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Searching for "paul" in the Quiet Time Archive
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2008-09-21 - Teach Us To Pray - Friends and Loved Ones
To intercede or pray on someone else's behalf is a privilege
Our prayers are sacrifices which are pleasing to him - Hebrews 13:15

Paul: I want you to know how much I am struggling for you - Colossians 2:1
Who do you struggle for? How about people you have never meet?

Far be it that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray to you - Samuel to King Saul - 1 Samuel 12:23

Jesus intercedes for us - Romans 8:34
Like a good friend, he adds or subtracts from what you are missing or need
Jesus makes us complete in God's sight

2008-10-02 - Man of Prayer - Empowerment

Paul tells us that we don't know how to pray like we should - Romans 8
Part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to help us in this area - Romans 8:26-27

God will answer this prayer
We have a tendency to become distracted - help me to be focused

Do not have because we have not asked - James 4:2
Don't forget to pray about praying



2008-11-28 - Raising Awesome Kids - Encouragement and Inspiration
Fathers deals with his children with encouragement, comforting, and urgency of lives worthy of God - 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12

Life is hard, especially for kids - easy to lose heart
There is a immense power in a father's encouragement

Young Timothy -
  • Lacked confidence - 2 Timothy 1:8
  • Could lose motivation - 2 Timothy 1:6-7
  • Got ill frequently - 1 Timothy 5:23
  • Tended to be lazy - 1 Timothy 4:13-15
  • Need someone to believe in him
Paul became his "father in the faith" - 1 Corinthians 4:17
By his encouragement, Timothy became the dynamic leader of the huge and powerful Ephesus church

It is our jobs as fathers to assess our children's talents and gift and help them to excel in them
Be a great inspirer and encourager of your children
Let it be you who thinks they are great and who picks them up when they fall

2008-11-29 - Raising Awesome Kids - Humility and Approachability
Clothe yourself with humility toward one another - 1 Peter 5:5
Our families know how imperfect we are

Most responsibility = most mistakes

Powerful and enduring leaders are those without pretension
Paul said he was the chief of sinners

Apologize bluntly
Apologize quickly
Ask "Is everything all right? Is anything else bothering you?"

Wallowing in guilt or losing self-confidence over your mistakes is not true humility - it is selfishness and lack of faith
People in our family should feel free to come to us and tell us whatever is on their mind
Our responsibility is to create a feeling of freedom and openness in our households
If we do not, we are headed for a day of bitter reckoning

2008-12-05 - Raising Awesome Kids - Love with your touch

Jesus took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them - Mark 10:15-16

Jesus could have blessed the children from afar
His way was closeness and affection

Unaffectionate families are cool, aloof and distant
Children raised in such an atmosphere develop into hard, nasty edge of anger and meanness

Examples:

Prodigal son - Luke 15:20
Greeted with a holy kiss - Romans 16:16
Paul and church leaders in Ephesus embraced and kissed - Acts 20:37

 



2008-12-24 - Raising Awesome Kids - Gods Training Plan (part 2)

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

These Commandment (v. 6)

Bible is the underlaying basis for all training
It is the very word of God:

  • To be revered
  • To be loved
  • To be believed

Paul said of Timothy  - from infancy you have know the holy scriptures - 2 Timothy 3:!5

Love the Lord your God (v. 5)

Training flows from a relationshop of love with the personal God
Not  "do-it-ot-else" mentality - missed the point
Bible should be used continually, not just for some "extra" authority is needed



2009-01-04 - Raising Awesome Kids - Prayer
We should pray for our children continually
To protect them, guide them, save them, and one day take them to heaven

Paul - Prayed day and night to Timothy - 2 Timothy 1:3
Most powerful weapon available in their spiritual defense and offense

We must pray with our children as well
Regular times such as bedtime and mealtime to start
Praying while going to place like church are also helpful
In times of difficulty and great challenge - we can do nothing without his blessing

What if they do not want to pray?
Talk about how God wants to be close to them
Do not do other activities are bedtime either, too tired for prayer than to tired for _______





2009-01-22 - Jesus with People - Finding Faith

Jesus was in ahuge crowd and suddenly a Roman centurion walks up to Jesus - Matthew 8:5-10

