Can You Predict Your Future? - Part B

So here is Paul looking to his future saying I have an active mind and had her stretched out and I have an eager hope and anticipation. I hope using what for what four verse 20 tells us that nothing I shall be ashamed all boldness, as always. So now Christ will be magnified in my body whether by life, provided is what is things I look to the future. One great concern that I hope more than anything else, is that I will be faithful witness for Christ. With all that's going on in the world today. Easy to feel hopeless today on connect with Skip Heitzigs, Skip shares. Confident hope in the face of uncertain before we get use a resource that will nourish your soul with God's amazing truths times you hear a sermon that really speaks to you almost as if the pastor knows what you personally going through and he teaches a message like you're the only one listening to Pastor Nancy personally God as your personal here. Skip, I think in nearly 40 years of expository teaching. I still love hearing that one of my messages spoke to someone better them on to know God better or more like but that's not because of me that's just the power of the word of God doing the work of God in the hearts of the people get to know the God who knows you get text a collection of some of Pastor Skip's most memorable teachings, including the rapture. Real and overcoming an anxious mind this for DVD collection. Thanks for your gift of $25 or more to help keep this ministry connecting more people to Jesus. Call now to request a copy of pastor skeptics 892 1888 working online securely connectwithskip.com/offer. Okay, let's get into today's teaching Philippians chapter begin our study with Skip Heitzigs. What is the means of Paul's confidence was the agency of Teufel to the prayers of God's people, and through the provision of God's spirit look at yourself.

I know this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and through the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ is what is same as you keep praying and as God keeps providing, to be fine.

I faced my future with competence stroll down a little bit. Consider prayer for a moment, I am absolutely confident in my future well-being through your prayer, he's assuming the Philippian church is already praying for them.

But in writing this he's asking for more prayer to make a statement that might be shocking to you, but I believe it to be true. We marginalize prayer we really do most of us believers. Most of us, we marginalize prayer.

We doubt that prayer will even work. Quite frankly, now I know that is we did believe that we be doing a whole lot more of. If we really thought prayer had the power to change things to change us to change people we be doing it all a lot. Paul is so sure that as long as they are praying for him. He can be joyful and he can be confident in the future. A few years back had the privilege of going to London and visiting Charles Haddon Spurgeon's church called for quality and tabernacle, of course, Spurgeon lived in the 1800s died, but his church still stands.

It is survivor wars, burnings, bombings, the façade is still there. The church is been rebuilt, but I love going there because I remember all the stories not only about Spurgeon, how many people came to hear him preach, but he would if he took people on a tour of the facility. He would show them the great tabernacle where he would preach, but he took them to the basement where there was a little empty room, a meager room any point of the room and say this is the powerhouse and the reason that this church is blessed by God. It was a prayer room. He said when I preach. There's a group of people every service that meets in this room and they pray that the spirit of God would be unleashed. This is the secret. This is the power Leonard Ravenhill said that the church has many organizers, but few recognizers, many who pay but few who pray many arrestors, but few wrestlers, many who are enterprising few who are interceding overly Christian. Praying in a praying Christian. Worldliness ties may build the church, but tears will give it life. Why should we pray, there's a lot of reasons I give you just to reason number one spiritual work. Always require spiritual tools when the most frustrating endeavors is to try to do a work of the Spirit in the energy of your flesh, you are doomed for failure. Second reason it produces confidence. According to the tax. I am confident true your prayers. It's a spiritual tool. It produces confidence to good reasons to keep it up so one means of Paul's confidence as to their prior notice. The second and the supply of this spirit of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit to give you everything you need not see the word supply in the text. It literally means a lavish supply a lavish supply. The Greek word is at the core Radeon's we get our word chorus from that literally means one voice upon another. So if Ryan stands up here singing and Tamra stands up here and add the harmony and Stephen stands at parent adds yet another harmony in their voices blend in melody and harmony's first third and fifth, you are stacking up the voices that if you add a choir next to them. You have been at the core Radeon's you have a lavish supply of beautiful voices. So what Paul is saying is this the reason I'm confident is because you keep praying because the Holy Spirit lavishly supplies everything I need to handle the future is the truth.

The hand of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you, he will lavishly supply what you need, you know, Zechariah chapter 4 verse six you'll finish it as I start putting it. It's not by my it's not by power.

It's by saying my spirit says the Lord, not by might not by power but by my Spirit, says the Lord.

So Paul is confident in the future if there are praying friends and plenty of fuel in the fuel is the Holy Spirit.

So Paul looks out of his prison bars. He sees two stars*enjoy the start of confidence. He predicts them both but he sees 1/3 star the start of hope.

Verse 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope earnest expectation means about the same thing as the next noun.

