Leftovers - Philippians 1:21-30

Happy Monday. This is the ERC Leftovers.

I'm Pastor Matt and. I'm Emily.

Emily's here. Little pastor and pastor's wife

episode on this Memorial Day. Happy Memorial Day.

I saw a post from 1613, it's Toby Martin's men's conference.

Just a reflection on today and probably others have.

Others have said it maybe in different ways or different

years or or whatever it was, but Monday will be the most

expensive holiday on the calendar.

Every hot dog, every burger, every spin around the lake or

drink with friends and family is a debt purchased by others.

This is not about all who served.

That day comes in the fall. This one is in honor of those

who have paid in life and blood, whose moms never saw them again,

whose dads wept in private, whose wives raised kids alone,

and whose kids only remember them from pictures.

This isn't simply a day off. This is a day to remember that

others paid for every free breath you ever get to take

freedom. Happy Memorial Day.

Wow. I've.

Never thought that deeply about it before.

That's awesome. Yep, most expensive holiday on

the calendar. I thought that was a profound

reflection from 1613 conference, so yeah.

That. Is yeah, happy Memorial Day and

our expression of gratitude for those that have paid the

ultimate price and as we remember and honor and, yeah,

commend them to God's will as we look to, yeah, live lives worthy

of the freedom gifted to us. Kind of what we're talking about

in the sermon yesterday, too. Yeah.

And thank you to everyone who I know diligently prays for our

families who are sending their loved ones also.

That cannot be an easy task, both those who have been sent

and those who are sending. That's that's tough.

It can be tough. Yeah.

So anyway, Memorial Day Leftovers podcast today the wife

is sitting in good to me you were.

I tried so many ways before I was going to introduce myself.

I don't think anyone can live up to Pastor Chris's like classic

Pastor Chris. It sounds dumb to say pastor

wife Emily, so I wasn't going to do that.

I guess I did it now, but you. Revealed that so.

But we were talking there might be the pastor wife life

sometimes is a little behind the scenes so.

It's a little covert. Yeah.

So unless you know me pretty well, it's kind of like, I feel

like it's either extreme. You'll either know me pretty

well or like you might only see me up front sometimes singing or

wrangling the kid row in the front.

Yeah. And even then, it's not

immediately obvious who you are. Right.

So yeah, I'm Matt's wife, Emily, and I have been in the Lutheran

Brother and I was born and raised in Lutheran Brother in

church. So I have had the great fortune

of knowing Jesus my whole life, which I've come around to

knowing that that is a blessing and not, not something to be

kind of ashamed of. Like I don't have a huge

testimony story, but I do actually, I do have a story of

generational, generational blessing because of those who

had gone before me and faithfully instilled in me the

love of Christ. So, and then we've been here for

eight years. That's crazy.

I remember the first time we came here and just the, I like

to call it specific generosity that we have been given by this

church. People came up to me before they

knew me and offered to watch my kids so I could sing with you,

Something we value as a as a couple.

And it was really, really special to have people who are

just so active in blessing others right away as part of our

life. And so now, after having served

for eight years, we are looking forward to taking a little

break. We joyfully carry burdens from

people and blessings from people and we love that life.

But also it's it is a life that kind of doesn't get a break.

And so we are thankful for the leadership in the Synod and the

leadership here at the church that values taking care of those

who are caring for you guys. So we do look forward to the

time with our family to recenter, refocus and honestly

just recharge so we can come back and continue to love on all

of you guys. So.

Yeah, we're getting this is the last week before a time of rest

as a restful sabbatical for me this summer until till kind of

the middle of August. And you're a speech therapist on

teacher schedule, so you're off for the summer as well.

So we'll get. Yeah, a time of rest and

rejuvenation with the kids. We haven't had a dual summer

off. Yeah, that'll be great.

We're taking some time to travel and get away and spend some time

on some water. And yeah, but eight years in,

it's, it's really crazy and cool to think and reflect on where

this church has been brought through through COVID, through,

yeah, ebbs and flows of, of growth and pastoral transition.

And we were in, we had a connections ministry meeting

yesterday and just discussing, yeah, just different strategies

or new or new ways to invite people in the next steps, not

just being friendly faces, but also like inviting them into

deeper relationship with Jesus and, and with the people here.

And that's, that's where connections ministry is, is

focused on. And even just, I was, I was

talking with them, reflecting on where we're not as small of a

town as we live in by church metrics, we're not a small

church anymore. We're, we're over 200 people on

a weekly basis. About half of you are involved

in, in life groups. And that's outside of like

that's life groups led by people here.

That's outside of those of you that get together and have

coffee and Bible study with a neighbor or or go to a Bible

study that's organized by someone else's church with like

that. That's just like our organized

life groups. At least at least half of you in

Sunday morning attendance are involved in those here. 90% of

churches in America are are 200 people or smaller like like on a

given weekend. So even in little De Witt, we're

in the top 10% of population churches.

