Things Are Not As They Appear

Things Are Not as They Appear

By Pastor Gary Wayne

Text: Philippians 1:12-20

Instead of describing the problems he was facing, or how bad his circumstances were, Paul starts declaring God’s purpose in his life.

Philippians is considered the book of joy in the Bible, and Paul didn’t write it while sitting in his favorite bed and breakfast.

How can Paul write a letter about joy while being in an ugly place?

I think Paul is saying here, “It may look like I’m in prison, but you don’t see what I see.” Things are not as they appear.

“I’m not chained to a Roman guard; he’s chained to me.
Paul took advantage of having a “captive audience.”

History tells us that they had to keep changing the guards around Paul daily because he kept converting them to Jesus.

What kind of prisoner does it take to get the attention of “the whole palace guard”? (v.13)

If I am so focused on the situation, and how bad I have it, I can miss the grace God wants to release into that situation.

Some of us are way more proficient at explaining our problems than we are at seeing and declaring God’s promise.

If I looked up your social media feed, would I come away from what you posted hearing about your problem, or about your God?

Phil.1:20 “earnest expectation” = the sense of watching, intense anticipation.
This word can be translated “with deepest and intense yearnings,” or “the concentrated desire that abandons all other interests with outstretched hands in expectation.” Its a compound word – Apo-kara-dokia.

Apo = to turn away, ignoring other interests. Not comparing yourself to those around you.
kara = head
dokia = to stretch forward.
I’m turning my head away from other things that might interest me, and I am stretching it forward.

Reminds me of my message, “I Press.” 1-1-23

I think there can be circumstances I’m in, that God won’t take away until I have an attitude change.

Gary, you need to quit pouting about how it was, how it is, and begin to give your attention to the God who gives destiny to life.

When I get my eyes on the revelation of who He is, I realize I am not stuck in my circumstances.

While I’m here, I am going to worship, I’m going to dig a well in this desert place for those coming after me.

I am not a hostage – I’m a weapon in the hands of God to demolish strongholds.

Paul recognized that he was “put here by God for a purpose.”

I relate to the attention-grabbing problems that I face.
I can be so caught up in the problem that I can’t even fathom that God can and will use where I am right now.

My heart wrongly believes where I am and who I am is a product of my environment, and that trying to see this life from God’s perspective seems irrational.

In the middle of what you are going through – ESPECIALLY when it is hard and you don’t like it and it doesn’t make sense: God offers you a choice & the enemy offers me a choice – I can glorify God in this place.
Or I can glorify the problem.

Last week’s message – When the enemy can’t change the way you think about God, his next step is to try and change the way you think about yourself.
He will try and get you to view your situation as hopeless.
But things are not as they appear.

Philippians 3:12-15
How can you “press” when you are in prison, chained to a guard?
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What are the actins points I want to communicate?

Stop living with the fantasy that if your life was better, you could …

Set down with Jesus and see your life from His perspective.

See Him for who He is. Use your Faith Based Imagination.

Recognize that He can and will “work all things for good” - RIGHT WHERE YOUR ARE RIGHT NOW.”