Philippians: To Live Is Christ

Phil 1:12-26
"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."
Philippians 1:21 NIV
How do we magnify Jesus with our lives?
1. Trust Him.
2. Live for Him.
Gal 2:20; Phil 3:7-10; 1 Cor 10:31
How do we magnify Jesus in death?
1. Love Him more than life itself. Treasure Him more than anything. Phil 1:23

Philippians 1:1-6

Acts 16: Paul's experience in Philippi.
Philippians is a letter of encouragement to the church in Philippi.
Phil 1:1-6. v6 "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."
Confidence- the feeling or belief that someone can rely on someone or something; firm trust.
1. Our confidence must not come from ourselves or others. We can be confident in who we are in Christ, but not in our own flesh. It's not a tag team between me and Christ, but it's Christ in me.
2. Our confidence must not come from our circumstances. If our focus is solely on the external, we will miss what God wants to do in the internal. If we focus on Him, we will be blessed with more fruits of the Spirit (joy, peace)
3. Our confidence must not come from our incomplete perspective. We can't always see what God is doing in our lives. 2 Cor 4:16-18; Heb 4:18
4. Our confidence must come from the finished work of Jesus Christ alone. Where does my confidence lie? Is it in Jesus alone? Ps 62:1

Whole Heart: A Heart to Follow

Our hearts were never designed to be followed, but to be lead by the only heart worth following.
Gen 6:5; Jer 17:9; Prov 28:26 KJV; Mt 15:18-19
David - a man after gods heart. Acts 13:22
1. Fully Dependent on God. Ps 51:5. We are sinful and must depend on God for salvation and forgiveness. Our sin deforms and deceives us. Ps 16:2 The good in me is the God in me. Our dependence on God is directly connected to our understanding of who God is and who we are before Him.
2. Faithfully Obedient to God. Blessing flows out of obedience. Acts 13:22 David followed God in the big and small things, his obedience stemmed from his love for God. Ps 18:1, 103:2-2. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey my commands."
3. Fearfully Repentant before God. Repentance: a change of mind that results in a change of action. Come before God with a heart that wants to change and become more like God. Don't make excuses for my sin. Ps 51:1-10. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. How we feel about our sin is one of the greatest indicators of how near or far our hearts are from God. Ps 139:23-24