1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,600 Welcome to Walk in the Truth podcast. 2 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:17,720 How do we know where to find answers to the toughest questions in life? 3 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:22,160 While the simplest answer is the Bible, where do we start this search and how do we discover 4 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:23,160 this truth? 5 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:30,280 Today, in this teaching podcast, John Metter, lead pastor of Cross City Church, takes a 6 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:43,800 specific text of the Bible and helps us find truth for the life we're searching for. 7 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,680 Well we're so glad that you're here today and I ask you to take your Bibles, turn to 8 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:49,480 Philippians chapter four if you would. 9 00:00:49,480 --> 00:00:53,360 I'm going to tell you a great secret today, that's the title of the message, The Great 10 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:54,360 Secret. 11 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,400 Last week we looked at the great perspective, what it means to look at things through the 12 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:04,680 eyes of scripture and the eyes of the Holy Spirit and we looked at some phenomenal verses 13 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:06,560 in Philippians chapter four. 14 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,040 Today we're going to continue that same thing in Philippians four. 15 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:13,260 Next week will be our last message in Philippians and so that means we would have covered the 16 00:01:13,260 --> 00:01:17,680 book throughout the course of this year and Philippians is a phenomenal book, it's got 17 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:19,640 so much in it for us. 18 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:24,200 Please stand with me for the reading of God's word beginning in Philippians four and verse 19 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:25,200 ten. 20 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:26,200 Verse ten. 21 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:31,600 Now stay alert with me because I'm going to ask you to say out loud one of these verses 22 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:35,640 but I don't think you'll have to look at the screen because it'll be so familiar. 23 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:40,400 Verse ten says, but I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived 24 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:41,920 your concern for me. 25 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,520 Indeed, you were concerned before but you lacked opportunity. 26 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:49,320 Now remember Paul's in prison, he's writing to the church of Philippi who has helped them 27 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:55,120 in the past but then stopped helping him and he needs provision, he needs to eat and so 28 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:57,840 he says you've revived your concerns, you sent a gift to me. 29 00:01:57,840 --> 00:01:59,120 Verse eleven. 30 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:04,000 Not that I speak from want for I've learned to be content in whatever circumstances I 31 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:05,000 am. 32 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,040 I know how to get along with humble means. 33 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:10,120 I also know how to live in prosperity. 34 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:15,920 In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, 35 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:19,520 both of having abundance and suffering need. 36 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,880 Now here's that verse I want you to repeat with me, are you ready? 37 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,600 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 38 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:28,440 We know that verse really well. 39 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:32,160 Nevertheless you have done well to share with me in my affliction. 40 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:37,600 Father, my prayer today is that you would let us look at this text, look at these words 41 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:41,080 and be able to see what you have for us. 42 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:45,960 We're not in prison like Paul was but we still struggle with contentment the way Paul has 43 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:50,760 mastered and Father I pray that you'll use his life to speak to us where we are today. 44 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:52,200 I thank you for your word. 45 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:53,800 We ask all this in Jesus name. 46 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:56,040 All God's people said amen. 47 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:57,040 Amen. 48 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,480 Please be seated. 49 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,000 This text is so full of great information today. 50 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:08,200 It's so good and so practical and I'm looking forward to walking with you through this text 51 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:09,200 today. 52 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,400 You know when you read this passage you'll see the word secret. 53 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:16,560 The secret of being full and lacking as well. 54 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:19,080 I'm going to show you with you the secret Paul says. 55 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:22,680 The secret of contentment is what he's talking about. 56 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:26,240 One other translation of the scripture though doesn't use the word secret but it uses the 57 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:27,240 word recipe. 58 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:32,480 In other words the recipe of contentment is what we're going to have. 59 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:36,240 That means all the right ingredients for you to have the right recipe for you to be able 60 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:40,080 to have contentment in your life is part of what this message is all about. 61 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:44,080 Now I know something about recipes even though I'm not a cook. 62 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:46,240 When I was in college I'm dating my wife. 63 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:48,400 I went on the first date with her. 64 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:52,920 I think I was a junior in college and she was a sophomore and we went out to eat at 65 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:54,920 Pizza Planet after a basketball game. 66 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:58,840 And we went to Pizza Planet because that's the place I always like to eat after basketball 67 00:03:58,840 --> 00:03:59,840 games. 68 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:00,840 I was a basketball player. 69 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:02,400 Pizza Planet was where we went at the end of the game. 70 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:03,400 So I took her there. 71 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,640 Normally I ordered a large pizza and ate it all for myself. 