Complete Joy - Part 1

Bryan Chapell: If that grace is really perceived by you, then somehow it begins to push back the darkness as peace itself begins to settle over you despite the unsettling events. God is for me now. He has shown me that by the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when you really grasp that, there is just a peace that God grants to you.
Guest (Male): So glad you joined us for today's Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Bryan Chapell. In today's episode, Pastor Bryan shares a lesson from Philippians Chapter 1. Dr. Chapell highlights the words of Paul and the joy found in partnering with fellow believers in the church. You can find this lesson and many others when you visit unlimitedgrace.com. And while you are there, look for the children's book, *Anyway and Always*, written by Pastor Bryan and his wife, Kathy. Through this book, the Chapells present the promise of the covenant's fulfillment by Christ in a personal and meaningful way for young children to understand. Let's hear now from Dr. Bryan Chapell as he shares the lesson, Complete Joy.
Bryan Chapell: You know how the songs of our youth stay with us. Not just the wheels on the bus go round and round, but whatever songs were popular when you were in high school. That decade that is still advertised on late-night infomercials for only three payments of $19.95. Or the songs of your early church experience, where your faith was becoming real. Where you recognized that there was hope in your pain, that there was an answer to the emptiness, so that somewhere between muscle and nerve, between heart and soul, God was planting deep into the very fiber of your being a love for him by the songs that you sang. It's one of the reasons that changing our worship practice can be so difficult for us because of the songs and the melodies that have such meaning to us. I think of one song that had such meaning for me. I learned it when I was in high school. It was in a time that my parents, my mother and father, were struggling to stay together. We changed churches, which meant that I changed youth groups and was no longer able to see the friends that I was closest to. I felt alone and scared. And a song that meant so much to me at the time was one that I wanted to believe and still struggle to know could I. These words: "Real joy is mine, no matter if teardrops start. I found the secret, it's Jesus in my heart." It rhymes and it's sweet, but is it true? No matter if teardrops start, I have found the secret to joy and it's Jesus in my heart. In the moments of darkness—and I must tell you, as I think back to that time in high school in my life, the shadows that would come upon my heart, I almost feel my heart constrict even now as I tell you about it—believing that there is a joy that is deeper than our circumstances, that is not just a result of our circumstances, that is a profound faith in a God who loves us, who's working all things for good. So much so that even in the darkness, we can begin to claim the joy in the morning. That even in jail would allow an Apostle Paul to say 15 times in this brief letter of the joy that he felt in the Lord Jesus Christ. Only 104 verses, and 15 times the writer from the jail speaks of his great joy in Jesus Christ. Where does that joy come from that's greater than the darkness, that's greater than our circumstances? We understand just in these opening words as Paul talks about the joy in the partners he now has in the gospel, the joy he has in the provisions of the gospel, and the joy that he has in the prayers that he makes for the work of the gospel. The partners that he has in the gospel are so unlikely. Just the opening words of this letter: "Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus." These are unlikely companions. Paul, by this phase, an older aristocratic Jew. A Hebrew of the Hebrews, having gone to the Harvard of the Jews, the school of Gamaliel, circumcised on the eighth day, a Pharisee, as for zeal, pursuing Christians to the point of killing them because they did not believe in the Jewish standards that he thought they should believe. This is a man of great pedigree. And he's traveling with Timothy, a man whose parents were both Jew and Greek, which meant to a Jew this young man is a half-breed. Without regard or respect in either community, and yet here is Paul, the aristocrat and old, traveling with a young pastor who in his own time would have been disrespected by everyone else. And they are traveling together as servants of Christ Jesus. The word just means slaves. Servants doesn't quite do all that we should do. We say, how could it possibly be not only they're traveling together, but Paul keeps talking about joy when he's traveling with this person who would embarrass him in any sort of social setting? And as a slave to Christ Jesus. How can you have joy if you're a slave? Only if your master is someone very, very good, so that your servitude is a matter of gratitude. And that is precisely what Paul is saying. We are servants of Christ Jesus out of gratitude, living in response to the great joy that he has given us by his grace. And he hints at what that grace is by the following words at the end of verse one. He's writing to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with the overseers and the deacons. The words are just strange to any Jew who would be reading this letter. You're writing to all the saints at Philippi? The word saints in the Old Testament just means holy ones, and it was only applied to the covenant people, only applied to the Jewish race. And now Paul is saying to these people like the Roman soldier and like Lydia, the Greek businesswoman, and perhaps even to the slave girl who had the demon possession, you are now saints in Christ Jesus. And so that we don't think he's just talking about the officers of the church, the ones who have somehow risen to some respect and regard, he actually says it very carefully: "To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons." As though I'm not just talking to the officers when I call you all saints. I'm talking to everybody. What Paul is doing for us is bringing very important things to mind. First, for every baptized believer, we're not just baptized into autonomy and into independency, but into a network of a corporate church with mutual accountability and authority so the church can perform its mission by the assent, the cooperation, even the correction of everybody in its ranks so that we're moving forward together. And everyone who is in that corporate body, not just those in authority, is