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Just for the readings, the first chapter of the book of Philippians.
It's the book, Will. It's a wilderness book. It's not like Ephesians or even Colossians. It sees us still here in the circumstances of life, the troubles as well as the joys. But it's also a book that puts what's ahead before us too. And it's the book of joy and rejoicing. And it was mentioned in a prayer too, that we need to have that joy and rejoicing in our souls to press on.
In the difficulties and circumstances of life, though, I suggest that the first chapter of the book of Philippians, if the Brethren would be happy with that.
Just a second.
One verse one.
Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ to all the Saints in Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi with the bishops and deacons. Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, I think, my God upon every remembrance of you.
Always in every prayer of mine, for you, all making requests with joy for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ, even as it is me for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, in as much as both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, Ye all are partakers of my grace.
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 sincere 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 unto the furtherance of the gospel, so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places. And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife.
And some also of 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 pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and I do 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 is always so. Now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.
For me, to live is Christ, and to die is 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 am in a straight betwixt to 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 for your furtherance and 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 it becometh 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.
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Which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you 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.
So as we said already, this is really the book of Christian experience. It's the Christian here in this world with Christ as their object on their way to heaven, but still going through the ups and downs of the believers life. It's very parallel as we've said to that which we have brought before us in the wilderness history of the children of Israel.
There were a great many ups and downs, difficulties. There were joys, there were sorrows. And I suppose every one of us have to admit that's where we are here in our Christian experience. There's twists and turns. Life isn't always smooth sailing. It's not always a nice Interstate highway, so to speak. No, there are rough roads. There are crossroads. There are times, perhaps we don't know when to turn their sorrows. I know there's brethren here today.
Whose hearts are burdened.
With sorrows difficulties, but there's joys as well. And all this is brought before us in this in this epistle where the Christian the believer is viewed as the heavenly Pilgrim going through this world on their way home. But before we get into this chapter and into some other aspects, perhaps of an overall view of the the book of Philippians, as we've often been reminded when we take up a portion of the word of God.
Or we go through a book. There's always key phrases, key verses.
That helped to open and unlock the truth that is brought before us. And that's why it's important, as Timothy was exhorted, to have an outline of truth, an outline or a form of sound words and these little phrases or verses will keep us from getting off track and miss applying scripture, keeping it in its proper context. And I know it's often been pointed out, but I just like to quickly point it out again.
I've enjoyed 4/4 scripture, 4 verses, one in each of these four chapters that I believe are real keys not only to the chapter, but to the book itself.
In the prayers in the meeting previous to this, and in our brother Jerry's announcement, it was mentioned that what we really need, brethren, is Christ before our souls, and I feel this for my own soul personally more and more as we go through the circumstances of life and we get down to the end.
Of our history, here in this world, just before the Lord comes, what do we need? We need Christ before our souls. And as has often been pointed out, wherever we read in the Scripture, we don't have to read very far to find. The subject is always Christ, whether it's by type or shadow or figure. In the Old Testament, his life in the Gospels, the full exaltation of Christ. In the Epistles, his his, the fruition of everything in a coming day. In Revelation, it's all Christ.
I'd like to point out four scriptures here that bring before us Christ in a very real and unique way in the context of the book of Philippians. The first one, and then we'll get to this I trust over the weekend. But in chapter one I suggest that the key to this chapter is what we have in verse 21.
For to me, to live is Christ. You know, people are living for various things in this world today, The politician says for me to live is politics. The musician says for me to live is music. The actor says for me to live is fame. People are living for various things. The entrepreneur lives for business. I heard of a company, major company, and in having a seminar with their top echelon of executive corps, they said we want people that will.
Live and eat and breathe for this company. But what is to the Christian to live for? What is our life to be? It's Christ. Before Paul was saved as Saul of Tarsus, his whole Benton energy was to keep the Jewish law and to stamp out the name of Christ and to persecute the Christians. But when there was a complete turn around in his life on the Damascus road, now he could say, for me to live is Christ. I trust that's the exercise of every one of our hearts here.
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This afternoon.
And then very quickly in the second chapter in verse five, he says, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. So in the first chapter we might put it this way, we have Christ as our life. But here in this portion we have Christ as our example, our perfect example. I know we often read the following verses on Lord's Day Morning in connection with the sufferings of Christ and.
