God's Not Done with You|10.05.25|Jesus Over Everything pt1
When I was 16, I decided to follow Jesus. I had been raised in a Christian family, and had always gone to church, but I wasn’t really following Jesus with my life.
I was a good kid. I did good in school. Acted good at home. And was also pretty good at lying in order to SEEM good to everyone around me.
I was pretty good at hiding the parts of my life I wasn’t proud of. I was pretty good at pretending to be a good Christian when I was actually doing whatever seemed good to me at the time.
And then when I was 16, I had a mentor who challenged me to decide whether or not the faith I had been raised in would be the faith I wanted to follow. I had to choose whether I was going to keep pretending, or start being serious about it.
That led to the next twenty years of learning how to follow Jesus with every part of my life. And lots of those years still trying to pursue other things in life that I thought were what actually mattered.
Trying to become successful at work. Trying to make more money so that I could take more vacations or have better things. Getting married, starting a family, pulling my hair out, realizing how much I am still a work in progress who fails all the time.
Fighting addictions. Lying to my wife. Coming clean. Crying out to God: why do I keep experiencing this pain… and why do I keep causing it? What do I need to do to know Jesus more? How can I actually follow through on my desire to let him be king of my whole life?
Have you ever felt that way?
Raise your hand for me if you would like to know God better: i.e. you’d like to understand him better, know his purpose for your life, have better peace about some of the bigger questions in life…
Would that describe you?
I need to encourage you with this: there is NO greater way to get to know God, to REALLY know his character, his heart, his goodness…
There is no greater way to understanding the life you were made for…than by reading his Word (the Bible).
[stats]
But the truth is that MOST people don’t read the Bible! The American Bible Society found that in the last few years, only 40% of people in America will actually use a Bible more that 3-4 times A YEAR (that includes church people).
Which leaves almost two thirds of all people who rarely or NEVER read the Bible.
For some people, it’s because they don’t care, or they don’t think the Bible has anything relevant for their life. They think it’s outdated or a waste of time. Others have TRIED to read it, got confused or bored, and then gave up.
And because I have committed over 20 years of my life to studying the Bible and trying to help others connect with God through the Bible, it hurts my heart when people truly WANT to read the Bible, but they don’t know where to start, or they got overwhelmed before and gave up.
[blank]
Because, believe me, getting confused or bored by the Bible is way more common than you think! That’s because of the two most common ways that people try to read the Bible for the first time.
The most common way that people try to read the Bible for the first time is that they start at the beginning.
And you read Genesis, it’s got some interesting stories. You read Exodus, it’s got some gripping sections, and then you get to Leviticus and your brain turns to goop and your discipline turns to goop and the whole thing is goop and you’re done. Tapped out. Bible closed.
Those of you laughing have clearly experienced exactly what I’m talking about!
The other method is what Pastor Craig Groeschel calls the “Lucky Dip Method.” It’s where you flip open the Bible to a random page, hoping you can plop your finger down and have God speak to you.
[Song of Solomon 4:2]
But then we have people who are confused when God seemingly speaks to them through strange verses like Song of Solomon 4:2, “Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing…” A.K.A. “Girl, your teeth look like sheep babies.”
No joke, that’s a REAL verse in the Bible! So, yeah, maybe not the best method.
[Scripture Ref] p152
That’s why we’re starting a new series in Philippians, not to just READ the Bible, but to UNDERSTAND it and LIVE IT OUT. So open your Bibles with me to Philippians 1.
I’m actually really excited about this series, because one of our goals at New life is to help you learn how to study the Bible for yourself, to feel confident on how to read the Bible so that you can connect with God.
Because the truth is that God’s word is ALIVE, it’s not just like any other book. It’s active, it’s powerful. It speaks to you, guards you, empowers you.
It builds faith, renews your mind, and shows you the truth that sets you free!
But I also want to ask a favor: I want to ask that you make a very intentional effort to come back to church next week. For some of us, two weeks in a row of church is a big ask, but I don’t want you to miss out on what God wants to do in you through his Word.
