Be Still And Know

Philippians 2.12-13 NLT 'Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.' If you have given your life to Christ, confessed your sins and received his forgiveness then you have the gift of salvation. This is the amazing Good News that Paul was so desperate to share. But he was equally concerned that his readers should understand that they now had work to do. The situation is much the same as in marriage. Having a wedding and receiving the gift of marriage is just the start of the journey. You now have work to do. Lots of it! Advertising always reveals a great deal about a society. These days we often hear products being promoted because they will offer us a quick and effortless route to making life easier, smoother, happier and more fulfilled. It’s very t

Philippians 2.5-7 NLT 'You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.' These amazing words form the beginning of what many people consider to be a First Century hymn. They beautifully express the fundamental truth that God’s desire is to turn our thinking upside down! Our natural inclination is to seek power, prestige and recognition but Jesus came to this earth and did precisely the opposite. And that, says Paul, is the attitude that the Philippians needed to have towards one another in the church. He wants to see them ditch all traces of arrogance and to consider others better than themselves. It’s all very challenging. The humility of Jesus is truly astonishing. He, above everyone else, was entitled to have power and influence and to enjoy a life of ease and comfort but he gladly accepted the opposite.

Philippians 2.1-2 NLT 'Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.' One of the biggest problems with unity is that it looks so easy. If you listen to a fine orchestra playing harmoniously or a watch Premier Football team playing with skill and precision, it all looks so very straightforward. Surely anyone could do it! But I then recall the hours that I spent in our school orchestra and those regular Saturday afternoons when I played football, and I can assure you that unity is the result of incredibly hard work. Paul was equally clear about this. He knew that the Philippian Christians had received the gift of unity in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. But they still needed to work incredibly hard to ensure that their lives reflected the unit

Philippians 1.29-30 NLT 'For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.' We don’t know the exact nature of the problems in the Philippian church. It had been planted in a hostile environment and was led by new Christians who were probably still trying to get their heads around Christian doctrine and practice. I often hear people say that it would be good if we could get back to being like the early church, but I’m not so sure. The early church may have had the blessing of newness and enthusiasm, but they battled with many critical problems that we would never have to face, and we have huge resources of Christian experience and literature to draw upon. Paul offered the Philippian church the huge encouragement that they were not alone. They were in this struggle together. Paul knew exactly what they were going through and

Philippians 1.27 NLT 'Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.' The residents of Philippi were very proud of their city which was a Roman Colony. They had been rewarded by the Emperor Octavian after his defeat of Antony and Cleopatra. The city was in Macedonia and is now part of northern Greece, but the Philippians enjoyed all the same privileges as if they were living in Italy. Citizenship was a big issue for them and they were delighted to enjoy the legal and tax advantages which came with their status. But Paul tells them that far more significant than this was the fact that they were citizens of heaven. Being a Philippian was a temporary arrangement unlike their eternal citizenship of heaven. Paul was not saying that it was unimportant that they were Roman citizens. He had much to say about the importance of Christians living as responsible members of their community. In his letter to the church in Rome, at the heart of

Philippians 1.21-24 NLT 'For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.' During the two years that I lived in India a number of people in our community died and I deeply appreciated the way in which their deaths were handled. Soon after the person passed away their body was prepared and laid out on a bed in the middle of the main room of the house. Visitors would then come and pay their respects, light candles around the body, and say prayers. This would continue until the body was taken in an open coffin to church for the funeral service. All so very different from the way in which our society handles death. When I returned to this country I deeply regretted the way in which we seems to be kept well away from death. In our verses today P

Philippians 1.15 and 18 NLT 'It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives... Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.' From time to time we probably all think how nice it would be to live in a dream world where everyone agreed with everyone else. We could then get on with living our Christian lives with the confidence that what other people said was a mirror image of our own thoughts. But now we must leave our dream world and enter the one in which we actually live! In our world people disagree on almost every subject and Christian faith attracts the complete spectrum of reactions. There are people who love every word we speak, and others who hate it with a passion. And, as Paul observed, people speak in a whole variety of ways. Some are loving and gracious, others are bitter and divisive. It’s all very confusing but Paul draws a str

