The Confidence We Can Have As A Follower Of Christ Series

THE CONFIDENCE WE CAN HAVE AS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST

PHILIPPIANS 1:19-21 FOR I KNOW THAT THIS WILL TURN OUT FOR MY DELIVERANCE THROUGH YOUR PRAYERS AND THE PROVISION OF THE SPIRIT OF JESUS CHRIST,

20 ACCORDING TO MY EARNEST EXPECTATION AND HOPE, THAT I WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME IN ANYTHING, BUT THAT WITH ALL BOLDNESS, CHRIST WILL EVEN NOW, AS ALWAYS, BE EXALTED IN MY BODY, WHETHER BY LIFE OR BY DEATH. 21 FOR TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST AND TO DIE IS GAIN.

INTRODUCTION: EARLIER THIS WEEK I WAS WATCHING AN INFOMERCIAL ON BUYING GOLD. WHAT WAS INTERESTING TO ME WAS THE INITIAL DISCLAIMER CONCERNING WHOSE OPINION WHAT BEING VERBALIZED; IT WAS NOT THE OPINION OF THE STATION AND THE CONSTANT USE OF WORDS LIKE: COULD, MIGHT, POSSIBLY AND OTHER WORDS FO SIMILAR SPECULATION. YET, DURING THE ENTIRE PROGRAM, THE MAIN COMMUNICATOR WAS SMILING AND VISUALLY SHOWING YOU WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF YOU MADE HIS ADVERTISED INVESTMENT.

HARDLY A STIRRING VOTE FOR CONFIDENCE – MIGHT, COULD AND POSSIBLE.

WHAT WE SEE IN THE WORDS OF PAUL IS SOMETHING QUITE DIFFERENT – CONFIDENCE EXPRESSED IN HIS KNOWLEDGE.

ILLUSTRATION: ALEKSANDR SOLZHENITSYN ONCE SAID AT A GRADUATION ADDRESS IN 1978, “MUST ONE POINT OUT THAT FROM ANCIENT TIMES A DECLINE IN COURAGE HAS BEEN CONSIDERED THE BEGINNING OF THE END.”

PROPOSITION: WE ARE AND CAN BE PEOPLE OF CONFIDENCE

PAUL HAD FIVE CONFIDENCES RECORDED FOR US IN THESE VERSES, AND IT IS THESE CONFIDENCES THAT BROUGHT HIM, AND CAN BRING US REAL JOY!

I. PAUL WAS CONFIDENT IN THE CERTAINTY OF GOD’S PLAN

a. FIRST PHRASE – “I KNOW”

i. GREEK WORD IS OIDA

ii. THE MEANING IS TO KNOW AS A CERTAINTY

iii. PAUL WAS AS CONFIDENT OF THE CERTAINTY OF GOD’S PLAN AS HE WAS OF THE AIR HE BREATHED

AS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST, WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT THERE IS ALWAYS MORE AT PLAY. GOD IS WORKING OUT HIS ENTIRE PLAN THROUGH HIS ACTIVITY ON OUR BEHALF. WE ARE ALWAYS PART OF THE BIGGER PLAN OF GOD!

b. BEFORE PAUL WAS EVER IN HOUSE ARREST, HE WROTE TO THE CHURCH ANT ROME AND PENNED THESE WORDS -- ROMANS 8:28 AND WE KNOW THAT GOD CAUSES ALL THINGS TO WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, TO THOSE WHO ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.

i. PAUL WAS NOW LIVING IT FOR THE ROMANS WHILE UNDER ARREST

c. PAUL UNDERSTOOD THAT HIS SITUATION WAS ONLY TEMPORARY.

II. PAUL WAS CONFIDENT IN GOD’S DELIVERANCE

a. PAUL UNDERSTANDS HIS SITUATION IN THE SAME WAY JOB UNDERSTOOD HIS

i. QUOTES FROM JOB 13:16 "THIS ALSO WILL BE MY SALVATION, FOR A GODLESS MAN MAY NOT COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCE.

ii. THE WORD TRANSLATED DELIVERANCE IS THE SAME WORD USED TO TRANSLATE SALVATION IN THE OT SEPTUAGINT

iii. PAUL’S SITUATION WAS NOT A PUNISHMENT FROM GOD

iv. PAUL’S SITUATION WAS BOTH THE PROGRESS AND PROCESS OF GOD

b. PAUL WAS LOOKING AT HIS DELIVERANCE FROM CAESAR

i. EITHER THE DELIVERANCE THAT COMES FROM HIS ETERNAL SECURITY

ii. OR HIS DELIVERANCE BY BEING RELEASED FROM CONFINEMENT

III. PAUL WAS CONFIDENT IN THE POWER OF PRAYER

a. PAUL SAW THE DIRECT CONNECTION BETWEEN PRAYER AND THE ACTIVITY OF GOD

b. SEVERAL TIMES IN SEVERAL BOOKS, PAUL MAKES MENTION OF PRAYER

ROMANS 15:30 NOW I URGE YOU, BRETHREN, BY OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST AND BY THE LOVE OF THE SPIRIT, TO STRIVE TOGETHER WITH ME IN YOUR PRAYERS TO GOD FOR ME,

EPHESIANS 6:18-19 WITH ALL PRAYER AND PETITION PRAY AT ALL TIMES IN THE SPIRIT, AND WITH THIS IN VIEW, BE ON THE ALERT WITH ALL PERSEVERANCE AND PETITION FOR ALL THE SAINTS, 19 AND PRAY ON MY BEHALF, THAT UTTERANCE MAY BE GIVEN TO ME IN THE OPENING OF MY MOUTH, TO MAKE KNOWN WITH BOLDNESS THE MYSTERY OF THE GOSPEL,

1 THESSALONIANS 5:25 BRETHREN, PRAY FOR US.

2 THESSALONIANS 3:1 FINALLY, BRETHREN, PRAY FOR US THAT THE WORD OF THE LORD WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY AND BE GLORIFIED, JUST AS IT DID ALSO WITH YOU;

c. PAUL NEVER UNDERESTIMATED THE POWER OF PRAYER AND NEITHER SHOULD WE

i. GOD COMMANDS US TO PRAY

ii. GOD GAVE US A MODEL FOR PRAYER

iii. GOD MODELED PRAYER FOR US

iv. PRAYER HAS DELIVERED BELIEVERS

v. PRAYER HAS AVERTED CATASTROPHE

EVERY PLAN OF GOD INCORPORATES PRAYER. YOU AND I ARE NEVER FULLY ENGAGED IN THE PLAN OF GOD IF WE ARE NOT PRAYING!

IV. PAUL WAS CONFIDENT IN THE PROVISION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

a. THE WORD TRANSLATED PROVISION MEANS FULL, BOUNTIFUL SUPPLY OR SUFFICIENT

b. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE HELP PROMISED BY CHRIST

c. THINGS THE SPIRIT DOES FOR US

i. THE HOLY SPIRIT SPEAKS FOR US

MATTHEW 10:19-20 "BUT WHEN THEY HAND YOU OVER, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT HOW OR WHAT YOU ARE TO SAY; FOR IT WILL BE GIVEN YOU IN THAT HOUR WHAT YOU ARE TO SAY.