For me to live is Christ (v18-26)

Walt Davis was totally paralyzed by polio when he was nine years old, but he did not give up. He became the Olympic high jump champion in 1952. Shelly Mann was too paralyzed by polio when she was five years old, but she would not give up. She eventually claimed eight different swimming records for the U.S. and won a gold medal at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. In 1938, Karoly Takacs, a member of Hungary's world-champion pistol shooting team and sergeant in the army, lost his right hand when a grenade he was holding exploded. But Takacs did not give. up. He learned to shoot left-handed and won gold medals in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics. Lou Gehrig was such a clumsy ball player that the boys in his neighborhood would not let him play on their team. But he was committed. He did not give up. Eventually, his name was entered into baseball's Hall of Fame. Woodrow Wilson could not read until he was ten years old. But he was a committed person. He became the twenty-eighth President of the United States. But my favorite of all of these stories of commitment and overcoming is this: As CT Studd, the famous missionary to Africa, lay dying in his bed, he looked around at the few items he possessed and said to his family, “I wish I had something to give each of you. But I gave it all to Jesus long ago.”

There are many people who are committed to dreams of theirs that may land them a spot of fame, wealth, or legacy in this life but there are few who have given themselves to Christ’s glory. As we look to the text today we know that Paul is sitting in house arrest in Rome. And while he sits there, being slandered by the preachers in Rome, as he sits in chains with no privacy and as he is surely curious as to whether he will leave this situation with his life we find ourselves astounding that this brother rests with total confidence.

Paul, referring still to the supply of the Holy Spirit in v19, is confident that Christ will be magnified in his body, whether by life or by death. This is not an arrogant, “God’s gonna be glorified by me no matter what I do.” but a confident reliance that by the Spirit’s strengthening my life will be one that glorifies Christ! So now we ask the question: “God, how in the world are you glorified in me sitting in this jail, kept from all my friends and family, being beaten and neglected, how in the world do you expect me to believe that this glorifies you? God, I’ve given my life to you. What exactly are You committed to here, because I feel alone.” John the Baptist in Matthew 11 experienced a similar situation, while sitting in prison and awaiting his coming execution he sends his disciples to Christ and says, “Are you the Messiah or should we look for another?” And in our lives we tend to lay things out for God in how He is supposed to perform them and when He doesn’t we question His faithfulness to us. Here is the answer to a question that, if unanswered, will damage your faith. You ready? In the midst of a trying time in your life you yell out, “God, what or who are you committed to because I feel alone!” Here it is: God is committed to His glory.

If I went around bragging about being the faster runner in my community yet no one else ran that wouldn’t exactly be an impressive feat now would it? See, we must understand that God will allow what He hates to display what He loves. The darkness, the pain, the struggle, the strife, in Paul’s case the prison, God uses them as a backdrop that causes His glory to radiate, glisten, and catch the eye of the beholder like a diamond on a black backdrop.

Isaiah 48:9-11 “For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, And for my praise will I refrain for thee, That I cut thee not off. Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: For how should my name be polluted? And I will not give my glory unto another.”

Everything that God does is for His glory. From the creation of man, all the way to the fact that He redeemed us. Ephesians 1:4-6 tells us that “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” The very fact that you are united with God this morning through Christ is a fruit of His purpose to glorify Himself! And this is what Paul has come to realize. You see Paul was once a man who had everything going for him as far as his culture was concerned, he tells us himself in Philippians 3:4 “If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:” Paul was, Philippians 3:5-7 tells us, “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” As far as anyone was concerned, Paul was one impressive man! Highly intelligent, highly successful, deeply committed to his beliefs, and greatly feared. But one day, Acts 9:1-6 tells us, Paul, full of rage against the Christians had obtained papers to go to Damascus to gather the believers to bring them to Jerusalem where they would be executed. Yet on that day, this self-righteous Pharisee found himself coming face to face with Christ and it changed his life completely. From that day forward Paul’s life was dedicated to the glory of Christ Philippians 3:7 “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.”

First, notice the phrase, “For to me” this is a personal encounter

Paul left behind the prestige of the world, the power, the fame, the accolades, to pursue Christ for he valued Him above all and this is why we find such a powerful statement coming forth from the lips of a beaten and imprisoned man, listen as he says, “For to me to live is Christ…” To Paul, this was much more than a story he heard as a kid, or some cool legacy he wished to develop, no, to Paul this was personal. Have you encountered Christ? In the midst of a world moving further and further away from truth, have you encountered Christ that in the day where even if everyone else turns against Christ you can assuredly say, “For to me!” Have you come to know Christ! Seeing your sin and same, seeing your hopelessness, seeing yourself as God sees you and have you come to repentance and faith in the good news that Christ died for the ungodly. Is this more than just a story to you? Have you encountered God’s grace for yourself? Paul surely did. And as a result of such an encounter earthly things simply faded away for him.

Illustration: The great missionary to India, William Carey, became deeply concerned about the attitude of his son Felix. The young man, a professing Christian, had promised to become a missionary. But he broke his vow when he was appointed ambassador to Burma. Carey requested prayer for him: "Pray for Felix. He has degenerated into an ambassador of the British government when he should be serving the King of kings."

