Upside-Down Living | The Lord's Plan for Fulfillment

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When you subscribe to pastor Greg daily. Divas learn more and sign up@harvest.org today pastor Greg Laurie Weigel, a Christian perspective differs from the attitude of our culture. Everything is always about so psychology says searcher so surrealism says please or so capable of leaving yourself superior promote yourself Jesus Christ says so humble yourself and look out for number every man for himself will only use above all blindfolds shall be true as a result, the world's only unfulfilled school looking for something they never seem to find pastor Greg Laurie point shuffleboard doesn't come from focusing on our own comes from focusing on what we can do good encouragement right everybody loved Rob Bible are happy.

This series were in Philippians chapter 2 again that Philippians chapter 2 in the title of my messages up side down living. Let me start with the question what someone is a photo that they shot a group shot.

You happen to be in the photo and they show it to you. Who do you look for first.

Now be honest, don't while you're in church. Who do you look for first while in most cases, you look for yourself right. That's just the way were sort of wire any one of the most popular kind of photography today will, of course, is the Sophie everybody's taken Sophie's everywhere.

I people come up to me the keys and the say can I take a soapy with you and I'll usually say yes these are usually complete strangers then they come up to me and then they like because I have to be in the shop with them. They grabbed me, put their face up next to my face holding you know their phone not like like this you wait. When I was seven and I might trust up against the complete stranger same make this and quickly but so please sir are so popular right now but some people you probably heard about this are literally dying to take Sophie's did you know that the last two months, 73 deaths were directly linked to people taking Sophie's in dangerous places, like on the train track. Why do people take so please on a train track and also very high places. But really this sort of sums up something a what what is it what were living. One might call a selfie culture or to put it another way, were living in a selfish culture. So why do we bring all of the stuff well were looking at the book of Philippians together and as I pointed out earlier, the theme of this book is happiness not to go to the culture and say how can they be happy person.

The answer would in so many words, be be selfish person focus on yourself, love yourself. Think about yourself esteem yourself it's all about self and the Bible gives a difference. Answer the Bible and affect a loosely paraphrased tells us if we want to be happy we should not be selfish but rather it tells us if we want to be happy. We need to be self less, that certainly bubbles up here in Philippians chapter 2 Jesus said it is more blessed or happy to give then it is to oversee what we think know it's more happy to Stop, then it is to give sub know the opposite is the case, according to Jesus, and the rest of the Bible true fulfillment does not come by putting our needs first, but it comes by putting the needs of others first and that's why I've called this message upside down living because that flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Today, so it's about others putting others first.

But this isn't so easy is it because while there are people that just irritate us or we don't like to be around them, and sometimes that's our husband or wife, or parents or our kids or coworkers or people were around a lot and then we see these people are so irritating. Newsflash did it ever occur to you that you are an irritating person to someone else. I guarantee it's true.

I'm sure I'm an irritating person to quite a few people and so that's something we need to understand that you know there are people that were not going to necessarily be strong to but at the same time we are to love them, especially if they're in the church because we are all part of the family of God. So here is what the apostle Paul is saying here in Philippians. He's saying you need a new paradigm. You need a new way of thinking and here it is.

Let's read about it. Philippians chapter 2 starting in verse one Paul writes therefore there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy fulfill my joy that you be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in the lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Each of you look out not only for his own interests, but for the interests of others. There are the words of Paul from a modern translation same verse don't push her way to the front. Don't sweettalk your weight of the top put yourself aside and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand kidding me. If you live this way it'll change everything about your life. You see that because the culture does not say this and if we go back.

Historically this is not what we learn from, even civilizations. I mean if you look at all the great kingdoms of the world that have come and gone.

Everything is always about self Greece effectively said be wise.

No yourself. Roma said be strong. Discipline yourself Epicureanism, which is the pursuit of pleasure says be sensuous. Enjoy yourself. Education says be resourceful. Educate your self psychology says be confident search yourself. Materialism says be possessive. Please yourself.

Humanism says be capable believe in yourself.

