A Christ-Centered Life

All right, Destination Church, we ready. We nice and awake. We're in this series called This is the Life. , and I have been super excited about this series because when you think about it, we spend a lot of our lives thinking about how to kind of make it better, right.

We think of ways to make it comfortable or make improvements in our life. More money, more success, better relationships. All of those things, whatever we think is going to make us say this phrase like, ", this is the life, right.

But what if the goal isn't necessarily to make life better, but what if the goal is to discover what makes life worth living, right. " And so, that's what we're discovering as we walk through verse by verse, chapter by chapter through the book of Philippians together. And what we're gonna do is we're gonna see how through this letter that Paul is writing is that we're we're gonna we're gonna see what to do with this life that God has given each and every one of us and what we can do to make it worth living and see what can happen when Jesus is at the center of it all. Okay, so let me kind of illustrate what I mean by this.

Do you guys remember there was this old cartoon show. And you know, in any other state, I could mention this cartoon show and you'd probably get a little bit of blank stairs, but here in Minnesota, everybody knows this guy Charlie Brown, right. You know, Charlie Brown. Okay, so Charlie Brown, his his weird, you know, quirky demeanor or whatever.

And there's this one episode of Charlie Brown where he is shooting a bow and arrow. And he is shooting his arrows at a fence and they keep landing on the fence. And then what Charlie Brown does is he goes over to the fence and he paints a bullseye right where his arrow hits with a target around it. And so he keeps shooting the arrows at the fence and keeps doing this. Lucy, who is like the most critical person in the world, by the way, if you ever watch it, comes up and says, "Charlie Brown, what are you doing.

" and he looks kind of like ashamed and he said, "Well, this way I never miss. Because he's he's painting the bullseye on after the fact. And I feel like that's kind of what some of us do with our relationship with God or maybe even in our lives is we just blindly kind of shoot arrows at this fence and say, "Oh, well, that's where I was aiming the whole time.

And that's what can happen to to a lot of us is we start blindly shooting arrows. But what if the aim was to have this Christ centered life to have the target right in front of us and to know what it meant to be shooting towards that target. And that's what we're talking about today.

So if you pull out your Bibles, we're going to be in Philippians chapter 1. It's on page 1. By the way, if you do not own a Bible, please take this one home with you. It is our gift to you. We love giving away the Bibles and we also love giving away sermon notebooks.

And so, if you don't have a notebook to take notes with, we have them at our welcome table. So, , get out your notebooks, get out your phones, whatever you need to take notes about. And what I want to do to kind of premise this message and set it up here is that Paul through this section of scripture is going to model for us what it means to have a Christc centered life. Okay, if you need to know, you know, how long is this message going to take. There's five of them.

Okay, so when you see the number one, two, three, four, five. Okay, so you know when I got to five, we're getting towards the end. You're welcome. , the other thing that I will say is we'll do a little bit of setup this week so you get a little bit of context for the book of Philippians, but can I share with you guys something that I'm really excited about. >> You ready.

, our website got a revamp this week and we have launched this page on our website. It is a resource page. Go ahead and put that up.

, there we go. It is a resource page where you can go and you can dive deeper into some of the Bible study portion of this. So if you are you know got some people from your growth group or some friends from destination or just some friends in general and you want to read through Philippians and kind of dig into that that is our first resource on there.

And so it would have everything that I would say for setup each and every week to setting up the book of Philippians and how to read and study it. And so go check that out. There's also like a bunch of like books and different things on there. But let me give you just like a 60second one for today. So Paul is the one who wrote the book of Philippians.

He was there's no light way to say this. He was a murderer of Christians. Formerly Saul and then God radically transformed him, saved him and he became Paul.

And Paul was a pastor, a church planter. And he planted this church in Philippi. And now 10 years later, he is writing to that church a thank you letter for their generosity, but also just giving them good godly wisdom on how to live this Christ-c centered life.