Illustration 2: The body of David Livingstone was buried in England where he was born, but his heart was buried in the Africa he loved. At the foot of a tall tree in a small African village the natives dug a hole and placed in it the heart of this man who they loved and respected. If your heart were to be buried in the place you loved most during life, where would it be? In your pocketbook? In an appropriate space down at the office? Where is your heart?

As Paul, by the grace of God to the glory of God, was saved that day on the road to Dasmascus he found that truly Christ was the love of his life, his greatest glory, his deepest obsession. When Paul met The Way, the Truth, and the Life then Christ became his life as he tells us in Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” The passion that Paul possessed for his Savior was clearly one that was more than duty, as we find him saying, “To depart and be with Christ is far better.” This is not a mere job that Paul has been forced into, no, this is an all consuming passion over Paul’s life. Paul fellowships with Christ, Paul glories in Christ, Paul enjoys his Christ.

Paul says, “For to me to live is Christ…” There are many people that say, “Man, football is my life!” or “I live to hunt” and when people say things like that they are insinuating that this is their joy, their driving passion, the focal point and aim for their existence. The Westminster Confession says this, “What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

The issue that we face within ourselves is believing that our insatiable hunger for satisfaction and joy is somehow opposed to God’s commitment to His glory. And because of that misconception we have bored, disconnected, and unenthused service to a Master that will never receive glory from such a disinterested servant. John Piper said, “God is not worshiped where He is not treasured and enjoyed. Praise is not an alternative to joy, but the expression of joy. Not to enjoy God is to dishonor Him. To say to Him that something else satisfies you more is the opposite of worship. It is sacrilege” Let’s put it this way, God is most glorified in us when we are totally satisfied in Him. But this feels weird to us. Can we really enjoy God? Don’t we have to be miserable servants simply putting in our time until we get out of this world? Brother, if that’s how your walk with God is then you haven’t been glorifying Him! This call to enjoy Him, or to glorify him is not just a suggestion, but a invitation and command of God! In Psalm 16:11 “In thy presence is fulness of joy...” Psalm 32:11 “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice...” Psalm 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the Lord...” Psalm 42:1-2 “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:” Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” Do you find yourself joyful in God?

Turn with me to Psalm 16:5-11. In v5, David is saying the Lord is all that he needs, but not only that but the Lord is in charge of providing all that David needs. In v6, David has received great blessings from the Lord but in v7 we find that David goes on blessing, not the gifts but the Giver Himself. Why? Because the Lord is his counselor so that even in the darkness of night his heart is directed to his God. So because of all that the Lord is, whether in blessing or darkness, David’s heart is directed to his God. David in v8 tells us that he puts the Lord in his mind because He is David’s right hand, He is David’s strength and protector, so it doesn’t matter what comes after David because he knows that whatever happens only happens because God saw fit for it to. So, because God is his strength, his protector, his counselor, and most of all, because God is HIS. David’s heart is glad, his whole being exploded with rejoicing and he rests knowing that God will keep me secure even until death because even when he dies, (v10) God will not leave him there forever (Christ’s resurrection). David closes by saying that wherever the road of his life leads him, he knows that in the presence of his God his joy is going to be completely full and his pleasure will be unending. Within the heart of the psalmist, his joy is not in earthly gain or confidence of tomorrow but his joy in life rests wholly in the Lord God Almighty because the Lord IS David’s joy.

The Lord desires and commands us to come and find our craving for joy satisfied in Him. Is it not enough for us to merely obey and die like mindless drones? No! Within the heart of a believer God desires to be glorified by His people joying in Him! Why? Joy in God is important because joy expressed the importance, beauty, and splendor of the object of the emotion. Joy in God is also important because joy encompasses the fullness of our being. So, how could Paul say, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”? Because to him, Christ is the purpose of his life. Do you glory in God this morning? When we glory in Him, when our life finds its purpose in enjoying Him, then we will live for Him.

I have many hobbies and some of them phase in and out over time but my favorite one at the time is coffee and you know that. It’s not enough that I like good quality coffee but I like it so much that I want you to enjoy it with me. Why? Because we will be able to enjoy it together! However, those are just hobbies which come and go. But to Paul, what Christ did for him and how he loves Him will never fade. Paul says, “For to me to live is Christ…”

What does it mean to live for Christ?

Paul goes on to explain, in v22, that to go on living would be fruitful labor, but what is that? In v24 he tells us that fruitful labor would be abiding in the flesh to supply the needs of others, v25, that they may find progress and greater joy in their faith, v26, to their rejoicing in Christ. So to live for Christ is to live basking in the person of Christ, enjoying the person and privilege of knowing and loving Christ. And due to this all consuming joy that you have found satisfied wholly in God your life mission is to see others come to that same knowledge that your Lord, who you love so much, might be praised!

Do you find this to be true in your life? Do you love Christ? Is He your joy? Do you find yourself longing to see others come to know and grow in their love for Him that He may be praised? We will all give an account of ourselves before God for every action (Romans 14:12) and every idle word (Matthew 12:36). No one is exempt. Excuses are not accepted. God sees and knows every thought we think and holds us accountable for the truth we’ve been given (Romans 1:18–22). We store up “treasure in heaven” when we make choices on earth that benefit God’s kingdom. Jesus said that even offering a cup of cool water to a fellow believer is worthy of eternal reward (Matthew 10:42). Have you given the seat of passion within your heart to Christ?