72 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:09,880 And that day I thought well I need to order a large pizza and hope she doesn't eat very 73 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:11,520 much of it. 74 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:15,600 She wasn't big enough for her to hold the whole pizza by herself and after she ate one 75 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:18,080 piece of that pizza she was done. 76 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:21,800 And I thought this has the makings of a good relationship in the future. 77 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:24,920 It's one piece. 78 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:29,800 After we were married a year and a half later I said do you think you can make that pizza 79 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:31,960 here in our own oven? 80 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:34,760 You think you can make it like at Pizza Planet? 81 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:40,120 And she put together, this was 46 years ago, put together a recipe and she knocked it out 82 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:41,120 of the park. 83 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,140 It was the best pizza I have ever eaten even to this day. 84 00:04:44,140 --> 00:04:45,540 So she keeps the recipe. 85 00:04:45,540 --> 00:04:46,920 She knows all the ingredients. 86 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:48,080 I had it last week. 87 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:52,680 For 46 years we've been eating the best pizza on the planet and no we're not going to tell 88 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:53,680 you what it is. 89 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:56,680 It's a secret. 90 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:58,800 But there is a secret that I will reveal to you today. 91 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:05,400 It's the secret that Paul shared that he had about contentment. 92 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:09,360 Now before we dive into the contentment part of this passage I want you to notice first 93 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:11,400 of all Paul's emphasis on giving. 94 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:12,920 Now this is not incidental. 95 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:14,480 This is where this passage is heading. 96 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:19,900 In fact next week he'll talk about how God is able to supply all your needs according 97 00:05:19,900 --> 00:05:21,960 to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus. 98 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:26,920 There was a major emphasis on generosity all the way through chapter 4. 99 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:33,720 But he's doing it by laying upon a foundation of contentedness and perspective before you 100 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:36,440 learn about generosity. 101 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:41,400 Yet no fewer than six times in verses 10 to the end of the chapter does Paul refer to 102 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:47,480 this gift or this generous offering that they gave for him while he was in prison. 103 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:53,520 In Roman prison you weren't fed unless somebody on the outside gave for your needs to be met. 104 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:55,000 So he was dependent upon this church. 105 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:57,440 In fact this was the only church that helped him. 106 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:02,280 In verse 15 he says you know that no other church helped me in my suffering but you did 107 00:06:02,280 --> 00:06:06,720 and so he's commending them for giving and that gives us the opportunity to talk for 108 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:11,120 just a minute about the importance of giving in the New Testament church. 109 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:14,680 There's some things I want you to see about the New Testament church as they gave. 110 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:19,720 It's very important especially not just this week but next week as we look at the practice 111 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:21,040 of giving in general. 112 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:26,000 Let me just share the three things the New Testament church was famous for in their giving. 113 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:28,880 First of all their regular giving as they gathered. 114 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:34,120 The New Testament church gathered weekly on the first day of the week and they gave their 115 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:37,600 offerings their tithes and offerings to the Lord during that time. 116 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:42,600 In 1st Corinthians chapter 16 in verse 2 you have a glimpse of that where Paul is writing 117 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:47,000 to the church at Corinth and said on the first day of every week each one of you is to put 118 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:52,200 aside and save as he may prosper so that no collections be made when I come. 119 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:57,360 Now he's not stressing the tithe necessarily but he's stressing the weekly practice of 120 00:06:57,360 --> 00:06:59,960 giving in the New Testament church. 121 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:05,000 The New Testament church really was built on those who came to Christ out of the Jewish 122 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:09,280 faith and their practice was tithing and that continued on to the New Testament church today. 123 00:07:09,280 --> 00:07:13,640 We even consider that the starting place for healthy giving in the church. 124 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:14,640 Regular giving as they gathered. 125 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:20,040 Secondly, the New Testament church was known for radical giving as they rose. 126 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:25,240 Anyone that's read the book of Acts stands apart when they look at Acts chapter 2 and 127 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:30,320 verse 45 where it says they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing 128 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:32,720 with them with all as anyone might have need. 129 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:36,200 I mean it's a powerful picture of a brand new church. 130 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:40,560 The church right after Pentecost and they're seeing all kinds of needs in that first century 131 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:44,560 Roman nation, Roman empire. 132 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:48,200 And yet the Romans weren't meeting those needs until the New Testament church took up the 133 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:53,760 need and they gave regularly to meet the needs of those both inside the body and outside 134 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:54,760 the body. 135 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:57,640 In fact they became famous for their generosity. 136 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:01,840 So radical giving is what happens when you sell your land and your possessions and say 137 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:07,320 listen let's help somebody else in the need that they have because I know God has taken 138 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:08,320 care of me. 139 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:12,000 And of course you have to have contentment to be able to do that or you won't give. 140 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,360 That's why contentment plays into generosity as well. 141 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:23,120 Did you know today that Christians in America give four to five times more to philanthropic 142 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:26,760 causes than any other people in America today? 