But it's not just we, we don't want to just fill seats.

We don't want to just have numbers for numbers sake that

life group part of it or that getting into the word daily,

having having Matt bears, having people in your life that are

holding you accountable to the world.

The word holding you accountable to right Christian living and do

it doing that together. Yeah, right.

Christian living is is messy and ugly at at times.

It's a struggle. We talked about that yesterday

in the message. Jesus promised struggle,

promised suffering. Paul promised suffering in the

way that that he did that that would be a part of walking in

this in this Christian walk after Jesus, but just been

really encouraged in in the growth that we've had both in

number, but also I think in in depth.

There have been lives changed and families restored and and

lives brought to know Jesus and and lives brought to grow in

Jesus through the people that you you talked about that there

already was, even when we got here, an established foundation

of specific generosity. And you say that in ways that

it's it's not just how can I help like people, people saw a

need and asked specifically, can I get can I watch your kids so

you can sing on worship team? Yeah, I I value that.

Like this church was different in that they didn't say can't,

not that they're canned words, but they kind of are a little

bit. When you hear someone say, oh,

I'll be praying about that, or oh, how can I pray for you?

And not that that's not helpful, but you have people here who

seem to have a knack for taking the next real life step.

It's not how can I pray for you? It's like, when can I drop off

the meal? When can I come and put help put

your kids to bed? How can they?

Didn't really give you an option to refuse.

Here's my phone number for when your kids are sick.

I honestly that time when so when the twins were in the NICU

basically and I still didn't have much time, free time to get

to know anyone in this church. There were women who gave me

their phone numbers. And I specifically remember a

phone number given to me. And I'm going to apologize

because I don't even know for sure which phone number it was

because that time my life was honestly a blur.

But I do remember it made an impression on me when someone

handed me. And any mom out there would know

this too, when someone hands you a phone number and says, I know

you've got a lot of help and a lot of phone numbers.

This one is for when your kids are sick.

Call me. So just another example of the

many specific, specifically generous people that have walked

into our lives as we've served here.

And there are many, there are so many new of you since we since

we first started, when I think back on it.

So, and we've been here 8 years when we first moved here.

And I remember June, so June 30th, 2018, it was, it was like

100 and 1° here that day. And we pull up, we pull up to

the house on Pleasant Hill and there's already people waiting.

There's already 20-30 people waiting to unload the truck, but

it's 100 and 1° and. It's just, it was so.

Hot it was so hot, but there are and and what was crazier, you

had never seen this house like that's like a whole.

Nother story we probably don't have time for, but it was a

whirlwind to get this house. I had not been to do it ever,

no. But you had only seen like Skype

video walkthroughs of this house.

I had basically I had seen it. I had said this is this is the

place they were. I remember when we were looking

for a house here, I think there were like literally 7 houses on

the market like into it. Yeah, I mean, I remember the

phone call. I was like in Farm and Fleet

with my mom or something, and you called and you're like, I

think we need to buy this house. I was like like can you send a

picture? Yeah, so, but anyway, on that,

so on that moving day, like you're, you're walking into the

kitchen and people are people are bringing you boxes.

Where do you want this to go? And you're and you're just like,

I need to go look at the kitchen for like I remember.

I really haven't seen the kitchen.

I do remember that I was like, give me 5 minutes to walk in the

door and figure out what this is.

But that was also fine because people took that in stride.

I know Pam was there. She was one of the first ones in

the line and she took Ellie, who was four or five months old at

the time, and her job was literally.

Ellie was like 6 weeks old, yeah.

And it was again 100°. So like she took Ellie though

and held her and rocked her and in the sweltering hot, I'm sure.

But she just every once in a while I'd come back in there.

We I think the the rocking chair must have been one of the first

things we unloaded so that there was something for someone to sit

on with with Ellie. And Pam rocked that.

She literally that was like her job.

It was it was great. But she did.

Yeah, she did that. Yeah, so that was, and just so

just thinking about that, not only all of that, but just how

crazy like Ellie was newborn Ellie was six weeks old, Clara

was a year and a half and Oliver had just turned 3.

We're moving to Iowa away from grandparents.

At that time, we lived like a mile from your parents.

My parents were an hour and a half away in Rochester, like not

not far, but and all of your extended aunts, uncles,

grandparents still in the Eau Claire area.

So like we moved away from any biological family that we had

about four hours South in crazy time.

We had three under 3. Pretty soon we would have 5

under 5 here. And.

Yeah, but, and just thinking about the village that rallied

around that, that was a crazy time in our life.

I was still finishing my master's degree.

We had five under 5. The twins were in the NICU for

11 with 13 weeks, I think it was all told.

Yeah. So just that was A, and that

was, we had twins in the NICU. They came home like we, we had

lived here for like 18 months, I think so within our first year

and a half of being here and then and that, so that was

December of 2019. COVID hits full force like 3-4

months after that. Our first 2-3 years here were

just like, and I know that was the Ki time for everyone really,

but we having 505 still being relatively new at, at a church,

like we're still under 2 years here.