So if you follow along with me, I'm starting in verse 12, okay. And it says this. Now I want you to know brothers and sisters that what has happened to me has served to advance the gospel. Now what has happened to Paul.

He's in prison. He's facing like probably certain death. That's what's happened to him. Keep that in mind. As a result, it has became clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.

And because of my chains, most of my brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dared all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. So let me just paint this picture. Paul is in prison, okay. Facing certain death, and he's saying, "Guess what. This is a good thing.

" Because Paul's still doing ministry. It's just prison ministry now. He's he's excited about this.

This is like the Christian way of saying like all things happen for a reason. But he's actually reflecting something that he says in Romans where he says all things work together for the good of those who love him and who have been called according to his purpose. And so what he's saying here is that there is a purpose for this pain. There is a purpose for what I am going through right now.

And that is the first thing that we need to know about living a Christ-c centered life is to turn your mess into his message. Okay, this is just such a good testament of how Jesus can move in and through your life is when he takes those messy parts of you, those things in your past or present that you are ashamed of and then he flips them and uses them for his good and for his glory and for your good. This is a good thing. This is a good thing to get excited about because let me let me help you get excited about this. When I say that Jesus wants all of you, okay, wants all of your life, guess what.

That includes the messy parts, too. That includes the parts that you are thinking about when you are laid up at night. Those are the parts that you would not say out loud.

Those are the parts behind closed doors that kind of make you wse a little bit, right. God wants to take those parts and turn them into a message. And you know what's awesome. When you have been through something, the Holy Spirit does something where it gives you almost more value and validation to help others. Let me give you an example.

Do you know who the best person is to help people who are addicted. Addicts, right. Prior addicts who have been transformed by the life-changing power of Jesus, right.

Who is the best person to help somebody through the pain of a divorce. Somebody who has been through the pain of a divorce. You could even flip this in a positive way.

Who is the best person to speak into somebody's life about how prayer can transform somebody. It's somebody who has been transformed by prayer, right. And so God takes all these parts of you and he wants to use it for your good and his glory, right. And so he takes all of those parts and he wants to show that there is value and there is proof and your faith in Jesus. And I want you to believe this.

The thing that you have been through or the thing that you are currently going through that you kind of feel that ick about that kind of shame about. God wants to bring you freedom. Not only that, but God wants to use that freedom to set someone else free through you.

That is your mess becoming his message. But here's the catch. It has to be his message.

Because as soon as it starts becoming about us or about something that that we've done some something shifts and that's what Paul is going to go into. So let's keep reading in verse 15. He said it is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry but others out of good will. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, sus supposing they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.

But what does it matter. I love that verse. But what does it matter.

The important thing is that in every way whether from false motives or true Christ is preached and because of that I rejoice. So this is this is what Paul is pointing out. He's saying look there are two types of people and they have two types of motivations.

So the second way to aim our lives towards Christ is to check our motives. Check your heart and see what you are really living for when you talk about Jesus. Okay, so let's do let's do a little activity.

Everybody repeat after me. >> Okay, get ready because throughout this series, you're going to hear this phrase a lot. Paul is saying that I rejoice anytime that Christ is preached.

And so he is motivated by Christ being preached. But let me tell you why this is a struggle for you and I. Because in 2026, what ends up happening is that there's kind of a push and pull, a dichotomy between two things.

There is the side of us that when we hear the name of Jesus preached, we have to kind of be on our guard, right. We have to look for truth. We need to make sure somebody is speaking in a way that reflects the word of God, right. And so we're constantly putting things through filters and looking at somebody who is is talking about Jesus.

And the the problem is is that we've seen a lot of people that have claimed Jesus that have not lived like that, right. We've seen a lot of people where their outside life did not fit what they were saying, right. And so we're on our guard. But there is another side of this that Paul is saying, I rejoice anytime that the name of Jesus is preached.

So let me give you the other side of this. The other side of this is that we as Christians should be rejoicing anytime that God is put into the spotlight. And so what that means for you practically is when that Grammy artist comes up and and wins the award for that, you know, kind of sinful song that they have and they start thanking God and going deeper into, you know, how Jesus has changed their life.

