Audio Messages & Sermon Series - Crosswinds, Plainfield, IL

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Millions of us did. Resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking, change a personality trait, develop a good habit, be a happier person, go deeper spiritually. Resolutions and decisions to change are usually driven by a sense that something is wrong and needs to be fixed. Resolutions often come out of pain and suffering. In this section of Paul’s letter to the Christians at Colossae, he shares how he has resolved to suffer for the cause of the gospel so that everyone could know the mysterious, revolutionary joy of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Is artificial intelligence evil? That is the question Pastor Ken took on Sunday — and his answer was not a tech lecture. It was a walk through Matthew 15, where religious leaders confronted Jesus over something that looked scandalous on the surface: his disciples eating bread with unwashed hands. Jesus flipped the argument upside down. It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth (Matthew 15:11). Mark 7:20-23 says it even more bluntly — evil comes from within, out of the heart.

The scripture is Philippians 4:14-23 — Paul's closing words to a church that had supported him while he sat in prison. On the surface, it sounds like a polite "thanks for the cash." But Paul does something remarkable with it. He borrows the language of a business ledger ("credited to your account," "paid in full," "well supplied") and turns it into a picture of friendship. These believers weren't patrons buying influence, and Paul wasn't a client on the payroll. They were partners in the gospel.

In Philippians 4:1–3, Paul urges believers to stand firm in the Lord and calls Euodia and Syntyche to agree in Him, teaching us that Christian unity is more important than winning every argument. Unity does not mean agreeing on everything, but choosing love, humility, forgiveness and the mission of the gospel over personal opinions and the need to be right.

Paul in Philippians 3:12-21 reminds us that we have not yet “arrived,” but are called to press on toward Christ, refusing to let our past, failures, circumstances, or pursuit of perfection keep us stuck. Because Christ has already made us His own, we do not run to earn salvation—we run from a position of grace, keeping our eyes on the heavenly goal and remembering that our citizenship is in heaven.

In Philippians 3:1–11 Paul teaches that even the most impressive human credentials, achievements, morality, and religious performance cannot make us righteous before God. Instead of placing our confidence in what we have accomplished or what we are losing, we are called to rejoice in Christ, trust His grace, and find our identity in Him.

God's grace, revealed through Jesus Christ, offers salvation that we could never earn and restores our relationship with God. But grace is not simply forgiveness that allows us to remain unchanged; it trains and empowers us to turn from sin, surrender to Christ's lordship, and live differently. The transformational life is an ongoing journey of faith, repentance, obedience, and dependence on the Holy Spirit as we become more like Christ.

Paul introduces Timothy and Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:19-30 as examples of ordinary people whose lives were shaped by the grace of Jesus into lives of genuine concern, faithful service, humility, and sacrifice. Rather than asking, "What can I get?" they lived by asking, "How can I serve Christ by serving others?" The message challenges us to allow God's grace to reshape our time, relationships, resources, gifts, and priorities so that our lives increasingly reflect Jesus.