Philippians 1.12-13 NLT 'And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ.' My chief memory of prison visits is the keys and the slamming of doors and I am sure that would have been just the same in Paul’s day. The lack of liberty must be terrible, and we have every reason to think that Paul’s years of incarceration would have been a degrading experience. But Paul has no time for moaning! He reflects that his time in prison has actually enabled the Good News of Jesus to be spread. Even the palace guard recognised that he was in prison because of his faith in Christ. Paul’s various times in prison must have been desperately hard to bear, but he focuses on the fact that God has still been able to use him to spread the Good News. This reminds me of Joseph’s experience in the Old Testament. His brothers hated him so much that the

Philippians 1.9-11 NLT 'I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.' I’m sure that we are all members of lots of organisations. It may be the National Trust, a car breakdown service, a political party or a sports club. If I asked you whether your relationship with those organisations was growing you would probably think that was a very odd question. You would probably just think of yourself as being in or out – a member or not a member. The idea of having a developing relationship with the organisations wouldn’t seem relevant. The problem with the church is that many people look at it in exactly the same way. They are members of the church but would never think of it as a relationship that changed, or needed to change. Throughout Paul’s writing he sees his relationship with Christ as being something th

Philippians 1.6 NLT 'I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.' I love the confidence with which Paul writes about the future. When you hear most people talking about the future they are often hesitant and anxious. I’m sure, like me, you have often heard people saying, “Things just keep going from bad to worse,” or “What a terrible world to be brought up in.” Paul is so different. He looks at the Philippians’ future from God’s perspective and is sure that he won’t let them down. He will complete what he has begun. Isn’t it wonderful to know that our future is absolutely secure in God’s hands? But that knowledge shouldn’t cause us to become complacent. Paul certainly wasn’t! In chapter three of this letter he talks about straining forward like an athlete (chapter 3.13) so that he could get to know the Lord better. One of the most valuable ways of getting to know God better is through reading the Bible

Philippians 1.3-5 NLT 'Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.' I love this Philippian letter because it is so full of bubbling joy. That’s particularly remarkable because Paul is in prison as he writes these words! Paul had three spells in prison which we know about and we can’t be sure which one this is, but many people think that he was in Rome at the time. His life was on the line and on a number of occasions he speaks as if his end might be very close. But nothing can stop his torrent of joyfulness. Paul is particularly grateful for his Christian brothers and sisters in Philippi. He was there when the church in that city was founded and he only has to think about them to feel joyful. Christian fellowship is always an amazing and miraculous gift. The only reason we have a relationship with our Christian brothers a

Philippians 1.1-2 NLT 'This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons.' The apostle Paul is absolutely clear that it is not what you know but who you know that really matters in life. And so he begins this warm and encouraging letter by focussing on Jesus. He is only writing to the church in Philippi because of his relationship with Jesus, and he identifies the fact that, as a community, they belong to Jesus. So far as Paul was concerned everything turns on knowing the Lord Jesus Christ personally. Paul describes his own relationship with Jesus as being that of a slave. Philippi was a busy Roman colony and there would have been huge numbers of slaves, probably about 20 per cent of the population. Everyone would have understood what Paul was saying. Slaves were owned by their master who totally controlled their lives to the extent that they didn’t even possess their o

READ: Psalm 59.17 NLT 'O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.' Is your life a struggle at the moment? I’m really sorry if that’s the case, but I want to encourage you with the thought that you are in very good company. In this psalm, like many others, David pours out the detail of his struggles. He feels physically threatened and describes his opponents as being like vicious dogs, snarling as they prowl the streets. He also reflects on the curses and lies that his opponents keep hurling at him. There seems to be no limit to the challenges that he faces. Whether you are struggling or not, we would all do well to listen to the way in which David faces up to his situation with brutal honesty. When life is a struggle, and we all experience that from time to time, it’s so important for us to be honest about it and especially with God. He already knows the whole story and so we aren’t informing him of anything. He knows the kind of people we are and

READ: Psalm 57.8-9 NLT 'Wake up, my heart! Wake up, O lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song. I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations.' I have always loved singing and have sung with many choirs over the years. I suspect that many of you will have had a similar experience and you will know what a joy it is to contribute your little sound to the united voice of a choir. It isn’t surprising that singing has always played such a major role in worship. It takes our words to another level as we seek to express our love for God and our devotion to him. I find it wonderful to think of the way in which God’s people have sung through thousands of years. Whether they have been experiencing poverty or wealth, war or peace, sickness or health there have always been songs on the lips of God’s people. Wonderful as singing is, I’ve always felt a little uneasy with it because not everyone is able to sing. Some people are tone deaf and the noise that comes out of