NT centurions are often mentioned with honor:

  • Cornelius was the first Gentile to become a Christian - Acts 10:22
  • A centurion rescued Paul from the Mob - Acts 23:27
  • A centurion saved Paul's life in the shipwreck - Acts 27:43

Lord, my servant lays paralyzed and in terrible suffering - Matthew 8:5-6
To many Romans, a slave was defined as nothing more than a tool

Jesus was moved by the man's heart - I will go and heal him
When Jesus saw a need, he met it
He lived to serve and meet needs directly and continuously
He loved a man many hated

Lord, I don't deserve to have you under my roof - Matthew 8:8
He was a Gentile, Jewish law - a Jew could not enter the house of a Gentile - Acts 10:28
In spite of his desperate need, he respected Jewish law

Say the word and he will be healed - Matthew 8:8
His authority produced results, how much more would the authority of Jesus do?

Jesus did not find anyone in Israel with such faith



2009-02-17 - Jesus with People - Widows Physical Sacrifice
Physical sacrifice is central to our commitment to Jesus

Physically, priorities must be set, reexamined and set again

God will help us discern what we can give physically
God is capable of giving his strength when ours is failing

Paul learned to rely on the Lord through physical suffering - 2 Corinthians 1:3-9
God grace is sufficient

Each of us, with the help of God must live physically sacrificial lives daily - Philippians 2:12
Sacrifice is our act of worship - Romans 12:1



2009-03-02 - Promises of God - Give and it will be given to you

God is faithful. He will meet all our needs
Based on the extent to which we focus on the Father and his will - extent to which God moves in our lives

He desires to meet our every need - to the point of sacrificing his own son - Romans 8:32
Does our knowledge of him transform us?
Does it propel us forward in capturing God's heart of sacrificing for the needs of other?

In Philippi, church sacrificed financially to support Paul (only church to do so) - Philippians 4:14-18
God will meet all your needs - Philippians 4:19
Those who are giving to others and giving to God can be assured that God will give to what they need - Luke 6:38

The more we are focused on his will, the more our needs will be richly met

What must be true in our lives in order for us to claim the promise that God will meet all our needs?



2009-03-12 - Promises of God - Carry and Rescue
Paul: My God will meet all your needs - Philiippians 4:19

God most certianly allows us to have needs
He allows situations where we are left to wonder how things will turn out
He has not promised to keep us free from need

As we grow older, all kinds of needs are created

I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you - Isaiah 46:3:-4

Old age and gray hairs = symbols of all the things we can not control and tend to worry us

I will rescue you: deliver us from danger - did not promis we wll never be in danger

From every evil attack and bring me to safety - 2 Timothy 4:18


2009-03-26 - Promises of God - Hearts at Peace
God makes clear his offer of peace

Does God promise pleasing circumstances to those who trust him? No

Paul, from a prison cell, said the Philippians could "peace of God which transcends understanding" - Philippians 4:7

Peace came from trusting in God - Isaiah 26:3

Trust is essential
Must imitate childlike humility - Matthew 18:3-4

Children are generally are at peace
They do not worry about the mortgage, stock market, bills
They are content to let mom and dad tackle those issues

We have to believe that God is in charge and he knows what he is doing

2009-04-24 - Why We Need The Bible - Help Keep One Saved
Paul emphasized this value of the Scriptures
  • To the Corinthians - 1 Corinthians 10:11-12
  • To Timothy - 2 Timothy 3:14-17

The saving value of the Word of God is for both young and old
  • The young can keep their ways pure by it - Psalms 119:9
  • Elders were commended to the Word for their salvation - Acts 20:32


2009-06-11 - One Another - Correction Needed

There were a lot of relationship issues that needed to be corrected in first book of Corinthians:

  1. They were divided into cliquish groups - Chapter 1-3
  2. Became arrogant in their relationship with Paul - 1 Corinthians 4:18-19
  3. Lawsuits with each other - Chapter 6
  4. Left their spouses just because they were not Christians - Chapter 7
  5. Offending other's conscience - Chapter 8
  6. Acted insensitively toward the poorer members - Chapter 11
  7. Who had the greatest gift (selfish competition) - Chapter 12-14

