1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,500
Well, at the beach today we're going to be in Philippians chapter 2 verses 1 through 5.

2
00:00:04,500 --> 00:00:06,200
Glad you could be with me today.

3
00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:07,500
Paul writes,

4
00:00:07,500 --> 00:00:13,000
Look at how much encouragement you found in your relationship with Jesus.

5
00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:18,500
You are filled to overflowing with his comforting love.

6
00:00:18,500 --> 00:00:21,100
There's one thing that I found in my life.

7
00:00:21,100 --> 00:00:26,900
It's when I understand the love of God, that's where all the energy comes from.

8
00:00:26,900 --> 00:00:29,700
That's where all the overflow comes from.

9
00:00:29,700 --> 00:00:37,300
That's the source of the output that you have in your life.

10
00:00:37,300 --> 00:00:45,200
When you just understanding God's unconditional love for us really is a game changer.

11
00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:48,300
And so Paul's reflecting here thinking back saying,

12
00:00:48,300 --> 00:00:57,400
Wow, thank you for how much you love me, how much you care about me, the good things that you have for me.

13
00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:04,400
Out of that comes the encouragement that we can get for our life.

14
00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:06,900
That's where the oxygen for our soul comes from.

15
00:01:06,900 --> 00:01:14,400
It comes right from understanding how wonderfully loved by God we are.

16
00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:16,000
And so he also says,

17
00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:22,700
We've experienced a deepening friendship with the Holy Spirit and it felt his affection and mercy.

18
00:01:22,700 --> 00:01:28,800
So see, when you understand how much God loves you, that you don't have to earn anything,

19
00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:35,400
you don't have to quit giving all this effort to get God's favor, to get his love,

20
00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:41,800
you start to relax and then life really turns around, really opens up.

21
00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:48,700
And you start to be who you really are, who God really designed you to be.

22
00:01:48,700 --> 00:01:51,900
And there's a lot of comfort in that.

23
00:01:51,900 --> 00:01:54,700
There's a lot of peace in that when you're just yourself.

24
00:01:54,700 --> 00:02:01,700
You allow God when you understand a deepening friendship with the Holy Spirit.

25
00:02:01,700 --> 00:02:08,000
Man, you can talk to God all day long no matter what you're doing.

26
00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:15,100
When you wake up in the middle of your tasks, middle of reading, the middle of listening to a song,

27
00:02:15,100 --> 00:02:24,600
you can listen to and understand God's love and be ministered to by the Holy Spirit literally at all times.

28
00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:26,600
Pretty much all the time throughout the day.

29
00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:34,300
I'm just having this continuous, trying to have this continuous conversation with God and being led by the Holy Spirit.

30
00:02:34,300 --> 00:02:42,400
And I can say this, it gets deeper and it gets better and it gets more profound.

31
00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:51,200
You'll find God putting things on your heart and impressing upon you things you never even considered.

32
00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:59,300
That's the deepening friendship that we have with the beautiful Holy Spirit.

33
00:02:59,300 --> 00:03:03,100
And he uses the words affection and mercy.

34
00:03:03,100 --> 00:03:09,100
You'll feel so much love and peace from God the more that you talk to him.

35
00:03:09,100 --> 00:03:11,400
And I want to encourage you in your life today.

36
00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:13,100
Talk to God more.

37
00:03:13,100 --> 00:03:14,900
You'll experience more peace.

38
00:03:14,900 --> 00:03:16,800
You'll experience more joy.

39
00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:19,400
It has nothing to do with where you live.

40
00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:21,500
It has nothing to do with where you work.

41
00:03:21,500 --> 00:03:24,700
It has nothing to do with the stage of life that you're in.

42
00:03:24,700 --> 00:03:30,600
If you'll just learn to conversationally talk to God more and lean into that,

43
00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:35,500
that's where all of the joy and all of the peace comes from in our life.

44
00:03:35,500 --> 00:03:39,900
The less we talk to God, I have found, the more my anxiety goes up,

45
00:03:39,900 --> 00:03:44,000
the more my stress goes up, the more I walk in my own strength,

46
00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,900
the more I talk to God, the more I relax, the more peace I have,

47
00:03:47,900 --> 00:03:50,300
and the closer I feel to him.

48
00:03:50,300 --> 00:03:51,400
And it's a beautiful thing.

