Philippians 2:1

For if there is any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love, any fellowship of the Spirit, any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded. Having the same love and being of one accord and of one mind, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. In lowliness of mind, let each one esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. Instead, he made himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of a man. Being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow—of those in heaven, of those on earth, and of those under the earth. Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. Hold fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

Father, thank you for the privilege it is to stand here week after week and to open the Scriptures with people who desire to engage with your word. We know that these things are inspired by you and are useful for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, equipping us for every good work. I pray that right now, in the time we have this morning, you would continue that equipping work through this great living word and by the power of your Spirit.

In us, Lord. So work in us, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, Amen. You can be seated.

I've been doing a lot of thinking, being that this anniversary was coming up, and just reflecting on the last ten years, which went by way too quickly—frighteningly so. I have been considering the work that God has done here in this church, but also in and through my life, really, throughout all of this. It's an amazing thing to see. A lot has happened, and a lot has changed in ten years. I mean, the church has changed substantially in ten years, and I think it has been for the good.

Prior to becoming the pastor of the church here ten years ago, I had the privilege of serving for nine years before that in ministry, specifically in youth ministry and college ministry. I taught at some Bible colleges and served here as an associate pastor. Now, I've been thinking about that time—almost nineteen years of serving in that capacity.

In doing that, it's interesting to consider the questions that you receive as a pastor. You receive all kinds of different questions from people every single week. There's not a week that goes by without receiving some email with questions or someone coming to talk with me. These questions often have to do with faith, prayer, marriage, parenting, work-related issues, and leadership. They also include questions about how to read, study, and apply the Scriptures.

I don't think it's a stretch to say that the most commonly asked question I've received—whether in youth ministry, serving with college students, or with adults—is a question that probably many of you have wrestled with at one point or another. You might even be wrestling with that question right now. It is a question that sometimes causes us to experience anxiety and turmoil. It can lead us to lose sleep. However, even though there is anxiety and turmoil surrounding this question, and even though there might be some sleepless nights spent wrestling over it and seeking answers, it is a question that drives Christians to the Scriptures. It is a question that causes Christians to pray or to seek out counsel from others they trust within the church.

It is a question that I think only Christians really struggle with. It's a simple question, but it's a hard question. That question is, what is God's will for my life? What is God's will in this situation? What is God's plan? What does God want me to do in this situation that's before me? I don't know that there is a more challenging question, really. It's a very personal and challenging question when we wrestle with it.

If you're asking this question, or if you've ever asked this question, then you're actually on the right path. This kind of question, point number one on your outline, is significant because your desire for God's will honors God's sovereignty and lordship in your life. So, if you find yourself asking that question, whether you are right now or you do in the future, you're asking the right question. I commend you for doing so.

In offering your will, your plan, your desires—whatever the path is in front of you—to God, it honors His sovereign lordship in your life. It exalts Him as Lord when you bring that to Him. I commend you for asking that question. At the same time, I understand how much of a struggle it is because I've wrestled with it as well.

We wrestle with this question over a lot of different things in life. What school should I go to? What career should I choose? What person should I marry? That's a challenging one that people wrestle with. Should I quit this job to take another job? Should I launch out to start my own business? Should I close this business? Should I buy this house? Whatever it may be, we wrestle with these things.

If, while you're wrestling with the answer to those kinds of questions, you take that and submit it to God, saying, "God, I want your input. I want your will in this," that totally honors His lordship over your life. We live in a culture that says you've got to know what you want to do. You've got to have a plan, work the plan, and get it done. You're the captain of your own ship, the master of your own destiny, and the only one looking out for you.

However, when you become a Christian, you realize that none of that is true. It honors God's lordship to say, "Lord, I want your input."

I want to know what you want me to do in this situation. Do you realize that's the very first question that the newly converted Saul of Tarsus, who would become Paul the Apostle, asked? This author, the Apostle Paul, wrote a third of the New Testament. When he first became a follower of Jesus, after he realized he was having a conversation with the risen Jesus Christ, the first question he asked, recorded in Acts chapter 9, about verse 6, was, "Lord, what do you have me to do?"

What do you want me to do, Lord? What do you want me to do? If you're a Christian, you've wrestled with that question at some point, and you will again in the future. I've wrestled with it many times over the last 19 years, even before becoming a part of the leadership and ministry team here at the church. I really wrestled with that question in a big way not too long ago. At the end of 2016, I was given an offer to take on a different church, a bigger church in another place. I wrestled with that question for about two months: What will you have me to do, Lord?