His coming into this world, going to the cross, and returning then to the Father, and his full exaltation. Rightly so.
But in their context here, they're given as the perfect example for you and for me, and so we have Christ as our example. In the third chapter in the 14th verse, Paul says, I press toward the mark for the prize of a high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Here we have Christ as our perfect object, brethren. I trust that's the object of your soul and mine. And if we can get a fresh glimpse of Christ as the prize, what is the prize in the Christian life? What is the goal? It's Christ and glory. And if we can get a sense of that, a fresh glimpse of that in our souls this weekend, it's been well worth more than well worth our time to be here. Christ is our object, lifting our eyes above the horizons of this world and looking on.
To Christ in glory where he is now. Then in chapter 4 and verse 13 he says I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me. You say, can we really live Christ? Can we really follow his example? Can we really run the race with Christ as the object? All the resources are given. We have Christ as our strength. So again in this epistle it's Christ. Christ is our life, our example, our object, and our strength and brethren.
That was at least part of my exercise in suggesting this portion.
That we would get a fresh glimpse of Christ and our hearts would go out more to him, and that we would seek by grace to run the race until we see Him face to face.
Another way is summarizing chapter 2, Christ is the pattern for living. Chapter 3, Christ is the Power for living. Chapter 4 rather the prize for living. In chapter 4, he's the power for living.
He's everything.
We don't need to dwell too long on the introduction to this epistle.
It's obvious that Paul had, though, a very special affection for these Philippian believers.
We remember that it was.
Somewhat of an unusual way that he ended up in Philippi. He felt lead of the.
Earth felt in his own.
Heart a purpose to go and preach the gospel in Asia and was forbidden. He tried to go into Messiah and the Lord said no, don't go that way.
And then he sees the vision of a man in Macedonia saying, come over and help us.
And when Paul got there, as we recall, he found not a man but a group of women by a Riverside who were having prayer meetings. And there was blessing there. But in order to get to the man whom I believe was the one that was calling for him, Paul had to be beaten publicly and Silas too, in a marketplace and end up in prison for the night.
But the result was that the jailer got saved, and evidently others too. And so there was a very special affection between the Apostle Paul and the Philippians. Not, I would suggest, that he showed favoritism from one assembly to the other, but somehow there was a very special bond that existed here.
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And as we have noted, there was no special doctrinal error. There was no special, shall we say.
Bad practice going on among the believers in Philippi, except perhaps two sisters that couldn't get along that were mentioned in or are mentioned in Chapter 3.
But it's beautiful to see the way that the apostles affection for those believers is.
Something that he brings out very, very clearly in this first chapter because of that very special bond that existed between them.
We wanted to go to Asia to preach the gospel and reach converts.
Did not direct him that way, as you pointed out.
The first convert that he reaches there in that region in Europe, which is in Macedonia, was an Asian.
We're talking about Lydia. She came from Asia, so an Asian did get converted first there in that land. It shows us the importance of submitting to the leading of the spirit, doesn't it?
Well, when Paul wrote this epistle to them, it really had a lot of moral weight, didn't it? Because they could remember the time when things began there, as Brother Bill has brought before us with those women and later with the Philippian jailer, and when he writes to them of joy and adversity and going on.
For the Lord, in spite of circumstances, they remembered the time when he was in their city in very adverse circumstances. And so I believe often the Lord put the the divine writers, the inspired writers, He put them in circumstances to give moral weight and import to what they wrote. And when he later writes in this epistle of joy and rejoicing, they remembered Paul and Silas rejoicing at a very difficult time.
And has been said Paul might have wondered initially when he was in that prison. Well, Lord, I thought I got a vision to come over here and help someone. And what good am I doing here? We've met some ladies by the Riverside, and yes, they're devoted and so on, but what good am I doing now? My backs bleeding, I'm fast in the stalks with my fellow labourer Silas. But at midnight I don't think it was right away. It took some time to come around, but at midnight they prayed and sang praises.
And you can look it up sometime, but I've often wondered if they didn't come to the realization and remembrance of the verse in the 119th Psalm. And the 62nd verse says, at midnight I will arise and give praise unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.
They realized that what the Lord was doing was right. They followed his leading, and as stranger as the circumstance may have seemed, that it was right that what God was doing was right. And what was the result of submission to the to the will of God? Well, it was first of all rejoicing in their own soul. Then there was prayer. And then the the prisoners heard them. The jail keeper got saved. There was an assembly gathered to the Lord's name established there.
