To Us A Child Is Born!

Isaiah 9:2-7

Introduction

Darkness is a word that is rich with imagery. In the Star Wars movies, the term "dark side" is used to speak of the evil in the world. John 3:19 says, "men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." Darkness speaks of the preference for evil instead of the truth.

Darkness is also associated with hopelessness and mental oppression. The term gloom, which is darkness associated, speaks of a darkness of the soul which indicates a loss of hope and an oppression of the inner self. Some speak of the dark night of the soul.

We live in the darkness of our sins. Some live in the darkness of depression. Many live in the darkness of oppression by Satan or some other foe. Last week, we talked about the darkness in our world and in our lives when we looked at our need for God. We looked at our separation from God, the guilt that plagues every sinner, the fact that creation is cursed, that reproduction is cursed and that human relationships are broken. We examined how even our work is cursed and the fact that the ultimate separation from God is death.

Isaiah 9:2 speaks about the “people walking in darkness” but then promises that those same people who are walking in darkness “have seen a great light…” When this was written, it was written to a people who were experiencing political oppression from enemies. But the darkness refers to things that are much deeper than the darkness of war and the light, is much brighter than the light of political peace in the land. In Isaiah 9:6, the coming of the light is centred around the birth of a child. This verse is a birth announcement giving the announcement of the birth, the naming of the child and the explanation of the meaning of His name. The promise is given that “to us a child is born, to us a son is given.” The light and hope that God promised is fulfilled in the birth of a child.

Today we celebrate the birth of that child who is Jesus. Last week we looked at our need for God and today we celebrate that God has fulfilled that need. Through the birth of the child, God has come into this world. What a wonderful thing that God has come and has shone His light into our dark world and into the darkness of our lives!

The name that was to be given to the child explains how the coming of God, in the person of Jesus, is light. The names given do not refer to the actual name by which he would be called by people who knew Him, but rather to the person He would be. This morning I would like to look at the name of Jesus as given in Isaiah 9:6. As we look at the meaning of this name, we will see how He is light in our lives and how He fulfills our need for God. On this Christmas Day, may this reflection cause us to worship Him.

Wonderful Counsellor

The first part of the name is “Wonderful Counsellor.” Although some translations separate these and make them two names – wonderful and counsellor - I think there is good reason to keep them as one name - “Wonderful Counsellor.”

Last week when we examined our need of God, we talked about some of the brokenness which is in our world and in our lives such as relational and sexual brokenness and even the difficulty of work. Many people go to marriage counsellors or employment counsellors to get help, but is that adequate?

The Bible acknowledges that we need God’s help to really live. To the church in Laodicea John writes in Revelation 3:17, “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” To that need, Jesus has come into this world as a Wonderful Counsellor.

There are two things we expect of a counsellor – compassion and wisdom.

We expect that when we go to one who will help us that they will care about us. Jesus has that compassion. We see it in Matthew 11:28 – 30 where Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus demonstrated such compassion and gentleness in His life’s ministry. When the Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery, he did not condemn her, but invited her to choose a life apart from sin. When he talked with the woman at the well, he did not condemn her lifestyle, but drew her along to discover the life He could give. Many times when the burden has become too much for me, I love to go into my prayer room and just sit in the presence of God. When I sit there and lay my burden before Jesus, it isn’t very long before he restores my soul and encourages my heart.

The other thing we expect of a counsellor is that they will guide us by the understanding they possess. Colossians 2:2,3 points out the wisdom which is in Christ when it says, “…in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Discovering the wisdom of Christ does not come from figuring things out on our own, but in prayer, in discovering the way of Jesus from the Word of God and in depending on Him to guide us. When we learn this kind of dependence, we will discover a wisdom that is beyond our natural abilities.

These are some of the things which make Jesus a “wonderful counselor.” What else makes Jesus such a wonderful counselor?

Jesus is a wonderful counselor because He is always available. I called a counseling office earlier this year on behalf of someone and got an answering machine which told me that it would take several days before they would even have time to talk to us. When you are in the midst of a crisis, it is not very good news to find out that you won’t get help for a few days. Jesus is always available.

One of the things that frustrates me most in some of the counseling which I have done is that I never know the whole story. People will tell a counselor what they want them to hear and so it is hard to deal with the real issue when you only know part of the story. Jesus knows us right to the depths of our heart. He begins by dealing with our basic problem – sin - and then draws us along to reveal and heal many other areas of our life.

I love Jesus because He is a wonderful counselor. What about you?

Mighty God

One of the first problems which came to us when we chose to sin was separation from God. As we saw last week, we still live with the challenge of being separated from God in our doubts and in not being able to see how God has been at work. When the child born who is to be born is named “Mighty God” we know that this separation has been bridged.