143 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:31,160 We've learned generosity because we've learned that God gives to us and provides for us. 144 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:32,880 So we have that practice of generosity. 145 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:37,440 A few years ago when we started our Six Stones mission network is what we called it at the 146 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:41,200 time but Six Stones was started to help meet needs in the community. 147 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:45,760 That is just a natural assumption that somebody is going to meet the need of somebody else 148 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:47,280 that doesn't have enough money. 149 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:48,280 Somebody is going to give them food. 150 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:49,640 Somebody is going to give them clothing. 151 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:52,120 And we learned nobody was doing that. 152 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:53,480 They weren't getting it from the government. 153 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:57,060 They weren't getting it from their neighbors or any other members of the community. 154 00:08:57,060 --> 00:09:02,200 So Six Stones mission network was begun right here on this stage in this congregation and 155 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:07,760 you as a congregation gave sacrificially to help that ministry begin. 156 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:13,560 Unfortunately we saw 35,000 people a year being fed and clothed through Six Stones mission 157 00:09:13,560 --> 00:09:14,680 network. 158 00:09:14,680 --> 00:09:19,680 But it happened because of the generosity of God's people which is an illustration of 159 00:09:19,680 --> 00:09:22,200 exactly what the New Testament church was doing. 160 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:26,920 Regular giving, radical giving, but they also had a perspective of giving and that's what 161 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:28,480 I call reverential giving. 162 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:30,880 It's giving as worship. 163 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:36,120 If you read on in Philippians chapter four, Paul is going to characterize their gift to 164 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:38,200 him in this way. 165 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:45,640 He says, what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to 166 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:47,200 God. 167 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:51,880 This begs the question, what is your giving smell like? 168 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:55,280 Are you giving in such a way that's a pleasing aroma to the Lord? 169 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:57,640 Are you giving in such a way where it's worship? 170 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:03,080 You bring that to him because you're worshiping him and trust him with all that you have. 171 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:08,800 So here's Paul at the start of this particular section talking about giving and how important 172 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:11,680 it was to him and to God. 173 00:10:11,680 --> 00:10:14,120 But very quickly he moves into this issue of contentment. 174 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:16,940 Here's why contentment is so important. 175 00:10:16,940 --> 00:10:22,320 People who are not content with what they have will certainly not give any of it away. 176 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:26,480 If you're not content with what you have, you're always going to be wanting more and 177 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:31,160 that really affects your giving, especially affects generous kind of giving. 178 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:36,600 That's how this context weaves in and out, attitude and perspective and contentment with 179 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:37,600 generosity. 180 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:44,160 But let's take a few moments and let's really center in on the importance of contentment. 181 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:48,440 I was reading this last week, an author by the name of Arthur Schlesinger who called 182 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:54,360 our society one of inextinguishable discontent. 183 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:56,600 That's a mouthful. 184 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:59,160 Indistinguishable discontent. 185 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:02,400 We can't put out the fire of discontent, he says. 186 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:04,880 We always want more. 187 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:10,360 Ricky Zell said we want better, we want next, and we live endlessly for the next thing, 188 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:15,700 the next position, the possession, the next experience, the next purchase. 189 00:11:15,700 --> 00:11:18,120 We're never satisfied. 190 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:22,280 Would you say that characterizes the nation that we live in and sometimes maybe even characterizes 191 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:24,360 us just a little bit? 192 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:27,560 But the question begs, can we be content? 193 00:11:27,560 --> 00:11:28,880 And the answer is yes. 194 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:31,960 We can be content if we look at the secret of contentment. 195 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:37,400 So here's a man in prison with nothing at all who's lecturing everybody else that reads 196 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:40,960 this passage about what it means to be content. 197 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:45,920 And in the words he writes, we learn the big picture of contentment. 198 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:47,920 I want you to look in verses 11 through 13. 199 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:52,080 We're going to put them on the screen back here because I want to spend just a few moments 200 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:55,760 looking at this next few lines that Paul writes. 201 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:58,760 And I want you to see some things that I've highlighted here that are so important. 202 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:01,320 In your Bible or on this screen. 203 00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:03,240 He said, not that I speak from want. 204 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:07,640 I want you to know that even though your gift is important to me, I'm not begging, I'm not 205 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:10,840 pleading with you out of a sense of want. 206 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:12,480 Why? 207 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:16,640 For I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 208 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:18,560 I know how to get along with humble means. 209 00:12:18,560 --> 00:12:21,420 I also know how to live in prosperity. 210 00:12:21,420 --> 00:12:27,080 In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, 211 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:30,080 both of having abundance and suffering need. 212 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:34,880 And then the second big line there is, I can do all things through Him who strengthens 213 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:35,880 me. 214 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:38,880 Now let's spend just a moment and look at this line again. 