WELCOME
Good morning First Baptist. We welcome you to worship this morning. Be sure to remember your brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the week as you pray for them, and as the Holy Spirit brings their faces to your mind. Be sure to also connect with them in the ways that are possible. And if you have any questions or would like to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to contact the church through the church telephone and leave a message. (519-733-4144)
Songs
CBM Video
Call to Worship
1 Corinthians 12…
Unity and Diversity in the Body
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body – Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Christ, the One who was, and is, and is to come, welcomes you to this place.
As one body, with one voice, we honour and glorify the giver of wisdom, counsel, knowledge, and joy.
Amen.
GOOD MORNING FBK & WELCOME TO WORSHIP!
Songs
Prayer
Prayer of Confession & Assurance
Heavenly Father, although we surrender our lives to you individually, we are called to live and serve in community as one body. Nevertheless, we do not see each other equally or accurately. We tend to think that some are more gifted, more attractive, even more godly than others. Rather than claim Christ’s righteousness for all who believe, we judge one another, even ourselves, on worldly merit.
Forgive us, Lord.
Redeem us from our wrong thinking.
Open our eyes to the truth of your perfect plan for Your church body to work graciously as one. We pray this humbly in Christ’s name. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon:
Inspired by John 6: 68-69
Jesus is the holy One of God who forgives our sins and pardons our iniquities. He pursues us with words of eternal life and in him we are forgiven, fed, and freed to live again. Amen.
Unchained
Solidarity Sunday
Today's Message: Pastors Marlee Page and Dave Page
I want to begin this morning by asking a few questions. What does it mean to be ‘ONE’ as the Church of Jesus Christ? Or another way to ask that might be, would does Solidarity look like within the broader church – and why should it matter?
How do we live united, regardless of our differences?
If and when we choose solidarity, how should God’s kingdom be reflected through our relationships with one another?
These are all important questions to consider, especially when considering the implications of today’s passage. We are returning to our Unchained Message series In Philippians. This morning we look at what Paul has to say about the topic of Solidarity….very fitting for this Solidarity Sunday we find ourselves a part of .
In Philippians 3:1-16, Paul is addressing the issue of what it means to live faithfully in the midst of different factions and circumstances in order to build solidarity in the church. As he has been doing throughout this letter, he encourages the Philippian believers to unite and come together as the people holding fast to The Word and promises of God and applying them to their lives together.
Let’s read the text this morning and then we’ll pull it apart so we can apply it to our lives….
Scripture Reading: Philippians 3:1-16
Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh – 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Following Paul’s Example
15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
In light of what Paul says here and considering the fact that we want to acknowledge the importance of Solidarity and Solidarity Sunday, I believe it is essential for us as the church understand how to properly lead with God’s love and reflect His kingdom here on earth, as those examples must be considered as the hallmarks of solidarity and unity, when speaking about the Church. So, let us take a look at what the Scripture says.
Unity in Obedience
The first point of today’s passage may appear quite simple, but it is absolutely vital to the establishment of our theme today – Solidarity in the Kingdom of Christ. Paul begins with a warning that the Philippians not to be misled by their false teachers. This was a real issue in that day – Paul had to consistently step into situations where the Church was in danger of going off the rails at times because there was a plethora of incorrect teaching. The issue at hand here are with teachers that were saying basically, Yes Jesus is the path to salvation… but you need to be a Jew first. Which as you might expect was a real problem for Paul and early Church. And so, he lays out their teachings of error as opposed to his own teaching and affirms that true followers must reject the influences of these false apostles (verses 2–4). Now, 1 thing not to skip over is the important fact that Paul prefaces the warnings of chapter 3 with the call to rejoice, he couples it for the first time in Philippians with the qualifier “in the Lord” because the Lord himself is both the reason for and the source of their joy. Such joy (because it is “in the Lord”) is independent of adverse circumstances.
Massena, one of Napoleon’s generals, suddenly appeared with eighteen thousand men before an Austrian town which had no means of defense. The town council had nearly decided to surrender when the old dean of the church reminded them that it was Easter and begged them to hold services as usual and to leave the trouble in God’s hands. This they did; and the French hearing the church bells ringing joyfully concluded that an Austrian army had come to relieve the place and quickly broke camp. Before the bells ceased ringing, all the Frenchmen had vanished.
