Fill in the blank. I’m living for ______.
Is it the weekend? Is it tomorrow? Is it someone else? Is it to achieve a goal? Or is it to live the purpose that God has given to you?
Today in his message at Trinity Baptist Church, Landon Price, Director of High School Ministries said, “We must recognize our circumstances as God ordained opportunities.”
Sometimes it is difficult in the moments of uncertainty, pain, and difficulty to believe those words. It’s tough to understand that the interruptions in our lives are developing our testimonies.
Landon also said, “When we talk about our suffering, often times it encourages timid believers. Our testimony is one of the greatest gifts God has given us in life.”
The message today centered around Philippians 1:12-21 (located below).
For Paul, to live in ______, the ______ was Christ. What is your blank filled with?
Our point of living is shared in verse 18, “Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death.”
3 WAYS TO HONOR CHRIST BY LIFE OR DEATH:
1. Rejoice Consistently
“What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.”
2. Rely on Christ Completely
Don’t grumble, complain, or compare yourself to others. Have confidence because of the Spirit and rely on prayer.
3. Represent Christ Courageously
The most productive part of your life may not be the prettiest. Maybe you are waiting for something (healing, an answered prayer, the next step, a life change), but don’t stop praying. Worshiping is an overflow from the heart. And the difficult moments are often creating your testimony.
“My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death.”
3 OBSERVATIONS ABOUT VERSE 21
“For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
1. Public and personal statement.
Everyone around you should know your ambition. You show what is most important to you by how you live. Are you living a life that shows God is most important to you?
2. Statement is filled with grace.
As we live for Christ, we are going to have mistakes. We know we won’t be perfect. Because we aren’t perfect, we need His grace to represent Him well. We can resolve to live faithfully for Christ in a broken world.
3. Statement is made with an unstoppable mentality.
You can live courageously for Christ because if He is your treasure above all things, then when you die, you are with your treasure above all things. This perspective made Paul unstoppable. It gave Paul joy to serve Christ in both in good and in pain. You can also be unstoppable.
****PHILIPPIANS 1:12-21****
12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is because I am in Christ. 14 Most of the brothers have gained confidence in the Lord from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the word[a] fearlessly. 15 To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will. 16 These preach out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment. 18 What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice 19 because I know this will lead to my salvation[b] through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 20 My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
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Click here to watch the full message.