Yeah. The, the love and support and

encouragement that we felt not only in that crazy stressful

time of our lives, there was a crazy stressful time for

everybody's lives in there. And then the five years since

then, like Ellie just turned 8 and she's kind of our, she's

kind of our anchor. But like her age is how long

we've been here. Basically.

The twins are turning 7 this fall, which sounds crazy that

it's been that long that we're that far removed from that.

But there's been, yeah, there's been so much growth and change,

encouragement from people pouring into, pouring into this

building. The those of you that have come

in the past year and a half, two years, to see what the sanctuary

has, how it looks now versus even how it looked like 3 years

ago is way to how it looked three years ago is how it looked

30 years ago. And to, to see that that change

and how that the building has been shaped by, by those of you

skilled in those ways to pour into needs and modifications and

renovations for the space, the parking lot expanding.

And even just the outpouring of energy and encouragement in, in

events and engagement in the community that that you all are

able to, to see and feel and, and be a part of.

Yeah, it's inspiring. You guys are inspiring,

actually. It's that verse like, let's not

grow weary in doing good. Let's.

Not grow weary of doing. Good.

Yeah, just you guys have embodied that honestly long

before we came and it continues and I think it's contagious.

So thankful for for everyone who continues to do that and doesn't

grow weary in doing the good necessary for the growth of this

of this church so that people can continue to come and hear

the main thing that Jesus loves them so much and that they have

a place for, for healing and comfort and growth and

community. So.

Yeah. So huge thanks to those of you

that have been here for a long time laying that foundation, but

also those of you that are relatively new in the past 2-3,

four years coming in and and catching the fire.

Like seeing, seeing that feeling that energy or that compassion

or that power of the Holy Spirit here moving in people and being

like, hey, this is this is it. This is the church.

This is what I want to be a part of.

This is how I'm going to be a part of a Christian walk and and

Christian living. It's yeah.

It's become a really amazing community for us place that we

that we call home. 8 years in and grateful for a little time

off this summer. We're not just taking a step,

I'm taking a step back from, from formal ministry.

There's definitely aspects of life that are, that are just

life. It's not like, it's not like

we're not going to be here to, to hang out or, or do life with

things. We're going to try to not do

like any funerals or weddings this summer, like actual formal,

formal things. But like, yeah, if there's

stuff, if there's stuff going on in your life or you just want to

hang out or go to the pool or go golfing, bring the kids to the

park. Or is it like we're we're here,

we're not averse from seeing church people.

That's not what that's not what this summer of rest is.

It's just kind of, yeah, trying to remove the the weightier.

It's on the responsibility of the responsibilities of ministry

is more of what this sabbatical break is about.

So yeah, grateful for that. That starts June 1st, preaching

next week on the second week of This is Living Philippians

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

Chapter 2. And then, yeah, we'll get on up

to Wisconsin and spend a week on the river.

So yeah, Anyway, so yeah, Emily Pastor's wife is here for the

episode today. And.

Can I just say, in response to everyone giving so much, let me

gift you with Adulting with Emily this time.

We usually do adulting with Pastor Matt.

Since Pastor Matt's wife is here, we're going to hear what

adulting in the life of Emily looks like.

OK, you might have heard a tone when he said that.

Here's why. For those of you who know me

well, the adulting. OK, I know I'm not the only one

so here we go. Adulting is hard and it's

boring. OK, adulting is hard and boring

for a lot of people. So for those of you who identify

with that, we thought it would be fun to look at a couple of

reels that we've seen that have some encouragement, I think for

those of you who feel the same. So here's the first one.

It's called motivation. I motivate myself and what

better way to motivate myself than a treat?

That's probably why y'all never get nothing done around your

house or anywhere else because you don't have enough

motivation. The only motivation you're

giving yourself is to have a clean house is to organize the

pan. No, no, I'm sorry, that's not

enough motivation for me. I need a treat.

I need a treat. I have never identified with

something so strongly, and you know what?

I will be as bold to say I agree that I think you guys all

probably didn't get enough stuff done because you didn't have

enough motivation. You need a treat adulting with

Emily, I'm not saying you have to buy.

I think she talks about like you could go get the purse or

whatever. No, I mean, doesn't have to be

buying something. You can come up with your own

treat, but like, come on. And I know that's how you and I

are different. It is how we're.

Different How? Enjoy.

Let's see, that's what's. Creating order out of chaos.

No, see, that's it's not even that I I enjoy, I don't enjoy

creating order. I enjoy things being orderly.

OK, same thing. No, it's not the I don't, I

don't wake up in the morning. Jones in to go wash a sink full

of dishes like that's that's not where the joy, the joy is in the

finished the finished product of order is enough motivation for

me. Well, maybe that's where we're

different. Because like I just don't get

any sort of high or enjoyment from seeing order I guess maybe.

