Contained Confidence

God has lead me to preach these last 2 messages on a topic of God’s purpose in the presence of pain, and tonight I am hoping to wrap up what has become a trilogy…

God has lead me to preach these last 2 messages on a topic of God’s purpose in the presence of pain, and tonight I am hoping to wrap up what has become a trilogy…

I am praying that once I have finished preaching to you tonight that between these three messages you will have what you need to grow in your trial…

Review…

My worship makes me dangerous…

There is more to my story…

In just a moment I am going to read from the book of Philippians…

KEY- Paul wrote the book of Philippians from a prison cell and had already written a previous book of the bible from prison and throughout his writing you read a word you would not expect from someone in his position…

Don’t you love the moment when something happens that you didn’t expect…

ILLUSTRATION-

KEY- Throughout Paul’s writing in Philippians you see him use the word confidence or confident several times.

I want to talk to someone tonight who knows what it feels like to have your confidence shaken…

(NLT) — 3 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

(NIV) — 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

7 So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. 8 God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. 9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. 11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. 12 And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. 13 For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. 14 And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.

(NLT) — 15 It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. 16 They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 17 Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18 But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. 19 For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.

THOUGHT- Life is so unpredictable it is hard to be confident about much.

QUESTION- Have you ever been so confident about something and you found out that you were wrong?

KEY POINT- Confidence takes on the form of what you put it in…

Use water poured into different vases

That time you poured your confidence into a friend… Your confidence took on their form, their limitations, their problems…

When you put your confidence in your family… It took on all of the dysfunctions and challenges

Remember when you poured out your confidence in your own ability…

(NIV) — 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

How about when you put your confidence into what you had… and as your belongings became dated and worn so did your confidence…

KEY- In the beginning of this message I asked if there is someone that knows what it feels like to have your confidence shaken.

I can try to splash this water around, but what is deeply rooted doesn’t really move…

KEY POINT- You can’t shake confidence, you can only shake what confidence is in.

KEY- When you trial shows up and you are in the fight some of you are trying to prop up your confidence when real biblical confidence props you up.

(ESV) — 26 for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.

I am assuming based off how God has been leading me to preach theses past few services that there is someone here who has been in the fight of their lives…

You have heard it preached when you are in the desert fighting off the enemy you need to worship - my worship makes me dangerous…

And you heard when you are shipwrecked and feel abandoned that you need to remember - God brings purpose to pain, my story is not over yet.

Tonight I am here to tell you that when you feel that life has locked you up and you are not where you want to be in life you need to - Contain Your Confidence.

(NIV) — 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

If I was Paul sitting in a prison I would struggle being confident of anything…

KEY- It’s in your moments of confinement that you start to question all of your choices.

Did I make the right calls?

Did I back the right person?

Where would I be if I just did things the way I wanted to?

But you see Paul’s confidence could not be shaken because he didn’t put his confidence in what shakes…

MAIN POINT- PAUL SHOWS US WHAT TO PUT OUR CONFIDENCE IN, WHEN YOU PUT YOUR CONFIDENCE IN WHAT IS UNSHAKABLE YOUR CONFIDENCE WILL BE UNSHAKEABLE.

Put Your Confidence in…

1. God’s Position.

My confidence is in…

(NIV) — 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

God’s Nature

ILLUSTRATION- That person who does the exact same thing like a routine.

POINT- God’s nature, God’s position has never changed. Since the beginning of time God has been fighting for us!

He set up a plan for salvation…

He carried it out despite the rebellion of his people…

YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO CHANGE GOD’S MIND ABOUT HIS LOVE FOR YOU.

KEY- Paul in the midst of a prison cell is contemplating the goodness of God. —THINK ABOUT HOW PAUL MUST HAVE SEEN THE GLORY OF GOD.