[5 Steps]
Truly, I don’t want ANYONE to miss out on connecting with God through his Word, so I’ll start today by sharing with you 5 Steps to Study the Bible…
Choose a translation you understand
Choose a time, a place, and a plan to study
Understand the context
Read slowly and ask questions
Pray for God to speak to you, and apply what he shows you (repeat list)
So we’re going to do that in the book of Philippians , starting in verse 8. But to do this, I need everyone (even online) to read this verse aloud, so we can really get a feel for it. Can we do that?
[Philippians 1:8]
'For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. '
Okay, WHAT?! Well, we’ve got to understand this is a TRANSLATION, because the Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, depending on what part of the Bible you’re reading.
And very smart folks have studied those languages, and have translated them into language that we can understand. But how many of you know that language changes over time? (I’m too afraid to try and keep up with lingo anymore)
The King James Version was originally translated in 1611, and so it has some phrases that don’t make sense now. Because back in 1611, they referred to emotions as coming from deep within you, from your bowels.
But nowadays, we’d probably say that we feel emotions in our heart. Or maybe that we feel it in our bones. And so that is why some very smart people who love Jesus very much have created many different translations over the years, going back to the original language and trying to convey what the intent was in modern language.
[Step 1]
That’s why Step 1 is: Choose a translation that you understand. Because there are over 3,000 translations, and you don’t want to confuse yourself more than you have to by picking a translation that is difficult to understand.
So, as your pastor, I’ll give you my opinion on a couple good ones to start with. This is just my opinion, but I think these translations are pretty understandable.
[translations]
If you’re asking me, I think that the NIV, NLT, NRSV, & ESV are all good, understandable translations. I grew up reading the NIV, and along with the NLT, those are two very readable versions with easy-to-understand language.
The NRSV is what we have here at New Life as the black, seat-back Bibles, and that one along with the ESV are a little more rigid translations where they focused more on the accuracy of translating each word, even if it’s not as modern in the phrasing.
[Step 2]
But we start with a translation you understand, so that you can get to Step 2: Choose a time, a place, and a plan to study.
Now, just like any habit that will transform your life, it’s best to be consistent. Pick your time and place that you’ll be able to keep up long term. When I was younger, I had more free time in the evenings. Now, I prefer mornings for my time.
So maybe you’ve got your certain chair that already has your Bible next to it. And so you create a habit to start your day with God with your coffee and your favorite chair and your Bible reading.
But then pick your method. Some people prefer to read a paper Bible and take notes or highlight favorite verses. Other people prefer to use the Bible app, since their phone is almost always with them. Some people prefer to listen to an audio Bible on their morning drive.
The method isn’t as important as developing the PRACTICE of doing it consistently. And it also helps to have a reading plan to guide your time.
Maybe you’re reading through the whole Bible, and so you’ve got certain chapters to read each day. Maybe you’re studying through a single book. Maybe you’re following one of the thousands of reading plans on the YouVersion Bible app, or you prefer to use the Our Daily Bread reading plan.
But once we’ve chosen a translation that we understand, and we’ve chosen a time, place, and a plan to create our habit of Bible reading, then we have to Understand the Context.
[Step 3]
Understanding the context is super important, because it protects us from making incorrect assumptions. Now, what if I told you that someone had seen some suspicious activity at our church, after hours? They had seen folks in all sorts of cars and trucks, driving up and dropping off packages.
And then word got out to the news, and they sent a reporter to investigate? Without any other CONTEXT, you could draw any number of conclusions about what was going on, from some sort of illegal activity all the way up to what it really was this last fall, when our church coordinated over 15 tons of hurricane relief supplies to send down to North Carolina. Context is important.
And when it comes to the Word of God, we can make the same mistakes by making assumptions about what we’re reading if we don’t take the time to understand the context.
Because we have to understand that the Bible isn’t just a book, it’s a LIBRARY of 66 books, ranging across multiple different genres, written in three languages, across three continents, over a 1,500 year period, by 40 different authors, which included shepherds, kings, tent-makers, doctors, and fishermen.
The Bible is a collection of poems, prophecies, letters, laws, histories, and biographies…written by people and inspired by God…telling one unified story that shows us our need for Jesus and teaches us to become like him.