 



2009-09-02 - Wild at Heart - The wound (part 2)
Adam receives his name from God
Abraham names Issac
Jesus needed to hear those words

God renames Jacob and Paul

Racheal names son “son of my sorrow”. Jacob renames him “son of my right hand”
It took intervention by the man, it always does

A boy is brought into the world by his mother
There comes a time for the shift when he begins to seek out his father’s affection – Hard for a mother

Dad coming home is biggest event in a boy’s day
Women try to fill void that an absent father has left
Father calls his son “tiger”

Turns to mom for comfort and dad for adventure
If a mother will not allow her son to become dangerous, if she does not let the father take him away, she will emasculate him.

2009-09-08 - Wild at Heart - The fathers voice (part 1)
A man needs to know his name - He needs to know he has got what It takes
Can not know who we are until we know God
Adam knew Eve intimately - this how we need to know God.

Deep knowledge comes from a process of initiation. You have to know where you come from.
Some try to get their identity from others – girlfriend/wife, friends, job, and hobbies
Who can we turn to for this need?

God could take him on that journey, provide what is missing

Who will give your name and mean something? God!
There is a terrible assault

Adam was created for adventure and battles; he created us for a unique place in his history
Abram becomes Abraham, Jacob becomes Israel, and Saul becomes Paul

2009-09-21 - Wild at Heart - The Enemy (part 2)
A warrior is cunning.
When to fight and when to run
Three enemies:
  1. world
  2. flesh
  3. devil
We don’t want to move unless we’re guaranteed success
We want the easy way out
Your flesh is a weasel, a poser, and a selfish pig. And your flesh is not you.

Paul knew the struggle within – my sin is not me – this not my true heart - Romans 7
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you - Ezekiel 36:26
There is a war within us, but it is a civil war. There is a traitor within who wars against our true heart fighting alongside the Spirit of God
The real you is on the side of God against the false self.
The man who wants to live valiantly will lose heart quickly if he believes that his heart is nothing but sin
We are never told to crucify our heart
We are never told to kill the true man with in us
Never told to get rid of those deep desires for battle and adventure and beauty

2009-09-29 - One Another - Differences (part 2)

Conviction and Acceptance

How we blend conviction with an equally deep level of acceptance?

We need to understand that some convictions can be disputable matters
Paul does not get into a discussion what is right and wrong

Accept those whose faith is weak - Romans 14:1

Accept one another in order to bring praise to God - Romans 15:7

Example: It is OK to treat one day more special to worship God than another day - Romans 14:5-6

Even if the conviction is misguided - we sin if go against it

Great questions in these verses:

  • Who are you to judge some else's servant? - Romans 14:4
  • Why do you judge your brother? - Romans 14:10
  • Why do you look down on your brother? - Romans 14:10
On the day of judgment:
  • No "I'm right" or "Your wrong" on that day
  • Rightness will be perfectly obvious to all
Therefore lut us stop passing judgment on one another - Romans 14:13

2009-10-02 - One Another - Gifts
Nowhere in the NT does it tell us to "search" or "discover" what our gift is

Paul's teachings were directed toward how to use the gifts, not how to figure out what they are
To be focused on being part of the body

Romans 15:1-2 - bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves
  • We have an obligation to bear with others
  • We should seek to please our neighbor rather than ourselves - Romans 15:2-3
  • Pleasing = not satisfying a whim but helping other do well spiritually


2009-10-18 - Wild at Heart - An adventure to live (part 1)
A man just won’t be happy until he’s got adventure in his work, in love and in his spiritual life
God is intimately personal with us and he speaks in ways that are peculiar to our own quirky hearts – not just through
the Bible, but through the whole creation

Don’t ask yourself what does the world need. Ask yourself what make you come alive and go do that because what the world needs is people who have come alive
I realized I was living a script written for me by someone else
To go where the world takes us, to drift with whatever current happens to be running the strongest

What would have happened if Moses had listed to his mother’s advice, “never play with matches”?
Paul didn’t leave his familiar group of Pharisees?
God took a big risk in making the world

