Philippians 2:1-5 // 22.09.24
Summary
TLDRThe speaker reflects on the importance of understanding one's beliefs and motivations, exemplified by four individuals' commitment to their faith. Drawing from personal anecdotes, including a humorous story about playing a 'goblin', the speaker emphasizes the value of self-reflection and living a life that aligns with one's values. He connects these themes to Paul's teachings in Philippians, highlighting the joy of living in unity with Christ and the significance of sharing in Christ's trials and glory.
Takeaways
- 🤔 The importance of reflecting on personal beliefs and the reasons behind them was emphasized.
- 🌟 Three individuals shared their beliefs and stood up for what they think is right, which is a commendable action.
- 🧐 Most people often go through life without questioning their actions or motivations.
- 💡 The speaker encourages the audience to think about why they do things to avoid getting caught off guard by existential questions.
- 🇦🇺 A vivid memory from Australia involving a children's camp and a role-playing activity as a 'goblin' was shared to illustrate the point of questioning one's actions.
- 🎭 The children's unexpected violent reaction during the role-play activity led to a moment of self-reflection for the speaker.
- 🔮 The speaker's personal decision to follow Jesus at the age of 16 influenced his life choices, including the small decision to help a friend.
- 📜 The passage from Philippians discussed how to live a united life, putting others first, and having the same attitude as Jesus.
- 🛐 Baptism symbolizes being united with Christ in his death and resurrection, which is central to Christian faith.
- 🌱 The concept of being united with Christ means that one's life is intertwined with His, providing a wellspring of encouragement and strength.
- 🌟 Living in a way that reflects Christ's teachings, even in small ways, can lead to sharing in His glory and fulfilling God's joy.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the speaker's talk?
-The main theme of the speaker's talk is the importance of reflecting on one's beliefs and actions, and living a life that is in response to the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Why did the speaker mention Amelia, Caris, Belinda, and Lewis at the beginning?
-The speaker mentioned Amelia, Caris, Belinda, and Lewis to highlight the significance of their actions in standing up for their beliefs and sharing them with others.
What is the significance of baptism in the context of the talk?
-Baptism is significant as it symbolizes being united with Christ in his death and resurrection, representing a commitment to follow Jesus and live a life that reflects his teachings.
What is the story of 'The Princess and the Goblin' mentioned in the script?
-The story of 'The Princess and the Goblin' by George MacDonald is used as a narrative for a children's camp activity where the speaker and Nick were asked to play the role of goblins to scare the children.
Why did the speaker agree to be a goblin in the children's camp activity?
-The speaker agreed to be a goblin because Nick, a friend, asked him to help out, and despite not wanting to do it, he felt compelled to assist.
What was the turning point for the speaker when he questioned 'why am I doing this' during the goblin activity?
-The turning point was when the speaker realized the children were chanting 'kill the goblins' and became aggressive, making him question his participation in the activity.
What is the connection between the speaker's experience in Australia and his faith?
-The connection is that the speaker's decision to help out in Australia, despite the discomfort, is reflective of his commitment to living a life in response to Jesus' sacrifice and teachings.
What does the speaker mean by 'being united with Christ'?
-Being united with Christ means having a relationship with Jesus where one's life is intertwined with his, influencing one's thoughts, actions, and decisions.
How does the speaker relate the concept of unity and putting others first to the teachings of Jesus?
-The speaker relates the concept of unity and putting others first by referencing Jesus' life and teachings, which emphasized humility, compassion, and serving others.
What does Paul's letter to the Philippians tell us about living a Christian life?
-Paul's letter to the Philippians tells us that living a Christian life involves unity, humility, and putting the needs of others first, all in response to the love and sacrifice of Christ.
Why does the speaker believe it's important to have a reason for one's actions?
-The speaker believes it's important to have a reason for one's actions because it provides motivation and clarity, especially during challenging times when one might question the purpose of their actions.
Outlines
🤔 Reflecting on Personal Beliefs and Actions
The speaker begins by acknowledging the difficulty of following the previous speakers' profound sharing and decides to reflect on why they do what they do. They mention four individuals, three of whom are being baptized, who have demonstrated courage by examining and sharing their beliefs. The speaker encourages the audience to question their own motivations for their actions and lifestyle, as many people tend to act out of habit without deep reflection. They share a personal anecdote about working at a kids' camp in Australia, where they were unexpectedly asked to play a 'goblin' in a nighttime walk, leading to a moment of questioning their own participation.