If your first bent is to say that doesn't match the lyrics, or is your first bent to say, "Praise God, he's getting a spotlight on national TV right now. Okay, guys, let me talk to you. In that press conference with the football player after the game that, you know, has a couple of DUIs or a domestic or something like that and he starts talking about Jesus.

Where's your mind going. We should rejoice that Jesus is being put in the spotlight. And so, here's the invitation. Instead of being cynical, be prayerful. That means anytime somebody is sharing Jesus, what I even told my son this week is this principle.

Believe the best for people. Believe that when people are talking about their faith that they are genuine and pray for that faith to grow in that that genuiness and pray for them to continue to grow in as a finder and follower of Jesus. And so be prayerful because the best I would say like the the best thing that we can do when we don't feel like that person is really reflecting the truth is to trust that God is going to work that out because he will.

He will always expose those things and bring them into the light. So the question should be more of a heart check for us then to check our motives to make sure that we aren't seeking things for ourselves behind closed doors because we can pray for things like winning the lottery or for God for selfish gain but it's not motivated by the glory of Jesus. So here's the point here for you and I check your motives to make sure your life is not seeking glory for yourself but glory for Jesus.

How can your life reflect Jesus more. But how do you know if those motives are right. That's what my mind goes to when I think of something like that. And so Paul kind of shares with us what this looks like.

Okay, let's let's continue in verse 18. He says, "I will rejoice. " Ready for it again. And I will continue to rejoice. He's really happy in this letter.

And he's in prison. That's wild. For I know that through your prayers and God's provision of the spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me has turned out for my deliverance.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body whether by life or death. Ready for verse 21. Oh verse 21. For me to live is Christ to die is gain.

This is like one of the anchor verses of the series. And let me tell you why. What Paul is saying is it doesn't matter if I die.

It doesn't matter if I am living. Either way, Christ is at the center of it all. It is all about Jesus. This is the most important of all five of these in my opinion. All five of them are important, but I love this one.

It is all about Jesus. And how do you know if your life is really all about Jesus. Well, let me kind of let's do a little bit of exercise together. Not real exercise, don't worry. , if I were to tell you to fill in this blank, what would you fill in this blank with.

If I said to live is blank, what would you fill in that blank with. Like blank is the life for me. Like would you say money is a really important thing. If I didn't have to ever worry about money again or having a certain amount of vacations each year or man if I was winning in these four areas of my life. Let me ask it a different way.

If I took your name and I put it in here and I said, "Your life is all about blank. " What would you say. Josh's life is all about blank.

Some of you might go to where you're spending your time. Some of you might go to what has your attention. Right now, let me ask it one last way.

What would change about your life if you truly made it all about Jesus. Would your calendar change. Would your bank account change.

Would the way that you talk to your kids or your co-workers or your spouse change. And so this is what it means to to really have Jesus at the center of it all. And let me go after a misconception because when I say it's all about Jesus, what our minds sometimes go to, maybe I should just speak for myself, what my mind goes to is sometimes that extreme part of things where I'm like, "Oh, so I got to now be like a Christian monk, right.

I need to just worship and pray and do all of the things all day every day, right. And we kind of go into that that's what life would be about if it was all about Jesus. And yes, some of that is true, but that's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about making everything in your life all about Jesus. That means when you're doing your finances, you're prayerfully asking, "How can I budget and how can I plan to give to the glory of God. " That means when you're at work, you're asking yourself, "How can my work re represent the work that God has done in me.

" Or when you're at home, you're asking, "How can my words be an encouragement to my family. " And are these things difficult. They can be very difficult.

But all of these things are about him anyways. They're all by him, through him, because of him. And so if life is truly all about Jesus, then we need to make our lives reflections of that.

And we do that because Jesus is better than life. And that is what Paul is is showing here. He's trying to explain here. Look at verse 22.

