the field to feed pigs. 

For a Jewish person, this was the bottom of a bottomless pit of horror. But he was so low that he even began to long to eat what the pigs were eating but he couldn’t even get any of that to eat. 

Jesus, with sinners and tax collectors around him and the religious leaders looking at him, tells them that this man came to his senses and began to think about where he came from. 

He thought about how even the hired workers at his father’s house have more than enough food to eat while he is here dying of hunger. So he started to think up a brilliant plan to return to his father’s home. 

He thought of the speech he would tell his father about how sorry he was and how he failed him. He was ready to ask his father to just make him like one of his hired workers. He ruined the opportunity to be his son. 

And then he got up and made his way back to his father’s home.

And Jesus, I think probably paused here. Then he goes on…

While the son was still a long way off, his father saw his son and was filled with compassion. The father ran to his son. Sprinting. And when he reached his son, the father threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. 

The son was in his father’s arms. The son’s heart, melting because of the love emanating from the father.

And the son, while I’m sure sobbing, began what he could remember of his speech and told his father how he sinned against him and is no longer worthy to be called his son.

And as the father is embracing his son who is reeking of pig, who is a complete mess, he has his BEST robe brought out, he put it on him, put a ring on his finger, sandals on his feet. And then he threw a party because his son was dead but is alive again, he was lost but now he is found. And the celebration ensued while the son still stunk.

The older son, when he found out what was happening, grew angry that this party was being thrown for his younger brother who squandered his father’s wealth. And the father goes out to talk to his oldest son and he pleaded with him, come in and celebrate that your brother is alive!

But the older son told his father, I’ve been with you every day, slaving away year after year. I’ve never disobeyed you. I’ve never done you any wrong. And yet, you never threw me a party, dad. You never served me one of your goats. But he comes back and he gets a party?!

And the father looks at his son and says to him, Son, you’re right you’re always with me. But everything I have, son, it’s already yours. It’s already yours. We need to celebrate that this brother of yours was dead and is alive again. He was lost and now he is found.

One father and two sons. 

A father who has given everything he has to his sons. 

One son who ran away and forgot where he came from. He set his hope on money, on power, on pleasure. He went away and fell down hard. He lived for himself and then, in the middle of a pigsty, he thought his best move was to return home and try to convince his father that he should let him be like one of his hired workers. I’ll apologize with a great speech. I’ll show him how sorry I am. 

Many of us think that this was the turning point, the pivot in the story. But I’m not so sure anymore. I think the pivot point in the story is when the father ran to his son and embraced his son despite his son’s smell, his son’s past, his son’s sin. 

I see a father who will RUN to his son while his son is still in a world of mess that he brought on himself. I see a father who will RUN to his son when his son forgets where he came from. I see a father who PURSUES. 

And when that son was embraced, I believe that was the pivot point for that younger son. That embrace, in his father’s arms, with the love of his father surrounding him, that was his turning point. 

My friends, you don’t get to impress God with your eloquence and apologies. Just go to Him. And when He embraces you, your life is changed. 

Because you are from God, you will never be fully satisfied until you are with Him again.

But there’s this other son, too, isn’t there?

The son who tried to earn his father’s favor. The son who day in and day out, year after year, did the right things, said the right things. He’s the model kid in the youth group, he’s the model church goer. And he’s upset that the party isn’t for him. He’s upset that his father didn’t shower him with a party. 

But what does the father say to him? Everything I have is yours. In other words, why are you trying to earn my love? Why are you trying to earn my favor?

You can’t EARN IT, son. You can’t earn it. I’ve already given it to you. 

Son, you can’t earn it. Just receive it. Just open your arms. 

Uncross your arms, son. Open them up. I’ve already given you what you’ve been working for. You got it before you did the work. Your work didn’t earn it.

Invitation and Response Time

The post Life’s Big Questions: Where did I come from? appeared first on Brandon Kelley.

On Easter, we looked at the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. Because our faith hinges on it being true. So is there evidence for Jesus really rising from the dead thousands of years ago? I believe there is.

Subscribe on iTunes

Subscribe on Stitcher

Have you ever laid awake at night pondering your existence? 

I did this nearly ever day of my high school years, at least it seemed that way. I would think about time and how it’s so big. I would think about the decades that I would get to, maybe, exist on this colorful ball, spinning on an axis, and whirling around the sun over and over and over again.

I would zoom out even more. I would start to think about the past. The past that happened, that came and went, that I didn’t get to witness, but I heard about it happening. The pain, the sorrow, the joy, the struggle of human existence. 

I would zoom out again and go further back in time. I would think about how this all started. And then I’d ask the question: what about before all this?

Then I would turn my attention to the future. What about when I’m dead and gone? What then? Is that it? Just nothingness? 

And then I would get frustrated and think: well if it’s just nothing after this then what the heck was the point? WHY?

And then I would do something that seemed intuitive to me. It was something I never talked about with other people. I never had a conversation about it.

I would “pray.” 

Did I know who I was praying to? Nope. No clue. 

Maybe You’ve Wondered…

Maybe you’ve been there too. Maybe you’ve wondered why you’re here, how you got here, what’s the point?

Maybe you’ve questioned the existence of God. 

Maybe you grew up in church and you’re just not sure if everything you were taught is really that relevant to life. 

Regardless of your starting point today, I want you to consider something. 

There are many religions in the world. Ever since the beginning of our existence as human beings, we have gazed at the sky and have tried to understand and explain our own existence. 

People have worshiped just about anything and everything. It seems like we were made to worship something. 

And today, we’re going to consider someone. Because the Christian faith is built upon a person. A person who walked on this earth. A person who taught people. A person who performed miracles. A person who claimed to be God. Yes. That is what He claimed. And that same person? He was crucified on a Roman cross. 

But the interesting thing is that He didn’t just claim to be God. He told His followers that He would die and then rise again. They didn’t understand it at the time. 

But here’s the thing: if He did, in fact, rise from the dead then that puts an exclamation point on everything else He claimed about Himself. 

No other religious figure in human history ever gave their followers such an objective truth claim for proof of their wisdom or, in Jesus’ case, their divinity. 

So the question is, why Jesus? And to that I say the resurrection. If Jesus rose from the dead after telling His disciples that He would do just that, then that changes everything. 

The question behind the question

And that leads us to the question behind the question. And that is simply this: what do you do with Jesus?

You see, I am convinced that how we answer the question, what do you do with Jesus? hinges on the doorframe of eternity.

Consider: Claims About Jesus and Claims of Jesus

In the first century, some of Jesus’ apostles and people close to them set out to write down the testimony about Jesus. And we have those documents in the Christian Bible and they are the first four books of the New Testament. They are simply called Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 

Matthew was a former tax collector turned apostle of Jesus. Mark was a ministry partner of Peter, the close apostle to Jesus. Luke was a doctor and ministry partner of the apostle Paul. And John was, as he calls himself, Jesus’ beloved disciple. He was basically besties with Jesus.

John, when he wrote down his biography of Jesus, he pointed out why he took the time and money to write about Jesus’ life and testimony:

³¹ But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:31)

So you see that belief, according to Jesus’ contemporaries, was of utmost importance.