Hope they really go together earnest expectation is like an intense form of hope, active, hope you might set according to my earnest expectation, active, hope, and hope that and nothing I shall be a shame, but with all boldness, as always. So now also Christ will be magnified in my body whether by life or by death.

Now you know you even know this because you hear me every week. You know I love words so this word here. Earnest expectation literally means to watch something with outstretched head grant stretcher had you.you just done and with this verse is talking about this earnest expectation.

Now here's where the word came from in all times when somebody would see something on the horizon coming like an army or a group of emissaries approaching people with down the walls and stretch their heads out and they'd see what's know what's happening out there that a war is that letter coming. What is it's the same thing if you go to a baseball game and the batter hits the ball into left-center and everything goes watching it there kind of anticipating the worst home run I caught it and I was a kid we used to watch golf on television which some people swear is a cure for insomnia, but we still love it and the same thing.

The ball is hit and it goes into its trajectory. You see everybody in the galley were executives click on the green going to sand trap. So here is Paul looking to his future saying I have an active hope my neck and head are stretched out and I have an eager hope and anticipation. I hope you saying what for I tell you what four verse 20 tells us that in nothing. I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always. So now Christ will be magnified in my body whether by life or by death, is what he sings. I look to the future. One great concern that I hope for more than anything else, is that I will be a faithful witness for Christ that I won't be ashamed with that I will be bold.

It's amazing that he says it is one great hope and that is that I get out of jail. I have one great hope that I can escape this pain-and-suffering is that one great hope whether I live or die, I want to be a witness for Christ I'm looking for opportunities to represent Christ. What I hope for is that I might express my faith and exalt my Savior when I was a young Christian I was morbidly afraid of witnessing to another person, telling them about Jesus. I was embarrassed to be honest, I was embarrassed as embarrassed about the gospel reason I was embarrasses because I was afraid that they would reject the message and that would make it seem like they're rejecting me so I just held back for the first several months.

It was very difficult.

Then something kicked into gear and I could never shut up. After that Howard Hendricks put it this way in the midst of the generation screaming for answers. Christians are stuttering I was stuttering. Paul is saying my great hope for the future is that I will not stop her that I will be bold means that freedom of speech, bold you know what we need to be bold while the world is Breaking Bad we need to be breaking bold that's what we need to be doing breaking bold the world yeah the world is bold about what I believe and are becoming bolder. They're not ashamed of what they believe in their use every opportunity they can every song they write every news program every sitcom every movie to further their agenda. They are not afraid there bold to share their values on abortion and homosexuality and promiscuity. They want to get that out there and get it in your face it's time for Christians to get out of the closet and be bold enough embarrassed is a Skip I can clap for that but boy, that's that's hard for me. I'm just not that I'm not a vocal person unutterable person enough.

Just ask God make people all be bold. I'll be a witness as long as you keep praying in the spirit keeps providing ceaseless to start their God make me a bolder person so he's praying for that he wants that he hopes for that. That's his earnest expectation and hope that, and nothing shall be ashamed.

Look at this with all boldness, as always, he's always been bold up to this point. So now in this present situation facing Caesar Nero. So now Christ will be magnified in my body whether by life or death.

You know, magnified means magnified really what it means.

This is means to enlarge something to make it bigger than it is to enlarge it to make it bigger or to make a greater so I have a question for you. How can you make the greatest person in the world. Greater how can you magnify Christ in your body. He's already great having you making greater Lundblad US I'll give you an example of an explanation. If you look up tonight at the stars. If there's not light pollution. You can see some of the stars during those stars as little twinkles. Some of them are enormous. Some of those stars are off thousand million miles in diameter or 12,000 times larger than the sun you look at the many just twinkle the flicker, you can barely see him so if you want to see them better. What do you look through a telescope.

We look through a telescope.

What happens to get magnified your magnifying your enlarging them when you enlarge them. It seems like you brought them closer and now you see them clearer. So here's how it works. To most people in this world Jesus Christ is 2000 years ago. He's so far away. He saw in the distance he saw on Apra hand the ball he so irrelevant that happened 2000 years ago until you show up now by you by them. Looking at your life. He's either magnified rock closer clear or minified member as a kid you take the telescope something just for fun. He turned around to look through the other end and everybody could be right in front of you. This biker only miles away.

Paul says you know what I want I want boldness I'm looking for opportunities to represent Christ as I want the great one to be even greater to my body as I give him my hands, my feet my mouthpiece.

Let him use my life I present my body. Romans 12 one as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, which is my reasonable search Christ as magnified by our bodies so Paul looks out from his prison bars doesn't seem odd. He does see stars sees the start of joy, confidence and hope he predicts that there's 1/4 star and that is the star of life.

Verse 21 sums it up.

It's sort of his motto. His slogan for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. That's one of the most famous verses in the Bible among Christian circles you've heard in or you've heard it quoted or you have quoted it.