Pride says be superior promote yourself. Jesus Christ says be unselfish, humble yourself, humble myself.

That seems like a recipe for disaster in the world today. In fact, when we think of humility and meekness.

We don't think of those as birches we think of those as deficiency but yet did not Jesus say Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth, and Christ said of himself. I am meek and lowly in heart, so come on to me, but you need to understand there's a big difference between weakness and meekness, let's say that somebody hit you in the face and you don't get them back.

The reason you don't hit him back is because your week and you're afraid let's say that you're trained in mixed martial arts and and you're quite a street fighter and somebody kicked you in the face and you don't get them back. That's not weakness that's meekness see meekness is power under constraint when someone gets on the back of a stallion and rides it at full speed, and then pulled back on the reigns and the horse stopped the horses being meek it submitting himself to the will of the writer. It has the strength to go on, but it submits so when I'm being meek.

It doesn't mean I'm weak, it means that I'm submitting myself to God and that is how I am to live as a believer in God is saying you want real happiness in genuine success, then put Jesus first and others second think there's a simple acronym you can use the summit up JOYJ is for Jesus always for others. Why is for yourself. You want to live a happy life you want to live a joyful life. Jesus others yourself curate is simplified following Jesus loving others following Jesus and loving others wanted Jesus say he said if you love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, in your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. You fulfill all of the commitments. Each is so simple that we would focus on that. But a lot of times were not focusing on that were not putting Jesus first were putting ourselves first and as a result, we find ourselves depressed in a moment. Pastor Greg, it's very practical and gives her some steps to keep from falling into the blues stay with us whenever you send us a letter and email or post a comment on social media.

We read every word. Pastor Greg-encouraged by your teaching your podcasts Sunday services online study and everything else I can get my hands on.

Peace can only come from God. I found a great church home for myself and had been attending Italy for the past six weeks. Today I find that part of the things I've been learning what is truly blessed me is seeing God change my client has never sent so many tears. Actually everything is God doing all around me ministry and teachings have been an artifact that thankful and want to listen God's richest blessings. How have these daily studies minister to you and your family. Would you let us know tell us your story by calling 1-866-871-1144 again, 866-871-1144. Will Pastor Greg is offering a message from his happiness series today called upside down, living, let's continue now listen, if you find yourself out of the doldrums as a Christian. If you find yourself depressed. I have a 10 step solution to depression. So if you're taking notes right this down 10 steps to get rid of your depression. Are you ready step number one do something for someone who is greater needs, then you do something for someone with greater needs. Then you go to a convalescent home and visit someone who's staying there. Go to skid row on one of our missions and reach out the people that are literally living on the street go to someone with any go to someone who has a greater need than you that step number one to your step number two. Repeat step number 19 more times, I'm not dismissing clinical depression. I know that could be very real, but I'm just talking about that general kind of depression we can find ourselves in the frankly is sometimes a result of just being selfish and instead of being selfish.

Try being self less. In other words, stop thinking so much about yourself right so let's identify some key points here from Philippians chapter 2 if you're taking notes right this down. Never let selfishness or can see the Airmotive again. Never let selfishness or conceit be Airmotive again. Verse three let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit is a new living translation puts it, don't be selfish. Don't live to make a good impression on others.

So first I start was supplemented justly before anything also said Paul sorted drills down on this because the love of self is probably at the root of maybe all of my problems, but if not all certainly most of them because we want our own way.

James puts it this way in James four wanted to what you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from. You think they just happen. Think again they come about because you want your own way and you fight for it. Deep inside you want to run away and by the way this goes way, way back to our earliest days as a kid.

My granddaughter Stella.

I was a very little girl I remember I took her to a toy store once and then little dollhouse set up on a small table a low to the ground that the kids could access so you know that house and little bits of furniture and dolls and such, and she went over and started organizing it didn't and putting the little figures in the chairs offended so cute girls are so you know they love to do things like that and I'm just watching in amazement.

And I'm thinking that thought to myself.