One of the greatest problems the Jewish people have with Christianity is accepting that Jesus is God. Their problem is that they can’t understand how Jesus could be God when God is in heaven. They think that if Jesus is God then there are two Gods and the Bible is quite clear that there is only one God. It is a difficult logical conundrum, but this passage puts it quite clearly – the child born is “Mighty God.”

Many people have a difficult time seeing Jesus as God. They see him as a great teacher or as a prophet. When people don’t even believe in God, it is difficult to believe that God Himself has come to earth.

I don’t want to take time this morning to explain these things theologically, but simply to establish that Jesus is the fulfillment of our need to bridge the separation we have with God. He has done so because He is God. In spite of the objections of Jews and secularists, The Old Testament and the New Testament affirm that Jesus is God come into this world. Our text identifies Him as “Mighty God.” In Hebrews 1:8 we read, “But about the Son he says, “‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.’” In I John 5:20 it says, “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”

As God, He is “Mighty God.” This refers to the divine power Jesus has. Where do we see the power of Jesus demonstrated?

He is mighty God because He was raised from the dead and has power over death.

He is mighty God because He has power over all the nations on earth. When on trial for his life, Jesus pointed out to Pilate, in John 19:11, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above..."

He is mighty God because He has defeated the enemy, as it says in Luke 19:10, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."

One of the things I have discovered about myself, and many others, is that we like to fix things ourselves. When the snow blower I bought at the MCC auction in September didn’t work the first time I used it, I took it apart in order to see if I could fix it. I didn’t fix it, and in fact I probably made things worse before I finally realized I was in over my head and got professional help. It has been working well ever since. We do the same thing with our lives. We think that we can fix our sinful tendencies, our poor habits, our hurtful ways, but we need help. Going to counselors, pastors and professionals is good and often provides us with good tools to help us with these needs, but ultimately, we need the help of Jesus who is “mighty God.” He is “God with us” to bring light and life into the darkness and death of our world. He is “Mighty” God who has the power to help.

I love Jesus because He is God, mighty God! How about you?

Everlasting Father

Fathers have gotten a lot of bad press lately. They are sometimes portrayed as abusers, insensitive, bungling, absent and careless. But the figure of a father who is caring, supportive, interested and a leader in the family is a wonderful picture. Many such fathers exist and they are the image behind the picture of Jesus as Everlasting Father.

He is a Father who has the interests of his children at heart and has the ability to care for his children. A child looks to a father as the one who can fix it and cares to do so. That is the image we should have in our minds of Jesus. It speaks of personal loving attention. We often criticize governments because they are not personal. They treat the individual as a group. Jesus is a Father who sees each individual in the group.

We see the father care of Jesus when he was hanging on the cross. Although suffering terrible physical and spiritual anguish, yet his focus was on those he cared for. We see a beautiful picture of such care in John 19:26,27, "When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son, and to the disciple, "Here is your mother."

One writer says, “What tenderness, love and comfort are here!”

My father’s birth day is December 1, so often, about that time of year, I think about him. I have a lot of good memories of my dad, but I also think about what I have missed since he passed away when I was 19 years old. We were just beginning an adult relationship which was more of a peer relationship in which we could talk and really enjoy each others company. He has been gone for 35 years now.

On the other hand, Jesus is “Everlasting Father.” The tenderness and caring that we hope for and desire from a father will never be taken away from us. His light overcomes darkness and will never be extinguished. The wonderful counselling which we have from Him will always be available to us and solves our issues not only for this life, but into all eternity. Sometimes eternity is the solution to our issues and in our “Everlasting Father” we can be assured in the eternal solution to every problem. The power of mighty God is available not only to us in this life, but also to all eternity.

I love Jesus because He is a caring Father and will be for all eternity. What about you?

Prince of Peace.

Can you imagine the difficulty of life in Palestine today? They have been at war with Israel for many years and now the conflict is made worse by a war with each other. I can’t imagine life so unstable and uncertain that every time you take a bus to work or school you know that at any time a suicide bomber could sit down beside you on the bench.

That turmoil is not the only one in life. Although our lives, here in Canada, may not be physically threatened in the same way, there is plenty of war in our lives. We experience the war arising out of our separation from God, the war we wage with the physical world, the war we wage in our relationships. Life is full of conflict and challenge.

How wonderful to hear that the child born is the Prince of Peace.

This week Stephen Harper was quite adamant in defending the Canadian mission in Afghanistan. This week a major offensive was also launched again in Afghanistan. I am saddened that our country continues to take an aggressive military stance instead of being what we have traditionally been, a peace making, peace keeping nation. Prime Minister Harper is the leader of our nation, but is choosing to lead by war.

