Living a Life on Trajectory for Christ

This is the first post in the Passion 2011 series. These are my notes from Louie Giglio’s sermon on April 1, 2011 at Passion Fort Worth entitled “Living a Life on Trajectory for Christ.”

The decisions that a person makes in college set the trajectory for his or her life. It is a time when people get to experience freedom for the first time and begin making their beliefs their own.

¹Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: ²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. -Philippians 1:1-2

Often when we read Paul’s letters, we skip over the first one or two verses that serve as an introduction. If you look at many of these intros, you will see the words “servant” there. Paul considered himself a servant of Christ Jesus. Why is Jesus worthy of serving? Because Jesus is the only one who could stand between us and God’s wrath for our sin. And He did! Not only is Jesus the greatest person who has ever lived, but He has invited us as believers into His story. When you set your life on a trajectory to serve Jesus like Paul and Timothy, everything changes. Paul recognized that because his encounter with Christ was so powerful, not only did his life’s trajectory change, his name changed too (see Acts 9).

God still reaches out to us today through His Word, the Bible. The Bible is where we should root our lives as believers and sometimes, when we’re reading the words, the Spirit moves and it seems as if the words are really reading us.

²¹For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. -Philippians 1:21

There is nothing stopping God from blowing your mind in how He uses your life. Paul realized that God had a plan and was using him, even when he was chained in prison. He knew that God put him in prison to reach people that would have otherwise not have been reached.  Paul relished this: God used him as a chosen instrument, a servant, to accomplish His will. Freedom is realizing, like Paul, that if you live, you live for Christ and if you die, you will be with Christ. It’s a win-win situation that frustrates those that oppose the Gospel. Too often we get verse 21 backwards, thinking that to live is gain and to die is Christ. This is evidence of a life with a trajectory set on self. A person who sets his or her life on a trajectory for Christ is unstoppable: they rejoice in being used by God while alive, but don’t fear death because then they get to be with their Lord and Savior!

More sermon notes to come. Share your thoughts and stay tuned!

-Lawson
Learn It. Love It. Live It.