Jesus made it plain that there are two paths in life: one which seems wide and easy but which actually leads to destruction and one which can only be entered by a narrow gate but which ultimately leads to freedom and eternal life. (Matt 7:13-14) The early church soon faced a choice as to how people could be saved. Many felt that Jewish rituals (such as circumcision) had to be followed in order to be saved, whereas Paul was adamant that salvation for the Jew and Gentile alike was by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (see Rom 3:21-24, Eph 2:8-9).

The path of self-righteousness is always tempting because then we can do something to earn God’s favour. Paul had every reason to suppose his religious heritage would win him favour, but his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus totally changed him. In Phil 3:4-7, he spoke about how he had come to realise everything which had defined him meant nothing compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus as Lord. He went on to speak about the need to continue pressing on in faith, which involves forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead. (Phil 3:13)

Forgetting What Is Behind

We can be haunted by past sins, failures and regrets and can allow these to define our present and limit our future, rather like the ancient mariner with his albatross around his neck. Paul urges us to forget what is behind and live in the freedom of forgiveness. (Ps 32:1-2) We can also be held back even by good things in the past, perhaps always feeling that the present never lives up to what we have previously known. We must forget what is behind us and press on with the God of now, the great ‘I Am.’

Straining Towards What Is Ahead

Paul uses the analogy of a race to talk about how we must be fuelled by the hope of the eternal reward Jesus has for each of us.The Christian life encompasses past, present and future, and it’s often necessary to keep the future in our vision as we strive in the present. Just as we have to let go of the past, we need the impetus of the finishing line and our eternal reward to be the motivators to keep running right now. Paul knows he has not arrived yet (Phil 3:12), but we need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus in order to persevere in our race. (Heb 12:1-3) As we do this, we can rejoice always.

Tonight we continued looking at Paul’s most joyful letter to the Philippians (Phil 3:1-14), seeking to find the secret of how to rejoice in the Lord always (Phil 3:1, 1 Thess 5:16) Such a command isn’t difficult to understand (as some parts of the Bible are – see 2 Pet 3:16) – it’s just difficult to do! Can we really be expected to rejoice always, even when we face imprisonment (as Paul did) or bereavement or illness or unemployment?

The fact that this command is repeated so frequently in this letter alone implies that this is not just an idle idea (and Paul demonstrated how to rejoice in difficult circumstances in Acts 16:23-25), and Paul certainly doesn’t mind repeating this command over and over again (see also Phil 4:4), even saying it is a safeguard for us (a source of protection.) The key to being able to rejoice always is that we are to rejoice ‘in the Lord’ – not in circumstances, not in feelings, not in our own righteousness.

Paul makes it clear that we are not to rejoice in our own righteousness, cleverness or goodness. All the ‘religious’ trappings which characterised his previous life (Phil 3:4-6) and which so many people were claiming were necessary for salvation are classed as worthless, useless, ‘rubbish’, ‘garbage’, ‘trash’. What is important for our ability to rejoice in the Lord is focussing on who Jesus is and what He has done for us. We have to forget what is behind and press on towards Him. Knowing Jesus is the end goal; when we are focussed on Him, we are given the ability to see life from His perspective and can therefore rejoice always.

Garry concluded his series on the Sabbath and related words this morning. The Sabbath, we have seen, is a time to change our focus together, a time for recalibration and renewed perspective. Related words look at taking a bride (with its obvious connection to Jesus coming for the church, His bride, and the intimate relationship we are to foster with God) and at speaking over in praise. Last time, he spoke about the expectation and anticipation we should have when coming together to worship God and the satisfaction He brings. This time, we looked at the word ‘shebeth’ which means an abode, a dwelling, a place to settle or remain, and saw something of the enduring nature of God which brings peace and freedom to God’s people.

Ps 9:7 reminds us that ‘the Lord remains forever; he has established his throne for judgment.’ Change can bring uncertainty into our lives and can be very disruptive, but we are reminded here that God’s rule is enduring. The Roman Empire brought with it freedom to travel and the ‘pax romana‘ (or Roman peace) which helped the gospel to spread, but no human empire lasts forever. God, on the other hand, will never be deposed; He is enthroned as the Holy One. (Ps 22:3) He gives us His peace and establishes us forever, remaining faithful all the time. (Ps 125:1)

God’s peace enables us to dwell in safety (Ps 4:8). It’s not that He always removes us from trouble, but He does keep us safe in trouble (as He demonstrated to Elisha and his servant when the king of Aram and his armies came against them – see 2 Kings 6:13-17). Ps 91:1-2 reminds us that God gives us shelter; He is our refuge and our fortress. We have the choice to make as to whether we follow God or not (see Josh 24:14-15), but when we do choose to follow God, He becomes our dwelling place, our safe place. We long to be in His presence (see Ps 27:3) and we are given an assurance in Ps 23:6 that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The Sabbath gives us opportunity to dwell or remain in God’s presence together. The benefits of this are:

1. safety (Ps 91:1-2)

2. security (Ps 4:8)

3. freedom (John 8:31-32), as we hold on to truth and obey God even when we don’t understand and allow God to flow through us

4. fellowship (1 John 4:13, Eph 1:13-14) We can be glad that our fellowship with God and His Spirit is eternal and thus the time we spend with Him is precious indeed.