👻 The Goblin Experience: A Test of Faith
In this paragraph, the speaker recounts the chaotic and humorous experience of being a 'goblin' during a kids' camp activity. They describe the moment of doubt when they questioned their involvement, especially when the children's chant turned from a song to 'kill the goblins'. The speaker humorously details the scene where the children, led by the boys, aggressively pursued the 'goblins', and how they and their friend Nick, who also played a goblin, reacted to the situation. This experience leads to a deeper reflection on the speaker's past decision to follow Jesus at the age of 16, which has influenced all major decisions in their life.
🙏 Embracing Unity and Selflessness in Faith
The speaker transitions to discussing the passage from Philippians, emphasizing the need for unity, humility, and putting others' needs first as part of Christian living. They argue that faith is not just about following historical teachings but is a personal response to God's love and actions. The speaker connects their own decision to help at the kids' camp to the broader concept of being united with Christ, suggesting that living a Christian life means living in response to God's love and accepting the invitation to be a part of His life.
🌟 Living in Response to God's Love
In the final paragraph, the speaker focuses on the idea of being united with Christ and how this unity should influence daily living. They discuss the concept of sharing in Christ's trials and sufferings as a way of living out one's faith. The speaker encourages embracing hardships and putting others' needs first, drawing a parallel to their own experience of playing a goblin and the greater spiritual journey of living a life committed to Christ. They conclude by emphasizing that living this way is a response to the love and unity received from God, which should be the driving force behind all actions and decisions.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Belief
💡Baptism
💡Reflection
💡Habit
💡Unity
💡Faith
💡Suffering
💡Glory
💡Decision
💡Influence
💡Christ
Highlights
The importance of reflecting on personal beliefs and sharing them with others.
The significance of baptism as a symbol of commitment to one's faith.
The challenge of understanding why we do what we do in life.
The impact of habitual actions without reflection on our lives.
The story of George McDonald's 'The Princess and the Goblin' used as a teaching tool.
The role of music in repelling fear, as illustrated by the story's characters.
A personal anecdote about being a 'goblin' during a children's camp activity.
The moment of realization about the purpose of one's actions during the 'goblin' activity.
The transformative power of saying 'yes' to Jesus at the age of 16.
The influence of faith on major and minor decisions in life.
Paul's advice to the church in Philippians on living a united and compassionate life.
The misunderstanding of faith as a set of rules rather than a personal relationship with God.
The personal stories shared that morning as examples of faith in action.
The concept of being united with Christ as the foundation of Christian faith.
The idea that sharing in Christ's sufferings leads to sharing in his glory.
Paul's encouragement to the Philippians to live in a way that reflects their union with Christ.
The joy of God when someone chooses to live in accordance with their faith.
The motivation to live a life that can answer the question 'why' with confidence.
Transcripts
thank you to um the four who have
already
shared uh it's kind of hard to follow
all of that but I'll have a go anyway I
don't know when to shut up that's part
of my problem um
because uh Amelia Caris Belinda Lewis
they've all done something very
important already I mean three of them
are being baptized but they've already
done something really important which is
they've thought about what they believe
why they believe it and they've stood up
and uh shared that with everyone um and
that's pretty good because most of us
don't often stop and think why am I
doing this why am I living this way why
am I doing this job why am I I doing
that maybe we do sometimes maybe you
know when they were standing up here
they had that moment thinking why am I
doing this why am I standing up in front
of all these people because we get into
habits of doing things without really
thinking about it and that can happen
not just with small things but with our
whole lives um but here uh those four
individuals have had to think about what
they're doing why they're doing it and
explain it to others and I think it's a
good habit to be in to think about why
we're doing things because if we don't
know why we're doing things then that
question you know why are you doing this
is going to pop into our head at some
maybe a very inconvenient and awkward
time and so it's good to be able to
think about why we're we're doing things
I have an extremely vivid memory of one
of those why am I doing this moment uh
very vivid memory it was when um we were
living in Australia and I was working
with an organization called Cornerstone
and they ran a for a week they ran like
a kids camp and we as a whole family had
gone um because some of our children
were on the kids camp but the rest of us
Ruth my uh myself and our younger
children we had the option of staying in
like an apartment and we could just be
there not be involved but just hang out
go swimming do things like that so we
were would would there but not a part of
the the children's sort of camp and then
one early evening I was sitting talking
to a friend of mine called Nick who was
is also there and Nick asked me a
question he said I don't suppose you
would mind being a goblin would
you um because what was happening the