And when we’re studying the Bible and want to actually UNDERSTAND what we’re reading so that we can APPLY what we read to our life today…context matters.
So there’s three questions to always ask when we jump in to a section of the Bible:
Who wrote it?
Who was it written TO?
WHY was it written? What was its purpose?
[Philippians 1:1-2]
And let’s do that process as we start with Philippians:
'Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. '
So who wrote it? Paul did. And if we look into different resources available online or in the Bible App, we’ll find out that the church in Philippi was the first Jesus community Paul started in Eastern Europe, (that story is told in Acts chapter 16).
Now, Philippi was a Roman colony in ancient Macedonia, which was full of retired soldiers and it was known for its patriotic nationalism of the government of the time, Rome and Caesar. When Paul was there, he faced resistance when he was announcing Jesus as the true king of the world.
After Paul moved on from there, those who became followers of Jesus continued to suffer resistance and even persecution. But they remained a vibrant community, faithful to the way of Jesus.
So we’ve got WHO wrote it, and to WHOM it was written, now WHY…?
We’ll find out as we keep reading, but Paul sent this letter from one of his many imprisonments for a very practical reason: the Philippians had sent one of their members, Epaphroditus, to take a financial gift to Paul to support him in prison.
So Paul sent back this letter with Epaphroditus to say, “thank you,” and to do a whole lot more.
So we can see that when we better understand the context, we can ask better questions about what we’re reading. But once we understand the context, we move on to step 4.
[Step 4]
Step 4 is to read slowly and ask questions. We don’t just want to rush through the reading JUST so we can check off the box and move on with our life. If we truly believe that God’s Word is able to transform us to become more like Jesus, then we want to go a little more slowly and ask some questions.
I think the 3 most important questions for every follower of Jesus every time we read the Bible is 1) What is God saying to me? What’s standing out?
2) What am I going to do about it? How is he inviting me to obey him this week?
3) Who can I tell?
When we read Scripture in context and seek to understand it and APPLY it to our lives, we actually experience transformation in our lives. And we get to do that today, so let’s go step by step: Pick a translation we understand, choose a time and place, seek to understand the context, read slowly and ask questions, and then step 5: Pray and apply it to your life.
[Step 5]
When we ask questions of the text, like “what is standing out to me,” we trust that God might be trying to teach us something or show us something or invite us to experience something through that. And when we pray, “God what are you trying to show me today,” my pastoral encouragement is to NOT make it too complicated!
Sometimes, I’ll just have my brain stick on a word or a phrase that catches my attention. Sometimes, a theme of forgiveness or friendship will stick out to me. Sometimes, I’ll read a command in Scripture and it will definitely feel like that is for me that day!
But God’s word was never meant to just stay on the page, or stay in our thoughts. It’s meant to be LIVED OUT. So when we have something that sticks out to us, we try to find a small, simple way to live that out this week, and that’s how we partner with God as he’s working in our lives to transform us to become more and more like Jesus.
And in fact, I actually want to pray that God will actually speak to each of us in these next few minutes through these next verses. Let’s pray: “God help us hear you and follow you, amen.”
Okay, let’s read…
[Philippians 1:3-5]
'I thank my God for every remembrance of you, always in every one of my prayers for all of you, praying with joy for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. '
Paul is starting with an opening prayer of thankfulness and gratitude, because he’s grateful for their PARTNERSHIP in the gospel, because Paul is part of the Body of Christ. Yes, he started the church, and he continues to give it leadership and advice. But, they're all partners together with Paul in this larger mission given to them by God.
And then, we get to the main point of the section…
[Philippians 1:6]
'I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. '
Paul says, I am CONFIDENT, I’m convinced, I have put my TRUST in this: that God, who started the work in you, will continue to complete it…
God, who started this purposeful action of involving you in his mission, HE’S going to be the one who finishes what he started. Because if you’re not dead, then God’s not done!
And because he’s the one who started the work, he’s the one who is keeping it going. It’s not relying on YOUR POWER or strength. God is still at work, even when the situation looks different than you planned.
