It's good to see everyone who's back this afternoon.
It's very good to see fresh faces.
And I know a short span after lunch, makes it easy to get
tired. So, I'll do my best to keep this
upbeat and interesting as we go along.
As you can see on the screen here, we're going to take our
text from Philippians chapter 4 and verse 1.
The Bible says, therefore my beloved and long for Brethren my
joy, in my crowd, so Stand Fast in the Lord, beloved You know us
we consider this concept of standing fast in the Lord.
The Stand Fast comes from a Greek word.
Literally means to be stationary figurative sense.
Strong says, it means it's to persevere.
You know, there are sometimes in life that we just have to
persevere. There are sometimes in life that
we just have to commit ourselves that we're going to be
stationary. You know, there are points in
life that it's real easy to be stationary.
There are certain things we go through that.
We don't want to leave that situation.
We just wish it could last forever and there's other times
we would like we can't wait till we get through it.
That's what this whole idea of standing fast the imagery it
brings forth is that we are going to Persevere through it,
we're going to be stationary despite what we're getting
dealt. Now.
As you notice in the first of the verse Philippians 4 1, it
says therefore, obviously when a word therefore as you see he's
clearly summarizing everything he's already said.
So what had he has? He told them to the point that
he says, based on this, you need to be stationary.
Based on this, you need to persevere.
You know, if we go back into the beginning of the Letter.
And I didn't talk about it this morning, I'll say it briefly.
Now, you know, the Bible was not written in chapters and verses.
These were letters in many cases that were written there were
prophecies that were written that were just full books, like,
you would get a book without just some letter, you would get
no chapters no versus As people have translated it into English
and into other languages and given us other versions of that,
that has been divided into chapters and verses.
So makes it easier for us to navigate and find and reference.
So people can follow us. So as I go back and say it's
important, we consider Philippians 1.
It's because this is just been a letter from Paul to the church
at Philippi in the first part of the letter that we have is
chapter 1, chapter 1. Paul describes, how persecution
has actually furthered the gospel message and if you want
to understand what he said about that, you can go back and read
it. But ultimately he encouraged
them by saying look there's persecution but it's actually
helping the gospel spread so don't get discouraged at Action,
he says to live is Christ and to die is gain and he basically
wants to Christians there and us as we read it to live in the
same kind of confidence and hope as he faced the persecution, he
faced as he dealt with what he dealt with.
He says, look if I live it's going to be for Christ if I die.
Yay, me it's my game. That is in chapter one.
When you get to chapter 2, he basically explains to them that
if they were going to To be unified as a congregation.
If they were going to be unified as a people, it was only going
to happen through humility. Unity does not happen when we
began to boast and handcuffed ourself up.
Chapter 2 talks about this. And he basically emphasize the
fact that Jesus was humbled and then he was exalted, even Jesus.
And what we talked about this morning, you know, as I was
afterwards and sitting at lunch and you get to daydreaming or
getting off on yourself, I thought, oh I didn't say that.
You know, Hebrews talks about Jesus.
He learned. What's the word Frankie was
going to? Shout it out this morning when I
couldn't think of nobleman, but through the things, he suffered,
he learned obedience You know, the fact is, if the Son of God
had to have suffering to learn obedience and how to Humble
himself before the will of God, we know from his prayer in the
garden. He says, father, if it is
possible, let this cup pass from me.
Nevertheless not my will but yours be done.
How do we begin to commit ourselves and become one with
the mind of God? It's by being willing to follow
God's will even when it contradicts what we would like
for the circumstance, the very perfect sinless.
Son of God for that circumstance.
Wanted to live. And wanted that cup to pass from
him. And yet he was one with the mind
of God. He was unified with the father
in the spirit how because he could take that self-will as a
human, for the moment, and set it aside for God's perfect will
that he knew was right. You see sometimes as humans we
have to be humble before. There can be any exaltation that
happened with Christ. We also learn in Philippians
chapter 2, to hold out the word of Life.
Extended the gospel, the word of God are the words of life.
We need to hold them out. He tells him explain to them and
Philip, I'd they need to Rejoice without complaining and
disputing. They had issues with
complaining, they had issues with arguing amongst themselves
and he says you need to rejoice in God without that.