So let’s get into some of the claims about Jesus and the claims of Jesus.

Claims about Jesus and of Jesus

Read:

• John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
• John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

A fundamental claim about Jesus is that He is God. He is God putting on flesh and coming down to dwell among us. For the Jews reading this, they would have been reminded, based on the wording John uses, of the Exodus when God had them build a tabernacle for Him to dwell in the desert among them. 

And John points back and points toward Jesus as the Creator God who has come to tabernacle, to dwell, to be with us.

Right off the bat with Jesus we see a completely different message than the rest of the religious world. 

The testimony about Jesus is not that He beckoned us from heaven to climb the ethical do-good ladder to try and reach up to Him. No. The testimony about Jesus is that He, out of love, came down to us. Came down to you. Came down to meet us in the midst of our messes. Not as a vengeful dictator, but as the God who is full of grace and truth. 

But wait… There’s more.

Read:

• John 1:29: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
• John 1:34: “I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”
• John 1:49: “Rabbi,” Nathanael replied, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!”

So not only is Jesus God in flesh, full of grace and truth, but he is the sacrificial lamb, sufficient to take away the sins of the world. He is the passover lamb who rescues His people by His blood. He is the once and for all sufficient sacrifice that pays the sin debt of all who would come to Him.

He is the Son of God, which means Messiah, which means king. He is the king who will rule and rein forever. He is the king the Israelites needed, but rejected for Saul, David, Solomon and a whole host of others. He is the king whose kingdom will never end. He is the king who is conquering the Devil and all his schemes. He is the king who is conquering sin and death. 

To put it simply, there is no one else like Him. There is no one else like Jesus, God in flesh, full of grace and truth. There is no one else like Him.

What do you do with Jesus? 

Here’s a quick list of what Jesus said about Himself:

• To know him is to know God;
• To see him is to see God;
• To believe in him is to believe in God;
• To receive him is to receive God;
• To hate him is to hate God;
• To honor him is to honor God

(John 8:19; 14:7; 12:45; 14:9; 12:44; 14:1; Mark 9:37; John 15:23; 5:23)

Consider: Jesus’ Defining Moment – the Resurrection

But up until now, someone could say, well that’s just a bunch of fantasy. That’s just a bunch of hogwash. That’s just a bunch of mythology about a guy that clearly had a following because of his unordinary level of charisma. 

But let’s simply consider Jesus’ defining moment – the resurrection.

Because here’s the thing: without this, Christianity is nothing. It is fantasy. It is hogwash. It is just a bunch of mythology. Because if Jesus is dead, he was a liar, he was a deranged man who thought he was God but wasn’t. 

But if this is true. If Jesus of Nazareth really did rise from the dead, it makes this single question the absolute most important question you’ll ever answer: what do you do with Jesus?

If he really did rise from the dead, it changes absolutely everything. 

So let’s look at it.

Flogging, Crucifixion, Tomb, Empty Tomb

According to the most analyzed, most scrutinized, and most proven-to-be-reliable documents from history, the gospels, Jewish leaders schemed against Jesus because He was disrupting their influence and their stronghold on the Jewish hierarchy. 

His teachings were subversive and He claimed to be the Messiah which would surely rob the religious leaders of their influence. Not to mention, he wasn’t clean like a good Jew was supposed to be. He hung out with sinners, He healed people on the Sabbath, He forgave people of their sins. He was blasphemous. 

So they put together a plan. They had Jesus arrested in the dark of night, they questioned him, and they turned him over to the Romans with the charge that He was claiming to be the Son of God, the King. When Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judaea questioned Jesus, he asked him simply, are you the king of the Jews?

Pontius Pilate didn’t see Jesus as a criminal, but the crowds were stirred and they wanted His head. So he had Jesus flogged. 

Dr. Alexander Metherell describes what a Roman flogging did to the human body:

The back would be so shredded that part of the spine was sometimes exposed by the deep, deep cuts. The whippings would have gone all the way from the shoulders down to the back, the buttocks, and the back of the legs. It was just terrible.

Then the Roman soldiers were ordered to carry out the crucifixion. Jesus walked up to Mount Calvary, bloodied and beaten. 

Large spikes were driven into his wrists and his feet and then the cross was raised and there he hung, suffocating under his own weight. 

As he hung on that cross, he declared, right before he gave his last breath, IT IS FINISHED!

And there on that cross, with the words King of the Jews written on a sign above his head, the Messiah, the king died.

Once he was confirmed to be dead (he was pierced in the side just for good measure), his body was taken to a borrowed tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea. 

A large disk-shaped stone was rolled in front of the opening to the tomb and Roman guards were stationed in front of the tomb.

Friday ends, Saturday comes and goes. Jesus is still dead.

Jesus’ followers are in hiding. They are afraid for their lives.

And then Sunday comes and as some of the women who followed Jesus made their way to the tomb to anoint his body with oils, the tomb was found to be empty.

Then he appeared to Peter, to the rest of the apostles, and then to over five hundred men and women before he ascended into heaven in front of the disciples.

And here’s what the apostles proclaimed to the masses after this

“You killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this.” – Acts 3:15

“You killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this.”

They didn’t seek to make this up. They saw Jesus walking, talking, breathing, triumphant and victorious. 

This wasn’t some story they were trying to make up. They said that this whole thing, they were witnesses of it.

All someone needed to disprove it was a body. That’s it. No more Christianity. Just a body. 

After all, these were 11 unschooled, ordinary men. Could they have pulled off the greatest hoax in the history of mankind, keep his body hidden for centuries and centuries, convince thousands of people that Jesus wasn’t just some good teacher but that he was the resurrected Savior, and then die martyrs deaths?

What did they have to gain? Prominence? They didn’t seek power. And they didn’t get any either.

Instead they got beaten, ridiculed, and many of them were imprisoned, crucified, burned at the stake, or exiled from civilization.

All that for a made up story? Surely not. 

All that for what they knew to be true? Precisely.

You see, for the apostles, this wasn’t a thing in the realm of belief, it was a thing in the realm of 100% KNOWING it to be true. 

Christianity is founded on a highly objective, falsifiable claim:

• Buddha said look to the wisdom of my teaching… [subjective]
  
• Muhammad said look to the beauty and eloquence of the Qur’an… [subjective]
  
• Jesus said after three days I will rise again (Matt. 27:63)… [objective]

My friends, I’m here to say that not only did Jesus declare He would rise from the dead, He delivered on his declaration. He called His shot. 

Again, the question is:

What do you do with Jesus?

Because…

The resurrection of Jesus is the linchpin of eternity.

His message is unique. 

In Jesus we see God coming down, not requiring us to climb to Him. 

In Jesus we see the love of God on full display. He hung out with sinners like you and me. He said that he came to seek and to save the lost; to be the doctor for the sick; to be the hope for the hopeless.

In Jesus we see God establishing His rule and rein. Jesus is Savior, absolutely. He is also King. 

And His command to us is simply this: surrender and believe.

Mark 1:15

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Jesus is the miracle working king. 

Many of us in this room are walking miracles. Some of us are people who other people have their mouths hit the floor when they hear we go to church. 

Many of us were broken beyond repair. Until we met Jesus, that is.

