INVINICIBLE CHURCH 6-30-24

Invincible Church Sermon Notes
6/30/2024
Content and Contend – Philippians 4:11-13 and Jude 1:3
There’s a PARABLE about a KING who SUFFERED from TERRIBLE ANXIETY! His COUNSELORS ADVISED him that The ONLY CURE was to FIND a “COMPLETELY CONTENTED” man … Get his SHIRT … And WEAR IT 24 HRS a DAY for 7 DAYS… And his ANXIETY would BE CURED!
So … The KING SENT a “SEARCH TEAM” to FIND a “COMPLETELY CONTENTED” man … With ORDERS that ONCE they FOUND him … Get his SHIRT and BRING IT BACK to The KING! ... After MONTHS of SEARCHING The KINGDOM … The “KINGS MEN” CAME BACK “EMPTY-HANDED”! … The KING ASKED ‘them
“Did you find a “fully contented man” in all my kingdom?” The SPOKESMAN answered “Yes King, We finally found one “fully contented” man in the Kingdom!” The KING DEMANDED … “Then why didn’t you bring me his shirt?” The SPOKESMAN answered “Well your Highness, The man didn’t own a shirt!”
Most people “WANT and NEED” TRUE CONTENTMENT … But VERY FEW people ever ACQUIRE IT! … It is because MOST people are LOOKING for CONTENTMENT in ALL The WRONG PLACES! … “TRUE CONTENTMENT” can NEVER be FOUND in “The WORLD”! … It is WHY The APOSTLE PAUL TELLS us in …
Philippians 4:11-13 NIV - 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
PAUL’s statement in verse 13-TELLS us EVERYTHING we NEED to KNOW about HOW a PERSON CAN have “TRUE CONTENTMENT” It is ONLY Thru JESUS! It is AMAZING that PAUL could SAY this CONSIDERING ALL The CIRCUMSTANCES he ENDURED And ALL The SITUATIONS he ENCOUNTERED while SERVING JESUS!
He was: BEATEN – WHIPPED – STONED – IMPRISONED - SHIPWRECKED - SNAKE BIT - THROWN in The OCEAN – HARASSED by ENEMIES - and BETRAYED by FALSE BELIEVERS! He ENDURED : HUNGER- THIRST - and even NAKEDNESS Just LIKE The “FULLY CONTENT” man who DIDN’T even OWN a SHIRT!
The GREEK WORD that PAUL uses HERE for “CONTENT” DESCRIBES a STATE of BEING “COMPLETELY and FULLY” SATISFIED with “ALL THINGS” EXACTLY The WAY they HAPPEN to BE at ANY “GIVEN TIME”! PAUL had LEARNED “The SECRET” Meaning he “UNDERSTOOD The MYSTERY” of CONTENTMENT!
PAUL’s IMPLYING that a PERSON has to ACQUIRE some kind of “SPECIAL INFORMATION” to GAIN “TRUE CONTENTMENT”! The REALITY is some ASPECTS of CONTENTMENT “CAN BE” LEARNED and SOME of IT “CAN BE” GAINED thru PERSONAL EXPERIENCE But “The SECRET” of “TRUE CONTENTMENT” only COMES thru The POWER of The HOLY SPIRIT! It is WHY so FEW people ACTUALLY ACHIEVE any LEVEL of “TRUE CONTENTMENT” Because a lot of’ Followers of Jesus Who HAVE ACCESS Don’t ALWAYS “CALL ON” The POWER of The HOLY SPIRIT to ATTAIN It and “LOST PEOPLE” don’t have ACCESS to The POWER of The HOLY SPIRIT in ORDER to ACQUIRE It in The FIRST PLACE! Paul tells us us “The SECRET” he learned in (vs 13) and we’re ALSO supposed to BE TELLING people “The SECRET” every TIME GOD GIVES us The OPPORTUNITY to SPEAK The TRUTH about JESUS!
JAMES had also LEARNED to be : POSITIVE , JOYFUL, and OPTIMISTIC during The “TRIALS and TESTING” of his JOURNEY in serving JESUS! He understood that he had The POWER of The Holy Spirit. So he LOOKED at ALL of his “CIRCUMSTANCES and SITUATIONS” as an “HONOR and PRIVILEGE” of SERVING JESUS! He KNEW that It was an OPPORTUNITY to “GROW IN” and “CONTEND” for his FAITH! It is WHY he TELLS us in
James 1:2-4 NIV - 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
GOD is always “PREPARING and EQUIPPING” us to DO “GREAT THINGS” for HIM “DOWN The ROAD”! The CHALLENGE for US is to BE : CONTENT – PATIENT - and POSITIVE while we ENDURE “The TRIALS” So we’re READY whenever HE CALLS! Just like PAUL ENDURED HARDSHIPS in his “DEFICIENCY and WEAKNESS”!