The incident has often been duplicated in individual lives. They have rung their own joy bells – joy in their relationship with Jesus… in the face of pain, and sickness, and poverty, and fear, and loneliness, and all other trials. Then the joy bells have conquered. Speedily, the trial has moved away. Speedily, the bell ringers have found themselves in a position of victory. For no enemy is quite so strong as faith accompanied with true joy!
If we are to provide true unity and solidarity in our churches, we must live out the truth of God’s Word. If not, then we stand in direct opposition of God’s nature and intent for us and His Church. His intent for us and His church is to live lives of Joy and contentment…once we have that in place, well entrenched in our lives…then other areas like
self-control, putting off the old ways, being filled with the Spirit, and seeking to bring honour to the Lord more than anything else…many of the attributes of a Jesus follower that we’ve discussed in looking at this letter of Paul. We have to get that right first and only then, can we begin to experience true solidarity within the Christian community. This is a matter of recognition and obedience!
Abiding in Releasing of Power
Not only must we strive for a unified obedience, but we must also, together, willingly embrace God’s releasing power. Look again at verses 5-11, in which Paul recounts some of his past – before Jesus, and then shares deeply his own salvation story. He reflects on the abundant grace of God in providing him with spiritual freedom and the opportunity to serve others’ needs throughout their gospel ministry. What Paul is saying here is look, it’s not about the rules that these people are telling you are important – they wanted these young Christians to become Jews remember. Paul says if that were the path to righteousness then I’d already be there!! Recall that Paul was a Pharisee. Now the Pharisee’s weren’t all that conservative as compared to the Sadducee’s for example. But one thing you’d have to recognize about the Pharisees are that they were very devoted/extremely religious. The Sadducee’s were conservative in their Jewish doctrine – they only recognized the first 5 books of the Bible. The Pharisees on the other hand had an entire oral tradition around the Old Testament Writings as we would know them and developed a code to live by and they did live by that code – very strictly. So Paul indicating that he was a Pharisee reveals that he lived by this strict code prior to his conversion. The Pharisees were a lost people because of their rejection of Jesus but you can’t say they were not religious.
Paul says there’s more, and that more is Jesus and what he gifts into our lives. Paul’s entire conversion and resultant missionary ministry is a testament to understanding and then leaning into that releasing power. God releases Paul from the burden of the law and in doing so releases the greatest Christian missionary of all time. This is an amazing example of what it looks like to abide in the releasing power of God….Remember just last Sunday we talked about the Resurrection Power in our lives…. For Paul, it was trusting in the call and mission God had given him despite any hardships or persecutions he faced – and during his ministry he faced a great many hardships and was constantly under persecution….unfortunately persecution isn’t a concept that lived only in the first century.
1 Corinthians 12: 26-27
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Sometimes it can be easy for us to ignore the suffering (or celebration) of others when they are not near us, but Paul makes it clear that we are connected to each other, no matter how far the distance. So we need to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the globe.
Reference to the MAP – Despite the adversity they have faced, these groups continue to faithfully promote the gospel and express God’s redemptive work. What’s more, when we choose to abide in the power of releasing our authority to God, we receive the greatest reward – continual fruitfulness!
As Jesus reminds us in John 15:2, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Therefore, as we surrender our control to God and allow Him to work through us, our prayers and efforts produce even greater healing and justice throughout the world around us. We need the Resurrection Power in our lives to change ourselves, again, like we said last week, but we also need to be open to releasing it into the work he’s calling us to do together…
Pursuing Righteousness in Transformation
In order to fully understand the connection in solidarity, we must establish what Paul intends with 2 phrases – “already obtained all this” – this referring to righteousness – and “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,” – referring to his transformation. These two concepts are extremely pertinent here in verse 12-13, where Paul speaks of pressing toward the goal. In other words, Paul is telling us to seek after righteousness in our lives and strive to become more like Christ. Acknowledging our need for righteousness, coupled with inner transformation through the power of the Holy Spirit, can open our hearts to a much broader sense of solidarity. Solidarity with other believers, world-wide, becomes more of a priority for us. And it should be…Yes, we must seek close kinship- we’re all God’s children so that makes us family with fellow believers… but when we allow the power of transformational faith to fuel our actions and thinking, our solidarity can extend far beyond our comfort zones. Whether it be social justice, immigration reform, environmental causes, or poverty relief initiatives, transformation like this allows us to act in solidarity with those who are most vulnerable and oppressed among us.
