Guarded Mind: feelings of depression, bitterness, uselessness

Now we'll look at Philippians chapter 1 again. I failed to mention and should mention what a great honor it is to be with you and what a tremendous privilege to be with our brother Crawford. Esteemed and mightily used of God for so many years, we highly value his contributions and highly value his presence with us today.

Philippians in chapter 1, commencing to read at verse number 12, but I would have you understand brethren the things which have happened unto me have fallen out rather under the furtherance of the gospel so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places and many of the brethren in the Lord waxing confident by my bonds are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife and some also of goodwill. The one preached Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds but the other of love knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel.

Notwithstanding every way whether in pretense or in truth Christ is preached and I therein do rejoice yea and will rejoice for I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed but that with all boldness as always so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body whether it be by life or by death for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain but if I live in the flesh this is the fruit of my labor yet what I shall choose I what or no not for I am in a straight betwixt two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is very far better nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you and having this confidence I know I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith that you're rejoicing may be more abundant in Christ Jesus for me by my coming to you again now I know that God will add his blessing to the reading of his word and along with what we were privileged to hear this morning now the subject before us is what I have entitled the guarded mind so let me first of all just survey the audience we don't have audience response buttons here today but ever been discouraged ever been depressed ever felt like the Christians let you down ever feel as though Christians don't appreciate what you're doing ever feel as though Christians are actually against you and there's someone that's trying to marginalize your usefulness someone trying to hinder your usefulness someone trying to undermine you ever been there that's Philippians chapter 1 so let me just give you three subjects or three points that we are going to look at and then as time allows we will consider them I want to think of circumstances and their danger we're going to look at Paul's circumstances and see the danger of those circumstances Paul's circumstances and their danger Paul's crisis and his dilemma Paul's crisis his words what then suggests to us he came to a tremendous crisis a crossroads of his life what was he going to do what then the crisis and its dilemma and finally the choices and Paul's decision quickly again circumstances and their danger crisis and its dilemma choices and his decision now what do we mean by circumstances and their danger want you to think of the chains which limited Paul there were chains that were limiting him God at times allows circumstances which limit us in our own thinking now what you'll understand what I mean God is not limiting us but we think we're being limited if only this weren't the case how useful I could be if only this weren't the case how I could serve more effectively so for Paul it meant being in prison for some it might mean I'm single rather than married and if I were married how much more I could serve the Lord for some it might mean if I were in a different job and if I if I were more eloquent and if I had greater boldness and if I if I look differently and if I didn't get so nervous and if I just were made differently I could serve the Lord but I am so limited by what God has brought into my life let me talk very practically for some it's age age can limit you can't do at 85 what you did at 25 for some it may not be age it may be illness that limits and physical inca in capability and it feels like it is such a limitation so restrictive Paul was in chains the work of the gospel needed him so desperately we would say fledgling assemblies and assemblies that were failing and assemblies that were faltering and and the work of God in general and young men that he had raised up young men that he was mentoring there he is in chains how's Paul gonna react how's Paul going to to adjust to the reality that his days of moving freely are right now at a standstill our society lives with two two errors that are related what I have called the myth of control and the avoidance of responsibility the myth of control that somehow you are in control of your life reality is you're not now don't misunderstand you are responsible for your life but that's far different than being in control there is a sovereign hands that directs that shape circumstances beyond your control and mine that's him us in that direct us that's we think limit us we are not in control but we are responsible you see society says and if you read things like one of the greatest proponents of atheism Dawkins you know dancing to your own DNA that you're just made a certain way and you just dance to your own DNA and that's the way you are of course that all falls apart in thinking when you think of men who commit hideous crimes and men who commit gruesome murders they're dancing to their own DNA that's what Dawkins would say no no we believe in the reality of responsibility so where does control end and responsibility begin we cannot control life circumstances you cannot control illness that comes upon you you cannot control age as it comes upon you despite Botox and everything else it happens and it's coming and you can't get away from it and all of those things limit so you can't control but we are responsible for how we react how we respond to the circumstances that come in to our lives think of how individuals in the Word of God responded to things totally out of their control think of a Joseph supposing you had been the one in prison for faithfulness to the Word of God for faithfulness to purity for faithfulness