Sermon Series: Jesus: Everything We Need 

No Insecurity Necessary 

Philippians 1:3-6 

CBC Bishop-2/2/03

In a nutshell: Everyone needs to feel secure. And for the Christian this happens when we rely on the encouragement of faithful people, and rely on the power of a faithful God.

I. Introduction

A. Depending On God or Depending on Something Else

Warren Wiersbe, pastor, former host of the Haven of Rest radio program, and the writer of a number of commentaries I use quite often, wrote the words on the front of your Worship Folders….

There is no security in things. In fact, things are deceptive: they appear to be satisfying and lasting when they are actually temporary and unable to satisfy the deepest needs of life. ... Certainly, God wants us to enjoy the blessings of life. There is nothing spiritual about sitting morosely in a corner and saying, "These things will not last anyway! Why enjoy them?" God wants us to enjoy his good gifts, just as we want our children to enjoy what we give them. But he does not want us to depend on things-He wants us to depend on Him. (Warren W. Wiersbe in Meet Yourself in the Parables. Christianity Today, Vol. 32, no. 4.)

So, how do we depend on God? How do we rely on God for our security in the midst of life's insecurities? Because security is a real need that all of us have. Security isn't something we outgrow as we become adults.

Let's face it, insecurity is an awful thing. It leads to anxiety, fear, despair, and even depression. -Celebrities and leaders of companies hire security guards to protect them from possible harm.. Illustration: I have a friend that was in my motorcycle ride club in Riverside who was a professional personal security guard. He worked for a large company in Orange county, and was hired to protect it's top executives. He always carried a pistol in the saddle bag of his motorcycle. He'd get to travel all over the world, always carrying his gun, with the intention of making the people who hired him feel more secure. -People consult astrologers. Remember how Nancy Reagan said she determined her husband's schedule through the advice of an astrologer? -Some people trust technology for their security. But as we saw yesterday, with the explosion of the space shuttle, even technology isn't totally dependable. -Some people hang a good luck charm around their neck, hoping to ward off evil. Or some people carry the foot of a rabbit in their pocket hoping to be more secure. (It didn't help the rabbit, so why do they think it's going to help them? I've always wondered!)

It seems that many human beings believe they need something outside of themselves to depend on, for security.

B. Humorous story illustrates need

I read something by Dr. Jerome Frank, a professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University, that illustrates this need.

"Whenever I am flying and I engage people in conversation a confession is almost always forthcoming when they find out I am a psychiatrist. A few years ago, before all of the modern security measures were installed at the nation's airports, a man I was sitting next to on a coast-to-coast flight told me, 'You know, I used to be deathly afraid of flying. It all started after that man brought a bomb on board a flight to Denver to kill his mother-in-law. I could never get it out of my mind that someone on board one of my flights might also be carrying a bomb.'

I asked, 'Well, what did you do about it?'

He replied, 'Well, I went to one of those special schools for people who are afraid of flying and they told me there was only one chance in ten thousand that someone would be on board my flight with a bomb. That didn't make me feel much better. The odds were still too close. But then I reasoned that if there was only one chance in ten thousand that one bomb would be on the plane, there was only one chance in 100 million that two bombs would be on board. And I could live with those odds.'

So the doctor asked, 'But what good would that do you?'

And the man replied, 'Ever since then, I carry one bomb on board myself--just to improve the odds.'

C. Transition

Well, we are continuing a new sermon series this week, that we started last week. It's going to guide us through the apostle Paul's encouraging letter to the Philippians. I'm calling it, Jesus: Everything we Need. And if that's the case, there should be some practical help in this book, on how to depend on God for our security. And I'm happy to tell you, "There is!"

In fact, in the first chapter of Philippians there are two practical concepts, designed to help us depend on God and find security in our relationship with Him, even when life's circumstances seem insecure. So, if you have your Bibles, I'd ask you to turn to Philippians 1. And today we'll be looking at verses 3 to 6.

II. Partner with Faithful People

The first of those two concepts that the apostle Paul writes about are found in verses 3-5…

Philippians 1:3-5 3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,

The first practical way we depend on God is to partner with faithful people.

In these three verses, we sense that Paul was excited. But it wasn't things that excited him…it was people!

Now, in case you didn't know, Paul was in Rome, under house arrest, when he wrote this letter to the Philippian church. He was all alone, except for an occasional visitor.

But we see from these three verses that Paul recognized that there were people who were standing behind him and supporting him, even if they weren't physically there with him. -He said, "I thank my God every time I remember you." These were people who had made a difference in Paul's life. -He goes on to say, "In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." He could rejoice because he knew they were standing by him, even during this difficult time in his life. .

You may have people like that in your life. I hope you do. In fact, we all need people like that. And these are the kind of people we need to strive to be here at Calvary Baptist church. We need to be there for one another. And there at least three good reasons why.

A. We can't do it alone!

First, we can't do it alone! Have you learned this truth, yet? If you haven't, you will! When all of life presses in from every direction, it can be overwhelming. Moses learned that lesson after he had led the people of Israel out of Egypt. The demands of leading that great multitude were overwhelming. Thankfully, he had a wise father-in-law to give him some advice.

Exodus 18:17-18 17 Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.

And they came up with a plan so Moses could share the work with others.

Illustration: When I had to leave the ministry back in 1988, I was devastated! Emotionally, I was a cripple. I went days without eating, night's without sleeping and physically, I was a mess. But two men came into my life and helped me.

One was Diane's dad. He called me on the telephone every single day, for months, just to encourage me. He asked me questions, he built my confidence up, he helped me sort out what was truth and what was not truth about my life and circumstances. He flew out from San Francisco to spend time with me on several occasions. And he helped me get a business started that supported our family.

Another man during that same time period was Bill Westphal. Bill was the head basketball coach at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, and a member of our church. Bill met with me every week for over a year, for Bible study, prayer and encouragement. Bill helped me realize that God could restore me and use me again in ministry.

Friend, if you're trying to handle life alone, you're not going to feel very secure. You see…, -you don't have all the wisdom you need -you don't have all the knowledge you need, -you don't have all the abilities you need, -you don't have all the perspective you need, and -you don't have all the resources you need.

Illustration: One day, when the boxer, Muhammad Ali, was in his prime, he got on an airplane for a flight across country. As the plane was getting ready to take off, the stewardess reminded him to fasten his seat belt. He came back rather brashly and said, "Superman don't need no seat belt." But the stewardess had a quick come back. She said, "That's right, but Superman don't need no airplane, either." Ali fastened his belt.

The bottom line is, you are not "Superman or Superwoman". No one is. You don't have it all and you can't do it all.

B. We need each other

The second reason why we need to partner with faithful people is that we (just plain) need each other. Sometimes we don't like to admit that, but it's true. God never intended us to live without each other.

Paul talks about how we need one another in 1 Corinthians 12. He compares our relationships with each other to the relationship the different parts of the body have to one another. We read in

1 Corinthians 12:21 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!"

Well, duh!!!!! Folks, the point he's trying to make is that we are not independent of one another. We are interdependent on each other. Each of us needs something from someone else.

That's why God pulls together diverse people from all walks of life and stages of development and puts them together in the church. You see, we need people who are not like us to provide what we don't have. And a healthy church can be a place where that happens.

Illustration: I need Rusty as a partner on our pastoral staff, and he needs me. At times there are situations where the soft side of love is needed. Rusty is very good at that. And I need to learn that more and more. But there are also times when the hard side of love is needed. That's where I'm stronger. And Rusty can learn from me. That's just one way we need each other. But the fact is, we all need each other!

C. We are united in Christ

A third reason we need to partner with faithful people is that we are united in Christ. This unity in Christ overcomes every barrier to a relationship, so we can partner with each other. Look at these words in…

Galatians 3:28 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

That means that older people and younger people can fellowship together. That means that educated people and uneducated people can work together. That means that black people and white people and red people and yellow people and brown people can love one another. That means that rich people and poor people can be genuine friends.

The key is Jesus Christ. We are united in Jesus. What we have in common is that everyone of us had to realize that we needed a Savior to save us from the consequences of our sin, and we couldn't do it. And we chose to follow Jesus. It is the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ that has brought us all together.

Friend, let me tell you, you are not alone! You don't have to try to do life alone. God never intended for you to have to go it alone. He wants you to sense the security that comes from knowing there are faithful people in partnership with you. -You need to rejoice in these people. -Thank God for them. -Draw upon their support. -Depend on them -and be one yourself.

III. Trust In The Power Of A Faithful God

But there is a second practical thing that's designed to help us depend on God besides partnering with faithful people. The second practical thing is to learn to trust in the power of a faithful God.

Folks, we serve a God who is able to do what He says He will do. Look at what Paul says in verse 6: …

Philippians 1:6 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Paul had no doubt that God would complete the work that He had started both in himself, and in his friends in the Philippian church.

I want to show you a couple of truths concerning placing your trust in God.

A. God is at work

The first truth is that God is at work. Our salvation is His work. It's not something we earn ourselves. Salvation is exclusively of God.

Look at one of the greatest passages describing salvation in the entire Bible…

Romans 8:28-30 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Did you know that God has a plan for every one of us? We have been called according to His purpose. And what's that purpose? To conform us to the image of Jesus Christ. But this is God's work. It is not our work. Only God can change a human heart.

I like what that great Baptist preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon said about this Philippians 6:1 verse … The apostle calls it a "work," and, in the deepest sense, it is indeed a work to convert a soul. If Niagara could suddenly be made to leap upward instead of for ever dashing downward from its rocky height, it were not such a miracle as to change the perverse will and the raging passions of men….

Most of you have heard the saying, "Please be patient, God isn't finished with me yet." It's true. God is at work in our lives. And the goal, as stated in Romans 8:28-30, is to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ. But this transformation is a process. We are in the process of being made to reflect the character of Jesus Christ in our lives..

2 Corinthians 3:18 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

This process of transformation has a theological term that describes it. It's the term, sanctification. Sanctification is the work that God does, where He progressively makes us more like our Lord, Jesus Christ. It's not something that happens overnight. Rather it's an ongoing work. It is a work that begins when we accept Christ as our Savior from sin, and continues until we go to be with Him in heaven. So, the first truth about why we can trust in a faithful God is that God is at work in each of us, to transform us.

B. God will finish what he began

A second truth about placing your trust in our faithful God is that God will finish what He began.

Do you realize that God never starts something that He cannot finish. We start things we can't finish, but God never does.

Illustration: I have a wood working project that I started planning two years ago. I am gong to make a mission style bed for my daughter and son-in-law for their wedding gift. Well, two weeks ago they celebrated their first wedding anniversary, and I still haven't gone beyond the planning stage.

In the meantime, I've started several other woodworking projects, and even finished some. But I still haven't finished that headboard and footboard. That's a problem I have. How about you? Do you finish what you start?

Boy, thank God He didn't quit what He started!

-Aren't you glad that Jesus didn't quit half way to the Cross? -Aren't you glad that He didn't stop at just living a good life and doing a few miracles? We didn't need a good man or a miracle worker. We needed a Savior-We needed a perfect sacrifice for our sin.

When Jesus, said on the cross, "it is finished", He showed us that He had what it took to finish what needed finishing. God will finish what He began. You can count on it. That's one of the reasons why we can put our trust in this faithful God. He proved that He will finish what He began.

IV. Conclusion

Friends, you can have security in this life, even when the circumstances of life seem to feel really shaky. Real security comes from -having people who are with you and for you; -and it comes from having a God who is with you and for you! Look to what Paul says in…

Romans 8:38-39 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Illustration: In his first ten years on the PGA Tour, Paul Azinger won 11 tournaments, including the 1993 PGA Championship. But shortly after that triumph, the strong, young golf pro was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer. Chemotherapy treatments followed, leaving Azinger sometimes vomiting and "dry heaving" for 20 minutes of every hour.

In his autobiography, Azinger writes, "Now I know when you're 33 you're not bullet-proof. I'm as vulnerable as the next guy. None of us is promised tomorrow, so we need to live every day to the fullest. My hope and security are in Christ, and today I'm grateful for even the smallest blessings-for a roof over my head, for food in my stomach, that I can smell, that my hair is going to grow back. Those are things I took for granted, but never again."

Paul Azinger's security is in Jesus Christ. Where is your security?

One of the benefits of being a follower of Jesus Christ is that you can feel secure, no matter what life throws your way. Because inherent in that relationship is the opportunity to partner with faithful people, and trust in a faithful God.

If you're a Christian, realize what you have. If you're not, why trust in anything less?