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All that I am -- All the time
Philippians 3:4-11
It is vital for the Christian to daily surrender everything to Jesus.
Sunday Morning Sermon
01.06.08
Intro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZsaLHz1G5s
(Start with Title and text)
The wonderful Cross bids me come and die that I might truly live. For us to have true life in this world we must die to the stuff of this world. For us, the church, to be a light in this world, we must reflect the light of the world, which is Jesus. We can¡¦t reflect that light, if we are hanging on to the past, if we are hanging on to hurt, if we have pride in ourselves. The cross gives us one message of surrender and true gain the world, or the crowd gives us a different message that often puts self first. So what I’m going to ask you to do this morning might sound foreign, or even unnecessary.
Hear me on this it is vital in the life of the Christian to daily surrender everything to Jesus. The length of your Christian life is determined by your desire to surrender everything all that you are all the time. Say that with me (Advance) ALL THAT I AM ALL THE TIME.
Discussion:
Paul came to the point in his life where he said ALL THAT I AM ALL THE TIME. Paul came to the conclusion that our confidence, our self-worth, our value comes not in degrees, titles, positions, heritage or talents but it comes from who we are in Christ.
Turn with me if you have your bibles to Philippians 3:4-11 (read) (Advance)
I see three things this morning that will hopefully bring us to the conclusion of giving all that we are all the time. We have to:
(Advance)
I. Lose Confidence in Self (4-7)
I didn’t say have no self-confidence. (Advance)
Romans 12:3 (NIV) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
a. Don’t find pride
i. In the things you have done or what you have accomplished
ii. In your past victories or even your Christian walk
Pride makes a person stop. That why it comes before the fall it literally makes a person fall when you are running this race that is the Christian life and you begin to be prideful about whatever it is you will stop. It’s at that point you are not running the race that is the Christian life. 2 Chronicles 26 tells the story of King Uzziah he became king when he was 16. Chapter 26 says that his mother did what was right in the eyes of the lord just as his father had done. So you have this 16 year old king, with a righteous upbringing. It says that became powerful. He built an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies. 14 Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army. 15 In Jerusalem he made machines designed by skillful men for use on the towers and on the corner defenses to shoot arrows and hurl large stones. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful. (listen to this) (Advance)16 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. We have to be careful of our pride as well.
Say those words with me (Advance) ALL THAT I AM ALL THE TIME.
b. Realize the trade off --
Paul says But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
i. If we are going to know Christ
ii. If we are going to surrender everything to Christ
iii. If we are going to gain Christ
We have to look at our lives in the same way Paul looked at his. The word ¡§Profit¡¨ is plural (more than one) - it’s like Paul had counted his past reasons for confidence one by one -- lining them up. Starting with Verse 5 -- (Advance)circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But he had a change of heart, I now consider loss¨ -- the word loss is singular -- meaning Paul no longer counted his profits as single reasons for confidence -- but he saw them all together in one lump. Say those words with me (Advance) ALL THAT I AM ALL THE TIME. What Paul was and did was nothing. What Christ had done was everything.
c. We must lose in the same way Paul lost
i. We can probably stack up our profits, our victories, our talents, and our knowledge and be proud of what we’ve accomplished.
If God has called you to do something and you follow through when he gives you the victory there is nothing wrong with boasting in what he has done in your life. God gives you the victory so that he can receive the glory that’s the way it works. The problem even for Paul was the ease of getting to the point where you don’t give the glory, and you stop. Some of you this morning have stopped you’ve stopped growing you’ve stopped learning you’ve stopped leaning church, it’s time that we get back to the point, or maybe even arrive for the first time and live out the idea that Christ is EVERYTHING. One of the commentaries said this(Advance) That road, from self to Christ, is a long one.
d. Put to rest
i. Things that don’t matter opinions and preferences
The devil wants us to hang out at the crossroads of opinion and preference. Because when we do we STOP doing the commission of the church making disciples, baptizing them and teaching them obedience. The church should be an atmosphere of grace, trust and freedom but it can’t be if opinions and preferences rise to the top. Say those words with me (Advance) ALL THAT I AM ALL THE TIME.
Here’s the second thing that will help us reach that as a conclusion we must see as a goal to: (Advance)
II. Gain Christ (8-9)
a. See what the real value is
Our world is good at selling us false values and we buy into it. If it feels good we should do it regardless of who it hurts. The world says rely on yourself. The world says that you can earn your goodness by what you do. Paul looked at all the titles he had, all the heritage he had, all the knowledge he possessed and he called all of that RUBBISH. Which basically means a pile of human waste¨.
i. It was holding him back from gaining Christ.
ii. It was holding him back from being found in Christ.
Paul feared standing before God by himself. After his conversion, Paul feared relying on his own righteousness, and his own works as God’s source of judgment on his life.
How is it that Paul the apostle, the missionary, the writer of most of the New Testament was scared of being in front of God? Wasn’t he righteousness enough? Surely, the writer of most the New Testament could lean on his works and God could judge him by that right?
b. Paul’s understanding
i. We are too sinful to do enough good to be declared good by God.
