Colossians 1:1-3—Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.
Colossians 2:6—As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.
Colossians 3:16-24—Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord…And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
Colossians 4:7—Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me.
Colossians 4:17—And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”
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1st Thessalonians 1-8—Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father…And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction…from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place.
1st Thessalonians 2:14-15—You also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men.
1st Thessalonians 2:19—For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?
1st Thessalonians 3:8-13—For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God…Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.
1st Thessalonians 4:1-6—Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification…that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified.
1st Thessalonians 4:15-17—For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
1st Thessalonians 5:2—You yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
1st Thessalonians 5:9-12—For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ…And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you
1st Thessalonians 5:23-28—Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ…I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
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2nd Thessalonians 1:1-2—Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2nd Thessalonians 1:7-12—…and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power…Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling…that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2nd Thessalonians 2:1-2—Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
2nd Thessalonians 2:8—And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
2nd Thessalonians 2:13-17—But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ…Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
2nd Thessalonians 3:1-6—Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you. Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.
2nd Thessalonians 3:12—Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.
2nd Thessalonians 3:16-18—Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every epistle; so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
31 August 2010
30 August 2010
"Paul never quoted Jesus!"--2nd Corinthians
Continuing our series, enlightening the one who draws near to Jesus with their lips, while their hearts are far from Him.
2nd Corinthians 1:3-5--Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
- John 14:15-18 (KJV)--"If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."
2nd Corinthians 1:17-19--Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No? But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ...was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.
- Matthew 5:37--"But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."
2nd Corinthians 3:5-6--Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
- John 6:61-63--When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."
2nd Corinthians 3:14-16--But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
- Luke 10:21-22--In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
- Matthew 13:13--"Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand."
2nd Corinthians 5:10-11--For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.
- Matthew 16:27--"For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works."
- Matthew 10:28--"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
2nd Corinthians 5:17--If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.
- John 3:3-5--Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."
2nd Corinthians 6:10--...as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
- John 16:22--"Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you."
2nd Corinthians 8:9--For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
- Matthew 8:20--And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
2nd Corinthians 9:10--Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness.
- Matthew 13:23-26--"But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared."
- Luke 8:4-11--He spoke by a parable: "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside...Some fell on rock...And some fell among thorns...But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold"...Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?” And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables...Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God..."
- John 6:32-35--Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always." And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."
2nd Corinthians 10:7--Do you look at things according to the outward appearance?
- John 7:24--"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."
2nd Corinthians 10:12-13--For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you.
- Matthew 5:5-8--"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth...Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
2nd Corinthians 11:4-5--But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
- Matthew 24:4-5, 23-26--And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many...Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it."
2nd Corinthians 12:1-7--It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord...Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me. And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
- Matthew 23:10-12--"And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
2nd Corinthians 13:11--Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
- John 14:27--"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
And, as a bonus, here is Paul repeating something we see in the gospels. This is not a direct quote from Christ, but knowing that those false witnesses against Christ used His own words, He more than likely mentioned something about "a temple built without hands." I'm not gonna be dogmatic about it, and I'm not trying to read into the Scriptures, but...
2nd Corinthians 5:1--For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
- Mark 14:57-58--Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.’”
26 August 2010
Verse-by-verse through Philippians (4:9, Part 1)
We’ve seen these last few weeks the pattern that should guide us in choosing those things we use to fill our time. And today we’re going to look at a verse that shows us the result of following this template. When your kids ask you “Why do I have to eat my broccoli?” We don’t—or, shouldn’t say—“Because I said so!” Children need to know why you are making them eat something they don’t want to eat. And the same is true for new Christians. When we tell them “You should really listen to this fellow” or we warn them to avoid this other one over here, what question are they going to come back with? “Why?” What makes this fellow so good? “Well, because I said so” doesn’t really cut it. We should be able to tell them, “This gentleman preaches the truth, and we need to know the truth in order to glorify God.” And in fact, today we will see that Paul gives his own life as an example of what happens when you eat your spiritual broccoli, so to speak. So, we’re gonna read verses 8-9, but verse 9 will be our topic today.
Philippians 4:8-9—8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
In these two verses, Paul is showing us what to do with our minds and our bodies. We should let our minds dwell on things that are true, honest, etc. Then we should be living out our lives the way that Paul did in his own life. Now, this does not mean that we are all going to die as a martyr. We’re not all going to go from one town to another, and being beaten and stoned for preaching the gospel. And when we find people whose lives show a pattern of following Christ, it doesn’t mean our life is going to be exactly the same as their life. I was listening to another message from Pastor Phil, how each of us is in what you may call and obstacle race. But my race isn't the same as Steven’s race or Nikki’s race or Tony’s race or anybody else’s race. Our race may not be exactly the same as someone else’s, but we may actually face some of the same obstacles—those obstacles may be a little higher or a little lower for some people. And when we do face those obstacles, it helps to talk to people who have faced them before us. What was the obstacle? How did they make it over that obstacle? And what do they look like now?
