For To Me To Live is . . . What?

Phil. 1:12-21

For to Me to Live is... What?


On today’s podcast I want you to ask yourself the question

For to Me to Live is... What?

Think of it like a fill in the blank question... For to Me to Live is         
  BLANK  ?

Maybe you’d say Ohh Pastor... I know the answer to that question!  

It’s Christ.  For to me to live is Christ...

Well, that is what the Bible says...  

But is that really the answer to that question as it pertains to your life?

Certainly, For to me to live is Christ, is what the answer should be in each of our lives, but let’s just be honest about it...

That is not always the case is it?

And as you take an overview of your life... Taking a look at your life as a whole...  Can you honestly say➔  For to me to live is Christ...?

If you were really honest about it, instead of filling the blank with Christ, you might have to fill the blank with self.

The truth is - that for many people - if not most people on planet earth, their honest confession would have to be For to me to live is self.
And so I ask you...To this point in your life, has your life been more about you, or more about Jesus?

John the Baptist said, speaking first of Jesus, & then of himself➔  He must increase, but I must decrease.

Some people have a Bible verse that they call, their life’s verse...  If you do not have one, I recommend that one for your consideration.  

The verse is John 3:30.  I once preached a message on that verse that I called  The Christian Life in Seven Words

I mean, that’s it in a nutshell!➔  He must increase, but I must decrease.

In your life it comes out to be  The more of Jesus, the less of you; the more of you the less of Jesus.

When you come to the end of your life, and the summary overview is locked in, will it look more like For me to live was Christ?  Or For me to life was self?

You are writing the answer to that question every day.

There are many who are firmly entrenched, living for self, and then they come to a point in their life when they have an awakening...

And let me say here, that every sleeping Christian needs to have an awakening!

Rom. 13:11-12  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 
{12} The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Have you had such an awakening?  A time when there was a shift of focus?  A shift where your focus of life & living moved off of you, and on to Jesus?

If your life, your living, your focus, your attitude, your hopes, your dreams are more about you, and less about Jesus...  Then you need your own personal great awakening.

The Great Awakening historically was a time when large numbers of people began to wake up out of spiritual slumber and respond to Holy Spirit conviction to get saved, get right with God, and live for Jesus.

It would be great to see something like that again...  But I’m not gonna wait around for it...  Because whether it comes, or whether it doesn’t, it’s my job to love & serve the Lord now!  With all of my heart, & all of my soul, & all of my mind, & all of my strength! 

And that’s your job too!

So what is your life?  What is its focus?  What is its thrust?  What is your end game?  Because the game of life in these mortal bodies does come to an end...  

And at when it does, the only things that will matter, is whether you knew Jesus as your Saviour...  

And if you did, how you lived your life as a Christian from year to year, month to month, week to week, day to day, and moment to moment, and how you served Him, and accomplished His purpose, His will for your life. 

Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

What is it then, for you?  For to me to live is what?

Paul could honestly say➔ For to me to live is Christ...   Can you?

Paul could say that, because that is how he lived.➔ 

Gal. 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Note especially the first part of the verse.➔ 

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me...

For to Paul to live was Christ...

What happened to make that so?  Paul was decreasing, and Jesus was increasing in Paul’s personal life.

As I listen to some people speak, (and that includes some preachers), their words are too often more about them and less about Jesus.

It’s more about, I’m like this, and I think this, and I don’t like this, and I feel like this...  And it’s like their own personal quirks & manners become doctrine...  

And that is not to say that we can never make reference to any of those personal things, but the emphasis must come back to the Lord and His word.
Many years ago now, I was in an intense conversation with a good Christian brother who was serious about the Lord and the Bible, and we were having some conflicts...

He didn’t like how I was doing some things as Pastor.  And many of his arguments were prefaced by him saying things like

Well I’m like this, or I’m like that, or I don’t like it when people do this...  And it was all about his personality likes & dislikes...

And finally I just called him on it.  

I this, and I that, and I don’t like...  Who are you?!

You see, it’s not about what he thought, and it’s not about what I thought...  It’s about what the Lord thinks!  What saith the scriptures?!

He went home and thought about it, and a few days or so later, we spoke again & he acknowledged that I had made a legitimate point...  

He recognized what he was doing, and I think he made a conscious effort to make it more about Jesus, and less about him.

That’s what we all need to do!

More about Jesus, less about me,
May more of Himself be seen by thee!

If you do not take this approach, then the honest statement in regard to your life would have to be  For to me to live is self...

Paul got it down, though, and God sets him and others forth as an example, or to be more scripturally accurate, an ensample for us.

The Lord inspired Paul to say this in Phil. 3:17➔ 
Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

Paul was a sample Christian for us...  A sample or ensample of what a Christian ought to be.