And when you read that 16th chapter of Acts, there was real fervency amongst the brothers and the sisters as the assembly was established there in in in that city of Philippi. And Paul now writes to them to encourage them to go on in that same fervor and devotedness that they had begun in. Because, brethren, that's what God wants for all of us. He doesn't want us to just start out well and have that first love and that fervency in our souls that.
Character often characterizes us when we're first saved or when the Lord first gets a hold of us and we see various aspects of the truth.
Know what he wants. And what Paul wanted for these ones he loved so well was to see them go on in the fervency and desire that they had begun with when he was in their very city. So they had known Paul, they'd seen these things exemplified in Pauls life, and now the the spirit of God uses Paul. Depend this epistle with real moral weight and import for those who were receiving it.
This pencil is a letter of thanks.
May the other epistles of Paul are written with specific burdens for those that he wrote to, but this was just a letter of thanks.
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For fellowship that he had received from those he loved so dearly, and who had supported him often before.
And in this epistle you get the appreciation, the mutual appreciation between.
The labourer for the Lord and those who have gotten the truth from that labour. And now he's in prison.
And in this epistle, he says, now you've got to fill those shoes.
You've got to. You've got to fill those shoes. I'm not there anymore.
And you've got to go on together to do it.
I'm not there to oversee any longer, and there are many who have ministered the truth to us who are along with the Lord.
And that's time now for us.
To go on in those things.
And together we have to stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of the gospel it's big shoes to fill we say we can't fill them well maybe we can't but that's still laid upon us to fill those shoes and to go on in the truth of God.
And growing up in Vessel, the older brothers used to quote Jr. Gill over and over again.
And I heard from Brother Little later, he said. Well, when brother Jr. Gill moved here and lived out his last years, every Lord's Day evening he had an address.
And he taught us the truth.
And the day came and he was so getting so old and feeble, he just sat down. He said, I can't do it anymore. You brothers have to take it from here.
And that's really what Paul's saying in this epistle. You've got to stand in defense of the gospel. You got to fill my shoes. I'm not there.
And it's just a letter of there's not a particular burden as was brought out of error and doctrine and so on, as much as it is his appreciation for them, knowing their appreciation for him as the one who brought the truth of God to them. With the Corinthians, it was different. They were calling his apostleship into question.
And consequently the truth they had received. And he says we're not ignorant of Satan's devices because the device of Satan is to divide the Saints.
From the one who has brought them the truth that he might discredit the truth that has been brought to them.
It wasn't that way with the Philippians.
Even that's why in the very first verse he mentions the bishops and deacons.
That saying he ate for them, and would long to have cared for them himself.
But fresh, fresh out of the chute, so to speak.
He's he uncharacter. It's not in every epistle that he mentions right out of the shoe bishops and deacons.
It's it's as if right out of the shoot, he just wants them to be cared for and guided them and literally looked over.
That could be helpful. That's a little bit. We've used some terms that perhaps not everybody is as familiar with. Perhaps young people particularly will find some help. But we have great outlines and scriptures in the scriptures and it's helpful to get a hold of those great outlines. And when we get a hold of those great outlines, it puts things in perspective. So Jim mentioned that this is a wilderness epistle. Perhaps some of us don't understand exactly what that means, but.
The journey from Egypt to Canaan.
Is a picture of the Christian pathway.
And so I believe we can put most of the epistles, and if not all the epistles into that, that journey. For instance, deliverance from Egypt. We have in the book of Romans, first in the Passover, the question of forgiveness of sins, and then secondly in the in the Red Sea, which is a picture.
Of our death in Christ, our identification with Christ in his death, the true meaning of baptism. That's our standing as a Christian. And then once we become Christians, of course, we enter into what's into the wilderness, just as the children of Israel did when they came out of the land of Egypt. And there we have, perhaps we can say, First and 2nd Thessalonians. Those were brand new Christians the apostle was writing to. We have the fundamentals of the individual faith.
Mr.
Some of the writers have spoken about four stages in the wilderness, some see it a little differently, but I think it's helpful to see those four stages in the wilderness. The first stage is that we just spoke of what we have in 1St and 2nd Thessalonians, and that can be called grace.