2009-11-10 - Repentance - Transfigure Our Minds (part 3)
Issue with Lust
  • Old Way: “Treat … younger women as sister, with absolute purity”
  • New Way: “…strength to comprehend with all the saint what is the breadth and length and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge”
Difference: metanoia!
  • Understands that he a citizen of the kingdom of heaven
  • Jesus is Lord of the kingdom
  • Jesus delivered him into the kingdom through his blood
  • His sins placed him in Satan’s domain
  • Live gratefully for Jesus rather than self
  • Should anticipates the King’s glorious return
  • Want no one to perish
  • Should no fear man
  • Only agenda is God’s agenda

Apply spiritual disciplines with dramatically different results

How would Jesus think?
Once you see the world through God’s eyes your mind and heart become so transformed that you “automatically” respond to every situation differently

Questions
  1. What influences have shaped your worldview?
  2. How has the world tried to squeeze your mind into its mold?
  3. How can you resist – even reverse – this persistent pressure from the world?
  4. Why should you “gird the loins of your mind”?
  5. When and how did Saul/Paul repent?
  6. What is the difference between a fleshly mind and a spiritual mind?
  7. At a popular level, what is the difference between WWJD and WWJT?
  8. Why are spiritual disciplines more effective after one has experienced the paradigm shift of metanoia?


2009-11-11 - Repentance - Worldly Sorrow (part 1)
Sorrow does not equal repentance
Nothing is more tragic than losing your eternal reward through popular yet readily avoidable errors
Two great misconceptions

Confusion that sorrow is repentance
Humble prayers and our sorrow pleases God – still not repentance

World Sorrow is neither Godly Sorrow Nor repentance
Worldly sorrow brings death

Five signs of world sorrow (pride)

1. Damage Control
  • Many call press conferences to get there side of the story our first
  • Once guilt is found, party than give a “heart-felt” apology – sorrow for getting caught
  • Sin is destructive. It ruins relationships, reputation, peace of mind and personal integrity
2. Self-Pity
  • Some believe the abundance of tears is repentance
    • Forgiven women (forgiven)
    • Peter, Paul vs Cain (became angry)
    • Esau (wailed loudly)
    • Judas (deeply regretted)
  • All three shed tear but not one repented
  • Claiming to be a victim doesn’t make one a victim
  • Tears can be self-affirming to one with self-pity (can become more sinful)
  • Ones mostly likely to enable and least likely to help you


2009-12-23 - First the Kingdom - The Only Door (part 2)
More examples of spiritual beggars:

Mary
  • Why was she picked to give birth to the Savior?
  • She already knew how much she needed God as her savior
  • Already in a humble state before him - Luke 1:46-55
Paul
  • Took a jolt on the way to Damascus
  • He finally came to see his poverty of spirit
    • Nothing good lives in me - Romans 7:18
    • I am the least of the apostles - 1 Corinthians 15:9-10
    • Confessed his poverty to the very end - 1 Timothy 1:12-15


2010-01-14 - Kingdom First - Words are Big
Jesus wanted people to get to heaven; it is the little things (our words) that will make us or break us - Matthew 5:37
If anyone considers himself religious and does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, is deceived and religion is worthless - James 1:26

Paul: most important ingredient?
Reliability - unreliable men will not only break God's chain but also discourages others - 2 Timothy 2:2

Most obvious way we can be unreliable is with our tongue
David about adversaries - Not a word from their mouth can be trusted - Psalms 5:9

Get character that speaks and lives the truth
Our "no" is okay if we say "no"
But in mostly it should be "yes" - 2 Corinthians 1:19

Jesus is our best example
Perhaps his favorite phrase was "I tell you the truth"
He did and he does

2010-01-23 - Kingdom First - Hungry and Humility (part 2)
Men and women have fasted at various times for variety of ways
  • Jesus fasted for forty days - Matthew 4:2
    • Jesus did not eat but apparently did drink
  • Paul for 3 days - Acts 9:9
  • Ezra did not eat or drink - Ezra 10:6
  • Daniel ate no choice food (meat or wine) for three weeks - Daniel 10:3
  • Leaders in Antioch fasted before their mission - Acts 13:3
  • Moses (Exodus 34:28) and Daniel (Daniel 10:3) while receiving the word of God
Keep fasting spiced up with variety Call yourself higher.

