Life in the In-Between

 

Philippians 3:5-8, 12-14 (NLT)

     I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. ⁶ I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. ⁷ I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. ⁸ Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain …¹² I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. ¹³ No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

 

1. We can only genuinely give thanks and enjoy something when we realize that what we already have is of immeasurable value

 

We can only realize that something is of immeasurable value when we realize that it can and will be lost and how much was paid for it for

 

Eph. 1:4 (NLT)

     Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

 

2.  Establishing ourselves deeper in the grace of God gives us the strength and courage to overcome fear and behold the wonder that comes beyond the fear

 

Deuteronomy 31:8 (GNT)

     The Lord himself will lead you and be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you, so do not lose   courage   or be afraid.

 

3. Decide ahead of time to put in the “big rocks” into practice first, before settling important but secondary “rocks”

 

Philippians 3:8 (NIV)

     What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing   worth   of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ

 

The Gift of the Prince of Peace at Christmas

Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his
shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.

Peace is the experience of present rest and the sense that all will somehow
be well tomorrow because of Who goes with me

1. Real peace is established in our hearts when we know beyond doubt
that a powerful, good, kind Father is always with us wherever we go

2. Come and receive the Prince of Peace this Christmas and receive His
rest

Hebrews 4:6, 10 -11, 16 (NLT)
So God's rest is there for people to enter...For all who have entered into God's rest
have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our
best to enter that rest...So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we
will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on
you!

Peace deepens when we learn to rest and wait on our good and powerful
father, while looking honestly at our unrepentant attitudes and motivations

1 Cor. 1:3 (NLT)
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

3. Dwell and gaze at our Servant Savior and once we fully understand
what has been give to us, the gift begins to grow from within us

Ephesians 3:12, 18-19 (NLT)
Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently
into God’s presence…And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people
should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience
the love of Christ, through it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made
complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Why We Hope?

1. Use good reason and faith to point yourself toward a hope

that will never disappoint you.

Romans 5:2-5
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
2… we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our
tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven
character; and proven character, hope; 5 and (this) hope does not disappoint, because the
love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to
us.

If I place God as the end of my hope instead of using God as a
means to a hope, then all of my hopes will ultimately be satisfied.

2. As children of God, we have access to a type of Hope that

satisfies us in the present even before we arrive at our
destination.

Philippians 4:5-7
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

5...The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which
surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:11-13
New International Version (NIV)

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the
circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have
learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,
whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

3. Consciously place every desire and expectation (your

hope) into the hands of God while being aware of what kind
of God He really is.

John 5:22-23
New International Version (NIV)
22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that
all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father…45 “But do not think I will accuse you
before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set.

Lamentations 3
Good News Translation (GNT)
21 Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing:
22 The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue,
23 Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise.
24 The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope.

25 The Lord is good to everyone who trusts in him,
26 So it is best for us to wait in patience—to wait for him to save us—

1 John 4:1-12, 18-19 (NASB)
let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God
and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the
love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that
we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one
another. 12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love
is perfected in us. (…) 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear
involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first
loved us.

7 Beloved,

1 John 4:1-12, 18-19 (MSG)
beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone
who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love
doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't
love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live
through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God,
but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've
done to our relationship with God. 11-12My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly
ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply
within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love! (…) 18There is no room in love
for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of
judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. 19We, though, are going to love—love and be loved.
First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.

7-10My

What kind of Love?

1. v. 9: God loved us so much that he sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him.
a) God loved us enough to take the form of a human being and live among us.
b) God loved us while we were still undeserving.

2. v. 19: We love because God first loved us.
a) We learn to love by being loved.
b) The more we love God, the more capable we become of loving ourselves and
others.

3. Love and fear are incompatible.
a) v. 18a: Perfect love casts out fear. Likewise, fear casts out love.
b) There is nothing we can do to make God love us more. And there is nothing we
can do to make God love us less.

God’s greatest gift to humanity was Jesus, love incarnate. He arrived on earth as a baby, whose
birthday we celebrate at Christmas. There is no gift that has the power to change who you are, into
a better version of you, than God’s love. ◊

Killing Our Joy Kills

1. I kill joy in myself when I worry about the future, when I expect
perfection, and when I do not rest.

Matthew 6:25-34

We do not add to God’s glory by doing great works in His name; but
instead, God brings glory to Himself by using us.

1 Corinthians 1:27 (NIV)

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things
of the world to shame the strong.

2. I kill joy in others when I focus on the rules, ignore their
feelings, and emphasize their mistakes.

Romans 13:9 (NIV)

The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not
steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in
this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor.
Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NIV)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does
not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of
wrongs.

3. God brings out the fruit of joy in my life when I focus on His
love for others and me.

Nehemiah 8:9-10 (NIV)
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who
were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not
mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the
Law… 10 Nehemiah said… Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10 (GNT)

The joy that the Lord gives you will make you strong… 12 So all the people went home and
ate and drank joyfully and shared what they had with others, because they understood what

10…so don't be sad.

Grace and the Narrow Gate

Matthew 7:7-14 (NIV)
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to
you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the
door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish,
will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law
and the Prophets.
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to
destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to
life, and only a few find it.

1. Once we fully experience our Father as the God of the “How Much
More,” we can now confidently and boldly keep asking, seeking and
knocking…

Ask
Seek
Knock

2. Once we fully experience God as the Giver of Good Things, we should
and can graciously give to others as well since our Giver gives to and
through us

To do unto others as we would have them do unto us is the Golden
principle, not rule

The nature of rules and laws: either the people eventually break the rules
or the rules are so strong that they break the people

Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to
destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to
life, and only a few find it.

The broad and narrow refer to two groups of people who look alike on the
surface, but underneath are opposites – driven by religion and the other by
grace

Matthew 7:14 (NIV)
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

John 10:9-10 (GWT)
I am the gate. Those who enter the sheep pen through me will be saved. They will go in and
out of the sheep pen and find food...I came so that my sheep will have life and so that they will
have everything they need.

John 10:9-10 (NLT)
Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go
freely and will find good pastures…My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

3. Enter through the narrow gate, means to turn first to Jesus directly,
believe Him, depend on Him continually, and then He resources our hearts
endlessly