A Life of Dependence

Welcome to this weekend InTouch podcast with Charles Stanley you to live the Christian life until you get to heaven if you believe the answer is yes. The reason you feel so frustrated. Today's podcast teaches you to thrive through life and lose the validity of followers to begin reading in verse nine and reading through verse 13. Continuing our series on the life that wins the title of this message, the life that wins is a life of total dependence upon Jesus Christ. Philippians chapter 4 beginning in verse nine, Paul is talking here to the Philippians about the way they have helped him. He says those things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me, do them and the God of peace shall be with you, but I rejoice in the Lord right now at the last your care of me hath flourished again wherein you also were careful, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned one service that I am therewith to be content. He says I know how to be a base to know how to abound everywhere and in all things. I'm instructed both to be full in the be hungry, both to abound in the subcommittees that I know how to enjoy life when there's plenty I know how to enjoy life. When there is not plenty then he says in verse 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me when he read that verse in the amplified New Testament says verse 13 I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me.

I am ready for anything and equal to anything through him who infuses inner strength into me someone to share with you about four things this morning about this whole idea of total dependence upon Jesus Christ.

The principle of living a life of total dependence of the says this that Jesus Christ has provided all of man's need Jesus Christ has provided all our needs and man is in adequate to fulfill God's purpose apart from Christ.

It's really simple. He says that Christ has provided all of our needs and apart from our dependence upon him. You and I will never be able to fulfill God's purpose for life because in the garden man fail, he lost his relationship he lost his fellowship with the Lord God Almighty and Jesus Christ came into this world to restore unto a position that we lost in the Garden of the in the garden man had everything he whatever the because he chose to sin against God.

He lost it all when Jesus Christ came he came to live with in you and me to restore that relationship whereby listen God who is the total resource of the garden is still the total resource now not God walking in the garden but God walking in humanity living in and through you and me is a life of dependence. The life that wins is the light that is available for Christ Nottingham in the Christ on earth through the Holy Spirit to live his life in and through ours all the days of our life and I will show you how he illustrates this principle all the way through Scripture. So let's look here first of all in the Philippians for a moment when he noticed with you about 23 Scriptures here. First of all Paul says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. He didn't say he could do everything he said I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And Paul is the one under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who coined the phrase in Christ. Christ in me.

I am him. When Paul said I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

He was speaking of the indwelling Christ energizing and providing everything that Paul ever need in the same chapter. Look, if you will, in the 19 verse but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. But you see you and I must recognize, that isn't God up there doing something down here. It is God in here doing within us all that we need. So if you notice in the first chapter of Philippians with their promoted, you will and look in verse 21.

Here's had totally convinced that Paul was at the life that wins the life of dependence. He says in verse 21 for me to live is for Christ to live a 2 m die he says is my game. He was simply saying there was a witness to live our lives and allow him to live his life in us that for us to live is for Jesus Christ to be walking around in your human body you indwelt and filled and overflowing with the very life of Jesus Christ and assure you something in the New Testament. For example, when Jesus was describing the relationship of a man to Christ. He said he's like what he's like a branch that is been granted the divine. He says in verse five he says, apart from me you can do nothing that we don't really believe that we say well now you know probably what that means is we can't serve the Lord at a clinic that means exactly what it says you couldn't breathe without God you can see without God you can hear without God you can speak about God. You can feel that God you could work without God you could rejoice about God you can be happy without it, you can be set regarding our whole life breeds from God and the difference is that some people recognize that and God is glorified in their life, and some people do not recognize it in the boastful pride they think. Look what I'm doing. My friend, that's why he says, every knee shall one day bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, Lord, and life, to the glory of God the father. The secret to living the life that wins is an awareness of the absolute and total dependence upon the God never has called you to work and perform for him. God's call us to allow him to have his absolute and total sway in our life in order that he may live through as his lying and you see this is what Paul was saying that you will notice in second grade. In chapter 12 with their promoted and use Interpol long time to learn this lesson you read Romans seven. Here's a man struggling and fretting and disappointed and disillusioned and defeated in his life but he learned that total dependence upon Christ was a secret so second grade. In chapter 12. Paul's been blessed of God greatly blessed of the Lord. Listen to what he says now, God sending him a messenger allowing them to be sent through Satan to buffet him. He says in verse nine that God is responded to Paul's trial in this manner, he said. Paul, my grace is sufficient for you, for my strength. Listen, my strength is released. How my strength is released when you are the most convinced that you are the weakest. That's how God works. He works totally absent from man's thoughts.

