Dr. Rick Mandl - June 6, 2020
The Perspective of Praise
Sermon Manuscript: Anxious For Nothing Msg 3 The Perspective Of Praise
Sermon preached by Dr. Rick Mandl, Eagle Rock Baptist Church, June 6 & 7, 2020
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family. Great to be with you for worship as we continue the series we’ve been in called “Anxious For Nothing.” I want to mention at the outset that anxiety is a very complicated subject, and so as we deal with it, we're going to approach it holistically, recognizing that it can be PHYSIOLOGICAL. It can be EMOTIONAL. It can be SITUATIONAL. I personally believe that in addition to these different factors, there’s always a spiritual element to it as well. And for that reason, that’s the perspective from which I want to address it today. We’re been letting one portion of scripture drive us throughout this series. It’s found in Philippians chapter four, verses 4 through 7 and this is what it says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).
If you don’t know the background against which those words were written, that background makes the words all the more remarkable. This letter to the Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul while he was sitting in prison in a Roman jail cell, where he would sit for four years. It had been Paul’s goal, as an evangelist to travel to Rome to preach the gospel. And the reason he wanted to travel to Rome was that Rome was a strategically important city at that time within the Roman empire. There was so much commerce, and so much influence coming out of Rome, that Paul believed that if he could reach the leaders in Rome with the gospel, then he would be able to also influence a big portion of the world well beyond Rome. So his dream was go to Rome to preach the gospel. The problem is, he did get to Rome, but not as a preacher. Instead, he got there as a prisoner. And yet his perspective made all the difference, when it came to how he looked at the things that had happened to him. Paul had adopted, what you can call... The Perspective of Praise.
Before we move into that. Let me just begin by asking the question... What Does Perspective Mean? I’m sure that there are a lot of ways that you can define that word, but a simple, short definition that I’ve given you on your notes is that Perspective is... How You See Something. Would you agree that it’s very possible for different people to look at the same situation and see it in very different ways? We have an example of that this weekend, right here on our church campus with the decision that we’ve made to reopen for one public worship service, on Sundays at 11:00AM. Let me just share with you A Few Of The Perspectives that different folks have on whether or not this is the right time for churches to reopen... One perspective is you can’t open the church building yet. It’s a huge health risk! You are wrong if you do. Another perspective is we need to open the church building! I need to be there and see everyone! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Another perspective shared by someone who really enjoys watching our livestream is don’t ever open the building again! Home is so much better! nother perspective, shared by someone who really takes to heart the recommendations of the CDC is my family is going to stay home for a while before coming back. Sorry, can’t be there. And then of course there is the perspective of the state, county, and city authorities all of whom have combined to tell us... Here are the 25 things you need to do if you want to meet in your building again. And of course, we know there are many for whom this pandemic has hit very close to home, and they will tell you "My wife, husband, dad, grandparent, uncle, sister, brother, niece, just passed away from COVID-19." And certainly, last but not least is the perspective of those who will tell you that... "It’s all a big hoax! A conspiracy! A media frenzy! Read this article! Check Out This link! There’s No Reason to be afraid!"
So who’s right? Clearly each person feels as though they are. If they didn’t think that their perspective was the right one, then they’d adopt one of the other perspectives. Today as we talk about the perspective of praise, I want to share with you. Four Truths That As Followers Of Jesus Christ Ought To Frame Our Perspective. This is Temporary. This is not to minimize the present suffering that we might be experiencing, or that we might see being experienced by others in the world around us. But as heinous as those evils may be... They are temporary. The Bible says it this way... “What we suffer now (as awful as it may be) is nothing compared to the glory (that God) will reveal to us later” (Romans 8:18). Again, the unspeakable evils in the world around us... They are awful, they are horrendous... They are EVIL But they are also, temporary.