It was challenging to go through and think about that. At times, we wrestle with God's plan, desire, and direction for our lives. That's what Christians do. So, to discern and determine what His will and plan is, what do we do? We search the Scriptures. We go back to the Scriptures, hoping for a very personal and direct word from God to us. We pray, "God, I want you to speak in this situation."

You might even fast, setting aside your own comfort and appetites to focus and hear the directing word of God. You might seek counsel from people you trust. When you ask those you trust in the church, other believers, "I'm trying to figure out what I should do in this situation. Go left, go right. I don't know what to do. Would you give me counsel?" Sometimes, people are a little flustered because they don't want to be in the place of God in your life.

Especially because if I tell you to do something and you later determine that wasn't a good plan, you might be mad at me. So, people will say, "Well, have you prayed about it?" Yes, I prayed about it. "Have you been searching the Scriptures?" Yes, I've been doing that. "Have you considered fasting?" Yes, I've lost 15 pounds. I just want to know, what does the Lord want me to do in this situation?

There's a beautiful verse in the book of Isaiah. God is speaking through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 30. He says, "You will hear in your ears a word behind you saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' when you turn to the right hand or to the left." I can't tell you how many times I've prayed that verse. I just want to hear a word behind me saying, "This is the way, walk in it."

After more than 20 years of walking with Jesus, I've never heard the audible voice of God. I've had a number of friends over the years who throw around statements like, "God told me this," or "God told me that," or "The Lord said this," or "The Lord said that." I'm the Christian skeptic. I often ask, "How did God do that? Did you hear an audible voice?" Invariably, they'll say, "Well, no." Then I ask, "How does God speak in that way? What did God tell you?"

On a number of occasions, I've been tempted to just take out a coin and say, "Okay, left or right, heads or tails." Then I look at it and think, "Okay, that's two out of three." I don't have enough faith for the flip-of-the-coin kind of following Jesus mode. I get it. In the Old Testament, you see a lot of what's called casting of lots, which is kind of equivalent to our thinking of flipping a coin. I understand that in Proverbs, specifically Proverbs 16, it says that the lot is cast, but the decision is with the Lord. So, God can even be sovereign in the flip of a coin and direct in that way.

However, I don't know that I have enough faith to just say, "Okay, this way," and boom, let's go. The coin said this. I don't think that God desires us to walk with Him and live in that way anyway. I believe He wants something better.

So, what is that better way? I think of a couple of verses that are favorites of mine. I have lots of favorite verses, but in Proverbs chapter 3, perhaps you've read it before or even memorized it. Verses five and six say, "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path." There's an algorithm there: trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding, and in all your ways acknowledge Him. He will direct your path.

I think it's really important to point out point number two.

God desires my wholehearted trust. However, that can be challenging. When you first begin to follow Jesus—hopefully, many of you, if not all, are followers of Jesus today—you put your trust and faith in Him. Initially, it's not entirely wholehearted. It takes time walking with Jesus to develop a more complete trust. I have been walking with Jesus for more than 20 years now, and I cannot say that I wholeheartedly trust Him in every area of my life. It is a challenge.

The Scriptures make it clear that God knows me perfectly, but I am still getting to know Him. The longer we walk with Him and get to know Him, the more we learn to trust Him. We realize that He is good and that He has a plan for our future, an expected end for us. His thoughts toward us are not evil; they are good. As we continue to walk with Him, we begin to understand this more deeply and start to trust Him wholeheartedly.

However, when it comes to trusting God, people often say, "You just have to trust the Lord." Yes, I understand that; it's like Christian 101. But I am one of those people who feels that I need to do something more than just trust. Are there any "do something" Christians here? Come on, be honest. A few of you? I thought there would be more. Maybe you feel like you have to do something to make this work.

The Christian life is all about getting to know God, trusting Him, acknowledging Him, and walking with Him. So how do we do this? How do we trust God? How do we lean upon Him, acknowledge Him, and allow Him to direct our paths? How do we discover what God's will is?

I had you open to Philippians chapter two, and I believe there are some helpful hints and important answers that can guide us in discerning God's will, plan, and direction in our lives. Philippians 2:1-16 divides perfectly into a clear outline of four major points. If you're taking notes, here are the four headings of this outline:

In verses one through four, we have an exhortation. In verses five through eleven, we have an example. In verses twelve and thirteen, we have an exercise.

