Old Promises, New Day

Philippians 4:6, 13, 19

Over my desk at home is my first local preacher’s license dated June 6, 1949. It was issued by Akron First Church of the Nazarene. I was 18 years old. About that time I was asked to preach my first sermon.

This text is what I took for my very first message to my home church. In the King James Version it read “Be careful for nothing!” I took that to mean don’t be cautious, let’s just go change the world! I was a gung-ho Christian! (Maybe..I thought the heart of faith was…experience- f-e-e-l-i-n-g, or “being blessed”. And I literally ran to God. So I could… “I” could)

Sixty-five years later I hope I am still a gung-ho Christian, whatever that means… and this chapter in Philippians is still a favorite…but the message has grown and deepened across the years. God has been good. We’ve had good years. But the world is still out there, needy! Have I made a difference? I hope so. Has Norwin Church made a difference? I’m sure you have. Not one prayer has been wasted.

Across those years this verse has been less and less about me changing my world, and more and more about God changing his world, and letting me have a part in what he is doing.

I’m a worry wart. I can read..I can see the TV news. This is a tough world now. Sometimes it looks like we’re falling behind! Now when I read this verse I think I hear God saying, “Russell! I’m still in charge! Russell, I still answer prayer! Don’t worry! But in everything by prayer, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to Me!”

I hear God saying to me, “You need faith like Abraham"! In Romans 4 we read Abraham “staggered not at the promises.” Abraham was told he would be the father of many nations…and that he would have a son by Sarah who was past 90 years of age. What does that have to do with us Nazarenes in the 21st century? What does that have to do with the Norwin Church of the Nazarene as you begin your 71st year?

I’m getting ahead of myself. This verse has changed from “Let’s (US) go and change the world” to “Trust ME! I’m still in charge!” as I began to learn to begin to put the promises in context.

I started out with the 4th chapter of Philippians which wasn’t a bad place to start…BUT there is more to this journey than “my” experience and “my” feelings. I’m still trying to learn that there are 4 chapters in Philippians!

Let me skim off the some of the wonderful promises that lead up to “Don’t worry!” Let’s take a flying journey through this wonderful little letter and see how Paul leads us to that promise that was my first sermon.

IN CHAPTER ONE, we read that God is in charge, and we can trust Him to carry through on what he has begun.

1:5 BEING CONFIDENT OF THIS ONE THING: THAT HE WHO HAS BEGUN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL PERFORM IT UNTIL THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST!

It is all about God! And don’t forget another key verse:

1:9 AND THIS I PRAY, THAT YOUR LOVE MAY ABOUND YET MORE AND MORE….

IN CHAPTER TWO (maybe the KEY passage in all Paul’s devotional writing) is this challenge that leads us toward the promises in Chapter 4:

2:5-11 LET THIS MIND BE IN YOUR WHICH WAS IN CHRIST JESUS, WHO, BEING IN THE FORM OF GOD, THOUGHT IT NOT ROBBERY TO BE EQUAL WITH GOD, BUT MADE HIMSELF OF NO REPUTATION, AND TOOK UPON HIMSELF THE FORM OF A SERVANT, AND WAS MADE IN THE LIKENESS OF MEN; AND BEING FOUND IN FASHION AS A MAN, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF, AND BECAME OBEDIENT UNTO DEATH, EVEN THE DEATH OF THE CROSS. WHEREFORE GOD ALSO HAS HIGHLY EXALTED HIM, AND GIVEN HIM A NAME WHICH IS ABOVE EVERY NAME THAT AT THE NAME OF JESUS EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, OF THINGS IN HEAVEN, AND THINGS ON EARTH, AND THINGS UNDER THE EARTH; AND THAT EVERY TOUNGUE SHOULD PROCLAIM THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORE, TO THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER.

Now that is a challenge. It takes Abraham faith to believe that will take place! It takes Abraham faith to ask God to give us this same servant, willing mind—that was in our Lord Jesus Christ! It is “impossible!!” Except that right after this challenge is the promise.

2:13 FOR IT IS GOD THAT WORKS IN YOUR BOTH TO WILL AND TO DO OF HIS GOOD PLEASURE!

We’re still ‘on our way’ to that text promise! What does Chapter three have for us?

IN CHAPTER THREE, Paul give us the secret! It is rejoicing in the love of Jesus! Finding out that this Way is a Person! That all our doctrines and all our denominations come back to whether or not we really know Jesus!! Paul puts it this way:

3:10 I WANT TO KNOW CHRIST! AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION, AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERINGS.

Everything else is secondary! And this is a growing, ever challenging faith! “Forgetting the things that are behind!” “Pressing into God’s promises!” There is no substitute for a personal walk with Jesus. THE JESUS CONNECTION IS EVERYTHING! If we know Jesus, we win! If we don’t really and truly know Him, whatever else happens, we lose!

WHICH BRINGS US BACK TO THIS GREAT FOURTH CHAPTER AND ITS PROMISES:

Because of all these promises Paul can say “Stand fast, Norwin! Hang in there, Russell!”

But then all of a sudden, here is a side note. Or is it?

4:2 “I beseech you Euodius, and I beseech you, Syntche, get your act together. And you rest of you lot, help these women…"

Somehow, this is not out of place in this great love letter full of promises. It is a practical admonition. We need to learn to agree, or to disagree in perfect love! Love!

But how about that text: “Be careful for nothing!”??

Well, I’m still running to God, the best I know how! I still believe in getting “blessed.” I love “feeling” But I’m learning that it isn’t about me, about us, asking God to bless our plans. And in this chapter there are two great promises we can close with:

4:13 I CAN DO ALL THINGS, THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.

And

4:19 MY GOD SHALL SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEED ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES IN GLORY BY CHRIST JESUS.

Thank God for 70 years of witness here in Irwin and on this Pittsburgh District..thank God for many battles fought and won. But GOD, WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK IN YOU, HAS NOT YET COMPLETED THAT WORK! THE PROMISE IS …IF WE WILL ASK AND RECEIVE ABRAHAM-LIKE FAITH—AND NOT WORRY—BUT IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER, WITH THANKSGIVING MAKE OUR REQUESTS KNOW TO GOD..

GOD WILL COMPLETE THAT GOOD WORK UNTIL THE DAY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST!

AMEN

Conclusion

This is All Saint’s Sunday thank God for all they have done.

We can have faith like Abraham! Ours is a God of HOPE!

Blessing: Romans 15:13 Now may the God of HOPE fill YOU with all JOY and PEACE in believing; that YE may abound in HOPE by the POWER of the Holy Spirit! Amen