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Ecclesiastes, Chapter 11 and verse 5.
As thou knowest not, what is the way of the Spirit?
Or how the bones do grow in the womb of her, that is with child.
Even so thou knowest not the works of God, who maketh all.
In the morning so thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand, for thou knowest not whither shall prosper either this or that.
Or whether they both should be alike good.
Let's give things.
Our God and our Father, we thank thee for this opportunity to be together.
Again to open up thy word.
And our God, we were reminded yesterday of that.
Which thou hast begun, that thou art going to perform it.
We are conscious, our God, that there is a work going on even in this very room by thy spirit.
That we cannot see that thou art forming something.
And so we do pray that as we continue to open the scriptures and have Thy word before us, that there would be ministered to our hearts that which would further that work on in our souls.
That that one who is the object of thy heart would become more and more precious to our hearts.
That one.
That the gospel has presented to us our Lord Jesus Christ, that he would become more preeminent to our souls, to our hearts. And so our Father, we just seek Thy help as the scriptures are before us, that now it's ministered to our hearts again this morning giving me thanks for this opportunity as we pray our Father in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. Amen.
We're reading in Philippians chapter one.
And it's been suggested that perhaps we could start in verse 8.
Philippians, chapter One. And verse 8. For God is my record. How greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. And this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, that you may approve things that are excellent, that you may be insincere and without offence, till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. But I would you should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather into the furtherance of the gospel.
So there my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace in all other places, and many of the brethren and the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed, preach Christ, even with envy and strife, and some also goodwill. The one preached Christ of contention, not sincerely supposing to add affliction to my bonds, but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. What then, notwithstanding every way, whether in pretence or in truth?
Christ is preached, and I therein do rejoice. Yeah, and will rejoice. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed. But that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death, for me to live as Christ, to die as gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor. Yet what I shall choose I want not.
For I have been a straight betwixt 2, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better.
Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you, and having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all and your furtherance of the joy of faith, that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. Only let your conversation be, as we come with the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.
And in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to to you free of salvation and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which he saw in me, and now here to be in me.
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Before we pass on in this chapter, I'd like to just make a very practical comment in connection with what was alluded to yesterday in regard to the Apostle Paul and his prayers for the Saints. At various times, and certainly here, we find that, as was said yesterday, the Apostle Paul had a fervent desire and prayer for the Saints that they would go on consistently.
Not just a good start, but that they would go on consistently that at the judgment seat of Christ, as we read in another place, they might get a full reward. And what I'm about to say, I want to say to my own soul as much as to anybody, and if it what exercises my own soul exercise is yours, then so be it. But it's been very significant to my own soul to realize that in the epistles that Paul wrote, he usually speaks of his prayers for the Saints.
At times when they were going on well now, as was said yesterday, I'm sure he prayed for the Saints at Galatia. I'm sure he prayed for the Saints in Corinth who were facing real difficulties and there were things that needed to be dealt with for the Lord's glory and the clearing of sin from the assembly and so on. I'm sure he prayed for his brethren who had physical needs and were going through personal and family trials as well.
But it is very interesting that Paul usually used prayer as a preventative measure. And brother and I suggest that if we were like Paul and prayed for one another when we're going on, well, it would perhaps spare us from many things. Why is it so often we wait till we know of an assembly who's going through some real difficulty where the enemy has been busy or we pray for wait to pray for someone?
When we find out they're going through some real trial or physical problem, good to pray for our brethren in that regard. But perhaps if we would be more diligent in praying for one another when we're going on, well, perhaps it would spare us from many things. If you hear of an assembly that's going on happily in the Lord and enjoying the assembly meetings, and there's an outreach in the gospel and working together, striving together for the faith of the gospel, and so on.
That's an assembly that needs special prayer, because rest assured, that's an assembly where the enemy is going to be very busy to try to to drive in a wedge. It was happening at Philippi, as we find out later in the chapters. The enemy what didn't like the joy and rejoicing, the going on together, the outreach there was and testimony in the gospel and he was trying to bring a wedge in because there's nothing spoils testimony or working together.
For the blessing of Saints and the blessing of souls in the gospel, then contentions arising amongst the people of God. It's one of Satan's greatest tactics. Just hold your finger here and go over to Colossians, because we have a nice example in this regard of an individual who, as we would perhaps say today, was a real prayer warrior for his brethren in the 4th chapter of Colossians.
This is a man we're not told a lot about, just about 3 short references to him in Scripture. The 12Th chapter of Colossians 4 Epiphyrus, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you always laboring fervently for you in prayers that he may stand perfect and complete in the will of God. I covet this exercise of epiphyse, and I suggest that when Epiphyrus prayed for his brethren.
