Tim's Sermon Notes

Shared experiences bind people together across time and space. The COVID19 pandemic creates a globally shared experience, while here in Philippians, we read of experiences we share with the early church and the church in Philippi in particular.

The prayer that Paul prayed for them applies to us as well. He begins with love, the central truth of God, who is Himself love. Specifically, Paul asks for love bounded by knowledge and discernment, like a river that rises, with cliffs on either side, channeling it where it needs to go. Love must have boundaries – but it must still be love. It is easy to err on either side of that, but Paul prays that the Philippians will indeed learn to love and love well.

Likewise, if you want to know what to pray for your spouse, children, parents or self, that their love grows in knowledge and discernment is a great place to stay because it is a lifelong journey. We are all facing the need to apply our love intelligently as we approach all the various circumstances we run into. As it says in Frozen 2, we are called to “do the next right thing”. The difficulty can be knowing what that right thing is. “There are two sides to every issue, but there are two sides to fly paper, too.”

But why does it matter that we make wise, right choices? Verse 10 tells us – in order that we may be pure and blameless. The word for “pure” here means “tested by sunlight” like a piece of clothing being looked at in the light.

Similarly, we ourselves are going to have a moment of testing when we come before the throne of God.

So pray that we grow in love, pray we make wise choices and pray for growth of character.

Paul did not tell this to the Philippians purely for theoretical purposes. We know from later in the letter that there were real conflicts between members of the church. Love isn’t theoretical, it must be practical to be real. And that means it is messy and complicated – and that’s why we turn to prayer, just like Paul did.

We can also consider this goal of helping other people love well in our own behavior. Do our actions help people love better, in knowledge and discernment? Or do they somehow lead them to sin and unkindness? We cannot be responsible for the actions of others, but we should always be seeking to be the kinds of people who make others better.

– Sermon Notes, Mahlon Friesen, Seed Church, Lynnwood WA, May 17, 2020

Paul starts off this letter making it clear that the letter is going up be about Christ, and that all believers are unified in Him.

The next section is Paul expressing his thankfulness for the Philippians. Ancient letters often started with a note of gratefulness for the recipients, but Paul’s gratitude goes so deep.

Some of this is the bond between Paul and the Philippians, driven by the partnership they have had together in both spiritual and material things over the past years, even as he has not been in Philippi for some years.

All this works together with the grace of God to bubble over in the joy that permeates this letter. Paul yearns for the Philippians with “all his guts.” It’s a reminder that church is about more than the worship or the teaching, but it’s about the connections between people, the love of Christ working its way out and through and among the people of His church. People are not God’s Plan B, but the primary mechanism by which He accomplishes His will. We are brought together to learn to love in real life – not always easy, but if eternal worth.

This also means there is value to building true relationships within the church, not merely acquaintances who we say hi to on Sunday. Once of the silver linings of this quarantine is that we are learning not to take our relationships and interactions with people for granted.

The church of the Philippians was started by a ragtag group, starting with people as varied as the businesswoman Lydia and the rough-and-tumble jailer who nearly committed suicide. God used his sovereign plan to bring His message to people who would never have heard of except for the twisting, turning, entirely unpredictable path that Paul’s journey took.

We can take encouragement from this, as our own paths are plenty twisty in these difficult times.

Getting back on track! More notes to come.

The overall theme of the epistle to Titus is that Christians should maintain good works, and much of the book is devoted to the disguising of organization and behavior to that end.

That overall message us emphasized here at the end of the letter, both in direct words and in the glimpse we get of Paul and his ministry.

Four people are mentioned here. Zenas and Apollos arrived in Crete with the letter, and Paul asks Titus to help them on their way. Meanwhile, Tychicus and Artemas would be arriving in Crete at some point, and once they arrived it would free up Titus to meet Paul in Nicopolis up in mainland Greece.

Artemas we don’t know much about, but Tychicus is mentioned throughout the New Testament, including in Ephesians, where he is called “beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord.” He may be taking over for Titus so he can go north.

