Scripture Reading: Philippians 1:3
3 I thank my God every time I remember you,
Sermon Title: "THE REAL OPTIMIST CLUB" 
Sunday, April 19, 2009 
PASTOR HUDSON: It is extremely difficult sometimes for even the
most positive, optimistic people among us to maintain
a forward looking view of life. I was reminded of
this when I realized we were coming up on the
anniversary of one of the most painful and difficult
events probably any of us have ever had to live
through, the bombing of the Murrah building.
There is no shortage of negative stories,
hurtful, painful experiences. It is all around us.
Little wonder over the years there have been
individuals who have a bleak outlook on life. Some
find themselves saying, well, just live life for today
the very best you can.
The title I've chosen today comes from a
particular text in which I think we see the real
optimist coming forth in the life of the Apostle Paul.
I'd like for us to think about how this text might
help us think about life in general, the hopes and
dreams for the future, the possibilities for tomorrow
and the way we may anticipate everything turning out.
The Book of Philippians was written at a time in
Paul's life when he was incarcerated. We know from
history Paul was in prison a number of times, and
eventually lost his life on behalf of his witness in
Christ.
We've all heard of the Optimist Club. During
Paul's incarceration, he shares a powerful image of
optimism that has led me to describe what Paul is
talking about as being the real optimist club, persons
who have plugged into the real hope that is found in
Jesus Christ. Listen to this passage from the first
chapter of the letter to the Philippians in Verse 3:
I thank my God every time I remember you in all of my
prayers. For all of you I always pray with joy
because of your partnership in the gospel. From the
very first day until now, and I am confident of this,
that he who began a good work in you will carry it on
even to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Now this passage must be one of the most
optimistic statements anybody has ever penned. Here's
why. The very fact that Paul, who is in prison and very
possibly facing an ultimate penalty for his faith,
could sit down and still write with confidence about
the power of the gospel in a person's life is amazing.
Paul's confidence came from a past encounter with
God that was so dramatic and so powerful it shaped
every subsequent thing in his life. Paul put it this
way on one occasion when he said “I have counted
everything related to this life whether it's good or
bad, whether it was potential or an actuality, I have
counted it all as a loss because I have found
something much greater and richer.”
Jesus describes a person who finds the Kingdom of
God as one who could be likened to an individual that
discovers something so precious in a field they are
willing to liquidate everything in order to possess
that field. Can you imagine something about the
nature of your relationship with God in Christ that
would be so powerful that every single thing in your
life would be optional in comparison to it?
There is a second element. Sometimes we feel
like, wow, I am not who I want to be in Christ, I just
haven't stepped up. We need to remember Paul
understands the work of God is not our work. It is a
divine work of grace in our life and God has
determined He will not only begin that work, but will
complete it. Now that's encouraging when you feel
like everything is out of control. The real
optimistic individual is the individual who can see
not only the possibilities for life, but can also see
possibilities for themselves and for others.
Just a few days ago I had a conversation with one
of my brothers in the Lord in which we were talking
about the difference between the head knowledge we
have of God's presence working in our lives and our
world and the heart knowledge we have of that same
work. It is my opinion the most significant dimension
of that knowledge is not the head part, but the heart
part. It's the fact deep within our hearts and lives
the experience of Jesus Christ is so powerful for us
in the face of all the evidence to the contrary we can
still say I know it's going to be okay.
That's what Paul was dealing with, it's what
every Christian who has overcome the challenges of
life has dealt with. It creates statements like,
nothing can separate us from the love of God. It's
similar to what we experienced several years ago when
our world was literally torn apart by a devastating
explosion. So when we're tempted to imagine
everything has just absolutely gone wrong, please
remember it's not us. The message is God has begun
this work and God will be faithful to complete it.
The good news is there will be that time when
we'll all stand, as it were, on the platform, and
we'll hear our name called and there will be that
diploma, so to speak, that says we've completed the
course. We will find God brought us down the road of
salvation and it's far better than we ever imagined.
That's the true optimist club, knowing that in the
Lord all things really do work for good.
In the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy
Spirit, Amen.