215 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:41,000 You see the big bold print that I've shared with you? 216 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:42,360 I'm going to spend some time on that. 217 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:45,040 But I want you to notice what's in between. 218 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:49,320 I want you to notice that he's covering every conceivable situation. 219 00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:53,040 No matter what extreme it is, having much or having nothing. 220 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:59,000 He says, in any and every circumstance, no matter what the circumstance is, no matter 221 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:04,640 how easy or hard it is, in any and every circumstance, I've learned the secret of being filled and 222 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:07,960 going hungry, having abundance and suffering need. 223 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:09,560 I've learned to be content. 224 00:13:09,560 --> 00:13:13,040 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 225 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:16,040 These two lines today are going to be important for your life. 226 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:19,380 And I want to take some time to look at each one of them. 227 00:13:19,380 --> 00:13:23,680 First of all, he says, I've learned to be content. 228 00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:31,000 The phrase to learn means to experience the idea of having or not having and learning 229 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,840 to adjust to whatever it is you have. 230 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:37,960 It's not something that you just read about and acknowledge in your mind. 231 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:40,640 It's not some sort of a download of information. 232 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:42,400 Not even the download of truth. 233 00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:47,440 Paul says when he said I have learned, he said I've come to experience both much and 234 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:53,440 little and through that have learned to be satisfied with wherever I am. 235 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:54,440 That's what the word content means. 236 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:59,320 To be satisfied, to be fulfilled, to have a sense that you're not lacking anything at 237 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:02,120 all because everything is taken care of. 238 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:06,200 Now for a man in prison to write that, who doesn't have a change of clothes, who doesn't 239 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:10,040 know where the next meal is coming from, who doesn't know how long he'll live, for a man 240 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:15,800 like that to tell us about what it means to have the secret of contentment, we need to 241 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:20,040 learn the secret of contentment. 242 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:25,040 As Paul writes this, he essentially is saying I've come to the place where I am satisfied 243 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:30,120 no matter what circumstance I experience. 244 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:36,200 I've come to the place that I am satisfied no matter what circumstance I've experienced. 245 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:37,880 Let me just ask this question of you. 246 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:44,120 Have you come to that place where you are satisfied no matter what circumstance you 247 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:45,880 experience? 248 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:51,040 Or would you say you're still on the learning curve, learning to be content, learning to 249 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:56,160 be satisfied no matter what circumstance you experience? 250 00:14:56,160 --> 00:15:00,040 Now when Paul writes to us in these verses we were looking at, he gives three comparisons. 251 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:01,800 They're pretty simple comparisons. 252 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:02,800 They're very extreme. 253 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:06,060 It's like the pendulum swinging from one side to the next. 254 00:15:06,060 --> 00:15:10,440 He said I've experienced prosperity and I've also experienced humility. 255 00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:12,040 I've experienced fullness. 256 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:14,440 I've also experienced hunger. 257 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:16,000 I've experienced abundance. 258 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:20,520 I've also experienced need and yet I've learned to be content. 259 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:22,080 What's he saying? 260 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:28,400 Paul is saying that you learn contentment in the experience of having much or little 261 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:32,080 and having the same contentment regardless of which one it is. 262 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:37,840 If you can have contentment with much or little then you can certainly be content in all the 263 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:40,640 places in between much and little. 264 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:46,320 Whatever experience, whatever circumstance, you can learn to be content. 265 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:51,920 The pendulum swing is so big in life and I think you know it is for you too. 266 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:56,120 You have the awesome times when it's at the pinnacle at the mountaintop and then it swings 267 00:15:56,120 --> 00:16:01,840 back in some unexpected moment, some unexpected circumstance and all of a sudden it's horrible. 268 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:03,560 Much like the start market. 269 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:07,320 It goes up and then it goes way down and then it goes back up and then it goes way down 270 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:11,040 and we're excited while it's up and we're frightened when it's down. 271 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:12,760 That's just the way life is. 272 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:15,760 Lots of extremes back and forth, back and forth. 273 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:20,440 And Paul is talking about those extremes and in the midst of those extremes he says I've 274 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:24,120 learned to be content. 275 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:29,360 Now if you listen to old people talk and by old people I mean anybody older than say 50 276 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:31,360 years of age. 277 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:35,200 Trying to cover myself here. 278 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:41,040 Now they talk about defining moments of life and the lessons they learned. 279 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:44,280 It's never about the time they made their first million. 280 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:47,640 It's always about the time they had nothing. 281 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:50,180 Have you heard old people talk? 282 00:16:50,180 --> 00:16:51,180 Have you heard what they said? 283 00:16:51,180 --> 00:16:55,040 Have you heard about the character that was built when they were growing up and there 284 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:57,620 was nothing? 285 00:16:57,620 --> 00:17:01,740 Have you heard them talk about having absolutely nothing and maybe somebody else had something 286 00:17:01,740 --> 00:17:04,520 and yet they learned to be happy with whatever they had? 287 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:07,920 That's a character that's being built in their life when they had nothing. 