True Grit: Unstoppable

True Grit: Philippians 1:12-30

What do you think of when I say:

Unstoppable

Juggernaught

Undefeated

Invincible

I’d love to have that experience. Wouldn’t you?

I’m just not unstoppable though.

Physically:

Occasionally, I get sick.

I guess on those rare occasions when I get sick, my wife knows the symptoms well. She calls the disease man-flu. I’m usually near death. Men…who’s with me.

Emotionally:

I get stopped too. I have those “down times.” A case of the blahs or the blues. Times when I am trying to figure out what “I” did that was wrong. Again…many people experience days, weeks, months, even years like this.

Spiritually.

God humbles me. He reveals a sin I know I have to address. I get a gut-check by something or someone at church or even leveled at the church.

Yeah, there are times I want that unstoppable feeling

My physical state, my emotional state, my spiritual state…all big and strong. I want to know that I can overcome whatever...

We all want that.

It reminds me of the movie Seabiscuit…you remember it?

Red had busted his leg and was thought to be done as a jockey. Seabiscuit had, they believe, torn a ligament in his leg, and they thought he was done as a horse.

They both trained. Seabiscuit, was a smaller than usual horse and didn’t start racing as early as other horses. But he was full of heart. Red was battling his own personal demons. America was struggling through the Great Depression when they burst onto the scene. America needed an unstoppable image to grab a hold of.

During the last race, you see Seabiscuit drop behind everyone. You see Red dealing pain in his leg…then it happens.

They find their stride. They cut ahead and win.

They didn’t show this in the movie, but when they won that race in real life…the stands emptied. The owner and trainer couldn’t even get near Seabiscuit and Red.

They provided an unstoppable image that everyone wanted to grab on to. Everyone wanted to experience.

And like I said, we want that too. But what we don’t always experience that attitude. Do we?

I know when I’m sick, I don’t want to be sick. I want to be up. I want to be moving.

Michael Hyatt is the President of Thomas Nelson Publishing

A few years ago, he got in a hurry for a meeting.

Fell and broke his ankle. Ended up needing surgery and 3 months of Physical Therapy.

He could have done what many do. Ask a lot of questions

Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?

Those questions, though, are unproductive. They don’t empower us.

He did ask questions…but they were great questions and they are questions that set the stage for us today.

What does this experience make possible?

See, that question…it acknowledges that even though God’s presence may not be obvious, we know that God is still God and He is still working.

Michael Hyatt went on to say, “you can’t always choose what will happen to you. Accidents and tragedies happen. But you can choose how you will respond to those situations.”

Philippians 1:12-30 (pg 830)

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When Paul writes a letter, it doesn’t have the verses and chapters in it. We use those to break down the thoughts. Here’s the introduction, here’s a prayer, here’s a message dealing with this topic, and here’s one dealing with that topic.

What I see here, and what I will re-emphasize through this text, “We may be slowed down, or even stopped, but the Gospel will not be.”

The Church in Philippi may think…oh, no, Paul’s been arrested. He’s not going to be able to preach.

You think that is going to stop Paul?

I hear people say, with some frequency, our Christian liberties are being taken away.

You think that’s going to stop the Church? The Bride of Christ?

Paul’s situation causes the Gospel to advance. (Philippians 1:12)

Again, he’s in prison. This is house arrest.

He’s elected to be in prison for Christ.

We can read about his trial in Acts…he’s winning his trial and he says, I’m going to to appeal to Caesar.

He doesn’t have to do this. But he does.

Because Paul is a Roman Citizen, he will get an audience with Caesar. He will effectively be in jail until that time. He will be protected by guards so he can’t try anything and neither can anyone else.

He does have to pay for this. And he’s not free to roam about, so there are some definite draw backs…but the gospel goes with him.

It’s not a have pity on me. It’s a “WOW!!!…look what I get to do!”

None of us have a perfect situation. Do we?

None of us have a perfect job. None of us have a perfect family. None of us have a perfect life.

Our situations though are definitely better than Paul’s. So how is our situation, which is better than Paul’s, advancing the Gospel?

Paul sees the Gospel as worth advancing, regardless of his situation. In spite of his situation he’s never ashamed of the Gospel. - Romans 1:16, 17 (pg 796)

Permit me to skip down a bit in Philippians. I want to mirror Paul for a minute.

Our situations allow for the Gospel to advance. (Philippians 1:29-30)

Again, we don’t have it as bad as Paul…and we’re probably quick to dismiss our situations or gripe them away, not recognizing the gift they actually are.

While Paul is most likely speaking to persecution, look at what he’s praying for leading up to these verses

Philippians 1:27, 28 (pg 831)

Stand firm in ONE Spirit, not many.

Paul wants them to be of one mind. Working in unison.

Side by side. Fighting for Faith and Gospel.

This is a picture of unity.

You see…we are all going to have different struggles. We aren’t united in our struggles.

One person may be struggling with marital issues

Another may be struggling with financial issues

Still another with a job issue.

Another issues with weight

Eventually, we will figure it out

we’re all pretty messed up

And we all have different struggles

Different desires

In essence we’re focusing on the wrong things.

Instead focus on the ONE thing. The Gospel!

And do that together.

Right in the middle of Paul’s problem (being prison) and the Philippians’ problem (their trial) is the answer.

Philippians 1:21 (pg 831) - To live is Christ, to die is gain.

What an awesome attitude.

To live…everyone take a breath

Hold it. Exhale. Grab a mint and repeat.

We live…and if we are a follower of Christ, we live for Christ

Our actions and our words point others to Christ…that’s living for Christ. It has nothing to do with our many struggles, it has to do with our Savior who allows us to conquer our struggles.

And when the time comes and we die…and we all will.

It’s not a sad time, it’s a celebration!

Without this attitude, we don’t get to see God work.

WHY NOT? Because we’re not looking to SEE God work, we’re looking to see US work.

Jonah is an awesome example of this.

Do you care if I rehash him…I know I just finished 4 weeks in Jonah

Jonah 1:1-2 “Go preach.” - God

Jonah 1:3 “No.” - Jonah (watch the gospel advance!)

Jonah 1:4 Storm comes

Jonah 1:17 Big fish

Jonah 2:10 Discouragement

Jonah 3:3 Goes to Nineveh

Jonah 3:4 Jonah preaches

Jonah 3:5 Nineveh repents

Jonah 4:2-3 Jonah’s attitude sours

The Gospel advances REGARDLESS of Jonah’s situation, attitude, and circumstance!

But who gets the blessing?

Not Jonah, at least not in the text that we see.

With Paul…his attitude is the right attitude

And who gets the blessing? Paul AND the Philippians AND US!

Paul accepts that he will be slowed down, and possibly stopped, but he also knows the Gospel will continue.

Paul embraces the whole experience and see its possibilities.

It’s not a question of if we have troubles or even when we have troubles.

Troubles are a given…but so is the answer.

While the troubles are many, the answer is singular.

Here’s a big take away I want you to have. Write this down, take a picture of the screen

When we focus on anything but Christ we aren’t able to live like Christ.

During Christ’s earthly ministry, his focus, his reason for living, was us.

Our burden our sin was his reason for ministry.

Our sins...

That means

His circumstances were not ideal…not because of him, but because of someone else…us.

Even though the circumstances were not ideal…if you look, you’ll see the gospel advanced.

We can do things like Jonah who followed self or like Paul who followed Christ...

Regardless, the Gospel will advance…I guess the question remains, do you want that blessing or not?

PRAISE TEAM