A second truth... The world is Broken. We were reminded of that truth again through the powerful images we’ve all seen on television during these past couple of weeks. Read Genesis 3 to see how it all began, and you’ll see that it’s as though a sin bomb exploded back in the garden of Eden, and today we’re dealing with the fallout from that explosion. And just to make sure that none of us are deceived... The Biblical perspective is that as time goes on, things here on earth will not get better... Believe it or not they will get worse. Men will be lovers of self, rather than lovers of God and move from bad to worse. The Bible tells us that the whole creation right now is groaning and longing for the day when the curse will be reversed. Again, understand that that reality of living in a broken world shouldn’t stop us from doing everything we can to be ministers of healing and reconciliation and hope and try and make this a better world for those around us. Just realize that our hope is not in the fact that, short of the return of Jesus Christ, this world will somehow be miraculously transformed and all our problems will be done away with. The Bible never promises that. We live in a broken world Filled with suffering. The choice that we’re given is, do we want to walk through that suffering with God, or without him.
This is temporary... The world is broken... But... Healing is Promised The promise is that one day all suffering is going to be eliminated, and that God will restore a new heaven and a new earth. But what we need to realize is that until that day... God is Working. God is at work at all times, working things together for our good and His glory. These are the truths that ought to frame our perspective. We can’t control the circumstances in the world around us, but we do have some control over our perspective... We have some control over the way we see those circumstances.
And speaking of the way that we see things, I want to share with you an interesting story - - a true story that I recently came across. In 2016 the Wall Street Journal ran a story about a mountain bike company that was facing a problem. This company made high-end mountain bikes. Their sales were great. But the problem was that when they shipped their bikes to their online customers the bikes were continually being damaged in shipping. 25% of their bikes arrived to their customers “Damaged in Shipping.” It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a great product... It doesn’t matter if you are able to market that product... It doesn’t matter if you’ve got customers who are willing to pay the price you’re asking for that product... If you can’t deliver that product without it arriving damaged, you’re going to be facing a big problem.
The folk at the company put their heads together to work toward a solution They tried to come up with new packaging materials. They tried new delivery services. They tried new delivery personnel. But all those solutions would have added too much to their expenses. And then one member of their team came up with a solution that involved “thinking outside the box.” That team member suggested, “What if... “What if we changed the way that delivery people look at our bikes?” The other team members weren’t tracking with him, and so they said “What are you talking about?” He said, “Well, think about it” “Our bikes come in a box that is the same size and weight as a big screen t.v. box” “So why don’t we print a picture of a big screen t.v. on our boxes and see what happens.” He said, “We won’t change anything that’s inside the box” “The only thing we’ll change is the way that people look at our box.” Delivery people will look at the box and instead of thinking “This is a mountain bike, just throw it in the back of the truck” They’ll think “This is a big screen t.v., we better handle it carefully.” “Let’s give it a try and see what happens.”
Do you know what happened? Shipping damages fell by 80%. Again, remember, they didn’t change anything inside the box. The only thing they changed was the way that people looked at the box. And I think that’s a great illustration of the power of perspective.
Sometimes we think we need to change our circumstances... We need to change what’s inside the box, to be happy. But the truth is you can’t always change your circumstances. But you can change your perspective. You can change how you look at those circumstances. Paul’s circumstances when he wrote this letter to the church at Philippi had him in chains... literally. And if ever there is a time when it’s hard to see things clearly, it’s when your circumstances seem to have you in chains. And yet from his prison cell, Paul wrote... “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. He said, I want you to know that me being here in prison… Me being here in chains has actually worked out for good. How? Well remember, Paul wanted to come to Rome as an evangelist, and share the gospel to masses of people but that didn’t happen. That ship had sailed. He came instead as a prisoner. He could have figured, if this is what following God has gotten me, then I’m through, I’m throwing in the towel. This is not the “abundant life” that I signed up for. He didn’t do that. He looked for opportunities to share, even within his confinement.