You just crave chaos. I crave it.

That's what it sounds like. I want the treat.

And what treat is there for washing dishes?

Nothing. More more dishes to use with

food like this is this. Or I use my favorite coffee

Creamer in my coffee and now I have a treat after I do the

dishes. Or I find the stashed macrons in

the fridge. No, my goodness, you just, you

just need one. Yep.

Yeah. And that and I feel like that

video, yeah, stemmed out of the the Andy Dwyer character of,

yeah, answering a tech exam question and treat, please,

Yeah. Yeah, if you've seen that

episode, he's preparing to give. He's preparing to respond to

questions for his exam, his one college exam that he has.

And so his wife April is trying to help him by offering him a

treat for every time. He answers the question.

And it's like 1 Cheeto. Inner hand that he just.

Eats out but also I would totally do that for a Cheeto.

You would. That's why it's too real.

Yeah. Oh my goodness.

So yes, adulting with Emily. Just need the right motivation.

Just need need a treat. So true.

OK, so then there's the second one, not so much the adulting,

but this one is more about just relationships and women

specifically. There's this.

OK, so there's this trend, I think of reels, if you've ever

seen any of them, where it's like when your man is around,

women all the sudden default to this more dependent kind of

being. And however, when the man isn't

around, like we can do anything, we will get anything done.

Not that it's not like we're trying to be helpless, but at

the same. Time just some, but if the man's

there, you will be helpless. Maybe we just assume our

Princess role when the man I don't know.

But anyway, this so this real just to preface it, it's to it's

a man and his I'm assuming wife or partner walking through the

airport. So I'll just preface it with

that and. It's here are their mindset

versus her. Mindset.

It is their inner thoughts as they walk through the airport.

OK, here you go. There goes 2 exits to the left.

My nearest exit is still in front of me.

My guy looks kind of suspicious. Make sure he doesn't get too

close to her she doesn't have. A care in the world.

That one was also too accurate because because I mean, yes, I

sing on Sundays, but it truly is an outpouring of my regular

daily life. It's just always a song.

Don't even need to be words. Yes, I am really bad at

remembering words. Also you don't care, but I don't

care. No I don't, I don't and this is

fully accurate because as soon as like.

And I've travelled often in my life on my own to foreign

countries and been perfectly capable.

But if you were walking next to me I would not even know where

we're going in the terminal cuz I just feel like I don't have

to. Yeah, feels.

Feels so true. Off the heels of our Maidenness

Image series, too. Another, another way, yet

another way to add to the board of how men and women are

different. And I know many of you are out

there like that, very strong women who would rather, you

know, when the man's around, let him do his thing, right, just

anyway. Hopefully I'm not alone in that,

I guess. Yeah.

But anyway, there you go. Couple other fun just reaction

what's so what's funny. We didn't even go through all of

them necessarily. But I am not on Instagram.

I don't use Instagram. Some like I, I try to limit my

social media in general. I'm not on Tiktok.

I am on Facebook 'cause that's where like I communicate mostly

with people and do most church things that might not be the

best returned or I didn't get like.

You're kind of an old man. When I am social.

Media comes to social media. And that's just that's where I

am and I kind of just live in it.

It's probably not the worst place to.

Be sometimes. Anyway, so you though are mostly

on Instagram and so everyone and I don't even have like Instagram

notifications on like that's how I have Instagram.

I don't even have a well. I I actually don't either out

of. I think I have a tik.

T.O.K for myself. I do not have the app installed

on my phone. So again, if you send anything

to me on TikTok, I yeah, I really don't see those either.

But anyway, so on Instagram, every once in a while, you just

like, give me another, like I sent you a bunch of reels and,

and the honestly, this is like over a month's time.

Like I can look back in my messages on Instagram.

And a lot of the time we'll just sit down on the date night in on

an evening and just you want to see me watch the real that that

you thought were funny, that you want to see me react.

It's a good mix, actually. A lot of them are funny.

I would say they're like 75% funny, like relationship ones

like we did or the adulting ones that I know he'll be like, Yep,

that's you. Yeah, try and be a better adult

I believe or but the other also some of them are ministry

related like worship team or I don't know fun ideas for

different ministry things. So anyway.

I I saw one this morning and we're not going to we're not

going to play it because it's not really audio.

It's just, it's just words on the real.

But as much as, yeah, as much as we talked about the Maidenas

image, guys and girls difference, we also have the

the, the four FS at church, faith, family, fitness and

finances. And I thought this was a funny

sort of fitness reflection. If you're, if you're feeling

depressed, go for a run. Your physical health will be way

worse than your mental health. So you'll feel way, way better

about that. Some of you that's not true for

Yeah, for me that's true. For me that's true.

Keep the spiral going. Well, I suck at that too.

Perfect. OK.

You're right, that may not help. That may not be.