It wasn't just a general thing.
I suggest that when he got into his closet and got before the Lord, he prayed for his brethren, name by name and need by need and brethren. If we would do that and rejoice, as we had earlier in our chapter in Philippians, at the mention of our the names of our brethren, wouldn't it adjust our interactions together? Wouldn't it adjust what we said to and about?
One another, if we truly got before the Lord and prayed in this way, Well, Epiphyse did one other little comment about Pauls prayers and Ephesians prayers. It wasn't concerning. Shall I say the lost button or some different some practical problem. Now again it's good to pray for our brethren in connection with practical problems and difficulties. But what was the apostles prayer? What were the apostles prayers for his brethren?
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What was Epiphyse praying for his brethren?
That they would go on and grow in the truth. That they would stand fast in what they had been given and what they had enjoyed. That they there would be an even greater love in their souls for the person of Christ and for the people of God.
It was in connection with the spiritual welfare of their brethren. Do we really pray for one another in that way, and for assemblies gathered to the Lord's name in that way, that there might be a deepening in the souls of our brethren, individually and collectively, of the person of Christ, and the precious truth that has been committed to us? Brethren, I just suggest that if these things were carried out in a very practical way in our lives.
We wouldn't have to go through some of the things that the Lord allows in our lives, individually and collectively.
Birth. Second. Give an outline of the chapter before we proceed any further so that we can know the direction we're going.
After the first two verses which are his opening salutation, verses 3 through eight former paragraph and there we have the apostles Thanksgiving for their fellowship in the gospel. Then from verses 9 through 11 we have the apostles prayer that they may grow in intelligence and moral discernment. Then from verse 12 on through to verse 20 we have an update. He gives an update of his circumstances.
And the conditions in which he was found, and we see him rejoicing there. And then from the middle of the 20th verse on to the end, we have Paul's desires not only for himself but also for the Philippians and all of it. We see him not complaining. There's no bitterness, there's no request to the Philippians that they would pray for him That he may get out of his situation as a total submission, as a happiness that is incredible is profound, and it is the normal Christian experience that all of us should be.
Found walking in so I hope that's a little outline that may help in understanding the the contents of the chapter.
Where we've begun today in verse 9 forms a new paragraph, and as Jim has been saying, it's in connection with his prayer for the Saints. It's different from Ephesians 1, where you have his prayer for the Saints, for they may have the intelligence as to the truth of the mystery in connection with the glory of Christ and two spheres, heaven and earth, and so on. Here it's for their intelligence and moral discernment that they know how to walk properly, that they would not give offense to the gospel.
And that they would be a positive help.
In the furtherance of the gospel. And so this is needed too. We need moral discernment for the pathway.
And it takes spiritual understanding.
And of principles that sometimes are finally different as he speaks here. Things that that differ, but they may approve, or judge or discern the things that are more excellent with regard to the Christian pathway.
Mr. Bella gives an example.
Of this kind of discernment that's needed in the case of absorbable.
And the ones that came back from Babylon, they came back and they accepted the favor and help of the king of Persia. But when they got there they refused the help of the Samaritans.
Both of them are unbelievers Gentiles. Why would they accept one and not the other?
Moral discernment is the answer. There is differences, and when we're young Christians, we don't necessarily see these differences and we see everything sort of mixed together and we can't understand why this is so, if that is so and so on. And I are looking at scriptural principles, but if we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus, and we grow in intelligence and moral discernment in these things as he's praying here.
Will be able to walk the path with God's glory and his praise.
And that is so very important in the day in which we live, isn't it? Because.
Christian love ought to be manifested among every believer, and our hearts, as someone has said, ought to be as broad as that of Christ. But on the other hand, we need to walk in many cases, and in fact in all cases in these last days a narrow path. And that narrow path consists, as Bruce has said, of the moral discernment to.
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See that which is according to the mind of God is revealed in his word.
Sometimes there is a tendency today to gloss over things that may not be according to the word of God, and to say well in the name of Christian love will just let all these things go.
That is not real love, is it? True love acts for the Lord's glory first of all and that's why it is brought in here. And I know it's going ahead, but in verse 11 it says.
The fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God.
When God's claims are met and moral discernment is the basis of our love, not only is God honored and glorified, but man, and our fellow believer particularly, is far more blessed, isn't he? And so it's important to see that. And so, Paul.
Revels in the love that the Philippian Saints were showing, not only to him, but to others, and in the truth of the gospel.
He wants it to abound more and more.
But tempered by knowledge and judgment, moral discernment and the application of the truth of God, which brings real divine love into operation, not only to show love to one another, but based on what would be for God's glory.
Translation itself. That is what we've been speaking about, it says.
That your love may abound yet more and more in full knowledge and in all intelligence. That you may judge and of and improve the things that are more excellent. So it's intelligence, isn't it? And full knowledge. We recently went through the songs of degrees in In the Book of Psalms.
With 15 psalms that begins with the 120th psalms and we were impressed with the truth that.
Every step.
Of, of, of light, when bowed to leads to further light.
And that's a great principle and God's word, isn't it? So as we grow in intelligence and full knowledge, and if we bow to it, the Lord will lead us on one step further and further. And so on the 120th Psalm, we see that they were at a great distance from Jerusalem. But as they bow to the further light that's given to them in each of these little psalms from Psalm 120 to Psalm 134, they're given more and more light each time.
And finally, there, in the very sanctuary of God. That's what the Lord wants for us. Full knowledge and intelligence. But we have to bow to it, don't we?
And I know it's not in our chapter, but the principle is there and you've alluded to it.
Brother Eric.
If the Spirit of God, either directly or through someone else, is showing me a truth from the Word of God.
And as you say, I accept it and walk in the good of it, Then God gives me more truth. God gives me more knowledge, more discernment.
But if I set my will against that which the Lord is seeking to show me.
Then I really put the cap on my growth at that point, don't I? God is not going to allow me to pick and choose certain lines of truth that maybe have an appeal to me and reject other things if we could say it very reverently. God doesn't put the truth out as a big smorgasbord where I can pick this or that that appeals to me and say no, I don't care for that or I don't care for this.
I need to accept what the Spirit of God is seeking to bring before me, and then I will find that the Lord will give me more and more and build on that. So it's very important because there is a solemn danger, and I speak to my own heart that the Lord brings before me something which is perhaps.
A difficulty to my soul.
And every new truth that the Lord seeks to teach me will find its corresponding antagonist in some aspect of my old nature.
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And I may have to judge that. And more than once I have had a truth brought before me, and I have had to say to my soul, Ouch, that hurts, That goes against the grain. What grain? My will, and my old sinful self.
But if I carry on that way, God isn't going to show me more until I submit to what he is seeking to bring before me. And I don't want to lay too much stress on this. But it is important because I have seen in my own soul, and sad to say, in other believers where growth has been sadly stunted by a certain will in something.
Either a facet of my character or my outlook, or something that I have felt is right and the Lord shows me it's wrong and I refuse to bow to what the Lord is showing me.
And then I start stunting my growth, don't I? Well, there's no thought of that here in Philippi because Paul has confidence in them and what a joy it is to see him.
Exude that confidence in the love that he had for them, and of course the love that he knew existed in their hearts for him, and of course, ultimately for the Lord himself.
An illustration of that is that if it was night and you were to drive from here to Aberdeen, say.
You're the lights of your car. Just go so far, and when you drive, as far as your lights will show you, then you get more light. And if you keep doing that, you will finally get to Aberdeen from here at night. And so that's the illustration. I think Gordon gave me that illustration, but it's a good illustration and it reminds you.
Then when you're driving your car that I only get more light as I drive into the light that I already have.
That's the 119th Psalm and the 105th verse, isn't it? Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light under my path. I've used the illustration similar in connection, withholding onto a flashlight when you go to walk on a dark path on a dark night, you shine that flashlight a few feet ahead and you say, but I've got 3 or 4 miles to go before I get to my destination.
Well, as you say, Brother Vern, what's the answer? You hold on to that light and you keep moving. If you stop, the light stops. You're going to get scared. You're going to be afraid. You may even regress. You may even head backwards and say I can't do it, I'm going to return to my to my starting point. But as long as you hold firmly to the flashlight and keep moving, it's going to be sufficient light to guide you the whole way. And I would just say this too, that in John's gossip.
The Lord said, if any man desire to do his will, he shall know. If I don't know the will of God for my life, for the next step, for my life. It's not a fault on God's part. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. And I was thinking of a little prayer of Davids in the 143rd Psalm. You know, David often says something like teach me thy will and so on, or teach me thy way. But in the 143rd Psalm he says, teach me to do thy will.
And I just apply it in this way, Lord, when you do show me, then help give me the grace to take the step, take me the to give me the grace to act on it because the Lord might show me something. And I said, oh Lord, I I wouldn't mind if it wasn't something just a little bit different. I wouldn't mind if it wasn't a truth. Just that as Bill says, that that hurts like that or goes against the grain. No, David said, as it were. Teach me to do it. Give me the grace to do it. But getting back to our chapter for a moment before we pass on from these verses.