God does not ask for good works, but for faith if you remember Abram(Advance)
Genesis 15:6 (NIV) Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
The trouble with righteousness based on what a person can do is that it is always self-righteousness, providing a basis for pride. A person who desires to gain Christ relies not on the pride in accomplishments or talents but on the grace given through faith. Paul makes it clear that if he relies on a righteousness of his own, based on his own achievements that he will accomplish God’s recognition, but fall short of true righteousness because that is based on Paul, and not what God has accomplish in Jesus. There is a hint of this even in the Old Testament that righteousness comes from God. (Advance)
Jeremiah 23:6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.
Paul tells the church in Corinth (Advance)
1 Corinthians 1:30 (NIV) It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Say those words with me (Advance) ALL THAT I AM ALL THE TIME.
c. Gaining Christ for us
i. Happens the same way
1. A resolve to view everything we have and all that we are RUBBISH.
2. A removal of the things in your life that don’t belong
For some of us a new year can mean a new direction with our attitude, our speech, our finances, and our school work. Listen; don’t just resolve to go in a new direction allow Christ to lead you as you fill your life with HIM. Gaining Christ for us
ii. Filling your life with him
Paul told the Ephesians to put on the full armor of God he includes a list of the different pieces of armor. (Advance) For us to be daily strong in the Lord and in his mighty power we have to equip ourselves for everything we will face every distraction, every persecution, every struggle and every temptation with full dependence on the faith that we have in Jesus that’s how he becomes your righteousness, your holiness and your redemption. That’s how when you stand before God you won’t be alone but you can boast about the mighty work Jesus has done for you and in your life.
Say those words with me (Advance) ALL THAT I AM ALL THE TIME. Here’s #3 (Advance)
III. Know Christ (10-11) -- (Advance)
Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV) 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Knowing Christ is the good conclusion Paul hoped to reach. It is in knowing Christ that we can also know the power in his resurrection.
a. Knowing about Christ different than truly knowing Christ Even Jesus says: (Advance)
Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV) "Not everyone who says to me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ’Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ’I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
b. So how do we know¨ Christ like Paul wanted to know Christ?
He gives us a few things to know about Christ --
i. The power in his resurrection
Paul is not content to know Christ as a fact of history, but to know him personally as the resurrected ever-living Lord of his life. Listen, Christ died for you but he did not stay dead the Bible says that he was raised by the power of God.
We can know God’s might power in our lives not only for our salvation, but in everyday life as well. Who wouldn¡¦t want power in their lives in your marriage, in your work environment, in your relationship with your children? Not the power that leads to destruction but power from God, to know what you are and who you are. Those are good things. He continues¡
ii. The fellowship of sharing in his suffering
I’ve probably lost some of you on this you say the "S" word and we automatically turn off our hearts. Everyone wants to shoot a basketball like Michael Jordan, no one wants to shoot free throws until they can’t lift their arms. Everyone wants to be Tiger Woods on the golf course but the last time Tiger and I were on the same golf course he had already played and practiced before 10 in the morning. We want the crown and the victory without the cross and the suffering. When we suffer we don’t suffer alone I’m not talking about basketballs or golf courses (Advance)
Matthew 10:22 (NIV) All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
If you wear the name of Christ you will suffer, through trials of many kinds. But the picture he paints is not one of isolation there is a fellowship of sharing in his sufferings. He’s right there with you. He understands what you are going through, because he’s been there. He’s been locked in this body of flesh, restricted just as we are so that he could be our prefect sacrifice.
iii. Becoming like him in death
Where do I sign up for hanging on the cross? Where do I sign up for the beating that most men died from before they ever got to the cross? Right here.
Say those words with me (Advance) ALL THAT I AM ALL THE TIME. Church his death was painful, and horrible. But it was also the greatest display of God’s love for us. While he is saying I’m willing to go to the cross¡¨ he’s also saying I understand the complete love on display. I want to show that love in my own life. Paul is telling us this morning Church Live a life of love because you are dearly loved children. While you may never have to go to the cross for Jesus you can you must demonstrate his love in your life. There is a reward for wanting this closeness with Christ
iv. Everlasting life The resurrection of the dead
We will die some day. We will stand before God, either alone and on our own merit (which is not where you want to be) or with Jesus, and what he has done for us and through us. There will be everlasting promise or everlasting punishment only two options. I’ve heard people argue that a loving God wouldn’t send us to everlasting punishment; but the Bible says that he loved us so much that he gave his son so that we would believe and have everlasting life. God didn’t create hell for us the Bible says that hell was created for the devil and his angels. If you go there you are going to be in a place for eternity that was not created for you. You, church, people of God, were created for life with God for eternity. And what he wants is nothing less than all of who you are all the time. Say those words with me ALL THAT I AM ALL THE TIME. Let’s pray
Invitation:
All that I am all the time that’s big isn’t it? Seriously. If you sign up for this how will it change your marriage, your family life, your work habits, your worship, your spare time, your spare change, your friendships this isn’t something to do without considering all of those thing. What if you move towards Christ this morning, and live this principle of all that I am all the time and people notice a difference in your life that you have to explain. What will you say Here’s a suggestion: (Advance)
Philippians 3:7 (NIV) But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
This morning surrender is calling if you have a decision to make please come as we stand and sing.
