When You’re Down to Nothing, God Is Up To Something
I Kings 17:7-15; 29
Pastor Jonathan T. Phillips, Jr.

Have Faith in God; Trust God even when you can’t trace God.

1. Providence of God
God will provide where he planned for you to be
2. Power of God
Trust when you can’t trace
3. Provision of God
Those things you thought were your end were your beginnings.

Trust what you can’t touch and step where you can’t see.
God makes a way out of no way!

Pastor Jonathan T. Phillips, Jr.

Having Joy in Times of Thanksgiving
Philippians 4:4-7

1. Rejoice in the Lord always
(Find joy in all things)
2. Make your request known unto God
(Through prayer and supplications; God’s response will be of thanksgiving)
3. Learn how to relax
(God has kept us: mind, heart, sanity; God has all things under control)

After These Things
John 20:29-31; 21:1a
Pastor Jonathan T. Phillips, Jr.

We need to believe that:
1. Jesus is the Christ
2. Jesus is the Son of God
3. We have Life through His Name!

Jesus saved us, delivered us, and set us free from the bondage of sin.
Because of what he did, we should be Bold witnesses and be a Living testimony.

Because of the Presence of God, the Provision of God, and the Power of God, we can give God total PRAISE; if He doesn’t do anything else for us, He’s already done enough!

Dr. Jonathan T. Phillips, Jr.

The Love of God –  I Corinthians 13:8-13

1. Love is not puffed up.
– Love is not self-centered but others centered
– Real love is when a person does not speak his/her mind but minds his/her speech
– You will not be arrogant or have a “swelled-head”

2. Love is not easily provoked.
– You will not think evil
– You will put away hurt of the past
– You can remember situations without the pain

3. Love does not rejoice in iniquity.
– Love does not envy
– Love gives because it loves to give
– Love does not say I told you so.

The Love of God is unconditional.

The Love of God is kindness.

Dr. Jonathan T. Phillips, Jr.

“The Characteristics of Mercy” – James 3:17

1. Mercy has the ability to transform relationships
2. Mercy is being patient with someone’s transition
3. Mercy is helping anyone around you who is hurting
4. Mercy is giving people another chance
5. Mercy is doing good to someone who has hurt you
6. Mercy is showing kindness to those who offend you
7. Mercy is valuing relationships over rules

One of my favorite songs of all time is “I Won’t Complain” by Reverend Paul Jones. It says, “All of my good days outweigh my bad day, and I won’t complain.” So many times we wake up in the morning and think about all the things we don’t have. We think it would be great to have a better job or it would be great to have a larger house. I wish I had a new car with all the bells and whistles.

 Instead of complaining about all the things we don’t have, we should take the time to thank God for all the things we have that we don’t even deserve. First of all, God didn’t have to wake us up, but He did. You may not have the job you want, but you have a job that provides resources for you to live. You may not have a house the size you want, but God has provided you with a place to lay your head. You may not have a car with all the latest features, but perhaps God blessed you with a vehicle that has taken you safely from one place to another. We may not have all the things we want, but God has been good to us. He’s been better to us than we deserve. That’s why I enjoy singing, “All of my good days outweigh my bad days, and I won’t complain.” Why? Because God has been good to me! So, let’s serve with a heart of gratitude without complaining because we have been the recipients of many blessings we don’t deserve.

Happy Mother’s Day! In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day a national holiday and a day of “public expression of our love and reverence for all mothers.” I want to express my love and reverence for all of my mothers reading this. Thank you to each of you for all of your kindness, prayers, encouragement, gifts and other acts of motherly love.

 One culture has a saying that “God could not be everywhere at once, so he gave each child a mother.” I hope this is true. I hope each of you have experienced a mother’s love – the love of someone who has cared for you more deeply than you have cared for yourself, someone who has been concerned for your welfare even when you were not, and someone who consistently expected you to be your best and unconditionally loved you when you were not your best. Mothers are a priceless gift and a valuable example of service.  May we all serve someone with a mother’s love.

I found out some news this week about one of my cousins. She learned last December that she had breast cancer. She said it was tough. She lost her hair, and there were days she didn’t want to get out of bed. But she was determined to achieve her goals despite obstacles, and she did. She received her Master’s degree this week.

 She praised God for her testimony. She said she knew God chose her to go through that because He knew she would press her way through. What a great trial my cousin went through, and what an admirable perspective she had as she endured the trial.

Her story is an example and hopefully, inspiration for all of us servants. We will certainly go through great trials as we serve God. I hope we can maintain the perspective that God is bigger than whatever we go through and that if He’s taking us through it he knows we can handle it. Press on, servants!

My wife and I took our children to see the Cinderella movie. It was very enjoyable to watch. Of course, Disney typically does a great job of making stories feel magical. In Cinderella, Disney also did a nice job of teaching a lesson about service.

In the familiar story, Cinderella finds herself parent less and living with her stepmother and two stepsisters. Cinderella’s stepmother forces her to serve her stepmother and two stepsisters, and Cinderella does so with a grace that would benefit us all to see. Cinderella was able to do this because she followed her mother’s advice: always have courage and be kind. So she did. She always had courage and showed kindness. And in the course of doing those two things she met the prince, they fell in love and lived happily ever after.

Cinderella’s story offers a great illustration of serving. She served people with kindness who showed no kindness to her. Despite unkind circumstances, she didn’t lose her courage or boldness. Can we be so steadfast and focused and disciplined? Sure we can. Believing Romans 8:28 and that God is arranging our happily ever after in exchange for our loving, kind, courageous service is not a fairy tale; it’s God’s word. Happy serving!

This afternoon we will celebrate a great milestone in a minister’s life – the ordination of Mollie Smith. I remember when I came to United. From our first meeting I have known her to be a prayer warrior, a humble follower of Christ, and a faithful servant and member. Her ordination is a fruit of development, training and the acceptance of more responsibility. These are three things we all must strive for, whether a formal ministry status, such as being ordained, is involved or not.

 In my almost five years I have seen a number of people develop and undergo training and accept more responsibility. Know that I am so proud of the work we have done together to develop ourselves and the work that I have seen some put into your individual development. Thank you for that investment. Thank you for attending Wednesday studies and Sunday School and church conferences and retreats and studying on your own. As we develop and progress as servants, we are built up individually and collectively, which means the church is stronger, and God’s kingdom is advanced. Praise the Lord for you and your work!