to holiness and you're thrown into prison and you're forgotten as well how would you respond would you respond the way Joseph did that Joseph served the prisoners and Joseph said do not interpretations belong to the Lord see he responded recognizing I cannot control what brought me here but I am responsible for how I react while I am here and I am here and I will represent the Lord no matter where I am whatever my circumstances I will live for God so you are responsible for your response to every circumstance in life not just a Joseph think of a John on the Isle of Patmos I've never been maybe some of you have taken those cruises there sound very very intriguing and very very enjoyable where you cruise all around the Mediterranean and all of the places that Paul and John visited I've never been to Patmos understand it's a rock-strewn barren depressing island and John is no youngster when he's there he's an aged man just exiled there how did John respond why has God let me down after all my years of faithfulness here I am and God is just let me go here is that how John responded amidst circumstances that were difficult John is useful for God I was in the spirit on the Lord's Day so there was a man who was in touch with God regardless of his circumstances you could go on couldn't you you could think of a Hosea you could think of of of others in the Word of God with trying difficult almost unbearable circumstances of life they couldn't control the circumstances they could control their response to the circumstances so you may have things that limit you in your life or things that you think limit you in your life maybe a spouse that isn't all they ought to be maybe it's a single state and you wish you were married and how much more you could do maybe it's an inability to to speak as well as you would like whatever it is you can key on the limitation or you can respond the way Paul does by recognizing God will allow no circumstance in my life beyond his control so there were chains which limited him there were critics gets a little more difficult here there were critics there were those who are against Paul we would read of them in chapter 3 men called enemies of the cross of Christ who were seeking at every turn to somehow have Paul imprisoned or have Paul eliminated or take Paul out of the way men that hated Paul because of the grace that he preached and the unity the oneness of the body that he had presented of Jew and Gentile on the same ground before God and Judaizers those Jews who were against him detested this man and at every turn they were against him and stood against him accusing him and bringing charges against him before governments and so on there were those that sought to marginalize Paul and were happy he was he was out of the way critics maybe the most difficult maybe the greatest trial a Christian can face was what Paul faced as well in chapter one not now change that God allowed not now critics that were against him but there actually were brethren competitive brethren who were happy that Paul was in prison so they would have a chance to have their time in the limelight so Paul reminds us here in chapter 12 and chapter 1 in verse number 12 he speaks of his bonds and how God had used them verse 15 some preach Christ even of envy and strife men that were happy to see Paul put aside for a while so they could preach and everyone could be looking at them and would be their chance to become prominent and so Paul is marginalized in their view how do you react when someone in the assembly tries to outdo you someone is competing for the Sunday school class that you have prayed about and they're trying to get you off the picture how do you feel when you are not appreciated for all you do you work hard for the Sunday school no one ever comes and pats you on the back you try to visit and no one ever commends you for what you're doing you're faithful to all the meetings and no one ever seems to notice if you miss one night they say where were you but no one ever really seems to recognize all you're doing opposition from believers is sometimes the most difficult the hardest to overcome one thing for the unsaved to be against you another thing to suddenly find that there are Christians who are trying to reduce your usefulness because they want a position of leadership or a position of recognition that perhaps you currently have how did Paul respond to all that that's a tremendous trial isn't it that's a tremendous look burden to have to bear of being limited by my circumstances of having men who are against me critics who are looking at every turn to to find something wrong to accuse me to governments and to actually have brethren who are competing with me and trying to push me aside those are the circumstances that that Paul faced now I don't think any of us have ever faced all of those at the same time probably a few of us have faced all of them at any time Paul faced them all together so you will understand why I have called this circumstances and their danger let me talk to you about the crisis and its dilemma the crisis you notice what say what Paul says in verse 18 what then what then what was the snare that Paul was facing let me just suggest to you that Paul was walking into a trap that was set by Satan now I know he's not mentioned I know we don't find him here actually I don't think he's mentioned at all in this Philippian letter but you remember the same thing happens in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 Paul says on my first answer no man stood with me no one came forward to testify on my behalf when I had to testify before the Roman government no man came forward with me no man stood with me I pray the Lord it may not be laid to their charge nevertheless the Lord stood by me and then he goes on to say that he delivered me out of the mouth of a lion now that was not Nero because Nero would take his head but the mouth of the lion in 2nd Timothy 4 was a trap laid by Satan you say what was the trap we just think of it Paul had given his life for the gospel Paul had labored among the assemblies in Asia Paul had seen many of those people saved many of those assemblies planted and now Paul is a prisoner no one came forward to be identified with Paul