for the the week the the organizers
decided they were going to take a George
McDonald story called The Princess and
the Goblin um so George McDonald was a
writer Victorian writer who uh big
influence on CS Lewis um and he'd
written a story called The Princess and
the Goblin and they were using this
story for the the kids camp week and in
one of the things that happens in this
story is that there's goblins and the
princess there's also a minor called
kury who scares away some goblins by
singing Because goblins I don't know if
you know they don't like music um uh you
may scare people away with your singing
but perhaps not for the reason you think
but the Goblins were scared Away by by
singing so the organizers of this Kids
Camp had the great idea of they were
going to go on this sort of nighttime
walk through some Woods um with the
children but there were going to be
goblins in the woods and the Goblins
were going to make scary noises and uh
but the children had been taught a song
to sing to scare the Goblins away so
that was the plan was that there were
going to be goblins in the wood making
noises and the children when they heard
the Goblins they were going to sing the
song and the Goblins were going going to
hide run away whatever and Nick had been
asked Nick can you be a goblin and Nick
was desperate for volun he asked me
James would you mind being a goblin and
I said yeah sure okay I could tell he
was quite desperate um so I said I
didn't really want to do it but I said
okay I'll do it so anyway it was just
the two of us at the in the end and so
we went up into the woods and we were
waiting hiding in some trees by the path
this was Australia so I was trying very
hard not to get poisoned by snake or a
spider or Savaged by a drop bear or
anything uh out there and we were just
waiting in the woods and we could hear
the children coming it was dark we could
hear them coming and it sounded like
they were singing already and we thought
that's a good start singing singing the
song that they've been taught but as
they got closer we we realized they
weren't singing they were
chanting and they were chanting kill the
Goblins kill the
Goblins kill the goblins and we could
just hear this mass of
children coming closer Chan and kill the
goblins and that was the moment when I
looked at Nick and he looked at me and I
thought why am I
here why am I doing this cuz I knew a
lot of these children sort of a massive
11 to 12 year old boys um anyway so
these these children come in and we see
and Nick and I say well we're we've
signed up for this let's do this so we
start making noises and a few of the
sensible children pretty much all of the
girls it had to be said started singing
the song they had been taught but the
boys went absolutely
wild like and then Nick Nick was you
know in for a penny in for a p was
Australian in for a cent in for a dollar
kind of guy and he'd got a mask like a
goblin mask and he put his mask on and
he jumped out onto the path and I've
never seen anything like it it was kind
of like I don't know if you've seen the
wildlife documentary it was like a a
pack of Jackal trying to take down an
elephant they were he had he had boys
hanging off him they were literally
hanging off him and he went down under
this mass of
children and it was just me in the woods
in the dark by myself and part of me
said look James just keep quiet they
don't know you're here but I felt bad
for Nick so I carried on making scary I
thought they were scary noises but
apparently not because two of the two of
the boys broke away from the group and
came into the woods and one of them
picked up a tree
branch so I thought this is it this is
how I
die this is this is the end of me and I
the the only Advantage I had was that I
knew they were there they didn't know
where I was they knew I was in there
some so I hid behind the tree and when
as they got near when they got near I
jumped out from behind the tree and sort
of roared as loud as I could and they
dropped the BR and they ran for it and
it was
fantastic it was a
fantastic moment but I will always
remember that moment of looking at Nick
and him looking at me and I was just
thinking why are we doing this this is
how did I get here um but of course I
was there because Nick had asked me on
one level but that wasn't really why I
was there um I was there because I felt
like he he had a need it was just a
small silly thing but the reason I was
there the reason I was there in
Australia is because when I was 16 I had
a similar moment so we've heard from
Belinda leis Caris and Amelia a moment
where I said yes to Jesus where I've
been attending church for a few months
and hearing about Jesus and what he'd
done for me and realizing having that
moment where you think I think this is
true I think this is true and if this is
true this needs a response of some kind
if if Jesus was really God in human form
if Jesus really had died for my sins I
needed to respond to that and and so
like we've heard this morning I had a
moment where I said I'm going to commit
to Jesus I'm going to follow Jesus I'm
going to I Want Jesus in my life and
that has influenced certainly every
major decision I've made in my life
since that point but I want want it to
influence even the small decisions I
make even the minor decisions in my
life now we're finally at the passage
we're going through Philippians we've
had a short passage and I won't talk for
too long um because you've already had a
bunch of really good stuff um but in
this passage Paul is telling the church
in Philippi saying you need to live a
certain way you need to be United you
need to be of one mind you need to put
put the needs of others first you need
to have the same attitude that Jesus had
and I think for a lot of people this is