The best thing? Oh man, yeah.

So anyway, I thought that was funny, but.

I also came across a reel that I thought would be funny to share

on the heels of you mentioned because we have the the one more

Sunday coming up and you said. One more Sunday, June 7th.

There's a big announcement coming this Sunday, May 31st,

but then one more Sunday on June 7th that we kind of talked about

yesterday, how that's a safe Sunday.

Like the gospel's going to be clear.

It's not going to be. Weird.

We're not going to be super. Weird.

We're not going to be super, we're going to be like normal

amount of weird. We're not going to be, really.

Weird. So this so this reel I thought

was pretty funny. And also apsa to all of you who

have been attending for a while, let's just OK, just let's be

regular weird. OK, here you go.

I'm bringing a visit to the church this week so everybody

don't be weird. Visit at the judge this week so

everybody don't be weird. Political things.

Shut your mouth. Bigfoot is cane.

Shut your mouth. We got to walk to Missouri.

Shut your mouth. Collab theory.

Shut your mouth. On my mission.

Shut your mouth. We did an exorcism.

Shut your mouth. I had dinner with a ghost.

Shut your mouth. I gave a blessing to a goat.

Shut your mouth. Hey, all of the wards from the

West to the South, Everybody, everybody shut your mouth.

Just talk about Jesus. Oh baby, shut your mouth.

That's that's what it is. Just just talk about Jesus.

Just just. OK.

I don't even know what some of those things she was talking

about. I don't either, but now I kind

of want to. I kind of want to Google some of

it. Big Bigfoot as cane?

What? OK, I don't know.

I've got some Googling to do. Yeah, So that I felt like that.

You were right. You showed that to me.

And that did embody the attitude of One More Sunday.

We're not going to. We're just going to be like,

Jesus weird. Not, Yeah, Extra crazy weird.

Yeah. That's fine.

Yep, we'll be. We'll be fine.

One more Sunday coming up on June 7th yeah are we to church

things now we're we're past our lengthy icebreaker and

conversational part of the show. OK, I.

I think so. I think so.

And yeah, I think, I think we're ready.

I think they're ready for us to move on.

I'm ready for us to move on. It's.

Fun to have you here so yeah, it is fun to meet you.

We are, we started to new series, short four week series

on Philippians this week. There's 4 chapters in

Philippians. We're going to take a little

snippet from each chapter for each of the four weeks.

I said it in church yesterday, but encourage you, it's a short

letter. You could take in all of

Philippians, all four chapters for the next 4 weeks.

You could read it every day and there's and I think it takes

like 13 minutes for an average, the average pace of reading, or

at least that's how long it takes me to listen to it.

I think on on dwell. So something you could probably

read even faster than that than someone actually speaking to

you. But that's where we're going to

be in Philippians. The series is called this is

living. And this first week we focused

on verses 21 through 30 of chapter 1 of Philippians.

And I kind of fixated on the phrase live your life in a

manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And it kind of even they are Paul's words.

And that is true, but it kind of stemmed out of some of the

conversations I feel like you and me have been had having

recently 2 of people living. Are you are you living like

you're saved? Are you living just.

Oh yeah. Like living, remembering what

actually happened. For you, yeah, yeah, because the

older I, the older I get and I guess that just makes sense.

I'd I'd meet more people, but the older I get, I I encounter

or maybe realize some some people like Christians around

me. I'm not even necessarily talking

about it. This church, just like I've been

at a bunch of different churches.

The Christians I've seen and had in my life, some, some of them I

feel like are not living in a way that is, that is living like

you've been saved from from something like you're not

reveling in the outpouring of God's love for you.

You're not living a life in in response, like even even in the

way you might if someone saves your life on the street or is it

like like it's took a bullet from you And it's it's and I

think I think that's a universal Christian struggle really to

like live in the to fully embrace and live in the way that

you like. You realize how your life has

been saved, how someone has stepped in for.

You that's an interesting comparison because I feel like

if that were to happen to me, someone took a bullet for me

literally and like and then later on they asked something of

me, I would have no problem being like, yes, what else, yes,

what else, yes, what else? And somehow, when I know full

well the things the Lord asks of me, I just forget.

I just, it's not on my mind and then I don't or whatever.

It's easy to forget somehow. And maybe I don't know.

And that analogy can get a little a little murky because

God isn't asking us to do those things to keep it.

But it's it's in a way that is if that person came to you and

is like honoring, are you? Are you honoring the life that

was given to you? Are are you are you making

something of the life gifted to you living in response, I talked

about honoring the if we're Princess and princesses, if we

are sons and daughters of the king, are we living a life in a

way that that protects the reputation of the crown or or or

even brings glory to the reputation of the ground

pointing to we don't want to be we don't want to be kids that

that sons and daughters of of the king that are that are

besmirching. Wow, that that how's that guy

parenting them? We don't want to be kids of God

that are like, wow, what is what is he doing?