The guards that Paul was chained to were members fo what was known as “The Praetorian Guard.” They were the elite troops of the Roman empire. Personally chosen by Caesar they were his body guards. These guards were among the highest paid people in the Roman Empire. When they retired after 12 years of service they were awarded positions as leaders in Rome. There wasn’t a more strategic group that Paul could witness to if he hoped to reach the Roman Empire. So God put Paul in Rome…. He let Nero foot the bill... And he arranged it so that a future leader of Rome was chained to Paul in four-hour shifts – 24 hours a day. Who do you think was the real prisoner? In two years, with four hour shifts, Paul would have had opportunity to witness to 4,380 guards. Those guards would have watched Paul write the New Testament. They would have heard him pray without ceasing. These guards would have had access to Emperor Nero, and Philippians 4:22 tells us that the result was that even some of Nero’s own family became believers. Why? Because of Paul’s confinement here in prison.
It’s what you might call a chain reaction. Paul realized, “I’m in prison, but God’s Word isn’t.” God’s Word isn’t chained. It’s still going forth. And unbelievers are hearing the good news for the first time, and believers are being encouraged to become bolder in sharing their faith... Take a look at verses 13 & 14. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear” (Philippians 1:13-14). Paul’s perspective enabled him to praise God and rejoice in a situation where most of us wouldn’t have found anything for which we could praise God.
Also, when we read these words, we need to remember that this wasn’t the first time that Paul had found himself in chains. There was another time, in Acts 16, and who knows how many other times, when Paul found himself in chains. In the incident recorded in Acts 16 Paul and his co-laborer Silas were on their way to a prayer meeting when we’re told that... “The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully” (Acts 16:22-23).
Now remember, Paul and Silas were doing everything right. They were walking with God in obedience and faith. And yet, they were beaten and thrown into prison. I want you just, for a moment, to try to visualize this. They're in prison, maybe broken nose, perhaps, maybe a couple of broken ribs. So you know what they decided to do? Well, things were really bad. Life wasn’t fair. So they figured that they might as well have a worship night. That's what they did. It'd be kind of the equivalent of you finding out that someone you love has cancer, so you say, hey, let's just get together and worship God. Or hey, I just discovered my kid's on drugs. Let's get together and worship God. That's kinda what it's like. How did they do that?
It's a matter of perspective. Their circumstances were horrendous But God hadn’t changed. He was still worthy of their adoration and praise. “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25). You look at that and you wonder, how was this even possible? How could they, when they've been beaten, falsely charged, and thrown into prison worship God? We’re not told how it played out. Maybe Paul leaned over to Silas, said, "Well, there's a lot of bad here, but you know what? We're not dead! "And If we're not dead, we're not done!"
Maybe you’ve got a lot of bad in your life right now. Can you at least say "I'm not dead, and if I'm not dead, I'm not done." You can look at things from a different perspective and what they did is they said, "Let's just go ahead and worship God." And that’s what they did "About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying "and singing hymns to God, "and all the other prisoners were listening to them."
Now, something that I do not want you to miss here, so please notice this... They were praying and they were singing hymns while they were bound up in prison. In other words, God had not delivered them from prison. There was no miracle. They weren't praising God at this moment for the WHAT, they were just praising Him for the WHO. This was praise before the provision. This was praise for the character and the nature and the goodness of God. It wasn't praise for what they had seen, because they hadn’t seen anything. It was just praise for who God is.
Now... Spoiler alert. Spoiler alert, if you don't know what happens, I'm gonna tell you the end of the story. And we'll circle back to it in just a minute. But I need you to understand the context for what’s happening here in Acts 16. In a little bit, in the middle of their praise, God is gonna show up in the middle of their praise. He's gonna shake the cell with an earthquake. The doors are gonna swing open and their chains are gonna fall off. Why do I tell you that now? Because you need to know what God did when Paul was in prison in Philippi. And you need to know what he DID NOT DO when Paul was in prison in Rome. Could God send an earthquake, cause the chains to fall off and make the prison doors to swing open to release Paul from his confinement? Yes he could! And he did when Paul was a prisoner in Philippi. But he didn’t do it when Paul was in prison in Rome AND knowing what God had done... BUT what God did not do when Paul was in prison in Rome... That makes Paul’s words all the more powerful when he tells us… "Rejoice in the Lord always." Because Paul knew, while he wrote these words from Rome, that God had the necessary power to deliver him from the exact same problem, he had delivered him from before. Paul knew, God could deliver him from prison, but God did not and Paul still offered Him praise. That brings clarity to the idea of “Rejoice in the Lord, always.”
