SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES

[1]WELCOME: Good morning Church! It’s good to be able to worship Jesus together today. Whether you are one campus or joining us online thank you for taking the time to worship together and to focus on growing as followers of Jesus. If you’re new with us, my name is Nic Cook and I’m one of the pastors here at Cornerstone Church. We want to make sure we’re loving each other well and praying for each other, so if you haven’t already, please let us know you’re here and how we can be praying for you by filling out our digital connection card at auburncstone.info. Today we’re in our third week of the SERIES: CHOOSING JOY. We’re going through a book in our bibles called Philippians. It was a letter written by an early influential church planter and leader named Paul to his brothers and sisters in Christ living in the city of Philippi. He’s in prison because of preaching and telling people that Jesus is God. The people that love him are worried about him and having doubts about God’s plans and are probably discouraged by the way the future looks. So Paul is wanting to help encourage and teach them. He says, things look bad, but it’s possible to have joy in the middle of difficult circumstances. It’s possible to have…[2]

·  JOY IN THE JAIL CELL: When I was little, probably around 5 years old, I remember my Dad taking me onto the Air Force base on the Island of Guam where he was stationed. He took me to the military jail they had and walked me through it. Mind you this is a small military prison and not like civilian prisons filled with violent offenders. In fact, there wasn’t anyone there at the time so my Dad wasn’t being irresponsible. [3]But he brought me there and was showing me around. He was talking about how people who broke the law were put there. He let me walk into a jail cell. And little blonde haired 5-year-old Nic imagined what it would have been like to have that metal door closed and have to live that way. Not able to go where I wanted or do what I loved. I don’t remember much when I was that age, but I remember that. It was the original scared straight. I was already a rule follower, but that experience drove home the point. Kids who don’t learn to respect the law turn into adults who don’t respect the law and end up in places like that. Some of you are like…what kind of parent would do that, then some of you are like…what police officers do I know that could help me out? The point is, at no point in my life would I consider wanting my life to end up in jail. Under no circumstances would I want to be there. Yet here Paul is saying things like I’m content, I rejoice. For many of us today…

o [4]WE’RE NOT IN JAIL, BUT WHERE WE ARE DOESN’T FEEL JOYFUL: We may not be where we want to be in life. This is not how we envisioned our future. For some they look at their families and say, how did I get here? For others they may look at their jobs and say why am I here? For others it may be looking at our country and saying where do we go from here? Paul tells us, no matter how it looks, not matter where you find yourself, it’s possible to have joy. How? Let’s pray and read God’s word together to find out. [5][Phil. 1:12-26]

(TEACH/APP) NOT WHERE I PLANNED TO BE (God)

BACKGROUND: [6]What you may or may not realize is that Paul had been longing to go to Rome for a long time. On Paul’s third major trip he took to preach the gospel and plant churches he spent time in the city of Corinth where he wrote a letter to the Christians in Rome that we call “Romans”. Pretty creative huh? In the beginning of that letter he says [7-11] [Rom. 1:8-15] Do you hear the tone here? He’s longing to go to Rome and to get to know the Christians there and to preach the gospel and see more people get saved. He’s like, I’ve been trying, and trying, and I haven’t gotten there yet, but I’m still planning on it. On that same trip Paul and stayed in the city of Ephesus. He probably spent 3 ½ years there. We find out from [Acts 19:21] that his intention was to go back to Jerusalem and them on to Rome so that he could preach the gospel there. When Paul finally got to Jerusalem, that’s where he gets arrested by Jewish people who hated that Paul was saying that Jesus was God and had died for our sins and been resurrected and that to be saved you had to ask Jesus to forgive you and accept him as King. The Romans were willing to arrest him just to stop any potential mobs from forming. They were also trying to decide what to make of this new religious movement called Christianity. Was it simply a branch of Jewish people who believed a little differently, or were they a threat to the empire? The rest of the book tells of how Paul gets shuffled from roman leader to roman leader until he’s shipped off to Rome to face trial. So, Paul after years of longing to go to Rome, is finally there. Well, kind of… I got to go to Russia one time, but never made it out of the airport, so not exactly the trip that I had planned. I think most of us, if we were in Paul’s sandals, we’d feel like we were…[12]