Paul had decided to spend the winter there – note that he himself decided, rather than receiving word from the Holy Spirit or some other revelation. While the latter two are seen throughout Paul’s life, much of the result church was built on the wisdom and decisions of the apostles, guided more subtly by the spirit than we sometimes imagine.

The other pair, Zenas and Apollos, are similar, in that we know more about one than the other. Zenas is a lawyer, probably a Roman jurist, but he is only mentioned here. Apollos is well known, having a major role in the book of Acts where he shows up speaking eloquently but needing training, which is provided by Priscilla and Aquila. He went on to pastor at Corinth as well.

Titus was supposed to help them on their way, a common request in the epistles. It is a very practical good deed, a direct example of the hospitality Paul has earlier called on Titus to encourage.

These small, practical actions are examples of what Paul then tells Titus to impress upon the believers in Crete: devote themselves to good works, especially addressing the urgent needs that would inevitably arise. The church is not there to serve every need, but to strategically and carefully address those of the most urgency and important.

But there are plenty of these. There are always needs to meet, and that is a key role of the Church. We are not just here to learn and fellowship, but also to serve – to “not be unfruitful.”

And we also learn from this passage something about how this is to be done – in community. The believers traveling all came in pairs, and Paul wanted Titus to join him. Paul always worked in a team, and is there with others who also sent their greetings.

We are the same, both working and growing together in community, and supported and prayed for by many others around the country and world – so let’s act like it!

– Sermon Notes, Mahlon Friesen, Seed Church, Lynnwood, WA, March 8, 2020

Paul instructs Titus here to lead a healthy church by doing a few things. First, to focus on the things that matter. Second, and related, to avoid those things that will not help us move forward with our service to God. And finally, to stop this who are undermining the work of the Church and the truth of the gospel.

In Titus 3:8, Paul calls back to the statement he has just made about the gospel, and the mechanisms for living out good works these he has walked through all through this letter. These are the things that matter that we are to focus on, and the “excellent and profitable” works we are to undertake.

On the other hand, we must avoid that which is unprofitable. The instruction in verse 9 echoes the advice given to Timothy in both epistles Paul wrote to him, in 1 Timothy 1:3-4 & 6:4-5, and 2 Timothy 2:14. There is a place for discussion and debate, but ultimately they completely separate from the vital things of the gospel. It is very easy to get wrapped around quarrels about words.

And there are people out there whose primary goals when entering a church are centered around argument and debate. That is when verses 10-11 come into play – but keep in mind that not every argument or disagreement rises to this level. We cannot let disagreements rise to a level that they distract the church from the work of the gospel.

We see this in Matthew 18 as well – the principle is clear, that we should start at the lowest level possible and then only escalating to involve additional people as necessary – and always with the goal of bringing people to repentance. Ultimately, these behind questions is attitude. If someone listens and has an attitude of humility and grace, there will be no reason for things to escalate. If the attitude is one of belligerence, pride or divisiveness, then it is that attitude which becomes the problem, not the original problem. This was a common problem – see also Romans 16:17.

There will always be disagreements and conflict in church. Our responsibility is to deal with those, one on one at first, rather than just leaving our avoiding the issue.

One of Jesus’ most difficult instructions to us was to seek unity. Most issues that cause division within a church on a day to day basis don’t matter. They are trivial issues that entirely disappear when put in the light of eternity. There are extreme situations that do happen, but the principles remain the same. Focus on the lordship of Christ, and stop or avoid that which distracts from serving Him.

-Sermon Notes, Mahlon Friesen, Seed Church, Lynnwood, WA, March 1, 2020

Crete was not an easy place to minister. The name “Cretan” was synonymous with “liar.” they were also known as “evil brutes” and “lazy gluttons”. Epimenides joked of his own people that the absence of wild beasts on the island was supplied by its human inhabitants.

