“A Shift of Celebration Proportion”

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Philippians 4:4-7

(taken from "Seismic Shifts" by Kevin G. Harney)

Introduction: If you are a parent, or a grandparent, or even an aunt or uncle, you know that babies are cute. It only takes the smallest thing to bring delight. I have to confess that when Tyler was born, every movement astounded me. I actually took 6 hours of video the first 6 months of Tyler’s life! How exciting it is to see their first smile, or when they turn over for the first time. In fact, Tami called me at work the first time Tyler turned over.

Then when they get bigger we marvel at their every accomplishment. How wonderful it is to see them take their first step and say their first words. We even make a big deal of it when they use the potty for the first time. And yet, it shouldn’t amaze us that we get excited when a baby or toddler does these things. Affirmation in these moments is important. These events should be celebrated because they mark growth in the child’s life. These “little accomplishments” are a big deal because they reflect God’s plan for growth and maturity in our lives.

This is true for us spiritually as well. God has it planned that we should grow and mature spiritually. We don’t start out mature. In 1 Corinthians 3:2 the apostle Paul says to the church in Corinth: “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it…” They were not ready for solid spiritual food just as a baby would not be ready for solid food.

Last week we touched briefly on the aspect of receiving God’s joy into our lives. This week we are going to talk about the small shifts we need to make to grow spiritually; and the more we grow spiritually, the more joy we will be able to receive.

I. From Infancy to Adulthood- (James 1:17; Galatians 6:2; John 13:34-35;

Matthew 22:37-38; John 3:16)

There are actually signs that we can discover, that will help us to see

ourselves moving from spiritual infancy to spiritual adulthood. This is the process of “growing up in the faith.” And the exciting news, is that just like we celebrate our own children’s growth, so God and all of heaven celebrates our spiritual growth.

1. Learning to feed ourselves- We all know that when a baby is born, that

baby can’t feed itself, nor can it prepare its own food. Without the help of the mom and dad, the baby would die. At some point in time, the baby is able to grow up to the point where they learn to eat on their own, but they are still dependent on their parents for getting them the food.

In the same way, God wants His children to learn how to eat regularly on the Word of God; the Bible. At first, we need to be fed through the sermon, or by going to a Bible study. But at some point, we need to learn how to read the Bible on our own. By reading on our own, we are able to increase the spiritual nourishment we get into our lives. This doesn’t mean that we stop coming to church or to Bible study, but our own reading time adds to what we are getting from church.

SO, the first step to spiritual maturity is reading the Bible regularly on our own.

2. Learning to talk and listen- A second wonderful accomplishment for

children is when they are able to speak their first words. These first words are the mimicking of the noises they hear from us. But even beyond speaking, is when they are able to learn the skill of listening, and then responding.

For us spiritually, it is a clear sign we are growing spiritually when we develop our ability to talk with God and listen to God. This is the art of praying; listening to God, and talking to God, and it is foundational for us to be able to have a spiritual life. Now, the talking part isn’t usually a problem for us, except that we might think we have to use special words to pray. That isn’t true. To pray, all you need to do is speak normal words expressing what you think, feel, and need.

Listening is a more mature spiritual concept. Because God is Spirit and not a physical being, it is more difficult to learn how to listen. But if you quiet your mind, God WILL speak to you through your thoughts.

So the second spiritual growth step is listening and talking to God.

3. Learning how to share- If you have ever been around children, you know that

one of the most difficult things for them to do is share…A great example that reminds us of this is the “10 Property Laws of a Toddler.” 1. If I like it, it's mine; 2. If it's in my hand, it's mine; 3. If I can take it from you, it's mine; 4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine; 5. If it's mine, it must not ever appear to be yours in any way; 6. If I'm doing or building something, all of the pieces are mine; 7. If it looks just like mine, it's mine; 8. If I saw it first, it's mine; 9. If your playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine; 10.If it's broken, it's yours. (Deb Lawrence, Missionary to the Philippines)

WE ALL KNOW that once a child learns how to talk, one of the first words they learn is the word “mine.” So it takes great work and skill for a parent to teach their children how to share their toys with other children.