He says they need the faithful, a debt said, the faithful,
Vangelis Timothy and the brother ever footitis would be good for
them. There were people, he was
sending that he wanted them to acknowledge and work with and he
says these Brethren will be good for you.
That's what he's talking about in Philippians chapters 1 and
chapter 2. I want to slow down and chapter
3, finally, No. Remember what we're getting to
he says therefore my beloved Stand Fast in the Lord W he
going to get to, he says finally my brethren rejoice in the Lord
for me to write the same things to you is not tedious but for
you it's safe. Now as I considered what we
would study this afternoon as I considered the best message and
I don't know if it's the best one, but it's the one, I finally
chose on and I know the Lord will bless.
He says what I need you to do is rejoice in the Lord and I'm
going to tell you some things that it's no problem for me to
do this. But he says, I'm telling you the
same things. I'm writing you the same things
and it's no problem for me. But it's safest for you.
I don't doubt for a second that what we're going to re-emphasize
this afternoon, you've already heard and you're already
established in it. But even if that's the case,
it's still for your safety. How do I know that?
Because it was for the church in Philippi.
Beware of dogs. Beware of evil workers, Beware
of the mutilation. If you read from the King James,
it's the concision and we'll get talking about that in just the
next verse. He says what you have to know.
Remember all the context that we've already talked about the
persecution. He suffered.
He says, they do it really to destroy the church but it's
really helping further. The gospel, all these things
you're growing in. He says be careful for dogs,
beware of dogs. When I was a kid in our
neighborhood, there was a house down at the end of the street
that had a sign on it. Be aware of dong.
And so I every time I see this verse, I think of that situation
and I'm all dogs, their dog's name was happy.
Turns out, there was a reason that sign was there.
One day happy was out in the neighborhood and I kind of had
the same eyes a little bit. First one to stand out.
First one to speak up kids were all scared of happy because it
had a beware of dog sign. And so I said well I'll take
happy home, Everybody's scared. Nobody wanted to play.
I went over to happy. Happy was pretty good until I
grabbed happy scholar to go home and happy.
Got a hold of my shoulder. Happy hung on for a while.
Beware of dogs. Spiritually speaking.
The imagery he saying here is when the church is dealing with
something that's going on and you need to stand fast, you're
going to have to watch out for the ones that you might think
are happy. But honor for the Dangerous
Ones, it says, beware of dogs and he gets more specific,
beware of evil workers. Those who will not turn in
faithful obedience, we talked about the difference.
If this morning, faithful obedience is obedience, that is
it It's true. That's what do we got to do it?
I would I do anything else. That's right.
It's a core value. It's not something you just do
because it's well, we're at Grandma's.
So we got to do this, I'll do it.
It's no, I'm going to do this because it's the way it's the
right way to live, as opposed to evil workers, Beware of the
mutilation. This mutilation is referring to
a circumcision. The concision for, we are the
circumcision who worship God in the spirit rejoice, in Christ,
Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though.
I also might have confidence in the flesh.
If you anyone else, he thinks me have confidence in the flesh.
I'm or so. Now, before I get there in case
you don't know, circumcision was a nap The Old Law that was very
physical act. And there were some people in
the early church, trying to still bind it upon Christians.
Even though it was a Jewish requirement, he says be careful
of those people that are trying to bind the Old Law in a way
that the new has released you from now.
That's not to say there aren't things that were in the Old Law
that Christ didn't carry into the new.
And so sometimes we get to where we teach and try to understand
it as a result, but they were taking something out of the Old
Law. All and trying to put it in the
New Covenant as though it belonged there, when men whom
God had released men from it. And he says be careful of those
people don't have any confidence in the flesh.
He says, if we were going to have confidence in the flesh, if
anybody thinks they have confidence he says I've got
more. I mean if it's all about what
we've done with our bodies, he says for instance I was
circumcised The Eighth Day. What day were you circumcised
even if you were Now this room, if people were, there's a good
chance it was within the first two days.
Not many, wait till he ate even in that day of time.
Apparently, that wasn't even always the case because I was
circumcised, The Eighth Day of the stock of Israel, my
bloodline Israel, I'm not a proselyte, you know, we talked
about this morning, the opieop ennoble men.