called a holy one. How could that possibly be? Because they are saints in Christ Jesus. We're not just in a network of authority and accountability; we are nesting in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Paul talks about joy many times, virtually every three sentences in this little letter. But that phrase "in Christ Jesus" or one form of that phrase "in Christ Jesus, in Jesus, in Christ," that phrase is repeated 20 times in this same letter. As though that joy is somehow integrally connected to being united to Christ. And the way I perceive it, what it means to be in Christ Jesus is in my own mind just thinking of that analogy of those Russian nesting dolls. One doll fits in another doll fits in another doll. And we are in Christ Jesus, which means that his righteousness, his purity, his provision is ours. We don't stand before God on the basis of what we do; we are in Christ Jesus. And because we are in Christ Jesus, the Apostle Paul speaks of our spiritual status before God the Father to all the saints, to all the holy ones. Not because we're perfect, but because I have put my hope, my trust in Christ Jesus. In him I recognize that I am nesting, resting, have the provision of his great grace. It's even provided when you begin to see what it means to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with the overseers and deacons. And he begins to express the fact that I'm praising God because you're in partnership with me in the work of the gospel. That's an amazing thought that we are partners in the work of the gospel, that we are not just to think of our nesting in Christ Jesus, but the other eggs in the nest. Lots of different people, different kinds of people: a Roman jailer, a Greek businesswoman, a slave girl, whoever's now gathering with them in the church. Paul is thinking of them all, these different kinds of people who are now together in Christ Jesus. What a statement that is, that despite the world's divisions and antipathies and differences, that they are all in Christ, that they're unified in the work of the gospel and the message of grace in him. I was so thankful for how well you all received Pastor Devereau Hubbard last week as you said, there are differences in our society we recognize, but we are receiving you in Christ Jesus. And the same message was given to me as I pastored at Saint Paul's in Devereau Hubbard's place, as the people received us with fellowship and joy and love. And we begin to recognize this is not just political correctness. This is the witness of the gospel from the earliest times, as the Apostle Paul is telling us to break down the walls of divisions by the work of Jesus Christ, who enables us to move across all lines of division and race and ethnicity and demographics for the sake of the statement of the gospel. You are in Christ Jesus. And that new identity is what not only makes us rejoice in what's been provided to us, but join with others in celebration of what God is doing.
Guest (Male): You're listening to Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Bryan Chapell. Raising children to love the Lord can sometimes feel like a daunting task. The physical, mental, and emotional energy needed to engage with a child can also lead to feelings of inadequacy and doubt for parents. How then can you effectively talk with children about Jesus or demonstrate to them his love? Written by Pastor Bryan and his wife Kathy, *Anyway and Always* is a heartwarming children's book designed to help explain the love of Christ to a child. The Chapells present the promise of the covenant's fulfillment by Christ in a personal and meaningful way for young children to understand. Page after page of beautiful illustrations complement Bryan and Kathy's captivating storytelling. Whether you read this as a bedtime story or share it around the family dinner table, this book is sure to become a favorite of children and parents alike. You can request your copy of *Anyway and Always* when you go online to unlimitedgrace.com or by calling 844-41-GRACE. That's 844-414-7223. And now, more from Bryan Chapell on today's Unlimited Grace.
Bryan Chapell: I read just this last week an article by Mark Galli in *Christianity Today*. And he writes these words: "We are currently experiencing a God moment, when God is shining his burning light on how our nation and our churches are fractured by racial division and injustice. In the past two years, we've seen image after image of injustice, violence, hatred across racial lines." "Moderate, white evangelicals, who make up the bulk of the evangelical church, are seeing more clearly than ever how racism is embedded in all of our society, from business to law enforcement to education to church life. And in all that, we are seeing God call his church to seek justice and reconciliation in concrete ways. We've started to see afresh the vision that was revealed to the church at Pentecost." "When all the people came to Jerusalem of different languages and nations to praise God together in one tongue by that amazing work of the Holy Spirit. We are seeing again what it means for all peoples to be worshipping at the throne of the Lamb from every tribe and nation, language and people in Revelation 4 and 5, of the relevance of Paul's teaching that Christ has broken down the dividing walls that are between us as he did at Philippi." "Voices in the media and politics may label conservative Christians who are weary of being politically and socially marginalized as being anxious to marginalize others. And sometimes we deserve that label, but it is not true of our shining moments, when Billy Graham started refusing to segregate his crusades in the 1950s, when Promise Keepers made racial reconciliation for men a priority of the 1980s, and when the Apostle Paul said we are all united in Christ in the first century." We were learning what it meant not just for us, but for all those that are part of Christ's church to be one in him. And we celebrate it because we recognize when we celebrate our oneness, we're ultimately celebrating what Christ has done for us. We are in Christ Jesus. And if you're in Christ Jesus, you have the same benefits of the grace of the gospel that I do, and we are brothers and sisters in the gospel. We celebrate that to celebrate what God himself has done for us. That reality is so clear to Paul that it just makes him bubble with the provision of joy that God has provided. That provision of joy is verse two, which is so familiar to you: "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Why do grace and peace so often travel together in the Apostle