I'M CONFIDENT OF THAT (part two)
Last week I started out by asking what are you basing your confidence in. We read the story of Sennacherib king of Assyria attacking Hezekiah king of Judah. Sennacherib was certain he would defeat the smaller army of Judah. He taunted them saying their god couldn't rescue them. Well, that didn't go as planned and God not only rescued them, he annihilated the Assyrian army in the process.
Then we went to the story of David and Goliath. Goliath defied the army of God and David was incited over it. It didn't matter how big Goliath was, it didn't matter that he had been a warrior since his youth; David was willing to take him on. Not only take him on; but declare confidently that he was going to defeat him. And we know how that turned out.
When we have a heart of godly confidence we can do anything the Lord moves us to do. But when people have confidence in anything other than God they can wind up being very disappointed. But that doesn't mean we can't have any confidence in people; it depends on certain factors. Let's continue to look at the subject of confidence.
1) Confidence by way of evidence.
Prov. 31:10-11, "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value."
If you read on you will see why he has full confidence in his wife. The next verse says that she brings him good all the days of her life. She has established a good track record. She has accomplished many things and has used her God-given abilities. He has full confidence in her because of the evidence he has seen.
Does that mean he thinks she's perfect? No. Is his confidence based in the expectation that she won't make mistakes? Not at all. Having confidence doesn't come with the belief that there won't be times when things will happen outside of the norm. As noble as she is she is still human. But there are plenty of valid reasons as to why he can have confidence in her.
The same is true for our relationships with people. When we have someone in our lives with a proven track record, we tend to have confidence in them. When someone has proven themselves faithful and trustworthy we will be confident there's nothing to worry about. That's a good thing.
Paul had that kind of confidence in his friend Philemon. Philemon had a slave named Onesimus. Onesimus had run away and in his travels he came in contact with Paul and at some point he was converted. Paul knew the right thing to do was to send Onesimus back to Philemon. But he wrote a letter, asking Philemon to go easy on Onesimus since he was now a brother in Christ. Paul had confidence that Philemon would do the right thing.
Philemon 1:17-21, "So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask."
How could Paul be so confident that Philemon would do the godly thing? The Greek word for confident here is persuaded. Paul was persuaded by the evidence of Christ he had seen in Philemon. Because Paul knew his character and example he was confident he would do the right thing.
When people show themselves to have integrity or any other Christian trait, we can be confident that they will do the right thing. When people have a track record of always telling the truth, we can be confident that they won't lie when we ask them something.
Does this mean it's foolproof? No. There's always the chance that someone who typically tells the truth will lie. It's not likely; just possible. Paul knew that it was possible that Philemon would not respond favorably to his letter but he was sure his response was going to be positive. He based his confidence on the evidence that Philemon had exhibited up to that point.
Having confidence doesn't mean we don't prepare for the possibility of something not going according to how we think it will. But that shouldn't stop us from having confidence in people; especially when it's based on seeing Jesus in them. When we know someone is habitually operating in the Spirit, we will be more apt to have confidence in them.
It's not healthy to be suspicious of people after they've spent plenty of time showing you they can be trusted. And just because they're not perfect that doesn't mean they can't be trusted. Paul realized this when he was dealing with the Corinthians.
2nd Cor. 7:2-4, "Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds."
Paul is speaking quite highly of the Corinthians. They had a special place in his heart. He said he had great confidence in them. Paul spends some time in this letter telling them the depth of love he had for them. The false teachers were painting Paul in a negative light so he reassured them of his love and care for them.
Even though Paul's asking them to make room in their hearts for him he still says he has great confidence in them. How? Paul's confidence wasn't based in their imperfections; it was based in something else. If you read through 1st and 2nd Corinthians and you'll see Paul addressing their faults. And he wrote a letter that went after some serious issues and he knew it was painful for them to read. But he didn't regret it because it produced godly sorrow, which led to repentance.
Vs. 11-16, "See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong or of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me.
But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well. And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. I am glad I can have complete confidence in you."
It was evident that the Corinthians received Paul's letter with humility. They were convicted; they had godly sorrow over the things Paul addressed. Paul highlights all the benefits that resulted from having godly sorrow. It's interesting that he mentions how devoted they were to Paul yet he asked them to make room for them in their hearts.
Paul is reminding them of the devotion they have shown which shows that there was good reason to be devoted to Paul so don't allow the false teachers to convince you otherwise. And Paul was completely confident that his positive words about them were true, despite the current issue he was having with them.
Chapter nine talks about the Corinthians' generosity. Even though there were plenty of issues to address, there were also reasons to commend them. Therefore, Paul saw reasons to have confidence in them.
People today have shortcomings but that doesn't mean we can't have confidence in them. If we only had confidence in those who didn't have any issues then we wouldn't have confidence in anyone. That's not good. How would the body function? The eye can't say to the foot, 'I don't need you'. The foot and the eye are not perfect-yet they need each other. Will the foot make mistakes? Sure. Does that mean the foot committee should be enacted to search for a replacement? Probably not.
I know there are times when someone destroys the confidence that was placed in them. But when people show they can be trusted we need to have the confidence to let them use the gifts God gave them without micromanaging them or being critical of their performance. With that said, having confidence in someone doesn't mean we don't take any precautions. Paul was confident but he was also prepared.
2nd Cor. 9:1-5, "There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints. For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action.
But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given."
Paul's confident they will give but he's sending the brothers to make sure. Paul knows the flesh is weak so he takes precautions. And he explains why-he didn't want to end up being ashamed of his confidence. Paul had been telling people about their generosity. It would be embarrassing if they got there and the church wasn't prepared to fulfill their promise.