Some of us were abandoned, but then we met Jesus, the king who says come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest.

Some of us were angry at God, until we met Jesus.

Some of us didn’t believe in God at all, until we met Jesus.

Some of us were religious legalists, striving to keep the rules and keep in God’s good graces, and then we met Jesus who is more gracious than we ever could have imagined.

We worship Jesus because…

My friends, we worship Jesus because He is alive. He is not in the tomb.

He was not swallowed by death. No He rose victoriously and walked on out of that tomb. 

Because of Jesus, we can see that the evil in this world, the evil in ourselves will not prevail. We worship the God who came down and paid the penalty for our evil so that we could have life.

Because of Jesus, we have an answer to our deepest longings for transcendence. Each one of us wonders what our purpose is, what our destiny will be. We wonder those things because we were designed to desire our Creator. And because of Jesus, we see that our purpose and our destiny come into full focus in the fact that Jesus came down, He paid our debt, and He offers us the benefit of entering God’s presence as if we had never sinned.

Because of Jesus, we know that God cares for us. We know that He is with us. Because Jesus didn’t stay dead, because he was resurrected, we get to enjoy this life and the next life in communion with our mighty, loving God.

His promise is guaranteed by His victory over sin and death. Just as He was raised from the dead, we too will be raised to new life, for even though we die, we will live forever with Him.

Did the resurrection really happen? I’m staking my life on it because I believe the testimony of those who knew Him. Those who knew not only the Jesus before the crucifixion, but the Jesus who rose from the grave and gave a group of scared, trembling men and women courage to go proclaim His message to the masses despite being persecuted every step of the way.

If you’ve never surrendered

If you’ve never surrendered to king Jesus, please go to the prayer room after service (off the foyer hallway) and we will have some caring individuals there to talk to you about that.

The resurrection of Jesus is the linchpin of eternity.

Lord, we need you.

The post Easter: Did the Resurrection Really Happen? appeared first on Brandon Kelley.

From Philippians 4:10-23: Discontentment often drives us. It keeps us pursuing. It keeps us striving. But that’s a miserable way to live. In fact, it’s possible to find contentment in whatever circumstance we face.

Subscribe on iTunes

Subscribe on Stitcher

Discontentment often drives us. 

The idea that things are not the way they ought to be or that things ought to be better than they are, those ideas are what often drive us to discovery.

The thought of a better world, a better life, that’s what has led to virtually every invention and innovation in human history.

It’s why we have the ability to harness and use electricity. It’s why we can warm or cool our homes. It’s why we went to the moon (that and the Cold War). It’s why scientists took a picture of a black hole. 

Discontentment is also a great sales tactic. 

In fact, marketers do this all the time. It’s called building scarcity. And it’s a great way to get us to buy what they’re selling. 

You’re not happy enough. This will give you the happiness you’re looking for.

If you want a better life, this is what you need.

I’ve been duped into this a time or two…

MacBook

I was on my way to becoming obsessed.

It started my first year at Cincinnati Christian University – my third year of college. It didn’t happen my freshman year and it didn’t even happen my sophomore year when I was a computer science major. 

No. For some reason it happened at CCU – the school that was full of people pursuing the vocation of ministry.

It started with an occasional glance. An every-now-and-again noticing. But it grew and grew and grew. At times it would flood my thoughts. But I knew I couldn’t have it.

What was it that had my attention? A MacBook Pro. Yes. 

That slick silver shell with that lit up apple with the black keyboard and all the “cool factor” that went along with it. All the exclusive apps that came along with it. The whole package had me itching for one.

The only problem was… I couldn’t afford one. Not even close.

But that didn’t keep me from researching it, thinking about it, and coming up with an internal list of all the things I could do if I had one.

Audio editing and mixing. Video editing. 

They last far longer than most PCs. Their system is far more secure than PCs. Apple Care is phenomenal. 

I had become an Apple fanboy before I ever owned a MacBook. Why?

Because everywhere I looked at CCU, I saw them. My friends told me how great they were.

They seemed like the Christian computers because everywhere I looked, these Christians had them. 

Now, fast forward…

Now That I Have One

I realize that while it’s a great computer and it is able to do all the things I thought it could and more, it’s just a computer. It hasn’t revolutionized my life. It’s just a tool. A great tool, but just a tool. 

I’ve written two books on them. I’ve prepared a lot of sermons and classes on them. But they are just a computer and I could have written those books and prepared those sermons and classes on a different computer too.

I know all this now that I have one. I can downplay it now. But when I didn’t have it? I played it up in my mind more than it should have been. 

Why?

Because I have a problem with discontentment.

Anyone else never satisfied with what is and is always focused on the next thing, the next challenge, the better this, the better that, the different this, the different that, the more this, and the more that?

Discouragement

Discontentment often drives us to discouragement. 

Ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden, we as humans have been on a quest to find full satisfaction in a world that has been fractured.

We live in a world that offers many things that will partially satisfy. 

But what if all the best things in this world were never meant to fully satisfy us? But at the same time, what if satisfaction, what if contentment really were possible?

Contentment is Weird

Here’s what I know about contentment in our day and time:

Contentment is weird. But normal ain’t working. 

Always feeling angst, always feeling like there’s something more, always feeling cynical no matter how great things get or how terrible things become.

I don’t know, it just seems like normal ain’t working and maybe it’s time to get a little weird.

Can you imagine what it would be like to be content in whatever circumstances you find yourself in in the future? 

Game. Changer.

And that’s what Paul dives into as he closes out his letter to the Philippian church. 

Philippians 4:10-14

¹⁰ I rejoiced in the Lord greatly because once again you renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it. ¹¹ I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. ¹² I know both how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. ¹³ I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me. ¹⁴ Still, you did well by partnering with me in my hardship.

Rejoicing

Paul was prompted to rejoice in God because of the fact that this church was allowing God to work through them. 

Paul was confident that the One who started a good work in them was going to see that work all the way through to completion!

And Paul is going to eventually get to acknowledging the financial gift they gave to him, but he is careful to let them know that no matter what, his contentment, his satisfaction, his well-being does not depend on their gift. He appreciates it, no doubt, as we will see soon. 

But what does he say?

v.11 — Whatever circumstances — Lydia, Slave Girl, Prison, Whatever

In whatever circumstances I find myself, I have learned to be content. That’s powerful.

Remember when he first came to them?

It doesn’t matter if I’m living it up, being hosted at Lydia’s home. I mean, that was nice. Her cook fixed up every meal like it was a five-star restaurant. You know, something featured on the travel channel. That was nice. But I had to leave.

Then, you remember this, right? I met a demon-possessed slave girl. I freed her from bondage and then I was beaten and thrown into prison. It doesn’t matter. I’m still going to rejoice and praise God. 

I’m content in a mansion or in a cell. In whatever circumstances.

Why?

vv. 11-13 — I learned… I know Christ is better 

Paul had to LEARN to be content. 

A flower vs a weed // nice grass vs weed-infested grass

Now that it’s getting nicer out, I’ve been giving a lot more attention to our landscaping. And given that we have a new yard, there’s plenty of land, just not much scaping. That statement is probably technically wrong, but you get what I mean. It’s pretty basic. But you know what I have begun to notice?

