PHILIPPIANS 2:14-15 (13 OF 17)
Scripture: PHILIPPIANS 2:14-15
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Philippians 2:14-15 (13 of 17)
Dr. Ernest L. Easley
December 17, 1997
Now as you're finding the book of Philippians .. let me ask you a question. What does God send that the Devil tries to steal? JOY!
Now if you know the Lord Jesus ... if you've been saved and there's little or no joy in your life ... you need to learn what Paul learned and that is the secret to continual joy!
I was visiting with a man not long ago and he said to me, "Pastor, I'm just not happy." After he told me the circumstances of his life ... I wasn't even happy!
If you learn anything from the book of Philippians ... learn the difference between happiness and joy. You can have joy without happiness and happiness without joy. Happiness comes from what happens to you!
That's why sometimes you're happy and sometimes you're not .. because circumstances change. When circumstances are pleasant .. you're happy. When circumstances are not pleasant ... you're not happy and up and down we go! It's like riding a rollercoaster.
But not with joy! Joy is an inside job. Joy comes from the inside! And Paul wanted the church at Philippi to learn what he had learned and that is the secret to continual joy!
Now last week we learned that joy comes from working out our own salvation! Look at verse 12, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." To "work out your own salvation" just means maximizing your life for Christ.
That verb "work out" was used in Paul's day to describe a miner who would work in the ore mine getting all the valuable ore out that was in it! That verb "work out" means literally "to work to full completion."
And as we saw last week that it is God that works salvation in ... and then together with God we are to work it out! It's mining what's already mine! And the way to work out your salvation is through Bible study ... worship ... witnessing ... ministry!
You ought to decide that 1998 is going to be the year you finally read through ...
Dr. Ernest L. Easley
December 17, 1997
Now as you're finding the book of Philippians .. let me ask you a question. What does God send that the Devil tries to steal? JOY!
Now if you know the Lord Jesus ... if you've been saved and there's little or no joy in your life ... you need to learn what Paul learned and that is the secret to continual joy!
I was visiting with a man not long ago and he said to me, "Pastor, I'm just not happy." After he told me the circumstances of his life ... I wasn't even happy!
If you learn anything from the book of Philippians ... learn the difference between happiness and joy. You can have joy without happiness and happiness without joy. Happiness comes from what happens to you!
That's why sometimes you're happy and sometimes you're not .. because circumstances change. When circumstances are pleasant .. you're happy. When circumstances are not pleasant ... you're not happy and up and down we go! It's like riding a rollercoaster.
But not with joy! Joy is an inside job. Joy comes from the inside! And Paul wanted the church at Philippi to learn what he had learned and that is the secret to continual joy!
Now last week we learned that joy comes from working out our own salvation! Look at verse 12, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." To "work out your own salvation" just means maximizing your life for Christ.
That verb "work out" was used in Paul's day to describe a miner who would work in the ore mine getting all the valuable ore out that was in it! That verb "work out" means literally "to work to full completion."
And as we saw last week that it is God that works salvation in ... and then together with God we are to work it out! It's mining what's already mine! And the way to work out your salvation is through Bible study ... worship ... witnessing ... ministry!
You ought to decide that 1998 is going to be the year you finally read through ...
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