2010-02-17 - One Another - Encouraging One Another (part 2)
Therefore encourage one another with these words. - 1 Thessalonians 4:18

  • There should be content to our encouragement - should not be empty talk
  • Paul used words about the Second Coming of Jesus - words to help them live with Jesus' return in mind
  • Our words need an emotional appeal based on specific biblical content

Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, just as you are in fact doing. - 1 Thessalonians 4:18

  • Encouragement should move us to maturity
  • Often combined with strengthening, building up or edification
  • Growth in:
    • Our relationship with God
    • Interactions in the body
    • Our purity
    • Our discipline
    • Our prayer life
    • Our knowledge of the Word
    • Our Outreach
    • Our character


2010-02-21 - One Another - Reconciling with One Another (part 1)
Bible is clear - Jesus came to break down divisions - Ephesians 2:14

Worldly divisions
  • Race
  • Money
  • Gender
  • Culture
  • Distance
  • Too busy
Common barriers in the church:
  • Past hurts
  • Bitterness
  • Sin - yours, mine or others
Jesus broke down walls through the cross - Ephesians 2:16
Can ONLY be done at the foot of the cross

Only way a holy and righteous God can be reunited with his unrighteous enemy (us) - Romans 5:6-11

Reconcile = to become friends again
Not to politely tolerate one another or a ceasefire

The goal of Jesus is to be one - John 17:20-21
Only way Jews and non-Jews could form the church of God

What Paul had is mind when writing - Ephesians 3:20
"...him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think"

2010-02-24 - One Another - Reconciling with One Another (part 4)

Some things that depend on us

We can always have a gracious attitude

Paul choose to focus on the result - Christ is being proclaimed - Philippians 1:15-19

We can always be humble

Consider others better than ourselves - Philippians 2:3-4
Walk worthy of the calling - with all humility and gentleness - Ephesians 4:1-2

We can always be positive - Philippians 2:14-15

We can always listen - James 1:19-20

We can always control our anger - James 1:20

Some things are our of control when to comes to reconciliation but they are many things within our control to build a relationship



2010-02-25 - One Another - Forgiving One Another (part 1)
Matters related to forgiveness:

Forgiveness often is not easy

Pain creates lasting memories
The more deliberate the sin or the more we have invested in a relationship, the greater the pain
Greater the pain = harder it is to forgive

Forgiveness may be hardest in the church

When we see sin in our brothers and sisters, there seems to be a much greater temptation of bitterness

Satan's top-ranked scheme may be to lead us not to forgive

Paul: I have forgiven in order that Satan might not outwit us - 2 Corinthians 2:9-11
If he can get us to forget the cross and create a different standard for our brothers and sister = victory for satan
Sin can blemish the church but there is no uglier blemish than one cause by the lack of forgiveness

2010-03-02 - To Live is Christ - Partners in the Gospel
Philippians 1:16

Philippi was named for Philip of Macedon
It was a roman colony - not actually a place one would expect the message of Jesus to take hold
A roman jail is where you would expect Paul and Silas to be

Paul made a career of being with other and influencing their lives - reduced to visits from the guards
Through many hard times he had learned to overcome the most challenging of circumstances

Five lines into the letter, Paul remembers his relationship with God and other disciples:
  • First converts - Lydia and her household
  • The jailer and his house hold
  • God using an earthquake to bring unlikely people into the kingdom of God - Acts 16:22
Christianity is a personal experience but not a private one

Only when we have been in the trenches with others will we have relationships that are full of life

2010-03-03 - To Live is Christ - In My Heart
Philippians 1:7-8

During Paul's 3 days of blindness:
  • His Pharisaic crust was broken
  • His independence had melted
  • He recognized and braced the true Lord
One of the most touching paragraphs written by Paul in the NT
Instead of seeing cell walls - he saw the Philippian disciples needs, struggles, and victories
Paul had to have come to know them all
He did not just start the church there, he began a family

He was committed to all of them - he was a true shepherd:
  • He called his own sheep by name - John 10:3
  • He laid down his life for them - John 10:11
  • He knew his sheep - John 10:14
Paul turned from persecutor to nurturer
We too can long for people with the affection of Christ but we must have people in our hearts

2010-03-04 - To Live is Christ - To Love is to Live

There is nothing greater than love - 1 Corinthians 13:13

If we don't know how to love, we don't know how to live
To live as Christ is to learn how to love
If love isn't growing will soon die

Those who are satisfied with the love they attained have really ceased to love
Paul prayed for the Philippians' love to abound more and more

God is love - 1 John 4:8
Learning to love is learning to be like God - who among us can say we have arrived?