In order to have a nice space, I’ve gotta put a lot of attention to it.

We have a nice mulch bed on the front of our house. Nothing has been planted there. Nothing at all. We haven’t gotten to that yet. But you know, we plan on making it look nice. But you know what? Plenty of little plants are growing up through that mulch. The weeds are rising. I didn’t have to do anything and there they are.

My lawn? I talked to someone this past week and he was telling me how I NEED to get my lawn fertilized right away. He was adamant that it had to happen as soon as possible. 

How many of you know that to get something other than weeds from your soil, it requires attention from the gardener?!

Charles Spurgeon pointed out that discontentment is as natural to man’s heart as weeds are to the soil.

Not only is discontentment available in abundance, not only does it grow without any attention, but it also chokes up anything good, anything positive, anything godly. 

I learned to be content…

Paul learned what it’s like to be content in whatever circumstances he finds himself in. He learned what it looks like to cultivate the soil of his heart so that good would grow no matter the season. 

But what did that require?

It required him to know ONE truth in TWO ways. 

Paul first learned that Christ is better. He’s better than what He doesn’t have and He’s better than what He does have. 

Nothing in this world is better or more satisfying than knowing Christ Jesus. Paul himself said that knowing Christ was his goal. That’s what he strives for. That’s what he is pushing toward. 

But it’s one thing to know that intellectually. It’s another thing to know it experientially.

Knowing that Christ is better — beyond the laboratory

A lot of us know a lot of true things. And for a culture that is still very much shaped by the Enlightenment, we think that if we know enough right things then we’ll be fine. 

So if we just read the Bible and stack up as much knowledge as we possibly can, then we’re going to be fine. We’ll become content in Christ if we KNOW that He is better.

But we know all kinds of things that we do nothing with, don’t we?

The problem is, when we know something is true, but don’t live out that truth and do that truth, then we haven’t yet learned it.

We’ve gotta get beyond the laboratory level of our faith.

Paul didn’t just test the truth of that statement—that Christ is better—in his head or in the laboratory. He tested it in life. 

When he had everything he needed and a ton of what he wanted, when he was living in luxury and abundance, he learned that Christ is better than everything luxury and abundance could offer. He left it all and kept following Christ’s call on his life. 

That’s where the rubber meets the road, that’s when you step out of the laboratory and find out if you’ve learned that Christ is better or not. Are you willing to leave it all behind if Christ told you to?

Would you, like Paul, count it all as loss? Would you count it as dung? That is, in comparison to knowing Jesus?

Everything you’ve worked for, everything you’ve saved for, all your investments, all your assets, all your prized possessions, all your most meaningful things, if Christ said let’s go, would you go? If Christ said give it all away, would you do it?

It’s one thing to know the truth of the statement, Christ is better. It’s another thing to LEARN that Christ really is better.

vv. 12-13 — The Secret of Contentment

I am able to be content in all situations, I am able to do all things, I am able to choose Christ every time. HOW?

In Christ who strengthens me. Through Christ who strengthens me. 

He’s the bread of life. 

He is where I get my strength from. While the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, God gave them manna from heaven. Jesus is the never-stopping bread from heaven. He always satisfies. 

He’s the light of the world.

When I’m feeling discontented, when my circumstances seem to be full of darkness and I’m feeling down and out, He’s there to shine and show me that even though this moment may be discouraging, He is my light, He is my strength. Sometimes we need to let Jesus shine His light of truth and grace over our circumstances. He’s with us. He’s the light in the dark places and dark moments of our lives. 

He’s the gate.

When this side of things isn’t working well, we’ve gotta realize that Jesus Himself is the gate to the good things. He’s the gate that leads to salvation. He’s the gate that leads to wholeness. He’s the gate that leads to glory. When we’re feeling discontented and frustrated with our circumstances, it’s usually because we’re hanging out on the wrong side of the gate. 

He’s the Good Shepherd. 

He leads me beside still waters, he makes me lie down in green pastures, He stills my soul. He prepares a table for me before my enemies. He is with me through the valley of the shadow of death. I’m not alone!

He’s the resurrection and the life.

When I’m dissatisfied with my life, when everything around me is frustrating me, when I feel like something’s missing, I’m reminded that this is not my home, this world is passing away, and all the things that somewhat satisfy me here are simply a spotlight pointing me to the ONE who CAN satisfy. This is not our home, friends. This life isn’t the end of the story. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Our citizenship is in heaven. And while we may be waiting for Him to return and bring us to the place He’s been preparing for us, we can wait with confidence and contentment because He’s got us. He holds the keys to life. He holds every molecule, every cell together. He holds every part of you together. He holds this earth together. He holds this Universe together. Life is in His hands. Not just this life, but eternal life. So be encouraged, friend. Be content. Let Him be your strength. 

He’s the way, the truth, and the life.

When you feel like there’s a different path you should be on, a path that would lead you to a better place, a plan that would be better than what God is leading you down right now, understand that He alone is the way. Christ is better. Christ is better. Christ is better.

He’s the vine.

When you feel like you don’t have the strength to go on, are you connected to the vine? Are you abiding in Jesus? Because when we abide in Him, He tells us we will abound with Him. We will produce much fruit. Our work for God must flow from our time with God. Because being with Him is what satisfies and strengthens us.

Philippians 4:15-20

¹⁵ And you Philippians know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone. ¹⁶ For even in Thessalonica you sent gifts for my need several times. ¹⁷ Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that is increasing to your account. ¹⁸ But I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you provided—a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. ¹⁹ And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. ²⁰ Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Generosity — A profit that is increasing to your account

Paul is making such a big deal about contentment because he wants them to understand that the gift they gave him was bigger than a source of supply for him. 

When they practiced generosity, they weren’t experiencing a loss. They were making an investment that has a great return. 

Something powerful happens when we take what God has given to us and reinvest that money into His kingdom. Think about it: if you’re looking at a list of stocks or a list of mutual funds and trying to decide what to put your money in to get the best return, if God’s kingdom were on the S&P, it’d be off the charts. 

Why? Because it’s always turning a profit, an eternal one. 

Want to have your money work? Put it in God’s kingdom. When you practice generosity, you’re not losing money, you’re investing it and experiencing an amazing return.

Generosity is a fragrant offering, acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God

When we practice generosity, it’s like unleashing defused essential oils up to heaven. It’s a fragrant offering. 

It’s like unleashing the scent of a Yankee candle store and sending it up to the throne room where God is seated. It’s taking the best candles… Bacon scented candles, coffee scented candles, leather scented candles… and sending them to heaven.

God’s got you — will supply all your needs

I can remember when Sara and I started tithing—giving 10% of our income to God. It was kind of daunting. We didn’t make a lot of money and the prospect of living on 90% of our income with an already tight budget was intimidating. But you know what? God tells us to test Him in this. And we have. We’ve been able to increase our level of generosity. We’ve never gone without. God has proven to be faithful. 

So if you have never tried tithing, like actually taking your income and giving a tenth of that back to God, God is telling you to test Him.

Just recently, I was able to talk to someone who has just started tithing. The joy in her eyes was abundantly clear.