So it’s remarkable that these are the people Paul tosses these instructions about submission to authority to. We are called to be good citizens, seeking as best we are able to follow the laws and obey those who we find in positions of authority over us within whatever human structures we are engaged with.

We can temper this somewhat by looking at the behavior of the apostles in Acts 4, when they clearly state that they will serve God over man when the two are in conflict. But this is never too be our first instinct. We can look to Paul himself for an example of working within the Roman system to accomplish the things of God.

This is a complex question, with many different circumstances and contexts that may lead to very different behaviors and actions depending on those. But we clearly see the basic principles laid out here that we should use as our guide – not merely to submission, but also to “be ready for every good work.”

The story of Daniel and his compatriots is another window on this. When ordered to eat unclean food, they resisted and worked within the system to turn the entire circumstance to their own good. Then, when ordered to worship an idol, they refused and prepared themselves to be martyred for this refusal, before God miraculously intervened.

The police officer pulling us over is not trying to make us worship an idol. City regulations may be onerous and even absurd, but they are not contravening God’s command.

Paul also addresses how we should deal with difficult people who are not in authority. He lays out for key principles: speak evil of no one, avoid quarreling, be gentle and show “perfect courtesy” toward all people. In the latter term, now that it requires an outward demonstration of praÿtēs, a term also translated as meekness and gentleness. It is the same root used in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, “blessed are the meek,” and the same describing Jesus in the prophecy of the humble king riding on the donkey.

All this is an explication of the broader instruction from Christ to love our enemies. Sometimes we like that more vague statement more than this very clear outline that clarifies how we are to do this.

Ken Sande of the Relational Wisdom ministry outlines a method for conflict resolution, working first through our own internal inventory and thought processes, both being aware of ourselves and then engaging with our self, then doing the same with the other people in the conflict, both becoming aware and engaging- and finally doing the same with God.

This also touches on the nature of hard skills versus soft skills, the relational capabilities that are outside of the specific technical expertise. Most of the failures in business, in ministry, in families and elsewhere are not due to a lack of hard skills and technical expertise, but rather a breakdown in soft skills. The value of a person to an organization is not their hard skills plus their soft skills, but rather their hard skills multiplied by our soft skills. It is the soft skills that Paul is instructing Titus in here.

– Sermon Notes, Mahlon Friesen, Seed Church, Lynnwood, WA, February 9, 2020

We return to Paul’s letter to Titus where the young minister is responsible for congregations all across the island of Crete. In verse 2:15, Paul calls on him to teach all the things that he wrote – how young and old, men and women, slave and free are to behave.

To that end, Paul goes on to instruct him to both exhort and rebuke those who are in his care, and to do so with the command of God behind him.

This is a hard teaching for us today, when if we don’t like the exhortation we get at church, we can just go to one of the ten churches we passed on the way. This was explicitly predicted in 2 Timothy 4:

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

This is not carte blanche for anyone in authority to be seen as some sort of superior being whose words cannot be questioned. This is about the word of truth from God. It is our responsibility as Christians to separate the wheat from the chaff. Discernment is vital. We can learn truth from people who are, in balance, wrong, and we can hear falsehoods from those who are usually accurate.

We must be open to the exhortation and rebuke from those who teach us, while still being discerning about it.

He is to do this with the authority that comes with speaking the truth of God, and to not let others disregard him. But how does a leader avoid being disregarded? By speaking the truth with boldness and by living a life in line with that teaching of God.

Verse 15 in some ways an outline of what Aristotle wrote the centuries earlier. Persuasive speech, or rhetoric, has three components. First, the logos, the content is the teaching: “declare these things.” Second, the pathos, the emotional of that teaching – the rebuke and exhortation. And finally, the credibility and authority of the speaker, the ethos – “with all authority, let no one disregard you.”

This is true for all of us in one setting or another. If we are parents or instructors or managers, we will need all three of logos, pathos and ethos. And these are things we need to watch for as we long for a new pastor.