 



2010-03-05 - To Live is Christ - From Trials to Triumph

A successful life is not life from difficulty, trial, or tragedy - Philippians 1:12-14
While Paul was imprisoned, he learned how to live

He saw God the same - no matter what happened in his life

In an earlier letter he saw illness as an opportunity bring the gospel to the them - Galatians 4:13

He saw imprisonment for a chance to convert Romans
There became disciples is Caesar's household - Philippians 4:22
Something "not good" can be turned into the complete opposite when in God's larger pattern

Paul not giving up deepen their convictions - he emboldened them to share the message

Whatever happens in life can serve to advance the gospel when we are living by faith



2010-03-06 - To Live is Christ - Christ is Preached
Some men in Philippi conveted the importance of Paul's position, but not the painful consequences - Philippians 1:15-18

In the hearts of each of us, when distracted and self-reliant, is a demon of selfish ambition

Paul was secure in his position before God - a saved servant of Jesus Christ
He knew that these men would either become convicted of their sin or God would deal with them

Bottom line: Christ was being preached

More than anything he wanted people to come to know the Jesus he came to know

2010-03-07 - To Live is Christ - Self Titled
What is missing in so many lives is a clear sense of identity and purpose

Paul knew who he was and his his purpose of living/dying for Christ

In fact he had a relationship, example and a security destiny with Christ

If they spared his life, his purpose was to:
  • Show the life of Christ in his life
  • Tell others the good news
  • Mature those who were disciples
If death, then a life in heaven with Christ
Either way, it was a "win-win"

Paul was going to be delivered, one way or another - 2 Corinthians 1:10
  • Delivered from prison
  • Delivered from his life and struggles
  • Delivered from his loneliness and anxiety
What could be better than an unswerving commitment to someone greater than yourself?

2010-03-08 - To Live is Christ - Progress and Joy
Paul was torn - Philippians 1:22-26
He rejoiced to be able to encourage the Philippian disciples
Death brought him face to face he loved

He realized that he had more laps to run and did not want to coast - but to run with all his might

Paul has no desire simply to remain with the disciples - want to continue with them
Greek for "Continue" = to wait beside a person to be ready to help and help all the time

For Paul to live was Christ and to give himself to others for their spiritual progress and deep joy

Whatever the cost, he would be there for them:
  • Their growth - he would pay the cost
  • Patient with someone who was weak - he would pay the cost
  • Someone taking advantage of his humility - he would pay the cost
  • Was through sticky, uncomfortable issues - he would pay the cost


2010-03-09 - To Live is Christ - Whatever Happens

Paul set an example for them by facing frustration with faith - lesson for us as well
Whatever happens...in a manner worthy of the gospel

It is not just a good moral life; is is united with each other - standing firm in one spirit

Jesus died to bring us together
1st century - no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own - Acts 4:32
An autonomous Christian was unknown to the biblical writters

Staying in the fellowship means:

  • Suffering
  • Extra work
  • Carrying each other's burdens

The world needs to see men, women, singles, marrieds, teens, all races, rich and poor brought together as "one man".

 



2010-03-10 - To Live is Christ - Having the Same Love

Paul wanted to remind the Philippians of the blessings of their relationship with Jesus - Philippians 2:1-4
He called them to "be like-minded, having the same love" for each other

By this all men will know we are Jesus' disciple by our love - John 13:35

"Sharing in the common life" ws his heartfelt vision for them

He applealed to them to be one to initiate this kind of love
To love like Jesus is to love first
We love because he first loved us - 1 John 4:19
God did not wait for us to initiate and get an attitude because we didn't

It is not natural to love this way
Jesus does not ask of us something he did not do or something we cannot do

Will we trust the message he lived and taught?
Will we be the kind of friend to others that he has been to us?