And there’s nothing more practical we can do to LEARN contentment than to trust God with our finances. Because it teaches us that He’s in charge, we are not. It teaches us that God’s got us, we don’t. 

v. 20 — Glorify God, Content in Christ

Here’s what I want you to walk away with today:

We glorify God best when we are content in Christ most.

Because if we are content most in anything or anyone other than Christ, we have an idol. 

God will not stop invading the depths of your being. He will go deeper and deeper until everything in us has been touched by His love and grace. 

Jesus you’re better than anything this world has. Jesus, you’re better than my bank account. You’re better than my retirement plan. You’re better than my hopes. You’re better than my plans. You’re greater than my worries. Your grace is sufficient for me. 

All I have, it’s all yours. I don’t need anything else, I have you and I know you’re going to provide what I need when I need it. Your timing is perfect. Your love is infinite. Your power has no end.

Christ, you’re better. You’re better. You’re better.

I think our banner, our anthem, our song on repeat has gotta be just that… Christ, you’re better.

When we’re feeling like we’re incomplete without something. 

When we’re thinking that our life doesn’t measure up.

When we’re stuck in a rut and discouraged.

When we’re on top of the mountain.

When we’re walking through the valley.

Christ, you’re better. 

My home is with you. 

Make me content in you.

Church, we glorify God best when we are content in Christ most.

Content in Whatever Circumstance

Paul discovered the secret of being content in whatever circumstance… He can do all things through Christ who gives him strength.

When Christ is our strength, we can be content no matter what. Because His strength is greater than any and all circumstance we face, whether in abundance or in need. Whether well fed or hungry.

Can you imagine the joy, the peace, that you’d have if you were content in whatever circumstances you faced?

Things going great? Content.

In the struggle? Content.

On the mountaintop? Content.

In the valley? Content.

Paul wanted them to know what he knew. He wants us to know what he knew. 

That Christ can give us contentment even in chains. 

Contentment is weird. But normal ain’t working. 

Always feeling angst, always feeling like there’s something more, always feeling cynical no matter how great things get or how terrible things become.

I don’t know, it just seems like normal ain’t working and maybe it’s time to get a little weird.

Can you imagine what it would be like to be content in whatever circumstances you find yourself in in the future? 

Game. Changer.

Two Things

Generosity is a great teacher

If you want to learn contentment, one very practical thing you can do is practice generosity. Maybe you’ve never given a percentage of what God’s given you. You don’t have to start at 10%. Start at 5. Start at 3. Start somewhere. 

And as you honor God with your finances, you’ll begin to see how He really is in charge.

And that investment has a far greater return than anything else you can put your money toward in this world. 

If you’ve been rescued by Jesus, do you want that for others too?

The church is God’s vehicle for making His mission come to fruition. When we support the church, we are investing in God’s kingdom. 

But…

Christ’s gotta do it—ask Him

In order to learn contentment in Christ, we’ve gotta ask Him to do it in us as we go through life. 

Jesus, please make me content in you. This is what I want, this is what I yearn for. Search my heart. Find those places that aren’t surrendered to your Kingship. Find those places that I haven’t given up. Because I know that those places are going to be the source of my discontentment. Because wherever you are, there is freedom. God make me free from the bondage of always striving for more, always yearning for things other than you, always being jaded and filled with angst. Give me peace. Give me contentment. Jesus, you’re better. You’re better. Make that truth seep deep into my bones, into my heart, into my blood, make that truth reverberate in my ears, and echo in my brain for the rest of my days. You’re better, Jesus. You’re better.

Philippians 4:21-23

²¹ Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you greetings. ²² All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. ²³ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

The post Philippians: In Whatever Circumstances appeared first on Brandon Kelley.

From Philippians 4:2-9. What can we do with our worries? Well, our worries may hold us captive, but we also hold the key. More on that in this week’s sermon from the book of Philippians.

Subscribe on iTunes

Subscribe on Stitcher

Short Clip

Screen Time, Worry Time

Late last year I left team Android and joined team iPhone. I was quite excited. And if you have an iPhone, you know that there was an update still somewhat recently that added a feature called, Screen Time.

It has a lot of functionality, but the baseline purpose is to show you how much time you spend on your screen.

For those of you who have iPhones and you heard about this feature… Were any of you also worried like I was about seeing your results?

There’s something about seeing that report every week that serves as a nudge—hey, you don’t need to be on your phone as much as you’re on it!

But I wonder… What if there was an app for something different…

What if there was an app that didn’t show you your screen time, but it showed you your worry time?

I wonder how many would download it. I’d be too worried to see how much I worry that I would probably avoid downloading it. Anyone with me?

But think about that: if you could see a weekly report of your worry time, what would it look like?

Top Worries

We all have different things we worry about:

1. Money (and the future)
2. Job security
3. Relationships
4. The past
5. Health
6. Gossip
7. Work
8. Aging
9. Death
10. Safety
11. Comparison

For those of us who are parents, we worry about:

1. Survival
2. That our kids would follow the Lord
3. That they won’t shut us out
4. Their friends
5. Their choices

One of My Major Worries

Beyond the basics, one of my major worries, or maybe one of the things that, when it happens, causes me to dwell on it or even obsess over it is when I am misunderstood.

Reddit thread

A number of years ago, I would post articles I wrote related to Christianity and theology to a site called, Reddit. It’s basically a giant forum that has all kinds of different topics.

And I would post my articles there because it would usually generate a good amount of traffic to the articles and every now and then it would spark some good discussion.

But it would also open the door to one of my biggest frustrations—being misunderstood. And it wasn’t just the fact that I would sometimes be misunderstood, it was that the misunderstanding was over the internet on a medium that required typing and attention. Or sometimes it wouldn’t just be someone misunderstanding something I said in an article, but it would be someone starting an argument because of something I said (or something they thought I said).

So instead of just letting it go and not diving neck-deep into an all-day consuming argument or debate over the internet and enjoying the day and enjoying the company of my wife and kids and going and doing something fun and rejoicing in the Lord for my salvation and focusing on those in front of me… Yes. Instead of doing that…

I would be consumed and obsessed over that Reddit thread, over those commenters who wanted to argue. I would read responses and reflect on how to respond with just the right amount of grace but also the right amount of gusto to show that I, in fact, was correct and they were not.

But then I would post that great response and just sit there, refreshing and waiting for them to respond. Yes. I would click refresh. But I wasn’t being refreshed. I was being consumed. I would dwell on it. I would worry about it.

Thankfully, I have a wife who can snap me out of those things. And from that day on, I decided to avoid Reddit.

How many of you know that Facebook and email and text aren’t good avenues for debate?!

And the church said, amen!

What to Do With Worry

Today, we’re going to see what God wants us to do with our worries, no matter how big or small they may be.

So if you’re a person who would be afraid of seeing your weekly report of worry time because you know you worry too much, lean in. And for everyone else, you should sit up and lean in too because you have a lying problem. Get it?!

Philippians 4:2-9

How would you like to be called out in front of the entire church for an argument or a spat you’re having with someone else in the church?

That’s what happened with these two women. Because this letter would have been read to the entire gathering.

Let’s read that part again…

Philippians 4:2-3

² I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree in the Lord. ³ Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life.