We would like to be people that I I want that I want that

relationship with that heavenly father that that these people

have that my friends have that my family have.

We should we should live in such a way that we're we're pointing

to the father relationship with God the father being something

that is that is desirable, that is enticing, that is at the

center of our of our life, that is life giving.

So before we get to the end, because that is kind of the end

of chapter 1, just want to set up a couple more context things

as we dive a little deeper on the leftovers.

That's kind of the kind of the point to get into some things.

There wasn't space for on Sunday for the message.

If you want to hear the message in its entirety, it's just one

episode back in the ERC Sunday's podcast feed here.

You can go listen to that but a couple things from the beginning

of chapter 1 of Philippians again, Paul is penning this from

prison. He is quite literally

imprisoned. Verse three he reflects on he he

loved this church in Philippi. He says I thank my God upon

every remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine, making

requests for you all with joy for your fellowship in the

Gospel from the first day until now, being confident, this very

thing that he who has begun a good work and you will complete

it until the day of Jesus Christ.

He's he's thankful for the relationship, the fellowship

that he's had with them, the faith that they possess and and

they live out and it's yeah, it's just a really powerful and

cool thing. I think to see the the

relationship that he had with these people and this the rest

of this letter is is encouraging them on spurring them on in

those things that he's seen and experienced them praying for the

Philippians and doing so with all joy building them up

grateful for their fellowship in the gospel encouraging them.

He who has begun a good work and you will complete it until the

day of Jesus Christ. He then goes on in verse 7 and 8

of chapter one in Philippians, just as it is right for me to

think this all of you, because I have you in my heart and as much

as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the

gospel, you are all partakers with me of grace for God is my

witness. How greatly I long for you all

with the affection of Jesus Christ.

And this kind of reveals his heart.

The profound impact that he's had, the gratitude, the

gratefulness that he has for how this church has been built up,

how it has grown, how these people have remained faithful to

the message that he has preached and taught to them.

He goes on to share a prayer with them, verse 9.

And this I pray that your love may abound still more and more

in knowledge and all discernment, that you may

approve the things that are excellent, that you may be

sincere and without offence till the day of Christ being filled

with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the

glory and praise of God. It's a beautiful prayer.

It's a beautiful expression that you may be sincere and without

offence till the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of

righteousness to the glory and praise of God.

It's still all about the reputation of the crown, Our

reflection that the fruits that Lovejoy, peace, patience, those

aren't things that we get. They are reflections of a life

lived. I talked about yesterday in the

passage. One of the cross references was

Colossians 3. To put on as God's chosen, holy

and beloved Lovejoy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

gentleness, compassion bearing with one another that that verb

in Colossians 3 to put on literally means to to clothe

yourself. We talked about it last Thursday

at the food for thought Bible study at did you did you leave

your compassion at home? This I'm thinking of compassion

as a jacket like did you did you put it on with you this morning

when you went out so that you were ready to encounter the the

trials of the day that you were ready to your hearts were ready

to break for what breaks God's and you're ready to love people

like like he would. So yeah, that was that was some

of the background from yesterday's Paul's relationship

with the church where that had come from.

Then he goes on to reflect. We're going to jump up to verse

19. He reflects on his present

circumstance. Not sure how long he's going to

be in prison. If he's going to get out of

prison, what will be there for him afterwards?

Verse 19 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance

through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus

Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in

nothing I shall be ashamed. But with all boldness as always,

so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by

life or by death. This I think is a beautiful

conclusion. He is so assured.

And remember, this is Paul who used to be Saul, who used to be

persecuting Christians. Jesus has resurrected and worked

in him such a redemption. He does not identify with that

former self. He only identifies with the from

the day I met Jesus, my life has been turned around and I've

lived in such a way to bring glory to Christ at that.

In nothing shall I be ashamed, but with all boldness.

So now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by

life or death. He could be gone tomorrow and he

still feels fully confident of how his life since he

encountered Jesus has been lived out.

That Christ is magnified. It's awesome.

It's awesome. And that was also kind of the

impetus for me of, of this message yesterday.

Life lived in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ

throughout my study this week I was I was kind of thinking about

how how we would go and introduce how would you go

introduce yourself to someone today you you wouldn't you

wouldn't say hey here. Hi, I'm Emily and I used to deal

with this and have this and be this way at no you you

introduced yourself how you are now right like you describe you

describe. I'm, I'm, I'm Emily.

I have 5 kids. I've been a pastor's wife here

in DeWitt for we've my husband's been a pastor here for the past

eight years. I'm a speech therapist.

Like you don't, you don't introduce yourself to someone

today and say, hey, I'm Emily. I was in high school show choir

and I used to play soccer and I had a dog named Jack.

Like those are, those are all, those are all things from your

past. Those are accurate.

Right. But but they don't.

And now that they don't matter. But none of those things are who

you are right now. Yeah, right.