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Because there, when they grumble, what does the Lord do? His resources are sufficient to meet their need. When they need water, he's He satisfies them. When they need food, he satisfies them. But then the second stage is that Sinai, where we have not only the question of grace, but the second stage is often called government. Because the child of God is not only under the grace of God, he's also under the government of God. Whatsoever man saw it.
That shall he also reap. And that's true of a believer.
And that's especially true as a believer, although it's true universally as well. But it's helpful to me to see that. And so I I suggest that first and second Peter speak a great deal about the government of God, both for the believers and also for the world. And then the third stage of the wilderness. Remember when they got to Kate Ash Barnier?
They refused to. They despised the present land of pleasant land, as it tells us in the Book of Psalms.
And so they had to turn back and wander for 38 years. So that's the third stage, it's corrective stage.
And we might say that the epistles that are particularly corrective in Scripture in the New Testament are First Corinthians and Galatians, as we well know, not exclusively corrective, but primarily corrective. But then there's a fourth stage, and that's where I believe Philippians comes in.
So does Second Corinthians. Second Corinthians is not corrective.
But rather, it's restorative.
And we might remember in the fourth stage of the wilderness, this is after the 38 years of wandering and the first generation had died off. This goes along with what we were speaking about. Now there's a new generation, and what are they going to do? Are they going to turn back like their fathers did, or are they going to move forward? And so I suggest, as it has been suggested, the last stage of the wilderness is preparation to enter into Canaan.
Where we have the truths, for instance in Colossians, in Ephesians and I might add first and Second Timothy, I believe, and Titus we have those things that are particularly have to do with the assembly, but in the fourth stage then it's the new generation and so they have to be taught to how to prepare, just like the book of Deuteronomy.
It actually begins, I believe, in the 21St chapter of numbers.
Where they Aaron dies, and now the new generation is most responsible. The book of Hebrews fits into this category. So does Second Corinthians, as I mentioned, and other epistles as well. But I find it helpful then to see that this is the fourth stage. It's a new generation, and they have to be taught some of the principles. So in Philippians then we have this new generation being thought.
They're being prepared to enter into even higher truths. Not that they can forsake the truths they learned in the wilderness. We never get beyond that so long as we're in this scene. But they're being prepared.
To enter into those truths that are our particular portion as Christians. So I just mentioned that it's a new generation. There are some key terms. Joy is one of those. It's been suggested. It's been stated that joy and rejoicing is mentioned 18 times in this epistle.
How could that be possible? We mentioned that the apostle was in prison. We read in the end of the book of Acts. We find he had his own hired house. He's no longer in his own hired house. According to verse 12, he's now in the praetorium. He's in prison and it wasn't a pleasant place at all. How does the apostle respond to that? We were mentioning the importance of the the apostles experience. Well, how is he going to respond to being in prison?
Year after year, he'd been in prison for four years by now.
That wasn't a very pleasant existence, but this is the this is the result.
Mr. Willis, when he wrote his book on Philippians, use that little expression from Psalms, didn't he? Sacrifices of joy. And so the key expression in this epistle is joy. What a wonderful thing that is. Another key term, and then I'll stop, is salvation. And again, we've often heard that salvation in scripture is in three tenses.
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Salvation passed through the Christian when I first became a Christian salvation present, which is an ongoing thing until the Lord takes me home. It has to do not so much with standing, but with my state. How can I live the Christian life in a way that honors the Lord and brings blessing to myself? That's what Philippians is about. And then of course the future salvation is when the Lord will take us home from the very presence of sin.
So the theme here then is joy and salvation, the present tense of salvation, the new generation of being prepared to enter into their proper Christian blessings, which is figured by the land of Kena. And would you say to Eric in connection with the present aspect of salvation, that in Philippians it's not just individual preservation, but his desire was that they would go on in oneness of mind and spirit?
To workout their salvation with fear and trembling because the enemy was getting a wedge in and there was difficulties arising between two sisters. It was happened to be sisters in Philippi, but never mind. It could have just as well been brothers too. But his desire was that they would work it out for their preservation collectively as well. Is that commend itself?