He goes deeper into this. I love this. So remember, he's just said to live is is Christ and to die is gain.

He says, "If I am to go on living in this body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose. I do not know.

I am torn between the two. If I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far, but it would be more necessary for you that I remain in body. Convinced of this, I know I will remain and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith. Okay, so here is what Paul is saying here. He's saying no matter what in death or in life, okay, whatever one, he kind of paints a picture of both paths.

He says, if I die, it would be good for me because I would be out of these chains and I would be in the glory and splendor of heaven right next to Jesus. He's not saying this in a reckless way, okay. He's just saying, "I long to be with Jesus. " Now, on the other side of things, he's saying, "But if I stay, it's going to be to your benefit because God is going to take my mess and turn it into a message for other people to come to this same end result as me, as this same end place as me in heaven.

" And so what Paul is saying is ultimately I'm going to stay because I want to make heaven full. All right, that is the fourth reason or that is the fourth way that we have a Christ-c centered life is to aim our lives at making heaven full. And why is Paul doing this. Why is Paul saying this is because he wants why is he wanting to stay. Is because he wants more people to to be with him in heaven.

Let me tell you a quick story. When I was preparing to plant this church, one of the things that my wife and I had to do is we had to go through an assessment. It was a four days of 12 straight hours where a huge panel of people would put us through high pressure situations and kind of see how we interact and react with them. And it was a long grueling kind of process.

But at the end of it all, they kind of bring all of the people who are going to be planting in the future into a room to give them just a little bit of a of a message. And this message has always stuck with me and I think it's so relevant to this point. The the speaker says something like, "Hey, the devil isn't threatened by your church growing, by more butts in the seats, by bigger budgets.

He's not threatened by the ministries that you are pulling off. " None of that. You know what he is after is more people bowing their knee to the lordship of Jesus and more people ending their lives in heaven. And so your aim as a church planter, your aim as a church should be the opposite to make heaven full to make to help more people come to the glory and splendor of Jesus.

The the the catchy way that we say it around here. Ready for this one. I love this one. Heaven is the destination, but Jesus is the way. Because that is the real destination that we that I long for all of you to head towards.

That Paul longs for these people to head towards is heaven. And he wants to make sure that Jesus is the way. That everybody knows that Jesus is the way to get there.

And so to make heaven full, you know what that means for you. That means not being ashamed to share your faith. That means speaking the truth in love.

That means speaking in a way where we can make heaven just a little bit more crowded. And don't worry, it's not going to be like a Disneyland kind of crowded where you're like shouldertoshoulder at the Minnesota State Fair. This is a type of crowded where everybody has space and everybody has a home in the father's house.

That is the heaven that we are trying to fill up. And if you're feeling like, man, I don't know if I can do that, I have good news for you because all four of these things, living a Christ-c centered life is difficult. And going back to that kind of Charlie Brown illustration here, if there is a target in front of all of us, I have kind of some bad news for you.

We are all going to miss the target. There is going to be times where we are just not going to hit it. And we need to remember this fifth thing, progress, not perfection. Progress, not perfection.

Look at verse 25 again. Paul says, "Convinced of this, I know I will remain and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that throughout my being with you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound more on account of me. What's really cool about when you pick up this book and start to read Paul's letters, is Paul uses these terms all the time, progress, practice, learn, imitate, which are so comforting to me because what he's saying is you don't have to be perfect. You just have to progress in faith towards Jesus.

And let me tell you, in a world that it seems like sometimes demands so much of my attention and time and perfection, it is such a comfort to me that God just wants my heart and he just wants me to progress towards him to grow as a follower and all I need to do is simply follow Jesus. And that is progress, right. And so let me kind of give you like an ending to this, okay. Because we talked about these five ways, but if you kind of feel like, man, I don't know if I'm living a Christ-c centered life or I don't know what that really looks like. Okay, can you allow me to just be a little bit of like a former youth pastor here for just a second.

