Sermon preview, week of May 9, 2023
Joy in Sacrifice
This Sunday’s order
- Sunday
- Reading
- Philippians 3:1-14
- Series
- Eastertide
- Preaching
- Kendall Ellis
This is a sermon preview for Sunday May 14. It is the 5th week of the Eastertide sermon series “Easter Joy: A Walk Through Philippians.”
The readingPhilippians 3:1-14
“My brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord!...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.”
–Philippians 3:1-14
Read Philippians 3:1-14
1Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh! 3For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4though I myself could have such confidence.
If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless. 7But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ. 8More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.
Berean Standard Bible, public domain
Two musicians from Rend Collective started a podcast a couple years ago titled Where’s the Joy in That? These Irish friends talk openly about their faith and their struggles in “a relentlessly positive podcast about finding the joy in life, especially in the places we least expect it!” Since listening, I now often find myself praying to God: “Where’s the joy in that?” Especially when faced with something I absolutely and undeniably don’t want to do.
If Paul was a guest on the show, I imagine that he’d remind listeners that we can always rejoice–just not in what our culture tends to celebrate. There’s no rejoicing in our privileges of birth. Not our personal ambitions or accomplishments. Not even our positions of work or power.
Instead, Paul tells us in Philippians 3 that we rejoice in one thing: the loss of everything.
What a weird thing for Paul to rejoice in! So where’s the joy in sacrifice?
There’s joy in sacrifice because the worth of knowing Jesus Christ far surpasses anything we have to lose!
We rejoice because we can forget about all these arbitrary things that weigh down the world. We rejoice because we are free from the burdens of wealth, fashion, fame, and convenience. We rejoice because we are one with the God of all love, righteousness, and sacrifice. We rejoice because God’s free gift of grace is more than enough to cover the gaps and provide abundantly more than what we need–both in this life and eternity to come.
Mother’s Day is not observed in the Liturgical Calendar. But as it happens, while our country celebrates the special roles mothers play in our lives this Sunday (May 14), it seems fitting that we remember Paul’s words to have joy in sacrifice. Whether it’s your biological mother or a grandmother who took you in, an adopted mom or step-mom, a chosen mom or a spiritual mom–we have all witnessed women who joyfully sacrifice for the sake of knowing Christ and giving testimony to God’s active work in the world.
Whether you are a mother, you desire to one day be a mother, or you just hope to be the kind of person who reflects this joyful sacrifice like your own mother-figure, Paul’s words to the Philippians are for you. As Christians, our joy will never be found in the status symbols or power of this world. Our joy is only found in sacrifice–in laying these things down so that we may know God more deeply and live faithfully for the care of others in our community.
Reflection Questions
- Have you ever witnessed a mother-figure in your life–whether traditional or non-traditional–give sacrificially and joyfully? How do you think that experience gives witness to their faith in Christ?
- What do you most often find yourself rejoicing in? Take special note if it’s something related to your personal status, power, authority, or well-being.
- How is the Holy Spirit leading you to re-prioritize your life so that you consider the “gains of this world a loss for the sake of Christ?” (Phil. 3:7)