Listen most readily. Therefore, Paul says will glory and rejoice in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon the pauses when I met you struggling and I'm going to do it and I'm going to make it work and I'm going to do it when it's death or whatever it might be. He's is nothing happens, but therefore I take pleasure in infirmities and reproaches, in necessities and persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake, Paul says, here's what I've learned when I am weak, then am I strong and what Paul was saying. Paul said he had to learn as a Jew and then having been converted to Jesus Christ. He had to learn that he could not depend upon his past that he can depend upon the strength he could depend upon his knowledge, his understanding, he can depend upon any of those things and he says I will glory in nothing but Jesus Christ my friend that runs counter clockwise to everything the world ever teaches today what is the world looking for weak men know the world is looking for strongmen the world looking for brilliant men the world looking for intelligent women the world looking for the best guesses give me the weakest growth as we move the strongest guesses give me the weakest because a man who is aware of his weakness and his absolute total dependence about the sovereign God is a man who suddenly becomes what the world is trying to be. Paul said, I learned that when I feel the weakest and the department defeated. I'm going down.

That's with the supernatural power of God is released in my life.

Now if somehow you and I could learn something absolutely supernatural.

What happened or life number one we began to enjoy life. Where is often times we threaten human struggle about things. God never intended for the struggle there just a few illustrations limited to the second phone that's the problem we face here. What is the problem in this kind of an attitude that you and I are to feel that is not what we do but what Jesus Christ does through some artisans will not tell you.

That sounds like a lot of platitude varsity and it doesn't work because for the Bible says you know God helps those who help themselves listen. If there is anything the Bible does not say it does not say God helps those who help themselves. It says that God does through those what he chooses to do. If they're available. Going to the music. The reason so many of God's people walking around in defeat is because they've not discover the truth.

The source of victory is an innocence about all awareness about total dependence upon the Christ who wants to be everything. I guess we will we will get educated we will have experience. We will opportunistic and then got if you give me a chance got out proved beyond God's will.

Let us prove to him anything of the sort pauses. Listen he's is the only thing you can bow standing glory is in Christ Jesus.

Listen no flash glory within itself. No man shall glory in his own flesh. The only thing that you not to be proud of is cranes loving, living and forgiving eyes and living his life through the third thing about you sees the potential here in this whole concept of being totally dependent upon Christ summarizes what what kind of potential.

Do I have now whatever education, whatever your background or whatever your life may have at this point what is my potential as a believer. Let me ask you this.

What is your potential Sir. Here's what Paul said. The potential has an absolutely limitless reach. He says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

That means his potential is absolutely unlimited and you see so many of us have been so satisfied being say he doesn't want us to be satisfied being said, he wants us to feel, and running over and bubbling over with himself absolute total aware balances of weakness and frailty, putting him the supernatural power of an omnipotent God is released in the hands the asthma.

Here's the feed the body, the soul or spirit of a man is totally committed to Jesus Christ. But you see the problem is we have to sit from God's point of view. The only limitation.

Listen, the only limitation. The potential is this policy that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That is, anything with in the will of God. Anything within the will of God for your life is a hearing know what that is that you noticing whatever you fear and live that that fear puts a circle around your life that's as far as you can operate whatever you and I are afraid that such a limitation are potential.

We are to see Christ and his supernatural power living within us breaking out all the boundaries that would hinder us from becoming what God wants. Well, one more aspect that I want to notice, that is, how do you and I how you are moving to that life of total dependence upon him. If you are not aware that we needed will never depend upon them fully.