[Philippians 1:7-8]
And Paul’s plans definitely have been changed. He says, “It’s good that I feel so connected to you because I hold you in my heart. For all of you are partners in God's grace, both in imprisonment and in the defense of the gospel.”
The Philippians were involved when Paul was in prison in Philippi. That's in Acts chapter 16. And now they have helped him during another imprisonment by sending Epaphroditus to help him.
[Philippians 1:9-11]
And then Paul shares his prayer with them:
'And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what really matters, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. '
Paul says, Here's how I want to bless you. That your love overflows and that you gain full knowledge and insight on what things actually matter.
What actually matters in our life?
Too many of us spend our whole life CHASING meaning, or searching for it. And the world competes to convince us that achievement, success, money, stuff, reputation… all those are the ultimate goals.
And our lives bend towards those things. And meanwhile, we become spent and worn. And we chase those things, we feel burned out, and we wonder, “is this all there is? …Did we miss something?”
But Paul wants us to know that there IS something else that ACTUALLY MATTERS: becoming like Jesus in every part of our lives.
That's the thing that actually matters. And when we let Jesus be king over every part of our lives, we'll find what true life really is. We'll experience growth, and flourishing, and overflow. Not burnout and scraping by.
We'll experience fruit in our lives that bless others and give glory to God. We'll be able to experience the life that Paul describes:
Confidence in God's faithfulness. Rejoicing no matter the circumstances. Endurance no matter the struggles. And peace no matter what comes.
What really matters is that Jesus is over everything in our lives. And that we can become like Jesus in every part of our lives.
[God’s not done]
And we can have confidence that if you’re not dead, God’s not done. Paul wants us to know that God’s still at work, even when your plans change.
Because Paul didn’t PLAN on ending up in prison. I don’t think any of us would plan on ending up in prison. But Paul seems to think that that was part of God's plan, God's grace, God's will. And so Paul truly wants Jesus to be over his plans, even when that means it looks different than how he would have planned it.
But if that’s the truth that is standing out from this passage, how do we APPLY it? What is Jesus inviting us to DO in response? How can we take one step of obedience this week? Here’s what I’d like to suggest:
[This week]
This week, submit to God’s plans with prayer, and share how Jesus is working in you. Prayer and share. So here’s a few simple prayers that you could use this week to surrender your plans to God:
Maybe this can be a daily one: “Jesus, today my plans are yours. Lead me.” Maybe you write that down and say it every morning. Maybe it’s on a post-it note on your bathroom mirror, or in your car so that you see it before the day gets going.
Or, here’s a prayer to use when something disrupts your plans: “God, this wasn’t my plan, but I trust yours.” This is one that I need to use more so that I don’t REACT all the time when things change.
But not only do we want to be able to respond when God is working in us, but we know he also wants to work THROUGH us, connecting us to others. Paul was so connected to the Philippian church because of how God unites us together when we share in his work.
So I also want you to find an opportunity to share a Jesus story with someone. Maybe it’s a friend or family member. Maybe you share a “God-sighting” in your life group.
Maybe you ask them, “where have you seen God at work in my life recently?” and you’ll be surprised at what they have seen in you. Last weekend, we launched a new cohort of a men’s discipleship group, and the first group was celebrating their 6-month milestone. And so many times, I heard men speak life over each other by saying something like, “I didn’t even KNOW you 6 months ago, but now I’ve seen you step up in your faith in such and such a way…”
Sharing how God has been at work is one of the ways that we see that He’s not done. It’s one of the ways that we learn to trust him, no matter what plans change.
[end]
Because when we partner with God’s work in us, we become a people who overflow his love into the whole Sauk Valley. When we let Jesus be over every part of our lives, we see how his vision for life is so much more than the rat race that the world suggests for us.
Because when we partner with God's work in our life, when we join Jesus in his work, we actually get to be a part of God's redemption and restoration of our world.
We get to see families heal and grow together. We get to see men stepping up. We get to see women leading with courage, boldness and compassion.
But when we grasp that God is asking us to do that for others, we get to be a part of Jesus' great co-mission of salvation and make disciples as we go about our life. We get to have a life centered around what actually matters, because God’s not done with us yet.
Isn’t that good news?