49
00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:53,200
I encourage you to do it.

50
00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:57,200
He says, so I'm asking you my friends that you be joined together in perfect unity

51
00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:03,000
with one heart, one passion, and united with love.

52
00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:08,100
That's what God desires for every person that follows Jesus.

53
00:04:08,100 --> 00:04:12,400
There's a unity that comes through humility.

54
00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:14,700
And he's like, I want you to be unified in your love.

55
00:04:14,700 --> 00:04:17,600
He says, walk together.

56
00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:19,900
He doesn't say to walk by yourself.

57
00:04:19,900 --> 00:04:24,100
He says you walk together with the important people in your life.

58
00:04:24,100 --> 00:04:28,300
You walk together with your wife, walk together with your close friends.

59
00:04:28,300 --> 00:04:29,600
Iron sharpens iron.

60
00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,600
So does one man to another.

61
00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:38,600
I know in my life, I try to walk closely with my wife

62
00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:46,900
and closely with wise, godly, trusted, loyal friends in my life.

63
00:04:46,900 --> 00:04:50,300
I've had the same close group of friends for a very long time.

64
00:04:50,300 --> 00:04:52,700
They're all very humble.

65
00:04:52,700 --> 00:04:55,100
They're all very loyal.

66
00:04:55,100 --> 00:04:56,800
They're very smart.

67
00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,100
They're all very godly, very blessed.

68
00:04:59,100 --> 00:05:03,300
I feel like I have the closest, bestest friends that anybody

69
00:05:03,300 --> 00:05:05,600
could want to have in their life.

70
00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:09,400
Look, it walked together one purpose, and you'll

71
00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:12,100
fill my heart with unbounded joy.

72
00:05:12,100 --> 00:05:14,500
Then he gives some practical instructions here.

73
00:05:14,500 --> 00:05:20,600
He says, I want you to be freed from pride-filled opinions.

74
00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:24,300
We live in a day and age where everybody thinks

75
00:05:24,300 --> 00:05:27,200
they know everything about everything.

76
00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:30,500
How are you supposed to have humility in your life

77
00:05:30,500 --> 00:05:33,100
if you think you know everything?

78
00:05:33,100 --> 00:05:35,100
Well, you can't.

79
00:05:35,100 --> 00:05:39,900
And what that leads to is pride-filled opinions.

80
00:05:39,900 --> 00:05:44,000
And not only do they ruin your spiritual life,

81
00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:46,900
but it's pretty obnoxious to just be around people

82
00:05:46,900 --> 00:05:50,500
that think they know everything all the time about every subject.

83
00:05:50,500 --> 00:05:55,500
And what draws people to you would be the small possibility

84
00:05:55,500 --> 00:05:59,800
that you don't perhaps know everything in the universe.

85
00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:01,600
The Bible references that as humility.

86
00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:03,100
Now, we all have strengths.

87
00:06:03,100 --> 00:06:04,900
Humility isn't denying your strengths.

88
00:06:04,900 --> 00:06:07,700
Everybody has strengths and gifts.

89
00:06:07,700 --> 00:06:09,200
The Bible teaches that.

90
00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:11,700
But the reality is we just get a few.

91
00:06:11,700 --> 00:06:12,800
You get a couple gifts.

92
00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:14,500
You get a couple strengths.

93
00:06:14,500 --> 00:06:17,400
That's what a humble person understands.

94
00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:20,600
A prideful person thinks that they have all the strengths

95
00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:24,300
and all the gifts and all the knowledge, and you don't.

96
00:06:24,300 --> 00:06:25,900
You don't have all the knowledge.

97
00:06:25,900 --> 00:06:26,900
You don't have all the gifts.

98
00:06:26,900 --> 00:06:28,300
And you don't have all the strength.

99
00:06:28,300 --> 00:06:32,200
Humility is just an accurate understanding of the things

100
00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:35,200
that you're good at and the things that you're bad at.

101
00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:38,100
When you understand that, again, you relax

102
00:06:38,100 --> 00:06:39,500
because you'll be asked questions.

103
00:06:39,500 --> 00:06:41,800
You'll be like, I have no idea what the answer to that is.

104
00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:43,200
This is not my specialty.

105
00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:45,400
And so you're able to maybe point someone

106
00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:47,100
to a different direction.