From what we can infer from this, it seems these women were having a conflict of some kind that the entire church or at least a good majority of the people knew about. And really, for Paul to call them out like this, it is reasonable to assume that this spat they were having was causing problems in the church beyond just them two.

It was so bad, in fact, that Paul identifies a third party to mediate their conflict.

We don’t know many details about Euodia and Syntyche’s argument, but we do know that it was significant and likely about some secondary issue.

Secondary issues—the content of conflict in the church…

I find it interesting that even then, the church was plagued by secondary issues being the content of conflict. Because Paul doesn’t correct either one of them or take any sides. He merely urges them, encourages them to agree in the Lord. To find their resolution in God.

Even then, people elevated minor issues into major conflicts. And sadly, we do the same today.

Philippians 4:4-7

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. ⁶ Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

The Lord is near

Notice that in verse 5? The Lord is near.

Paul just snuck that in.

They needed to be reminded that while they’re messing around arguing and worrying, the Lord is near.

And that should have given them a dose of motivation to keep the main thing the main thing and some inspiration to keep the main thing the main thing.

So rejoice in the Lord. Be happy in Him. Delight in Him. Enjoy Him. Celebrate Him. Exult Him. Revel in Him. He is near. He is alive. He is our hope. He is our comforter. He is our King. He is our friend. He is our Father. He is working in us. He is walking with us. He is strengthening us.

It’s hard to worry when you’re rejoicing. But it’s also hard to rejoice when you’re worrying. It’s probably even impossible.

Worry was holding them captive

As a church, Paul knew they were letting worry hold them captive. They were worried about the persecution they were facing, they were worried about Paul’s situation, and they were worried about Epaphroditus, one of their church members and leaders who took Paul supplies and was supposed to stay with him to help him with whatever they needed but became sick almost to the point of death.

But just like us, Paul knew that they had other worries that held them captive.

But when we worry (and are held captive), we also hold the key

But when we worry and are held captive to those worries, it’s like waking up in a dark room surrounded by bars. But when we get our bearings, we see that we’re holding the key to get out.

v.6 — Interrogate your worries and make them your prayers

Go with me here.

⁶ Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

What it looks like to me is that we’re supposed to take those worries, interrogate them, and turn them into prayers.

What are you? Why are you here? What’s your purpose? Where’d you come from? etc. etc. etc.

When we let worry settle in, eventually it destroys us.

It decays our hope.

It erodes our faith.

It cripples our resolve.

So interrogate your worries. Put them on notice. I’m gonna figure you out. I’m gonna take you to my dad and He’s going to deal with you. When He’s done with you, you won’t even recognize yourself. Because instead of being a worry, you’re going to turn into a testimony. A testimony of God’s power and His grace.

And that’s going to strengthen my resolve.

That’s going to solidify my faith.

That’s going to build my hope.

The things you’re worrying about should be the very things you’re praying about. And when we do that, something great happens.

vv.6-7 — Bouncer, the Peace of God

⁶ Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Do you see what happens when we stop, interrogate, and listen?

The peace of God will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. We’ll turn those worries into prayers and those worries won’t be let in.

It’s like outside of our hearts and our minds is a line of things trying to get in. You know, they’re waiting in line. The line is outlined by red velvet rope and at the front of the line is a big, powerful bouncer with a clipboard.

And you know who’s in that line?

Your worries. They’re waiting to get in.

But when we interrogate those worries and turn them into prayers, it’s like our God is standing at the front of that line with the clipboard and He’s checking to see if these people in line are on the list.

Hey, what’s your name?

“Hope Decayer” — sorry, sister. You’re not on the list.

Hey, what’s your name?

“Faith Eroder” — sorry, sister. You’re not on the list.

Hey, what’s your name?

“Resolve Crippler” — sorry, bro. You’re not on the list.

Paul goes on…

Philippians 4:8-9

⁸ Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things. ⁹ Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Bouncer continued

Back to the line…

Hey, what’s your name?

“Honor” — come on in.

Hey, what’s your name?

“Justice” — come on in.

Hey, what’s your name?

“Purity” — come on in.

Hey, what’s your name?

“Lovely” — come on in.

Hey, what’s your name?

“Commendable” — come on in.

Hey, what’s your names?

“Excellence and this is my wife Praiseworthy” — come on in.

4 Antidotes to Worry and Bitterness

In this passage, I believe we see 4 antidotes to worry and bitterness. Because I don’t think Paul is addressing worry only, but bitterness too. Remember, this is in the context of him urging two women to agree in the Lord.

It’s likely that they had let their conflict and dispute take root and grow into bitterness. So to address that and the general worries of the entire church body, we see these 4 antidotes.

1. Rejoice in the Lord

We can’t lose sight of the character of God. We can’t lose sight of what He has done. We can’t lose our gratitude toward Him.

This is the foundation. Rejoice in the Lord always. Not sometimes. Not only when things are great. Not only when things aren’t and you’re trying to get away from your worries. Always.

Build a rhythm around rejoicing in the Lord. Listen to music that will propel you to rejoice. Think back to who you used to be before He grabbed you and rescued you. Rejoice. Think about those who you’ve seen be transformed by Him. Rejoice.

2. Let your gentleness/graciousness be known by everyone

This can be a tough one.

Many of us know how to let our gentleness and graciousness be known by those around us who aren’t closest to us.

You go to work. You’re conscious of the need to be gentle and gracious.

You go to school. You’re trying.

You have a family over for a meal. You’re on your best behavior.

But Paul doesn’t say just let your gentleness be known by some people. He says everyone.

And where this is often the hardest is at home.

Let your gentleness be known by your parents.

Let your gentleness be known by your spouse.

Let your gentleness be known by your kids.

Oftentimes, we need to slow our pace at home. Our schedules are full. Chores need to be done. Dinner needs to be cooked. The kids need to get to practice. Homework needs to be done.

Busyness often breeds stress and stress doesn’t breed gentleness.

What does, though, is slowing your pace enough to be mindful of the Holy Spirit’s nudges and comfort as He builds gentleness in us, a flavor of the fruit of the Spirit.

3. Pray (in everything, with thanksgiving)

As I’ve been saying, we must take our worries and interrogate them. Because when we do that, we’re setting up for a pivot from worry to prayerful requests.

And the reason this is so important is that we’re taking our hands off whatever is causing us worry and we’re handing it over to the God who has the power to deal with it.

In everything, with thanksgiving.

You know, not only can we pray *in everything*, but we can also thank God for handling our worries before we feel that worry leave us.

Why? Because He’s got this. And the only reason it’s a burden for me still is because I’m still trying to carry it.

If you’ve got a boulder on your back, let go of it and let Him carry it. He can squat more than you can.

4. Dwell on what is excellent and worthy of praise

Instead of dwelling on the worries of this world, we need to dwell on the character of God. We need to dwell on Him.

You might ask yourself, what is honorable? what is just? what is pure? what is lovely? what is commendable? what is morally excellent? what is praiseworthy?

And to that, I say, Jesus.

As the Hebrew writer said, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author, and perfecter of our faith.

Dwell on Jesus. Dwell on what would bring Him glory. Dwell on what would please Him.

If it doesn’t bring Him glory. If it doesn’t please Him. If it doesn’t reflect His character, it ain’t on the list so ask the peace of God to not let it in.