It PREPARED him to BE USED by GOD to DISPLAY HIS “OMNIPOTENT POWER” thru PAUL at EVERY OPPORTUNITY in HISPERFECT PLAN! PAUL DISCOVERED that The INDWELLING POWER of JESUS SUPPLIED him with : STRENGTH – GRACE – PEACE – PATIENCE - and CONTENTMENT … No MATTER`what hisLIFE on EARTH And TheENEMY “THREW” at him! He TELLS us in
2 Corinthians 4:6-10 NIV - 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[a] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
Whenever PAUL HIT a ROADBLOCK– SETBACK - or FACED any kind of “LIFE STORM” He “CALLED ON” The PROMISES of The RESOURCES GOD PROVIDES thru our BELIEF– FAITH – and TRUST IN the - LIFE– DEATH – BURIAL– and RESURRECTION of JESUS!
It is WHY The AUTHOR of HEBREWS (Which a lot of BIBLE SCHOLARS BELIEVE is PAUL) Also DESCRIBED “TRUE CONTENTMENT” as being FULLY SATISFIED with WHAT we HAVE and WHAT we’re EXPERIENCING. Because we KNOW withCERTAINTY that GOD will NEVER “FAIL” us OR “LEAVE” us! He said in
Hebrews 13:5 NIV - 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.
PAUL also TOLD TIMOTHY in
1 Timothy 6:6-8 NIV - 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
As a True Follower of Jesus We SAY that we TRUST The BIBLE is The “INERRANT INFALLIBLE” WORD of GOD! So IF we TRULY BELIEVE that. Then we have to STOP being ANXIOUS about THINGS and be MORE like PAUL `Who was “CONTENT” in every CIRCUMSTANCE because his LIFE was ANCHORED in JESUS and FOCUSED on ETERNIT- He SAID in
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV - 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
One of The BIGGEST CHALLENGES we FACE as “TRUE BELIEVERS” in BEING “CONTENT” is RESISTING The TEMPTATION to becoming OVERLY ATTACHED to The THINGS of this WORLD! IT causes The OPPOSITE of CONTENTMENT which is ANXIETY – WORRY - and STRESS! ... JESUS TELLS us in
Matthew 6:25 NIV - 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
If our HEAVENLY FATHER “FEEDS and CARES FOR” The “BIRDS and FLOWERS” HE’LL CERTAINLY “TAKE CARE” of HIS CHILDREN! So “The SECRET” to BEING “TRULY CONTENT” is Trusting GOD in EVERYTHING Even IF we’re so BROKE that we’re SHIRTLESS! JESUS also SAID in
Matthew 6:32-33 NIV - 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
A BIG PART of being CONTENT is LEARNING how to BE THANKFUL to GOD for “ALL THINGS” EXACTLY The WAY they ARE! IT doesn’t MEAN that we DON’T “WORK ON” IMPROVING THINGS in a GOD HONORING WAY BASED ON BIBLICAL “INSTRUCTIONS and PRINCIPLES”! But we DON’T “APPROACH THINGS” “THINKING” we’re going to IMPROVE ON “GOD’s PERFECT PLAN”!
It is WHY PROGRESSIVISM is a DEMONIC LIE! GOD doesn’t NEED to IMPROVE HIS message. Because HE GOT IT RIGHT The FIRST TIME! So there doesn’t NEED to be SOME kind of ALLOWANCE for “The PROGRESS” of MAN There just NEEDS to be OBEDIENCE to GOD’s PERFECT PLAN! The BIBLE says in
Jude 1:3 NIV - 3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.
We Talked about Being ‘Content’ in our Faith … Now Let’s Talk about ‘Contending’ for our Faith
The BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE of “CONTENDING” is MILITARY BASED! In The ORIGINAL GREEK LANGUAGE. The WORD “CONTEND” was USED to DESCRIBE a “GENERAL or COMMANDER” GIVING “BATTLE COMMANDS” to The ARMY! So The TONE of this LETTER from JUDE is MILITARY!
It is COMBAT LANGUAGE! To “CONTEND” is to FIGHT! Now The CHURCH doesn’t PICK The FIGHT. But we NEED to be READY– WILLING – and ABLE to FIGHT when GOD “CALLS ON” us to GO to BATTLE OR when GOD’s HONOR is CHALLENGED! The WORLD can BELIEVE whatever IT wants to BELIEVE. Bu,t The CHURCH onlyBELIEVES and OPERATES ON TheWORD of GOD!