107
00:06:47,100 --> 00:06:51,200
He says, for they will harm your unity.

108
00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:56,300
So pride-filled opinions harm our unity.

109
00:06:56,300 --> 00:06:57,400
Look at this.

110
00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:02,100
Don't allow self-promotion to hide in your hearts.

111
00:07:02,100 --> 00:07:03,100
Wow.

112
00:07:03,100 --> 00:07:08,600
Well, we certainly live in a self-promotion culture now.

113
00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:15,000
And you'll have to take it to God if you engage in that.

114
00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:19,000
You'll have to say, all right, Lord, show me.

115
00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:21,100
Speak to me about this part of my life.

116
00:07:21,100 --> 00:07:22,600
The Holy Spirit will, because we just

117
00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:24,800
read that there'll be a deepening relationship

118
00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:25,800
with the Holy Spirit.

119
00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:28,300
Did you know you can ask God questions about yourself?

120
00:07:28,300 --> 00:07:29,100
God, am I that way?

121
00:07:29,100 --> 00:07:30,100
God will tell you.

122
00:07:30,100 --> 00:07:31,700
God will show you.

123
00:07:31,700 --> 00:07:33,700
And if not, you go to one of your trusted friends

124
00:07:33,700 --> 00:07:35,500
and ask them, hey, am I this way?

125
00:07:35,500 --> 00:07:38,800
What's been your experience with me?

126
00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:40,200
What's been your experience with me

127
00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:42,700
and how I handle these particular situations?

128
00:07:42,700 --> 00:07:46,200
And your good friends will give you great feedback.

129
00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:48,900
He says, but in authentic humility,

130
00:07:48,900 --> 00:07:51,100
put others first and view others as more important

131
00:07:51,100 --> 00:07:52,000
than yourselves.

132
00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:55,200
So you have to ask yourself, am I building a life that's

133
00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:58,800
just blessing me, or am I trying to build a life that

134
00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:07,600
blesses my wife, my family, my kids, my friends, the people

135
00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:11,200
that I'm trying to impact in this life?

136
00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:15,500
Well, that's a question you have to think very deeply about.

137
00:08:15,500 --> 00:08:18,800
And over time, it's not just a quick, oh, yeah, yeah,

138
00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:20,000
yeah, yeah, yeah, I do that.

139
00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:21,000
Well, maybe.

140
00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:22,300
I mean, you might want to give that some thought,

141
00:08:22,300 --> 00:08:25,200
some reflection, some meditation, some consideration.

142
00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:28,400
And I have found the more that we line our life up

143
00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,000
to trying to be a blessing, putting others first,

144
00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,200
the more peace, more joy that we experience.

145
00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:38,800
He says, abandon every display of selfishness.

146
00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:41,500
Well, that's convicting.

147
00:08:41,500 --> 00:08:44,000
How do you abandon every display of selfishness?

148
00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:48,600
So see, that's the standard.

149
00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,300
We're supposed to abandon every display of selfishness.

150
00:08:51,300 --> 00:08:52,400
Wow.

151
00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:54,600
I'm going to have to go and think about that,

152
00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:56,800
even as I've taught it today.

153
00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,900
Possess a greater concern for what matters to others

154
00:08:59,900 --> 00:09:01,200
instead of your own interests.

155
00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:03,900
So trying to put the interests of others,

156
00:09:03,900 --> 00:09:07,100
trying to put their needs before your needs,

157
00:09:07,100 --> 00:09:10,100
and consider the example that Jesus, the Anointed One,

158
00:09:10,100 --> 00:09:11,300
has set before us.

159
00:09:11,300 --> 00:09:13,800
Let his mindset become your motivation.

160
00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,200
So what's really exciting is tomorrow,

161
00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:20,600
when we get into the next part, Paul's going to lay out

162
00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:21,900
how Jesus is the standard.

163
00:09:21,900 --> 00:09:23,700
He's kind of leading us into this.

164
00:09:23,700 --> 00:09:25,600
This is very exciting.

165
00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:28,200
Just to be thinking about the encouraging words

166
00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:31,900
that God can have us to help us have more peace

167
00:09:31,900 --> 00:09:36,200
and have more joy, relax more in our life.

168
00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:37,900
Thank you so much, as always, for joining me.

169
00:09:37,900 --> 00:09:46,900
Until next time, I hope you have a beautiful.