he was too hot an item how would you react be honest how would you respond if the people and the effort you had given your entire life for a life of sacrifice a life of suffering a life of service how would you react if all of those for whom you had given everything for when you needed them they didn't come forward I don't think we have to delve deep into our imaginations to know how most of us would have reacted you see Paul had one final commission to present the gospel I believe to Nero had he given up in discouragement he would have at the end not carried out his ultimate commission now I know his years of labor would not have been erased but you'll understand he had one final thing to do and Satan was seeking to keep him from it by discouragement by bitterness Paul says here here's the snare that is set for me how will I respond to the limitations how will I respond to the critics how will I respond to contentious brethren jealousy anger bitterness depression I want you to notice the choice that Paul in these verses we each have choices to make when faced with circumstances problems difficulties whether in your personal life or in your assembly life we all are responsible for the choices we make we can't control circumstances we can't silence critics we can't get rid of contentious brethren but we can respond in godly ways we can respond as God would have us respond now let me just say something because I know this may sound like a digression but I think you'll see where I'm coming from have you ever said what he did what she did made me angry they made me angry that's why I said what I said now just examine what you've just said because I've said it too can anyone else really make you angry or is it anger something you choose to respond with now I know there is such a thing it's rare but there is such a thing as righteous anger but it's very rare I wonder if most of us know what righteous anger is the Lord Jesus knew it I believe Paul knew it but can anyone really make you angry or isn't anger something that you choose because of what has happened to display so that's what Paul is telling us here I have a choice what then what shall I do with my circumstances what shall I do about what is happening in my life how should I respond he says what then in verse number 18 notwithstanding every way whether in pretense or truth Christ is preached and I therein rejoice yea and will rejoice so even though faced with all of these overwhelming circumstances and difficulties that could well have drowned Paul in self-pity and discouragement Paul will not go that way Paul is marked by a totally different choice because you see the the choices we make in life as we're going to come to as we look at them the choices we make in life actually reveal our priorities now I know we sometimes think that the crises of life help us to make our priorities but that's not really true the crises of life reveal our priorities already made what do you get when you squeeze an orange you get orange juice get what's inside you know what you get when you squeeze a Christian you get what's inside already you get what's real what he really is comes to the surface and so we see here the the criteria that is going to control his history let me talk to you about the choices and his decisions the first thing I learned from what Paul says here some preach Christ of envy and strife some of goodwill the one preach Christ of contention not sincerely hoping supposing to add gall is really the word to add gall to my bonds the other of love knowing I'm set for the defense of the gospel but then how shall I respond he says whether in pretense whether it's out of insincerity or whether it's sincerely Christ is preached and so what I learned is the cause of Christ the cause of Christ is more important than my comfort than my comfort Paul says prison chains if the result of my being in prison is that the gospel is spread then the cause of Christ it has priority over my comfort you see Paul was able to look at the big picture now you know what it is to look at the big picture if you've ever taken driving lessons at school or from a professional driving school they teach you you know don't just key on the car in front of you get get the big picture get the big picture while you're driving be able to look down the road and keep your eyes going to rearview mirrors and you know just make sure you know all that's going on around you get a big picture don't get so skewed in your outlook Paul could see the big picture you see our world you will understand won't you that what happened when sin came into the world I mean the the results of that are manifold but ultimately what really happened is we became self-centered creatures we were made to be God centered creatures sin made us self-centered creatures so instinctively whatever happens we think about what it means to us how does this affect me a falling stock market and my retirement changes in health care and my insurance and on and on it goes everything relates back to me because my world is all about me and maybe if I'm really making progress it's my wife and my children and my grandchildren and that's that's saying something but God never intended it to be that way our lives were to be God and Christ centered and Paul says as I look at the big picture as I look at the cause of Christ as I look at the gospel of Christ and it's being preached he said the things which have happened all my circumstances actually have led not to the limitation of the gospel but to the furtherance of the gospel Christ is preached and I rejoice I therein do rejoice yay and I will rejoice how do you react when you've been leading the Bible reading in your assembly for 20 years and along comes a younger brother who has studied his Bible and is now suddenly eclipsing you oh you've always said the welfare of the assembly is the most important thing but suddenly when you're being eclipsed there's a little bit of a awkward feeling or someone comes along that can preach better than you can preach or someone comes along that can teach children better than you've taught them and on and on it can go how do you feel what what's your reaction when you're being eclipsed when someone is showing greater ability