2020: Secure

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Centering Verse: Philippians 4:4-9

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.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Review

Yesterday, we noted how relational these verses are. We noted that the joy is in the Lord and in others. Joy flourishes when we dive into work together. Joy flourishes when we pursue a purpose together. 

Today, we want to take another angle at why we can have joy in the Lord.

Story Time!

In my high school tennis career, there was one player I could never beat. His name was Aaron Myers, and he was the #1 player at Lakeland High School. He was a great player, insanely consistent, but with the perfect amount of power and placement to pass you if you tried to come to the net. 

He beat me nine times in my high school career. Nine times! I beat him... nonce. As in never. I would get so frustrated, feeling like I should do better. Feeling like I should win. I would think and test and try and hit harder and hit slower and serve faster (and make more errors, get too tentative, and double fault). I just couldn't figure out how to beat him!

But I still remember the time that I got the closest. My senior year, I was starting to understand my strengths, the shots that I owned, the things that I could do well. And I realized that I had very good touch. I volleyed fairly well, had good control and the like. I talked to my assistant coach about my struggles against the Lakeland #1, and we realized since I couldn't "out-consistency" him I would need to attack. What if I took my skills and developed a new weapon? What if I learned a low slice? That would change his contact zone and he'd have to hit lower. Maybe I could make an impact.

I practiced my new stroke over and over that week. I became certain that I could hit it. Okay, I didn't make 100% of the balls, but I knew that if I focused I'd get it. I entered the match with that tactic, a way that I was committed to play. I knew what a good point would look like, I knew I had practiced, and I executed. 

I took the lead early in both sets, but couldn't ever finish them out. He was a great player, like I said, and he figured out how to beat me. But I came the closest ever. And I felt good after the match. Really good. Like, I had studied, executed, and truly did my best. And unlike most of my losses, I didn't tear myself apart or get really frustrated.

Why? Because I was secure.

Secure

Being secure means you don't have to doubt. It means you know something is true.

Security is built on:

- knowing you have done the work.

- knowing you have a purpose.

- knowing that someone has your back.

In my match:

- I put in the work on a low slice.

- I figured out my game plan.

- I knew my coach was in agreement with me.

I felt secure.

Jesus and Security

A person who is secure in what they are doing, in their purpose, can be a little off putting. They have a confidence to them. Sometimes that can seem cocky, but it just means they know their work, purpose and that someone has their back.

Look at Jesus in John 6. In that chapter, he feeds 5,000 people, which gains him many followers. Then he goes about explaining to those followers that it is relationship with him that will show them what God is like. He continues explaining that he will have to die, because God is a giving God. Jesus will give himself over to death because of his love for the world. 

Jesus' followers hear that he will have to die, and they don't like this teaching. They tell him, literally, Dude, "this is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" But Jesus doesn't back down and say sorry. He repeats himself. He tells them his words are the way to life.

And many of his followers leave.

Jesus turns to his 12 disciples and says, "So, do you want to leave to?"

Jesus isn't begging people. Jesus is secure. 

- Jesus knows that he is doing the work.

- Jesus knows that the things he says and the death he dies are his purpose.

- Jesus knows that the Father has his back, God fully loves him.

You are Secure

This tennis season, you can be secure.

- You are completely loved by God.

- You are loved by me.

- You have teammates, coaches, and others who have got your back.

- Your purpose is to pour out into the team, to invest who you are in togetherness.

- Your purpose is to show up and work hard.

- You can do that work. 

You can always know that I will be there. I'm not leaving. I'm not throwing you off the team. I'm not going to berate and yell at you for stupid choices. I am going to affirm your security. I am going to affirm that you are important. That you are significant. 

And ultimately, the one who truly has your back is God. And this is what Paul (a man who once tried to arrest and kill Jesus' followers!) said about his experience with God's love:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You are secure.

That is a great reason to rejoice in the Lord!