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THE SECRET

Joy for the Journey, Part 10

Philippians 4:10-20

Brent James

June 29, 2008

Next week we’ll begin a new series entitled “Close Encounters of a Holy Kind,” and I’m quite excited about it.  The series will be focusing on people in the Bible who have visceral experiences of God – the scrabble word for it is theophanies – Moses and the burning bush, Job and his experience of God, Abraham and his bartering with God.  I’m excited about the ways in which it will reveal God to us, and you’re not going to want to miss a sermon!  But today we come to the end of our series on this little chestnut called Philippians.  Isn’t it amazing how a little letter like Philippians, in my Bible it takes up a little less than four pages, is potent enough to give us 10 weeks of meat to chew on, of instruction to take to heart, of lessons to live life God’s way.  But you know, maybe we’ve missed the boat; for example today’s sermon has to do with the secret of life, the secret of how to handle material possessions, of handling life’s ups and downs. 

The Bible, of course, is just one of many books with instruction on that area, and I decided, hey, let’s do something different – let’s go into some uncharted territory and rather than start with the Bible text; let’s go to the goddess of American Pop-Culture, Oprah Winphrey.  In the past, I’ve watched Oprah, I’ve watched women lose their composure, cry tears of joy and shout, “Hallelujah!” when finding out they’ve got into Oprah’s Favorite Things show, an annual Oprah Show tradition where each member of the audience gets a collection of Oprah’s favorite things.  Usually audience members leave with between 10-15 thousand dollars worth of merchandise; it’s the closest thing you can come to an All-American Religious Experience.  Oprah herself last year made $275 million dollars 1 – that’s about $760,000 a day – so I’m thinking Oprah must know something about the secret.  And what do you know, a couple of weeks ago, while I was preparing for this message she dedicated a full show to people who had changed their lives when they had learned The Secret.  My ears perked up, and I found out that she was basically plugging a book, this book, the Secret by Rhonda Byrne.  So I went down to the library and checked out my copy; the back of the book promised that “as I learned the secret, I would come to know how I can have, be or do anything I wanted.”  And I thought, “Wow, you mean if I learned the secret, I could become like God, I could become my own god?”  But before I could delve too deeply into my Adam and Eve/forbidden fruit analogy, I realized I had a secret to learn, and learned it, I did, and boy was it a doozy. 

Are you ready?  The great secret of life (according to Ms. Byrne) is the law of attraction.  Like attracts like, so when you think a thought you are also attracting like thoughts to you. 2  I learned that thoughts are magnetic; they have a frequency, and as I think thoughts, they’re sent out into the universe and they attract like things on the same frequency.  I learned that I’m a human transmission tower sending out magnetic frequencies into universe.  O.K. that’s kind of creepy and weird, and to go on I quote from the book “Like Aladdin’s Genie, the laws of attraction grant our every command.  It takes no time for the Universe to manifest what you want.  It is as easy to manifest one dollar as it is to manifest one million dollars. 3  Wow, deep, cosmic.  That’s the Secret? The secret is I’ve been thinking negative thoughts, and if I just think positive thoughts, positive things will come to me, if I just think a billion dollars, a billion dollars, a billion dollars – that a billion dollars will come to me.  That’s the secret!?  Come on, give me a break!  I’ve got to tell you, my favorite paragraph in this book came on page 65, “People are always amazed at how I line up parking spaces.  I’ve done this right from when I first understood the Secret.  I would visualize a parking space exactly where I wanted it, and 95 percent of the time it would be there for me and I would pull right in.”  People, the problem at Lake Grove Presbyterian Church is not the size of our parking lot, it’s just that you people aren’t visualizing the parking spaces.

Let’s just say I came away from the church of Oprah feeling wanting.  The Secret – by the way, a book which has sold about 4 million copies – seems to perpetuate our national zeitgeist, the spirit of our time, perhaps best conveyed by a quote from another of our own pop-culture goddesses and might I add, poet laureate, Britney Spears, a quote which I was going to print on the front cover of your bulletin, but decided that I’d rather not deal with the e-mails (hey, I’m learning!).  Here’s Ms. Spears at her poetic best… gimme gimme more, gimme more, gimme gimme more, gimme gimme more gimme more, gimme gimme more, and then it repeats! 4 Well you get the point.  Gimme more – an insatiable need for more – more consumption, more money, more credit, bigger houses, faster cars, more lavish lifestyles, more, more, more.  And Rhonda Byrne’s secret, is a so-called turnkey solution to getting more, to getting anything you want.  And that, my friend, just doesn’t ring true to my ears, because more won’t make you happy.

