You Can Do Everything In 2013
Philippians 4:12-13
Elder Clarence E. Weaver Sr
I. Introduction
Satan my brothers and sisters, does not attack believers in such a way that we should recognize him as being who he is. Instead, he comes disguised as the voice behind the theologian from the best seminary that may be the leader with a huge church empire and also be the author of many bestselling books. I know that I not going to get any Amen with that statement.
So I ask the question, how does he attack what we call the Christian faith? You know what I mean things such as the preaching of the gospel, weekly Bible Study, sacrament of baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, etc. He attacks that by putting people in place that both insist on and those who promise to deliver by taking emphasis away from all those things above and giving people something that they really want. Sometimes the leaders doing this think this is what the people really want, but it is not. Let me say it this another way, when the sheep or members of the church go to their pastors and ask to be fed spiritual food, rather than giving them spiritual food, they get served with entertainment.
Certainly we have all at one time or another felt guilt that our actions ushered into our lives. We might not be the pastor, but think about yourself as a parent to your children, or as a supervisor on your job. We all hold some form of leadership position and we have been asked by subordinates for the means to grow, but instead we entertain with some other answer. We have become use to the term, “Everyone tells a little white lie every once in a while.” However, our action finds us standing above and condemning us. Some here undoubtedly have become acquainted with guilt’s condemning voice. Likewise, who among us has not one time felt powerless over the lure of that sin knowing the sting of the bait? If you haven’t I will sit down now and let you preach this sermon. Some here today is still in this bondage and unable to pull away from its addiction.
Paul in Philippians 4:1-9 continues to encourage the Philippians while seeking reconciliation between two women in disagreement. He also calls for them to pursue joyful faith and disciplined thinking. Paul had a close and intimate relationship with the believers at the church of Philippi. He calls them the joy and his crown. He call them that not because they believed the gospel, but because of their perseverance and growing into maturity in Christ.
Paul mentions Euodia and Syntyche whom he appeals to agree in the Lord. Their names were mention because they were active women in the church. Paul knows what conflict is but he does not mention the conflict shared between these two women. Rather he doesn’t say let’s find out who’s right and who’s wrong, but to simple appeals that they reconcile in the Lord to be forgiving and gracious and merciful.
How often my brother and sisters that too many Christians hold petty differences that are simply held in the bitter parts of our hearts as trophies of pride? Too many people have gotten hurt in church because of petty differences which has caused them to leave the church and faith. We need to take note of this my brothers and sisters. Rather than wasting time squabbling, spreading rumors about people and telling people about issues people has towards one another, we should seek commit ourselves to do other good, forgive, and reconcile in the Lord with each other. Peace in the Body of Christ is worth more than petty differences.
So we see that Paul tell them to rejoice in the Lord. I promise you brother and sisters, those two women were not going to do that while in conflict with each other. Christians must start here and let their reasonableness be known to all men. We must seek what is best for everyone not just for oneself. Therefore, Paul gives us a list of things to fill our minds with the inspire worship of God and services of others. If we do this, what will be the results?
We must realize that we can’t always rejoice in our circumstances, but we can always rejoice in the Lord. We have no anxiety in the Lord. The God of peace will be with us. It is that peace of a justifiable life in a different location, have a different vocation, to be in a different situation-something in all of us that long for a change.
But today, I come with some good news that you can apply in your life today and always. As we look ahead for 2013, I want to give you some advice from these scriptures sot that you can overcome Satan and do the will of God in your life a Sermon title, “I Can Do Everything In 2013.” My text today comes from Philippians 4:12-13. There’s something in each of us that desires to live for God and be content.
II. Learning The Secret Contentment Philippians 4:12
The Apostle Paul gives us a good piece of advice concerning the dilemma when he says, “the key is to learn to be content no matter what state you’re in. For you see my brothers and sisters if we do not learn how to be content in life you will not be able to do everything in 2013 and you will soon develop contempt for life.
So Paul says, “I am not going to complaint whether I have plenty or, hunger or abundance and want. No matter in all the ups and downs of life I face each day, I have learned the secret of contentment does not consist of the things we need.” True progress and security are found in transformation of the outward into the inward life. Complaining will keep you from your promise.
Life in the spirit appears in the activities of man, transforming the outward into an inward life, and bearing witness to spiritual power, which is more significant than all material power because it alone to fulfills the character of a person.
A. Understand What The Lords Will Is
(1) Secret to alternate between attachment and detachment relationships
The main point is that what you do with your life matters a lot. You can make unwise choices, potentially wasting the impact that your life could have, or you can make wise choices, allowing your life to have the kind of impact that God intended for you to have.
By nature we all are a dictator in some areas in our lives. We love to impose our will on the world around us. It is not profitable to dwell too much on the past which we cannot change, but rather on the future which we can still change. There are at least two deathless reasons for alternation between attachment and detachment. One is to keep ourselves creative and to keep ourselves creatable.
(2) Keep ourselves creative
Some of the deathless reasons for to keep ourselves creative for alternation between attachment and detachment is when we take some human creation as though it could be equal to God. It is when someone creates something and eventually become arrogant enough to know better than God and become equal to God.
The knowledge to alternate attachment between you and God is to give up your life (ego) as you know it with all its values and certainties, for a God driven vision.