If we just haven't had little prayer I quit and ask God to help us we going away. That's not depending upon Christ is an awareness listen to what's this you don't know the tremendous potential Christ has available within you. You don't know what that is. Right now, so you and I stand today. One of upon life we are not knowing what our particulars before God.

We just know that there are no limitations on another thing we don't know is we don't know all that his will is provided for what I'm asking is this wouldn't be absolutely absolutely unbelievably exciting. If you could get a glimpse this morning of your potential within the will of God, of what God is possibly able and capable of doing with you for the rest of your life when you just love I wish I could give it to you but I can't. But I will say this, if you will become aware that God is not listed.

He is not absolutely is not is not is not going to allow you to reach your potential partner dependence upon him. If your awareness of that will bring you to an attitude daily that you want to say what Paul said in Gratian.

Chapter 2 verse 20 is what he said I am crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless I live yet not Christ is living within me the life which I now live.

I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself, here's the key. And I believe this is the key phrase of Paul were constantly used here constantly said not the Christ not but cripes not Christ, not with Christ not arbitrates.

So Paul's attitude, his awareness that he could not his attitude not Christ, not the Christ not arbitrates every temptation, every decision, every problem every burden every heart ache every sorrow, every suffering, every sickness, every deal, not the Christ that the Christ, the price you see what that will do. That attitude will be transformed into action so that the decisions we make and the things that we do will give evidence that our dependence is totally upon him that it is no longer will you living with Christ Jesus, living within us and that will come as a result of the conviction. That's what the word of God teaches and when you and I begin to be convinced of the teaching of Scripture in total dependence.

We will begin to confess it, not the Christ. And then there will be a sense of confidence based not upon us but confidence based upon what Almighty God can do through and in your life. That is what it all boils down to first of all I got to get right concept of God. Listen, that God loves you. He has a purpose and a plan for your life and is willing to provide every single need that you have an honest evaluation of yourself friend you'll never make it. Apart from Jesus Christ and then by a simple act of faith, having confess your sins and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. If you've never been say telling him today. Lord I tried and I failed and I'm coming to you acknowledging it's all of you, and none of me. I want you to fill me with your life. I want you to be free to live your life through me, and today, right now, as an act of faith. I acknowledge your life feeling me and you are available to live your life through me. From this moment on the Lord, moment by moment, day by day. I want you to keep me in that awareness schematic investment of that syllabus and whatever it might be instantaneous confession based on the conviction of what God is doing in your life will bring you back into immediate fellowship with him and you keep moving. Don't allow yourself to be discouraged.

All I blew it again. God, leaving a blue even when he came to be your Savior. He's not surprised he's not disappointed you can't but disappoint a God who knows everything. The positive way to look at the feet is that that's God's proof to you. You can't do it is going take all of him none of you listen there is no other way to live a victorious life but just what I described an awareness of conviction and added to a commitment by faith. Lord I can't but you can. Not but Christ Jesus living within its prettier heavenly father, thank you that you can leave us down here to do the best we could weave our to see what that'll do, and how disappointing that is, you have come down here through the Holy Spirit to live through is the life that you plan for us, which means that you are the one who not only arranged it, but you've assumed the responsibility we want to thank you and praise you today for what you've done, I will ask you for somebody who's lost who needs to be say right here and now. Recognizing that one of these days are gonna have to stand before you can save themselves can't raise themselves out of the dead can't raise themselves to heaven they going to have to trust you. One of these days it's even now for salvation about an humble submission before you one of these days to be separate deterrent so I will pray in Jesus name somebody right here in town would say yes, Lord Jesus, I'm trusting you as my Savior that every believer who's heard this message would admit his and her own failures, inadequacies weaknesses and be willing to make a commitment by faith right now, Lord. From this point on and Dave are days you got my life not I but Christ not arbitrates, not arbitrates, not the Christ father raise you for all that you willing for him to be in all of us and we thank you for Jesus the Christ as Savior and Lord in their life in whose name we pray this email.

Thank you for listening to my thumb dependence. We would like to invite you to join us in celebrating 45 years of God.in TextEdit OIG/45 years to learn more is not casted the presentation of intense ministry in Atlanta, Georgia