Verse 9. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me. First, let's break down The things which you learned and received and heard in me. He’s talking about the gospel that he brought to Philippi. If we remember nothing else, the one thing we should always remember is the gospel—that God sent His Son to die for our sins, that He rose again, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He is coming back one day, and all who confess that He is Lord will be resurrected as Jesus was. It doesn’t matter what you forget—you may even forget your own name. But we should never forget the gospel. If someone from the Men In Black walked up to you with their little neurolizer, and they could zap out any part of your memory, and you could choose whether to keep everything you know about how to do your job—or you could retain all you know about the gospel, which would you choose? He's telling us that should we forget anything else, we must always remember the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The things which you…saw in me. He told the church at Corinth 1st Corinthians 11:1—Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Suppose we asked 100 Christians this question: “Out of all the people mentioned in the Bible, which person’s life would you use as a model for your own?” How many of those people do you think would choose the life of the apostle Paul? Think about it: Not long after he met the risen Christ, he took Barnabas and went into the cities of Lystra and Derbe, Iconium. And when Paul and Silas preached the gospel at Philippi in Acts 16, they really didn’t seem to start out on the right foot, looking at it from a human perspective. They found Lydia and a few women by the river and led them to Christ. Then they had that little dust-up with the owners of a slave girl who brought their masters much profit by fortune-telling when he cast that evil spirit out of her. Acts 16:22-24—Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. Guess what? The jailer that received the charge and put them in the inner prison—he’s one of the people reading this letter. Do you think he saw Paul and Silas display a little bit of faith in God while they were shut up in that prison?
Now, we’re not all going to be thrown into the inner part of a Roman dungeon, sitting in mud and…um…you know. Paul is telling these Philippians—and perhaps this jailer in particular—to remember the things that Paul went through in Philippi and also in Lycaonia and Thessalonica. Because as we will see next week, these Philippian believers were probably going through some of the same persecutions Paul went through. In some other places, Paul spelled out all the things he put his body through to make the gospel known. 2nd Corinthians 4:8-12—We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. And what does he call all of those things he put his body through? 2nd Corinthians 4:17—For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
Let’s look at some of these things that Paul calls “light afflictions.” 2nd Corinthians 11:23-28—Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—and that wasn’t the worst of it—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. You could beat that man’s body into the ground—but don’t you dare mess with the gospel, or the Church of our Lord Jesus. So he’s telling us to do the things that he has done, to have the same passion for the gospel—that it is more important than even our lives.
Timothy knew that. 2nd Timothy 3:10-11—But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra. Romans 8:18—For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Yeah, you may have been through the cocaine and the crack and the booze and the prostitution and whatever else. But if you are in Christ, how much of that does God remember? Big fat ZERO. The things you do in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, how much does He remember? EVERYTHING. Matthew 10:42—“And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.” Adam Clarke said of these words of Christ:
Then he gives us one simple command. What is that command? DO. That verb “do” is in the imperative mood. In Greek, that means it is a command. Other than the phrase “the God of peace,” this little word is probably the 2nd most important word in this whole verse. Why? Because if you DO these things, then what? The God of peace will be with you. If you DO these things—these things that God commands us to do—will He give us what we need to do it? There’s an old saying that “If God leads you to it…He’ll lead you through it.” Someone may ask, “Well, what does He want me to do?” I can't give that person a specific answer, except to say, “Whatever it is He’s calling you to do—DO.”
I got to thinking about this little word. So many times we focus on the big, theological words. Things like Justification and Sanctification and Regeneration and Imputation. But there are three words—three little verbs—that Jesus uses as commands for all of us. In one word, what is the first and greatest commandment? “Love.” What were Jesus’ last two commands He gave before He went to the Father? Matthew 28:19-20—“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” We can sum The Great Commission in two little words: “GO” and “DO.” Two of the three greatest commandments are little 2-letter words.
And here, Paul focuses on the “DO.” Do these things—what things? The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me—Do these things and the God of peace will be with you. Now, we’re gonna look at the phrase “God of peace” later. Like, seven days from now later. Sorry. What was the goal, the aim of Paul’s life? Philippians 1:20—Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. What kind of people should we Christians seek out as a pattern? Philippians 3:17—Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. If we follow in the footsteps of people who are walking the path that Jesus laid out for us, then we will be following in the footsteps of Christ. And if we are following in the footsteps of Christ, will we be doing those things that glorify God?
Many times the NT refers to our life in Christ as a walk. Never a sprint, never a leap—but a “walk.” One step at a time. Almost 50 times in the NT we are warned about how we should walk. John 8:12—Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 12:35-36—Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” Romans 6:4—Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 8:1—There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 1st John 1:7—But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we are walking according to His word and His command and His leading—if we do those things that are pleasing to God and that glorify Him, He will be with us in doing those things. Now, what’s the opposite of all that? Well, if we are doing things that are in clear violation of His Law, and if we are doing things that are sinful, and all of a sudden we find ourselves in a pickle because we have lied or stolen or done something similar—will the God of peace be with us? No. In fact, could it be possible that He may even strive against us? Galatians 6:7-8—Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. If we try to accomplish some task or gain some earthly reward by lying and cheating—there will be consequences. Can you think of a more helpless feeling than to know that you have done something that has the potential of causing great harm to us or to people we love, knowing that God may be sitting on His throne saying, “Nope. You got yourself into this mess because of your own sinfulness.”