In contrast, Jesus is a “Prince of Peace.” The word “peace” is the word “Shalom.” It means more than just the absence of war. It means the presence of wholeness. It refers to things being the way they should be.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace because, first of all, He has made peace between us and God. Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," Young says, “When the peace of God is in the human heart, then there will be manifest in the world peace among men.”

We also know that he makes peace between people. In Ephesians 2:14-17 we have a passage that speaks about how Jesus has made peace between Jews and Gentiles. “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.”

Jesus way of peace is different than the world and it answers the warring in our souls. Jesus says in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

I love Jesus because He is the Prince of Peace. Do you?

Conclusion

Many people in the world are celebrating Santa or self or family today. But we have come together because we want to celebrate that God has come to this world in the person of Jesus.

Look to Jesus today! He is Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. Whatever the hopelessness, darkness or death in your life, Jesus can meet your needs. He fulfills what is lacking, He heals what is broken, He supports what is weak.

Look for Jesus today! He is Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. He has come into our world and is at work in our world and in your life. Do you see Him at work in you and around you?

Look at Jesus today! He is Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. As you look at Him, I invite you to admire Him, to worship Him, to thank Him and to glorify Him.

Do We Need God To Come?

Genesis 3

Introduction

There are a number of things that I am able to fix around the house. But every once in a while, I get to the place where I realize that I don’t know how to fix something and I need to call for help – for the furnace or an appliance or something like that. There are numerous areas in our life where we need help from someone who can solve the issues we face, so we call a lawyer, plumber, doctor or some other professional.

At Christmas we celebrate God’s coming to earth as a baby in the person of Jesus.

Sometimes we act as if this is just a nice celebration for us – family gatherings, gifts, the “Christmas feeling” whatever that means. Yet we know it is about God coming into this world. Do we really need God to come? Is it like the times when we call the plumber, Dr., lawyer etc. because we recognize our need?

This morning, I would like to go to the very beginning of human history to help us think about our need of God. We will look at the story of Adam and Eve and examine all the aspects of our need of God which were revealed as soon as sin entered the world. As we reflect on our need, I hope that the story of the coming of Christ, which we will celebrate next week, will increase our appreciation for this season and the wonder and amazement of what we celebrate.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The crown of creation was when he created human beings in His own image. He placed Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, a pristine place of wonder. It was a place in which they had meaningful things to do, the blessing of a relationship with each other and also a close and intimate relationship with God. Yet in that place, there was one restriction. They were not permitted to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Through the work of Satan, Eve was tempted to disobey God’s command and Adam joined in that disobedience. Immediately the effects of their disobedience were evident. They knew that they were naked and the first signs of guilt came upon them. When God came to them following their disobedience, they hid from him, but when He found them He began to question them. He first of all asked Adam, why he had hidden. Rather than admit his guilt, he blamed Eve and Eve did not admit her guilt either, but blamed the serpent. Immediately God’s judgement came down upon them. Beginning with the serpent, or Satan, God cursed him and announced his eventual demise. Then he stated the consequences of sin on Eve and then on Adam. Finally, they were removed out of the garden.

This story reveals seven consequences of sin which are seven reasons why we desperately need God.

We Are Separated From God

In The Genesis Story

One of the first consequences of sin was that they were separated from God. In verse 8 we have a beautiful picture of what must have been. It says they, “heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” It is a picture of beauty, peace, and relationship. But now there was something wrong because it goes on to say that “they hid from God.”Wenham says that, “the trust of innocence is replaced by the fear of guilt.”

When asked to explain his hiding, Adam admitted that he was not just playing a game of hide and seek, but said, “I was afraid.” This is further evidence of the alienation between God and man. He had never been afraid before, but now, because of sin, he was afraid.

The final evidence in this story of the separation which had occurred is shown when Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden. In verse 23 we read, “the Lord God banished him…” One writer says, “The garden of Eden was a type of … sanctuary, where God was uniquely present in all his life-giving power. It was this that man forfeited when he ate the fruit.”

Our Separation

So in the beginning of time when sin came into the world, there was a significant separation from God. Do you have a sense of that separation in your life?

Recently someone asked me, “Do you ever doubt?” I had to admit that sometimes I do. Even though I quickly gain faith when I look at creation or consider the work of God in redemption, the presence of those occasional doubts are a current evidence of the separation from God which is still our experience.