In connection with Paul's prayer for the Saints, I think it's beautiful to see the motive behind his wanting the Saints to go on and to grow in knowledge and intelligence, and to have A to be able to stand perfect and sincere in the day of Jesus Christ. Was it to commend his own ministry? No, it was for the glory of the Lord Jesus and for their blessing. And I think that's so beautiful because.
Sometimes, you know, you'll pardon a personal reference, but, you know, bringing up children, I I had to say sometimes to myself, do I want my children to go on for the Lord, for his glory and their blessing, or do I want my children to go on to the Lord because it looks good on me and commends me? There's quite a difference, isn't it? And that can carry over into the assembly. Do I? Do we want the people of God to go on for the Lord?
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And for his glory, because it looks good on something we've said or done, or tried to help them with. Or do we desire the blessing of the Saints of God for the Lord's glory and for fruit in their life, and for a full reward in a coming day? Well, Paul's desire for the Philippian brethren was that there would be consistency and growth, first of all for the Lord's glory, and secondly for their blessing.
And I think I'm going to make a little correction, you said. If any man desired to do as well, he shall know that the doctor.
Man will do his will, He shall know what the doctrine There's a critical difference, isn't there? Oftentimes we might say we want to know the Lords well, but the real issue is, are we going to do it when we know the Lord's will? That's the key, isn't it? And I think you bring out a a a fundamental powerful principle in Christianity.
That God has connected his glory with our blessing. We don't have to worry about our blessing. God will take care of that.
We if we worry about his glory, then we get the blessing. And that's exactly what we have here. The destination is the day of Christ. We were speaking about that yesterday. It's called the Day of Jesus Christ in verse 6. But it's really the same thing with some minor differences. It's that day of display at the end of the tribulation.
What's going to be displayed? His glory and the blessing that he's counseled for us. That's a wonderful truth.
Somebody asked me last night who felt that perhaps we hadn't made it entirely clear about the day of Jesus Christ because it says in verse 6.
He that hath or he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
And the question was, and Bruce brought it out very well yesterday.
Really, the day of the Lord and the day of Christ begin at the same time the one connected with the display of glory in us. When the Lord comes at His appearing, that's the day of Christ and the day of the Lord, connected with the judgments which will be necessary in this world in order to set up the millennial Kingdom.
I would just suggest, and I build on a remark that was made yesterday, a very correct remark, that the day of Christ is not the judgment seat of Christ, but it displays the result of the judgment seat of Christ. So in that sense, while the day of Christ is the display of glory, it also displays the result of the judgment seat of Christ.
Yes, when we're taken home to glory, when the Lord comes. I don't believe that the Lord does any further work in our souls in that sense to make us anymore like himself, because we will be perfectly like himself.
But between the time that the day of Christ begins? Or shall I reword that? Between the time that we are called home and the time that the day of Christ begins?
The judgment seat of Christ will have taken place, and so there will be the wonderful display.
In that day of you and me, in glory, with Christ, connected and associated with him in the closest possible way, but there will also be the display of what the judgment seat of Christ has, or what what has happened at the judgment seat of Christ.
And so in the sense of the day of Christ, the glory is a wonderful thing. But I would suggest there is responsibility connected with it, isn't there? There is responsibility. We are all going to be displayed in that glory, but also there will be the results of the judgment seat of Christ that will be displayed there. And that's why the apostle expresses.
These wishes for those Philippians.
That their lives might be such that as a result of the judgment seat of Christ.
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There would be that which was for the glory of God that had gone on in their lives down here. Would you agree with that, Brother Bruce?
Couldn't put it better. Thank you.
Is not the Lord's day? No.
Day of the Lord is not the Lord's day.
When scripture speaks of the Lord's day, he's talking about the first day of the week. We're talking about a period of time which stretches 1000 years over the earth.
When the judgments of the Lord will be.
And perhaps just make it clear too, that it has nothing to do with our entrance into heaven. You know, we sometimes, I've sometimes heard the verse in Peter misquoted about an abundant entrance, but it is not an abundant entrance into heaven that he's talking about there. When the Lord comes, if it happens before we break for the noon meal, every believer is going to have an abundant entrance into heaven. But he talks in Peter about an abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdom.
It has to do with the display, as we've been saying, of that which is given at the judgment seat of Christ. And it has to do with our place in the Kingdom. Because you know, there will be loss at the judgment seat of Christ. Not loss of salvation, not loss of what we're going to enjoy in heaven when we're with Christ for eternity, but there will be loss of that which he wants to reward for and our life now.
Is establishing not our place in heaven, but our place in the Kingdom. So remember it's he desires us to have an abundant entrance into the Kingdom. And so Paul here He wants them to be sincere and without offense until the day of Jesus Christ, not the Lords coming, not not the rapture, but the day of manifestation, and the day when a king shall reign in righteousness and Princess shall rule in judgment.