This is Paul's slogan. This could have been a Paul's tombstone would not be great. Here lies the apostle Paul for him to live is Christ to die was going every time I read words by Paul in the Bible step away from going. Who is this guy latte. One thing Paul wasn't a guide for small talk, you know, you might sit out a cup of coffee and you might get past the hellos pretty quickly and just say ask about Christ what he asked about Christ because for me to live is Christ, my life is products and if I die keep living them with Christ we live is Christ and the die is gain. Reminds me of a kid who went to Sunday school, went to a new church in a new town in the first day of church after Sunday school. His parents about how a Sunday school throws it is good so tell me about your teacher, a pause, he says well. She must've been Jesus grandmother because Jesus was the only one she kept talking about the whole class. I like that that sort of like Paul the apostle, he must be related to Jesus because that's the only guy he talks about for me to live is Christ, therefore, to die is gain to be with him out.

Take that little phrase and make it your own ferment for me to live is blank. Fill in the blank and then to die is blank. The only one that would or only thing or person you could put in the first blank to make it safe gain would be Christ we show you this, let's say you were to say for me to live is wealth within you have to say than to die is loss is you cannot take your wealth with you. You leave it all behind. So for you. It is getting a lot of money. Then when you die, it's total loss. If you were to say for me to live is fame and notoriety and status than you'd also have to say for me to die is loss. As you lose it when you die, your famous only here but not there. If you say for me to live is having a perfect physical body you have to put loss thereto because when you die you get real ugly real quick like in a day.

The only one or thing you could put that says gain is Christ for me to live is Christ, the die is gain. That's what this is the sum and bone of Paul's life. This is the pinnacle statement that sums up everything for me to live is Christ to die is gain peers. Paul is imprisoned and no fees in the liver die if I live a live for Christ by dialogue with Christ. Either way there's a life in either equation. Jesus said this, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Paul believe that Paul believe now we should close by telling you what happened to Paul. Paul in jail will be set free and he'll spend a year out of jail. We don't know what he's doing but I tell you what for him to live is Christ, so he's out there doing some precrisis preaching the gospel certain center somewhere. A year later he gets arrested again control as and brought to Rome.

The second time this time is not under house arrest like he is now with little bit of freedom.

The second time he is placed in a prison called the man Martin prison in Rome is still there.

It's a hole in the ground.

There are no windows in his solitary confinement.

He gets food that is lowered to a rope in the hole in the ground. That's where he spends his final days. He's taken up out of the man Martin prison taken to the Basilica Julia building that was built by and for Julius Caesar, named after him and he is given that death verdict condemned to die. History tells us how he died. Let me tell you how AZT Robertson describes it, the crowds flowed into town somewhere going out.

Paul was only a criminal going to be beheaded.

Few, if any, in the crowd would know or care anything about him at a good place on the road some miles out. The executioner stopped the block was laid down. The executioner stood ready acts in hand. The men stripped Paul tied him kneeling upright to the low pillar which exposed his back in his neck. The lectors beat him with rods for the last time he groaned and bled from his nose in his mouth and then, without a hint of hesitation. The executioner frowned as he swung the blade down swiftly hitting its mark with the double flood in the head of the greatest preacher of the ages role upon the ground. So Paul died a Paul said for me to live is Christ to die is gain for that one year he was preaching Christ now in that one brutal moment. Paul moved from the Imperial city of Rome to the eternal city of heaven. He was preaching Christ.

Now he is with Christ and Paul knew it all along slightly when the freight if I live, I'll preach Christ you kill me, I'll be with him. Either way, I win either way undelivered in the way I'm gonna rejoice. I'm to be confident. I'm in a have hope because I'm in a have a life. Either way, now I told you the beginning of this study that you can predict your future responses, but not your future circumstances. I was wrong.

Actually there is one circumstance you can predict that is when you spend eternity in heaven or in hell I can predict accurately that because I believe in Jesus Christ and not my own good works for my religious works, but I trust in his finished work unequivocally no doubts at all. I'm going to have no doubts that concludes his message in the series technical your script to share how you can keep these teachings coming to 12 connecting others to God's truths no matter what happens in your life or where God takes you. He's always in control.

His word assures us of this truth time and time again here at connect with skip. We want friends like you to hold fast to the encouraging truths of the Bible and then share those truths with others. One way you can do that today is by prayerfully partnering in this work to keep these teachings coming to you and others.

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We we've already seen that we have dual citizenship.

We are earthborn, but we are heaven bound.

We live on the air, but we long for what is ahead in heaven so we live effectively between two worlds, we experience the tension of that. Sometimes we even wonder when life gets really hard. How long do I have to stay here. Why can I just bypass all this and go directly to heaven Skip presentation of connection through