Joy in the Storms
Jim Clements · Tidal Church Moncton · October 4, 2026 · Joy Anyway series
Jim Clements teaches from Philippians 1, where Paul rejoices in prison. Whether in life or death, following Jesus is a win-win, so we can face suffering with joy, trust God with the outcome, and serve as fruitful laborers wherever He has placed us.
More from Jim Clements · The Joy Anyway series
Topics: Joy, Purpose, Suffering
Transcript
[0:00] This is where I wanted to start with you, to see all these envelopes being put up from where you have chosen to be vulnerable. These children have sent now their first letters to you, and today, we as a church have said that we choose to be vulnerable when it comes to these children. They suffer a lot, just like we learned about last week in Philippians about Paul and his suffering. And today we're going to continue along those same lines with that suffering. But it can't be without just showing you those envelopes to start with, because as a church, we make a difference. We not only make a difference in our community or in our region, we make a difference globally, because that's the kingdom impact that God calls us to. And so we think about 105 children. That's multiplied out four times by that child.
[0:48] It impacts their family, it impacts their community, it impacts their schools, and you have made that difference. And we'll continue to make that difference all through our communities here. But you need to know that as they suffered, you stepped in. You stepped in to be the hands, the feet of Jesus, to represent fruitful labor that you are doing to make a difference. So let's continue on our series with Philippians as we learn about Paul. It's amazing to think about what Paul went through locked in prison, the gates shut and the chains on his wrist, but he's also been convicted.
[1:35] He's been charged with a crime that, as we later find out, has a more horrific ending to it. And as he sits in this prison, things just escalate. He thinks about execution. He thinks about the opposition, the active opposition to what he shares. His body has just got to be decaying and falling apart while he's in there. Suffering. Much like the children we just chose to be chosen, that you'll be revealed after. But you stepped in because that's what we do even in times of suffering. We step in to be Jesus, to show people the way.
[2:23] In Philippians 1:18 it says, "But what does it matter? The important thing is that every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, I will continue to rejoice." See, Paul's change in his conclusion of how he's going to live his life doesn't change just because of his circumstances. This is what he's called to. This is what he's called to be, his fruitful labor. He's called to represent Christ in his life even when things aren't going well. "Yes, and I will continue to rejoice." Paul remains in a community. He trusted others, and he's trusting God with the situation that God will have the very best for him in the outcomes.
[3:08] See, it's just our job to be obedient, and God handles the outcomes, as you recall I said previously. Verse 19 says, "For I know that through your prayers and God's provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance." Where would we be ourselves if we were in a situation like that? If we found ourselves in a spot that was just so difficult, would the Christ that we say is in us, if we have already accepted Him as Lord and Savior, would that display in that moment? What would it be like if you got a death sentence, like Paul? What would happen today if you got a death sentence? How would you represent the Christ that you serve or the Christ that you're yet to know in those moments? It was many years ago.
[4:02] My mom, she was 47 years old, and they thought that she had gastrointestinal intestinalis. And then they found out very shortly after that she had cancer at 47. And they told her, "You have three months to live." That's a death sentence. She asked us and she said, "Now whatever happens when I die," you know my mom, "don't wear black at my funeral because it's a celebration." It's a celebration. And I said to her, I said, "Mom, what's the one thing through all of this that you would want people to know?" And she said, "If one person comes to Christ as a result of my suffering, then it's all been worth it."
[4:53] In our suffering, we still need to represent Christ in those moments. Her three-month sentence turned into three years that she lasted. But every time that she had the chance, she shared the gospel of Jesus Christ. When she was in getting her treatments, whoever was sitting next to her, whoever was taking care of her. She continued to work and to share that at work. She continued to volunteer at our youth program. Not letting her suffering define who she is, but trusting the God that she serves to have the outcome in hand. See, culturally, we're obsessed with self-actualization and physical wellness, comfort, and independence. That's what we focus on as a human race.
[5:39] In the earthly life, they would tell you that everything that you're experiencing right now, everything that you have is the cake. Now, I love cake. I won't tell you what kind of cake, because last time I did that, I got more cake than I should have. But I love cake. But the world wants you to think that this is your whole cake, and that when you die and you go to heaven, that's the icing. That's the icing on your cake. Well, I'm here to tell you without mistake, hear this, heaven is the whole cake. It's the cake, it's the icing, it's the sprinkles, it's whatever you want to put on top of it. It's the whole cake when you go to heaven.
