Jesus Hinted, but I'm Telling!

I woke up with 4 short alliterated sermon points on my mind. I don't normally try to overly organize or alliterate sermons, and I'd already printed out my sermon with the main points in my usual style. But the Holy Spirit gave me something new as I slept.

Tomorrow I'm preaching on Phil 3:1-11, which is mainly Paul talking about what he has learned to give up, or lose, in order to gain Christ. So I have titled the sermon "Losin' It". Short, sweet, simple. But I was missing something in Paul's opening statement where he says "finally, rejoice in the Lord".

To most people that is crazy if you take it too literally. Certainly you only rejoice when things are going good. God certainly understands that we have to have our down moments. But Paul wrote that from imprisonment, facing death at the hands of the Roman executioner's. They weren't humane like we have become(?). They used fire, lions, crucifixion. Even with that Paul says to rejoice IN THE LORD!

Maxim #27-True Christians Lose Control.

That is the first point of the sermon God wants me to make. The two years of imprisonment must have been a real shock to Paul. He was used to being in control. He had it all, he did it all, he was it all. Yet God took him back to those three days he was in Damascus, blind, unable to do anything, waiting for Ananias to show him the way of the Lord Jesus. Here he was again, totally dependent, unable to do anything except depend on the Lord. He gave up control and learned to REJOICE!

When we rejoice, we bring God into our situation, because we rejoice IN THE LORD! We lose control!

Just this week I heard someone say they had given up. But they were giving up to their situation. They were afraid they had cancer and would soon be dying. That's what the doctor had told them he suspected. They had already faced one bout, and were tired of all the testing, the worry and the stress. They weren't up to another fight. Their energy was gone, they were sick with worry. But then the dreaded results came back, and there was no cancer. All of a sudden their outlook and spirits were changed.
We like to be in control. When faced with an uncontrollable situation we often give up, or we try to fight. But Jesus wants us to LOSE CONTROL. Let Him handle it, let Him give us strength, let Him renew our spirit, LET CHRIST BE IN CHARGE! No matter whay happens, we rejoice, because we are letting Him control the outcome.

Isn't that what he meant when he said "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest?