Teaching from Curwensville Alliance (Pastor Steve Shields)
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Pastor Steve takes us through Philippians 4:10-23 concerning contentment.
Paul has a strange view of contentment. His contentment doesn’t come from his possessions. His contentment isn’t a zen kind of thing. His contentment isn’t because he doesn’t know any better.
There are three decisions that take us to contentment. Embrace a worthwhile life objective. Worthwhile in terms of outcome and effectiveness. Engage in meaningful partnerships. Partnering in a worthwhile life objective enhances contentment. Expect a satisfying outcome. Expect things to change in time.
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Listen as Pastor Steve goes through Philippians 4:1-9 and how the peace of God can be yours.
The Peace of God can be yours. You can be at peace even with others. You can rise above circumstances. Your emotions do not have to rule your thinking or your behavior. You can choose what playlist runs in your mind.
To receive the peace of God decide to rejoice in the Lord. Make it your practice. Look at the good things God places in your path and find joy in them and celebrate them. Be reasonable and gentle. Develop a new playlist to replace the old one.
Receiving God’s peace through prayer. It is not you figuring out how to be at peace. Instead it is trusting God to care for what you thought you needed to care for. It is not you rising above your circumstances. Instead it is God giving you peace to rest in all circumstances. It is lifting your prayers to God and knowing that He is above your circumstances, offering you a peace that transcends understanding. It is not you choosing a better playlist. It is God healing your heart and mind as you fill your life with the truth of His love and surrender to Him.
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Listen as Pastor Steve goes through Philippians 3:12-4:1 using a highway analogy.
Take the on ramp. You have to decide that you are going to follow Jesus.
Leave the past behind. You can find forgiveness for the past in Christ.
Move forward through the traffic. You will need to regularly evaluate your progress as you move through life.
Look at the mindset of the better drivers. Look beyond their acts and adopt their midset. Spend time with Godly people.
Look how Christ has changed you. You belong to a different world. God is continually transforming you.
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Where do you find joy? Know where you come from. In the beginning God… It’s not what you are made of that brings you value, it’s who you were made by. Know where you are. Know where you’re going.
Joy is something that you need to maintain in your life.
But how do you maintain your joy? Proclaim your joy ( 3:1). Be alert (3:2) Know who you are (3:3). Run the numbers (3:4-9). Compare your life before Jesus to your life in Jesus. Pursue oneness with Christ (3:10-14). Expect false teaching/teachers (3:15-16).
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Listen as Pastor Steve goes through Philippians 2:19-30 on how to be a difference maker.
How do you be a difference maker? Ask God to show you what differences need to be made. Develop a ministry awareness. What do they need help with? What can I do to help them? Ask God to help you see the needs of others. Put yourself in others shoes. Savagely reserve time to care for those needs.
Ask God to give you a sacrificial kind of love. Genuine love is sacrificial. Sacrificial love eventually becomes a lifestyle. Ask God to keep your focus on others.
Show me the needs of others. Give me a sacrificial kind of love. Help me keep the focus on others.
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Listen as Pastor Steve goes through Philippians 2:12-18 and shows how obedience is the pathway to freedom.
There are some counterintuitive realities. If you want someone to like you, ask them to do something nice for you. If you are feeling down, give a blessing to someone else. If you want to find freedom, follow the pathway of obedience.
What are the things that keep us from shining? The trap of private sin. You only find freedom to shine when you are on the pathway of obedience. The bondage of self reliance. Nothing takes away shine more than a self righteous heart. The captivity to the fear of insignificance.
We walk with personal allegiance. Obedience that is rooted in allegiance is inseparable from freedom. Because we love the One we are obeying. Because of Christ’s constant love for us. Because of our knowledge of the Person – Christ.
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Listen as Bernie speaks on Luke 24:13-34.
Do you ever second guess God?
In our passage we see the disciples were disappointed, and they were second guessing what they thought was to be. God is often doing things that are different than we are expecting.
When second guessing God, we need to go back to the Word. If you get lost, make your way back to where you knew you were. Sit down with God, and get familiar with His Word.
The disciples thought the cross was the end, but it was just the beginning. If you have ever misunderstood God and His plan or His actions or found yourself confused and perplexed, you are not alone.
Don’t give up! Keep walking and surround yourself with other believers.
Second guessing means we doubt His plan, timing and goodness. We need to trust God in the middle of uncertainty.
Doubt, impatience, feeling lost results in our attempts to take control and make things happen. Instead we need to stand and lean into God. Trust Him. Do the will of God today and repeat that tomorrow and repeat the next day. Keep your eye on Him.
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What you find at the wrong tomb. A sadness that you long to escape. You look for ways to cover it up, to hide it even from yourself with things like substance abuse, constant busyness, sensuality, getting smarts, more stuff. You also find a cynicism that you cannot shake when looking at the wrong tomb. When struggling with cynicism you are almost always looking in the wrong direction. You find a despair that paints everything black when at the wrong tomb.
Think about these symptoms. A sadness that you long to escape. A cynicism that you cannot shake. A despair that paints everything black.
What you find in the empty tomb. A peace that rises above your circumstances. A relief that Jesus can be trusted. A reason to live well – to persevere and not despair.
Today’s Spirit-led choice: I will turn to the Living One, trusting Him and following Him.
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Listen as Pastor Steve speaks on three ironies of Palm Sunday.
The One who comes as King does not pursue a throne. What’s the deal with the king who doesn’t pursue a throne?
The One who rides in peace causes mayhem in the temple. It makes you wonder what might need turned over in your own life.
The One who rides in triumph is riding to His death. Death for those in Christ is not to be feared.
What does Palm Sunday say to you? You and I must enthrone this King in our midst and in our hearts. This King will want to rearrange our lives. The King has come to eliminate whatever keeps you from God.
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Listen as Pastor Steve goes through Philippians 2:5-11.
The power of Christ. The power to surrender. The power to serve. The power to lay down His life.
The purpose of Christ is to die that we may live. The purpose of Christ is to win our love. The obedience to death – even death on the cross whispers our worth and shouts God’s love.
The preeminence of Christ. At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. It is not based in fear or coercion, but rather based in the person Jesus is.
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