288 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:12,040 They came to the place of contentment and if they continue that balance then it doesn't 289 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:16,200 matter if they have much or little, they're still at that place of contentment. 290 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:22,000 Yet they know that the things they have are not what makes their contentment. 291 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:23,400 Such an important lesson to learn. 292 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:28,760 So Paul is saying you learn through all those experiences no matter which way the pendulum 293 00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:31,120 swings. 294 00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:34,520 Sometimes people with great prosperity struggle the most. 295 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:38,400 Paul was writing a letter and in that letter he mentions a guy named Demas and I noticed 296 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:41,960 that I don't really know anybody who names their son Demas but it says this, it says 297 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:47,640 for Demas, having loved this present world has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica, 298 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:50,640 Chresence has gone to Galatia, Titus to Domitia. 299 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:54,360 In other words, there are those that stay with me in ministry but not Demas because 300 00:17:54,360 --> 00:18:00,000 Demas was looking for some other sense of satisfaction so he loved the world and he 301 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:01,000 went that way. 302 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,400 Man, I'm really glad my name's not Demas. 303 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:07,200 You don't want your name to be that but you don't want your life to be characterized 304 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:09,080 by that as well. 305 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:14,480 By a person who's always looking, loving the world more than they love the life that 306 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:16,120 God calls us to. 307 00:18:16,120 --> 00:18:20,960 How would you like to be known only for that? 308 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:25,720 Now this passage is really the anti-prosperity message straight from the apostle. 309 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:29,640 You know today there's a teaching that is basically characterized as prosperity teaching 310 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:33,520 and preaching which basically says the most spiritual people are the ones that are most 311 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:37,880 blessed financially or the most blessed with material possessions. 312 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:43,120 I remember being in a meeting a few years ago, it's been almost 15 years ago now, and 313 00:18:43,120 --> 00:18:47,080 in that meeting was a number of evangelical leaders and one of them was maybe one of the 314 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:49,880 most famous prosperity preachers in America. 315 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:56,040 And this guy was walking as we went through the time of introducing who we were. 316 00:18:56,040 --> 00:19:00,200 We would talk about who we were, where our church is, and where our ministry was, what 317 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:01,200 we were doing. 318 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:04,560 And when it got to this guy, he kind of leaned back and he had his hands folded across his 319 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:09,400 chest and he'd been talking about his airplanes and his homes and all the prosperity he had. 320 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:14,120 He said, I've come to the place where I am finally content in life with what God has 321 00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:15,120 given me. 322 00:19:15,120 --> 00:19:19,680 And it was really a stunning moment because we'd had some great stories in there about 323 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:23,000 how God was working but he was talking about his possessions. 324 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:28,680 And I thought to myself, would you be happy in prison the way Paul is? 325 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:34,960 You see, if you're not content in prison, you'll never be content with the jets and 326 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:37,080 the many homes. 327 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:40,120 Contentment is not about what you have or don't have. 328 00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:44,640 Contentment is about who you have and how big of a deal he is in your life. 329 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:47,960 That's what Paul says. 330 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:50,920 That's true. 331 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:54,120 And it's being satisfied when you have little or much because your satisfaction is not in 332 00:19:54,120 --> 00:19:56,760 what you have, it's who you have. 333 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:03,880 Paul says this in verse 6, he said to Timothy, but godliness is actually a means of great 334 00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:07,360 gain when accompanied by contentment. 335 00:20:07,360 --> 00:20:12,360 For we've brought nothing into the world and we shall not take anything out of it either. 336 00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:16,880 If we have food and covering with these, we shall be content. 337 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:23,400 And I think, yes, we need the basics covered, but contentment is knowing Jesus Christ. 338 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:27,560 Maybe the most important thing, most important perspective I've read over the last couple 339 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:32,960 of weeks is the perspective of the Puritan as he bows over his bread and water at the 340 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:34,120 meal. 341 00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:42,120 And basically his prayer is, all this, that is his meal, all this and Jesus too, wow, 342 00:20:42,120 --> 00:20:44,720 am I blessed. 343 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:46,900 We never think about that kind of prayer. 344 00:20:46,900 --> 00:20:49,960 We never think about that kind of simplicity. 345 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:51,600 But that's what the Bible wants too. 346 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:55,720 With food and covering we'll be content because we have Christ. 347 00:20:55,720 --> 00:21:00,680 In Hebrews chapter 13 verse 5 is a wonderful, wonderful passage about contentment. 348 00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:04,080 It says, make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content 349 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:05,240 with what you have. 350 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:06,800 But I love the last part of this. 351 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:12,020 For he himself has said, I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you. 352 00:21:12,020 --> 00:21:17,560 So here's what the apostle is saying, be content with what you have because God has said to 353 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:19,480 you, I will never desert you. 354 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:21,200 I will never abandon you. 355 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:25,320 You have me, so be content with whatever else you have. 356 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:27,360 You have me. 357 00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:34,560 Paul is talking about the contentedness that comes from having Christ and living satisfied 358 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:35,560 in him. 359 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:38,320 So these verses all teach us the same thing. 