How did Paul and others become such an ensamples?  Gal. 2:20➔

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me...

Go with me to the book of II Corinthians, and ch. 4➔

(Expounding)

II Cor 4:1-11  Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; 
{2} But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 
{3} But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 
{4} In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 

{5} For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 

{6} For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

v. 6 - And now God’s light should shine out of what used to be our darkness.

{7} But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 
{8} We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 
{9} Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 

{10} Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 
{11} For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 

(Expound v. 10-11)

In application of these things...  

*We die to self...  

*We die daily...  

*We are crucified with Christ...

*That the life of Jesus might be manifest in us... 

*And the light of Jesus might shine forth from our lives... 

*As from a lighthouse on the dark & dangerous seas of life, to let the 
  other travelers know that there is hope, and safe harbor in Jesus!

So what do people see when they look at you?

*What does your family see?

*What do your workmates see?

*What do your neighbors see?

*What does that driver on the road near you see?

*What does that worker at the store see?

Do they see you in all the fleshly shortcomings of self?  Or do they see Jesus in you?

Ron Hamilton, who is also known as Patch the Pirate, wrote a song about this in honor of his Dad, & as a challenge to each of us, for oth-ers to clearly see the glory, goodness & Gospel of Jesus in our lives. 

When I enter heaven's glory
And I see my Saviour's face,
I will offer Him ten thousand years of praise.
Then I'll find that special one
In whose life I saw God's Son,
And through tears of joy, 
With trembling lips these words I'll say:

I saw Jesus in you, I saw Jesus in you,
I could hear His voice in the words you said.
I saw Jesus in you; in your eyes I saw His care,
I could see His love was there,
You were faithful, and I saw Jesus in you.

When I stand before my Father
To receive my life's reward,
And my soul is bathed in God's eternal day,
When this race on earth is run,
And God sees the works I've done,
More than anything, I long to hear my Father say:

I saw Jesus in you, I saw Jesus in you,
I could hear His voice in the words you said.
I saw Jesus in you; in your eyes I saw His care,
I could see His love was there, 
You were faithful, and I saw Jesus in you.

That will be able to be said of you, if it can also be said of you... 

that  For to you to live is Christ.
*This is all so very contrary to the spirit of this world...

I think that of all the generations that have lived on this earth, this generation especially could be called the “self generation” or the “me generation”. 

*It’s all about self...  

*For the individual, it’s all about me...  

*Everybody is a god...  

*The masses of humanity have great tendency to worship at the altar 
  of self...

*The average individual does not have a servant mindset.  

They rebel against such a thought.  And yet - if people are going to see Jesus in you, that is exactly the mindset that you are going to have to have!

Pastor Steve laid this out well for us in his recent podcast Do you have the mind of Christ?

Matt. 20:25-28 shows us that mind, and I’d like to read those verses for you here. ➔

Mat 20:25-28  But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 
{26} But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 
{27} And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 
{28} Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

I’d also like to reiterate another Ron Hamilton song that I read during the closing comments of Pastor Steve’s message about the mind of Christ... Ron Hamilton wrote

Make me a servant like you, dear Lord.
Living for others each day.
Humble and meek, helping the weak,
Loving in all that I say.

Make me a witness like you, dear Lord.
Showing the love of the cross.
Sharing Your Word till all have heard,
Serving whatever the cost.

Give me Lord, a servant's heart.
Here's my life: take every part.
Give me, Lord, a servant's heart.

Help me draw so close to you.
That your love comes shining through.
Give me Lord, a servant's heart.
Give me Lord, a servant's heart.

For you to truly say➔ For to me to live is Christ, then you must have a servant’s heart.

*When help is needed, do you instinctively rise up to lend a hand?

*Or when help is needed, do you instinctively shrink, and make your-
  self small, hoping no one will notice you, and you won’t have to be 
  bothered?

What is it really, for you to live?  Is it Christ?  Or is it self?

Answer honestly...  For to me to live is...  what?  

The truth is, it could be any one of a number of particular things...

-What is the driving force of your existence?  

-What is it that moves you?  

-What is it that you desire more than anything?

-What is it that you love more than anything?

Col. 3:1-4  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 
{2} Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 

v. 2  “affection” - Singular  -  We each have one supreme affection   that rises above all else...

{3} For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 

v. 3  -  There it is again!  You are dead...  You just need to reckon it to    be so.  

Your life is hid with Christ in God, and you are to➔ reckon... (your-self) to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

*Illus. –  ...You’re supposed to be dead!

{4} When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

v. 4  -  That is what it all comes down to! - You appearing before the 
           Lord at the judgment...

So, now, here on earth  For to you to live is...  what?  For to me to live is   BLANK  .  