2010-03-11 - To Live is Christ - Just Like Christ

In the midst of the discussion about unity, Paul continues by talking about having the mind of Jesus - Philippians 2:5-8

The only way to have unity is to be like Jesus

We were called to follow in his steps - 1 Peter 2:21

Jesus willingly because a servant
Greek literally says, "he emptied himself"'

  • He poured out his diviniy for us
  • He gave up his rights
  • Jesus was not just playing a role, he was showing us the depths of this heart

Jesus came not to be served but to serve - Matthew 20:28

 



2010-03-13 - To Live is Christ - No One Else Like Him
Those with with the greatest impact are not the ones you expect
Romans centurion - Matthew 8:5-10
Canaanite woman - Matthew 15:21-28

Timothy struggled with illness and fear made quite an impression on Paul
  • He looked out for the interest of others
  • He lived out the message
  • He knew what it meant to go to the cross
  • He was convinced that he was more alive when he was dead
  • He discipleship was a matter of practice
  • He had no trouble seeing the mission of Jesus
  • He did not run aimlessly but purposeful, selfless, and dedicated servant of Jesus
How do Timothys come about?
  • They study to become like this
  • They are discipled to become like this
  • They do whatever it takes
God uses them to bless the world

2010-03-14 - To Live is Christ - Fellow Worker and Soldier
Epaphroditus was committed to Paul in the most difficult of circumstances - Philippians 2:25-30
Having a brother to encourage you and not be ashamed of you while in prision meant the world to Paul

Great friends are fellow worker - To accomplish a common goal
Great friends are fellow soldiers - a common enemy and a common plan to go make disciples

Easy to get wrapped up in our own needs
If we are selfless in our thinking and actions - do we think we will lose out in some way?
Paul was eager to send Epaphroditus - not reluctantly
Who we have been so generous?




2010-03-15 - To Live is Christ - No Confidence in Flesh
Paul describes people who do not appreciate what Jesus has done as dogs - Philippians 3:14

There are 2 options to approaching God:
  1. The performance model
  2. The grace model
One works; the other is a disaster

Man, in his pride, is drawn to the performance model
Paul refers to the people who acknowledge Jesus as Lord but would not let go of the performance model
These people held on to certain Jewish regulation that were made obsolete by Jesus

The grace model is revolutionary
Seems too easy to be true but too hard for our egos to accept

Grace model says:
  • There are never enough requirements we could meet
  • There are never enough rules we could keep
  • There is never enough rituals we could experience
  • Even if obedient to death, our only hope of salvation come from work from another


2010-03-16 - To Live is Christ - Profit to Loss
If anyone want to talk about 'confidence in the flesh', Paul was ready to take them on - Philippians 3:4-7
Paul used the events in his life to show just how empty all human achievements in before God

Heredity reasons (how Paul was more than others but counted them a loss)
  • He was circumcised the first day it was possible (eighth day)
  • He was an Israelite
  • He was from the tribe of Benjamin (most honored tribe of all)
  • He was a Hebrew of Hebrews - carefully passed on Hebrew language to children
Hard work reasons (how Paul was more than others but counted them a loss)
  • He was extremely zealous - Galatians 1:14
  • He vigorously opposed the church
  • He was faultless in the eyes of others
He considered it all a loss = Greek: "the thinks that were gains to me, I counted loss"
If anyone had a right to glory in the flesh, Paul did, but he clearly saw that no one has that right

2010-03-17 - To Live is Christ - Considered Rubbish
Not only did Paul give up his religious past and performance, he gladly counted everything else a loss too
He would give up any claim of such things so he could gain justification by grace

He considered them rubbish  - Philippians 3:8-9
skubala = human waste or dung (KJV)
He was saying the same thing as Isaiah - all righteousness acts are like filthy rags - Isaiah 64:6

The good we do is not rubbish but it is if those works are seen as the source and trusted in
Our obedience, which is imperfect, does not make us right with God
Christ's righteousness saves by faith