Whenever difficult things happen in our world, the existence and love of God are questioned. I read an article in TIME written Sept 15, 2005 which said, “as the initial shock of a disaster passes, (there is)a revival of the familiar question, Why God Lets This Stuff Happen. The survivors often say God saved them…but if he chose to save the living, did he choose to kill the lost? It is an occasion for atheists to remind believers of the flaws in the case for a benevolent God, and even the most mainstream pastors acknowledge that at times like this they are pressed for answers about how a loving God lets hateful things happen. "Of course, this makes us doubt God's existence," declared the Archbishop of Canterbury after the Asian tsunami…”

So there continues to be a separation from God.

Promise Jeremiah 31:33

Because we are separated from God, we desperately need God to come. To that sense of need, the Bible gives a promise in Jeremiah 31:33 – “I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

We Are Guilty Before God

In The Genesis Story

As we look at the story in Genesis once more, we come quickly upon a second consequence of the fall into sin.

This consequence, we could say, was probably the first consequence. In Genesis 3:7 it says that immediately after they had sinned, “they knew that they were naked.” Previously, they had had no sense of that kind of shame. When God came to them and looked for them, their response, in 3:10, was, “I was afraid.” Where did this fear come from?

Shame and fear are simply consequences of guilt. They knew that they were wrong and their sense of being wrong made them ashamed of their wrong doing and afraid of their encounter with God.

Guilty As Charged

What a horrible feeling it is to be guilty. Although people can deny their guilt by changing the rules or declaring that they have done nothing wrong or by blaming others as Adam and Eve did, there is no way of escaping guilt.

Those of you who receive the newsletter from Crisis Pregnancy Centre will have read a number of letters from people who have been through a Post-abortion recovery program. In one of those letters we read, “The post-abortion counseling program was part of the journey that pulled me out of a two-decade long period of demise. I was never able to see just how my life spiraled out of control after my first abortion. It was a severe delineation point in my life. Afterwards, I turned my back on God, I began emotionally eating, my already active alcoholism picked up serious momentum and I became extremely promiscuous. But I denied it had to do with my abortion.”

That is what guilt will do and any time we sin we will suffer the consequences of guilt.

Promise Jeremiah 31:34

Because we are guilty, we desperately need God to come. To that need, God promises, in Jeremiah 31:34 – “No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Creation Is Cursed

In The Genesis Story

A third consequence of the fall is its effect on creation. We have sometimes misunderstood this consequence, but even Romans 8:22 speaks of it when it says, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”

The evidence of a broken creation is seen in this first story. It is seen in the curse upon the serpent in 3:14 when it says, “cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals” and also in 3:15 which says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman.” It is seen especially in the curse upon Adam when we read in 3:17 – “cursed is the ground because of you…” and in 3:18 – “it will produce thorns and thistles…”

The consequences of sin were not only upon the human heart, but also upon the world in which we live.

The World Is Broken

The evidence of this broken world is still upon us today. A few images and a few words will help us recognize how true this brokenness is. I need only say things like, “Flood of the Century,” the “flood of 2006” and “hurricane Katrina” and you understand.

But the evidence of a broken world is not only seen in a world that can’t be controlled, but also in the way we treat this world. I often think of this brokenness when I see a trashy road because people have thrown things out of the window of a car or a trashy river because people throw things on the banks of the river so they will be washed away. We have heard a lot recently about pollution in Lake Winnipeg and although I wonder why the government is picking on minor polluters when there are major polluters left alone, the reality is that the tenth largest fresh water lake in the world is in trouble and people are a major cause of that pollution.

Promise Isaiah 65:17,25

The physical world is broken and getting worse, therefore, we need God to come into this world. To that brokenness, God gives a promise in Isaiah 65:17,25 - “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind…The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.”

Human Reproduction Is Cursed

In The Genesis Story

It is interesting that the first response of Adam and Eve was that they realized that they were naked. As Stigers says, “the sense of shame centered around the organs of generation, we should see here a perception that the very source of human life had been contaminated by sin.”

When God addressed Eve about her involvement in the sin, part of the curse upon Eve was, as 3:16 says, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.”

One of the greatest blessings, the joy of intimacy between a man and a woman which results in the production of children, was cursed because of sin.

The Pain Of Childbirth

This curse continues with us until this day. Every woman who has had a child knows about the pain of child birth. Even though today the actual birth process can be made painless by medication, that does not take away from the existence of the pain itself and many other pains that accompany having children. It includes the pain of caring for a child and even the pain of losing a child, a child which has not yet been born or a child to SIDS.