Paul shows up into the narrative of God’s love and plan for salvation in Acts chapter seven as a murderer named Saul killing and arresting Christians… GOD’S NATURE GOD’S POSITION WAS STILL THE SAME…

POINT- God’s nature, God’s position has never changed. Since the beginning of time God has been fighting for us!

Jesus shows up in Paul’s life in Acts chapter nine, why???

GOD’S NATURE GOD’S POSITION WAS STILL THE SAME…

Paul gets discipled starts traveling the world proclaiming Jesus as the savior of the world…

Why in the world would God choose to take this man and use him???

BECAUSE GOD KNEW PAUL WELL BEFORE ACTS CHAPTER SEVEN AND GOD’S POSITION NEVER CHANGED. — THERE WAS A WORK THAT GOD STARTED AND HE WASN’T DONE WITH IT.

GOD KNEW YOU BEFORE YOU FOUND YOURSELF IN A PLACE YOU NEVER WANTED TO BE…

GOD KNEW YOU BEFORE YOU EVER LOVED HIM…

GOD’S NATURE IS NEVER GOING TO CHANGE

CHALLENGE- Put your confidence in the one who never changes! Who is never shaken!

(NIV) — 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

In Exodus he shows us the significance of the passover lamb…

In Joshua he leads his people in victory…

In Samual Chronicles and kings he pleads with his people

2. God’s Plan.

(NIV) — 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

QUESTION- Paul is confident that God’s plan is going to work, how can he say that when it was God’s plan that got him where he was?

(NIV) — 12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.

KEY- God is an expert at putting purpose to pain, and in doing so he gives us results. — It had to happen!

(NLT) — 13 For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ.

KEY- Think about this… Paul comes right out and says everyone here knows I am in chains because of Christ… It’s not because I was arrested, it’s not because the romans wanted me here…

POINT- Even in prison Paul realizes that he is not under human authority. He is under the word of Jesus Christ who will work out his circumstances in accordance with His will.

POINT- When Paul was in a prison the gospel was not held captive. On the contrary, those around Paul were captive to hearing the gospel.

KEY- If my confidence was in my plan and I ended up in prison my confidence would be a little shaken, but if my confidence is in God’s plan same outcome but I am not shaken!

KEY POINT- My comfort level is not connected to my confidence.

ILLUSTRATION- Hitting the gym I’ve never really been comfortable, but I have been confident.

In order for my confidence to be in God’s plan I only need one thing…

God’s plan is not connected to my popularity, finical standing, social status, talents, abilities

KEY- Confidence in God’s plan only requires obedience.

CHALLENGE- Disobedience is step one in misplacing your confidence. And misplaced confidence will always become shook.

God’s peace will follow your obedience.

3. God’s Proses.

(NIV) — 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

ILLUSTRATION- There have been things that I had no interest in until I relized that there was a proses.

Glass blowing - a person making these glass sculptures.

POINT- Things that go through a proses tend to be better than things that are instant.

Instant potatoes?

Instant coffee?

KEY- God is taking you through a proses.

Even the apostle Paul writing knows that there is more for him to expereince and understand…

(NLT) — 12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

KEY- It’s in the proses you become who you are supposed to be.

…What you have been calling times of loneliness God is calling a time of obscurity…

… What you have been calling a season of isolation God is calling a season preparation…

Perhaps you are in a season of isolation on a country side guarding sheep and you don’t even realize that God is preparing to guard his people by removing giants…

POINT- My confidence is not in my timing, my confidence is in God’s timing… His proses works!

CHALLENGE- Faith is believing BEFORE what will only make sense AFTER.

Conclusion…

CHALLENGE- Don’t let misplaced confidence become the death of your calling.

Key- When my confidence is in God my circumstance is irrelevant.

(NLT) — 18 But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.

Paul’s situation has not changed… But I will continue to rejoice…

MAIN POINT- The more unshakeable my confidence is the more fuel I put on the fire of the altar of my worship.

You see in this trilogy of messages dealing with trials and problems ends where it started.

worship.