360 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:43,400 They teach us that we should learn to be content by trusting him to meet our need. 361 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:47,040 I want you to watch me for the next couple of minutes because I'm going to kind of try 362 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:52,840 to demonstrate something to you that I think this text teaches us in a very strong way. 363 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:59,720 If I find myself in need and that need is not being met by any way that I know of, I 364 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:03,040 have one of two ways of trying to feel that need. 365 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:06,440 I can reach up for that need to be met. 366 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:09,640 I can go vertical with my prayer. 367 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:11,600 I can go vertical with my expectation. 368 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:13,320 I can go vertical with my hope. 369 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:19,640 I can reach up and trust that sometime, at some day, at some point, God will meet that 370 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:21,520 need and provide all that I need. 371 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:23,840 I can reach up and do that. 372 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:25,720 If I'm trusting him, that's what I do. 373 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:30,960 First, second, third is my plan, A, B, C, D, E, F, it's my plan all the way through. 374 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:34,840 However, if I don't trust him, then I do a different thing. 375 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:43,320 Instead of reaching up, I reach out because I want this to fill my heart or that to fill 376 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:49,200 my heart or I want something else to be put in there and I go horizontal instead of vertical. 377 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:54,680 I go horizontal to get something that's so temporary it can't even satisfy me for a few 378 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:59,800 days and then very quickly I forget about it and yet somehow I think that that next 379 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:02,760 experience, next purchase, next something will fulfill me. 380 00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:06,120 It will not fulfill your heart. 381 00:23:06,120 --> 00:23:14,160 So the secret of contentment is knowing where to reach to satisfy the heart that may be 382 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:19,920 feeling a little discontent and a little dissatisfied. 383 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:21,200 Go vertical. 384 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:25,040 See, what God does in our lives is so powerful. 385 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:31,480 He knows what we need and He knows how to give us the contentment we need. 386 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:35,160 So let me just summarize this in three real quick statements. 387 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:38,840 First of all, look up, not out. 388 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:41,120 Look up, not out. 389 00:23:41,120 --> 00:23:45,180 Secondly, settle into simplicity. 390 00:23:45,180 --> 00:23:48,960 Don't let life get so complicated by one thing after another in your life. 391 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:50,600 Just look at life simply. 392 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:53,020 And thirdly, live one day at a time. 393 00:23:53,020 --> 00:23:56,600 Don't think about where you'll be in 10 years and 20 years. 394 00:23:56,600 --> 00:24:01,400 I mean the Bible says you don't even know how long you're going to be here. 395 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:05,880 Instead we should say if the Lord wills, we will live and then do this or that. 396 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:06,880 Live simply. 397 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:07,880 Live daily. 398 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:11,440 It helps us with a level of contentment. 399 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:13,000 But you know, that's not the end of this passage. 400 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:16,680 That's the secret of contentment, but there's something else that will help us in this text. 401 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:19,320 And this is really what I call, this is the fun verse. 402 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:20,320 This is the fun verse. 403 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:23,640 The reason I say that is because everybody quotes this verse. 404 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:27,280 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 405 00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:28,280 Say that with me. 406 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:31,960 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 407 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:38,600 The apostle says first of all in this section of the text, I can do all things through Christ. 408 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:40,280 Now we need to know what that means exactly. 409 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:44,980 I read a very humorous article recently written by a woman who had lots of insight and here's 410 00:24:44,980 --> 00:24:45,980 what she said. 411 00:24:45,980 --> 00:24:51,160 The title of the article is, if I can do all things through Christ, why can't I find my 412 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:54,920 car keys? 413 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:57,200 Let's make it practical. 414 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:00,600 Well we see this all the time, this football season. 415 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:04,680 Football players are famous for saying, well we're going to beat Otech University and the 416 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:08,080 reason we're going to do that is because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens 417 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:12,480 me and then they go out and lose the football game later on that day. 418 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:15,080 Clearly this verse means something, but it doesn't mean all that. 419 00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:16,860 It doesn't mean you'll always find your car keys. 420 00:25:16,860 --> 00:25:20,340 It doesn't mean you'll always win the football game. 421 00:25:20,340 --> 00:25:22,480 What does it mean? 422 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:28,320 What's the verse that's so inspiring, so helpful, so positive, so powerful, what does it actually 423 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:29,320 mean? 424 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:32,560 What can we count on this verse to do for us? 425 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:36,880 What can we count on Christ to do for us? 426 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:38,640 I want you to notice the context of this. 427 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:41,160 It's in the context of contentment. 428 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:46,480 I want you to notice the person that said it, a person in jail who's lost everything 429 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:49,900 else except Christ. 