READ: Psalm 56.8 NLT 'You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.' Everything seemed to be going wrong for David when he wrote this psalm. He was being attacked continually by the Philistines. They were constantly slandering him and spending their days spying on him, looking for an opportunity to kill him. But amidst it, all David affirms his confidence in the Lord knowing that with God on his side he couldn’t lose. He had a deep conviction that his all-knowing God had not only kept track of all his woes, but had stored them up. I love the beautiful description that God had collected all his tears in a bottle and written them all down in a book. We all experience times of difficulty and tragedy. Such times are woven into the fabric of life and there is no avoiding them. But when we are in the dark valley of suffering it is wonderful to know that God doesn’t merely know that we are there and accompany us, but also takes our tears an

READ: Matthew 5.14-16 NLT “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” On the face of it, it seems really surprising that Jesus should be describing his followers as the light of the world. Surely that was his role. But Jesus was recognising that the only way in which people would see his light would be if his followers reflected his light into their communities. It is, therefore, our responsibility to find the most prominent place to put our light so that as many people as possible can see Jesus. It is good that Christians should spend time together. We need the strength and encouragement of worshipping and sharing fellowship. But, at the same time, it is vital for us to be part of our communities in order to have opportunit

READ: Matthew 5.13 NLT 'You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.' I have often heard people say that they are happy for individuals to have a Christian faith so long as it’s a private matter. Jesus’ words here prove that there is no way in which a Christian can keep their faith private. It can’t be done because those who live close to God will be fundamentally affected by their faith and this will inevitably exhibit itself in the way they conduct themselves. Like salt their influence will have an impact on all those who come into contact with them. Salt is very different from the foods that it accompanies. It is useful and tasty precisely because it is different. So too as Christians we are encouraged to be different from the society in which we live. Our morality and standards are not shaped by our society but by God and so it should never be a surprise when we stand out from the pe

READ: Matthew 5.10 NLT 'God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.' The life to which Jesus calls us is one of blessing. This is life at its very best. But Jesus never tried to disguise the fact that his followers would face rejection and persecution just as he did. Jesus assures his followers in every age that it is inevitable that if they stand up for the truth, there will be many people who have a vested interest in bringing them down. Persecution is normally subtle. For the majority of Christians in Eastern Europe during the communist era the challenge was not the likelihood of imprisonment or martyrdom. That happened from time to time for a few, but the ever-present challenge was in education and employment. I recall talking this through at the time with parents in Romania who wanted to know how to help their children at school when they had to sit through atheism classes. Christian children would find it very hard to enter university and because they w

READ: Matthew 5.9 NLT 'God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.' In this Beatitude Jesus isn’t talking about being peace- lovers but peace-makers, and that’s something very different. A peace-lover will often do anything to avoid conflict, and will even allow bad behaviour to continue because of the desire to “keep the peace”. Sadly, that kind of attitude does nothing to bring healing to the situation and can easily lead to the situation becoming far worse. Peace-making is the tough task of not turning away from conflict but, in the name of Christ, deliberately facing it and seeking to bring his miraculous gift of peace. Robert V. Taylor, the President of the Desmond Tutu Foundation, wrote, “If you want peace, don’t talk to your friends, talk to your enemies.” I suspect we all dislike conflict. We hate it when voices are raised, and people storm out of meetings or there is antagonism in relationships. It’s exhausting, discouraging and sad. But it’s also very common, a

READ: Matthew 5.8 NLT 'God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.' If you have any gold or silver you will know that it is vital that the metal is free from all impurity. If it is even slightly impure it will be worth only a fraction of the value of the pure metal. Here Jesus is saying that the same rule applies to our spiritual lives. We need to be single-minded, keeping our eyes fixed on his Kingdom and not allowing ourselves to be distracted by any lesser objective. It reminds us of Psalm 24 where we learn that the people who were welcomed to worship God in the temple were those who had “clean hands and a pure heart”. For most of us this will make uncomfortable reading. We can easily understand the desirability of having pure hearts, but we know that our lives are a long way away from that. Even our best efforts can very easily be spoilt by unhelpful motives. When we give generously to help others, we will often feel personal pleasure and pride at what we have given. In fulfilling