That word till should be 4. Yes, it should read that they would be sincere and without offence for that day.
And it's the work in us is ongoing, isn't it? This is not His work for us. He's talking about. His work for us is once and for all. The Lord Jesus once and for all, died on the cross once and for all. He took care of our sins when we came in, repentance and faith that work is complete, never to be taken up again. I'm saved and saved for eternity. But there is an ongoing work in US.
And that was what Paul was desiring. And as we've been saying his we're either growing in the things of God or we're regressing. We just, some of us remember hearing that from the older brethren. They often stressed that, didn't they, That we never stand still spiritually. The last recorded words of the Apostle Peter by divine inspiration are grow in grace, but he doesn't stop there. And the knowledge of our God and Savior Jesus, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Paul's desire was that they would grow. There would be continual spiritual growth, not just in grace but has been said in knowledge. Because we cannot really have true piety without knowledge. Sound doctrine or sound knowledge is the basis for sound behavior. But there will be in your life and mind, and so many of us were in this room last year. Think back on your life in the last year.
There's either been spiritual growth or spiritual regression. None of us, I don't believe, have stood still.
This is one of the keys to this epistle, isn't it? Because many of our Christian brethren have confused this epistle and they think it's speaking about soul salvation, but it's not speaking about soul salvation, as we pointed out yesterday, to rather speaking about salvation of our life. As Christians, we can have a safe soul and a lost life. That's a serious matter. It's helped me to understand even the very word Philippians. I know sometimes too much stress can be laid on the meanings of words and we want to be careful, but.
Philippians really means lover of horses. And we might think, well, what in the world does that have to do with anything? Well, what are horses for?
Well, they were used in warfare. In Israel's day, that's an important aspect. We are in a Christian warfare. It's not the fact that we're becoming Christians, but that we are Christians and how are we to act? And secondly, in the Roman world, as we well know in which the environment in which this epistle was written, they were often used in races.
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We're in a Christian race as a marathon, as was pointed out yesterday. So the very word Philippians tells us or gives us a hint. It's not about being saved, soul salvation, but it's about salvation of our life, the present tense of salvation. And of course the future tense of salvation is when we'll be delivered from the very presence of sin and introduced into the Lord's presence. And that reminds me, I know.
We're listening to to some.
Talks their brother Albert Hale gave on our trip we had in the last week and.
Speaking about the difference between the rapture and the appearing.
Responsibility is always mentioned in connection with the appearing, isn't it?
And our brother Albert, of course, we know, used to travel a great deal and he often would speak about this bill, you know this very well. But those of us that grew under, grew up under his ministry, remember it well as as just as much. He said often he would travel, sometimes in different parts of the world, and he would come home.
And would greet his family. And it was a happy occasion, always a happy occasion.
Then later on, maybe some issues came up that had to be settled. And that's what happens in Christianity, doesn't it? It's not a question of how well I've been living. When we have the Rapture, when the Lord takes me home, the Lord will welcome each one of us into His presence. It'll be a happy occasion for each one of us.
But at the judgment seat of Christ, it'll be a little different. And then in the display of the judgment seat of Christ, the day of Christ.
Then there will be that manifestation. I don't think it'll be the loss will be manifest, will it? Then Scripture does speak of positive loss.
In connection with the judgment seat of Christ. But I don't think so In connection with the day of Christ, does it? It's only blessing there. The world will not see what?
Transpires between myself and the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ, so far as those things that needed correction.
They'll only see the glory. Is that a correct statement?
He's looking at you, Bruce.
Yes.
Brother mentioned that this is.
A normal experience for the believer in this epistle. It's not the average experience, but it's a normal experience. Human temperature normally is 98.6, but if you went to the emergency room and took everybody's temperature, it probably be something.
Pretty different than that. That would be the average.
But this is the normal path. A normal Christian experience is to be sincere or pure and without offence for the day of Christ.
The apostle saying the pathway for the believer.
Is to go all the way without a stumble and without a fall.
All the way. And you might say, well, that's pretty discouraging, brother, because I'll tell you what.
That's not me.
That's not my life.
Well, would it be more encouraging to say the path of the believer is to get up today and sin and fall?
I'll tell you what, that can't be right. It's not. The normal path is to be pure and without offence all the way home.
That's the only path that is worthy of him.
And he's equipped us for it. And if I fall, I have to say that's my fault.
And I have to judge that and get up and go on in the path that he sanctioned, a path that is pure and without offence for that day.
We just might mention this as a very practical side of what we have here. It mentions in.