[6:27] Because we think that it's a tragedy when death comes. We think it interrupts our plans that we have for our life, the cake that we're trying to create, the life that we're... self-actualization, the popularity. We think we're creating our own cake, and so it's a tragedy to have to suffer or to be given a death sentence with a disease. But the ultimate gift is eternity with our Lord and Savior. My mom picked songs that were upbeat that she wanted, and she made sure, she said, "Now, don't you ever pray or ever wish that I was back here." She said, "Because I worked my whole life to get to where I'm going." Amen. That's what we're doing.
[7:18] Heaven is the eternity. It's not a tragedy. It's a great gift that's given to us who accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and live our life out every day to that moment that comes. Sometimes we look at suffering as pointless, and it costs us so much. And those in our society within powers of authority to make decision make decisions for us. See, because somewhere along the line, we begin to define life as it had to be comfortable, it had to be manageable. It couldn't have suffering, and it couldn't have hurt in it. And oh, by the way, we've created, I'm just not being political, just saying for what it is, MAID.
[8:07] So somewhere someone's made a choice for us that if you don't like what life's doing or you don't like the little bit of suffering you got to go through, or you don't like the little bit of hardship, or you don't want to navigate through this ugly path, and you don't want to... It's because Christ is missing, because God is with him, and he created this MAID just so you don't have to go through what you got to go through. There's a God that's got a bigger plan for you than that, I just tell you today. Life is worth living to the fullest. God is the creator, and He shares the joy of the creation that He's created for every one of us to experience, even in our sufferings. Paul completely flips the world upside down, the worldview upside down, because the worst thing is the best thing.
[8:54] We all work as followers of Christ to someday be in heaven and spend eternity with Him. That's what our life down here has to be fruitful labor for others. To know the Spirit of God, to know the grace and freedom that He brings. Verse 20 says, "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." Sometimes we find ourselves focusing on ourselves and get into a pity party, and we get down, and we think everybody says you got to be up, and it's hard.
[9:39] I get it. We all go through storms, and we got to have joy through storms, because you don't have joy through storms. All you got is happiness, and happiness of this world, and joy comes from the Lord. And so if you're in a storm and you're in a tough season, we've got to show that joy, and we focus on the gospel and what it means in our lives, and know that God has got the outcome of whatever we're in, in hand. See, sometimes we'll look at life and we think, "Okay, it's like a lose-win or a win-lose." But if you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and you live your life to honor Him every day after that, with the joy that He gives you, that's a win.
[10:33] And when you die, you go to heaven and you get to spend eternity with Him, that's a win. Just in case you weren't following, just want you to know. And it's a win-win situation. It doesn't have to be a loss-win or a win-loss. It's a win-win when you decide to follow Jesus as your Savior. Verse 22 says, "If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me." See, Paul understands that heaven is good. However, as long as he's alive and as long as he can breathe, he still has work to do, joy to share, grace to share, freedom to share, forgiveness to share, all about who Christ is and the God that we worship to share.
[11:23] We look at it too often and think there's no hope, but there is hope. We got to ask ourselves sometimes when we're sitting there and we're disillusioned or we feel challenges, "What remains for me, Lord?" And ask Him specifically what He wants for you to do. What would you have me do? How does joy anyway come from me and not being determined by the world? How does joy come from God and not determined by the world? My grandmother, her name was Ivy, and she was 90 years old when she passed. And I'd call her and I'd say, "Hey, Nan, what you doing?" And she goes...
[12:08] She loved the Blue Jays. I'm not a baseball person, don't hold it against me. And she's watching the Blue Jays, and I said, "So what is tomorrow? What's going on tomorrow?" And she goes, "Well, if the Lord tarries and spares me." That's what she would always say. And I go, "Nan, you're asking the wrong question. You're still breathing and fogging up the mirror. So your question should be, 'God, what is it You have in store for me? What is it You want me to do? What is it You're trying to get me to do? What is it I need to be obedient to do?'" Even though I may be suffering in age because we're not as youthful as we were, and even in the situation you may be in a storm, you may be suffering from the struggle that you have. You may be struggling with whatever it is, but the question you need to ask is, "Lord, what do You have for me? What do I need to be doing with joy in the middle of this situation?" Is the question we need to ask.
[13:05] Why does Paul want to keep on living? Not to build his retirement. Not to build his own kingdom. Not to hang out with his friends. That's not bad. It's nothing for himself. Paul wants to have fruitful labor. He wants to continue to share about the kingdom, not comfort. Sometimes we look at life as an assignment that we're supposed to just progress along the way. But as I said before, it's not enough to believe, it's not enough to follow, it's not enough to be a disciple. We have to be disciple makers. We got to ask ourselves each day when we get up, how are we doing with that?