what they think this is what they think
Christianity is what faith is what the
Bible is it's people who uh lived a long
time ago telling us how to live saying
you need to be a better person you need
to do this you need to do that you need
to be more like Jesus um but that's not
really what faith is about if you listen
to what you've heard the stories that
we've heard this morning did it sound
like these were individuals doing things
because someone had said you need to do
this you know you're at a certain stage
now you should do this each of them was
sharing about how they wanted to take
that step of faith in response to what
God had done for them in response to
what Christ had done for them and this
is what Paul says to the Church of
Philippi this is what Paul gives them he
doesn't just say to them this is how
then you should live he says this is why
you should live this way I'm giving you
reason to live this way because if you
try and live the way that Paul's saying
you should live you know put others
first be humble consider the needs of
others be more like Jesus if you try and
live that way you are going to reach a
point where you say why am I doing this
it's hard it's difficult no one seems to
appreciate it it doesn't seem to be
getting me anywhere but Paul has already
told you why you're doing this Paul's
already given the Philippians the reason
why they are doing it and it's the same
reason why those four people have to
Shared this morning why they want to
give their lives to Jesus why three of
them want to be baptized it's the same
reason if you have he says any
encouragement from being united with
Christ if you have any comfort from his
love if you have any fellowship with the
spirit any tenderness any compassion
make my joy complete by living this way
do it because you have received so much
from God
do it because you are united with Christ
do it because God has loved
you past the point of no return do it
because you have fellowship with the
spirit and of all these things that that
Paul lists there's one idea I just want
to briefly focus on this very first one
if you have any encouragement from being
united with Christ being united with
Christ because baptism is an image of
this as Oz has already explained it's an
image of being united with Christ in his
death and his
resurrection and this is the thing for a
long time I think I thought about faith
is you know I'm I'm kind of I'm asking
God to come into my life but I've
realized over the years that what has
also happened is God has said you know
what James come into my life God has
invited me into his life and I'm United
with Christ this is what it means to be
a Christian to be a follower of Jesus
you've taken him up on that offer to be
invited into his life that's what it
means and now you are united with
Christ and this is the well we drink
from every
day we wake up facing whatever is coming
knowing that we're United with Christ
that's the reality of our existence as
Christians he is in us and we are in him
and nothing can change that nothing will
change that so how do I live today how
do I live in response to the fact that
you I am United with Christ one of the
things Paul says is that we share in
Christ's trials we share in his
sufferings and we do this by adopting as
Paul says you know you should have the
same attitude as Christ because if you
seek to live like Christ you will
experience hardship difficulty you'll be
saying yes to things you'd rather not
say yes to you'll be putting others
needs first I said yes to Nick because
he was asking and I thought this is the
right thing to do it wasn't what I
wanted to do I had no great desire to go
and uh pretend to be a goblin in some
Woods in the dark especially without
even knowing that my life was in danger
but I did it because it was a small
moment just a tiny moment in my life
where I was thinking I need to consider
someone else's needs above my own just a
small silly way we can do that but as
the Bible also says if you share in
Christ's sufferings you will share in
his glory because you're United with him
and Paul says in Romans he says he
doesn't consider his present sufferings
to be anything compared to the glory
that is waiting to be revealed in
Christ you see to those who are united
with Christ
you may find yourself a moment where
you're in the woods in the dark and you
can hear something coming and you hide
behind a tree and then you jump out and
you roar as loud as you can and it's not
you know two children running away from
you is death running it's death fleeing
from you and this is why we live the
hard way this is why we do things like
get baptized and so on because of what
Christ has done for us and what that
means Paul says to the Philippians he
knew the Philippians so he could say to
them you know if you have any of this
live this way make my joy complete I
don't know about you but I'm not
particularly motivated by the thought of
making Paul happy but you know Paul's
Joy is nothing absolutely nothing
compared to the smile on God's face when
someone comes to him and says
Lord I want to be taken into your
life I want to be United with you I want
to live out of
that God's joy God's Delight is
infinite when we come to him and say
Lord I want to live in such a way that
when someone asks the question whether
it's myself or whether it's someone
around me someone asks the question why
are you doing this why are you living
this way why are you being baptized why
are you seeking to get on with people
you have nothing in common with why are
you putting others needs before your own
Lord I want to be able to answer well
I'm glad you asked because I've thought
about this and I know the answer it's
because of Jesus
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