What’s your name? In reality, He knows the names of your worries.

What’s your name? It doesn’t matter what your name is!

But here’s a bonus… Get a 3rd party

But there’s one other nugget in here that we can’t miss.

In all this… Get a 3rd party. Get someone who can come between you and that person you’re in conflict with and speak the gospel into your conflict.

Get a 3rd party you can get real about your worries with and let them pray for you.

Get a 3rd party. Don’t go through life alone. Invite people to walk with you as you—and they—walk with the Lord.

Screen Time, Worry Time

Can you imagine getting your weekly Worry Time report and seeing it being 10, 20, 30, 70% lower than it was last week?

What if that Worry Time report weren’t a source of worry, but it was a prompt to praise and rejoice in God?

Stop. Interrogate. And Listen.

It can happen.

But we need to do what?

We need to stop. Interrogate. And listen.

We need to slow down, interrogate those worries, bring them to the Lord, and listen.

The post Philippians: What to Do With Worry appeared first on Brandon Kelley.

From Philippians 3:12-4:1. Due to technical difficulties, this message is only available in text version.

It was September of the year 1787. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is where it happened. Specifically, right outside of Independence Hall. It was there, after the Constitutional Convention had finished, that a woman asked Dr. Benjamin Franklin this question:

“Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”

And it was in that moment that Franklin responded with these wise and insightful words… “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

The fragility of a Nation

Ben Franklin understood something about the experiment that they were beginning here in America. And even more than that, he seemed to understand something about all nations here on this earth: they are fragile.

Yes. A government of the people, by the people. A largely self-governed people. This was new. This was different. It was unique. And, largely, it still is.

But its identity and its survival are fragile. In order for it to thrive, its citizens must exercise their responsibility, their virtue, their influence for good. They must be active participants in the political process. They must take into account how laws and votes influence the whole rather than just themselves.

America, along with every other nation on this earth is fragile.

And just like the identity of a nation is fragile, the identity of people is, oftentimes, fragile.

Connect Citizenship to Identity

If you think back to last week’s text that Eric preached on, you’ll remember that Paul explained how everything that gave him confidence “in the flesh” as he called it—his citizenship as a Jew, his religiosity as a Pharisee—he counted all that as a loss because of Jesus.

In other words, all the things he was used to stacking his identity upon, he let all that come tumbling down because he realized that it was all insufficient when he stacked it next to Christ.

Paul Saw His Citizenship in a New Way

And what we’re going to see today is him leaning into this even more.

We’re going to see how Paul didn’t see his faith as just about Jesus saving him so he could go to heaven one day. No. He saw it as much more than that.

In fact, he’s going to talk about the key thing that anchors his identity to Christ and informs him of what he is supposed to do in this life.

And that key thing is his citizenship.

Paul saw following Jesus as such a radical, life-altering endeavor that not only did his eternal destiny change, but his right-now citizenship had changed.

Philippians 3:12-4:1

¹² Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, ¹⁴ I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.¹⁵ Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you. ¹⁶ In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained. ¹⁷ Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us. ¹⁸ For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹ Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things, ²⁰ but our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. ²¹ He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.

4 So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.

For Paul, his identity in Christ fuels his pursuit of Christ.

He sees himself as so loved by God that he has made his life mission to pursue Him. He sees Christ as everything. He hungers to know Him more deeply. He desires to grab hold of the promise that God has given to him in Christ.

He has experienced a transformation.

He used to stack his identity upon his nationality and his ethnicity. He used to stack his identity upon his religiosity. He used to think those things were everything. He used to believe that those things were what opened the door for him to be favored by God.

Have you ever been there?

Have you ever thought your goodness, your righteousness, your stack of good deeds, your lack of really bad offenses, your nation of origin, your ethnicity, have you ever thought that you could stack the good side of the scale in your favor so that God would favor you?

Paul used to. But then he met Christ Jesus and everything changed. He began to work out his salvation with fear and trembling. He began to let the Holy Spirit heal the deep crevices of emotional trauma in his life. He began to let the Holy Spirit purge out the lies he used to believe about God’s love being dependent on him being born in a certain genealogy. He began to question everything and put those questions on Christ and live out of those answers instead of the answers he grew up hearing.

He could finally see that without Christ, He was nothing.

But with Christ, He was a child of God, a freed prisoner, a citizen of heaven.

So he gave up everything that he thought was an advantage, everything he thought counted for something, and everything he thought was worth something for Christ alone.

Philippians 3:12-14

¹² Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, ¹⁴ I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

GW Hansen commented on this passage and said:

“He is running hard after Christ with his heart wide open to receive Christ because Christ has already received him and arrested him by his love. Divine grace is the source and goal of the human pursuit.”

Our Pursuit — What do you need to forget?

Paul had some things he needed to forget in order to pursue Christ.

He went from seeing himself as someone who had arrived—he was a Jew, he was a Pharisee, he was faultless before the law. He had arrived. That’s what he believed about himself.

But then everything changed.

Not only does he not see the value of any of his past measuring standards, he seems to now even realize that while Christ has ahold of him, he still hasn’t arrived. He is still pursuing, he is still walking, he is still contending for the faith of the gospel, he is still working out his salvation with fear and trembling.

That’s good news for us, amen?!

You ever felt like you should have reached the pinnacle of your walk with God by now? You ever felt like you should be further along by now? You ever felt like you following Jesus shouldn’t be as hard now since you’ve been following for decades?

Paul’s saying NO! I’m chasing after Jesus and I’m forgetting what did or didn’t happen in the past, what progress was or wasn’t made, what measurement I used to use to congratulate or ridicule myself with, I’m forgetting what is behind and I’m PURSUING the prize and the hope that is set before me.

What do you need to forget?

Friend, what do you need to forget? What is holding you back?

What’s in your past that is holding you prisoner in the present?

Your view of success?

Your belief about your worth?

That time God didn’t do what you thought He would do?

That time that person hurt you beyond belief and you felt lonely and unloved?

What that person said about you?

The way that person treated you?

What do you need to forget?

Your achievements? Your recognition? Your reputation?

Did you start to believe the headlines about you? Did you start to believe the praise people poured on you?

Deep down do you question whether or not you really need to be saved? After all, you’re a good person and you’re better than most.

What’s holding you prisoner?

Did it start with an innocent glance? Has it snowballed into much more than that? Have you been living a lie just to remain functional?

Has a certain sin hindered you for so long that you’ve lost all hope that you’ll ever overcome it?

Have you said yes to your own desires so many times that you don’t even know what it means to be selfless anymore?

What do you need to forget?

Living with ankle weights — our concerns of this life

When we let the concerns of this life, when we diminish God’s grace and magnify our sin, when we let our identities be stacked on what someone said about us or what we believe about ourselves, we are living with fifty-pound ankle weights and trying to run a race.

No wonder we keep falling. No wonder we stay exhausted.

And yet Christ looks at us as we try to carry all our burdens, all our sins, all our accomplishments, all our pride, and He is saying to us you need to let it all go. He’s got this.

Philippians 3:15-16

¹⁵ Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you. ¹⁶ In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained.

Paul is trusting that the work of the Holy Spirit in them will show them that what he is advocating for them is, indeed, what God wants for them.