I don’t think we should limit this curse only to the pain of the childbearing experience by a woman having a baby. I think, in the context of the nakedness Adam and Eve experienced, that we should also understand that a serious sexual brokenness occurred that was not there before. In our world we see ample evidence of that sexual brokenness. We see it in the brokenness that comes from lust and it’s consequences. We see it in the exploitation of women and children for sexual purposes and we see it in the terrible struggle of same gender attraction.

Promise Isaiah 65:20

Because we are broken sexually, we desperately need God to come. To that brokenness, God promises in Isaiah 65:20 - “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.”

Human Relationships Are Cursed

In The Genesis Story

The curse to the woman includes another devastation and that is the brokenness of human relationships. The broken human relationships are already evident in 3:7. In their recognition that “they were naked,” we see a rift beginning to form between the man and the woman. No more is there a clear and wonderful companionship between them as God intended. There is a barrier between them, a barrier of shame. That barrier is immediately evident when God calls them to account and Adam blames Eve for the sin.

A further evidence of this brokenness is a part of the curse when God says to Eve in 3:16, “your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” This is not a revelation of God’s will, but a curse upon them. Women will have a desire for their husbands to the point that they will even countenance abuse. Husbands will rule over their wives to the point of abusing that power.

Wenham states, “those created to be one flesh will find themselves tearing each other apart.”

Broken Marriages

The evidence of this brokenness is still very much with us today. It is seen in women who continue to stay with abusive husbands. It has always astounded me that abused women say nothing and go back to their husbands again and again even though they know that they will be abused further.

It is a sad fact that men abuse the power they have and emotionally, mentally, sexually and physically abuse their wives. Statistics suggest that 35% of all women who are or have been in married or common law relationships have experienced emotional abuse and 29% have experienced physical assault.”

The brokenness of this primary relationship is also seen in the many marriages which break up because of affairs.

Promise Joel 2:28,29

To this situation of desperation we need God to come into our world. To that great need God has made a promise in Joel 2:28,29 – “^ ‘And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”

Work Is Cursed

In The Genesis Story

Another effect of the curse is seen in what happened to Adam when God spoke to him. To Adam, God said in 3:19 “by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food…”

We need to understand that it is not work itself that is the curse, but the effort involved in it. God declares that work will be difficult and with great and often un-rewarded labour people will do their work.

Hard Work

This curse continues to the present day. This summer we spent a day helping our son move a pile of gravel into his garage which had a dirt floor. Our grandson, who at the time wasn’t 3 yet, was helping. It was amazing how much the little guy did. He filled several five gallon pails with stones. His line, repeated many times throughout the afternoon, was “Doing hard work.”

Sweat produced by physical labour, the existence of chemical companies who help you kill all the weeds in your fields, the ads on TV which declare that “work shouldn’t hurt” are all evidence that the curse on work continues to this day.

Promise Isaiah 65:21,22

Because of this need we desire God to come into this world and God promises in Isaiah 65:21,22 – “They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands.

We Will Die

In The Genesis Story

The consequences of sin are all consequences which relate to us as human beings. Most of the ones we have looked at are about broken human relationships and broken relationships which impact the world around us. The brackets to all this brokenness are the separation from God we looked at in the beginning and the final separation which comes in death.

Death as a consequence of sin is seen in 3:19 when God says, “until you return to the ground…” Because of sin, death came into the world.

We Are All Terminal

I watched a movie a while ago in which a teacher wanted to give a group of students an opportunity to play their music in a concert. The people putting on the concert refused and so the teacher told a lie to the concert promoter to try to persuade him. He said that the students were all from a hospital and that they all had a serious disease. He gravely announced to the promoter, “they are all terminal.” The trick worked and they played and did very well. What interested me about this was the line, “they are all terminal.” Although he was lying about the students, this one line was not a lie. We are all terminal.

Promise Isaiah 53:10

To this desperate need for God to come, God’s promise is given in Isaiah 53:10 – “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.”

Conclusion

On a hot summer’s day, a glass of iced tea is needed and welcomed.

After spending several hours watching a hockey game and coming home frozen, a hot bath is needed and welcomed.

As we reflect on the brokenness which has come into our world because of sin we realize that we all experience this brokenness in one way or another and we begin to understand that the coming of Christ into this world is needed and welcomed.

As you prepare for Christmas, I invite you to take some time to focus on your need of God. I believe that when we know just how much we need God, our celebration of Christ’s coming next weekend will be much more significant.