He might have been converted, but he wasn't a really a
flesh-and-blood is. He says, I'm of the stock of
Israel of The Tribe of Benjamin. What's the significance of that?
Even when the, when Israel divided and there were the
northern and southern kingdoms Benjamin State Bound in the
United? With Judah, small tribe, but
stayed by. He says, I'm of The Tribe of
Benjamin. A Hebrew of the Hebrews,
concerning the law, I'm a Pharisee.
Now, what will we say for us today?
Concerning the law Harvard Yale Oxford.
That's what that meant to them for them to be a Pharisee.
Legally speaking. He says, I'm at the Pinnacle.
You're not going to have anything that you're going to
beat that with concerning Zeal. He said I persecuted the church
if the Jews want to question my zil.
Look, they met. Y'all may have sit around in
your small groups and in your dinner parties, talking about
them Christians. He says, I went after him, my
Zeal cannot be questioned. My fire that words ill literally
comes from a word which means Heat That cannot be question
concerning the righteousness, which is in the law blameless
now. Is he saying?
He was perfect. I don't think so.
But he's saying, you cannot find anything to lay a charge against
me and let it roll. Whatever he had that was sent in
his life either. Nobody else knew about it, he
knew it or it had to do with other things besides what they
could find in the wall. He says, if you want to have
confidence in the flesh, he says I can brag more than you can
brag now. Does that also, he can make
himself out to be something. Nope, because He follows that
with, but what things were gain to me these, I counted loss for
Christ. All that means nothing being a
Pharisee. Nothing that I was circumcised
The Eighth Day, really? It means nothing.
Why he says, because everything there is counted as loss for
Christ, yet, indeed. I also count all things lost for
the Excellence of the knowledge of Christ.
Jesus, my Lord. Think about that statement.
Knowledge says I would lose everything just to have the
knowledge. I have of Jesus Christ, my Lord
For whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count
them as rubbish that I may gain Christ.
I believe everything for Christ. I gotta ask myself would I
literally be willing to lose everything for Christ?
Would you? That's a lie.
Think about your house? Your everything, you have all
your family. Would you lose everything for
Christ? You know, the interesting thing
is until I get to the point that I would lose, even my family for
Christ. I'll never be to my family.
What I can be if I put Christ first.
I will love Rachel better. I will Express that love and I
will be a better husband if I would be willing to lose her for
Christ. Now, the fact is, when I read
the word of God and I see that as such in Christ that I need to
be willing to give my life for her.
That I need to be willing to do everything Christ, would do for
the church. I need to be doing willing to do
for Rachel. And you know what?
The media thing comes in my mind.
You still have this morning, it pops in there, I got to say it,
there was an occasion, he put a towel around his waist, bent
down and began to wash his disciples feet.
And it hasn't always been easy for me to help her wash the
dishes. When Christ is first.
Everything about our life, will be better for everyone in our
life. This is in no way diminishing Us
and how we treat other people. When Christ is first, and we're
willing to count anything loss and put Christ, first will be
the best we can be for everybody in our life, and be found in
him, not having my own righteousness because it's not
about anything we can do, which is from the law, but that which
is through faith. In Christ.
The righteousness issues, which is from God by faith
righteousness, that comes through, God's Will, and not my
own. Will you see I'm Pretty good at
coming up with lists of things. Greg Branch thinks is good and
well, we can follow this. But what about God's?
That's what Paul's trying to get the Church of Philippi and us.
And everyone understand that righteousness has to come from
God by faith that I may know him and the power of his
resurrection. The power of the resurrection of
Christ. The Fellowship of his
sufferings. We talked about that in the
sufferings this morning and I even alluded to, I don't, I
can't explain everything. We go through in life.
But this much, I'm confident if God would let them some that.
He loves his only begotten, son, go through what he went through.
Did I can't question whether or not God loves me.
You can't question whether or not God loves you.
We may not understand it. We may have trouble with it but
we know he loves us and it may be that we're having Fellowship
in his sufferings being conformed to his death.
If by any means, I may attain to the resurrection of the dead, he
says, I want to even conform to the death of Christ.
