Confident in Christ

Hello my friends!

How is your study going? I pray that you are finding new jewels in Philippians. I am, and I would love to hear about what you are finding! Remember, God will use His word to speak to you. He’ll answer your prayer, He’ll speak to your circumstances, and He’ll give you direction. I love to hear how He speaks to my friends through His word because it encourages me in my faith. So don’t be afraid to share your insights, your thoughts, etc. It is how we can learn from each other and share our journeys.

As you have studied chapter one, I’m sure you have noticed certain words repeated in the text. Those are called key words. For example, you might have noticed that Jesus is a key word; Paul refers to Christ 18 times in the first chapter. Other words I have noticed include gospel (6), joy/rejoice (4), prayer (3), imprisonment (4). I also noticed something else as I studied and that is Paul’s confidence. He wasn’t confident in himself… his confidence was in Christ. So being confident in Christ is what I want to talk about today…

I first noticed that Paul is confident of Christ’s work in believers….in verse 6, he says…

“…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” NKJ

Paul knows that Christ will complete the good work He has begun in the believers. What is the good work? Paul does not specifically say but I believe it is the process of transformation. Christ is in the business of making all things new. When we accept Christ we pass from death to life… we are instantly made new. 2nd Corinthians 5:17 says…

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” NIV

In Christ we are new… that is neat but that is just the beginning! He transforms our lives working from the inside out… He makes our hearts new…

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in your; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel 36:26-27 NIV

In Him our minds and thoughts can be renewed…

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2 NIV

The inward change in our hearts and minds is eventually reflected outwardly in our attitude and actions. Others can see the change as we become more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self controlled. (See Galatians 5:22). Of this we can be confident… God is working in us.

This is good news! Maybe you are frustrated with your growth as a believer or maybe you are frustrated with the lack of growth you see in a loved one. We get that way don’t we? We have a special person in our lives that we look at and think “Gee, I wish they would go to bible study with me, or go to a retreat, or be more spiritual, or whatever…” I’ll admit it, I’ve done that… But here is what we must remember… first it is the Lord who begins the work and completes it. Paul says, “He who began a good work in you” – not we. Although God may use us to encourage or as an example, we are not responsible or even capable of changing someone else – only He is… it is His job – not ours. The work, by the way, is done on His time table, not ours. Since the work begins in our hearts and minds… we can’t always see what God is doing in a person. BUT… we can be confident that if they belong to the Lord He is working. He is faithful and will complete it, of that we can be sure. Is there someone you have been praying for? Good… don’t stop trusting that God will complete the work He began.

Next I noticed that Paul is confident that his imprisonment has furthered the gospel…verse 12

“But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” KJV

The things which have happened to me have furthered the gospel. Wow! What an amazing statement Paul makes. Paul is in prison in Rome chained to guards, constantly under watch, having lost his freedom… and yet he can say that his trouble has actually furthered the gospel. What the enemy had meant for evil, God turned to good. How? Well, first the palace guard and the rest knew that Paul’s chains were for Christ. People who were first gentiles and second Roman guard and palace officials were hearing about Christ from Paul. How many of them came to know and believe in the Lord Jesus because of Paul’s chains?

Second, the brethren became bolder in sharing Christ because of Paul’s imprisonment. Perhaps they saw his joy, maybe they heard of his confidence but the brethren became more confident because of his chains and shared Christ… how many Roman citizens heard of Jesus because of Paul’s chains? Even those who disliked Paul and wanted to cause him trouble preached Christ and so Paul rejoiced in his suffering… knowing that through it people were hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of Paul’s chains people would be in heaven, and disciples were confidently sharing the truth… God was glorified.

What happens when we face trials and troubles? Do we act in a way that glorifies the Lord? Do people see our faith? Do we walk through it with a sense of joy knowing that God will use the situation to grow our faith and can use it to encourage someone in their faith? Maybe we are not in prison for our beliefs, but some of us are imprisoned by bodies that are sick or frail; some of face trials with our children or our marriage; some of us are facing financial troubles; some of us feel imprisoned by difficult situations… whatever we are facing can you see Christ in your circumstance and can others see Christ through your circumstance? If not, stop and ask God to show you what He wants you to learn from the trial you are facing. Ask Him so that you can share with others what Christ is doing not just in the good times, but in the difficult times as well.

Lastly I noticed that Paul is confident that to remain is for the benefit of others… verse 25-26

“And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.” NKJ

Paul was confident that He would be set free because it would benefit the believers. Paul knew that God had a purpose for his life. He would continue in that purpose, teaching the believers helping them progress in their faith and joy of faith and sharing Christ with the lost sheep until God was ready for him to come home. Paul was driven and knew his reason for living. For Paul, to live was Christ and to die gain… to live was to serve the Lord. It was to continue with his life mission to go and to tell and encourage believers. To die… to die was to be instantly with Jesus… the one he lived for, his everything.

I want to be as confident as Paul was in the work Christ is doing in me and in those I love. I want to be confident that my trials and life experience can encourage others and point them to Christ. Finally, I want to walk confidently and faithfully in my life purpose and mission.

Let me ask you a question in what or in who are you confident? In what trials and troubles has God shown himself faithful? How does that experience increase your confidence in Christ’s work in your life? Have you shared your experience with others in similar circumstances?

Well, I know that we have been on chapter one for a while but why don’t we take one last look for a few days and then we will move to chapter two? I’ve got a few thoughts on verses 9-11 and 27-30 that I’d like to share. So this weekend I’ll make a final post for this chapter. That will give us a few days to share our insights with each other.

I’m enjoying this study and I hope you are too… if you have yet to post a comment please don’t be shy. You don’t have to register; you can post a comment simply by clicking on the comment bar at the end of this message… I know we would all love to hear from you. If you have any prayer requests, our small group will be happy to pray for you too. I have one… health! I’m still fighting this cold, and my hip (which I injured over the winter) is hurting… I’ve been hiking lately – which is exciting but I need to be more patient and not push it… and patience is one of those fruits that God is still developing.

Anyway, I love you guys and look forward to hearing from you.

XO,

CJ