So I was also kind of thinking about that just as as

Christians, as followers, are we are we holding on to who we used

to be? Are we, are we still living our

lives? Are there areas of our lives

that we're still living as who we were before Christ, and maybe

even identifying that way when all that really matters or

should truly matter in the life of a believer is in Christ

today? From this day forward?

Do you believe that His power over sin, death, and the grave

is is enough to redeem and restore all those other things

again? Not that they don't matter, but

they are not what define you anymore.

I've heard it talked about as, as we talked about, like you

changing lives and, and trying to make transformation basically

like Jesus doesn't leave you where you were and he's always

trying to bring you more good. You know, it's kind of like when

you're trying to do be better at something in your life, like

going to the gym or eating better.

I've heard that it works or one strategy for that is to talk as

if it is true of you. I go to the gym now, you know,

yes or I I actually eat healthy. I eat salad for lunch.

You know, whatever you got to say to take on that identity,

then you're more likely to like you're telling your brain that

that is who you are. And I think it's the same for

our Christian walk sometimes where even even someone who's

walked their whole life like I have, it's the same.

It's sometimes there's something that comes up and I'm like, oh,

I did it again, you know, instead of saying, oh, but God

is bringing me out of this rather than, and it's a small

minute difference sometimes rather than, oh, I'm still

fighting this. No, God is bringing me out of

this or I am with the Lord in in getting out.

Even that phrasing and telling yourself the the alternate

identity of like, no, I'm actually covered with Christ and

actually he's with me getting me out versus I'm still stuck down

here and hoping God gets here sometime.

Like no, he already has. He's already there.

You're getting out, you know. Yeah, or even just that aversion

to this. This isn't me anymore.

Like if you, if you do get sucked back into maybe those old

things, it should, it should feel maybe uncomfortable and

weird of like, oh, this isn't, this isn't who I am in Christ.

This isn't who Christ has declared me to be.

I'm not going to, I'm not going to call him out.

But I was interacting with a a dad yesterday and he seemed and

yeah, he seemed frustrated by having a lack of patience

yesterday. But I also it hasn't because

we're giving them the run around.

But like I could, I could just tell the tension and I'm like,

even like this isn't who I am. Like this isn't since Christ is

in me. This feels wrong for for me to

be impatient. Like this is not the way I'm

supposed to feel about and he wasn't.

So it wasn't just like frustrated at his kids that he

he was actually like wrestling with.

I don't want to be impatient with my children because that's

not how I'm called to act. Like he he had this, a version

of this is how I would have would have been before, before

Christ, and I maybe even would have embraced that attitude.

And just like this is what it is.

My kids are frustrating. I but since Christ, it's like,

no, this is I I need to choose joy in my children.

I need to choose patience for my children.

And and you know, you don't have to even say that on your own

power to you can you can God I because of you, I am patient.

I can be because of you, I will wait 5 seconds before this comes

out of my mouth, you know, or help me to.

And even just that. I think we talked a little bit

about that at our life group too.

Or it was like sometimes even just the five seconds of

acknowledging that you're not just bringing God into it.

That is the foundation of living a life worthy of of the call.

Like you can't do it alone. We talked about being worthy,

but like the worthiness again does not come from you finagling

away for your life to be worthy. It's acknowledging the one who

saved your life so that he can continue to bring out the life

that's best for you. Yeah, and that's exactly where

Paul is, verse 21. For me to live is Christ and to

die is gain. If I'm going to live, I'm going

to do it for the glory of Christ.

He tells the church in Philippi. If I if I remain and continue

with you, it's for your progress and joy of the faith that you're

rejoicing for me made me more amundant in Jesus Christ by my

coming to you again, if I'm going to be here, there's work

to be done there. There's there's a throne to be

glorified. There's a there's a there's a

reputation to uphold and glory to bring to the crown of of

Jesus Christ in this if I'm going to live, if I die, it's

it's also going to be a gain 11 for me.

I'm an immediately going to be in glory with Jesus.

So he doesn't fear death. He doesn't fear this

imprisonment and and threat of death that could come from his

present circumstances. Secondly, if he dies for the

cause, like he would literally be executed for proclaiming

Christ, which would also glorify Jesus like that, that would also

bring glory. If that was something that the

world was so averse to that they hated him for, he would he.

But he's not fearful of that in proclaiming, and he's not going

to back down. He's not ashamed.

He said all these words. Yeah.

I was thinking of it's, it's a lyric.

I can't remember. I don't want to mess it up

because these are actually really big.

You would know it's either DC Talk or Jars of Clay.

Oh boy. But one of the lyrics is I have

No Fear of drowning. I have No Fear of drowning.

It's the breathing that's taking all this work.

You know, sounds like jars of clay.

I. Think it is.

I listen to Jars of Clay on repeat during college 'cause it

was like mellow enough that I wouldn't pay attention.

But. It is jars of clay.