430 00:25:49,900 --> 00:25:54,240 So what does it mean to say I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me? 431 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:58,720 I'm going to give you three statements that I believe speak to the core of what this promise 432 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:05,280 is for you and for me and for Paul and I believe you can count on it from Christ. 433 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:09,040 The first thing it means is, and the first thing I think Paul was saying when he said 434 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:13,640 it was, I can complete any mission he gives me. 435 00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:16,200 I can complete any mission he gives me. 436 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:19,600 Paul was on a mission. 437 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:25,200 He was a missionary on a journey and he was in prison because of the mission that Christ 438 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:30,160 gave him and because he was on that mission and it was not easy. 439 00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:34,160 He resorted to saying the promise that he was counting on day in and day out. 440 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:36,160 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 441 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:37,960 I don't know how he'll complete this mission. 442 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:41,600 I don't know what I'll have to go through to get to the other side of this mission, 443 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:47,200 but I can count on God to help me with this mission in every way. 444 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:51,840 He writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 1 and says, I thank Christ Jesus our Lord 445 00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:56,960 who has strengthened me, same word, because he considered me faithful, putting me into 446 00:26:56,960 --> 00:26:59,600 service in jail or out. 447 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:05,600 God was giving him all that he needed to fulfill the mission that God gave him in life. 448 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:08,320 Now we're all on mission. 449 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:10,160 Did you know that? 450 00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:13,600 You may not be the apostle Paul and I'm certainly not the apostle Paul, but I'm on mission and 451 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:15,840 you're on mission in life. 452 00:27:15,840 --> 00:27:18,280 It may be your mission as a husband or a wife. 453 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:23,200 It may be your mission as a father or a mother or outstanding witness for Jesus Christ or 454 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:26,440 someone simply following Christ who's influencing people around them. 455 00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:30,880 You are on a mission whether you are actively engaged in it right now or not. 456 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:35,600 God has you on a mission in this life and this passage tells you he can give you strength 457 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:38,800 for whatever mission he calls you to. 458 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:42,440 That means if he's calling you to something bigger than you can imagine, just keep in 459 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:45,200 mind it's not your strength he's counting on. 460 00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:50,680 It's his strength he's counting on and he will do the mission through you. 461 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:52,600 That's the promise. 462 00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:57,120 I can complete any mission that he calls me to. 463 00:27:57,120 --> 00:27:59,080 Here's the second part of that. 464 00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:03,000 I can endure any situation he puts me in. 465 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:07,160 I can endure any situation he puts me in. 466 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:08,920 I think about all that Paul went through. 467 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:11,060 He went through every conceivable situation. 468 00:28:11,060 --> 00:28:13,120 You can imagine he was shipwrecked. 469 00:28:13,120 --> 00:28:14,120 He was beaten. 470 00:28:14,120 --> 00:28:15,520 He was run out of town. 471 00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:17,740 He was falsely accused. 472 00:28:17,740 --> 00:28:19,000 He was ignored at times. 473 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:20,080 He was mocked. 474 00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:25,400 He was belittled and then he had some difficult moments as well. 475 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:31,600 A few of you are listening to me actually. 476 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:34,120 Second Timothy chapter four verse 17 listen to this. 477 00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:39,240 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me so that through me the proclamation might 478 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:47,320 be fully accomplished and that all the Gentiles might hear, pause, and I was rescued out of 479 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:49,920 the lion's mouth. 480 00:28:49,920 --> 00:28:51,880 Almost like it's an afterthought. 481 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:53,360 I've gone through all kinds of things. 482 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:59,680 Oh yeah a lion's mouth was over my head and God got me out. 483 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:06,680 Now we don't actually know the lion's mouth was on his head but he was in the lion's mouth. 484 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:10,240 Here's a guy whose head has been in the lion's mouth or whose body has been in the lion's 485 00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:16,560 mouth saying I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 486 00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:18,400 That's pretty strong. 487 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:22,000 It means no matter what your mission, it means no matter what your circumstances, he's just 488 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:27,680 gotten through saying in any and every circumstance I found myself I can be content and cry. 489 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:32,040 No matter what you're going through he has the ability to strengthen you to help you 490 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:40,200 endure no matter how painful, no matter how difficult you keep in mind he is able. 491 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:45,120 You know this is one of the first verses my mom wanted me to memorize. 492 00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:49,520 The first one was John 3 16, for God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son that 493 00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:53,440 whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 494 00:29:53,440 --> 00:29:57,080 The second one was this, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 495 00:29:57,080 --> 00:30:01,720 And the reason my mom wanted me to know this verse is because as a child I've lost my 496 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:07,720 hearing and I was struggling being deaf, going to school, not being able to do some of the 497 00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:12,840 things, hear some of the things that others heard and did and I was discouraged. 498 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:18,120 And she would keep saying just trust God I can do all things through him who strengthens 499 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:19,120 me. 500 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:22,440 So that was the second verse I memorized and I don't know which one I quote more but I 501 00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:27,000 quote both of them a whole lot because they have become life to me. 502 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:29,160 They should become life to you. 503 00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:33,160 This is something that you pray and the words you pray are these words. 