So that any way I can I may attain to the resurrection from
the dead. How do we conform to the death
of Christ? We're going to look at Romans 6.
I referenced it this morning, so I thought I'm going to hit this
quick, this afternoon. What shall we say, then?
Shall we continue in sin that Grace May abound.
So many things about said, about the book of Romans and grace of
God and this, and that and the other.
But the question comes is okay. If we're saved by grace, then we
continue in sin. Because if we do nothing because
that's helping Grace about Certainly not King James says,
God forbid. How shall we who died to sin,
live any longer in it? How do you keep living in
something you've died too? Or do you not know that, as many
of us as were baptized into Christ?
Jesus were baptized into his death.
We talked about the word, sang Greek.
Word means to dip or a mercer to plunge.
We were immersed, we were dipped.
We are plunged into his death. Therefore, we were buried with
him, through baptism into death that just as Christ was raised
from the dead to walk in the glory of the father.
Even so we also should walk in newness of life.
When we obey the gospel, it's a change, it's a new life.
And what is he going to say? For if we have been United
together in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also
be in the likeness of his resurrection.
How do we conform and attain to the resurrection of Jesus
Christ? It's being conformed to his
death. How do we do that?
Baptism? Come in obedience to the gospel.
As we talked about this morning and then literally be willing to
let God's will overwhelm our own self-will.
That when our self will contradicts whatever is gods
revealed, we're going to follow God's will knowing this that our
old man was crucified with him, he died.
That the body of sin might be done away with that.
We should no longer be slaves to sin.
The fact is we're going to be a slave to something.
Somebody says, no. I'm My Own guy.
I'm old woman really not. We're slave to something.
We're either going to commit ourselves to be a servant, and a
slave of God, or it's going to come to sin.
That's just the way it works. We'd love to think that we could
just be this little island unto herself, but the very fact that
you're in here with other people tells me, you can't do that.
We can't do that. We're going to be subject to
something. For he who has died has been
freed from sin. Now, if we died with Christ, we
believe that we shall also live with him.
Knowing that Christ had any been raised from the dead dies.
No, More Death, no longer has dominion over him.
We dread we look. In many cases, we look at the I
concept of death and we just the separation is overwhelming.
It's too hard to comprehend in many ways.
For this life. And the one after But he says,
once Christ died. Heroes.
Death, the Dominion of death is gone.
It's no longer in the it's no longer a factor, it's no longer
an influence. I don't know about you, but just
thinking and closing my eyes and thinking we would not even have
to deal with that ever. Again, it brings call Brings
peace. That's the promise through
Christ. To be conformed to him to be
born again and realize, we don't have to worry about it.
And that we can get to a point that it's no longer an issue.
As one man said before he died, Uncle James Orton, some of, you
know, him death is not relevant. It doesn't have to be through
Jesus Christ. Not that I've already attained
back in Philippians. Philippians, 3:12 not that I've
already attained or I'm already perfected but I press on that.
I may hold lay hold of that for which Christ.
Jesus has also linked old me. She says I've been conformed to
the desk so that I can look forward to attaining to the
resurrection. He says not enough.
Not that. I'm there yet.
Not that I'm already perfected. Not work perfect.
And means to make to be made complete.
But he says, I'm going to press on.
And as we get further and further towards versus 4:1 Stand
Fast, therefore, I want us to understand.
This is the whole concept that you press on through everything.
No matter what it is that you may lay.
Hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid.
Hold of you. It's no accident.
You're here today. It's no accident.
When people become children of God, God has been after you.
He has desired you since the foundation of this world.
Now they're this begins to. I can't even hardly comprehend.
God's omniscience is omnipotent his ability to know everything
to see as Joe. Hisle says in his sermon, this
is time and time and he sees it all.
He's been after you all along. This is not lay hold of that for
which Christ Jesus has laid. Hold of you of me Brethren.
I do not count myself to have apprehended but one thing I do
forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward
to those things, which are ahead.
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God
in Christ Jesus. He says it again.
Why is he Draught? And again this just I know this
is Paul's writing but he's inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Why is he repeating this concept?
I'm not there yet but I'm prescient. any chance because
that's really where every human gets Even the Apostle Paul was
there you ever feel that way? I feel like I got so far to go.