Proverbs 21:16-18—A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead. He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich. The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the unfaithful for the upright. Now, it may turn out that the only consequence is that you get that feeling of dread and hopelessness, and you realize just how badly you screwed up and you determine not to let it happen again. That’s why he says in Galatians 6:9—And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Now, as far as doing good—have you ever had a boss tell you to do something that you had never done before, just tell you, “Well, just do the best you can?” There you are, standing in front of this huge machine with knobs and buttons and dials, none of them are labeled, and you're standing there thinking, “uhhhhhh…OK.” God doesn’t do that. If God led you to do something you could not do without His help and His guidance and His strength—would that give you much peace? But what does Paul say here? Do these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 2nd Timothy 1:7—For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. There may be dangers involved. It may not be an easy task to perform. But, Proverbs 21:21-23—He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor. A wise man scales the city of the mighty, and brings down the trusted stronghold. Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles. 2nd Corinthians 10:3-5—For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
All these native tribes that use masks and dances and fire to scare away “evil spirits.” They don’t know what they're fighting. Those spirits—and they are spirits, Jesus called them “unclean spirits”—they're not scared by masks and strange dancing. What are those unclean spirits really scared of? The name of Jesus Christ! When a Christian stands on the word of God, and the certainty that what God has promised us He is faithful to deliver, and that whether by life or by death, Christ will be magnified in our body—that turns the plans of Satan upside down.
Pastor Phil read this in that same message I mentioned earlier. It’s from a letter from a missionary to New Guinea—
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.
Philippians 4:8-9—8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
In these two verses, Paul is showing us what to do with our minds and our bodies. We should let our minds dwell on things that are true, honest, etc. Then we should be living out our lives the way that Paul did in his own life. Now, this does not mean that we are all going to die as a martyr. We’re not all going to go from one town to another, and being beaten and stoned for preaching the gospel. And when we find people whose lives show a pattern of following Christ, it doesn’t mean our life is going to be exactly the same as their life. I was listening to another message from Pastor Phil, how each of us is in what you may call and obstacle race. But my race isn't the same as Steven’s race or Nikki’s race or Tony’s race or anybody else’s race. Our race may not be exactly the same as someone else’s, but we may actually face some of the same obstacles—those obstacles may be a little higher or a little lower for some people. And when we do face those obstacles, it helps to talk to people who have faced them before us. What was the obstacle? How did they make it over that obstacle? And what do they look like now?
Verse 9. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me. First, let's break down The things which you learned and received and heard in me. He’s talking about the gospel that he brought to Philippi. If we remember nothing else, the one thing we should always remember is the gospel—that God sent His Son to die for our sins, that He rose again, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He is coming back one day, and all who confess that He is Lord will be resurrected as Jesus was. It doesn’t matter what you forget—you may even forget your own name. But we should never forget the gospel. If someone from the Men In Black walked up to you with their little neurolizer, and they could zap out any part of your memory, and you could choose whether to keep everything you know about how to do your job—or you could retain all you know about the gospel, which would you choose? He's telling us that should we forget anything else, we must always remember the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The things which you…saw in me. He told the church at Corinth 1st Corinthians 11:1—Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Suppose we asked 100 Christians this question: “Out of all the people mentioned in the Bible, which person’s life would you use as a model for your own?” How many of those people do you think would choose the life of the apostle Paul? Think about it: Not long after he met the risen Christ, he took Barnabas and went into the cities of Lystra and Derbe, Iconium. And when Paul and Silas preached the gospel at Philippi in Acts 16, they really didn’t seem to start out on the right foot, looking at it from a human perspective. They found Lydia and a few women by the river and led them to Christ. Then they had that little dust-up with the owners of a slave girl who brought their masters much profit by fortune-telling when he cast that evil spirit out of her. Acts 16:22-24—Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. Guess what? The jailer that received the charge and put them in the inner prison—he’s one of the people reading this letter. Do you think he saw Paul and Silas display a little bit of faith in God while they were shut up in that prison?
Now, we’re not all going to be thrown into the inner part of a Roman dungeon, sitting in mud and…um…you know. Paul is telling these Philippians—and perhaps this jailer in particular—to remember the things that Paul went through in Philippi and also in Lycaonia and Thessalonica. Because as we will see next week, these Philippian believers were probably going through some of the same persecutions Paul went through. In some other places, Paul spelled out all the things he put his body through to make the gospel known. 2nd Corinthians 4:8-12—We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. And what does he call all of those things he put his body through? 2nd Corinthians 4:17—For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
Let’s look at some of these things that Paul calls “light afflictions.” 2nd Corinthians 11:23-28—Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—and that wasn’t the worst of it—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. You could beat that man’s body into the ground—but don’t you dare mess with the gospel, or the Church of our Lord Jesus. So he’s telling us to do the things that he has done, to have the same passion for the gospel—that it is more important than even our lives.