504 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:37,280 This is something you say when you are facing difficult times and you're waiting and you're 505 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:39,980 trusting and yet you haven't seen God come through yet. 506 00:30:39,980 --> 00:30:44,920 You have to be able to endure and He can strengthen you to endure whatever it is no matter what 507 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:48,280 it is, whatever it is. 508 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:53,100 And then the third thing, I can live any life He calls me to. 509 00:30:53,100 --> 00:30:57,240 Of course I'm referring to the Christian life. 510 00:30:57,240 --> 00:31:02,040 You know the Christian life is impossible for you to live apart from His strength. 511 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:05,960 Remember the famous verse that we looked at a few weeks ago, Galatians chapter 2 verse 512 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:06,960 20? 513 00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:12,440 I have been crucified with Christ, it's no longer I who live but Christ lives in me. 514 00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:16,640 And the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved 515 00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:20,040 me and gave Himself up for me. 516 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:22,720 Well I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 517 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:28,840 It's a passage that reminds us you can live the life He's called you to live as a believer 518 00:31:28,840 --> 00:31:30,320 in Jesus. 519 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:34,320 You can say no to sin and temptation and yes to Jesus. 520 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:36,600 You can find contentment in Jesus. 521 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:38,580 You can find purpose in life. 522 00:31:38,580 --> 00:31:43,060 You can know God's will for your life through Jesus Christ. 523 00:31:43,060 --> 00:31:47,880 When you are dependent upon Him, when you surrender to Him, then He gives you the strength 524 00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:50,000 to live this life. 525 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:56,720 I love this passage because this passage says so very much. 526 00:31:56,720 --> 00:32:01,720 The great Bill Anderson used to end his messages by asking people to repeat things. 527 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:06,000 Sometimes you didn't know where Bill was going when he started asking people to repeat. 528 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:09,420 So when I first heard that I thought well they must really trust him because they're 529 00:32:09,420 --> 00:32:11,800 going wherever he's going. 530 00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:17,440 And often he asked him to repeat lines that had to do with his message or the text. 531 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:20,440 I'm going to practice that today with you. 532 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:24,360 I'm going to ask you to repeat these lines that all come out of the text, that all come 533 00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:29,120 out of what we've just talked about today, that all have to do with I can do all things 534 00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:30,480 through Christ who strengthens me. 535 00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:31,480 Are you ready? 536 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:32,720 Repeat it like you believe it. 537 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:34,320 I promise you it's good stuff. 538 00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:36,840 You can trust me with this. 539 00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:37,840 Here we go. 540 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:45,920 I can complete any mission He gives me by His strength. 541 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:53,840 I can endure any situation He puts me in by His strength. 542 00:32:53,840 --> 00:33:01,360 I can live any life He calls me to by His strength. 543 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:06,760 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 544 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:10,740 It's not a positive confession. 545 00:33:10,740 --> 00:33:15,440 You're just repeating the fact of the promise of God for your life. 546 00:33:15,440 --> 00:33:22,360 And that's something you're to live by. 547 00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:23,800 Three invitations today. 548 00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:28,600 Number one, if you don't know that you have this life that we've been talking about with 549 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:31,960 Christ, please stop at one of the decision stations. 550 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:34,800 They highlight those and you'll be able to see those as you walk out today. 551 00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:39,440 Just stop by and talk to one of those that are trained to answer the questions that you 552 00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:44,240 have and just have a conversation with you about a relationship with Jesus Christ. 553 00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:48,400 Our greatest desire is to know that everyone has a relationship with Jesus Christ. 554 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:50,360 So that's the first invitation. 555 00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:55,400 Second invitation is I want to encourage you to come to our guest reception area which 556 00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:58,000 is right outside the center exit door and across the hallway. 557 00:33:58,000 --> 00:33:59,640 We'll have staff members there. 558 00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:00,640 I'll be there. 559 00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:04,080 I want to personally thank you for being here today and we'll tell you some things about 560 00:34:04,080 --> 00:34:06,400 our church that we'd love for you to know. 561 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:11,360 The third invitation is I want you to come back next week and hear really the pinnacle 562 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:12,800 of Philippians chapter four. 563 00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:14,560 I mean it is an amazing text. 564 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:15,840 I can't wait to share it with you. 565 00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:20,080 If I had any time, I'd do it now but I don't have that kind of time right now and probably 566 00:34:20,080 --> 00:34:21,080 you don't either. 567 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:22,960 So next week be here. 568 00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:24,680 We're going to have a phenomenal time together. 569 00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:25,680 Let's stand together. 570 00:34:25,680 --> 00:34:30,200 Father, I want to thank you today for this amazing passage of Scripture. 571 00:34:30,200 --> 00:34:34,840 Thank you that you love us, that you care for us, that you give us the promises that 572 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:38,640 we can do all things through you, through Christ who strengthens us. 573 00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:42,880 Father, my prayer is that we will put this passage to work, this truth to work in our 574 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:44,800 lives this week. 575 00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:49,640 Thank you for loving us so much that you come alongside and help us in all that we need. 576 00:34:49,640 --> 00:35:09,640 I ask this in Jesus' name, amen.