The Secret Of Being Content

Philippians 4:10-23

Introduction

In a few weeks we will celebrate Christmas. One of the things that happens at Christmas is the giving and receiving of gifts. This matter creates some stresses in our life. It is sometimes hard to know why we give a gift, is it out of a sense of duty, or friendship, or do we sometimes do it to obligate the one we give something to? How do we feel about receiving gifts? Are we expecting them? Are we thankful? How often do we receive gifts with a sense of guilt that now we need to return something? Are we able to give and receive gifts purely as a way of expressing friendship? How do we respond to the many gifts we receive when we really don’t need most of the things we are given? This whole matter of gift giving also seems to reveal a rampant materialism. This week a 28 year old youth pastor confessed in a group I was part of that his generation was very materialistic and that Christmas was revealing that grasping desire. It is amazing that in this season of the year when we think about the greatest gift ever given, a gift given out of the purest motive of love; we are struggling with selfishness and greed and wrestling with our discontent.

As we come to the last message in our series on Philippians, I want to remind you of the theme which has permeated this letter. It is a theme of a three way friendship between Paul, the Philippians and God. It is in the context of this friendship that, in the last section in Philippians 4:10-23, Paul reflects on his personal experience of having received a gift from the Philippians. His reflections help us think about some things which I hope will help us to enter this season with a more Christ-like way of giving and receiving gifts and also a more Christ-like contentment.

Giving And Receiving

Giving Because You Care

Paul has an interesting way of referring to the gift he has received from the Philippians. He says in verse 10, “I rejoice…that at last you have renewed your concern for me.”

One of the interesting things about this is the history of giving and receiving that he had with them. In verse 15, he talks about how in the past they had shared with him. Now, they have once again shared with him. Somehow in the time in between, which may have been a considerable time, they had not sent him any gifts. He makes it clear that he understands that the reason they did not share with him was not because they didn’t want to, but because they did not have the opportunity.

Another interesting thing is the word he uses to speak about this. He says, “you have renewed your concern…you have been concerned.”

In verse 14, a similar idea is communicated when he says, “it was good of you to share in my troubles.” Paul was in prison at this time. In those days, when people were in prison, they were not supported much by the state. They didn’t have TV’s in every room and three full meals each day. They survived better in prison if they had support from friends and people outside of prison. By giving material things to Paul while he was in prison, they were sharing with him in his troubles. They were supplying his material needs and also encouraging him in this difficult time.

We give gifts to people for many reasons. Sometimes we give in order that we will get something in return. Sometimes we give because it is expected and we don’t want to disappoint. Surely, however, the best reason to give a gift to someone is the reason which we see illustrated here and that is because of genuine caring and friendship. The Philippians loved Paul and he loved them and they expressed that love in giving and receiving gifts. The gift giving did not only go one way because in verse 15, Paul speaks about “giving and receiving.” At this time, they gave him a gift, but he had given them the gospel and would share many other good things with them. What a great model of giving – to give out of genuine care and love for a person.

Giving Thanks For A Gift

Although the words, “thank-you” never came out of Paul’s pen in this letter, that may be because of cultural expectations. One writer says, “Thank-you was not a part of social convention between friends. Friends do not need to directly say “thank-you” for it to be received. Rather it is said indirectly as here.”(Gordon Fee)

There is no doubt that Paul was thankful and the idea of gratitude for their gift permeates the words he speaks. In verse 14 he says, “it was good of you.” In verses 15 and 16, he speaks about how they had given to him before. This is a way of acknowledging their friendship and the care they have shown. Pointing at a reputation is a good way of affirming a person and expressing appreciation, and that is what Paul did here.

Another expression which approaches thanksgiving is in verse 18 where he acknowledges that the gift that was sent certainly helped him. He says there that “I am amply supplied.”

A further expression of gratitude is that he recognizes that the gift is a “fragrant offering to God.” Using OT sacrificial language, he describes their gift as something given to God and pleasing to God.

In the end of the passage, Paul gives glory to God for this whole experience and so expresses gratitude to God for the gift.

So although he does not say “thank-you” there is no question that thanksgiving was in his heart, and it was not a contrived thing, no formality, as saying “thank-you” sometimes is. There was a genuineness about his gratitude which permeates his heart and is expressed in ways that matter. It is good, when we are thankful, not to just abide by social convention and say “thank-you” because we have to, but rather, to find genuine ways of showing appreciation for a gift that has been given to us.

It Isn’t About The Thing Given

I mention this attitude of gratitude that filled Paul’s heart because there are some things which he says which seem rather strange to us. They make us think that he didn’t seem very gracious. How would you feel if you gave something to someone and they said things like Paul did in verse 11 when he says, “I am not saying this because I am in need” and in verse 18 when he says, “Not that I am looking for a gift.” One could interpret it to mean that he is saying, “I didn’t really need what you gave me” and “I am not really interested in your gift.” But is that what he is really saying?