Timothy knew that. 2nd Timothy 3:10-11—But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra. Romans 8:18—For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Yeah, you may have been through the cocaine and the crack and the booze and the prostitution and whatever else. But if you are in Christ, how much of that does God remember? Big fat ZERO. The things you do in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, how much does He remember? EVERYTHING. Matthew 10:42—“And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.” Adam Clarke said of these words of Christ:
“It is the name of Jesus that sanctifies every thing, and renders services, in themselves comparatively contemptible, of high worth in the sight of God.”So you gave someone a cold cup of water. Well, that cup of water may have kept them alive so they could hear the gospel. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me…
Then he gives us one simple command. What is that command? DO. That verb “do” is in the imperative mood. In Greek, that means it is a command. Other than the phrase “the God of peace,” this little word is probably the 2nd most important word in this whole verse. Why? Because if you DO these things, then what? The God of peace will be with you. If you DO these things—these things that God commands us to do—will He give us what we need to do it? There’s an old saying that “If God leads you to it…He’ll lead you through it.” Someone may ask, “Well, what does He want me to do?” I can't give that person a specific answer, except to say, “Whatever it is He’s calling you to do—DO.”
I got to thinking about this little word. So many times we focus on the big, theological words. Things like Justification and Sanctification and Regeneration and Imputation. But there are three words—three little verbs—that Jesus uses as commands for all of us. In one word, what is the first and greatest commandment? “Love.” What were Jesus’ last two commands He gave before He went to the Father? Matthew 28:19-20—“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” We can sum The Great Commission in two little words: “GO” and “DO.” Two of the three greatest commandments are little 2-letter words.
And here, Paul focuses on the “DO.” Do these things—what things? The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me—Do these things and the God of peace will be with you. Now, we’re gonna look at the phrase “God of peace” later. Like, seven days from now later. Sorry. What was the goal, the aim of Paul’s life? Philippians 1:20—Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. What kind of people should we Christians seek out as a pattern? Philippians 3:17—Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. If we follow in the footsteps of people who are walking the path that Jesus laid out for us, then we will be following in the footsteps of Christ. And if we are following in the footsteps of Christ, will we be doing those things that glorify God?
Many times the NT refers to our life in Christ as a walk. Never a sprint, never a leap—but a “walk.” One step at a time. Almost 50 times in the NT we are warned about how we should walk. John 8:12—Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 12:35-36—Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” Romans 6:4—Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 8:1—There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 1st John 1:7—But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we are walking according to His word and His command and His leading—if we do those things that are pleasing to God and that glorify Him, He will be with us in doing those things. Now, what’s the opposite of all that? Well, if we are doing things that are in clear violation of His Law, and if we are doing things that are sinful, and all of a sudden we find ourselves in a pickle because we have lied or stolen or done something similar—will the God of peace be with us? No. In fact, could it be possible that He may even strive against us? Galatians 6:7-8—Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. If we try to accomplish some task or gain some earthly reward by lying and cheating—there will be consequences. Can you think of a more helpless feeling than to know that you have done something that has the potential of causing great harm to us or to people we love, knowing that God may be sitting on His throne saying, “Nope. You got yourself into this mess because of your own sinfulness.”
Proverbs 21:16-18—A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead. He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich. The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the unfaithful for the upright. Now, it may turn out that the only consequence is that you get that feeling of dread and hopelessness, and you realize just how badly you screwed up and you determine not to let it happen again. That’s why he says in Galatians 6:9—And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Now, as far as doing good—have you ever had a boss tell you to do something that you had never done before, just tell you, “Well, just do the best you can?” There you are, standing in front of this huge machine with knobs and buttons and dials, none of them are labeled, and you're standing there thinking, “uhhhhhh…OK.” God doesn’t do that. If God led you to do something you could not do without His help and His guidance and His strength—would that give you much peace? But what does Paul say here? Do these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 2nd Timothy 1:7—For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. There may be dangers involved. It may not be an easy task to perform. But, Proverbs 21:21-23—He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor. A wise man scales the city of the mighty, and brings down the trusted stronghold. Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles. 2nd Corinthians 10:3-5—For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
All these native tribes that use masks and dances and fire to scare away “evil spirits.” They don’t know what they're fighting. Those spirits—and they are spirits, Jesus called them “unclean spirits”—they're not scared by masks and strange dancing. What are those unclean spirits really scared of? The name of Jesus Christ! When a Christian stands on the word of God, and the certainty that what God has promised us He is faithful to deliver, and that whether by life or by death, Christ will be magnified in our body—that turns the plans of Satan upside down.
Pastor Phil read this in that same message I mentioned earlier. It’s from a letter from a missionary to New Guinea—
“You can always measure the weight of your blow by the one you get back. When you are on your back with fever and at your last ounce of strength, when some of your converts backslide, when you learn that your most promising inquirers are only fooling, when your mail gets held up, and some don’t bother to answer your letters, is that the time to put on mourning? No, sir. That’s the time to pull out the stops and shout Hallelujah! The old fellow is getting it in the neck and hitting back. Heaven is leaning over the battlements and watching. ‘Will he stick with it?’ And as they see who is with us, as they see the unlimited reserves, the boundless resources, as they see the impossibility of failure, how disgusted and sad they must be when we run away. Glory to God! We are not going to run away. We are going to stand!”That is the encouragement the apostle Paul is giving us here—The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.