We also must consider how we approach the teaching of God we receive on Sundays. First, we should prepare ourselves properly – don’t just stay up late watching garbage on TV Saturday night. We must listen for the truth of God even from a lousy preacher. We must discern where the truth is, and where it isn’t. If we have problems with what we hear, we should discuss it before fleeing to some other church.

– Sermon Notes, Mahlon Friesen, Seed Church, Lynnwood, WA, February 2, 2020

The final piece of Seed Church’s mission statement is “Make A Difference,” serving and reaching out to our community to invite them to know Christ. This instruction has its basis in the Great Commission.

After he rose from the dead, Jesus appeared to his disciples in Galilee, an area north of Jerusalem centered around the Sea of Galilee, actually a large lake. He gathered them on a hill, possibly the same hill where he preached the Sermon on the Mount. This may have just been the Eleven disciples, or it may have been the 500 that Paul mentions saw Jesus after his resurrection.

It also notes that “some doubted” – what they doubted is not clear. They’re are many possibilities. Was this really the same person? Is it OK to worship a man when we are supposed to be monotheists? Or maybe they doubted their own abilities or faithfulness. Regardless if should give us peace that we don’t need to have our all figured out either.

Because even in the midst of this doubt, Jesus gives what is called the Great Commission, the last instructions of his life on earth.

It begins “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” This echoes Daniel 7:

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Daniel 7:13-14

When we think about the Great Commission and our attempts to make a difference, this is our starting place. When we follow this instruction, we are backed by all the authority in the universe.

It begins “go.” This can be actively going out, or “as you go” – an instruction as to what to do as we move around this world.

Next, “make disciples” – it is a single word, the imperative verb “mathēteúō”. Paul, in defending himself to Agrippa in Acts 26 fleshes out this mission in describing what Christ told him directly, in a verse that sums up the entire gospel:

I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

Acts 26:17-18

There are some who assert that this mission is reserved for the original hearers, but the next phrase belies that: “of all nations”. The disciples went far, but they did not reach all nations. That responsibility is passed on to us. This command also means that racism is anathema to Christianity, and in direct opposition to our ultimate mission.

Next, an explicit and specific command – “baptizing them”. Baptism is the public demonstration of our discipleship, and is explicitly tied to the fundamental nature of being a disciple. It also implies a theological understanding, because it happens “in the name,” singular, “of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” the Trinity, three in one.

Next, “teaching them to observe,” to keep and carry out, “all I have commanded you.” Not some of it, not the parts that we like, but all of it. We must learn, and then we must do. One of those doings is to teach, and then those who are taught must do.

If you look at the commands Jesus gave, though, it becomes clear soon that they can only be carried out in community. To “love one another” we need “another.”

It is better to fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail. That is why we can give our lives to the Great Commission.

But we need even more than that, and in the last line, Jesus gives that to us: “Behold, I am with your always, to the end of the age.” This fulfills the promise God made to Joseph in the first chapter of Matthew: “He will be called Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.'”

The Great Commission starts with ourselves – we have a responsibility to ensure that we are ourselves disciples. Next, our spouse, if we have one. Our children, grandchildren, etc. if we have them. Our other family members, neighbors, friends. Pray for opportunities to speak into these lives.

Sermon Notes, Mahlon Friesen, Seed Church, Lynnwood, WA, January 26, 2020

When you are building a building, there are two important things to do to start. First, a ground survey to ensure the ground is ready and capable of holding up the building, abs second, a foundation must be properly designed and built. If those steps are not accomplished, the building will fail.

When looking at our purpose, our foundation is clear. We are here to worship and serve God. But what gets built on that foundation is an open question that many of us struggle with. One of Seed’s key values is helping people understand that level of purpose.

The attitude we must take into this is that described in 2 Peter 2:12-17. We were slaves, but are now set free to do good works.