Contrast in connection with what Eric said before we pass on. As we mentioned earlier, God put the writers in various circumstances to give weight and moral impact to what they wrote. And I've often thought of a contrast between Paul writing here from a prison and Solomon on the throne of Israel at its pinnacle in the Old Testament. We find that Solomon with everything his heart desired, he said, all his vanity and vexation of spirit.
Now if Paul had written that to the Philippians, you'd say, well, of course I can understand that he was in the lowest of circumstances. He had nothing, naturally speaking. But let's say in contrast, Solomon from the throne of Israel, had written rejoice in the Lord Always. And again I say rejoice. Oh, you'd say, of course he had everything. He didn't withhold himself from any pleasure. But isn't it interesting and significant that it's just the opposite? Solomon had everything of this.
Naturally speaking, he had power and fame and wealth.
The history of Israel at that time was something very noteworthy in the history of this of this world. But he said it's emptiness. It's void and emptiness because he had set his heart on those things that didn't satisfy. But the apostle Paul with nothing of this world and in very difficult circumstances, and make no mistake about it, prisons weren't like they were in those days, weren't like they are today in the Western world. I've been in some very nice prisons.
And other than not having their freedom, you think these people have everything? A naturally speaking. But Paul, as Erica said, was in very low circumstances, difficult circumstances. And he writes, rejoice in the Lord. And again this would mean something to the Philippians, because they remembered him in a prison in their very city, with his back bleeding and his feet fast in the stalks. And so again, brethren, doesn't it show that it's Christ?
It's the enjoyment of Christ in our souls that is going to lift us above the circumstances, not make us indifferent or callous to the circumstances. Paul wasn't indifferent or callous to what he was going through, but he had risen in spirit above it because Christ was everything to his soul.
We were saying a few moments ago.
It's a good thing to have a good start and the Philippians had had a good start.
But God looks at the long term, doesn't he? God looks at the long term. The Christian pathway is not a 100 yard dash. It's a marathon.
And so here Paul had such joy in these Philippians. I I appreciated your comments.
Brother Steve, relative to the joy between the labor and the joy.
In reacting to that from those with whom he had labored. And so he says here in verse 5 or verse 4.
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Always and every prayer of mine.
Making a request.
With joy.
I'm sure Paul prayed for the Corinthians too. I'm sure he prayed for the Galatian assemblies, but it was likely from a different point of view, wasn't it? Here it was with joy and.
They had started out well.
They had had fellowship with him in the gospel, not only in preaching the gospel, but as Steve pointed out.
This is really a letter acknowledging fellowship, isn't it? And Paul appreciated so much the fact that these dear believers who we read in other scriptures were on the poor side. They weren't a wealthy assembly, but they gave more abundantly as we read than they really could, naturally speaking. And as a result, Paul says, I have confidence in you. In what?
In your purpose to continue on, no. He says in verse six that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ.
If I may allow me to emphasize that.
I remember well reading many years ago in our written ministry. I think it is in Mr. Wiggum's ministry, but it doesn't matter.
He said If there is a desire in your heart and mind to go after Christ.
God will work it in you.
I say that.
To all of us. But if I may be allowed to to say it to the young people here because the pathway may look pretty daunting and the opposition and the way things are going in this world makes it very easy to say what's the use. It's not worth it. But if you and I have a desire to go after Christ, now I know every believer does in that sense. But if you and I have a purpose in our hearts and say.
I want to go after Christ and to have more of him.
He'll work it in US and he is the power to lead us on, to guide us through circumstances, to provide for our needs to put us through.
An individual tuition and schooling for every one of us in order to accomplish what he needs to accomplish and he will do it. And that's why, Paul says I have confidence in you.
Yes, he commended the Corinthians for what was good in their lives, and that was nice. With some. Like the Galatian assemblies, he didn't say one word of commendation. But with these Philippians he saw in their hearts a desire to go after Christ. And he says I'm confident.
Not in you, but in the Lord that he'll perform that with us. And so I say again, there's no need.
No need to start out well and then fail halfway through. There's no need to start out well and then make shipwreck of the faith, as Paul says in another scripture to Timothy, no, there is enough power.
In the Lord himself.
To give you and me whatever we need in the day in which we're living, to follow Christ and to go after Him, and if you and I are in the pathway of the Lord's will.
All his powers behind us, isn't it?
