Joy in the Mist of Trials and Tribulation

Greetings,

My wife often wonders why I have peace and joy when at times everything is falling apart around us, our family, and the world. 

 

The message today at church was about the Pursuit of Joy by Pastor George.  The message was based on Philippians and I want to add to the message.

 

Paul most likely wrote the letter to the Philippians during his first Roman imprisonment to thank them for the contribution he had received from them.  While his primary reason for writing the letter was to acknowledge the gifts sent by the Philippians, Paul appealed for a spirit of unity and steadfastness (faithfulness) among them.

 

In many respects, this is the most beautiful of Paul’s letters because it was full of tenderness, warmth, and affection.  His letter is spontaneous, personal, and informal, presenting us with an intimate diary  of Paul’s own spiritual  experiences.  The dominant note throughout the letter is that of extreme joy.  Paul, though a prisoner, was exultantly happy, and called upon his readers to rejoice in Jesus Christ.  To Paul, Jesus Christ was more than an example; Jesus Christ was his very life.

 

The abiding message of Philippians concerns the nature and grounds of Christian joy.  For Paul, true joy is not a surface emotion that depends on favorable circumstances of the moment.  Christian joy is independent of outward conditions, and is possible even in the midst of adverse circumstances, such as suffering and persecution.

 

Joy ultimately arises from fellowship with the risen, glorified Jesus Christ.  Throughout the letter, Paul speaks of joy in the Lord, emphasizing that through Jesus Christ alone is Christian joy realized, as are all other Christian graces.  Essential to this joy is the confident conviction of the lordship of Jesus Christ, based on experience of the power of His Resurrection.  Because of this conviction, life for Paul attained meaning.  Even death became a friend, because it would bring him into a fuller experience of the presence of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:21-23 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better).

 

The joy presented in Philippians involves eager expectation of the near return of the Lord.  This expectation was dominate in Paul’s thinking and is seen in his five references to the return of Jesus Christ.

 

V. 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

V.10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,

V. 2:16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain

V.3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

V. 4:5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

 

Paul further describes a joy that springs from fellowship in the spreading of the gospel.  He begins the letter by thanking the Philippians for their partnership in spreading the gospel through their monetary gifts.  The gifts, however, are only an expression of their spirit of fellowship, or as he puts it in 4:17 CEV “I am not trying to get something from you, but I want you to receive the blessings that come from giving.”  So, Christian joy is an outgrowth of being in the active fellowship of the body of Jesus Christ.

 

Personal Application:  This letter reveals the timeless message that true joy is to be found only in a dynamic personal relationship with Jesus Christ and in the assurance that God is able to turn adverse circumstances to our good and His Glory.  Because Paul was united to Jesus Christ by a living faith, Paul could claim contentment in all circumstances.  Paul’s testimony was “I rejoice…..and I will rejoice” (1:18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice) and Paul’s unqualified command was “Rejoice…..Again I will say rejoice! (V.4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!).

 

Do not trust in ourselves or anyone else for our peace and joy.  It is necessary to surrender to God, the Son, and to call on the Holy Spirit to help us in our Pursuit of Joy. 

 

Philippians 3:3 (AMP) For we [Christians] are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit and by the Spirit of God and exult and glory and pride ourselves in Jesus Christ, and put no confidence or dependence [on what we are] in the flesh and on outward privileges and physical advantages and external appearances.

 

God’s blessings to you all,

 

Tony Sanchez  5-30-15

Altar Call

Greetings,

 

Again, it has been quite a while since I have sent anything out to the group but I want to share a praise report and it ties into an article (attached) I sent to you in January of this year.  But first I want to set it  up with a story in a class I was attending on the Tabernacle about a month ago.  The instructor was talking about the Brazen Altar as being an altar of sacrifice.

 

My thoughts and question was “If the Tabernacle is an altar of sacrifice, why are we not doing the same in the church?”  There are times when I go to the altar during praise and worship to confess my sins, repent, surrender, ask forgiveness, to humble myself, to confess my love for Him, to thank Him, to praise Him, to worship him and to ask the Holy Spirit to be present.  I could not understand why others were not doing the same.  Going to the altar at the end of service was a regular part of the service at a church I attended in the past.  Sometimes, up to twenty percent of the congregation was at the altar.  When the people come to the altar of sacrifice, the Holy Spirit will come and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17  Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty).

 

The brazen altar, bronze altar, or altar of sacrifice in the Tabernacle and was situated inside the courtyard upon entering the gate to the tabernacle. The altar was the first piece of furniture the sinner encountered as he passed through the gate on his way to fellowship with, and the worship of, God. The altar was the meeting place for the holy God and the sinner. God came down to meet the sinner where He accepted a substitute for his sin.

 

The brazen altar finds a perfect fulfillment in the work of Christ upon the cross; a further analogy is found in the materials of construction and in the purpose of the brazen altar as compared with the accomplishment of Christ on the cross.

 

The altar was the place of sacrifice, and it foreshadowed the cross on which the Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood for the sins of the world.

 

So the altar was actually a type of Christ, who became the substitute for man’s sin and thus allowed the holy God and sinful man to meet. Even the word ‘altar’ refers to that which is elevated or lifted up. Perhaps this is what Jesus had in mind when He said, ‘And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me’ (John 12:32). As an offering had to be lifted up and placed on the altar, so Christ was lifted up and placed on the cross to die for the world.

 

The altar was the place of substitutionary sacrifices—the place of death. There the blood was poured out, and the body was consumed by fire, which speaks of judgment. The altar in the tabernacle stood between the gate of entrance and the door to fellowship with God. It barred the way so that no approach to God was possible except by the altar.

 

So too, the cross of Christ bars the way to God for every sinner. Those who bypass the cross will never have eternal life and fellowship with God; rather, they will remain in their condemnation.

 

That all must come to God by only one means is clearly evident from what Christ said to Nicodemus: ‘Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’ (John 3:3). Because Nicodemus did not understand what He was saying to him, Jesus explained the necessity of spiritual birth. He said, ‘That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3: 6).

 

The cross is the only way of salvation because it was there that Jesus shed His blood for the sin of the world. Hebrews 9:22 clearly states, ‘Without shedding of blood is no remission (forgiveness)”.  Receiving Jesus Christ as Savior produces the only true foundation in a person’s life.

 

The praise report is an answer to my prayers and I am sure others have prayed for the same.  The church I am attending has set aside a time at the end of service that allows for praise, worship, and an invitation to the altar where there are pastors and prayer teams available to minister to the flock.  This was implemented two weeks ago and I was so excited that I made a beeline to the altar and thanked  God for His grace and mercy.

 

I encourage you all to go to the altar at every opportunity and put aside what people think and focus on what God thinks.  You will honor Him when you present yourself at the altar of sacrifice.

 

Blessings to you all,

 

Tony Sanchez