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Verse 10 Things That are excellent. It mentions in verse 11 The fruits of righteousness.
And throughout Paul's epistles, not merely in Philippians. Here Paul puts a strong emphasis on those things. If we were to read the 20th of Acts, we would find that Paul's ministry was characterized first of all by the gospel of the grace of God.
Then by the things concerning the Kingdom of God, and finally.
All the counsel of God.
All three are very necessary, but he laid a strong emphasis on the things concerning the Kingdom of God. Why? Because there is a tendency for the believer to fall into the habits and practices of the world around him. He may know that he is truly saved. He may have no question as to any his eternal salvation. But sad to say, the devil has done a good job.
Especially in the last few years.
Of persuading people that, all right, you can get saved, but you don't have to change your lifestyle. You can carry on in the way that you've been living. You can get into all those worldly things and even sometimes, well, you don't want to be too righteous. You don't want to go overboard in these things. And sometimes if you cheat on your income tax a little bit or something like that, well, everybody else is doing it. And after all, the government wastes your money anyway, so.
On and on, the thinking goes, and sometimes it's OK to tell a lie because everybody lies today, and sometimes it's just the easiest way to settle a difficulty. And I'm not exaggerating. I have seen and spoken to Christians who did it and who were, on the one hand a little embarrassed afterwards when it was called to their attention, but on the other hand, who tried to do a good job of rationalizing their way around it.
And so I believe that in the day in which we live when.
Outward morality and righteousness in the world of today is fast disappearing.
This is something that ought to be a very strong and definite characteristic of those who bear the name of Christ, and the world will hold you and me accountable to a higher standard than it has for itself. They may do those things, but then when they find out that you and I are believers.
They will point the finger at us, and rightfully so. And we find that even in the word of God, where sometimes the world rebuked someone who belonged to the Lord because the world recognized better than they did what was becoming to a child of God. And so this is a very practical side of things that I would suggest we need to remember and take to heart, especially in the day in which we live.
Let's make another comment on that, Bill. And I was thinking, I was thinking when you're talking about couple of verses in Titus that I think confirm what you say.
And bring us right down to the time that we live in, because again, as Bill has said, sometimes we might say, well, it's a different day today. Our grandparents and our parents, they might have been able to walk uprightly in in those ways and so on, But you got to realize where we're at in our history.
Let's just notice in Titus chapter 2, I'll begin reading at verse 11. For the grace of God that bring us salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Now there's much can be said about these verses, but here we find that it's grace that teaches us.
To live in this way, to deny that which is unholy and not according to the mind of God, and then to live soberly, righteously, godly, when 100 years ago in my parents day, my grandparents day, in this present age, it brings us right down where we are today. We have the resources and the grace to live soberly, righteously, and godly to live.
Uprightly in the day in which we we find ourselves.
Right here at the end of this dispensation, just before the Lord comes, are things morally dark and blocked? Yes, they are spiritually dark and black. Yes, they are. Is everybody doing it? For the most part, that's true. But this does not have to characterize the believer. And what is it in view of looking for that blessed hope? That's what we're expecting this morning. The Lord's coming for us. But something else, You know, there's two things in connection with our hope.
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Sometimes we say the proper hope of the believer is the Lord's coming forth. That's true. But there's another part to our hope looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing that has to do with the Kingdom that has to do with what we've been saying in this meeting this morning. And we are to live soberly, righteously, godly in this present age in view of the fact that there's a day coming when the Lord Jesus is going to appear back in this world to reign in righteousness.
And we're going to appear with him, and that ought to be the motivation. Well, Christ is the motivation. But the encouragement to deny worldly and ungodly lusts and to live for God's glory in view of that day when He's going to display us as His. And he's coming, as we said yesterday, to be glorified in His Saints and admired in all them that are about him in that day.
There are two sides to it in that.
10th verse that you may be sincere that better translated that you may be pure.
And that would be the internal side, the personal, And then, and without offence, that would be the external side before the world with whom?
We walk.
Through walk.
I like Bill. What you brought out at camp. There were in your little pamphlet. You said many want to serve the Lord.
But on their own terms.
You might expound on that maybe.
Well, here in this particular part of Philippians I know services brought in later in the chapter, but.
It starts with, as Bruce was saying, with that which is internal, doesn't it? And yes, it's very true that many do want to serve the Lord, but on their own terms, and we need to have the Lord's mind about where we go and what we do.
Where I am, it says in John 12.
There shall also my servant be that is where the Lord is taking us. But it starts with a state within that is according to God's mind, and that is always the case in Scripture, isn't it? And again, it's not particularly brought out in this chapter. But worship always comes before service, doesn't it? And a moral state before God, which is in keeping with his thoughts and we don't need to turn to it. But you find the example of that in First Timothy 4.