What do you and I need to be able to do what Paul did from his chains? Let me give you three things. First, we need... . People To Lean On. It is tough to find yourself in a situation where you feel like you’re circumstances have got you in chains. One of the worst things you can do at a time like that is to withdraw... To cut yourself off from your friends... Sometimes we get the idea that because the Apostle Paul was a strong leader, that means he was a loner... That he didn’t need people. That’s not true. Read the letters he wrote and you’ll see him writing to others and saying things like... “I thank God every time I remember you... “I pray for you... He wrote to people in Philippi which was 800 miles away from where he was in Rome and he said... “I long to be with you” If you’re going through a tough time right now, you need PEOPLE TO LEAN ON. Paul began this letter from Rome to the church at Philippi with the words... “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus.” Paul had the chains. Timothy stayed by his side while he was in prison. As a prisoner, Paul was allowed to have visitors come and go, and Timothy was one who was there often. Rewind to the time before Rome, when Paul was in prison in Philippi, singing hymns at midnight... He wasn’t alone. Silas was there with him.
A second thing you need if you want to be able to praise God, when your circumstances have you feeling like you’re in chains, at midnight, is you need... A PERSPECTIVE TO LIVE FROM. Again, a perspective. How you see things. Paul had a perspective that saw an opportunity in every obstacle. He realized that he wasn’t dead, so he wasn’t done. He focused on the freedom that he had instead of on the circumstances that had him chained.
If you read Acts 28, it gives us more insight to what was going on during this time that Paul was a prisoner in Rome. It tells us for example that Paul’s confinement wasn’t always in a prison cell. We’re told that, “Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him” (Acts 28:16). Verses 30 & 31 of that chapter tell us that... “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” (Acts 28:30-31). Paul had limitations, but within those he still had areas of freedom and that was what he focused on.
He had PEOPLE TO LEAN ON, He had a PERSPECTIVE TO LIVE BY. He also had... Power To Live By. One crisis after another after another can wear you out. Paul had two things that gave him strength throughout his four years in prison in Rome and he tells us what those were in Philippians 1:19-20, “I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed...” Paul says, I’ve got two things that give me strength and keep me going through my four years of imprisonment. And those two things are... The prayers of other people; The help of God’s spirit. He said that because of those two things... I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed…” The prayers of God’s people. The power of His spirit. These things that were the source of Paul’s eager expectation and hope are available to you and me, through a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.
You know there was a ripple effect from that miracle that happened while Paul and Silas were singing hymns and praising God from their chains at midnight. And that was that another life was transformed... And that was the life of their jailer. Take a look at the rest of that story... About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. “But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are ALL here!” Notice, not just the two of them. Not just Paul and Silas. But apparently all of the other prisoners as well. Why? Why didn’t the others flee immediately? I don’t know. Maybe there’s some thing about an earthquake that God sends in response to a worship service at midnight, that just freezes people in their tracks. Whatever the reason, they were all there. And then we’re told that... The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” And they did, and they were. You read on and you find out that this jailer takes Paul and Silas to his home, cares for their wounds, and he and his family are baptized.
Suffering is going to happen – that’s the reality – because we all live in a broken world. The challenge is what are we going to do with it? We can get frustrated by it... Or we can look for ways in which God will work through it... The lessons that I hope we can take from this story is that you and I need to learn to sing praises at midnight... Our midnight... In prison... our prison... the one we may feel like we’re in right now... Because when we do... It’s then that we’ll be able to do what Paul calls us to do... To rejoice in the Lord always... Let’s ask him to help us to do that as we turn to him in prayer. Would you pray with me...
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