[13:50] How are we doing no matter what our circumstance is, no matter what the situation, no matter what the hardship, no matter what the struggle, how are we doing with being fruitful laborers? See, somebody would tell you, I've often heard this like, "You're just a square peg in a round hole." Do you ever try to put a square peg in a round hole? You need about a 20-pound sledge that makes a square peg round. That's how it works. And I'm here to tell you that you're not just square. You're triangle, you're oval shape, you're a trapezoid, you're an octagon. You know why? Because God tells us that you, each one of us, are uniquely and wonderfully made by Him. Wherever you are in life right now is the exact place God has placed you.
[14:41] It doesn't matter what the shape is. It matters where you are. You own the space that you're in. Round, oval, square, triangle, trapezoid, whatever it is, He has uniquely and wonderfully made you for this spot, and are you being a fruitful laborer in it? Sometimes I hear when I walk around and I talk to people like, "How come you're not serving?" And they go, "Well, nobody's really asked me." Number one answer when a pastor asks someone about serving in a church, they go, "No one's really asked me." Number two answer is, "Well, I don't feel really qualified for it." When God called me, I didn't feel really qualified for it either at the time.
[15:28] And I'll tell you this, that I need you to be fruitful laborers. God needs you to be fruitful laborers. The kingdom needs you to be fruitful laborers. You don't need a pulpit. You don't need a platform. You need to be exactly where you are and be that fruitful laborer. So I'm telling you this right now. I'm asking. So we're going to check the first box off. I'm asking you in your situation, wherever you may be, to serve. To serve the people around you, to serve the people next to you, to serve the people that come in contact with you, to serve the people that Jesus has placed you in the midst of. Because you are uniquely and wonderfully made.
[16:14] In the spots that you walk into, I will not get the chance to walk into those. In the workplaces, in the recreation places that you are, in the friendships and neighborhoods, I can get to some, but not like you can. So I'm asking you in your home to be godly parents, to be godly grandparents, to make sure that even the struggles that you may be going through, that you're still presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ within your homes for all who come in and cross across your threshold. Some of you may be caring for elderly parents who have some needs and struggles, and those transfer to you, and then it creates needs and struggles for you.
[17:02] But you can be godly in that and show fruitful labor in it. In our communities, you can always tell. I just want another warning in case you didn't know, everybody in your neighborhood is watching you. That's just a thing. I know in my neighborhood, if my car didn't move for a few days, someone's coming across the street to see what's going on. Right? "Well, your car hasn't moved." "Okay, I just took a couple of days off." "Yeah, but usually that car moves." "Okay, I'm good." But right, fruitful labor. How do we care for the people that we place in our communities and our neighborhoods? Do we care for our neighborhoods? Do we watch for that struggling neighbor that we know is going through something? Do we bring a meal down? Do we mow the lawn? Do we make that difference without being asked? We just show the fruitful labor.
[17:49] Now, there's some lawns you can't mow. I know a guy that actually measures the length of his lawn. Three inches is how high he wants the deck when he mows. Don't mow that person's lawn. All right? Unless he sets your deck height for you. In our workplaces. Think about the challenges that people have in the workplace. Think about the hardships that you even find yourself into. I've had people share with me, and I've prayed with people, and I wish I could make it all go away, but you're going to face things in your workplace that are going to go against your faith. You're going to face things in your workplace that's going to call your integrity into question. But if you're to be a fruitful laborer in your workplace, you have to hold that up. That's not for compromise. And God goes before you, and He's there, and He knows you're in that situation. He's placed you there.
[18:40] And with wisdom and discernment and prayer, you can be a fruitful laborer in your workplace by showing that you're different. In our church. You can be in the front seats, you can be in the back seats. You can be anywhere within this church and be part of the family. Mentoring young believers, stepping up as men and women, strong believers, to show our children and our youth the difference that God has made in your life to be fruitful laborers. I'm asking so now you can no longer say, "Nobody asked me." And I also want to tell you, all the while you do this in these places is the chances that you get to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and to tell your story.
[19:32] Remember, it's an easy conversation starter. Tell me your story. There's folks in here today that would just love for someone to come alongside them and walk with them and serve, just relationally, to walk and navigate who Christ is. We continue in verse 21, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know. I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far, but it is more necessary for you to remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith." For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
[20:27] Paul lays it out pretty easily for us that there are two choices. I mean, they're incredible choices to have as followers and believers of Christ. We can stay and continue to labor and live, and Christ is our motivation, and He gives us the power, the direction, and the authority, but there's no reward on Earth. The reward is in heaven, and to die is to gain. Death is not a loss. It's just more of Christ. So all the Christ that you can handle here, you're just going to get more of it when you get to heaven. So it's a win-win every time. And Paul isn't expressing a suicidal or depressed thought or wish to escape reality. He's being genuine.
