Commander in Chief: God’s leadership in 2021

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• By Rev. Devadosan Sugirtharaj
• Posted 12/31/2020
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The Royalty of our King: Advent Sermon Series

Commander in Chief: God’s leadership in 2021

Phil.3:7-14

Rev Dr Devadosan Sugirtharaj

Introduction

• As we enter this fresh New Year 2021, we conclude this series of the royalty of our King as Commander-In-Chief on the topic of God’s leadership in 2021
• God is our leader and head. He is the only God who can lead and guide us in this new year with purpose and plan. 
• Let us prepare our hearts to meditate on the counsels of God from this passage.

Word Study

• The Hebrew word for leadership is Nagad. It means chief, commander, leader, ruler, prince.
• The Greek word for leadership is Arxeos. It means pioneer leader, founding leader, author.
• In the bible, the leadership of God is portrayed as the chief leader or ruler. God is the Commander-in-Chief and leader to rule, guide and make decisions for our lives. We are all submitted to him in all circumstances as followers.

Context of the text

• When Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians from the prison and reflected on what to do in terms of moving forward. Here he reflected on the past and the present to move forward in the future.
   

1. God wants you to pass over your past to move forward to achieve the goals God sets for you. Philippians. 3:7-8.

• 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
• Paul exhorted the believers to leave or pass over all the knowledge, experiences and achievements as they were packages of past hanging with us. Here Paul emphasized the gains in plural and loss in the singular. He was a Hebrew scholar, gifted teacher, talented speaker and public orator and wonderful apostle. However, he experienced pains, agonies, rejection and blames in his life and ministry. To gain what God had set for him, he was willing to let it go.
• When you look back on your past years, you may count on many blessings and achievements. Count God’s blessings and thank him. At the same time, you might have face failures, sins, falls, sicknesses and losses. They hold you not to move forward. Listen to wonderful lessons from them but leave them into God’s hands and move on.
• Isaiah.43:18: “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.
• 2 Corinthians.5:17:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
• Biblical Example: When God called Abraham, he asked him to leave all he had to possess the promised land to him and his descendants. Genesis.12:2-3: 2 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you;And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
• Sermon Illustration: A news reporter interviewed. Sparky Anderson, Manager of Major League Baseball. He asked about his life failures. He told the reporter this: “I’ve got my faults, but living in the past is not one of them. There’s no future in it.”

2. God wants you to pursue to experience living by faith more and more to move forward to achieve the goals God sets for you. Philippians. 3:9

• 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
• Paul emphasized that the believers must pursue to experience living by faith, not by the law as faith comes from God. Depending on God and trusting Him is the way forward lifestyle of God’s people. 
• In many ways, we depend on many things such as jobs, qualifications and opportunities. However, God wants us to live by faith in the year to come so that we move forward to achieve the goals God sets for us. 
• Hebrew 11:6: 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
• 2 Corinthians 5:7:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
• Bible example: Three men of faith in the bible lived by faith in Daniel Chapter 3: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego: 3:16-18: 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”n that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak but the Holy Spirit.
• Sermon illustration: Do you know the acid test of gold? To test a metal whether it is gold or not is called an acid test. If the item that is supposed to be gold is rubbed on a black stone, leaving a mark behind. If it is resistant to the corrosive effects of acid, then it is gold. If the mark is washed away by the acid, then the metal is not real gold. If it remains unchanged, the genuine nature of the gold is proven.
   

3. God wants you to pursue to know Christ more and more to move forward to achieve the goals God sets for you. Philippians. 3:10-11

• 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain[a] to the resurrection from the dead.
• Paul emphasized that believers must pursue to know Christ more and more. Knowing Christ and his life and mission is pivotal in the life of the Church. Knowing Christ makes the believers have a more intimate fellowship with Christ.
• Knowing Christ is not knowing about Christ. Knowing Christ is essential in fellowship or living with Christ. The primary way of knowing Chris is to invite Christ into our lives and to explore the Bible. Reading, memorizing, meditating, s studying and applying the word of God is essential in knowing Christ.
• Ephesians 1:17: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
• Psalm.119:105: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
• Bible example: When Jesus saw that everyone left him due to his teachings, Peter responded to Jesus: John6:68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the [q]Christ, the Son of the living God.”
• Sermon illustration: Gipsy Smith told of a man who said he had received no inspiration from the Bible although he had “gone through it several times.” “Let it go through you once,” replied Smith, “Then you will tell a different story!”

4. God wants you to pursue the call of God more and more to move forward to achieve the goals God sets for us. Philippians. 3:12-14

• 12 Not that I have already attained,[b] or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have [c]apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
• Paul emphasized that believers must pursue the upward call of God in their lives individually and also collectively as the Church to do God’s mission in this world. The call of God is given to us by God as grace and at the same time, it will be rewarded by when we meet him face to face.  
• As individuals and the Church, we have the call of God to do God’s mission individually and collectively. When we pursue this upward call of God is the primary function of our lives, then he will honour us and everything will be cared for. The call of God is not a choice, but a commission.
• 2 Peter.1:10-11:10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
• 1 Corinthians.7:17:17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I [a]ordain in all the churches.
• Bible example: When King Agrippa challenged Paul in the court trial regarding his faith and ministry Paul responded to him in Acts 26:19:19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 
• A mother wanted to have the last word but couldn’t handle the hassle that resulted whenever she said “no” to her young son, So after an especially trying day, she finally flung up her hands and shouted, “All right, Billy, Do whatever you want! Now let me see you disobey THAT!

Conclusion

When we prepare to celebrate our New Year 2021, God would like to lead our lives, families, church, nation and world. To do it, we need to follow his guidelines as mentioned in Philippians.3:7-14: 

• God wants you to pass over your past to move forward to achieve the goals God sets for you. Philippians. 3:7-8.
• God wants you to pursue to experience living by faith more and more to move forward to achieve the goals God sets for us. Philippians. 3:9
• God wants you to pursue to know Christ more and more to move forward to achieve the goals God sets for us. Philippians. 3:10-11
• God wants you to pursue the call of God for us more and more to move forward to achieve the goals God sets for us. Philippians. 3:12-14

Questions for Discussion

1. Whatever gains are regarded as a loss: How did Paul leave the past behind and move forward? What are packages of the past you are carrying into the new year? Would you leave them in God’s hands and move forward? What stops you to do it?
2. Righteous shall live by faith: How did Paul experience this lifestyle every day in his life and ministry? How do you practice it? What are the ways you express your trust in God?
3. Knowing Christ is different from knowing about Christ: How did Paul know Christ every day in his life? How do you know Christ in your life? How do you use the word of God to know Christ? 
4. I am not disobedient to God’s call: How did Paul continue to obey God amid life and ministry challenges, pains, oppression, oppositions and persecutions? How do you obey God’s call in your lives? Please tell me about God’s call to you in your life and also in God’s mission? What are the roles God calls you to do it? How do you do it?