25 August 2010
"Paul never quoted Jesus!" (1st and 2nd Thessalonians)
1st Thessalonians 1:9-10--For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
- John 17:1-3--"Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
- Matthew 23:13-15--"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves."
- Matthew 23:29-36--"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation."
- Matthew 24:38-44--"For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
- Luke 18:6-8--"Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily."
- Matthew 5:38-42--"You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away."
2nd Thessalonians 1:6-10--Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.
- Matthew 25:31-46--"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory...He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world...inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels...inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
- Matthew 24:15-16--"Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place...then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains..."
- Matthew 24:23-26--"Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it."
- Matthew 6:13--"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."
- Matthew 18:15-17--"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector."
- John 14:27--"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
24 August 2010
Jesus IS Lord in Ephesians and Philippians
Ephesians 1:1-3—Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
Ephesians 1:15-17—Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 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.
Ephesians 3:11-15—According to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.
Ephesians 4:1-5—I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
Ephesians 4:17—This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind.
Ephesians 5:8-10—For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:17-22—Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:28-29—So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
Ephesians 6:1-4—Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:5-10—Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh…with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Ephesians 6:21-24—But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you; whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts. Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
Philippians 1:2—Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:12-14—But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel...and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Philippians 2:9-11—Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:19—But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state.
Philippians 2:24—But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.
Philippians 2:29—Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem.
Philippians 3:1—Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.
Philippians 3:8—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.
Philippians 3:20—For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:1-5—Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Philippians 4:10—But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.
Philippians 4:23—The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Ephesians 1:15-17—Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 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.
Ephesians 3:11-15—According to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.
Ephesians 4:1-5—I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
Ephesians 4:17—This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind.
Ephesians 5:8-10—For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:17-22—Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:28-29—So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
Ephesians 6:1-4—Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:5-10—Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh…with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Ephesians 6:21-24—But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you; whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts. Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
Philippians 1:2—Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:12-14—But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel...and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Philippians 2:9-11—Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:19—But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state.
Philippians 2:24—But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.
Philippians 2:29—Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem.
Philippians 3:1—Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.
Philippians 3:8—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.
Philippians 3:20—For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:1-5—Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Philippians 4:10—But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.
Philippians 4:23—The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
19 August 2010
Verse-by-verse through Philippians (4:8, Part 5)
(The following is a lesson I taught on the Sunday following the Super Bowl)
We finish up this verse today. An idol isn't necessarily something made with hands. And a lot of times we don’t even recognize that something like that is an idol. If you grow up around Knoxville—or Syracuse, like I did—college football and basketball are part of the cultural fabric. You don’t think of it as something you “put before God.” It’s just like eating and sleeping. If the Georgetown game starts at noon, a lot of people miss church in the morning. Around here, if the Florida game is on Saturday night, “Bobby Joe ain't here this morning; he must have watched the game last night.” But the fact that these things are “part of the culture” is not an excuse.
When the apostle Paul was writing his various letters to the different churches, he didn’t excuse the cultural influences of those areas. For example, Paul lays into the church at Corinth about their tolerance of sin in 1st Corinthians 5:1-2—It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father's wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. Apparently, it was a common practice for these people to have relations with—from everything I've read—their stepmother. “Hey, what’s so wrong with that—everybody does it!” What would be some example of that today? People living together before they're married. Teenagers having sex. Female teachers seducing young boys. Drugs. Many people who want to see marijuana legalized send up the crythat “It’s just pot!” Uh, just for the record--no, it's not "just pot." It leads to other things that we do not have time or room to gatalog here.
And just like the church at Corinth, there are many Christians who wouldn’t have a problem compromising on these things. And for no other reason than the fact that these things are part of the culture we live in. And that’s all Satan really wants, is just a little bit of compromise, so that he can slither in and widen that gap between the church and holiness.
These Philippians were, more than likely, being influenced by Roman philosophy, which was filled with humanism. Just like the Corinthians were steeped in Greek philosophy, which was also filled with humanism. So these Philippians had the same problem that faces any new believer in Christ today. “I’ve been watching this stuff and listening to this stuff and doing all this garbage all my life—what do I do now?” I think Paul would say, “Chuck it all; get rid of it.” And it’s interesting, in this verse, he doesn’t give us a list of things that we shouldn’t read or watch or listen to. Because if he did, the scroll would probably be about 2 feet across, and if you rolled it out it would go all the way to Virginia Ave. But he does give us a snapshot of the qualities we should look for in those things we use to occupy our time.
Philippians 4:8—Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Any parents reading this, stop me if you’ve ever had this conversation with your kids: They ask if they can go over to Jimmy’s house. You say, “Yeah, but don’t go anywhere else.” But then they ask, “Well, we were thinking about going over to Donny’s place.” And you know the kind of kid Donny is, and you say, “Absolutely not!” Then, “…Well, can we at least go over to—” “NO!! You can go to Jimmy’s. That’s it!!”