[21:13] Those are two hard choices. To be here as a fruitful laborer, to win people that are lost to Christ, so they can come into a knowing understanding and have eternal life with God is an incredible win. And to be in heaven with Christ is an incredible win. It's choosing between the options. One of the things that I loved the most about watching the video, and it did exactly what I thought it would do. Often when we do child sponsorship, in some cases, we flip through those folders looking for the child to pick. If you watch some of the kids walk down the line, you're like, "I don't know about that one. That one's kind of sketchy. What about this one down here? Ugh, I don't like their hair color. What about this one?" I loved it because it did exactly what we wanted to do.
[22:02] We wanted to give them power. We wanted to give them choice. We wanted to give them agency. We wanted to reestablish to them that the God that they serve and love and have hope in and joy in is the same God that made us put pictures up so that we can continue to grow the kingdom. There's a relationship now that exists between two people. Maybe the whole family, I should say. Whoever many is in your picture and a child somewhere halfway around the world who's praying for you as you pray for them. Paul's perspective on life versus death. Just more time building the Church. We'll have plenty of time in eternity. If someone asks you, "How many more people do we want to see come to Christ?"
[22:51] Just one more. After that one more comes, the answer's still just one more. The answer's still just one more. Just one more. The enemy's taken enough ground. It's time that we start taking some ground back. Church and believers. We've been on the defense. No more. We've got the greatest gift that anybody could have, and it's time for us to be able to share it and not be ashamed and know that death is not an interruption. Suffering is not an interruption. It brings us directly to the face of Jesus each time.
[23:38] And if you're in here today and you've got a death sentence diagnosis when it comes to health, I'm not trying to make that seem simple or light. I just ask you to frame it into the picture of eternity with Jesus. Not have fear because God is not a God of fear. The enemy is who fear comes from. Because we all know that death has lost its sting. That Jesus defeated death. We continue on in verse 27, "Whatever happens, conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you." Let me repeat that. "Without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you." We're not meant to be frightened.
[24:45] "This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved, and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for Him. Since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had and now hear that I still have." "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for Him." Remember a couple of weeks ago, we talked about kingdom mindset and earthly mindset, and depending on how we look at suffering and death, we can see it as an obstacle or something that moves us forward. Propulsion. We can see it as a weight that weighs us down, or we can see it as a gift that is a blessing incredibly for us.
[25:31] We can see it as a distraction that keeps us moving away from God and not focused on being a laborer for Him, or we can see it as a unity and unifying us with Him as we walk. We can see it as something that gets in your way of life, or we can see it as something that drives you closer to Christ as a result of it. It just depends on the mindset that we have. Verse 29, Paul uses the words "suffering for Christ is a gift." But only you can do that and make the decision. In our culture, when we hear the word struggle or suffering, it tends to distract us. It's an obstacle. It slows us down.
[26:18] But when we view it in the presence of God with us, it becomes something that pushes our faith deeper and wider and incredibly tighter to who God is. When we think of a lot of times when we're in storms, we think we're by ourselves, but the word and the name God is also Emmanuel, which means God with us, and never do we walk alone. And we ask ourselves at times, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" That is a whole sermon series in itself, so we won't get into it other than to say this. When we say that, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" and we think about that from our perspective, who is the only person to walk the face of this Earth Who was perfect and without fault and without sin, and they nailed Him to a cross and bled His side out and put a crown of thorns on His head and crucified Him and put Him in the grave.
[27:23] So who are we to think, "Why do bad things happen to me?" We suffer. The introduction of sin into the world has begun to deteriorate the creation that God's made. And when we look at the cross, and we think about the cross, a lot of us, and it's good to think about, I do too, is the crucifixion of Jesus as He was put on the cross for our sins, and He defeated death and gave us the chance to be fruitful laborers. That even through our suffering and even through our storms, that He was the one that held us firm and through it as we've rested in Him. But I'd ask you to look at it a different way today if you've never heard it before. It has a vertical beam and a horizontal beam.