than you have shown when someone is showing greater potential than you have had you know we piously pray that God will raise up a generation that will be better than we were but as soon as they begin to show it we begin to feel very awkward you know just keep him keep him down a cut him down the size because he you know that's not how Paul reacted Paul wasn't concerned with who was getting credits Paul wasn't concerned with who was in the limelight the cause of Christ was more important than Paul's name and Paul's honor and Paul's reputation he was willing to to see Christ exalted even if it meant he was in the place of limitation and others were in the place of prominence and usefulness but also I learn here as I look at Paul and as I see what he says this as he speaks here for me to live as Christ to die as gain I learned that conformity to Christ conformity to Christ is more important than my circumstances look at verse 19 I know this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what does Paul mean and what is the salvation that Paul is speaking of in verse 19 Paul doesn't need to be saved he's been preaching the gospel now for a number of years possibly 25 years at this point what does Paul mean when he speaks of his salvation and what does he mean when he speaks about being saved by their prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this is the secret to why Paul did not become bitter why Paul did not become angry why Paul did not become discouraged why Paul did not become depressed why Paul did not hang up his Bible bag we spoke about the trap that Satan had set Paul speaks here of the salvation from that trap saved not from prison but from the circumstances that would have led him to be very angry bitter depressed discouraged so he speaks about their prayer they were praying for him and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ now if I were to tell you that on three occasions the Spirit of God is spoken of as the Spirit of Jesus Christ you'll understand then what is in view here you go back to Romans chapter 8 and Paul writes there if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his so the Spirit of Christ brings us into a relationship with Christ he makes us belong to Christ when you come to first Peter chapter 1 Peter is writing about the Old Testament prophets and their writing and they're writing about Christ and he speaks of their the Spirit of Christ that was in them did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow so in the first instance Romans 8 it's the Spirit of Christ relates me to Christ in 1st Peter chapter 1 it's the Spirit of God who reveals Christ to me the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when it was speaking of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow Philippians chapter 1 it's not now a relationship it's not now making me belong to Christ it's not now revealing Christ to me what it's doing here it is reproducing Christ in me making me like the Lord Jesus Christ Paul says the Spirit he is supplying to me all that I need to become more and more like Christ so was Christ ever depressed despite what you may read in some Christian books please Christ was never depressed never depressed he was never discouraged never disappointed there was sorrow that filled his heart don't misunderstand me but he knew nothing of depression he knew anguish he knew grief he knew sorrow but Paul is saying the Spirit of God is making the Spirit of Christ is making me more and more like Christ and it's my circumstances and he says really when all is said and done when everything is really tabulated that's what life is all about that's what life is all about in the end being like the Lord Jesus Christ there are very very few things you and I will take from earth to heaven from earth to eternity one of them one of them will be the character that you I shouldn't say you have molded one of them will be the character you have allowed God to mold of likeness to the Lord Jesus Christ I know we will be totally conformed as chapter 3 will tell us but right now God is in the business of molding us and making us and sometimes it means breaking us to make us and so Paul recognized that not just as the cause of Christ more important than I am and not just as conformity to Christ more important than I am but he wants to he wants us to know as well that capability from Christ is more important than mine that is greater than my natural strength verse 19 again he couldn't do it on his own he was not able there had to be an infusing of strength and we will look at that in chapter 4 I am strong for all things through Christ who constantly pours his strength into me he was being strengthened by the Lord Jesus Christ there was an outer source the capability for everything in his life came from Christ not from his own natural ability not from a winsome personality not from a clever diplomatic way not from the ability to manipulate people in a shrewd way it came because of likeness to Christ strength from Christ ability from Christ let me just mention something because if I were sitting where you are as I used to as I do and as I especially thinking back now as a young Christian it's it's very very natural and I hope at least that occurs that you leave this weekend with a real desire to be different to accept circumstances and to learn to be like Christ to be a personal witness as our brother Crawford has mentioned to seek as much as you can to know greater devotion to the Lord Jesus we hope you at least leave with that intention but Monday morning comes and it's not too far into the day whether it's at class in the office in the home in the shop it's not too far into the day before failure number one occurs and your feeling is give it up you know who likes to fail all the time and so the way to be sure you don't fail as you don't try you know if you don't try you don't fail so the safe you know the comfort zone is don't try to change because who wants to fail something I read it gave me great encouragement and along this line and so let me just leave it with you God is easy to please but difficult to satisfy God is easy to please but difficult to satisfy and what that simply means is this the best thing I can do is