What is your confidence in?
by Jim Murriner
Phil. 1:6
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
I First the apostle Paul writing here by the inspiration of God, speaks of having confidence in one certain thing.
What is it that you have your confidence in today?
You might think that all of this talk about the Lord, and sin and the punishment for sin is just foolishness. You might have great confidence in your own abilities. You might right now have very good health and you might be able by your own power and force to deliver yourself from any trouble that might overtake you.
If your confidence is in yourself and your own abilities today. God has a stern warning for you.
Isaiah 28:15 speaks of someone just like you.
"BECUSE YE HAVE SAID, WE HAVE MADE A COVENANT WITH DEATH, AND WITH HELL ARE WE AT AGREEMENT; WHEN THE OVERFLOWING SCOURGE SHALL PASS THROUGH, IT SHALL NOT COME UNTO US: FOR WE HAVE MADE LIES OUR REFUGE, AND UNDER FALSEHOOD HAVE WE HID OURSELVES:"
Have you been somewhat successful in your life by lying your way out of every bad situation that you get yourself in? Are you quite shrewd in the way that you convince others that your lies are actually the truth. Has your real character always been hidden under a cloak of falsehood?
This may have worked right well for you so far, but you need to be warned that a day of reckoning is coming.
Isaiah 28:16-19 warns you that God will bring judgment upon your sins.
16 "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste."
17 "Judgement also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place."
18 "And your covenant with death shall be disannulled when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it."
19 "From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report."
You might feel right confident with your life and your ways. You might like living on middle ground, remaining neutral on the question of sin and salvation. However God’s word declares that you have already chosen sides, and if you are not trusting Jesus Christ, his precious corner stone to have paid for your sins when He died upon the cross, you are by nature and by your own choice an enemy of God.
Romans 8:7 declares you to be so.
"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. "
All of the things mentioned in Isaiah 28:17-19 will come upon you if you will not believe in the tried corner stone of verse [16].
In verse [17] God says "Judgement will I lay to the line" --You my get away with many things, there may be much that you have hidden under a cloke of lies, but Nahum 1:3 tells us that God cannot and will not simply excuse your sin.
"The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet."
Be very careful that your confidence is not in something which you have done, and you need to be careful that you do not have confidence in the theory that God will not judge sin.
Prov. 1:25-26 tells us that though we laugh at God's warnings now and will not do according to his commands, there will come a time that God will bring calamity upon the wicked and laugh at them.
25 "But ye have set at nought all my council, and would none of my reproof:"
26 "I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh."
So it is very important that you face up to God's word and God's warnings today and if you are confident, let your confidence be in the crucified and risen Christ.
Paul goes on in our text to say that his confidence is that God will finish that which He has started in us.
When we speak of being eternally saved, we have no confidence in ourselves, but have great confidence in the one that started the work of salvation in us, that the same one will finish the work.
Psm. 37:39 tells us that salvation is of God.
"But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: He is their strength in the time of trouble.
Ps. 3:8 tells us that salvation belongs to God.
"Salvation belongs unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people."
Since salvation belongs to God and is of God, then He makes the first move towards our being saved. God actually began our salvation before time began.
Eph. 1:4 tells us that He chose us before He made the world.
"According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:"
vs5 tells us that His choice was based upon His own good pleasure and not one anything we have done.
"Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ uo Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,"
Then in the fullness of time God made another move in our being saved.
Eph. 2:4-5 tells us about that move.
4 "But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us,"
5 "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,(by grace ye are saved)
To emphasize that we are absolutely unworthy to be saved, and that we deserve to go to hell and be punished for our sins, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to add here (by grace , a favor that you do not deserve, you are saved).
This quickening, this making alive which Paul speaks of - Jesus calls a new birth. Most people today have no idea what a new birth is.
In John 3:3 Jesus is talking about a new birth which is from God or from above.
."Jesus answered and said unto him, verily verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
The words(born again) mean (born from above).
In John 3:7 we have the same wording again.
"Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."
Here as in verse 3 the words mean, born from above . This shows us that God does the work in our salvation.
Eph. 2:8-9 explains that our works have no part in our salvation.
8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"
9 "Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Since we are born again by the Holy Spirit quickening us and making us alive, and giving us faith to believe in Jesus Christ as our personal savior, there is no room for any man to boast because he is saved, but abundant room for any man who is saved to give all glory to God for beginning a good work in us.
Paul in our text stated that he was confident that God would continue that good work.
When saved people talk about not loosing their salvation, they are not taking great pride in something which they do, but are simply stating that the one that began the work of salvation will keep them saved.
I Peter 1:5 speaks of us being "kept" or remaining saved by the power of God.
"Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
Jude 24-25 speaks of the same thing.
24 "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy."
25 "To the only wise God and Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever Amen."