Just because he took some precautionary measures that didn't change Paul's confidence in them. There was enough evidence to support his confidence. Although people aren't perfect, there can still be enough evidence to support our confidence in them.
2) Persevering in confidence.
Phil. 1:3-7, "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 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. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me."
As in the passage we looked at earlier in Philemon, the Greek word for confident here means persuaded. Paul was persuaded that the work that God had started in them would carry on to the end because of what he saw in them up to that point.
Obviously Paul can't predict the future; he wasn't presuming there was no way they would allow anything to get in the way of the Lord's work. But based on the evidence he saw and knowing the love and power of God, he was confident the work God started in them would continue to the end.
Paul's confidence was mainly in God fulfilling his part. But Paul also had confidence that the Philippians would allow God to continue his work in them. Paul saw the evidence of their persevering work from the first day until the present time. He knew it was right to say that about them because they had earned a special place in his heart.
That doesn't mean Paul's confidence was based in feelings, it means that Paul had been convinced in his heart and mind that the Philippians were a devoted church and it was shown in how they ministered to Paul while he was in prison. Based on the evidence of their love and devotion, he was confident that they would remain obedient to the Lord's work until the end of time. There was the work of the gospel, the work of ministering to those in chains like they were doing with Paul as well as the ongoing work of sanctification.
Toward the end of the chapter Paul encourages them to continue contending for the faith and to not fear those who opposed them. Paul said in vs. 30 that they were going through the same struggle that he had gone through and was still going through.
When Paul was in Philippi, Acts 16 talks about him being stripped, beaten, flogged and thrown in a dungeon prison. Whether they had suffered the same things or merely suffered persecution, the Philippians had suffered through some of the same struggles that Paul had. Going through suffering can instill godly confidence in you.
If you've been through something intense or horrific you might feel like anything that happened after that would pale in comparison. Since you already got through something devastating, you now have the confidence that you can persevere through whatever else comes your way.
This may have been some of the basis for Paul making this confident statement about the Philippians. He saw what they went through and he knew how it felt because he had gone through it. He saw their level of determination and devotion and it gave him confidence that they would continue to press on. God began a work in them, they were tested and came through with flying colors.
David defeating Goliath would give him confidence that he could face anyone that came against him. When we see God work in our lives and when we gain the victory of persevering through a severe hardship we gain the confidence that we will remain faithful 'til the end.
That doesn't mean we can let our guard down; we're not invincible-just confident. God began a good work in the Philippians and he would see it to completion as they continued to do what they had been doing from the first day until now. God gives us everything we need to persevere in confidence.
Heb. 10:32-36, "Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.
You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."
The Hebrews had suffered also. They showed they were able to make it through some serious persecution. They were confident they had better and lasting possessions in heaven. That confidence allowed them to joyfully accept the confiscation of their property! You would need to have confidence in the Lord's promises to do this!
But regardless, they were still warned to not throw away their confidence. They knew they had better and lasting possessions in heaven but they also knew they needed to continue in the faith and persevere so they could benefit from those possessions.
We can have assurance but that doesn't mean we have nothing to lose. We can't presume upon the Lord and we can't take our salvation for granted. Being confident shouldn't cause us to think we can coast into heaven. How did we establish that confidence-through faith. How was it going to be continued-through faith.
And it's an interesting way to word it-don't throw away your confidence. This means my confidence won't be taken from me. It means no one has the power to make me lose my confidence. If I don't have confidence it's because I made the choice to let it go. God gives us the ability to have confidence and he gives me everything I need to persevere in confidence but it's up to me to make the choice to.
With that said, persevering in confidence doesn't mean I won't ever have doubts or that if I do it must mean I've thrown away my confidence. We may get weak sometimes. I might even lose my confidence in certain situations but I can always get it back if I want to.
There are different factors that contribute toward me losing my confidence. The Hebrews were going through sufferings. If one continued to be persecuted for their faith they could end up losing their confidence and throwing in the towel. But if we go back to chapter three we can see some other things that work against my confidence.
Heb. 3:12-14, "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first."
We see that sin, unbelief, lack of encouragement, hardness of heart all contribute toward us losing our confidence? What kinds of things lead to having an unbelieving heart? Distancing myself from spiritual people and things. In this I am turning away from God. My heart is becoming hard, I am losing my confidence in God.
When God doesn't answer my prayers the way I think he should, disappointments in life, seeing all the evil in the world; these things can make us cynical. And when I'm cynical long enough, my heart hardens to God's voice when he tries to speak into my heart. If I don't come to my senses, eventually I will throw away my confidence.
What can we do to make sure this doesn't happen? We need to stay connected to God and the church. We need to pray to be able to recognize when we're heading toward a danger zone. We need to pray for humility to accept the truth. Someone might express their concern about where I'm at and if I'm humble I'll listen and then pray about it to see if there's any truth to it.
We also need to encourage each other. If we are focused on encouraging one another to persevere it will make it a lot harder to lose our confidence. That's why the writer ended the passage in chapter ten on a positive note.
Heb. 10:39, "But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."
The warning still needed to be given, but he wanted them to know he was confident that they would not throw their confidence away. It's like he's saying, "I'm confident, because of how well you have already persevered, that you will not throw away your confidence!"
We need that encouragement also. A warning doesn't mean someone has no confidence in us. The warnings are there to tell us what could happen if we don't continue to persevere in confidence. Keep the faith.