The interesting thing is that that is quite a different secret than the one that the Apostle Paul gives to the Philippians. Oh yes, the Apostle Paul also lays claim to having access to the secret of life; let’s listen to him as he describes it.  On the front cover of your bulletin you have the NRSV version (Philippians 4:10-23), but I wanted to read you Gerald Hawthorne’s translation.  Hawthorne is the Professor of Greek Emeritus at Wheaton College, and in my opinion his translation does a superb job of rendering the Greek text in English: 10O yes, and I rejoice in the Lord greatly because now at last you caused your thoughtful care of me to blossom once again. Indeed, you have always cared about me, but you have not always had the opportunity to show it. 11I am not saying this because of any need I had. For I have learned to be self-sufficient in every situation in which I find myself. 12Hence I know how to be humbled and I know how to abound. In every and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of having more than enough and of having too little. 13I have the power to face all such situations in union with the One who continually infuses me with strength. 5

Paul pauses at the end of his tome to write what seems to be one of the main purposes of his letter.  The Philippians had sent him a financial gift, and he is writing back to say thank you.  It’s almost as though Paul loses track, after sharing a hymn, giving them a report on Epaphroditus, and condemning those mutilators of the flesh; it’s as though Paul says to himself, oh yeah, by the way, thanks for the gift.  And at first Paul gushes.  He uses this very romantic, almost love letter language; he not only rejoices in the Philippians’ thoughtful concern, but he greatly rejoices that “your concern for me has blossomed anew.”  You can almost hear echoes of Sally Field’s infamous Oscar acceptance, “You really, really like me.”

But then, in an instant, in verse 11 he switches tone, as if to say, “but make no mistake, this is not about me being in need.”  Paul wants to make clear that his joy isn’t that the Philippians have saved the day or that they’ve saved his skin, for Paul has learned to be self-sufficient (the NRSV content).  So quickly he changes from blossomed anew to gifts? We don’t need no stinking gifts! You can hear Paul bellow, “I’ve been in plenty, and I’ve been in want, in anything and in everything I have learned the secret.” And Paul uses a very interesting word, μυ?ομαι (mu-eh-o-mai) – literally to be initiated into the mysteries.  It’s the only time the word is used in the New Testament, but the word had a cultic meaning; much like the way in which Rhonda Byrnes promises her readers access into the mystical, universal secrets of success, Paul’s world was also filled with mystery religions who would share “the secrets of the universe” with you, but you had to be mueow, you had to be initiated, you had to learn the secret.  Paul writes, “I have been initiated into the secret, I have learned the secret of being sufficient whether being well fed, or hungry, whether with plenty or with want,” and you can almost feel the entire Philippian community leaning in, straining to hear the secret, the mystery, and here it is:  I can do all things through Him, through Christ who strengthens me.  Paul says the secret of the life – the secret of navigating this material world with all its pleasures and pains – is found in a bedrock relationship with Jesus Christ, who strengthens him to do all things or go through all things.

But lest you think Paul is extolling some sort of pithy, positive, prosperity saying, consider His setting.  Paul is in prison; he is in chains.  Paul is on death-row.  I wonder how Paul’s book would sell:  The Secret, by Paul of Tarsus… Learn the secret key to life from death row inmate Paul of Tarsus who has discovered the true key to success in life.  Paul is not saying, believe it and be it; this is no turn-key solution for material success.  Paul is saying to these Philippian Christians and to you and me, “Though I am in prison, though I am in chains, I have learned to be sufficient, but not sufficient in myself, rather I have learned to find my sufficiency in Christ.  The secret is not getting more, the plenty in itself will not satisfy.  The secret, Paul says, is to find your root, to anchor your life in the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  It seems that Paul had learned what many of us still struggle with.

In fact, on June 1, of this year, the New York Times ran an article entitled “It’s Not So Easy Being Rich,” which was basically an interview piece with this tiny niche market of service personnel, people who service those individuals whose net worth starts at $5 million and goes upwards to $1 billion.  One service person quoted in the story was Nancy Chemtob, a divorce lawyer.  The article stated that one of her clients recently confessed that his net worth had decreased to $8 million from more than $20 million, and he thinks that his wife will leave him.  He has hidden their fall in income by taking on debt to pay for her extravagant clothes and vacations.  Chemtob said, “I literally had to sit there and tell him that he had to tell his wife that she had to stop spending; he was actually scared that she would leave him because their financial situation had changed so drastically.” It reminds me of something Henny Youngmen once said:  “Someone stole all my credit cards, but I won’t be reporting it.  The thief spends less than my wife did.” 6 But can you believe that!?  You have this belief that somewhere, at some level, at some financial plane that you would achieve a modicum of peace or security.  Let me remind you, he still had a net worth of $8 million dollars.  The article goes on to state, these folks “are living in shame because their net worth has collapsed from nine figures to eight figures, and because of that they fear their kids wont get into the right birthday parties; they fear that their business associates and friends will avoid them at lunchtimes” 7 because they’re now only worth $8 million dollars. I don’t know about you, but somehow, gimme, gimme more doesn’t sound as attractive.  As the old Yiddish proverb goes, “With money in your pocket, you are wise and you are handsome and you sing well too,” 8 but God help you when your pockets are empty.  Money is a powerful tool, it has the potential to do a great deal of good, but money and more are not the answers to the secret of life.