Where the apostle Paul told Timothy, let no man despise thy youth. My those were good words. When I was young, I thought Paul had it right. But then when you go beyond that, Oh my, he says, But be thou an example of the believers. And he goes on to mention a number of categories. And then he says, meditate upon these things, Give thyself holy to them.
And then that thy profiting may appear to all, take heed unto thyself.
And unto the doctrine or teaching.
For in so doing thou shalt save.
Thyself and them that hear thee so there's an order there isn't there? And a priority. And so I can only minister what I have.
Read and digested and walked in before the Lord.
And then, and only then, am I in a right state to be used in service. And so it is important to see that. And that's, I believe, what Paul is leading up to here with these things, How important for everything internally to be right and then without offence unto others. And then, of course, there's the opportunity, as we get later in the chapter, for the preaching of the gospel and service to the Lord in other ways.
Is that?
This connection in that Kent first that you may approve the things more excellent. Is that morals or is that doctrine? He's talking about the gospel here, and those later who preached it out of contention and so forth.
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I thought of it in connection with.
Well.
In Tacoma we have some people that are coming go to another meeting.
And if you were to observe these meetings, you would think, well, we're all, we all do the same thing. It's just they need just like we do. They hold a lot of things that we do well, why shouldn't we all be together then? It comes in discernment, doesn't it? Why aren't we together and we have to deal with that well.
These people, they don't believe that there's just one table. They don't believe that there's just one place.
But that's important, isn't it? You have to be discerning.
So is that what's being taken up here, discerning the things?
That are.
Or is it moral? Well, verse 9 says that you may abound more and more in knowledge and all intelligence. The word judgment should be there intelligence. So he wants us to be intelligent in the principles in the mind of God.
But then there's a moral working out of it in verse 10, where he talks about our life and having a moral discernment to to live and walk in a very difficult day in which they've been called and we have been called to live.
So you have both.
And it's always in that order, isn't it? Because as we alluded to earlier, sound behavior must be based on sound doctrine in a very general way. That's the difference between the epistles to Timothy and the epistle to Titus.
In the epistles to Timothy, it's really the need for sound doctrine, because doctrine was being given up, especially in the second epistle. And that's why Paul said to Timothy when he listed certain things that had characterized his life that Timothy had seen manifest in falls life. He said, first of all, thou has fully known my doctrine, and that was the basis for everything else. He goes on to list other things, his purpose, his faith, and so on, and even his afflictions and so on.
But it began with sound doctrine. So in Timothy you have the need for sound doctrine. In Titus, it's a question of sound behavior. It's doing good and good works and so on. But those good works had to be based on the fundamental truth of the word of God. And that's why we first of all need to have a knowledge, don't we? We don't. And I just say that because I think sometimes we who are older give the impression when we talk about these things.
That knowledge isn't all that important.
It's not enough, that's true. It's not enough. But it is important. It is the basis. We need to read our Bibles. All of us young people. You need to familiarize yourself with the word of God. You're not going to be able to serve the Lord acceptably. You're not going to get that full reward that he desires for you and that a that a commendation of approval that he desires for you. Unless.
It's based on sound doctrine. So I think what Bruce has pointed out is very helpful that it's first of all verse nine, it's not verse 10 and 1St and then verse nine, it's verse nine first. And that's the basis for then there to be that which was morally acceptable and could be will be commended in the day of Jesus Christ.
I think that's exactly what you have in Colossians chapter one.
Exact order flosses one in verse 9.
This is one of those things to pray about in the prayer meeting or at other times about individuals or assemblies, rather than, just as you put it, the missing button.
In verse nine of Colossians 1.
With this 'cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you.
And to desire that she might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That's what we've been talking about.
And then it goes on in verse 10. Why, that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in or I think it should read by the knowledge of God.
Going by so there's that continual growth, isn't there?
Knowledge not an end in itself.
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But a practical.
Display of it in the life.
The truth will preserve us if it is acted on in communion with the Lord.
1St for that that's in Psalm 40.
Psalm 40.
And verse.
11 With no withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord, this is the part. Let thy loving kindness and thy truth continually preserve me so when the truth is held.
In affection for the Lord and in communion with Him, we it will preserve us. The principles of God's Word will preserve us. Why don't I today go down the street and meet with the Baptist while you're having this meeting here?
Was a question that chapter Brown asked his audience many years ago, and he answered it by saying.
Principles of the Word of God.
So the truth guides my feet, as long as I'm found in communion with the truth.
It has a preserving effect.