Girls are so good. They're just so good looking or with a little dollhouse and suddenly a man comes walking in with a little boy about the age of Stella and I'm not making this up. This boy was on a leash. He had something of a harness around the boy and this boy is lunging dollhouse. He wants it destroyed and the man is fully family, something he pulled at least harder. What boys are bad girls well.

Couple days later we were without Stalin and her parents and some folks came over and they had their little child with the Maxi was more of a little toddler baby so little younger than Stella and the little baby reached up on the little table to grab some toy and Stella took the babies then pushed it away.

Girls are bad to the world that were bad to the bone were sinners and were selfish.

I mean think of all the problems we have in our culture today think of immorality as an example why do people have sex before marriage, selfishness. Why do they commit adultery against selfishness. Why do most marriages fall apart if I did pick one word to sum it up, so persist. Oh yeah, we could talk about communication breakdown, we could talk about financial disagreements but really if you get to the bottom like it selfish. This I want that person to do it.

I want them to do. We walk with that person. First we want to put ourselves first talking about immorality. Look at all the unwanted pregnancies today and what to so many do they go and get an abortion. What's more selfish than that since the passing of Roe V Wade in the early 70s.

Listen to this, 58 million babies have been aborted. Let me put it more clearly. 58 billion unborn children have been murdered and the woman. To me this is a travesty.

Why well the babies a burden or inconvenience to the mother.

So what about when the mother's life is in danger, but now they become so liberal in the interpretation of that if the mother even says well I just felt a lot of stress from the baby.

All of them you're in some kind of danger.

So will just go ahead and aborted by the way, more than 40% of women admit to having an abortion before, so a lot of these women that are getting these abortions have done it before. And the sad thing is, this is not only as is permitted in our culture today, but it's even encouraged to know why, but I had an issue of teen Vogue sent to my house the other day. It's probably because I stopping my subscription. No really, I never signed up for teen Vogue, but it shows up in our house. I'm flipping through this little magazine design for teenagers and one headline caught my eye in the headline said what to get a friend post abortion. I'm thinking what kind of a magazine. Is this and so this is basically an article about what to do if one of your teenage friends is gotten an abortion.

They suggest that you watch the comedy. All I want to do.

Get the person a girl power hat to deal with the postabortion physical discomfort, and emotional walls. The team Vogue offer discount so she should not have to feel ashamed because she made the right choice for her situation and if she's not ready to carry a pregnancy to term and that's okay. Teen Vogue councils and then the article argues, she will need a ride and she will need a hug and she will need you not because the act itself is so terrible, but because the world can be quote the quote the British. That's just rubbish. Are you kidding me.

You know what, here's the reality going back to verse I quoted James for lectured cheers for the wrong things you've done be shed, let there be sorrow and deep grief.

Let there be sadness instead of laughter. You should feel bad and if you've ever committed the sin asked God to forgive you if you know a girl who is pregnant by all means, encourage her to carry the baby to term. She does not want to raise the baby has around are many families standing in line more than willing to adopt that child, but it selfishness, selfishness is at the root of so many problems were all about me or Greg Laurie pointing out how the pathway to happiness is not paved with selfishness, but selflessness, good insight and there's more to come as this study continues here on a new beginning including an additional comment from Pastor Greg before we go for the day. We hope you're enjoying the series called happiness. If you are draw Pastor Greg an email at greg@harvest.org and then let me take just a moment and read something a listener recently wrote us and said hello Pastor Greg, I'm 16 years old from the United Kingdom.

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Proverbs 1125 says those that refresh others will be refresh themselves as you give out God will get back to you. Even actress Angelina Jolie figured this out. She made these statements in an interview and I quote I went through a depression. When I was first famous because she says what was I famous for. I didn't do anything great and I didn't discover anything wonderful within she writes what I'm in a refugee camp. My spirit feels better there than anywhere else in the world because I'm surrounded by such truth and family and I feel connected just being a human being because I'm willing to spend the day in the dirt.

Maybe it was important for me to know that that's better than having an Oscar for insightful very true new beginning for podcasts made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God if this show has impacted your life. Share your story, leave a review on your favorite podcasts and help others find help