Life Applications: So, how does all of this link directly to our everyday life? Our pursuit towards greater and deeper solidarity will never be complete until we press into God for greater transformation – lean into this power He gives us. What’s more, solidarity sometimes necessitates vulnerability. We must be willing to yield our selfish preferences and allow ourselves to genuinely enter in the pain and sorrows of others. However, this kind of intimacy is not just a challenge, it is a call to action as well. Unity and solidarity are more than simply being brought together – it is about standing and acting together. So what specifically can we do? Here’s something that our partners at CBM are specifically asking us to do:
How can we practice solidarity:
- Education: Commit to learning about life for believers in other countries.
- Prayer: Commit to praying for our brothers and sisters around the world.
- Connection: Commit to supporting and reaching out to someone in another country.
Here’s the truth – We are all in this together!
Have you ever heard of the Marshmallow test….
The “marshmallow test” is a classic research project that illustrates our lack of self-control and delayed gratification. For the study, the researcher would give a child a marshmallow, and tell them that they could eat the marshmallow OR they could wait until the researcher would return several minutes later, at which time they would get a second marshmallow.
In January 2020, the results of a new version of the experiment were released. In this new version, kids were paired up, played a game together, and then were sent to a room and given a cookie with the promise of another if they could wait for it by not eating the first cookie. However, some of the kids were put in what researchers called an “interdependent” situation in which they were told they would only get the second cookie if both they and their partner could wait and refrain from eating. The results showed that the kids who were depending on each other waited for the second cookie significantly more often. They showed true solidarity in working towards a common goal.
God’s call to us as His disciples is for solidarity within the Kingdom of Christ. There is no room for apathy or passivity when it comes to pursuing the righteousness and transformation Paul is urging here – we need both! Paul encourages the Church in Philippi and God’s word encourages us in that we must be ready and willing to go out and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to those who are hurting and broken – As CBM says “To embrace a broken world through word and deed…” And we also need to be in support of those doing the same around the globe. True solidarity necessitates a willingness to walk with and stand up for those who have suffered loss and are embroiled in turmoil, a common call and purpose found throughout the New Testament.
This daring quest we are encourage to pursue takes courage from us and a deep reliance upon the work of the Holy Spirit. We will need to be courageous enough to lay aside cultural, religious, and ideological opinions we face in order to accept, serve and speak out for all members of God’s family. And it’s the work of the Spirit that will transform our hearts to make that more than a priority – solidarity in the Kingdom becomes a yearning, a desire and a lifestyle.
Prayer
Great God of Glory and Grace, in the strong name of Jesus hear our prayers of praise and petition.
We give thanks for the gift of this unique new day,
which has never been and will never be again.
Help us to put it to good use in your service.
May we find on this seventh day:
recreation for the labors of the coming week
the vivid nearness of your presence
communion with our companions along the way
into Christ.We give thanks for the subtlest hints of spring,
For the lengthening day,
the sharper light,
the warmer sun,
the greener earth,
the fragile flowers of early spring,
the bracing breeze off the lake,
the reliable rhythms of the flying stars and worlds,
we give you thanks.With our thanksgivings, we bring our petitions.
For our nation, that peace and unity might prevail in a divisive day.
That understanding, and collegiality might rise as bitterness and enmity fall,
That opposing political parties might work together
and begin to realize that you need the other side to do anything worth doing,
that abusive rhetoric might fade as smarter, kinder statesmanship takes its place.For our neighbors and those in our families and Church family in need of the full measure of your healing grace.
For those grieving those they’ve loved and lost.
For the heartbroken who can sing only sad songs in a land where there is always one too few.For the lonely, the confused, the misunderstood.
For those known better to you than to us,
Pause for silence
In the mighty name of Jesus we pray – Amen.
Song
Benediction
May you go with the wisdom of mind and generosity of heart to seek His will in the world today. Be inspired to respond to the call to live in solidarity with fellow citizens of the Kingdom, so that all children of God might live in dignity and peace.
Blessings & have a wonderful week.