I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of having more than enough and of having too little. 13I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, which is to say, I have the power to face all such situations in union with the One ??who continually infuses me with strength. It’s a simple thing.  You know when you teach second grade Sunday School, and the kids are just dying to answer the question, “uuuh, uuuh, Jesus?”  Well in this case, yes, the answer is, Jesus.  The secret to life, the secret to contentment, the secret to sufficiency, is Jesus Christ.  It is the same Jesus Christ who empowered Paul to be able to say, “thanks for the financial gift, I am so grateful that your thoughtful care has blossomed anew, but I have been paid in full, I am fully satisfied, I have more than enough,” while he is sitting on death row.  It’s a simple thing; it is this same Jesus Christ who somehow filled the early Christian martyrs with His Spirit to sing songs of praise while they were literally being set on fire, being burned to death for their faith in Jesus Christ.  It is a simple thing; this same Jesus Christ can bring such overwhelming and potent joy to the Zambians or the Senegalese who according to our world have nothing, who face tragedy on a regular basis, and yet are so very rich in life.  It’s a simple thing, this same Jesus Christ who stands in this room, right now at this very minute crying out to your soul, “Come unto me, all you who are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest; take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly at heart, and you will find rest to your souls.”  It’s a simple thing, and yet it is the secret of life.  It is the secret to contentment in the good times and in the bad, in the years of plenty and in the years of want, to find your purpose, your life, to find the fulfillment of your desires in Jesus Christ, the very lover of your soul.

It is a simple thing, but let me tell you it is not an easy thing.  I would be an utter hypocrite if I stood up here telling you that I have mastered this secret.  Praising God and living my life for God while the good times roll, that’s pretty easy.  But serving and loving, and finding sufficiency in Christ in the bad times, that’s a different thing, that’s black-belt Christianity that separates the men from the boys and the divas from the wannabes.  But that is also maturity, and that is the journey we are called to.  It wasn’t something Paul was born with – it wasn’t something that came automatically with becoming a Christian – it was something he learned, it was a secret he was initiated into, it was a process of discovery, and that, my friends brings me hope.  I don’t have to have it all together; struggling and growing and learning is a part of the process.

Maybe you’re here today and for a long time you’ve been struggling to find contentment, or sufficiency through Rhonda Byrnes method; you’ve thought to yourself, “you know if I could just get the Universe to manifest what I want, if I could just get a little bit more, if I was just a bit more secure then, THEN I’d be happy, I’d be content, I’d be sufficient.”   Perhaps, this morning you might consider adjusting your focus and rather than trying to find sufficiency in more, you might take the first steps in finding true contentment in a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Perhaps this morning for the first time you might say, “Lord take these burdens; take the emptiness of my life and fill it with your love.  I want to know what it means to find my sufficiency in you.  I’m tired of the endless search for more.  I want a relationship; I want a friendship with you.”

Maybe you’re here today, and you’ve been a Christian for a long time, but the years of plenty seem far, far away, and you find yourself in bondage or in hunger, perhaps in a financial collapse, or to a body racked with disease, and your saying, “whoa Jesus, this is not what I signed up for; Jesus, what is going on?”  Take comfort once again in the Word of God, I have the power to face all such situations in union with the One ??who continually infuses me with strength, I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.

(9:30; 11:00) It’s a simple thing my friends, this secret of life and the initiation into it begins with the last verse of our second hymn, “Plenteous grace with Thee is found, Grace to cover all my sins, Let the healing streams abound; Make and keep me pure within. Thou of life the fountain art. Freely let me take of Thee; Spring Thou up within my heart, Rise to all eternity.  May you freely take from that fountain of life, and may you continually be empowered and strengthened in all things.

(8:00 A.M.) It’s a simple thing my friends, this secret of life and the initiation into it begins with last verse of a song Kris Hilgaertner will sing in a couple of seconds, No guilt in life, no fear in death—This is the pow'r of Christ in me; From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand; Till He returns or calls me home—Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.  May you know that power, and may it continually empower you and strengthen you in every and in all circumstances.

1. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/53/celebrities08_Oprah-Winfrey_O0ZT.html (6/27/3008).
2. Byrne, Rhonda, The Secret (New York, Atria Books, 2006) pg. 25.
3. Byrne, pg. 68.
4. Gimme More, Songwriters: Washington, James; Hilson, Keri; Africa, Marcella; Hills, Nate; from the album Blackout. ©2007 WBM Music Corp; Danjahandz Muzik.
5. Martin, R. P. (2004). Vol. 43: Word Biblical Commentary : Philippians. Word Biblical Commentary (257). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.
6. Aronson, BC. Secrets to Happiness. New York: Gramercy, 2008. pg 133.
7. Haughney, Christine “It’s Not So Easy Being Rich.”  New York Times, June 1, 2008.
8. Aronson, pg 133.