Okay, I want to use an illustration. And sometimes illustrations get a bad rep on online, but I want you to kind of picture this target here that I'm going to put on the screen. This target represents a bullseye.

That that bullseye right there represents Jesus. Paul says to live is Christ. So our aim if we are in this place today and we would say that hey Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.

And if you're not there yet, I'm glad you're here, okay. I was in that place, too. But if you would say, "Jesus is my Lord and Savior," then we have this target in front of us, okay.

With this bullseye marked as Jesus. But then each and every one of us, y'all didn't know I was going to pull this out, right. Each and every one of us has a bow. Now, this bow, just like Charlie, this bow represents what God has placed in your hand.

What that means is your spiritual gifts, the way that God has wired you, your personality, the experiences that God has brought you through, even the messy ones, right. And in each season, there is different blessings, different arrows that come into your life. And for some of you, , it's I I'm in a season where I have kids in the home.

Or for some of you, I'm an empty neester and now I'm I'm a grandparent, right. And so the arrow looks a little bit different. For some of you, it's work, ministry, whatever God has placed in your hand. So, what do we do with these things.

We take them and we aim them all towards Christ. I'm not going to shoot this because I can't afford a new screen, but , My point is this. You all wanted to see my archery skills there. I'm not I'm I'm not I'm not Katniss Everdine from Hunger Games.

So, you weren't going to get a good show there. But let me let me just ask it this way. Is your life aimed towards Christ.

Is your life is the ways that God has gifted you. Are the things in your life pointed towards Jesus. And if you are there, and if you are there and you're shooting and sometimes it feels like you're missing, here's the good news. Here's the great news of the gospel for you is that we can miss so much. But God in his goodness sent Jesus to die for us.

So that way when we miss, God has already paid that price, right. And God in his goodness has also give gifted us with this amazing thing, the Holy Spirit. So that way when we do pick this stuff up and start aiming, we have a guide, a helper, the word calls it.

So that way we can aim towards this Christc centered life. So I want to invite you all just to bow your heads and close your eyes just for a second of reflection here. And I want to ask this question again.

Are you aimed towards a Christ centered life. And maybe for some of you you would say, "I'm not sure. I don't know. " Well, your first step today is to simply give your life to Jesus. Because without Jesus, you are aiming at a target that will never satisfy.

You are aiming at something. Whether it be money, popularity, whatever it is, you are aiming at something that will never get you to that place of restoration that Jesus wants you to follow and find. But if you are here and you would say, I believe in Jesus, then here is my charge to you is to bring your bow and bring your arrow and start shooting.

Start shooting everything at your life towards Christ. Stop living in spiritual apathy and start really taking every aspect of your life. All of those things that you are scared about giving to God, whether it be your relationship, your marriage, the things that you're looking at on your phone that you shouldn't be looking at, your finances, wherever it is, take those things and start shooting them at the goodness of God and see how he can transform your life and see how the center of your heart begins to change. It all starts with that.

It all starts with Jesus and then it all starts with us through the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit living lives that are aimed towards Christ at the center of it all. And so I just want to end here as we're just reflecting during this last worship song. I want you to really really reflect on this. This last song that we're going to play is is literally like one of my favorite worship songs right now. I listen to it almost daily because it just it hits me on this emotional level of like everything that I do in my life.

Is it bringing God glory. Is it bringing his goodness and inviting him to be the center of everything and anything that I am or do. And so I pray that you are in that same mode of reflection. But if you're here and and maybe your next step is to give your life to Jesus, I just want to invite you to the the prayer area after service, we'd love to pray with and for you.

But let me just end by praying for all of us. God, I thank you so much for the bows that you have put in our hands, all of the experiences, all of the great things, the kids, the grandkids, all of it. But God, I also thank you for the mess. I thank you that your grace is sufficient for us in that mess.

That we can take that mess and turn it into a message. God, I thank you for the arrows that you've placed in our hands. And I pray that we would be a church full of people that are aimed at you being the center of it all because that is the life.

In Jesus name we pray.