In verses 14 through 16, we have an exhibition: an exhortation, an example, an exercise, and an exhibition. First, the exhortation. Look at Philippians chapter two, verses one through four again. Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy. Pastor Paul says, "Make me genuinely happy, church. Fulfill my joy by being like-minded."

Isn't this like the prayer of every parent? If you have one child, you may not understand, but if you have more than two, you instantly understand. Make me happy. Get along. That's what he's saying: fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.

If you want to begin to discern God's will, plan, and direction for your life, then Paul's exhortation here in Philippians chapter two, verses one through four, is very important. We could spend a ton of time on this. I could be really long-winded; I could spend an hour, two, three, or four going through those verses alone. I won't. I've got 22 minutes and five seconds, but if you boil it all down, it comes down to this point: endeavor to live your life for the joy and interests of others.

Now, that's pretty countercultural to 21st-century American living. We are constantly indoctrinated and culturated by our society to look out for ourselves because nobody else is. However, here God, through Paul, turns that around and says, "No, if you want to begin to know God's will, plan, and direction for your life, endeavor to live your life for the joy and interests of others."

This kind of selfless living is not easy. I'm not going to just casually say, "Come on, church, this is easy. Get it done." This is difficult. To live selflessly is a challenge. The Christian life, the Christian faith, begins with the sacrifice of our Savior.

And these are sacrificial words right here: to live your life for the joy and interests of others. The interesting thing about sacrifice is that it is an entirely future-focused endeavor. What do I mean by that? Sacrifice is a faith-filled exchange of something of value now in hopes of something of greater value in the future.

I'm going to set aside, I'm going to get rid of, I'm going to cut this off, and I'm going to sacrifice this that is valuable to me right now in hopes of something far greater, far superior in the future. That's what a sacrifice is. Paul gives the exhortation here to live in this sacrificial way, and then he provides us with an example of it.

Look at verses five through eleven: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." So, be like-minded with Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. Instead, he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Therefore, he sacrificed. Consequently, God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow—of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth—and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father.

If you desire to discern and discover God's will, let this mind be in you. Point number four on your outline is to endeavor to follow the example of our sacrificed Savior. If you want to begin to discern, "God, what do you want me to do?" follow Paul's exhortation to live for the joy and interest of others and endeavor to follow the example of our sacrificed Savior.

What did he do? He stepped down from the throne. He stepped down further from heaven to earth, and he didn't come here as a king. He didn't come here in royalty; he came really as a peasant. He stepped down and humbled himself. God became a man, the incarnation central to the Christian faith, and then he humbled himself even further and became a servant, a bondservant, as the Scripture said.

A slave by choice chooses to take that lower road and humbles himself to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, we have all of that sacrifice. God has highly exalted him. He exchanged something of value in the present, when he was enthroned in heaven, for something of far superior value in the future. That's sacrifice, and it doesn't sound fun. This whole idea of sacrifice in the moment can be difficult to grasp until you begin to realize that there is a great salvation and reward that comes on the other side of it.

This understanding compels us to lay our lives down. I might suggest to you that our culture needs to see followers of Jesus laying their lives down. It is not typical in our culture to witness that at all. If you're desiring to live and to know God's great will, which assumes that His will and plan are good, then this is the path.

We have this exhortation that we have an example, now an exercise. Look at Philippians 2, verses 12 and 13. I mentioned a few minutes ago that I have a lot of favorite verses, but I am pretty convinced, after much thought, that of the 31,102 verses in the Bible, these are my two favorites right here: "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation." There’s the exercise. "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to do His good pleasure."

If you are one of those people who has wrestled with the question that has been a significant issue within the church for the last 500 years, you have wrestled with the question of God's sovereignty and man's free will. These two verses are very important. Do you realize that the whole question of God's will, as you live out your life walking with Jesus, is a question of God's sovereignty in tension with my free will? When I am wrestling with God, asking, "What do you want me to do?" it is an area of wrestling with God's sovereignty and my own free will.

We live as though we have free will. Why? Because I believe God, who is sovereign, has sovereignly created us to have free will. That is how He made us. Therefore, there is no conflict. The question is not God's sovereignty versus man's free will; these are not in conflict.

When you go through the Scriptures, you find that these concepts are in concert together: God's sovereignty and free will work out your own salvation. That's human responsibility. For it is God who works in you to will and to do His good pleasure. This is God's sovereignty, and we see that here in this passage.