There are problems that can arise if our focus is on a gift given. Perhaps a gift becomes a habit and isn’t given because you really want to give it, but because you have always given it. Or sometimes people try to buy love with a gift. They give something in the hope that they will be loved. Or, in another situation, you may receive a gift and you express gratitude for it because secretly, in a place in your heart that you won’t even admit, you want the person to keep on giving you gifts.

By saying the things he does, Paul is dispelling all of these poor motives for giving and receiving. He has indicated that he appreciates what they have done, but there is something more important than the gift. The gift is a part of their friendship, but what is really important is the friendship, the relationship he has with them. He loves them and whether gifts are given and received or not, doesn’t change anything in terms of the relationship they have with each other.

Gifts can become a problem in a relationship and Paul does not want that to happen. He puts no obligation on them or on himself regarding gifts. He is genuinely concerned that they continue to share a good relationship with each other. Gordon Fee says, “His joy is over their friendship; and their friendship, he is quick to point out, is not utilitarian, related to what he can secure from it.”

The Blessing To The Giver

As Paul tries to put the gift in a proper perspective so that they understand that he knows that their gift is an expression of their friendship and love, he also wants them to know his genuine heart of love for them.

In verse 17, he says, “Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account.” By saying this, Paul is thinking about what the giving of the gift will do for the one who has given it. His greatest concern for them is that they become mature in Christ. When they are generous, it shows that they are growing and following Christ. It shows that they are getting it. It is a part of the evidence that God has been working in them.

Another way of looking at this is the recognition that the gift they were giving was an investment in the work of God. Gordon Fee says, “What the Philippians gave as their gift was like an investment which would repay rich dividends in the service of the kingdom, as accumulating interest…”

Paul also encourages them that their giving will never go unnoticed by God. He says in verse 19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” We sometimes wrest this verse out of context and make it a promise that no matter what, God will meet all of our needs. It is, as the word “and” at the beginning indicates, a conditional promise. God supplies the needs of those who are generous in their hearts and willing to give away out of their abundance and even more, God is gracious to meet the needs of those who are willing to give out of their poverty, as the Philippians did.

So we also can understand that being generous and giving gifts has rewards. There is the reward of our maturing of faith, the reward of the effect the gift will have in the building of God’s kingdom and there is the promise of God who supplies all of our needs. May we learn the joy of expressing true friendship by being generous so that we too can experience the abundance that comes from God’s grace.

Contentment

Earlier, in speaking about the importance of his friendship with them, he wrote in Philippians 4:11-13, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Besides pointing to the importance of their friendship over their gift, this is also an important lesson that speaks to the materialism which resides in our hearts.

Content Whatever The Circumstances

I read a sermon by Pastor David Legge. He tells the story of a Lord Condleton, “a godly man, (who) overheard a Christian servant remarking in the kitchen: 'Oh, if I only had five pounds (they were British) I would be perfectly content'. Pondering her statement he decided that he would like to see someone who was perfectly content, so he went to the woman and said that he had overheard what she'd said in the kitchen, and he wanted to do something about it. So he proceeded to reach into his pocket and lift out a five pound note and gave it to her, for which she thanked him very gratefully. Condleton went out the door of the kitchen, and for a moment he paused at the door unknown to her, and as soon as the woman thought he had gone she began to complain: 'Why on earth didn't I ask for 10 pounds?'.”

There are many ways in which we demonstrate our discontent. Now, when Paul is talking about the “secret of contentment,” he is not talking about spiritual contentment. We have already seen that in his spiritual walk he was not content. In 3:12 he said, “Not…that I have already been made perfect…” In 3:14 he said, “I press on…” In other words, he was not satisfied with his walk in the Lord. In this area, he had a holy discontent, and so should we.

However, in the area of his material possessions, he had learned what contentment meant. He had learned the “secret of contentment.”

We understand the need to learn contentment when we don’t have enough. This is very difficult, but we know that it is a good thing. Whenever we don’t have enough, it is easy to complain. Whenever we notice that others have something that we would like and don’t have, we look for ways to get it. In North America, we consume more than most of the rest of the world, and yet we complain. We have certainly not learned the secret of being content, but we know that we should be content.

It may be a little more difficult to understand what it means to be content when we have plenty. Part of this discontent has to do with the fact that even when we have much, we are not satisfied and keep grasping for more. John D. Rockefeller was asked how much money would be enough to him. He thought for a moment, and then he said: 'Just a little more than one has'. Part of this discontent has to do with difficulty enjoying what we do have. Whenever I have much, I begin to feel guilty and I have a hard time enjoying all that I have. Another of the dangers of living with much is the danger it puts us into that we put our trust in what we have, instead of in God. In Deuteronomy 8:17,18, God speaks about the time when the Israelites will enter the promised land and begin to prosper. He warns, “You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth…”

So we think our contentment depends on having or not having, yet whether we have or don’t have we are still not content. We desperately need to learn this secret that Paul has learned of being content in whatever the circumstances.

