Stand Firm: Cultivating A Christ-Confidence For Living
Stand Firm
Cultivating A Christ-Confidence For Living
Pastor Charlie Weir
Philippians 1:
Stand Firm in Christ-Confidence.
How?
Believe God will finish what He started in you in Christ.
Philippians 1:6 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.
What did He start?
A resurrected God-image. Sin killed our God DNA but Jesus resurrected it.
A renewed relationship with God. Sin separated us from God but Jesus bridged it.
A redirected future in God. Sin limited our earthly future and killed our eternal future. With Jesus we hit the spiritual lottery; a more than dreamed of life now and later.
Satan’s Lie: “This” and “you” are as good as it’s ever going to get.
God’s Truth: What He started, He will finish and He’s not finished with you yet!
Philippians 2:
Stand Firm Together.
How?
Live with a sacrificial, Christ-humility.
Philippians 2:5 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Satan’s Lie: Look out for #1, no one else will this is where your strength with come.
God’s Truth: You were created for the Body of Christ and to be strengthened in the Body of Christ.
Philippians 3.
Stand Firm Focused Forward.
How?
Believe that while your past is informative, it is not declarative, so keep pressing forward.
Philippians 3:13,14 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Satan’s Lie: You are your past, good or bad.
God’s Truth: Your past doesn’t define you, it just frames your story in Christ. There is still a prize in front of you – press forward!
Philippians 4a.
Stand Firm in Peace.
How?
Perfectly practice peace.
Philippians 4:9 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Where do we start?
Reconciling relationships not recoiling from them.
Rejoicing in the Lord not “re-morsing” in circumstances.
Responding to people with gentleness.
Replacing anxiousness with “thanksgiving-shaped” prayers.
Redirecting our thinking to praiseworthy thoughts.
Satan’s Lie: Peace is circumstance dependent.
God’s Truth: I AM peace and I am always dependable!
Philippians 4b.
Stand Firm in Contentment.
How?
Contentment is a learned trait.
Satan’s Lie: The grass is always greener where you aren’t.
God’s Truth. The grass is always greener where I am.
Philippians 4:10-13 (NIV) 10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
The secret of contentment is this,
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Definition of Terms
Contentment: happiness and satisfaction, often because you have everything you need (Cambridge Dictionary).
Learn: to get knowledge of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience (Webster Dictionary).
Secret: information known by only few people; something difficult to explain or understand; a particular way of achieving something (Macmillan Dictionary).
Default Settings Rewired
From Trust in God to… we trust more in what we can see
From God Dependency to… self-sufficiency
From Contentment with God to… happiness and satisfaction being circumstantial
Discontentment is a costly addiction. It will cost you emotional, physical and spiritual health and it can cost you, your marriage, your family, your career.
Paul’s secret to contentment wasn’t money it was the strength of Christ.
Contentment = Confidence in the Presence and Strength of Christ for where you are right now
Satan’s Lie: The grass is always greener where you aren’t.
God’s Truth. The grass is always greener where I am.
Philippians 4:14-20 14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Philippians 1:19 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his
Paul isn’t thinking about himself here – after all, he has learned the secret of contentment but he is rejoicing in their growing maturity in Christ and in the reservoir of resources now open to them as a result of their worship through generosity!
Godly generosity has to be learned just like contentment.
Paul is teaching these 2 main points in these concluding verses
Contentment is not found in what we have but in the strength of who we have.
Generosity is a testimony to our contentment in Christ and in our confidence that He is our supply!
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your hear and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Pray this as we receive communion
Jesus, you are my strength for this moment. Teach me to be content with you in this season. Restore my peace and my joy. Light up my path and I will follow you.