(1st Peter 2:13-17) 
The word “submission” sometimes feels like a four-letter word. When we think of submission we need to remember we are not surrendering our individuality but rather aligning our power to God’s will. 

If you want to complete a job safely and efficiently you need to use the right tool. Every tool was created to complete a specific function. You were created by God with a specific task in mind. 

Things built on poor foundations crumble. Our faith is built on a firm foundation, the Word of God.

Storms are a part of life but they do not last forever. The world should be able to identify us as Christians by how we respond to these storms.  

Everything of quality must be tested to determine its value. Our faith has been tested and approved.  

We face many storms in our lives; storms that are physical as well as spiritual. Through these storms, we are called to remained focused on Christ and to have hope.

In our lives, when we become distracted by the frenzied pace of our everyday life, it becomes increasingly difficult to remained focused on heavenly things. Paul reminds us about the joy of remaining focused on Christ.

According to scripture, the best things are yet to come. God promises salvation though faith in Christ Jesus and the hope of eternal fellowship with Him in heaven.

Individual perspectives play a significant role in determining how to interpret life’s situations. If we view the world through an earthly perspective, we miss God’s divine plan.

Happiness is a funny thing: the more you look for it, the less you find it and the unhappier a person becomes.  Joy is rooted in God and not circumstances. 

Humility is difficult to demonstrate: as soon as you say, “look how humble I am” you have ceased being humble and become proud. A proud person does not rely on God and will not experience the joy which comes from Christ.

As Christians, we have an absolute assurance that, no matter our earthly situations, our eternal security is found through faith in Christ. We do not need to fear the future because, if we are living lives devoted to Jesus, we have a promise from God that we are not alone. Thus, there are four implications this revelation should have on our lives.

Everyone has been through a time in life where things seemed out of control.  Something happened that defies understanding and we're left asking the question, 'what does it all mean?'  As we continue our study of Philippians we see Paul was going through a similar time of uncertainty, he's in jail and his future is in the hands of Caesar.  However, we also see Paul is filled with the joy of knowing that even when life seems out of control, God is in control.  

While happiness depends on how things are going in a person's life, the joy of the Lord is an interesting thing because it is unaffected by those circumstances.  In this message we see how Paul was able to write this incredible letter of joy even as he sat in a Roman jail.  And as Paul writes we see the joy of the Lord through the fellowship he has with the Philippian church.