give you an analogy those of you who are parents will understand the analogy very well somewhere around 11 months of age 12 months of age you are looking for your child to take that first step and nowadays of course we didn't have camcorders when I was raising kids but nowadays you get out your camcorder or you whatever you got handy even your cell phone to take a picture of it you got that picture because you are thrilled that child has taken a step that step has pleased you but are you satisfied is that really the ultimate goal you have for your child no but you're very pleased and as they take each step you get pleasure but you're never satisfied until they're walking running climbing you know then you're not too satisfied they're into everything but you'll understand that you are pleased as a parent as you see those first initial steps and they fall doesn't matter get up again keep going next step you're delighted to see them walk they fall again but you're pleased but you're not satisfied that's what your father and mine is like he's pleased you take a couple of steps and you fall he's not pleased that you fell but he's pleased you took the steps get up take a few more you're gonna fall again get up he's pleased that you're taking those steps to try to please him to try to be what he intends you to be with his ability and his strength the capability of Christ greater than natural ability look at verse number 20 according to my earnest expectation hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed that with all boldness as always now also Christ magnified in my body whether by life or by death for me to for to me to live as Christ to die as gain what was the choice here communicating Christ is more important than my very life now I know we'll have a difference here and please don't throw anything at me for me to live as Christ to die as gain normally is taken as Paul in heaven it was gain he lived for Christ enjoyed Christ here he would enjoy Christ even more in heaven that's wonderful that's probably true but I think also Paul has in mind this Christ magnified by my life that's great Christ magnified by my death that's gain that's not loss for me to live if I'm living I want to magnify Christ if I die I want to magnify Christ in my death Paul is saying it doesn't matter about my life doesn't matter what happens to me the ultimate thing in my life is conformity to Christ and communicating Christ to the world the word he uses here is not just a display magnify make Christ large most of us specialize in making Christ look small we don't want to look awkward before people at work before our neighbors Paul said I want to make Christ as large as possible so that no one will miss this tremendous person that I have come to know most of you have read at least older ones have read the story of John and Betty Stamm missionaries in China who were there when the when Mao and his army came sweeping across China at the end of World War two missionaries there in a small compound knowing full well that death awaited them as the Communist Chinese came in took over ripped them away from a baby left on a bed to die as they were being let out John Stamm wrote these words hoping they would some sometime get back to loved ones at home knowing full well all that lay before him knowing full well there would be no mercy that would be taken out and be headed by the Chinese he said for this cause came I unto this hour father glorify thy name lives laid down with one purpose that even in death they would magnify Christ that's the word isn't it that the Lord Jesus spoke to Peter this spake he signifying by what death he would die no by what death he would glorify God I am NOT looking forward to death I'm reaching this month is a scary month for me I won't tell you how old I am but it's not a pleasant year pleasant month for me I'm not looking forward to death but it's wonderful that the grace of God has so changed things that a Christian's death can glorify God tremendous we are not losers I know death has a sting but a Christian is not a loser everything is ours Paul says that to the Corinthians everything is yours life and death everything grace has done that so communicating Christ God will never allow circumstances in your life now this may sound you know so easy to say and it may sound so obvious to say but I think if we could grasp it God will never allow circumstances in your life that could not have the potential to make you more like Christ now did you get that there are no circumstances in your life allowed by God that cannot potentially make you more like the Lord Jesus it's all how you how you and I respond can we respond like Paul did circumstances full of danger a crisis and a real dilemma for Paul but choices and his decision the cause of Christ more important than I am conformity to Christ more important than my circumstances capability from Christ greater than my natural ability communicating Christ more important than my life little wonder that Paul could write those words that challenge every one of us for me to live as Christ think of what Paul meant by those words one ultimate priority that a lens through which he viewed all of life's circumstances all of life's events it totally controlled his view of everything if we could have that same mindset we would avoid discouragement anger bitterness depression feelings of uselessness feelings of despair and we would have one ultimate goal before us for me to live as Christ may God bless his word shall we pray our father we just take a moment to commit to the word of God there is the likelihood that in speaking we have gone beyond even our own experience in our own spiritual condition we confess this to the but yet it is the word of God and we pray that I will use it for the good of my people for their blessing we would long to know more of devotion to my son and conformity to him help us we pray then to view everything in light of the honor of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ for him we give thanks thank you for my people gathered here despite the weather and the heat grant some relief we pray and give help is the word of God is ministered further as we give thanks to the in the name of the Lord Jesus again