The message of the cross calls us to sacrifice everything to Christ, who sacrificed everything for us

Without his sacrifice, our sacrifice would be worthless to God and to man


2010-03-18 - To Live is Christ - Know Christ
Paul wanted to know Christ - Philippians 3:10-11

Did he not know him yet?
  • Three days of fasting and prayer? - Acts 9:9
  • After 3 years of personal training? - Galatians 1:11-24
  • After a visit to the 3 heaven? - 2 Corinthians 12:1-6
Geek verb ginoskein - close to intimacy of marriage

Paul knew about Jesus
He was will aware that simply doing the right thing did not give him intimacy

Do we really know Christ?
To become like him in his death is become like him in life:
  • Give when you are tired
  • Pray when you do not want to
  • Stand your ground against emotions and thoughts
  • Overcome fear and to love in practical, unselfish way
To live like this is to know Christ
The spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you - Romans 8:11

2010-03-19 - To Live is Christ - Pressing On

Although is righteousness that is not our own becomes laziness, we show we have the grace of God - Philippians 3:12-16

Despite all that Paul went through and has done - he pressed on
Greek word, dicoko = used in both hunting and foot racing

There is certainly a time to remember what we have done - 2 Thessalonians 2:5
But there is also a time to forget

Paul did not cling to the fact that he planted a lot of churches
He purposely "forgot", so he would not see himself as arriving

Paul was looking forward to the next thing God had in store for him
All who are mature, should think this way

The way to take it higher is to hold on to what you have already grasped and then reach for more



2010-03-21 - To Live is Christ - Joy and Crown
Paul: My joy and crown is you standing firm in the Lord - Philippians 4:1
For the Greeks, the crown was a symbol of victory or a token of honor

Paul's crown was changed lives
The legacy was lasting and the reward was eternal
Paul to Corinthians: Result of the ministry not written on tablets but on human hearts - 2 Corinthians 3:2-3

If other people's spiritual growth is not our concern, it will never be our joy
If others are not our joy in this life, they will never be our crown after this life

What brought Jesus joy, brought Paul joy
Where do we get our joy in life?

Self-centeredness is the greatest roadblock of joy
We can not be concerned about the things of God if our own things get in the way

The Philippians were Paul's concern,  his focus, his joy and his crown

2010-03-22 - To Live is Christ - Rejoice Always

It would be one thing to hear "rejoice always" from someone living with plenty but quite another from someone in a challenging situation - Philippians 4:4-5

There is something about being "in the Lord"
If someone is "in the Lord", there is always something bigger than our trials

Paul also had a deep conviction that whatever is one: The Lord Is Near
This is how men and women of God can be joyful and gentle in the most stressful times

God is monitoring their pain not allow more than we can bear and giving his strength
The Lord is near to all who call on him - Psalms 145:18
He is near in every situation we encounter

He is calling on them and us to rejoice always and to have a great attitude

 



2010-03-23 - To Live is Christ - Anxious About Nothing

Paul urges them to be anxious and worried about nothing and to pray about everything because God is in control - Philippians 4:6-7

Peace never comes without surrender
Surrender never comes without a decision to trust

Something instead of dealing with our emotions, we try an avoidance pattern
Adam and Eve hid from God and themselves

We must be in touch with happens to others and ourselves
It is why we must consistently and unashamedly pray about all aspects of our lives
It is not just for some - it is normal experience - just people deciding to trust God in every situation

Guard (a garrison of angel are available to help) our hearts - Satan wants us to trust ourselves and to doubt our God
Our own thoughts are not always the truth

How challenging to turn everything over to God. Yet, how foolish not to!

 



2010-03-24 - To Live is Christ - Mind Change
Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable - think of such things - Philippians 4:8-9

It is all about the focus
Focus on the mess or you can change your mind and focus on:
  • Who God is
  • What God can do
  • The changes he can make
  • The victory he will most certainly achieve
Paul is not hopeful on what direction the world is going
Jesus saw the increase in wickedness - Matthew 24:12
While pessimistic about the world's chances, he was totally optimistic about the future with God

You will have trouble in this world but Jesus has overcome the world - John 16:33


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