Live Beyond...
Ten Guidelines to a Meaningful Christian Life • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Last week we examined what it means to Live Confidently in Christ and how to live that way.
This week we will look at how we Live Beyond...
Live Beyond is an open ended statement.
What are we living beyond?
Also, why do we need to live beyond anything?
We live in this time right now and shouldn’t we engage in this time right now?
Yes, we should but that is not what living beyond means.
Living beyond means we do not let the circumstances, people, or other things control us.
We live in a manner that is above the circumstances we are in.
We live in a way that does not allow for people to control us.
Living beyond means we live for Christ in everything.
We see in Scripture where Paul was in a situation where he could have whined and complained and many would have said he had a right to do that.
But, he did not whine or complain but he rejoiced because he was living beyond the situation.
He was in jail for the Lord and had many outside speaking ill of him and seeking to have glory by deriding him.
Yet, Paul was living beyond and was rejoicing in the fact that Christ was still being proclaimed.
Not only that but Paul rejoiced that his circumstances placed him with people he might not have ever seen without being where he was.
He was living beyond and living to the full because he was able to share Christ with many men he could not of, had his circumstances been different.
Paul had a view of life that each of us can have when we are fully trusting Christ.
When we fully trust Christ and have His purposes ever before us, we can live beyond too.
Look at what Paul wrote in Phil. 1:12-18
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,
What a way to live.
We can live this way too no matter what we face.
We can live like this if we are fully submitted to Christ.
When we live for Christ over self, we will rejoice in every situation regardless what is going on.
Yes, we may suffer.
Yes, we may hurt.
Yes, we may feel tremendous grief.
Yes, we may be neglected or hated.
But, each of these can be used for God’s glory and we can rejoice in all of it because of our amazing savior.
When we are living beyond we see that...
Circumstances are Opportunities
Circumstances are Opportunities
What has happened to me served to advance the gospel…the whole imperial guard knows the imprisonment is for Christ…the brothers have become confident because of my chains.
Man I don’t know about y’all but when something bad happens to me I don’t usually say it is a good thing.
Paul just did.
He celebrated the pain and misery of what was going on because it was for the gospel and Christ.
He was like some missionaries of old who would sell themselves into slavery so they could preach to slaves.
That is commitment to the gospel. That is using every opportunity, even creating opportunities, to preach Christ.
Paul did not sell himself into prison but he used that so-called bad situation to preach Christ.
Being imprisoned for something could cause many to become discouraged and throw their hands up.
Many people get discouraged and throw their hands up over many different circumstances.
They get wrecked out by life and automatically think God has abandoned them.
They will begin to question God’s goodness because they were hit with a terrible tragedy.
They will slip away because they believe God is no longer with them.
They have quit living beyond and began to live within.
They have slipped and are not seeing that every circumstance is an opportunity.
In the tragedy there is an opportunity to show Christ to others by living faithfully to Him in it all.
Instead of questioning God and becoming bitter, rejoice for the opportunity to demonstrate Christ to as many as will see and hear.
Rather than becoming distraught and crawling into a bottle, pill, syringe, or any other crutch:
Let your praises roar. Sing in the middle of the storm.
Let it all come out and boldly proclaim that death is defeated that the king is alive.
Stop letting the world and all the evil in it bring you down. Use the situations and circumstances as opportunities to proclaim the glory of Christ.
We live in an awful time, but what a better time to use every situation around us to glorify Jesus Christ.
Death is all around us.
Evil is all around us.
1 John 5:19 “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”
Let us live beyond all this and know we have a savior who died, was buried, rose again, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and is coming back again as king and ruler.
We know this and yet we still let the bad in this life control us.
Live beyond and use every circumstance as an opportunity to glorify Christ and proclaim Him to everyone.
All of this comes down to a matter of perspective. How are you viewing everything?
Do you view yourself as trapped and in the hold of another or do you view your life as under the ultimate control of Christ?
When we see that all situations are under His power and control, then we will not struggle as if we are depending on our own power.
He is in control and we can rest in Him through faith in His ability and power.
Your life of faith in Him will scream His glory to those outside the faith and those who are weak in faith.
Just as Paul’s situation and his boldness in it gave confidence to others to be bold for the Lord, so can you in your situations.
Allow God to use you in all things and know that He is the one receiving glory not you.
When we live this way we will live with Joy.
We will not become bitter. We will live beyond while we...
Live in Control
Live in Control
Some preach Christ from envy and selfish ambition…some from good will…in every way Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Sometimes in our situations and circumstances we stop living beyond and allow what others are doing to affect us.
We stop moving for Christ and begin to attack others because they are doing things to make us look bad.
Who cares?
Whatever situation you are in only you can control your reactions.
You have the Spirit of God inside you and you can push Him down or you can let Him flow from you.
God will use the wicked talk of others in your life for His glory when we stop letting ourselves get in the way.
What this means is we need to stop letting our feelings lead us.
We need to stop letting our emotions control us.
We need to stop letting other people control us.
You may not realize this but every time you react to someone in a manner that is not good and controlled by the Lord, you are letting that person control you.