Do you necessarily give him this big long list of places he can't go? No. What do you give him? A short list of places he can go. That is what Paul does here. Rather than spell out this exhaustive list of things to avoid, he gives a list of the qualities of things they should meditate upon. And notice something else—he doesn’t point out specific writers or authors to avoid, and he doesn’t give a list of specific writers and authors that they should read. He simply gives us a litmus test to use when considering those things that we should put before our eyes and take in through our ears. We’ve seen that we should meditate on things that teach truth. Things that are dedicated to the worship of God. Things that lead one into righteousness. Things that teach us how to live in purity. Things that bring us into brotherly love with one another. Things that declare good things. And today we’re going to look at these last two qualities that Paul lists.
First, if there is any virtue. The word translated “virtue” literally means “a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action; moral excellence.” What Paul is saying here is, “Anything that displays 'a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action'--think on it.” And keep thinking on it. And live it.” Much like what he said back in Philippians 3:17—Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. I was just listening one of my pastor's messages from about 2008 about that passage in Philippians 3. And he mentioned that other than the Bible, his next favorite things to read are the biographies of godly men—men who have lived their lives as a pattern of “virtue”—that is, “a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action” in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I'm gonna give you a little snippet from that message:
You see what happens? When you meditate on things that have “virtue”—things that map out “a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action,” then you live a life that has, as its pattern, “a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action.” And I think it’s safe to say that Pastor Phil puts that principle on display in his own life. That his life displays the virtue and moral excellence of these other godly men.
Now, this word that Paul uses, this is the only time he uses it. But the apostle Peter uses it three times in his two letters. 1st Peter 2:9 (ESV, NASB)—But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. See where it says that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you? The KJV and the NKJV, instead of "excellencies", they both translate that word as “praises.” That you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you. That’s not necessarily wrong, because praise is excellent. But it kinda misses the mark just a little. What Peter is saying is that God has chosen us, called us, set us apart for His possession so that we may proclaim to the world how excellent He is. Peter wrote his 2nd epistle as a warning to avoid false teachers. And in 2nd Peter 1:5-7—Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. Notice the first thing he tells us to do. He says if you have faith, add to it “moral excellence.” And when you have added moral excellence to your faith, add knowledge to both of them. Then when you have added virtue and knowledge to your faith, add self-control to all three of those, and so on.
And the reason he teaches us to build up all these things on top of and integrate them into the others is found in 2nd Peter 1:8-10—If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful…he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness…if you do these things you will never stumble. In other words, he’s saying, “Are you saved? You are? Then think like you're saved and act like you're saved and live like you're saved!” Basically. And how do we add virtue to our faith? If there is any virtue…meditate on these things.
Finally, if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. If you find something that gives honest praise to God—if that something displays the greatness, the glory, the holiness and righteousness and justice of God—take it! Take it in. Fill your mind with it. And declare it. During this time, basically the very infancy of the Christian church (let alone the church at Philippi), there weren’t really a lot of writings available to them that gave praise to God and to His Christ. So Paul is basically telling them, “If you find anything that teaches you the truth of God, that directs your worship of Him, that declares His goodness, that directs you in 'a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action,' and which gives praise to Almighty God—meditate on it!”
There were more than enough writings which declared the goodness and praises of men. But we’re talking about a period which was maybe 30 or so years after the death and resurrection of Christ. So the only Christian writings that existed at this time were probably some of Paul’s letters to various churches, and those probably not in wide distribution. Mark’s gospel may have been around for a couple years, maybe Matthew’s gospel. So whatever they could get their hands on, that gave praise to God, they were encouraged to do so.
How many times do we hear people use this phrase: “Praise God!” How many of those people actually mean it? So many people walk around with “Praise God” or “Praise Jesus” on their lips, and they have no idea what they're talking about. And I dare say, somewhere in the backs of their minds they're thinking something like, “Oh, I just made God happy because I said ‘Praise God!’” Question is, what G/god(s) are they praising? Basically, what they are praising is their “good fortune.” Now, don’t get me wrong here. God does cause “good things” to happen to wicked people. Matthew 5:45—“He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” God even causes the wicked to prosper. Daniel 5:18—“O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor.” Jeremiah 12:1-2 (NASB)—“Righteous are You, O LORD, that I would plead my case with You; indeed I would discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease? You have planted them, they have also taken root; they grow, they have even produced fruit. You are near to their lips but far from their mind.” God even heals and gives “good things” to people that He knows will walk away from Him and be ungrateful for their blessing. Luke 17:11-17—Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
Those other nine were like many people today. They have good things happen to them—and let’s put “good things” in quotation marks—their business is successful, their kids get into the best colleges, they have all the material things they need. But they ignore the One that allows them to have all those things. So when those people who have the “good things” constantly ignore God who gave them those things—or, allowed them to have those things—when they say, “Praise the Lord” while they're ignoring the Lord, they are praising what they think got them those things.
But now let’s see what happens when those that God calls His people praise Him in sincerity and with an attitude of worship. Deuteronomy 26:17-19—“Today you have proclaimed YHVH to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice. Also today YHVH has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to YHVH your God, just as He has spoken.” Now, that passage is talking about the people of Israel, and we need to be careful about taking promises God gave to Israel and thinking they all apply just the same to us today. But this could just as easily be talking about us. He has taken us to be His people. Jesus tells the church at Philadelphia in Revelation 3:9 (NASB)—“Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.” Those who do not know God give praise to God—even though they don’t know it’s a kind of phony praise—they are happy for the temporary, earthly things that they are only going to enjoy in this life.