His fellowship, rather their fellowship with him, was a twofold thing. They prayed for him, I think that's verse 19. And they had monetary support of him. They sent a gift not once but twice at least, and so in this way they had fellowship with him. And I think it's interesting to notice too, that he's giving thanks for their fellowship in the gospel, not for their preaching of the gospel.
They were not necessarily evangelists who had the time and energy to reach out, maybe other than to share it with their in their daily occupation. But they could at least have fellowship with the gospel if they could not have the opportunity to break away from their responsibilities and to go into the regions beyond as Paul did. And that's the same for us. Not all of us are able to go into the Third World countries and eat sticks.
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Or rather, roots and shoots and different kinds of foods that they.
Or have their stomach to be able to handle those things. But we can pray for the gospel as it goes for us, We can have fellowship with it, and we can reach into our pockets and support those who are seeking to reach out in those regions beyond. And this way we can have fellowship with the gospel too. Is that right, Bill? Very definitely.
And a brother also reminded me.
Some time ago, he said. Remember that the most lasting.
Ministry of the Apostle Paul was not so much what he said, but what he wrote while he was laid aside. And so he didn't. At this point in time, as has been brought out, he didn't have the liberty to go out and around. But what the Lord gave him the opportunity to write in very difficult circumstances, we say it.
Reverently, because I'm sure the Lord used his oral preaching very, very much in that day. But what has had the most lasting effect is what he wrote, which has endured for all time, hasn't it?
That's good, Bill, because the enemy might have thought, well, if I can just get the Apostle Paul locked up in prison or even in his own hired house, well, he won't be out preaching the gospel so souls can get saved and he won't be going around to those meetings and encouraging the believers that are saved. I'll just get them locked up and that'll be it.
But the wrath of man shall praise thee in the remainder of wrath thou shalt restrain the 76 Psalm tells us. It also tells us we can do nothing against the truth but for the truth. And so, as Bill has said, many of the are some of the epistles that Paul wrote were written while he was in captivity in one way or another, so that he wasn't able to orally preach. But we've got the inspired word of God preserved to us down through the centuries.
Down through the ages for our blessing. Why, God had a far greater purpose than.
In in mind and Satan could do nothing to hinder the purposes of of God. But I would like to just say this in connection with what Bruce said about fellowship in the gospel because.
It's not even just monetary fellowship. And I I'm going to take a little opportunity to thank my brothers and sisters, and perhaps the sisters even more particularly.
Who labor so hard behind the scenes compiling literature doing?
Sisters that so things for that are distributed in countries where the children have hardly have clothes to wear and if it wasn't for those sisters and those assemblies that get together.
On a regular basis and have fellowship with us in the gospel. In that way we couldn't do what we do. And I suggest too that perhaps.
When I stand with my fellow laborers at the judgment seat of Christ, some of those that never got thanked properly this side of heaven are going to get the greatest commendation they're they're going to, and that's going to be reward enough for some of us to see our fellow laborers finally get their well done by the Lord Jesus himself, Paul said on another occasion. We labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him, and it's going to be wonderful to see.
Brothers and sisters.
Have that reward of acceptance and approval that perhaps they didn't get down here, but they were willing to go on quietly. Maybe we, you know, literature work can be very discouraging if you're looking for results this side of heaven. But I believe we're going to see a great deal of the fruit of that which was done behind the scenes and handed out so very quietly and those who hand out gospel tracts.
On an ongoing basis, maybe you don't see a lot of results, but there's going to be a reward. So Paul value those who labored, and later on, in this very epistle, he commends sisters. Not just Clement, but those sisters which labored with me in the gospel. What did they do? We're not told exactly, but they somehow provided in practical ways for the apostle Paul. And he said we're thankful for it and you're going to get your reward. So be encouraged. And there are.
Multitude of ways. There's no shortage of ways opportunities to have fellowship in the gospel. If you're looking for a way to have fellowship in the gospel, you see, I'm not an evangelist. It's not given to me to preach. I can't go to leave my secular employment and go to another country.
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May be true, but there are no shortage and opportunities to have fellowship in the gospel in one way or another. And as the boys and girls often sing you in your small corner and I in mind, so be encouraged. There are many ways to have fellowship in the gospel.
The Lord alluded to that in Luke 19 when he said.
Thou could put it in the bank.
And that word bank is the same word translated fellowship.