If someone is mocking you or trying to make you look bad, and you yell at them or scream about them you have let them control you.
If people get you to act in a manner that is not of Christ they have won and controlled you.
When we live beyond we are controlled by the Spirit.
When we live beyond and are controlled by the Spirit we can react in a way like Paul here and rejoice that we are in the position we are in and receiving the things we receive.
We can rejoice because we know God is working and using this time to strengthen us but most importantly for others to see Him in all we do.
God has put us in the place we are for a reason.
We are all where we are for a purpose and when we allow the talk of others to control how we act and how we behave and how we either enjoy life or not, we are not letting God use us as we can be used.
Depression from circumstances is not the way we are to be either.
Yes, death, loss, and many other stressors can cause depression and yes depression is real and from other things.
But if we become dejected and depressed over our situation, we are pushing God away and not living for Him.
If we allow the situation and people to control us, we will become depressed and useless to Christ and His glorious gospel.
Having an attitude of Christ-centredness will allow us to live beyond.
We will not fall into the trap of poor pitiful me.
We will not become so focused on what is happening that we miss what is really happening.
Living life beyond will make us focus on Christ and be His soldiers.
We will stop living on feelings and emotions and live on facts.
The facts are Christ died and rose again for you to have salvation.
He will never leave or forsake you.
He gives you everlasting life that is yours forever.
He will return and restore the fallen world.
He will bless those who are faithful to Him.
We have these facts and need not worry over what others do or think.
Never stop looking to Christ because the moment you do, you will sink into an abyss and lose sight of the prize.
Living life beyond means we are controlled by the Lord and that we use every circumstance as an opportunity.
We are all going through something and we all are in pain over something but walking around in a pity party does not help or fix the situation.
No, only focus on the Lord and commitment to make every situation and circumstance an opportunity.
Remember God has placed us all in the situation or circumstance we are in for a reason. We may not know what it is but take heart, He does and He will give you strength to make it through when we live beyond in the heavenlies with Him.
We must focus on Him and we can focus on Him because He has blessed us with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit will guide and strengthen us and help us in every situation.
But we must rely on Him and trust the Lord regardless what is going on. He knows best and He knows what we need in all things.
Don’t let the people and situations of this world control your actions and make you react, but let the Lord control you and guide you and see how much better life will be.
We do this through a couple of ways.
Application
Application
So How do we live beyond?
How do we make this decision to live life with joy and not focused on the here and now?
We have a couple ways to do this and each are because we have an amazing savior who gives us the ability to do these.
We pray.
We pray.
Seek the Lord in prayer every day and call on others to pray for you too.
We are in all of this together and we do not need to go it alone. Paul had many faithful people outside his circumstances praying and helping him.
He had a circle that cared about Him and were there for him, but mainly he was so focused on Christ and he knew that Christ was so good, it did not matter what happened to Him.
He achieved this amazing level of comfort through constant connection to the Lord.
When we talk to God daily and read His Word and let Him talk to us, we will stand firm and know that He is for us and we can make it through.
Live consistently.
Live consistently.
People will see how you act and react. They will hear what you say and what you do.
People are always watching us and if we speak one way but live another we will be seen as a phony. Paul stayed consistent during all these torments and sufferings. He did not waver.
Through a consistent life and consistent faith, many may become believers. Maybe even those against you will change their views of you. Maybe those acting in a manner that is for themselves over God will see your consistency and change.
Stay faithful because the one who saves is faithful to all who have believed. He will not leave or forsake you. He is with you and because he is you can live consistently because you are living beyond the here and now. You are living beyond with Christ and He is who will keep you consistent when you stay focused on Him.
There is a supportive story in 2 Kings. Samaria, where Elisha and his servant lived, was unexpectedly surrounded by the enemy. Ben-hadad besieged the city by night. When the servant of the prophet saw the army round about the city the following morning, he exclaimed: “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” Elisha answered: “Fear not, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:15–16).
You can have the same confidence in your life with Christ when you live beyond. He is for you and nothing can destroy you or wreck you when you are firmly planted in Him. Take heart and be confident in Him and let Him lead you and guide into a consistent life for Him in all situations.
Conclusion
When we live like that we will feel beat down at times but then you will feel the comforting arm of Jesus.
Jackie Robinson was the first black [man] to play major league baseball. While breaking baseball’s color barrier, he faced jeering crowds in every stadium.
While playing one day in his home stadium in Brooklyn, he committed an error. His own fans began to ridicule him. He stood at second base, humiliated, while the fans jeered.
Then shortstop “Pee Wee” Reese came over and stood next to him. He put his arm around Jackie Robinson and faced the crowd. The fans grew quiet. Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career.
Jesus will come to you and stand with you and silence all detractors just like Pee Wee did in this story. His comfort will fill you and help you stay in the game when all seems lost.
He will fill you and keep your eyes on life beyond. Jesus is the only way for you to stay committed and focused.
Keep your eyes on Him and let Him guide you and hold you.
That won’t take away the hardships of life but because of Christ you will be able to stand firm in the faith and make every circumstance an opportunity and live consistently before all people.