So you ask, Preacher what do you mean about that? These crises were triggered by the realization that you cannot continue living in ways which are threatening your life. That’s when you come to the knowledge to have courage to come out your boundaries of ego or detach yourself from you and surrender to the flow of life, faith in the underlying truths, and a determination to connect or attach yourself to God. Once you have attach yourself to God, God will transform your ego and detach you from Himself and attach you back to yourself to fulfill His will for your life. In Christ, You Can Do Everything 2013.
The fact is that everything requires renewal: friendship, integrity, love, sympathy, as well as all our opinions about our achievements. You see my brothers and sisters, God creative power will take away life where it ceases to grow, and will destroy all stoppage in the way of his inexhaustible purpose. It is constantly necessary to create new partnership out of old dictatorship through shared responsibility no matter if it is with your family, community, business, education, and all movements for human welfare because the Lord is at hand.
(3) Keep ourselves creatable
Our lives, my brothers and sisters are never finished they are not even half-done. After all we can do there still remains the question of what can be done with us. Our ability is never the measure of our possibility.
If we look back over the years in our lives, we all should become aware that the making and the remaking and remaking of life occurred where growth could not have been predicted.
I might live in the ghetto, but look at me now. They told my parents that I could never learn anything, but I got a college degree. They said, you will never get a job, but I own my own business. If it had not been for the Lord on my side, where would I be!
All that is tossed aside my brothers and sister, when you detach yourselves from you and attach yourself to God and let God refashion you in some unaccountable way often by some experience which we dreaded, and from which we probably would have ran away from if we could. All of this is a familiar proof that we cannot create our own lives, and must needs keep ourselves open for creation where we least expect it may occur. In Christ, You Can Do Everything 2013.
II. You Can Do Everything In 2013
Too many people think that following Christ is simple an effort of will to make themselves duplicates of his personality. Imitation of Christ is most effective when we think of it as following his example of permitting oneself under every circumstance to be used and shaped by a will greater than one’s own. We are clay in the hands of the potter. No one knows how radical the remaking may be especially when it is a matter of transforming the outward into the inward life when we are in the potter hands.
When we fail to keep ourselves creatable, we need to locate the unconscious stoppages such as spiritual warfare. God is at work in every one of us. He has given every one of us a measurement of faith. Our ego really wants to unite with the divine Spirit, but it is separated from God by some wall of its own creation or some artifact. This artifact can be walls such as envy, idolatry, selfishness, pride, adultery, hatred, or some other evident of the flesh.
Before the union can take place to renew life unpredictably, some crisis must smash the artifacts walls which separate you from God. That’s when you will find that you found God given supply of energy working all through your life converting a semi-fool into a useful and satisfied person.
Not everyone need to go through such a crisis to know that everyone has issues our clutter of private creations walling off their egos from the Spirit of God within. Brick by brick they go about making brick. Having a grudge with someone, there is a brick resentments, another brick, self-pity-another brick, and selfish indulgences-another brick. Each one of us on the spot where they stand is either stopping creation or letting it through. No one else can take your place. Others might do it better if they could be there, but each person is on some spot where no one else is, and you must do the best you can and let God make of you what he will.
For you do everything in 2013, you must learn the will of God for your life. Once you learn God’s will for your life, you will be able to do all things through Christ which will give you the strength to go through any circumstances that may occur in your life.
Ephesians 5:15-17, Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
If you want to make a foolish choice, then don’t bother trying to understand what the Lord will is for your life.
Please don’t be foolish in 2013 my brothers and sisters, be wise. Now if you want to make a wise choice, you need to understand what the Lords will is for your life.
How do we do that? First, I would suggest that the Bible provides a solid foundation for understanding the Lords will for example, 2 Timothy 3:16:17 says, “All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
As you begin to find yourself in understanding the Scriptures for your life, you will begin to understand more of God’s character and desires for you. Understanding these things go a long way to understanding the Lord’s will is. But in the day-to-day activities and moment-by-moment questions, we need more just the written Word. We need God Himself to lead us and guide us.
Fortunately for us my brothers and sisters, God has given us the Holy Spirit to live inside us. Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Comforter and Counselor, and He will teach us all things. So we have to learn to listen for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, which for the most part take quite some time for most of us to learn. When the Holy Spirit speaks, it aligns up with the Word of God. God can speak to you in the moment, and He can also speak to you about plans and directions for the future. Do be unwise when the Holy Spirit is speaking and do not quench the Spirit. Check it out!
Make the most out of every opportunity to be seized every opportunity. You will never get tired from a God given opportunity. God will give you the strength to do it. Make the most out of every opportunity. Even if it means that there is a spur of the moment opportunity to be seized, it might mean that there is some strategic and tactical thinking to be done. Some people may be scared by the spontaneous things especially like some of the shy people like me, or some of us who have trouble with commitment of staying focus but seize the moment.
Write it down if you have to, but seize the moment. Seize the moment by not leaning on your ego or understanding but trust God for directions. Seize every opportunity for the plans and directions that God give you. Seize to moment to forgive and reconcile. Seize the moment to create new partnership.
Paul summed up this chapter in Philippians 4:19 - But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. I want to leave you with that GOD WILL PROVIDE!!!!!God will provide the right thing, at just the right place, at just the right time. Learn to leave self, connect with God and connect back to yourself to do everything in 2013.