The WORLD can FOLLOW The SPIRIT of The AGE. But we’re going to FOLLOW The SPIRIT of GOD! This is The HOUSE of GOD and we’re The PEOPLE of GOD! This PLACE BELONGS EXCLUSIVELY to our LORD– SAVIOR – and KING JESUS CHRIST and we FUNCTION EXCLUSIVELY under The AUTHORITY of HIS WORK!
Now “The ENEMY” and “LOST PEOPLE” may NOT BELIEVE IT but, It is who we ARE and It is WHAT we BELIEVE! So there is a “SPIRITUAL BATTLE” we are supposed to BE FIGHTING to KEEP The CHURCH “PURE” in ANOTHER SEASON of “CONFUSION and COMPROMISE”! So LET’s LOOK at
3 Principles of “Contending for The Faith”
1] The Gospel of Jesus Christ Doesn’t Change. The Gospel of Jesus Christ Changes People! People can’t CHANGE The GOSPEL The 1ST PART of The GOSPEL TRUTH is we’re ALL SINNERS then The GOOD NEWS message of The GOSPEL is that JESUS CHRIST is our LORD– SAVIOR – and KING!
So in this AREA - Our PART of CONTENDING for The FAITH is if we “FEEL LIKE” there’s SOMETHING in The WORD of GOD that we DISAGREE with, We don’t TRY to “MANIPULATE” The WORD of GOD OR “SPIN” The TRANSLATION to FIT a NARRATIVE. We INVITE The SPIRIT of GOD to “CHANGE” us. So that we “FULLY CONFORM” to The WORD of GOD. Because It is what we BELIEVE!
2] We Come to The Church to Worship. When we Leave The Church, we’re going into Spiritual Battle! The BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE is THAT we’re in CONTINUAL “SPIRITUAL WARFARE”! Which is PART of The REASON we’re supposed to BE in CONTINUAL PRAYER. Always being READY to “CONTEND” for The FAITH! Always being THANKFUL for EVERYTHING , and BEING “CONTENT” in ALL CIRCUMSTANCES!
3] Followers of Jesus are Supposed to Fight Spiritual Battles for The Love of Jesus and The Love of Others! True Followers of Jesus are supposed to FIGHT. Because we HATE The “DEMONIC FORCES” that have TAKEN “LOST PEOPLE” CAPTIVE to DESTROY them! We were CAPTIVE to SIN but, JESUS said “I Came to Set The Captives Free!” So just like JESUS, we LOVE ALL people and we HATE The “DEMONIC INFLUENCERS”`that ROAM The EARTH … LOOKING for SOMEBODY to DEVOUR!
The BIBLE says THAT our WAR isn’t against “FLESH and BLOOD” but the POWERS - PRINCIPALITIES - and SPIRITS of DARKNESS! What It is saying is we don’t HATE people, we LOVE people and we HATE The “EVIL SPIRITS” that OPPRESS – CONFUSE - DECEIVE - and DESTROY the PEOPLE that GOD LOVES!
So to TELL a PERSON that they’re a SINNER isn’t HATEFUL It is ACTUALLY The MOST “LOVING THING” we CAN DO for them! The REALITY is for ANYBODY that’s HEARING this message RIGHT NOW and NOT SURE if they’re a FOLLOWER of JESUS Then The BIGGEST PROBLEM in their LIFE is ‘themselves’!
It is JUST The TRUTH! They’re The GREATEST ENEMY they HAVE! We KNOW because a lot of “LOST PEOPLE” say THINGS like “There’s been a lot of people who have hurt me” But “HURTFUL PEOPLE” will “COME and GO” in everybody’s LIFE! The ONLY “CONSTANT” in a “LOST PERSON’s” LIFE is THEM!
So, they NEED to KNOW that they’re The PROBLEM and NOT The SOLUTION! And they NEED to KNOW that The REASON we’re TELLING them they’re a SINNER in NEED of a SAVIOR is ‘because’ we LOVE them NOT because we HATE them. It is The SAME WAY we LOVE ourselves Just like JESUS COMMANDED us to DO!
We’re ALL SINNERS and we ALL NEED a SAVIOR! It is WHY FOLLOWERS of JESUS are CALLED to “CONTEND for The FAITH” So there’s always a BATTLE for US to BE in “SOMEWHERE”! We ALL have PLENTY of OPPS for SPIRITUAL BATTLE! We have to DISCERN our OPP’s … And we have to KEEP FIGHTING!