So maybe we can put it this way to sum up these remarks. In that connection, the entrance of the truth is the mind, because we must have a knowledge. And so we read the word of God. We take the truth in initially through the mind, but it's not the dwelling place of the truth. The the entrance of the truth is the mind. The channel is the conscience, because the conscience must always be reached. This book was written not merely for our intellect, but for our conscience.
And the dwelling place is the heart. And when the truth takes root in that way in our souls, it's going to have its preserving effect. Let me summit again. The entrance of the truth is the mind, the channel is the conscience, and the dwelling place is the heart.
We need to understand understate the verse that Brother Bill alluded to. I'd like to read it. It said First Timothy, Chapter 4, verse 16.
I believe it is.
First Timothy 4 and verse 16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine Continue in them, For in doing so thou shalt save thyself, and them that hear thee.
There's that practical salvation that we've been talking about.
The doctrine of Scripture, if held properly, will preserve us and save us from all kinds of error.
I wonder if we should move on. In a few minutes, we have left versus, as we mentioned before, verses 12 Through 20. Then we have Paul's circumstances. Previously, he's been occupied with them. Now we have his circumstances. It's one thing to speak to others and say this is what you should be doing, and this is what I'm praying for about you. But how about yourself? And so we have Paul's circumstances.
We might just mention that.
In verse 12 he wants them to know what happened to them.
But he sees God's hand behind all his circumstances. Doesn't he have unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel, so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace or praetorium, and in all other places? I just mentioned that we mentioned it yesterday, but in the end of Acts Paul had his own hired house.
Perhaps that was relatively comfortable, but here he's no longer in his own hired house, He's in prison in the Pretoria, and so it wasn't a pleasant existence when he wrote this book. These are his circumstances. And so the telescope turns around and says now, OK, Paul, the spirit of God, as it were, says OK, how about Paul? He can speak of others, but how about Paul? How is he getting along?
In his circumstances.
There's something that.
Was told a long time ago, which helps with this book.
In the first chapter Paul was ready to die for the gospel. That's the 20th verse and 21St verse, according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing shall I be ashamed, but that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death, just talking about the gospel.
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Chapter He's Willing to die for the Saints.
You get that.
In the 17th verse. Yay. And if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all.
So he's willing to die for the Saints, and the third chapter he's willing to be a martyr is that I may know him in the 10th verse, and that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering be made conformable unto his death. If by any means I might attain into the resurrection of the dead, so he would have to die to do that. He's willing to be a martyr for Christ. But perhaps the 4th chapter brings before us.
The the great thing he.
Dive to circumstances.
He he says.
I have learned both. How to abound?
Can we have these sign of circumstances and still live for the Lord in an opulent country like we live in?
In in luxury, yes, he had learned to abound, to be abased, and to abound.
So everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both bound and suffering. I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me, and so I don't say that we ought to forget our circumstances.
But we ought to live above them. I've seen men who preach the word of God, and yet maybe it's one of their children.
Went the wrong way. It just took the heart out of it. The circumstances. We have to live above the circumstances. And so I believe that the greatest thing was that Paul had learned to die to circumstances, not to let that.
Control. His joy in the Lord is that yes, he didn't become callous or indifferent to his circumstances. He felt what he was passing through. He desired on more than one occasion the prayers of his brethren concerning his circumstances. But as you say, with Christ before him, and the enjoyment of Christ in his soul, he had risen above his circumstances, and he had, as you say, a joy that didn't.
Depend on his circumstances.
And, brethren, we need to covet that for our own souls. Do you and I have such a joy of Christ in our souls? We are not indifferent to circumstances, but that joy does not depend on circumstances, Paul said on another occasion, sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. He knew what tears were. He knew what sorrow was. He served the Lord with many tears and temptations, as he said in Acts 20.
But he had that joy that was through it all. As it says, your joy, no man taketh from you.
Heard a brother say once if I had the power of God, he was speaking hypothetically. Oh, for for one day, he said. What changes I would make? But if I had the wisdom of God, I wouldn't change anything.
And so it is true here with Paul, isn't it? He's rising above circumstances, but he's not despising him. He sees the hand of God in each one. And I I don't know how much detail to go in here because of time, but I want to mention in verse 19 because there's been some confusion for I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer. Again, we know it's the present tense of salvation, but in Paul's case, it's not a question. He's not asking them to pray that he's released from prison, is it?
Some have suggested that, but I don't believe it's correct.
It's the present tense of salvation, he says. I want to live in the good of what God has for me in the circumstances in which he's placed me. That's salvation. That's the lesson for each one of us. That's normal Christian experience.
We sing 200 and 56256.