When God Changes Your Plans (5)
Notes
Transcript
When God Changes Your Plans
When God Changes Your Plans
Good morning and welcome. I am always so humbled and blessed that you would choose to come out and join us in worship.
For everyone online I want to welcome you and invite you join us in person when you can. Please like, subcribe, and share todays message.
Please open you Bibles, cell phones, tablets, just no audiobooks please, to Philippians 3.
As we continue on our journey through Philippians, I want to ask have you ever had one of those projects you had every intention of doing and it is still not done.
I mean you could of actually started it already and yet it sits there undone.
I have hanging shelves in my garage like that.
Don’t worry your in good company.
Did you know Mt Rushmore was supposed to be from waist up and not just heads?
There is a partial subway system under the city of Cincinnati.
The mystery novel called the “the Mystery of Edwin Drood”, by Charles Dickens unfinished. We don’t know who did it.
Closer to home
When God Changes Your Plans
When God Changes Your Plans
We lived in Italy for a few years. At that time if you left some wires sticking out or started some expansion on your home and it was unfinished, you didn’t have to pay taxes on it.
The government finally figured it out and it has changed.
When our plans get changed, it often times stops us in our tracks.
The things we were going to do, sometimes never happen.
IT is not the change that does this, but something deeper
Sometimes life gets in the way, sometimes we have over or underestimated what it would cost.
A lot of times we have put our confidence in something or someone else and maybe ourselves.
I told you last week, I was going to raise the ante each week in what I believe God is asking of us.
This week is no different.
Today I am asking each of us to take risk and together join me in:
Auditing Our Faith
Auditing Our Faith
Please stand with for the most important words you will hear today.
1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—
4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Let’s pray
Auditing Our Faith
Auditing Our Faith
Last week we talked about the idea of being all in.
Putting Christ and others needs in front of your own, not being center.
Harder to do than to say and even if we get there, those old habits and voices are there trying to pull us back.
Every year around the new year and birthdays, I get circumspective.
It literally means to look aroun. I look where I came from, where I am going, am I trusting, am I obeying.
I believe it is an important part of out faith and growth to ask ourselves tough questions.
If we are going to move forward there are things we must know and be aware of in our lives and our church.
Is my understanding of my faith sound?
1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
Is my understanding of my faith sound?
We need always to be on the look out for anything that adds or takes away from the basis of our faith.
Paul here was talking about the Judaisers.
They were bringing a false message of Jesus and circumcision.
Jesus and anything else is not the Gospel.
We constantly have to be on guard at what is influencing our beliefs. If it does not match to His word it is not.
Is my worship honest and for Christ alone?
3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—
Our worship is by and through the Spirit.
It is not a song or a service it is our lives.
Glory - kauchaumai - boast
I have no confidence in myself to do anything of eternal consequence.
It is all Christ in me.
No one can sum up all God is able to accomplish through one solitary life, wholly yielded, adjusted, and obedient to Him.- Dwight L. Moody
Do i trust more in my past legacy or Christ’s future leading?
Paul is about to explain you think you can rely on what you have done
4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
Do i trust more in my past legacy or Christ’s future leading?
Paul says I followed the law, I was form one the most loyal tribe, i had attained the highest level of religious station, I was passionate for my belief and did anything to protect it.
Paul had all these religious and spiritual riches.
Then he met Jesus on a road and found out he was bankrupt.
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
What has greater value to me than Christ?
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
What has greater value to me than Christ?
Notice the pattern
Surrendering all - knowing Christ
losing it all - gaining more in Christ
When we lose all our self righteousness, works, struggles, fears, hoping I was good enough
We no longer know about Jesus - we know Him
not our works - His righteousness.
Paul goes on nad gives us our last question
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Am I in fellowship with Christ?
This is not about going through the motions.
This is about dwelling in Christ.
Personal - we know Him daily
Powerful - literally the same power that rose Christ form the dead dwells in believers
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Am I in fellowship with Christ?
painful - we share in His sufferengs. it is a privilege.
We die to self - take up your cross
We have all heard it before but what does it look like in our lives.
IT means no sacrifice to great if it means Christ is known.
Auditing Our Faith
Auditing Our Faith
Years ago I prayed that prayer.
To know the power of Your resurrection and fellowship of Your suffering.
I was wanting the power part mostly
But what I found is in my weakness He became strong
When we suffered we grew.
We also went places and saw things that could only be explained by God’s power.
If you want to see God’s power it will cost
Believer’s Bible Commentary VI. Paul’s Heritage and Personal Achievements Renounced for Christ (3:4–14)
There is a needs-be for us to give ourselves for the life of the world … Fruit-bearing involves cross-bearing. Hudson Taylor
You can trust God, be apart of a community, and be all in, but to keep moving forward it boils down to :
Do I truly know Jesus and have I surrendered all?
Let’s pray