This is the great surrender. This is the great sacrifice of my will for His will. This is what Jesus shows us in the Garden of Gethsemane as He prays just before going to the cross. In His humanity, what does Jesus pray? "Not my will, but Yours be done." That's sacrifice—sacrificing my will and plan for Your will and plan. This is where the tension comes in.

Point number five on your outline is that we must work out the saving grace that God has worked into us. Christ saved us by the sacrifice described in Philippians, Chapter 2, verses 5 through 11. He saved us by grace through faith. Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9 says, "Not of works, lest anyone should boast." So, He saved us, and we need to show it off by working it out. That's the salvation that God has wrought in us.

You see, when you put your trust in Jesus, God does a work in you by His grace, through His Holy Spirit. He puts a new heart in you. This is the born-again experience. In Ezekiel, Chapter 36, verse 26, God says, "Behold, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you." That's what happens when you become a Christian. However, in many ways, it's totally invisible on the outside because it's an internal work of God's grace.

He says, "I've done this work in you. You need to work it out so people can see it. Walk it out so people can see it." It's like this: God fashioned and formed humanity. He created us and built us with all these muscles underneath the skin, effectively invisible until you work them out, and then they start to show up. God has worked His salvation into us, and He wants us to work it out so that people can see this in our lives.

This brings us back to our question, though. While I'm working it out, how do I know what God wants me to do? Paul the Apostle, in Acts, Chapter 9, verse 6, asks, "What would You have me to do, Lord? What do You want me to do?" Well, look at what it says: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure."

Another English translation says it is God who works in you to desire and to do those things that please Him. He works in you to desire and to do those things that please Him. After walking with Jesus for more than 20 years, I've come to discover that God leads me into His will in a very simple way. He leads me into His will by desire, first and foremost.

Maybe you've read the verse. Perhaps it's a favorite of yours: Psalm 37, verse four, says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." Now, that sounds like a really good deal. If I delight myself in the Lord, whatever that might mean, He will give me the desires of my heart.

I've heard it taught, and I've heard Christians speak about it like this: some Christians describe it as if I just delight myself in the Lord, whatever that means, He’s going to give me whatever desire manifests in my heart. The problem is that doesn't really pass the theological smell test, and I just have not experienced that. I'm delighting myself in the Lord, and I still don't have a Tesla Model S in my garage, so I just don't think it works quite that way. It’s not like there’s a button you push; you just delight yourself in the Lord, and He’s going to give you whatever you want.

It's similar to how some people think that if they pray in Jesus' name, He’s going to give them whatever they ask. They just say "in Jesus' name" at the end of everything, expecting it to work like a genie in a bottle. No, it doesn't work like that.

So, if it doesn't mean that, what does it mean? I think it means this: you delight yourself in the Lord. What is that? It’s about working out your own salvation with fear and trembling, following His example. You delight yourself in the Lord, and in my experience—both through observation and what I see in the Scriptures—He will give you new desires in your heart. That’s what I see. He changes our desires.

You experience this if you're a Christian. You experience this almost the instant you became a Christian. Within 24 to 48 hours of putting your faith and trust in Jesus, there were new desires you never had before. As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby (1 Peter 2:2), I believe you have a desire to read God's Word. Where did that come from? You didn't make that desire; it was a desire to share with other people about your newfound faith in Christ.

You didn't do that. That's something that God works in you—new desires that He puts into our hearts. As we put our trust in Him, He changes our desires. God leads us into His will by giving us new desires.

For some reason, a lot of Christians have a hard time with the concept of desire, as if whatever they desire has got to be wrong. They often think it is in conflict with what God desires every time. That's how we sometimes compute desire: desire is bad. For some reason, Christians think like that, but I don't believe that this is entirely valid.

I will say there are desires that are bad. If you're a Christian today, number one, you have a conscience, and number two, you have the indwelling Holy Spirit. With these, you can pretty much identify wrong-motivated desires with certainty. You can almost entirely say, "Oh, that one's bad. Where did that come from?" We are like desire factories; we just pump out desires all day long. "I want this, and I want that." Identifying carnal desires that are not in line with the nature of God, as He has revealed Himself, is not very hard to determine because you have a conscience and the indwelling Holy Spirit.

God gives us new desires in our hearts, and I believe that He begins to lead us into His will by desire. For it is God who works in you to desire and to do those things that are pleasing to Him. I will submit to you that God's plan for you, His good pleasure, will be your greatest satisfaction in fulfilling that. I have found that in my life.