It's their song work, yes. OK.

And and that lyric has always stuck with me because it's true.

It's true like. I actually the living is the

hard part. The living is the hard part.

It's I have No Fear of the drowning, which sounds so

morbid. I don't want that for Yeah, I

know. Maybe got that out.

OK. So that's one I won't bring up

on plus one Sunday. +11. More, I'm sorry, One more

Sunday. One more Sunday.

I will not talk about drowning. OK, Deal.

But it's the same concept. I I don't fear the death, I

don't fear the end. I don't fear that stuff.

But it's the breathing that is taking all this work.

And I know there are lots out there that feel that too.

It is exhausting. It is exhausting.

And I'm not just saying that as we approach a sabbatical.

It's it's kind of as I started, as we started talking about this

church too, like you are, you are continuing to do good and

trying not to grow weary and doing that.

And there's really only one way to do that.

And it is when you stop relying on the Lord's strength, then it

becomes even more tiresome and exhausting and not filled with

joy like the letter in in Philippians describes.

Yeah, and that's also part of it.

Verse 27, Paul goes on to kind of the, yeah, the main thrust of

the message that I was talking about yesterday.

Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that

whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your

affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind,

striving together for the faith of the gospel he's telling.

And all these things you're not doing for me.

It's, it's not for my sake whether I'm here or whether I'm

gone. You're not doing this to be

accountable to me. I've given you an example, but

it is it is for the glory of Christ that you're acting in

such a way. You're not going to have to

answer to me. You're going to have to answer

to God for how you for how you responded to the love that he

expressed to you. So do it in one spirit.

Do it with one mind, striving together in unity for the faith

of the gospel. And that's not that.

Again, now I don't feel like I'm barreling into sabbatical just

like desperately gasping for breath.

And I'm also not saying that sabbatical is a test of like,

hey, can y'all keep it together while I'm gone?

That's not, that's, that's not. And I, and I really don't have

any fear of that. I don't.

Chris and Kristen are still here, elders and and really the

rest of you like this. This place is not turning on

singularly and solely because of me and my work.

Y'all have caught a vision and and a fire here.

These these people are going to be well cared for.

We do have a village shoulder to shoulder.

Iron sharpens iron mentality. Some of y'all need to lean into

that a little bit more than than you currently are and

acknowledge that there are people here willing to pour into

you, willing to hold you accountable to these things that

are above, whether whether present or absent.

So anyway, I, I'm barely in a sabbatical confident in this,

But that's also, that's also how I'm leaving it with you.

I don't, I don't need you to keep this place together while

I'm gone. For, for my sake.

It's it's for God's, it's for the sake of the, the work that's

still to be done in this community.

I don't need you to hold it together so that I have a place

to come back to. I, I want the, the, the message

in the work needs to continue to go forth because there's still

souls into it that need to be saved.

Yeah. Yeah, I was looking at, I mean,

you're not Paul obviously, but like.

If you were I have no illusions that I am Paul.

But if you were to write 1 of Paul's letters to this church, I

do think it would, it would be very similar to like Philippians

in that like, and This is why I love Philippians too, because

this is one of the most uplifting and encouraging.

Like he loved the Church of Philippi and we love this church

because of because exactly like he says at the beginning, I

think that would be kind of our our prayer for people.

Not not because we think it's going to go poorly when we

leave. It's truly because we just

continue with you to yearn for you all with the affection of

Jesus. This is, I mean, straight out of

Philippians 1/8. And it is my our prayer that

your love may abound more and more with the knowledge and

discernment so you can approve what is excellent and be pure

and blameless for the day of Christ.

I mean, that's it. Yeah.

And not, and just a yearning as any, as any fellow believer

would yearn for a brother and sister to just hang on, you

know, hang on till the end, not the end of sabbatical.

Hang on till we get to continue life together in glory.

That that is the goal. Let's make it.

Let's make it as crowded as it is on a Sunday here.

Let's continue to make it just as crowded when we all get to be

together in glory before in the throne room.

Yeah, no, I think that's a great, a great wrap up to that.

I want to share my sort of, yeah, send off commissioning

like that with your thoughts too.

I read it yesterday, but Colossians 312 through 17.

Paul's words put on them as God's chosen one's holy and

beloved compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and

patience bearing with one another.

And if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each

other, As the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.

And above all these, put on love, which binds everything

together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule

in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and

be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in

you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all

wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with

thankfulness in your hearts to God.

And whatever you do in Word or deed, do everything in the name

of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through

him. Amen.

Amen. So that's our prayer and our our

wishes for you. We're so grateful to be a part

of this community with you all. I'm going to leave you with one

more thing. Mere Mortal Monday, boiling down

the message to just one succinct take away from Philippians 127.

Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.

My take away would be from this message.

The gospel is not just something we believe with our minds, it's

something we live with our lives.

That's what we got. Have a blessed week, Church, see

you Sunday.