Avoiding a "softening of the brain"

In his book, Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton has a quote that I thought worth sharing, "Thinking in isolation and with pride ends in being an idiot.  Every man who will not have a softening of the heart must at last have a softening of the brain."  (p. 34)  At that point he was referring to the willingness of Nietzsche, and countless others like him since, to doubt everything.  Yet those who doubt everything in the end doubt themselves.  On what basis can you doubt everything?  There must be some standard, some truth, that is beyond doubt or all expressions of doubt become meaningless.  "By rebelling against everything he has lost his right to rebel against anything." (p. 34)  In the same way, those who say that all paths are true are equally stuck in a quagmire.  If every path is equally valid, how can any choice be made?  If no outcome is more desirable than any other, what is the point of choosing at all?  Thus the rebel who rejects everything, and the man of tolerance who accepts everything find themselves sitting at the same crossroad.  Chesterton pictured Nietzsche and Tolstoy sitting there together, our world today isn't short of others willing to join them.  "They stand at the crossroads, and one hates all the roads and the other likes all the roads.  The result is - well, some things are not hard to calculate.  They stand at the crossroads." (p. 34-35)
It is amazing that in 1908 Chesterton clearly saw that these two forces in philosophy/morality/government were on a collision course that would leave both without anything meaningful left to say.  In the last hundred years his prediction has certainly proven true.  Today our world is convulsed by rebels who hate everything and everyone and idealists who profess to love everything and everyone.  In the end neither of them is leaving that crossroad.

Sermon Video: "to live is Christ, to die is gain" - Philippians 1:19-26

How can anyone live without fearing death?  What purpose or meaning to life can make even the worst misfortune bearable?  For Paul, the answer he shares with the church of Philippi from his own experience begins with the support his feels from their prayers on his behalf and the Spirit of Jesus.  Even while in prison, Paul knows that his life's work is worth the cost and that the outcome of his upcoming trial is in God's hands.  What's the secret to fulfillment?  Service to God through helping others.  What is the secret to confidence in the face of death?  Trust in the faithfulness of God. 
In the end, Paul was willing to continue striving for the sake of Gospel, if it is God's will.  Likewise, Paul was willing to meet his Creator and lay down his burden.
A life lived by faith in Christ, yet cut short for whatever reason, is worth living.
A life lived in vain self-service, no matter how long, is in the end meaningless.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Who is this Paul guy anyway?

What do you say about someone whose influence upon Christianity has been felt throughout Church history and continues to this day?  What is it about Paul that has elevated him above Peter, James, or John in impact if not in esteem as well?
The thing that separates Paul from others in the Early Church is his zeal.  Zeal is a slippery quality, it can lead us to triumph against incredible odds, and it can paint us into a corner before we even know it.  Paul as a young man, back when he went by Saul, was full of passion and conviction for the LORD.  He was consumed with the idea of purifying the faith of his ancestors in order to save his people.  It was a noble cause that the prophets had attempted time and time again, but with Saul it turned ugly.  Passion quickly turned to persecution when Saul learned that there were still people preaching in the name of that discredited Galilean rabbi, Jesus.  For Saul there was no need to know anything else, these men and women were threatening that which he held most dear.  The answer was also simple, persecute them; kill them if necessary.
That Saul didn't end his life a bitter man with blood on his hands that he couldn't wash clean is a testament to the grace of God.  There have been plenty of men like Saul in history, those too consumed with their own self-righteousness to understand mercy.  Zeal, when is runs out of control, is easily turned to hatred; hatred doesn't need much convincing to become homicide of genocide.
God, in his wisdom and mercy, had another ending in mind for Saul's life.  It would take a dramatic change to turn such a passionate man around, but God specializes in those.  A face to face meeting with the risen Jesus was just what Saul needed to finally see the Truth; God added in temporary blindness to make sure that Saul got the point.  When he emerged from his meeting with Jesus, Saul was no more, Paul had been born again.
From that point forward in his life, Paul retained his zeal, his single-minded passion for God, but now it was tempered with mercy.  No longer would he scream for the Law to rule all, Paul would become the champion of Grace.  His efforts to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ would take Paul back and forth across Asia Minor, Greece, and Italy.  Eventually his efforts would rouse jealousy and suspicion from local Roman officials and begin Paul down the road that led to his trial and execution.  In the end, God didn't remove Paul's passion, he simply redirected it.
So why do we find ourselves drawn to Paul's writings 2,000 years later?  That same willingness to do anything and everything to save the Lost that drove Paul onward inspires us today.  We too want to be on fire for God, we want to feel the Spirit of God burning within us, and we too want to be champions of Grace.

Sermon Video: "Christ is preached...And because of this I rejoice" Philippians 1:12-18

The apostle Paul offers the church of Philippi encouragement by telling them that his imprisonment has counter-intuitively helped the spread of the Gospel rather than harming it.  It seems that those who know of Paul's arrest have not been intimidated into silence, rather they have begun to preach with boldness and courage because of the example of Paul.  On top of that, Paul's conduct while "in chains for Christ" has been an example to the soldiers and government officials connected to his case.  How would we respond to such persecution, would the threat of prison or worse silence our witness to the Gospel?  That isn't a question we can answer ahead of time, but certainly something for us to remember when things far less serious than that stop us from witnessing.
Paul also tells the church that he isn't worried about those who are preaching the Gospel because of their jealousy of Paul.  They may be spreading the message of redemption through false motives, but the message they are sharing is still the hope that the Lost need so desperately.  How do we respond when others share the Gospel through ways and means that we don't appreciated?  Do we rejoice when others Christians have success in their ministry even if we don't?  Paul knew that only the important things, such as the preaching of the Gospel, are worth fighting for.  To get sidetracked by our ego is to lose track of the servant's heart that Christ demonstrated; the Gospel must come first.
Paul's demonstration of grace in the face of trails, from without (his arrest) and within (those jealous of him), is an example to us all.  Are we focusing on the Gospel, have we kept are eyes on the primary duty of the Church?

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Sermon Video: "This is my prayer" - Philippians 1:9-11

 The prayer of the Apostle Paul for the church at Philippi is not the result of a specific need or request, but rather a general prayer for the future direction of this group of believers that Paul knows from experience have already embraced the need to love in word and in deed.  Paul utilizes a six step chain of cause and effect which lead from his hope that their "love may abound more and more" to the tool which will allow love to grow: knowledge and depth of insight.  The increase in knowledge (primarily of oneself and other people, the experience that leads to wisdom) will result for them in an increase in discernment which will allow the people of Philippi to choose what is best.  For Paul this isn't a question of knowing right from wrong, rather it is a question of learning how to love properly so that they might choose best over better and good.  Once the people have learned how to choose what is best, they will then be equipped to live in purity and free of blame, not only now, but until the day of Christ.  Such pure living will invariably result in the development of the fruit of righteousness, a process of character development made possible by the power of Jesus Christ working within those who follow him.  Lastly, Paul's chain of causation reaches its climax by proclaiming that such righteous living will bring forth praise and glory to God. 
In the end, Paul is praying that God will be praised because of the people of the church at Philippi, and he recognizes that the road to God's glory begins with the growth of love in his people.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video