But God has made us His people, and has given us eternal riches and eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord—and shouldn’t we be giving Him even more praise for that than the heathens do for their “stuff?” Acts 2:46-47—So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. And it is our praises that show the world that we know God is king. Psalm 22:3—Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
We sing this old song:
To God be the glory, great things he has done
So loved he the world that he gave us his Son
Who yielded his life an atonement for sin
And opened the lifegate that we may go in.
Great things he has taught us, great things he has done
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son
But purer and higher and greater will be
Our wonder, our gladness, when Jesus we see.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord; let the earth hear his voice
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord; let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son
And give him the glory; great things he has done.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.
We finish up this verse today. An idol isn't necessarily something made with hands. And a lot of times we don’t even recognize that something like that is an idol. If you grow up around Knoxville—or Syracuse, like I did—college football and basketball are part of the cultural fabric. You don’t think of it as something you “put before God.” It’s just like eating and sleeping. If the Georgetown game starts at noon, a lot of people miss church in the morning. Around here, if the Florida game is on Saturday night, “Bobby Joe ain't here this morning; he must have watched the game last night.” But the fact that these things are “part of the culture” is not an excuse.
When the apostle Paul was writing his various letters to the different churches, he didn’t excuse the cultural influences of those areas. For example, Paul lays into the church at Corinth about their tolerance of sin in 1st Corinthians 5:1-2—It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father's wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. Apparently, it was a common practice for these people to have relations with—from everything I've read—their stepmother. “Hey, what’s so wrong with that—everybody does it!” What would be some example of that today? People living together before they're married. Teenagers having sex. Female teachers seducing young boys. Drugs. Many people who want to see marijuana legalized send up the crythat “It’s just pot!” Uh, just for the record--no, it's not "just pot." It leads to other things that we do not have time or room to gatalog here.
And just like the church at Corinth, there are many Christians who wouldn’t have a problem compromising on these things. And for no other reason than the fact that these things are part of the culture we live in. And that’s all Satan really wants, is just a little bit of compromise, so that he can slither in and widen that gap between the church and holiness.
These Philippians were, more than likely, being influenced by Roman philosophy, which was filled with humanism. Just like the Corinthians were steeped in Greek philosophy, which was also filled with humanism. So these Philippians had the same problem that faces any new believer in Christ today. “I’ve been watching this stuff and listening to this stuff and doing all this garbage all my life—what do I do now?” I think Paul would say, “Chuck it all; get rid of it.” And it’s interesting, in this verse, he doesn’t give us a list of things that we shouldn’t read or watch or listen to. Because if he did, the scroll would probably be about 2 feet across, and if you rolled it out it would go all the way to Virginia Ave. But he does give us a snapshot of the qualities we should look for in those things we use to occupy our time.
Philippians 4:8—Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Any parents reading this, stop me if you’ve ever had this conversation with your kids: They ask if they can go over to Jimmy’s house. You say, “Yeah, but don’t go anywhere else.” But then they ask, “Well, we were thinking about going over to Donny’s place.” And you know the kind of kid Donny is, and you say, “Absolutely not!” Then, “…Well, can we at least go over to—” “NO!! You can go to Jimmy’s. That’s it!!”
Do you necessarily give him this big long list of places he can't go? No. What do you give him? A short list of places he can go. That is what Paul does here. Rather than spell out this exhaustive list of things to avoid, he gives a list of the qualities of things they should meditate upon. And notice something else—he doesn’t point out specific writers or authors to avoid, and he doesn’t give a list of specific writers and authors that they should read. He simply gives us a litmus test to use when considering those things that we should put before our eyes and take in through our ears. We’ve seen that we should meditate on things that teach truth. Things that are dedicated to the worship of God. Things that lead one into righteousness. Things that teach us how to live in purity. Things that bring us into brotherly love with one another. Things that declare good things. And today we’re going to look at these last two qualities that Paul lists.
First, if there is any virtue. The word translated “virtue” literally means “a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action; moral excellence.” What Paul is saying here is, “Anything that displays 'a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action'--think on it.” And keep thinking on it. And live it.” Much like what he said back in Philippians 3:17—Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. I was just listening one of my pastor's messages from about 2008 about that passage in Philippians 3. And he mentioned that other than the Bible, his next favorite things to read are the biographies of godly men—men who have lived their lives as a pattern of “virtue”—that is, “a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action” in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I'm gonna give you a little snippet from that message:
“Next to the Bible, my life has been most drastically touched by reading the biographies of men and women that have been tremendously used by God. Their flaws have actually served as an encouragement to me…I was thinking of the biographies that I read at different stages of my life and how they impacted me. One of the earliest was C. T. Studd who was extremely wealthy and gave it all away and spent much of his life in Africa…and was used of God to bring untold numbers of Africans to Christ. Then there was Reece Howells…When I saw his passion for prayer, my life and my prayer life was deeply impacted. I remember reading…of Dawson Trotman, the founder of the Navigators and developed a hunger to memorize Scripture and disciple people who come to Christ. Then, there was Hudson Taylor and His willingness to pay any price to get the gospel to the Chinese.”