·  IN THE RIGHT PLACE WITH THE WRONG CIRCUMSTANCES There are some people who don’t like Paul because of some of the things he wrote. But regardless of whether you like him or not, you would have to admit that he was legitimately one of the greatest leaders in history. Paul was responsible for not only starting many of the churches that would grow into one of the largest religions in the entire world. And if you’re an early Christian, who has given their life to Jesus because of this man’s work, and seen the impact that he has made, you would think ending up in prison would be a huge tragedy! Think of how much more he could be doing if he was out in the city and preaching the gospel. Wouldn’t God be better served if Paul were not in prison? Paul himself could have been depressed and disappointed that he wasn’t able to be doing the things he had planned and longed to do in this city for years. He was finally here, and he was stuck. The greatest church planter and evangelist of his time, chained to roman guards for 24 hours a day, unable to leave his house. However, we see Paul respond differently. Essentially he’s saying…[13]

o I WILL SIEZE THE OPPORTUNITIES WHERE GOD HAS PLACED ME! [14] [Phil. 1:12-13] He says that the gospel has been advancing. How? What exactly is happening so that the gospel is advancing? Well, let’s start with the imperial guard. These soldiers were the best of the best. They were battle hardened and capable men who had been brought to the city over the years to protect the city and Caesar. As Paul is under house arrest, he is chained 24hours a day to one of these guards. The guards switched every 4 to 6 hours. So, during the day, there were possibly 6 different men chained to Paul. The question is who is chained to who? These men are chained to the most prolific and powerful evangelist of history. They are literally a captive audience. Each day Paul has the opportunity to share who Jesus is with them. [15] It appears as though he has an effect and some of them start giving their lives to Jesus. Battle hardened, manly men, breaking down and realizing they are sinners who need Jesus. The ripple effect goes on and those men are changed and word gets out to the other soldiers. The gospel marches into the military and begins conquering them. The God of peace is conquering men of war. [16]Not only is he using this as an opportunity to preach to the guards, but he’s writing letters like crazy. Most scholars believe that while in prison, Paul wrote the letter we’re studying called Philippians, but he also wrote Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. I’d say that writing 4 books of the bible was a worthwhile way to spend time. Paul is utilizing whatever tools he has at his disposal to make sure that God’s family is encouraged and that the lost hear about Jesus. The way that Paul used his time in prison not only shaped the Christians of the day, but has affected millions over the past 2,000 years and is still affecting people here in Auburn IL. Talk about the gospel advancing. That’s one of the reasons we are still working to leverage the tools at hand today to spread the gospel. Through streaming our services, through getting resources online to train followers of Jesus. It reminds me of a pastor named Detrich Bonhoeffer who was put in prison and knew that death was coming, yet kept talking to the Nazi guards outside his steel door about Jesus. They were so amazed by his life and faith even in prison, that many began to consider becoming Christians. So the Nazis had to keep rotating brand new guards every couple hours. Seize the chances regardless of the circumstances. This morning I hope you hear this…

§ [17]DON’T MISS THE OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE YOU’RE FOCUSED ON THE OBSTACLES! For many of us, this past year, and if we’re not careful, this year, can come and go and we can stay stuck. We can be focused on how things aren’t going the way we planned them. How we’re stuck in places we’d rather not be. We can be disappointed. We can start to doubt. Or we can look around for the opportunities to grow. We can look at the people closest to us and decide to make an impact in their lives. For example, one family I know has been literally in their house for the majority of this pandemic. Yet they are looking for ways to help their child know and love Jesus better in the meantime. They are actively seeking ways to grow in their own faith. Paul wrote letters, maybe you can be doing the same. I had a conversation with someone who decided each week they were going to write a card pointing out something they loved and something encouraging to a person in their church. The effect it is having during this time is staggering. As people struggle through this and get something in the mail that says “I’ve noticed this about you and it makes me thankful for you. Thanks for showing me God in this way.” So, what gives Paul the drive and the motivation to live this way? Why is Paul able to look at his circumstances, and jump on the opportunities around him and not focus on the obstacles? How can he experience such joy even in jail? We can probably boil it down to this question…[18]