We also must understand the importance of our own purpose. In Romans 12:4-5, we are told that our specific capabilities are vital components of the body of Christ. When we do not use our abilities to serve, we hobble the body we are members of, and we fail to accomplish the purpose we have been put on earth to do.

We can see examples of purpose and ways to serve when we look at passages about different spiritual gifts, like in Romans 12:6-8. And even beyond spiritual gifts, God can also use our more material talents and abilities for his work. If you want to understand more about the spiritual and other gifts you may have, there are lots of tests and personality quizzes out there, but you can also just ask others what gifts and abilities they see in you.

But ultimately, the only way to learn our gifts and purpose is to live a life that seeks to serve, and to learn by doing, as described in James 2:18. To do that, we need a group of people to serve with clear needs and hurts. Fortunately, God has given us a people to do that with – the group of people Jesus calls His bride. We have our gifts in order to serve the church.

We don’t thing about that very much. We like to think about our gifts as if we are an Old Testament prophet, coming down from the mountains, using our gifts and going back up. But the New Testament is clear that Christians need the Church, and the Church needs Christians.

It all goes back to the foundation mentioned at the beginning. We are here to love God, but the way we show that love is by serving the Body of Christ.

– Sermon Notes, Aaron James, Seed Church, Lynnwood, WA, January 19, 2020

We desire that everyone who walks through the doors of Seed Church will experience true freedom.

In general, we in America are pretty big fans of freedom. The question becomes, though, what is freedom, and in what context? It clearly doesn’t mean that we are at liberty to do whatever we want whenever we want. More importantly for our purposes here, what is spiritual freedom?

In Romans, Paul addresses this, and ends up describing how, in order to be free, we must serve the right master.

Paul wrote Romans in the mid-50s in the 1st century to the Roman church which was a blending of Jews and gentiles. There was tension between those groups, and Paul largely wrote the letter to address those tensions and

In chapter 6, Paul asserts that all people serve some master. “You are slaves to anyone you obey.”

In the movie “The Master” Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character, a thinly veiled L Ron Hubbard, says “If you figure out a way to live without a master, any master, be sure to let the rest of us know, for you would be the first in the history of the world.”

So everyone in the church, Jew and gentile alike, were faced with this choice of who they would serve. The default is serving sin – “all have sinned,” writes Paul, regardless of which group they are in, and all must reap what they have sown.

But Paul also writes that we are offered another master, a master in whose service we find true freedom. When we enter the service of Christ we are justified in the sight of God and the process of sanctification begins. It is through these twinned processes that we find freedom.

We find freedom from the idols in our culture: comfort, pleasure, success, sex, status, politics, power. Striving after these things drives anxiety and depression, even in a society that is, by any measure, the most free, the wealthiest and the most successful in any time period in human history. Even poor Americans live better than the Pharoahs of ancient Egypt – arguably even better than the millionaires of the 19th century. And yet we still do not feel free.

If we seek after the freedom offered by the world, we will slowly poison ourselves (and sometimes not do slowly). The irony is that to be truly free, we must become a slave.

We don’t like that notion. Especially in our individualistic American culture, we hate that notion of overtly giving over our will. We would prefer to live in rebellion and denial, and accept the silent mastery of sin over the vocal mastery of Christ.

Others have a hard time accepting the freedom Christ offers because they feel the weight of the guilt and shame that come with the mastery of sin.

Many others don’t even see the freedom or the slavery, because we are distracted. Phones, social media, entertainment, drugs, food, travel – they can all stick our time away and make us completely blind to the fact that we are enslaved.

But as Bob Dylan sings,

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes
Indeed you’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

The only hope for freedom is to surrender to Christ. The only way to truly live is to die with Christ. The only way to be who we are meant to be is to lose ourselves entirely.

What decisions do you need to make in order to experience freedom? What boundaries do you need to put up in order to experience freedom? What do you need to lay down in order to take up the gifts God offers?

– Sermon Notes, Dave Lester, Seed Church, Lynnwood, WA, January 12, 2020