You see what happens? When you meditate on things that have “virtue”—things that map out “a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action,” then you live a life that has, as its pattern, “a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action.” And I think it’s safe to say that Pastor Phil puts that principle on display in his own life. That his life displays the virtue and moral excellence of these other godly men.
Now, this word that Paul uses, this is the only time he uses it. But the apostle Peter uses it three times in his two letters. 1st Peter 2:9 (ESV, NASB)—But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. See where it says that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you? The KJV and the NKJV, instead of "excellencies", they both translate that word as “praises.” That you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you. That’s not necessarily wrong, because praise is excellent. But it kinda misses the mark just a little. What Peter is saying is that God has chosen us, called us, set us apart for His possession so that we may proclaim to the world how excellent He is. Peter wrote his 2nd epistle as a warning to avoid false teachers. And in 2nd Peter 1:5-7—Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. Notice the first thing he tells us to do. He says if you have faith, add to it “moral excellence.” And when you have added moral excellence to your faith, add knowledge to both of them. Then when you have added virtue and knowledge to your faith, add self-control to all three of those, and so on.
And the reason he teaches us to build up all these things on top of and integrate them into the others is found in 2nd Peter 1:8-10—If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful…he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness…if you do these things you will never stumble. In other words, he’s saying, “Are you saved? You are? Then think like you're saved and act like you're saved and live like you're saved!” Basically. And how do we add virtue to our faith? If there is any virtue…meditate on these things.
Finally, if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. If you find something that gives honest praise to God—if that something displays the greatness, the glory, the holiness and righteousness and justice of God—take it! Take it in. Fill your mind with it. And declare it. During this time, basically the very infancy of the Christian church (let alone the church at Philippi), there weren’t really a lot of writings available to them that gave praise to God and to His Christ. So Paul is basically telling them, “If you find anything that teaches you the truth of God, that directs your worship of Him, that declares His goodness, that directs you in 'a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action,' and which gives praise to Almighty God—meditate on it!”
There were more than enough writings which declared the goodness and praises of men. But we’re talking about a period which was maybe 30 or so years after the death and resurrection of Christ. So the only Christian writings that existed at this time were probably some of Paul’s letters to various churches, and those probably not in wide distribution. Mark’s gospel may have been around for a couple years, maybe Matthew’s gospel. So whatever they could get their hands on, that gave praise to God, they were encouraged to do so.
How many times do we hear people use this phrase: “Praise God!” How many of those people actually mean it? So many people walk around with “Praise God” or “Praise Jesus” on their lips, and they have no idea what they're talking about. And I dare say, somewhere in the backs of their minds they're thinking something like, “Oh, I just made God happy because I said ‘Praise God!’” Question is, what G/god(s) are they praising? Basically, what they are praising is their “good fortune.” Now, don’t get me wrong here. God does cause “good things” to happen to wicked people. Matthew 5:45—“He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” God even causes the wicked to prosper. Daniel 5:18—“O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor.” Jeremiah 12:1-2 (NASB)—“Righteous are You, O LORD, that I would plead my case with You; indeed I would discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease? You have planted them, they have also taken root; they grow, they have even produced fruit. You are near to their lips but far from their mind.” God even heals and gives “good things” to people that He knows will walk away from Him and be ungrateful for their blessing. Luke 17:11-17—Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
Those other nine were like many people today. They have good things happen to them—and let’s put “good things” in quotation marks—their business is successful, their kids get into the best colleges, they have all the material things they need. But they ignore the One that allows them to have all those things. So when those people who have the “good things” constantly ignore God who gave them those things—or, allowed them to have those things—when they say, “Praise the Lord” while they're ignoring the Lord, they are praising what they think got them those things.
But now let’s see what happens when those that God calls His people praise Him in sincerity and with an attitude of worship. Deuteronomy 26:17-19—“Today you have proclaimed YHVH to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice. Also today YHVH has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to YHVH your God, just as He has spoken.” Now, that passage is talking about the people of Israel, and we need to be careful about taking promises God gave to Israel and thinking they all apply just the same to us today. But this could just as easily be talking about us. He has taken us to be His people. Jesus tells the church at Philadelphia in Revelation 3:9 (NASB)—“Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.” Those who do not know God give praise to God—even though they don’t know it’s a kind of phony praise—they are happy for the temporary, earthly things that they are only going to enjoy in this life.
But God has made us His people, and has given us eternal riches and eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord—and shouldn’t we be giving Him even more praise for that than the heathens do for their “stuff?” Acts 2:46-47—So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. And it is our praises that show the world that we know God is king. Psalm 22:3—Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
We sing this old song:
To God be the glory, great things he has done
So loved he the world that he gave us his Son
Who yielded his life an atonement for sin
And opened the lifegate that we may go in.
Great things he has taught us, great things he has done
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son
But purer and higher and greater will be
Our wonder, our gladness, when Jesus we see.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord; let the earth hear his voice
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord; let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son
And give him the glory; great things he has done.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.
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