I'm not there yet but I'm gonna keep pressing.
That's the message. One thing I'll do.
When I when I'm going to press forward, he says one thing I'll
do is I'm going to forget those things that you're both are
behind. Sometimes we can have so much
heavy baggage of guilt and remorse behind us, that it
prevents us from ever let loose, and taken off going forward.
Paul says that Lisa. Look, he told us a lot of things
in this reading to that we study today that he can brag about if
people wanted to brag about the flesh.
There's other writings, when he says he's the chief of Sinners
and he starts to list that list. It's pretty bad one.
He says I you put these things behind you behind you.
And you press, you reach forward to those things which are ahead.
But you notice he didn't say, I forget those things that are
sinful and leave them behind me. He just says forgetting those
things, which are behind me, you know, there's times that we have
to forget all of our victories that are behind us.
If you sit and as they said, when I was growing up, rest on
your laurels. Say, you know, look at all I've
accomplished. I think I'll just build barge
for myself, throw it all into storage and rest and take he's
that's a problem to for anybody. That will go through this life
successful. We're going to put what was
what's behind us is behind us. We got new goals.
We have new challenges and we're not just going to stop because
there's a transition point. He says I'm going to reach
forward to the things that are ahead.
What does life have from here on out?
I don't know but I'm going to reach for it and I'm going to
press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call in
Christ Jesus. Whatever I do as I reach
forward, it's going to have to do with the upward call of God
in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let us Many years,
Armature have this mind. And if anything you think
otherwise God will reveal even this to, you says, if you're
mature in Christ, this is the way you need to look at life.
but he says, if there's any point that you think otherwise,
God, will reveal it unto you? Nevertheless to the degree that
we've already attained? Let us walk by the same Rule and
let us be of the same mind. You know what, I get.
And if you notice, this is italicized, this is not the
Bible part have too many notes in these.
This is my ideas. These Brethren seem to have
issues. They disagreed about whether it
was this identity says, if an anything you think otherwise had
to do with what Paul's writing to them or what they were
dealing with, in the relationships to each other,
they would have disagreement. He says of these issues you
disagree about he says, God is going to reveal it now it's my
opinion. The New Testament wasn't done
yet and so scripture was still being revealed and so when he
says As God will reveal even this to you.
He's saying the Bible is not done yet. but I want, you know,
I think this concept applies to us today Breaking are going to
be 52 this year. I remember the first preacher I
remember, staying with us that I thought, I just want to study
with preachers was Don McCord and I can, he had my bedroom and
I'd ride with him in cars. Different places, tell him, he's
showing me how to get to widows houses and going to church and
doing all this. I thought, you know, I just want
to know. 40 years later sometimes.
I feel like I still don't know. There's so much. that sometimes,
we think otherwise, We still got to study and get together. now,
if that happens with somebody that's raised in a Christian,
family for 40 years has been trying to understand this
Imagine what it's like for a new convert.
Literally a babe in Christ. there's a lot of things we
think, otherwise about, So what do you do when you get to those
situations that you don't have this unity in this commonality?
Gods are going to reveal it. Sometimes some for us today that
means we're going to study and will gradually.
Come there. Nevertheless.
Here's what you do to the degree that we've already attained.
Let us walk by the same rule. Let us be of the same mind.
We unify around what we can agree on. and if there's things
that, which we find ourselves being divided, I've never found
a situation like that yet that we couldn't find a place of
consensus that Brethren could stay together in harmony.
Now, it will require that one or both are willing to concede
something, but it can never be truth.
And I want to tell you without going into a whole lot of time
on this. I think, if you would follow
this down to any doctrine that divides, the collective worship
of any assembly of people to this principle, you could unite
the whole religious world that believes in Christ and we would
all worship the same way if we would agree upon what, what does
it say? Cuz there, something we can
unite around. Well, yeah, it says that, but
right, this rule would work today and this is a path forward
through any situation Brethren join in following my example,
and note, those who walk as you have a spray pattern, So, this
is the pattern, this is the example you've seen and I want
you to note those people that also live this same way that
also conduct themselves in this same demeanor because I want you
to look at those people. For many walk of whom.