So it is God who works in you to desire and do those things that are pleasing to Him, which will ultimately be the most satisfying to you. He begins to move us into His will by desire. The great theologian Augustine said this many hundreds of years ago: "Love God and do whatever you please." That's a big statement. He went on to say that the soul trained in love for God will do nothing to offend the one who is beloved.

See, when you delight yourself in the Lord, love God, pursue Him, and follow His example, you commit, by His grace and by His indwelling Spirit, to fulfill the exhortation to put other people first.

Joy and interest above your own are essential. As you delight yourself in the Lord in this way, He will give you new desires in your heart. As you begin to walk in those things, you will find that you are walking in His will.

Point number six on your outline: God's will manifests as my new desires. It works like this. I was sitting in Pastor Pat Kenny's living room almost 11 years ago, in December 2007, with a group of pastors from this church. He looked at me and asked, "Do you believe God wants you to take over this church?" I replied, "Yes, I do." He then asked, "Why do you think that?" I said, "Because I've wanted to since 2002." That was six years prior. But I understand now; I wasn't ready, and the church was not ready in 2002 for 22-year-old Pastor Miles to lead it.

Why did I marry Andrea? Because I wanted to, and, miracle of miracles, she wanted to marry me. That's the miracle. As you pursue God and follow Him, He will manifest His will through new desires in your heart.

I had a conversation with a student at the Bible College about seven or eight years ago. I had shared a similar message with my Isaiah class at the Bible College. Afterwards, a number of students came to talk to me. One of them was a young woman with tears in her eyes. She said, "Listen, I'm in my fourth semester, and this is my last semester. It's going to end in just about a month, and I'm struggling with God's will." I asked, "What's going on?"

She replied, "Since I was in junior high, I've wanted to serve God at an orphanage in the Philippines." I thought, how specific can you get? I said, "Yeah, that sounds like a really carnal desire. You want to leave Southern California, with all its comfort and beauty, to serve in a third-world country with kids in an orphanage? That sounds totally carnal; it can't be of God." I then asked, "So what's the problem?"

She explained, "Well, I got an email from a friend inviting me to come and serve at an orphanage in Bacolod in the Philippines, and I don't know if it's God's will." Really?

I've been praying about it. I've been seeking counsel. I've been reading the Scriptures, and I just haven't heard from God. I don't know what to do. I said, "I think you should go through the door." Because He gave you a desire, and now the opportunity to do it is there. Go through the door. And she did. Because God works in you to desire and to do what you say.

I have a desire, but I have no door. Okay, wait and get ready. Prepare for the day that the door opens. The door may not be open right now, so you prepare for the day. That's what I did. In August of 2002, I had a strong feeling that I would be the pastor of this church. So what do you do? You prepare for the day that the door opens. And when the door opened, I said yes. I didn't say, "I think I need to pray about that." I said yes.

Why didn't I move to go to Santa Barbara when I was invited? Because I wanted to be here. That's why. It was a great opportunity to work with a good friend. Everything looked like it made sense, and I really struggled with it. Why? Because I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay here.

God's will manifests as our new desires. For what purpose? Finally, the exhibition. Look at this: Philippians 2, verses 14 through 16. "Do all things without complaining and disputing." That's easy. "That you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation." Underline these words: "among whom you shine as lights in the world."

God wants to shine brightly through your life, lived according to His will for His good pleasure in a world that needs to see His glory. "Among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice," Pastor Paul says, "in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain."

Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Your good works will be those works that align with His will as you walk out His good pleasure, as He plants new desires into your heart. So walk in it for His glory. Amen.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father, I thank You that You do make it.

Rather simple, although it can be challenging, it's still simple. You direct our steps by transforming our desires. Lord, I pray for this church, Your church, and for me. Help us, by Your Spirit, grace, and power, to live our lives in a way that exalts the interests and joy of others, following after Your example.

We live our lives in that way, delighting in You, and we would just step into these things that we desire to do for Your glory. Shine brightly through Your church. I pray, God, for anyone today who is wrestling with a decision. Maybe at this moment, they don't even know what they want. I pray, God, that in the quiet moment they may have this evening or maybe tomorrow morning, You would speak by desire in their heart and transform our desires.

Lord, help us to walk by faith in You, not in anxiety or turmoil. It is Your desire that we would walk in Your will. I don't think You want us to be anxiously trying to figure these things out. You don't hide it from us. God, help us to walk in these things for Your glory and for Your goodwill, Your good pleasure in this world. Shine brightly through Your church, we pray. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.