Spiritually speaking, a third indication that we are growing spiritually is that we take steps forward in our generosity. In the book of James, 1:17, we are told: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” / God wants us to discover the joy of giving freely to Him and others. God wants us to learn how to share our resources!

4. Learning how to help others- As our children grow up, they learn that being a

part of the family means helping out. Whether it is taking out the trash or setting the table, they need to find ways to help do their share of the chores.

In our spiritual lives, to grow spiritually mature means we learn how to take our eyes off of ourselves, and look to the needs of others. We go from saying “Take care of me,” to saying “How can I help you?” As we are told in Galatians 6:2- “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

A good example of this was when Pat Pendergrass had surgery. The Deacons stepped up and said: “How can we help them in this time of need?” Can you think of other ways that we help others as a church? (Have congregation share…)

5. Learning how to love people- In John 13:34-35, Jesus told His disciples: “A new

command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

It is quite obvious that God expects us to love people, and the way we love people shows how we are doing in becoming spiritually mature.

6. Learning how to love God- One of the greatest phrases that a parent can hear

from their child is when they say “I love you.” God longs to hear these words from us as well. We were created by God, in God’s image/ and after God created us the Bible tells us that God was pleased. When we tell God we love Him, and show God we love Him, then we are showing that we understand that first great commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, ..soul, .. mind, .. and strength.”

7. Learning how to live in a bigger world- Before we are born, we live in the safe

confines of the womb. Once we are born, we live within the parameters of our home and our family. But at some point we have to learn to exist in the bigger world. This isn’t easy to do. This is best illustrated in the college student who moves out of their parents home, and is no longer under their roof or rules. And often times you see this college student making bad choices.

As we grow in our relationship with God, we follow a journey of moving into the bigger world. God is in the business of expanding our hearts with a love for the world. You

remember Jesus saying in John 3:16- “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Brand new followers of Jesus spend time focusing on their own growth and lives. This is a natural starting point. But with spiritual maturity comes an expanding heart for those who do not know Jesus. Our world gets bigger when we start to see people who are struggling by making bad choices, or struggling with their joy because they aren’t living for God.

If you are struggling in not experiencing joy in your lives, it is probably because you are not feeding yourself with the Bible, and/or you are not listening to God, and/or you are not sharing and giving and helping, and/or you are not loving God and reaching out to the bigger world.

II. From Somberness to Celebration- (Philippians 4:4; Galatians 5:2;

2 Corinthians 4:16-18, 5:17; Romans 8:18)

a. A choice- At the beginning of every service I say these words from

Philippians 4:4- “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.” I say these words to remind us that joy is a choice; it really is a choice. If you doubt this, listen to this illustration of the lives of Betty and Esther:

As a little girl, Esther experienced the pain of severe burns on her chest and neck when her clothes caught on fire while playing with fireworks. The scars never went away. As a young woman, she fell in love and got married, but she ended up going through a painful divorce. Esther’s second marriage ended when she received a telegram from the United States government informing her that her husband had been killed in action in WWII. Her husband had bad vision, but he was mistakenly sent to the front lines. At the young age of 30, Esther found herself divorced, widowed, and a single mom. Esther moved from Flint, Michigan to Pasadena, CA. She pulled away from people and gave most of her attention to stray cats in the neighborhood. She didn’t smile much, and joyful was not a word people used to describe her.

On the other hand you have a woman named Betty. Betty fell in love at a young age and got married. Sadly, her husband fell deep into alcoholism, abandoned his family, and eventually died while living on the streets of New York. At only thirty-one, Betty became a widow and was left to raise 3 little boys alone. Eventually she re-married and had 4 more children. She had to raise 5 boys and 2 girls in a blended family. This was before there were books about how to do it. She faced another tragedy when her second son was killed in a car accident. Later in her life she had a severe heart attack.