Fill in the blank.  And fill it in honestly.

There are many things that could potentially go in that blank, but only one thing that should.

But if filling it in honestly, some would have to say...

*For to me to live is money.

Savings, investments, the stock market...  Some eat, sleep, breathe, and dream about money...  They live it & they love it...  But➔

I Tim. 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Ps. 62:10➔ ... if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

And while we need money to live, it should not have first place in our hearts, nor should it be the driving force in our lives...  If it is, all of your energies are going toward something that will not last.➔ 

I Tim. 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

If filling in the blank honestly, some would have to say...

*For to me to live is my girlfriend...  Or, my boyfriend...

That is the supreme affection of heart that drives them...  To them, that is what their life is all about...  And that is why there is such devasta-tion if it happens that things don’t work out between them.

-And though a break-up is often a sad thing, there is a difference 
between being sad, and being devastated.

If filling in the blank honestly, some would have to say...

*For to me to live is my wife...  Or, my husband...

Without question, these relationships are of great importance, and one of life’s great priorities for those who are married...

But there is to be an affection in your heart that is higher than that.

I have heard Sam Gipp say that when he was in Bible School, praying about getting married, he said

Lord, I want you to give me a woman that knows that she will never be the first love in my life... but that You will be.

And then he prayed  And I want you to give me a woman who I will never be the first love in her life...  You will be.

And I would concur with both the sentiment of his prayer, as well as his testimony that the Lord did that for him in his wife, Cathy.  And they have been serving the Lord together, around 50 years.

We cannot be our best for other people, if the Lord is not first. 

The way to love your spouse the best, the way to love your children the best, the way to love your parents, other relatives, and friends the best...  Is to love God first & supremely, and to be obedient to Him above all.➔ 

I John 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
For to me to live is...    What? . 

For some people to live is entertainment...

For some people to live is fun & recreation...

For some people to live is partying...

For some people to live is drugs...

For some people to live is alcohol...

For some people to live is sex...

During the time when I was going to Bible school, I was in line at a store one day and I offered a tract to a guy behind me, who was with his buddy, and as I recall, buying beer.  

And after conversing for a moment, he bluntly told me that as long as he could drink and fornicate he didn’t need anything else!

He was so bold & brash that even his buddy was taken aback and looked at him and said, “Shhh...”

It was indeed a shocking statement, but it was an honest confession.  

For to him to live was drunkenness & fornication.  And God answers that in Hos. 4:11 saying➔ Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

*You can’t beat the Book!

For to me to live is...    What? . 

For some people to live is food... - Don’t live to eat, eat to live.

For some people to live is exercise... - Similarly to food Don’t live to exercise, exercise to live...
For some people to live is their education...

For some people to live is their business...

For some people to live is their hobby...

For some people to live is their pets...

For some people to live is politics...

For some people to live is the news...  -  Morning till night...

And while not all of these things are wicked in and of themselves, we certainly need a greater driving force than any one of these things, and that force should be our love for the Lord & His love for us!

And while not all of these things are wicked in and of themselves none should be exalted above the Lord.

And whether it’s business, education, food, hobbies, recreation, exer-cise It should all be done to the glory of God, with Jesus having first place.

For to me to live is...    What? .  Fill in the blank.

For some people to live is music...

For some people to live is video games...

For some people to live is television...

For some people to live is movies...

For some people to live is books...

For some people to live is a wandering thought life...

For some people to live is gambling...

For some people to live is any one of a number of sinful indulgences...

For some people to live is any one of a number of addictions...

It may be that though you look like a good Christian to others, you are actually battling some sinful indulgences or addictions that have taken over your life...

If that is your case, don’t forget the words of the Lord Jesus as He preached in Luke ch. 4, saying➔

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised...

*Come to Jesus, and He can set you free!  

And if you have already come to Him for salvation, come back to Him again for deliverance!

For to me to live is...    What? .  Fill in the blank.

If honest, some would have to confess 

*For to me to live is bitterness...

*For to me to live is anger....

*For to me to live is unhappiness....

None of the above need to be that way... 

-Jesus can root out your bitterness...

-Replace your anger with grace...

-And your unhappiness with great joy!!!

But still, for some, for them to live is discontentment...

For some, for them to live is covetousness...

And for some, for them to live is vainglory...

If honest, some would have to confess  For to me to live is me!

For to me to live is myself!  And for to me to live is I!

I ask you today  What is your life?  -  Why are you here?  -  Why did God put you on His green earth? - What is it for you to live?

For some people to live is their job...

Again, don’t get me wrong...  It is not sinful to have a job...  Unless you have a job that requires you to sin in order to do it...