GOD’s PEOPLE know EXACTLY what I’m TALKING about! “CONTENDING” for The FAITH means we have to BE continually THINKING in TERMS of WHERE our “FRONT LINE” of “SPIRITUAL BATTLE” IS! For SOME people It is at the house! They’re MARRIED to an UNBELIEVER and they’re TRYING to LOVE JESUS
But their SPOUSE doesn’t! So they’re TRYING to FIGURE OUT how to BRING The PRESENCE of GOD into their HOUSE when their SPOUSE doesn’t WANT to BE in GOD’s PRESENCE OR for SOME people It is with their CHILDREN! Their KIDS have BEEN “DECEIVED and CONFUSED” So they DON’T want ANYTHING to DO with CHRISTIANITY!
Maybe they’ve had SOME kind of TRAUMA - GENDER DYSPHORIA– or SEXUAL CONFUSION and It is a STRUGGLE to TRY and LEAD them to The “FULLNESS of LIFE” that GOD has for them It is a “SPIRITUAL BATTLE”! For SOME people It is- TECHNOLOGY - SOCIAL MEDIA- and WORLDLY FRIENDS that are INFLUENCING their CHILDREN in NEGATIVE WAYS!
And ALL PARENTS who have KIDS in “GOVT SCHOOLS” are HAVING to FIGHT The “WORLDLY / WOKE / EVIL” “SO CALLED” EDUCATION that The PAGAN’s are TRYING to “BRAINWASH” into STUDENTS! Now It is NOT ALL SCHOOLS So It is IMPORTANTT to DISCERN The DIFFERENCE in “PUBLIC SCHOOLS” and “GOVT SCHOOLS”!
For OTHER people The “FRONT LINE” of their “SPIRITUAL BATTLE” is at WORK. Where they “SHOW UP” every DAY And EVERYTHING they’re being “TOLD and TRAINED” on FOR “HOW to BE a GOOD EMPLOYEE” is EXACTLY The kind of’ “THINGS” that will MAKE them a “BAD CHRISTIAN”!
They’ve got to’ TRY to “FIGURE OUT and TOLERATE” peoples “PRONOUNS and IDENTITIES” They’re MANDATED to COMPLY with D.E.I. at The COST of INTEGRITY– CHARACTER – and PERFORMANCE! They’re DEMANDED to WELCOME “everybody” in The WORKPLACE EXCEPT JESUS!
Every IDEOLOGY – PREFERENCE – and RELIGION has to be “ACCEPTED and WELCOMED”EXCEPT The “BIBLE and CHRISTIANITY”! So, True Followers of Jesus are FORCED to FIGURE OUT how to HONOR GOD while at the SAME TIME “NOT LOSE” their JOB! They KNOW that if they speak the TRUTH about their FAITH in JESUS … They’re NOT going to GET The PROMOTION. Even IF they’re The MOST QUALIFIED!
A lot of Followers of Jesus who are “COLLEGE or UNIVERSITY” STUDENTS have to GO to “CAMPUS and CLASSES” every day and walk “RIGHT INTO” ENEMY TERRITORY! They have to BE READY to “CONTEND” for their FAITH because THEY know THAT if they SPEAK The TRUTH about JESUS They’ll PROBABLY get a LOWER GRADE!
The ENEMY’s STRATEGY is to “RIG” CULTURES – SOCIETIES – STATES - and NATIONS where It is ACCEPTABLE for EVERY - EVIL – PERVERTED – PAGAN person to COME OUT of The CLOSET and REVEAL themselves to The WORLD while at The SAME TIME TRYING to FORCE CHRISTIANS to SEQUESTER`themselves and KEEP their MOUTH SHUT about their FAITH in JESUS!
It doesn’t TAKE a “BIBLE SCHOLAR or THEOLOGIAN” to “FIGURE OUT and REALIZE” that The “FRONT LINE” of SPIRITUAL WARFARE is everywhere NOW! So, PRAY, LOOK for OPPORTUNITIES. PICK a PLACE, DISCERN The “BATTLE PLAN” from GOD and START “CONTENDING” for The FAITH!
So- FIND a SPIRITUAL BATTLEFIELD and GET BUSY SERVING JESUS! That’s our ORDERS from HEADQUARTERS From GOD HIMSELF as our “COMMANDER in CHIEF”! AND HE’s GIVING us CLEAR DIRECTIVES on HOW to FIGHT The “GOOD FIGHT” of FAITH and HOW to ENDURE HARDSHIP as a GOOD AMBASSADOR– WARRIOR – SERVANT – and SAINT for JESUS CHRIST! …
Which MEANS We have to KEEP “LEARNING and TRAINING” to be CONTENT in ALL “SITUATIONS and CIRCUMSTANCES” while we’re FIGHTING The SPIRITUAL BATTLES that are NECESSARY to CONTEND for our FAITH ~IN JESUS~! It is how True Followers of Jesus HONOR GOD and BRING GLORY to HISNAME! Then It GETS EASY to GIVE THANKS for EVERYTHING Every STEP of The WAY!