William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army said , “I will tell you the secret: God has had all that there was of me. There have been men with greater brains than I, even with greater opportunities, but from the day I got the poor of London on my heart and caught a vision of what Jesus Christ could do with me and them, on that day I made up my mind that God should have all of William Booth there was. And if there is anything of power in the Salvation Army, it is because God has had all the adoration of my heart, all the power of my will, and all the influence of my life.”

When we find ourselves living for Christ, longing for Christ, and glorying in Christ we will then find our hearts speaking of death as gain, much like Paul did. The Lord said in Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” To live a life glorifying your Lord in anticipation for that coming day where you will finally be able to embrace Him and be free from all sin, all shame, all problems, all heartache and to worship and enjoy Him for all eternity with the rest of the Church. Won’t that be wonderful?

But this kind of mindset, To live is Christ and to die is gain, is only gained when this equation is done correctly. There is nothing you can plug into this equation that equates in gain except for Christ. For some, to live is sex but to die will be loss, for others to live is money but to die will be loss, to many to live is popularity but to die will be loss. But today, for us who know Him, to live is Christ and in light of the day when we will finally see Him it will be gain!

Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, said, “If you give yourself 30 days to clean your home, it will take 30 days. But if you give yourself 3 hours, it’ll take 3 hours. The same applies to your goals, ambitions and plans.” Have you set a goal upon your life? That each day I am going to give these 24 hours to live for Christ, to adore Christ, to worship Christ, to enjoy Christ. Would you make that decision within your heart today? That I want to love and glorify my Savior Jesus Christ!

Lord’s Table:

Here at Five Forks we affirm the ordinances of the Church as instituted by our Lord. Those ordinances are believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper and today we gather to partake of the Lord’s Supper. These ordinances are only for those who have put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation. A few reasons we partake the Lord’s table together are:

Christ’s Death. When we participate in the Lord’s Supper we symbolize the death of Christ because our actions give a picture of His death for us. When the bread is broken it symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body, and when the cup is poured out it symbolizes the shedding of His blood for us. Partaking of this table is a proclamation. 1 Corinthians 11:26 “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”

Christ affirms His Love For Me. The fact that you individually are able to participate in this Supper- the very fact that Christ Himself invites you to come- is a beautiful reminder and reassurance that Christ loves me, individually and personally. When you partake of the Lord’s Supper you can find reassurance again and again that Christ personally loves you.

You affirm your faith in Christ. As you take the bread and cup for yourself your actions are proclaiming, “I need you and trust you, Lord, to forgive my sins and to give life and health to my soul, only by your broken body and shed blood can I be saved.” In fact when we partake of the bread and cup we are proclaiming that my sins were part of the cause for our Lord’s death. By this there is sorrow, joy, thanksgiving, and deep love for Christ intermingled at the Lord’s Supper.

The Unity of Believers. When we partake of the Lord’s Supper together we are giving a clear sign of our unity with one another. 1 Corinthians 10:17 says, “For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.”

Call June to Piano and take a time of prayer, inventory, and thanksgiving.

Those Not Permitted to Partake

​1 Corinthians 11:27–32 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”

The Conditions for participating in the Lord’s Supper are being saved and being obedient to the Lord, but here in 1 Corinthians, Paul calls us to each inspect our hearts to see whether we are qualified to partake of Communion. A few dis-qualifiers seen throughout the Bible are:

Being in rebellion against the Lord since, in 1 Cor. 5 and 2 Thes. 3, we find that those in sin are to be removed from the Church.

Another is teaching false doctrine (Titus 3 and 2 John)

Also, if you are promoting division in the Church (Romans 16:17)

And, most seriously, not being a true believer. For, if you are saved yet you are judged the worst case is that you “make it by the skin of your teeth”. But if you partake and are judged with sickness or even death then there is no hope for your salvation for Scripture tells us clearly that after death there is judgment.

At this time I would like to ask you to please stand, and, as an open statement of faith and identification of yourself with Christ in that we rest in His work on Calvary for us, I would like to ask that we make a line down the center aisle to distribute the elements. (Do a few pews at a time) Once you have received them please take the side aisles and make your way back to your pews.

The Bread:

At this time I would like to ask brother Linwood Long to pray over the bread.

Luke 22:19 says, “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them saying, This is my body which is given for you this do in remembrance of me”

1 Cor. 11:26 says, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till He come.”

Please join me as we partake of the bread.

The Cup:

At this time I would like to ask brother Barry Matherly to pray over the cup.

Luke 22:20 says, “This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”

1 Corinthians 11:26 says, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till He come.”

Please join me as we partake of the cup together.

Prayer:

We thank you, dear Lord. You have fed us the spiritual food, united us with Christ, given us a foretaste of the heavenly banquet and provided a seat for us at your table. For this we are ever grateful. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Hebrews 13:20-21 “ Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”