Today's Sermon:
"Joy Without End"

Three Reasons for Confident Joy in Trial:
I. Christ is ..... - Vs. 18b-20

A. Christ Magnified Through....

B. Christ Magnified Through....

C. Christ Magnified in....

D. Christ Magnified in....

II. We are Satisfied- Vs. 21-23

A. Present ...... - “To live is Christ”

"For him, life means Christ. Life is summed up in Christ. Life is filled up with, occupied with Christ, in the sense that everything Paul does- trusts, loves, hopes, obeys, preaches, follows and so on- is inspired by Christ and done for Christ. Christ and Christ alone gives inspiration, direction, meaning and purpose to existence."-Gerald Hawthorne

B. Future Fullness- “To die is gain”

“One wonders what the people of God might truly be like in our “post-modern” world if we were once again people of this singular passion. Too often for us it is, “for me to live is Christ plus work, leisure, accumulating wealth, relationships,” etc. And if the truth were known, all too often the “plus factor” has become our primary passion: “For me to live is my work,” etc. Both our “progress” and “joy” regarding the gospel are altogether contingent on whether or not Christ is our primary, singular passion…In a world that has lost its way, believers in Christ Jesus have the singular word of hope. We expect eventually “to depart and be with Christ.” For Paul this was a yearning, for us it is too often an addendum. The point to make, of course, is that such an orientation gives us both focus and perspective in a world gone mad.”-Gordon Fee

III. Others are Edified- Vs. 24-26