Paul's salutations at the beginning of all those—ever wonder that, why does he always say grace and peace? Grace is about peace with God being provided, and peace is about grace from God being believed. If you have grace provided, you have peace provided as well. And that grace is just expressed here in wonderful words. How does God provide the peace of his grace? Verse two: it's a gift, right? Grace to you. The word in Greek just means gift. Grace to you. It's not something you earn. It's not something you deserve; it's just a gift to you. It comes from God the Father, the originator of all things, the Father of all nations. That God who made all things by the word that came from his mouth, that same God says, "Grace to you. I'm going to give you something." And when you recognize that gift is the provision of the life of his own Son, paying the penalty for your sin and mine, you say, that's an amazing gift. But it does something else. It actually brings you closer to the Father when you understand the gift. My grandfather on my mother's side died when I was quite young, so I don't have many memories of him, and the memories I have early on are a little bit mixed. My memory of my mother's father is of a crusty, chain-smoking, retail store manager who liked bossing people around. And when you're a little kid, that's a scary person to have for a grandfather. When I went with my brothers and sisters to visit my grandparents' house there in Knoxville, Tennessee, I must tell you that they didn't keep a lot of toys for kids like us, and so you were kind of desperate to find a way to spend your time when you're at the grandparents' house. And I can remember one time finding in a corner of the kitchen a little top with a string on it that perhaps an uncle years ago had discarded. I found that top and thought, something to spend the time with. But my older and bigger brothers knew that the top was for them, so they took it away from me. I don't remember how I complained, if it was in words or tears or both, but into the kitchen came my grandfather, and he pointed at me and he said, "You come with me." Now I am in terror. Oh no. And he took me down to the basement. I did not know what we found out soon, that he was very, very sick. But he said, "I'm going to give you something better than that top." And he took off a shelf his tackle box, fully loaded, and gave it to me. And started me on a life habit that's really bad, but anyway, I have loved fishing ever since. That tackle box signaled a few things. First, I didn't earn or deserve it in any way. It was pure gift. But the second thing I learned from that gift was it brought me closer to my grandfather. The fumes and the crustiness suddenly melted away. And when we in our sin and our weakness perceive only that we are justly deserving of the wrath of God, it is the gift of Jesus Christ that's meant to close the distance between us and our Heavenly Father so that we recognize he's for us now. The magnitude of that gift is expressed even in the words here: "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Every word is special. He is the Lord. He is the one who is Master over all things in this creation. God has given him that right and that privilege and that status. And though he has that Master status, he is Jesus. The word just means deliverer. He's the Lord who comes to deliver us. And he does it as the Christ, which is the word for Messiah, the anointed one, the sacrifice to be made to give us purity before God. God is saying, "I have given you a wonderful gift. It is the Lord Jesus, your deliverer, who is the Christ, the sacrifice that I have anointed to provide what is necessary for you to be right with me." And he's my own Son. I do it so that I'll have many children, sons and daughters, out of this wonderful church that I am building from all nations and peoples. Paul just sees it—you can see him almost chortle there in prison—isn't this great? What a great cause for joy this is, this provision that God has given. And when you perceive that, when the prison is closing in—the prison whether it's real or the prison of the habits or the addictions or the situations that you are in—if that grace is really perceived by you, then somehow it begins to push back the darkness as peace itself begins to settle over you despite the unsettling events. God is for me now. He has shown me that by the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when you really grasp that, there is just a peace that God grants to you. I couldn't help but think about it reading recently in John Leonard's book, *Get Real*, about sharing our faith not with just standard words and phrases that only Christians understand, but just how do you get real about telling people about your faith? John Leonard describes just sitting down at a table to be served by a waitress, and as she took the order of the people there, he said, "We're from a church and we're going to pray for our meal afterwards. Is there anything that we could pray about for you when you bring our meal?" And the waitress kind of went, "No, I can't think of anything I want you to pray about." So he said, "Well, that's fine. Well, maybe just when you bring our drinks, if you've thought of something by then, just tell me and I'll pray for it." A few minutes she came back with the drinks. And she kind of looked furtively around the restaurant and then sat down very close to him so that she could speak very softly. She said, "I've been a drug addict almost all of my adult life. I have only been clean for six months. Would you pray that God would keep me clean?" He said, "I can pray for that." And then he says she turned over her left hand with the palm side up and pulled back her watch, where he could see the scar of her recently having tried to take her own life. And she said, "And would you pray that God would make me happy?" And he said, "Yes, I can pray for that too." Is that real? Does God really bring happiness into such troubled lives? If you believe that you are nesting in Christ Jesus, then you begin to say, there can be peace in you now because God who made all things, who continues to control all things by the word of his power, that same God is for me now.
Guest (Male): That's Pastor Bryan Chapell, and you've been listening to Unlimited Grace. Please be sure to join us next time as once again we endeavor to put Christ at the center of our efforts so that lives might be transformed by his unlimited grace. This ministry is brought to you by Unlimited Grace Media and continues to be made possible with your generous financial support.