I've told you often and now tell you even weeping that they are
the enemies of the Cross of Christ says, I need you to seek
out and identify people that follow the pattern, we're
teaching because there are people that you would otherwise
follow, and I've warned you about them often.
And I'm telling you now, even to the point of Tears, they're just
enemies of the Cross of Christ. Whose end is destruction.
Whose God is their belly. Whose glory is in their shame,
who set their mind on Earthly things, how do we know the
difference in those who are putting God first verses this?
This other character of people What's the influence?
What's it feeding? think about the things that can
divide us, spiritually, think about the things that can divide
us congregationally, Is there a path that clearly walks?
As we have the Bible for an example.
And is there a path that clearly is just feeding the fleshly
Earthly, man? Generally speaking, there's
always a clear difference. Then I'm going to set up here
and start giving you examples, as you can think of it yourself.
What are we feeding? We feeding the spirit, we
feeding our love and desire for the word.
Are we feeding our fleshly desire for something different?
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we so eagerly
wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to
his glorious body, according to the working by which he is able
even to subdue all things to himself.
The same power that Christ has to bring everything into
subjection. He said is going to be used that
same power. He says he's going to do that.
He's going to transform our lowly body.
That it may be conformed to his glorious body.
Some of you here, I know you love creation, you love the
mountains, you love the oceans, you love you just love
everything. God's make the best things in
this world are the things that you appreciate that.
God created that man hadn't messed up yet.
That same God and creator. That same Lord, Jesus has plans
for your body. It's going to be conformed to
his glorious body. But we follow the pattern, he's
talked about putting Force. Therefore, Back where we started
in light of this message, therefore, my beloved and long
for Brethren my joy and my crown.
I mean these people are precious to him.
He says you are my joy. You're my crown.
So, Stand Fast in the Lord. My beloved this.
How you doing? What did he tell us?
He says you beware dogs. Watch out for people that are
dangerous rejoice in Christ Jesus and not in the law of
Moses. He says, rejoice in the
knowledge of Jesus don't be content in your knowledge base.
I know it's hard sometimes for us to push to learn and to study
and to keep that motivation, but don't be content in it.
He says, rejoice in the knowledge you have of Jesus
don't ever, stop learning Embrace righteousness.
That's through faith in Jesus, not self-righteousness, not
righteousness of Merit, righteousness, that is through
faith in Jesus, that's going to come through the word, Embrace
his power and be conformed to Jesus.
Embrace the resurrection by Reaching Forward by
understanding that you can be born again and start over and
embrace truth and continue learning and embrace faithful
examples. And avoid enemies.
There are people you have in your life that you know, are
good. Faithful examples says Embrace
those and there are others that we tend to like to hang out with
That we know, are kind of enemies of the message, but we
sure do. They're good people in a lot of
ways. But they are enemies of what the
church stands for. He says embrace the faithful
examples. And embrace your, heavenly
citizenship see what gets me to where I get kind of caught up in
all this. That's besides Christianity.
What what is it that makes me get to where I lose sight of
this? It's when I start to think in
too much about here. it's when I get to thinking too much about
things of the flesh. But when I think about my
citizenship in heaven, everything gets pretty crystal
clear. A lot of questionable, things
are no longer questionable. And this much is for sure.
If you're not a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, And it's hard
to think about embrace them and citizenship.
In our country right now. There's a lot of talk about
citizenship and how you get it, and why you gods made.
It simple. Everybody can become a citizen
of the kingdom of heaven. Isn't it amazing?
Ain't I said, plenty about baptism and water this morning.
So I unless you get it, isn't it?
Amazing that God chose the one thing that any place on Earth
that will support life has it. when he was looking for
something to ask his people to surrender to He said be baptized
in water. Somebody asked me one time.
Well what if it's a place that doesn't have water?
I said, show me life. What are there?
It's cheap, it's free. Our citizenship is so easy to
grasp, almost so easy. It's almost like name of the
letter leper. People will go on a real it away
in a rage because you wanted to be baptized when they would have
done something great. We thank you for listening to
our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional
information, or you would like to receive a free Bible
correspondence, course by mail. Please email us at info at her
Church of Christ Bakersfield.com.
Our service times are on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and
Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Please make plans to join us.
We would love for you to be our honored guest.