But a legitimate job is not a sinful thing...  Still, I am here to tell you today that you have a higher calling!➔ 

Eph. 4:1  I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

God did not just give you your job to make money...  As I said earlier, certainly we need money to get along on earth... 

But in addition to providing for you, God gave you your job so you can be the salt of the earth & the light of the world, at your workplace.

The people that see you on your job need Jesus, and they need to see Jesus in you!
Don’t hide your light under a bushel...  Don’t be ashamed of Jesus at your workplace.

Don’t try to be a secret disciple so you can get along with the guys...

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

For to me to live is...    What? . 

If honest, some would have to confess... For to me to live is sports.

Occasionally, I’ll turn on sports radio when I’m in the car...

But as I listen to the announcers, and guests, and sometimes callers, I think that too many of them have all of their eggs in the sports basket.

They live & die with their team’s success or failure.

And even those that are more balanced about it, their lives seem to be all wrapped up in sports.  And though I enjoy sports competition and have teams I like to see succeed, I do not live and die with it.

If my team succeeds I enjoy it, and if they don’t I move on, I’ve got other things to do.

But whether it’s sports or whatever, I Cor 10:31 tells us➔ Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Here is something to remember, if God has gifted you, and your talent or ability affords you the opportunity to be in the spotlight.➔ 

Prov. 18:16  A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.
Take advantage of such an opportunity to point people to Jesus.

Earlier this year during the NFL playoffs, I came across a news article about the current quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Brock Purdy.

He’s a rookie, and took over as the team’s quarterback after the regular starter Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a bad foot injury early in a game against the Miami Dolphins.

Brock Purdy is not only a rookie, but he was a 7th round draft pick.

He came into that game and led the 49ers to victory in that game, and every game since, knocking out the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs last week.

Here’s what the article said...  

49ers' Brock Purdy receives praise for keeping his faith in the picture ahead of NFC title
Purdy could be the first rookie QB to lead a team to a Super Bowl

By Ryan Gaydos | Fox News

Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News Digital.

San Francisco 49ers rising star Brock Purdy is on the brink of making history.

The quarterback could become the first rookie to lead his team to a Super Bowl appearance...  And while Purdy has won each of the seven games he’s started, he’s receiving praise for another reason — putting faith first.

The former Iowa State standout has been open about his religion.

Rev. Franklin Graham, CEO of Samaritan's Purse and of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, was the latest to congratulate Purdy after his win over the Dallas Cowboys and noted his openness about his belief in God and Jesus Christ.

"They’re now just one game away from the Super Bowl! In addition to being a super talented football player, I love the fact that Brock Purdy is so open about his faith in Jesus Christ," Graham wrote Monday in a Facebook post, adding that he was rooting for the 49ers to win the Super Bowl.

In the days leading up to the game against the Cowboys, Purdy explained to reporters how he was just trying to stay in the moment amid all the attention swirling around him and his team.

"It’s been football, man," Purdy said Thursday. "I don’t try to make it more than it is. I’m a faith-based guy, so that’s how I stay grounded. I don’t look at football like it’s literally everything. It’s (not) do or die or anything like that.

"It’s a game and it’s my job, for sure, and I take it very seriously, but at the end of the day, I know that I’m not defined by the wins or losses as a person, like, that’s not who I am.  I’m not just a quarterback. I wasn’t born to just to be a quarterback and play football, and that’s it. Like, I have a life and everything like that.

"And I remember that, but at the same time, man, I’m a competitor. I love to compete. I want to win at all costs and so, I’ve been enjoying that as well, so that’s where I’m at. That’s how I stay grounded with it all, but I’m definitely thankful and blessed to be here."

After being thrust into the 49ers’ matchup against the Miami Dolphins in December, Purdy said he just trusted in God.

"You go out there, you prepare as best you can, you get better every single day at practice, and once you get your opportunity, it’s ‘What are you going to do with it?’ For me, I believe in the Lord, and I trust in Him. I just go out there, and I just play," he said.

Purdy also opened up to Sports Spectrum in 2021 about his faith. He said that while at Iowa State, he asked God to forgive him for putting the sport he loved ahead of his relationship with God.

"It was just a great reminder of where my identity is, where it lies," he said. "And it’s in Jesus. And I continue to lean on Him. Again, the next day I didn’t go out and throw for 500 yards and was this awesome quarterback, but it was just this peace that I had with Him knowing that, ‘Hey, no matter what I’m going to face moving forward during college football, God and Jesus are going to be my identity. And whatever I face, I won’t be shaken from it.’ I’ve got a great foundation in Him."

I gather from that, that for Brock Purdy to live is Christ.

What about us?

Honestly fill in the blank today For to me to live is...    What? . 

If the blank must be filled with anything other than Jesus Christ, than I think you have some praying to do...