Unchained – Living Life to the Fullest – Sermon – Pastor Dave Page

We are tackling a tough topic this morning…one that many of us tend to struggle with- living life to the fullest. I try and spend more and more of my time these days listening to people – that’s a good goal for a Pastor. And something I hear a great deal from people is:

“Am I doing enough?

Am I living the best version of my life?

Or do I need to be making better decisions if I want to make the most out of what I have?”

It’s similar to the first question we engage with in our Alpha course experience – “Is there more to life than this?” So often, for so many people, they are wrestling with what the world leads us to believe is a life well lived, sometimes what our faith positions says, and then somewhere in the middle is the life experience they are living in the here and now….Paul knew this was a struggle for the Church in Philippi, and so he gave them some very specific advice to help them counteract the influence of this Roman culture that they found themselves immersed in. That specific, encouragement and wise counsel by Paul is something that can be very helpful for us in this day, when we are wrestling with much the same thing that the people of the church in Philippi were.

I. Know What You Are Aiming For

Now, the first thing Paul emphasizes is that we must stay focused. Again, he’s addressing the church in Philippi that finds themselves immersed in a very Roman culture and as such is warning them not to become sidetracked by the things of that culture. Well, the same thing applies to us today as well. We can easily become sidetracked by the messaging and imagery of this world so often, coveting after money and status, which can and to often does lead to disappointment, frustration, and for some, giving up on the life God is calling us to. This is what Paul is getting at when he says,

“For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.”

Philippians 3:18-19a

Last week, we used Paul’s life story as an example of someone who understood his calling and put that into practice. Well in the same way here, Paul himself is an example of someone who knew exactly what He was aiming for and in that confidence, followed Jesus faithfully. Paul modelled for them and for us not only what it means to be a Jesus follower,  how to live out a life of faithfulness to God, but also how to live a life that is full and rich and completely satisfying.

As Christians, we are called to walk in the footsteps of Jesus…literally to be followers of Jesus. So that means that we need to strive to imitate the righteousness and holiness of Jesus.

That means living a life of obedience to God’s Word and being committed to honouring His teachings and commandments in how we carry out our day to day lives. That’s really tough to do today!

 The culture and world around us will be, almost by default these days, opposed to our aiming for this in our lives…so we must be completely on guard to anything that smells of being conformed to the patterns of this world, just as Jesus taught.

The Apostle John wrote this same counsel in one of His letters:

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. ¹⁶ For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.     

1 John 2:15–17.

We do this by rejecting our own desires when they compete with how we are called to live in His service – that’s why Paul refers to their stomachs and their shame… and so instead our desire is to follow after a closeness in our resemblance of Jesus.

Because, here’s what I’ve found to be true in my life:

When I choose to exemplify the life of Jesus, I will experience the fullness of life; and on top of that what comes along with that fullness of life is an incredible inner peace, I know this because there have been times in my life when that was not so – when I didn’t know the peace and contentment God intends for my life and each time I realized this, I also realized I was living for me or for the world around me instead of focusing on living a life that is pleasing to God;

What Paul encourages us to pursue is a different kind of desire. He says,

“ Their mind is set on earthly things. ²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ”

Philippians 3:19b-20.

In short, our ultimate aim should be Jesus Christ, not pursuing the pleasures of this world. Not only does the “fullness” of what the world offers most often come with strings attached, but being in relationship with Jesus, living in the power of the resurrection like we’ve been talking about – this is what will bring us true joy and satisfaction. Choose to follow Him and to live your life as one of His and you will experience more fullness in your lives than the world around us can ever offer. So today, I want to encourage all of us to think deeply about what we are aiming for. If we focus on the things of this world, they will inevitably lead us astray, leaving us feeling unfulfilled and searching for more. But when we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ and strive to make Him our main priority, He will provide us with more joy, peace, and fulfillment than anything else.

II. Having an Eternal Perspective

The second thing that Paul encourages us to do is to have an eternal perspective. We can see this most clearly in verse 20 as well where he says “But our citizenship is in heaven, …”By looking at our eternity with Christ, Paul was reminding the Philippians that the troubles of this world pale in comparison to the glory that awaits us someday in heaven. He wanted them to understand that their trials and tribulations would be forgotten when they get to the throne of God and stand before Him and so not to fall in with the world around them because it might make things easier in the short term – the same thing applies to the focus of the world around us too … from an eternal perspective, the many things that the culture of the day is telling us to chase after offer merely short term gratification.

The danger Paul is warning this Church about is still very real for us today. This culture of “insta-everything” pushes us to believe that escape and success is found in money, luxury items, vacations and physical appearance. And while these things can bring temporal happiness and pleasure, they are no substitute for true joy in living life with Jesus Christ. We must remember that no earthly thing can fill the deep inner desire of our souls for complete and intimate fellowship with our heavenly Father.

Paul is focusing on something else in this as well. He also calls on us to be vigilant concerning who we choose to associate ourselves with. Largely for the same reasons as we just discussed. We cannot follow the example or guidance of an unbelieving world if we wish to remain true to the fullness of life that God wants us to experience in Him.. It is easy to get caught up in the things of this world – and sometimes that includes the people of this world….both perhaps leading us away from Jesus. Whether its on the our schools or workplaces, on the movie screen or our social media screens, we must be aware of our surroundings- including the people in our surroundings – and ensure that what we are exposed and following aligns with the grace and glory of God.

Keep looking forward to the Kingdom of Heaven. As you go through the everyday of life, even when faced with tough decisions or struggles in life, we need to think about our eternal destiny and how much more the promises of God reach beyond this world. Remember that whatever we do here on Earth affects us for all of eternity.

III. Have Confidence in Heaven

Did you hear that, whatever we do here on Earth affects us for all of eternity. I don’t want you to hear that as a warning only….I want you to hear that as a hope filled statement. whatever we do here on Earth affects us for all of eternity! Now you might ask, So where does our hope lie if being sucked into the illusion of the “here and now” of the world’s messaging is so dangerous? At least that’s something I can experience now….  The answer lies in the rest of the passage: “who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Here me when I say this – Everything is under His control. Church, can I just encourage you to seek out the comfort that comes from the knowledge that although we are stuck here on earth, sometimes burdened with cares and struggles, we belong to a place far more grand! You are citizens of a perfect kingdom, a kingdom with an intended place for you for eternity. Take great confidence in that!

Rest assured that Jesus Christ, our personal saviour, will return triumphantly one day, bearing countless rewards and unique promises, and will physically transfigure each of our lowly and weary bodies… There’s no health club, skin cream or fad diet that’s gonna do any of that!!One day our Savior will come and wipe away every tear, erase every sorrow, and provide freedom and joy beyond human comprehension!

Folks, living life to the fullest isn’t easy, but it’s worth striving for. We can take courage in the knowledge that Jesus is always beside us, guiding us in truth and fulfilling His plans.

Do you know who Corrie Ten Boom is? Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker and later a Christian writer and public speaker, who worked with her father, and other family members to help many Jewish people escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust in World War II by hiding them in her home. They were caught, and she was arrested and sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Her most famous book, The Hiding Place, is a biography that recounts the story of her family’s efforts and how she found and shared hope in God while she was imprisoned at the concentration camp.

Let me leave you with one quote from Corrie Ten Boom that reminds us of this hope we’ve been speaking of, the hope that leads us to dare to live life in Him and in so doing live life to the fullest. Corrie ten Boom said

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

You know Him – So Trust Him!

Let’s pray.