As we head towards September, we will continue to hold meetings in the building at Market Street on Sundays at 10.30 a.m. and at 6.00 p.m. and on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. We will not, however, be re-starting our youth club and Parent & Toddler group at present because of current guidelines on social distancing. We will be reviewing this situation on a regular basis and very much hope to re-start these groups as soon as possible.

On Wednesday 16th September at 10.45 a.m., the Dearne Churches Together prayer meeting will be held at GPCC. It will be good to join together in person in prayer, but we will also be hosting this meeting on Facebook Live for any who cannot attend.

On Saturday 19th September, we will be holding our prayer walk (‘Take Back The Streets’), leaving GPCC at 10 a.m. After this at 11.30 a.m. we will be holding a cleaning session, so if any of you can come along to help us clean and tidy the building and grounds, that would be much appreciated.

Our AGM for 2018-2019 was due to take place earlier this year, but had to be postponed because of lockdown. This will now be held in a shortened form after the morning and evening services on Sunday 20th September.

Joash’s life was greatly influenced by Jehoiada, the priest. Joash was the son of Ahaziah, an evil king, and the grandson of Athaliah, an even more evil grandmother, and as such, the influences on him as a child were far from good. Family influences can be very powerful; Ahaziah, we are told, was encouraged by his mother to act wickedly (2 Chron 22:3). The direct and indirect influences of our families, for good or evil, can have a great influence on our lives.

The picture wasn’t entirely bleak for Joash, however. He was resc protect him from Athaliah’s murderous intentions. He lived, hidden with them at the temple of God, for six years and when the time was right, Jehoiada acted to crown Joash as king. (2 Chron 23.)

At a young age, therefore (just seven years old), Joash was thrust into a position of responsibility and power as king of Israel, where he reigned for forty years and is credited with the restoration of the temple. (2 Chron 24:1, 4). All seemed to be going well;  ‘Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest.’ (2 Chron 24:2) Sadly, this state of affairs lasted only until Jehoaiada’s death. After that, Joash listened to other influences and subsequently abandoned the temple of the Lord and turned to idolatry. (2 Chron 24:17-19) It got so bad that Joash even killed Jehoiada’s son, Zechariah, whose brave words of rebuke tried to stem the tide of evil unleashed through Joash’s idolatry. (2 Chron 24:20-22)

This account shows us that Joash’s faith had no real substance, no independent, personal strength. He was a man ultimately shaped, influenced and defined by other people. He had no personal values or faith which outlasted his mentor.

Faith is a very personal matter. We are shaped and influenced by many people and different circumstances, but ultimately, we must choose for ourselves to follow God’s ways. God must be our rock, our fortress, our strength, our salvation. We need to have a faith that is independent of other people and wholly dependent on God. Our lives must be built on the cornerstone of Jesus Christ; our roots must go deep into Him. As Doug Horley says, ‘a mum or a dad or a sister who loves Jesus won’t get you there’ (to heaven): ‘You need to find him just for you.’ (‘One Way’, Doug Horley)

Do you have that independent faith which will outlast the faith of those who have inspired you? The goal is not only to start well, run well, but to finish well. Our faith needs to go beyond the faith of those who have preceded us and continue to influence those who will come after us (‘a future generation’ so that ‘a people not yet created may praise the Lord’, as Ps 102:18 puts it. Our faith needs to be real, personal and able to sustain us through thick and thin.

Jer 9:20-21 contains a call to lament, for ‘death has climbed in through our windows and has entered our fortresses.’ This could, in some ways, be perceived as what we have been experiencing in 2020 with the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic. Certainly, an awareness of death and the fear of death seem to have been rising as we witness a global pandemic for the first time in our lives, and the social and economic consequences of the pandemic will be felt for many years. But what is perhaps more alarming is how much panic and fear have become a part of people’s lives, for this is not how God wants us to live.

Heb 2:14-15 makes it plain that Jesus shared in our humanity so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. People have been woken to the reality and possibility of death (often by persuasive rhetoric), but fear of death is not the only response we can have to this inevitable conclusion to life. Jesus has made a way for us to live without fear of death. Rom 8:15-17 makes it clear that God has liberated us and set us free. We can rest in God’s love for us and perfect love drives out fear. (1 John 4:18) This is not a delusion, but a reality based on the fact that the reason for fear of death (punishment) has been removed.

We fear death largely because it is unknown and we are not sure what (if anything) lies beyond death. Some maintain there is nothing beyond death and therefore no reason to fear, but for those who believe in eternal life, there is the question of judgment and punishment (and blessing and reward). Christians believe that the death of Jesus meant He took our punishment and judgment and so we can face eternity with hope. His resurrection gives us the hope that we too will live beyond the decay of our mortal bodies. (1 Cor 15:50-56) There may still be apprehension (because we do not know with certainty what this new life will be like), but as Sara Groves sings in her poignant song ‘What Do I Know?’, ‘I know to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord, and from what I know of him, that must be very good.’

To leave this world is to be with Jesus (John 14:1-4, Luke 23:39-43, 2 Cor 5:6-8) Ultimately, our lives and times are in God’s hands and therefore we have hope, not only for this life, but for life beyond death. No matter what happens to us, no matter that we are living through a pandemic, we can live without a fear of death, for Jesus has conquered sin, death and the grave. Don’t let the statistics, politicians or scientific advisors box you into a place of fear. Jesus has broken the power of him who holds the power of death and gives us the opportunity to experience eternal life.