BUT, Betty’s response to her pain and struggles was different than that of Esther. She opened her heart and home to every stray boy and girl who needed a smile, a warm meal, and a hug. Laughter filled her home. Even after her heart attack, Betty’s compassionate love and joyful spirit drew people to her. At almost any time, if you walked into her home, you would hear her singing or whistling joyfully.

Betty and Esther both had their share of pain, but one became bitter and alone and joyless, while the other became loving, and sharing, and joyful!! This was not by accident, this was by choice.

b. People of joy- Followers of Jesus are people of joy. That doesn’t mean

that Christians are always happy and joyful, but it does mean that we can experience joy in all of life, and that we are to allow God to bring joy “out of our sorrows.” The first 2 fruits of the Spirit, found in Galatians 5:2, are love and joy. These 2 go hand in hand. When LOVE overflows, JOY is the natural by-product. Listen to these words from King David in Psalm 30:11-12- “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.” God is delighted when He sees His children walk in joy. He celebrates when we dance, and sing. One of the greatest gifts we can give our heavenly Father is a life freely flowing with joy.

c. Joy busters- But you might want to say to me: “Pastor, if we are

supposed to be so joyful, how come there isn’t more joy in our world? OR If God’s children are called to be joyful like God, why is there so little celebration and so much somberness? Let me explain to you 2 joy busters:

1. In this world, there is the presence of pain and suffering that

can dampen our joy. God does not want us to pretend to be joyful when we are not. Over a third of the book of psalms are psalms of lament; psalms where the writers openly and honestly speak of their pain, hurt, loneliness, fear, spiritual struggle, and even anger. The key is knowing that these times will pass, and that God walks with us as we go through these difficult times. The joy comes in the confidence of knowing that God never leaves us nor forsakes us, and that God has placed this joy deep in our hearts.

2. The second reason there isn’t more joy expressed, is because

we trade authentic joy for cheap imitations. We love to be entertained and dazzled. But we don’t want to take the journey of faith that leads to ENDURING joy. We try to feed our pain. We try to find joy in the exciting, not understanding that we are looking for joy in all the wrong places. So to overcome these joy busters we need to make adjustments in our hearts and lives. And if we do this, we can experience the joy God wants for us.

d. The journey to joy- So let me tell you the journey we need to walk if

we are going to experience JOY, not sorrow; CELEBRATION, not somberness.

The first important task is to take our eyes off of the past. It is not healthy

to dwell on our past failures, poor choices, or even victories which can keep us from walking in the present. In the movie Napoleon Dynamite, Napoleon’s uncle Rico lives every day of his life thinking about one thing; his desire to return to 1982. 1982 was the year he almost became a football hero. He ends up living in emotional limbo because he can’t let go of the past…. When we live in the past we risk losing the race God has set before us.

The second task of the journey is accepting God’s forgiveness. As we live free from the past and race toward the future, we declare that we are forgiven and free. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” Paul’s life was transformed when he realized that there was no sin, rebellion, or hard-heartedness that can’t be overcome by the love and acceptance of Jesus! Third, we need to keep things in perspective. We often lose our joy because we lose perspective of the real purpose of life. To keep perspective we need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus. In Jesus we see one who faithfully carried out His calling to the end, and not only experienced the fullness of joy, but is able to pass that joy on to all who follow Him!

Conclusion: If God’s people are supposed to be joy-filled, then the church should be the happiest place on earth. People should be drawn to our church because of the love we show, which fills us and others with joy. The joy should be famous for the extravagant joy that is experienced every time we gather.

The problem is, the church doesn’t always exhibit this joy. Too often we come not having given ourselves over to God and the joy God has for us.

Joy can’t be bought or manufactured. Joy is given to us by God. And this joy can only be received when we are seeking to grow in spiritual maturity as individuals, and as a church./ It is said that a team is only as strong as its weakest player. The truth is, a church is only as joyful as is least joyful member. So together we need to all seek to grow in our relationship with God, seek to give of ourselves freely, and focus on what God has for us in the present. Then, we will be able to celebrate this life, church, and ministry God has given us. Amen.