(JC) WHAT ARE YOU LIVING FOR? (JC)

“______” IS LIFE! How many of you have seen shirts or bumper stickers or quotes that say something like: Soccer or baseball or golf is life, everything else is just a game. Or Fishing is life. Music if life. What each of these phrases is saying is, this thing brings me such great fulfillment and purpose, that I’ll pursue it with my whole life. I won’t let other things distract me from the thing that I love! [19]Whether we admit it, we all live by a statement like that. Most of ours we don’t say out loud or put on T-shirts, but it’s written on our hearts. Success is life. We work hard, get good grades, get into great colleges, get promotions. Attention is life. Look at me. Be the Best. Like me, share me, subscribe to me on social media. My Kids are life. Make sure they’re happy. Make sure they’re successful. Make sure they are well-rounded. My significant other is life. I live to make them happy. When I find mr or mrs right then I’ll start to live. Then there’s more subtle and religious sounding ones like being good is life. Gotta do more things for God. Gotta clean up my act. Gotta make up for all the bad things I’ve done. AND NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE LIFE. THEY DON’T GIVE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OR JOY! No matter how many times you succeed there’s always another trophy, promotion. No matter how much attention you get, you always crave another attaboy or attagirl. There’s always someone who gets more attention than you. Kids grow up and move away, significant others eventually leave this life. Being good enough always leaving us despairing because we can’t live up to our own standards. [20]C.S. Lewis once said “Do not let your happiness depend on something you may lose. If love is to be a blessing, not a misery, it must be for the only Beloved who will not pass away.” C.S. Lewis agrees with Paul. Everything in this life will pass away. But there is one thing, one person who can give life and is worth giving your life to. He says…[21]

·  CHRIST IS LIFE []: Paul says [22-23][Phil 1:21]. Paul says if you truly understand Jesus. Who he is, what he’s like, and what he’s done for you, you’ll devote your entire life to him. He’s worth all of your time, attention, talent, and treasure. When you are able to sit and soak in the knowledge that he knows you, sees all of your failings and flaws and still loves you no matter what, you’ll be willing to follow him even when it hurts. When you see that he suffered excruciatingly on the cross and understands your suffering, you’ll trust him with your pain. When you see how he set aside his power, position, and privileges, to serve you and even those who hated him, it will help you lay aside your own dreams and accept the place he’s put you in to serve. When your heart longs to be with him so badly, it transforms death into a gift that allows us to finally see him and be physically hugged by him and see him smile at us. If your heart and your head and soul are able to begin to find their joy in Him, then joy is yours regardless of being in a jail cell. It can’t be taken away. It doesn’t die. It’s not based on circumstances. Opportunities are endless even in the middle of obstacles. This morning I want to close with some next steps…[24]

(NXT/INSP) COME TO HIM, LIVE FOR HIM!

BEGINNING STEP: First, if you are exploring Christianity, or you are relatively new to who Jesus is, maybe God is using your current circumstances to make you reevaluate what you thought would give you life. Maybe you’re tired of the merry go round of placing your joy and happiness on things and people that never truly satisfy. This morning I want to hold out to you that Jesus came that you might have true, abundant, full, and satisfying life. Life where you know you’re loved deeper and better than any other love you’ve ever experienced. A love that sustains us even when life is hard or painful. Your first step is to say Jesus is life! I need him, I love him, I want to give everything I have to him. If you’d like to know more about knowing and following that Jesus, box or come talk…

NEXT STEP: Secondly, if you call Jesus Lord, my question is do you trust that he knows what he’s doing? Do you trust that he can and will use where you’re at as part of his plan? If so, maybe it’s time to start praying, Jesus what opportunities are there here for me to grow? What opportunities are right in front of me to help make you known to others? Maybe God has placed you where you are for a reason. My prayer is that we would be people whose life is found in Jesus, whose lives are given to Jesus, and that in this season we’re in, that Jesus would be known through us. We would seize every opportunity to know Jesus and make him known. Let’s pray!