[28:11] And as a reminder for us, when we put our lives in Christ, no matter what that suffering, we reframe it to eternal life and to Jesus Christ. The vertical beam, it goes into the ground. It goes into the soil. It goes into the creation that God created. You're uniquely and wonderfully made as part of the creation that this cross sits in when Jesus was placed on it. The vertical beam also goes upward in our relationship with God, as we lift Him up in our lives, as we accept the freedom and the gift of eternal life by having Jesus as our Lord and Savior, it points up. The horizontal beam that Jesus' outstretched arms were on when He was nailed to the cross, think of it as a symbol of His arms that says, "I do this for all of you who are yet to come." And even now, an example that He gave us of those outstretched arms are what a faithful laborer lives like. Through suffering, through challenges, we should have outstretched arms to people. We should have outstretched arms to invite people into our homes for meals. We should have outstretched arms to help people in and around our community.
[29:24] We should have outstretched arms to invite people to come to church and hear about the gospel of Jesus Christ. We should have outstretched arms for those that are vulnerable and needy because that's the example of the cross that Jesus gave us. Think about it. If you were weight training, you wouldn't go, "I just want muscles." You'd actually pick something heavier up. You would do certain reps of it. You would increase the weight too. You would build the muscle that you have to the size that you want, to the strength that you want, to the condition that you want, to the health that you want. It is no different than when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You've got to exercise that muscle. And if in a time of suffering, you're having doubts, it's because you haven't exercised that muscle. And when you exercise the muscle of your spiritual journey and your faith in Jesus Christ, when you hit those storms, when you hit those spiritual doubts, when you hit those challenges, when you hit those struggles, He's going to be there with you, and the muscle that you've exercised will help you stay anchored onto the cross that Jesus died for each one of us to make it through.
[30:35] In life, find yourself a fruitful laborer and pour yourself out for other people. In death, do not fear. Rest in a promise that to die is a gain, and it brings us face to face with Jesus. In suffering, recognize that a trial is not a sign of God's absence, but an invitation to experience His presence and power. Let me say that one again. An invitation to experience His presence and power. Live in such a way that everywhere you are, the world looks at you and the joy that you have anyway, the joy that you express when you're sharing the gospel, the joy that you express when you're suffering, the joy that you express when you're at work, the joy that you express.
[31:45] And when you're aging, the joy that you express. Conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ commands us to do it well, to do it very well. Live your life with so much joy that people can't help but ask you, "Where does this joy come from?" And your answer? "From the Lord." Because that's where all joy comes from. Let's pray. Father, we thank You for Your love. We thank You for the reminder from Paul as he wrote that even in struggles and in times of chaos, times of a storm, it's win-win.
[32:47] I get to stay here and continue to teach others about being fruitful laborers for those that don't know You. Or if his life was to be taken, or our lives were to be taken, that we would get to spend eternity with You in heaven. And so, Father, with every head bowed and eyes closed, I just want to offer the opportunity for those that have not accepted Jesus as Your personal Lord and Savior, that if in some way He has spoken to you today, and you just decided, "You know what? I haven't been very joyful, and I struggle through the struggles. And when storms come, it just wipes me out. But I want to know more about living a fruitful life and being a fruitful laborer for the kingdom, and I want Jesus as my Lord and Savior to start," you can just pray this simple prayer after me.
[33:43] Jesus, I come before You this morning. I don't really know the next step other than this one, and I ask You to be my personal Lord and Savior, to forgive me of the distance and the things I've done wrong and the sin in my life. May I not have fear of death. May I have the joy through struggles and through every day of life that You offer. Jesus, I give myself to You. I give myself completely to You. I surrender all. And maybe you're somebody who a distance has created between you and Jesus.
[34:28] You've walked away or you wandered away, and today you want to be that fruitful laborer. You want to come back. You want to just instill in your life a stronger anchor into the cross and what Paul taught us about, a win-win, that even through storms and struggles. It's as simple as just saying, "Jesus, I'm so sorry that I wandered away. Help me come back to You being the center of my life. Help me shed the things that have held me from You. Help me to know that You are with me in everything. May I become a fruitful laborer. May I find joy in everything that I do. May there always be joy anyway, no matter what I'm going through."
[35:18] With all heads bowed and eyes still closed, I just want to ask with all humility, if you have prayed that prayer this morning to come back closer or to give your life to Christ for the first time, one of the first things to do is just to raise your hand, acknowledge the strength of the enemy has no strength over you, no fear anymore. Just raise your hand that you've done that. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, you can put your hands down. Father, we thank You for Your love. We thank You for their hands that were raised, and You know the situation, and so we just ask that You help them with the next step, that You would just walk step in step with them. May we all be fruitful laborers.
[36:04] It's in the name of Jesus that we pray and ask this, and everybody said amen.