And at the same time, he commends them because it seems that he trusts that their knowledge is on the level that would lead them to this place.

A lot of us know a lot of stuff and if we would simply live up to the truth we have attained, we’d be well on our way.

Kenny White, the lead pastor at The Crossing, the church I used to serve at coined a term, at least I think he came up with it… Spiritual Constipation.

How about that for imagery, eh?

Here’s what he means by that. A lot of us know a lot of stuff. And while we know a lot of stuff, we oftentimes don’t do anything with it.

Think about this: You probably don’t need to hear a new insight from God. You need to put into practice the thousands of insights and truths that are already sitting in your heart that have laid dormant for years.

Paul’s saying to live up to whatever truth you have attained. James said it this way, “don’t just be hearers of the word, be doers of the word also. Otherwise, you’re just fooling yourself.”

Paul goes on.

Philippians 3:17-21

¹⁷ Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us. ¹⁸ For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹ Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things, ²⁰ but our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. ²¹ He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.

Enemies of the cross vs citizens of heaven

The Bible is quite clear that there are two types of people. People of light and people of darkness. You’re either completely for Jesus or you’re not at all. And Paul here is giving us a picture of what it looks like to be light against a backdrop of what it looks like to be darkness.

Someone who follows Jesus? Their citizenship is in heaven. Their focus is not on earthly things, but on heavenly things.

Therefore, they join with Paul in the endeavor of taking hold of the hope they have in Christ because Christ has taken hold of them. They approach this goal with humility, not thinking they’ve grabbed ahold of it. They approach the goal with hunger, forgetting what is behind them and striving and reaching forward to what is ahead. Their goal is the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. They imitate Paul’s goal, his mindset, and his action because they share his identity and his destiny.

What do citizens of heaven do? They focus on the hope that is before them and they make it their life mission to be about Christ alone.

Those who live in darkness are focused on earthly things, on selfish things.

Where is your governing authority

For the Philippian Christians, they had to make a choice. Was their governing authority located in Rome or heaven?

We can’t miss this. Paul is putting these two allegiances on opposing planes.

Like Paul asked them, I think he is asking us the same thing. Where is your governing authority? Is it in the District of Columbia or is it in the Kingdom of Heaven?

Paul was clear: Just like Philippi was a Rome away from Rome, the church ought to be a heaven away from heaven.

But in order for that to be the case, the church, the citizens of heaven, must see that their citizenship CURRENTLY, not when they pass away, not when they stop breathing, but their citizenship NOW is in heaven.

Yes, we are to be good citizens here where we live.

But I’m convinced that the way to be the greatest citizen of America is to be a citizen of Heaven. To be living representatives of heaven on earth. To work for heavenly things.

And we can’t miss the significance of this shift because where you are a citizen of first dictates what you see your purpose to be and your identity to flow from.

A Nation’s way

To be a citizen of Rome, you were a part of an Empire that would conquer others with the sword and to be a good citizen, you must pledge your allegiance to Caesar.

To be a citizen of Israel, you were part of a nation set apart by God and you were to pledge your allegiance to God through the Law.

To be a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, you are a part of a set apart nation that conquers the world, not with a sword but with love and you are to pledge and fully place your allegiance to God through Jesus who fulfilled the Law.

My friends, we are to be citizens of heaven far before we are citizens of America. We are to pledge our allegiance to Jesus Christ our King before we are to pledge our allegiance to colored cloth.

And if that makes you uncomfortable, if that makes you angry, then that should tell you where your governing authority might be.

And to drive this home, Paul does something dramatic.

Savior: Caesar vs Jesus

Look again at verse 20 again. The word Savior was often used to refer to Rome’s Emperor, Caesar Augustus.

Consider this from commentator, G. W. Hansen:

“The close connection between Roman colonial language and Paul’s terminology comes into even sharper focus in the next phrase: we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Roman Empire, Caesar Augustus was acclaimed to be the “savior of the world” because he restored order and peace not only in Italy but also throughout the provinces and regions under his sovereign rule. Paul’s use of the term Savior in his letter to Christians in Roman Philippi “sharply opposes Jesus Christ as Lord to the imperial savior.” By applying the imperial title Savior to Jesus Christ, “Paul explicitly (and we must assume deliberately) speaks of Jesus in language which echoes, and hence deeply subverts, language in common use among Roman imperial subjects to describe Caesar.””

“Paul redirects the focus of his readers from the savior in Rome, Caesar Augustus, to the Savior in heaven, Jesus Christ the Lord. In contrast to the enemies of the cross who set their minds on earthly powers (3:18–19), the Christians in Philippi are called to focus their trust and hope in the Lord and Savior above all earthly powers.”

Paul is intentionally subverting the power structure of the day that beckoned people’s hearts to be in full allegiance to Caesar/Rome.

And he is doing the same thing to us and the power structure of our day.

Questions We Must Ask Ourselves

• Do you have a heavenly hunger?

• Is Jesus enough for you to let go of everything else?

What is holding you prisoner? What is hindering your pursuit of seeing Jesus as everything? What or who is holding your identity hostage? Jesus has set you free. You can forget what is behind and press on to the goal of God’s prize through Jesus Christ.

• Does He have your first allegiance?

We probably all want a better America. The question is, do we want to see Heaven invade earth and for more people to have their citizenship there? Is that more important to us than for this nation to be what we want it to be?

Philippians 4:1

So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.

He can keep it. He can keep you.

Ben Franklin told the lady who asked him if we have a Monarchy or a Republic that we have a Republic, if you can keep it.

My friends, the kingdom of Heaven isn’t up to us to survive. It isn’t up to us in order for it to thrive. It isn’t kept by us or anyone else on this earth.

Paul is telling us that in this matter we can stand firm in the Lord because where He stands is solid ground. We do not stand on shifty sand. We stand on a rock, firm and secure.

We have a kingdom. And He can keep it. And He can keep you.

Allegiance to Jesus

So do you want true freedom? Freedom from guilt from shame from brokenness from sin?

Do you want purpose? Do you want to experience the wholeness of being a child of God? A friend of God?

It’s only through Jesus. He made a way for all to come and experience true freedom. He made a way for all to experience true peace. And that is through His sacrifice.

He paid for your sin. He was punished for your iniquities. The penalty due you He put on Himself. He has defeated the power of sin. He has defeated the power of death. He has conquered the enemy. He has revealed the love God has for you. He has brought glory to His Father.

And when you surrender to Him. When you put your faith and trust in Him, when you confess that He is Lord, when you turn from your own way of things and surrender to His way, when you humble yourself in the waters of baptism, you are receiving the free gift of God, the salvation of your soul.

Is your allegiance with Jesus? If not, that can be changed today.

And if it is… Invite Someone

And if your allegiance is with Jesus, then invite someone to join you next week here at FCC. Invite someone to have an opportunity to hear the greatest news in the Universe that there is a Kingdom whose King didn’t need the peasants to fight the battle, but came out of the palace and fought for the peasants. And not only that, but He is the King who adopted those peasants as His own so that those who used to be peasants are now royalty—members of God’s family.

That’s good news right there.

The post Philippians: A Heavenly Allegiance appeared first on Brandon Kelley.