November 29, 2015

Uncommon Purpose

Speaker: Jerry Witham Series: uncommon Topic: Joy Passage: Philippians 1:12–26

Philippians 1.12-26: It’s that time of year again. The air begins to get cool and the sweaters and jackets reappear. The stores fill the shelves with tempting buys for the big Christmas day and the kiddos have the big lists ready for mom and dad. Do you feel it? No, not the lure to pull up Bing Crosby on the Christmas playlist, but the tug on your soul for more purchases and more stuff and in the end more stress and worry. That tends to be the common story this time of year. But what if our story this advent was uncommon? What if the advent season went against the consumer mentality and it was different this year?

Maybe the advent season this year doesn’t need to be different, but maybe you and I need to be different. Christmas is uncommon in its origin, author and meaning. So, let’s push past the common of a Christmas in DFW and into the uncommon lives we are called to live. Let’s be like Jesus this advent season and be uncommon.

As we began this Advent season today we do so with a question, What if God was most concerned about your happiness? Many would probably say, not a chance. In fact, many believe God to be a cosmic kill-joy. But what if it was the opposite and instead God was concerned about your happiness. Well, breaking news…God is concerned about your great happiness. In fact, He is so concerned about your great happiness that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus to die for you. Let’s think about it this way. If there was something in life that without a doubt made humanity reach the summit of satisfaction and enjoyment wouldn’t we all want it and do everything we could to find that and get it? We most definitely would. Well there is the greatest of all treasures that one can find and as a result reach the summit of enjoyment to the max. That treasure is God Himself, which we can know personally through Jesus. When we find this great treasure something has happened. The fleeting joys of this world have become nothing to us and something else has become the greatest of gains and our exceeding joy, namely exalting Jesus. The magnifying of God becomes our pursuit and in doing that there is a great coming together of glorifying God and our great happiness! When our delight and satisfaction is in the Lord, God is most glorified. This is what the 17th century theologians who penned the Westminster Shorter Catechism had in mind when they said, The Chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This truly changes everything from our relationships to even our money. So, may we truly live a life satisfied in God alone and thereby glorify Him.  So, let's have an uncommon purpose and go after as much joy as possible this advent! 

other sermons in this series

Dec 20

2015

Uncommon Love

Speaker: Jerry Witham Passage: Matthew 5:1–48 Series: uncommon

Dec 13

2015

Uncommon Peace

Speaker: Jerry Witham Passage: Luke 4:14–21 Series: uncommon

Dec 6

2015

Uncommon Hope

Speaker: Jerry Witham Passage: Romans 15:7–13 Series: uncommon