In the Sermon by Pastor David Legge he writes, “Everybody wants it, everybody strives toward it, everybody thinks they know how to get it, but nobody ever reaches the goal of perfect contentment. Probably the reason for that is that they seek that contentment in the wrong places, and we don't need to look too far to see men and women trying to find contentment in money and possessions and power, prestige and their relationships with one another, and even in the attempt to be free from all difficulties and problems and strains and stresses. Now if those things were the places where contentment could be found, that would be great: but the fact of the matter is, because we live in a fallen world you can never have enough money, you can never have enough possessions or power or prestige, you can never have the perfect relationship, and you can never ever be free from difficulties. Therefore, if that is what contentment is, contentment is unattainable. It cannot be had if it is to be found in those things.”

Dependent On Christ

There were writings in the time of Paul written by the “Stoics.” These writers put a high value on being content, but their secret of contentment was based on self power. They would have said that contentment is a good thing and you simply need to sublimate your feelings and make yourself be content. I think that we often follow the Stoic school of thought on contentment. We tell ourselves and others, just be content with what you have.

That was not Paul’s secret of contentment, however. The secret of Paul’s contentment was that he had learned something. It was not something that came naturally or something that he had forced himself to do, it was something that he had learned. It was not something that one day he just decided to have and then he was content. It took a process of learning. The text doesn’t say how he learned this secret, but the way he writes about it is clear that it took time and that he had to think about it a few times and make some decisions and try again and fail and make new decisions and grow in his understanding until he got to the place where he could say “I have learned.”

So what was the secret? Philippians 4:13 gives us the secret when it says, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” This is another verse which we sometimes wrest out of its context and apply to anything we want, but we need to recognize that it is written in a context - the context of having learned the secret of contentment.

For Paul, and the lesson is a good one for us, the secret of contentment is found, as everything else in Paul’s life, in Christ. It is in his relationship with Christ that he found the means and the strength to be content in whatever circumstance he found himself. One writer points out that Paul transforms “Stoic self sufficiency” into “Christ sufficiency.”

How does such contentment work?

I believe it begins by understanding that God has demonstrated his love towards us by sending Jesus to die on the cross. When we know that we are loved by Him, that our deepest needs have been met by a costly sacrifice, we also know that He will not abandon us in any other thing. Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Such contentment is learned as we rest in the promises of God. Matthew 6:26 reminds us, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

Such contentment comes when we recognize that our natural tendency is towards discontent and that we need the strength which is ours in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to overcome this tendency. When Paul was unhappy with his “thorn in the flesh,” he learned the power of contentment in God when he says in II Corinthians 12:9, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”

So the secret of being content is found in our acknowledgement of the love God has for us and in the recognition of the power God has given to us.

As we have noted, such contentment is something that we need to learn. What can we do to learn it? We can remind ourselves often of God’s love. We can read about the promises of God. We can be encouraged to put our trust in God. We can be generous givers.

What is it we learn about contentment in want or in plenty? One writer says, “Those in ‘want’ learn patience and trust in suffering; those in ‘wealth’ learn humility and dependence in prospering, not to mention the joy of giving without strings attached!”

F. B. Meyer wrote, “All is of God, and God is good. Every wind blows from the quarter of His love, every storm wafts us nearer the harbour, every cup - though presented by the hand of Judas - is mixed by the Father of our spirits. It is not possible for a man to be thrust by his brethren into the pit unless God permit it, and therefore we may say with Joseph: 'It was not you that sent me hither, but God'. Habituate yourself, oh Christian soul, to believe that not only what God appoints, but what He permits is in the sphere of His will. It is His will for you to be full today and to be empty tomorrow, to abound today or to be abased tomorrow' - this is wonderful - 'He has a reason, though He may not tell it to you, and because you know that the reason satisfies Him, you may be content!”

Conclusion

The season coming upon us is loaded with temptations to greed – people wanting more gifts, people subjecting themselves to violence and pain trying to be first in line at “BEST BUY” on Boxing Day morning. The season upon us is fraught with perils related to giving and receiving gifts. Giving and receiving gifts needs to be redeemed and changed because we are “in Christ.” Paul’s example of how to think about gifts given and received and also about what contentment means is a good way of setting these things in a context of being “in Christ.”

May we live and act in such a way as to be filled with the desire expressed in Philippians 4:20 – “To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”