There were those who were trading with the pound and bringing in more. And then there was one who didn't have the energy for it, put it in a napkin, I believe, and put it in the earth or something like that. And he rebukes them and says you could at least put it in the bank. He didn't have the energy for it. You can put it out where those who are trading with it, who will use it, and it's going to come back in with interest for for you. And so for those of us who may not be able to go into the regions beyond like some, we can still support it from behind the scenes in this twofold way.
By praying for the work and by giving in a monetary way to those who are engaged in that work.
The gospel not only takes in salvation of souls here, but the truth that Paul received from an ascended Christ.
And so he had confidence in the work of God, in their souls, and that it would be completed in the day of Jesus Christ. But the ground of his confidence was that he saw that they had an appreciation for himself and really what he had brought to them.
There was a love of the truth. They appreciated Paul, and that's really, I think, the correct translation of verse 7, even as it is meat for me to think this of you all, because not I have you in my heart, but you have me in your heart. There was an appreciation of the apostle and what he had brought to them. They owed everything to the work of the Spirit of God and raising up that instrument and bringing the truth to them and in His concern for the Thessalonians.
He expresses it similarly First Thessalonians.
And.
Chapter 3.
Verse 6 But now in Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always desiring greatly to see us as we also to see you. Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you and all our affliction, and distressed by your faith. There wasn't a healthy appreciation.
For the Apostle, and what he had brought to them, and that he could see in that, that there was a work of God that was going to continue right to the end.
So tell us, Steve, what is the day of Jesus Christ?
I might be wrong, so maybe I'll keep my mouth quiet and let somebody else answer.
Anyone that display?
Of our lives will be before the world.
It's the the glory that will be in association with the Lord Jesus Christ. We're going to be there on display with him and it will be seen in that day, which should be the millennial day.
There is the day of the Lord, and there is the day of Christ. They're different. The day of the Lord is His power to subdue the earth.
Into control under His judgment that the day of Christ is to do with the display of His glory and our association with Him in that time.
So both days are covered the same millennial period. Ones to do with judgment, the other is to do with glory.
There are probably at least seven dispensational days, as I've often thought of them. You just mentioned two of them, didn't you? But there's what we have called man's day in Scripture.
I'm not sure exactly when that began. I suppose perhaps when Cain left the presence of the Lord.
That man's day began and it still goes on, and it won't end until the Lord Jesus and we have the day of the Lord, just as we've been Speaking of. That's of course the end of the tribulation period.
Which, as Bruce just mentioned, is the same time when the day of Jesus Christ begins. So the day of the Lord, the day of Jesus Christ, begin at the same time.
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Fears and power and glory. The end of the tribulation period. But we live now, as we well know, in the Day of salvation.
Behold, now is the day of salvation. Behold now as the accepted time. As we well know, it's also an evil day.
Speaks of an evil day.
And.
This coming very soon when that evil day will do the tribulation.
Which is?
That's a terrible thing, isn't it? That's another dispensational day. And then, of course, the agents of our God will really come to an end in its full extent. As we just mentioned, when the Lord Jesus appears in power and glory, it's no longer providential judgments, but it's His personal presence. And we have the day of the Lord begins, and also the day of Jesus Christ. So the day of Jesus Christ again, is displayed.
The Jesus, as we have in First Thessalonians.
For his Florian honor. And it's also going to be the time.
Then judgment takes place and then at the end of that of course we know is that.
The eternal state, so we have dispensational.
Man's day.
Perhaps we can say in the evil day.
The day of vengeance of our God. The day of Jesus Christ as we've been Speaking of, the day of the Lord, and then finally the day of God which is.
Also the day of eternity.
I think it's in Peter's epistle. Is that correct?
And I suppose that would overlap a couple days. But in today's the day of Jesus Christ is the time when what we've been speaking about will come to a fruition, isn't it? And I used to think that the day of Jesus Christ, perhaps the judgment, Jesus Christ. That's not quite correct.
Station of the results of the judgment. Seat of Christ, President. What we've been speaking about, and that's what we have is.
And the Lord.
Heard it and according to the.
That's a really wish we got confident in this very thing that he would have to be got a good work in you.
Christ Philippians gives.
We could.
What a wonderful privilege that is. I remember.
And it's taught that I don't even remember who the brother was who was speaking, but he was telling of a conversation he had.
That vision trying to just to go.
Or they were.
The city had had.
That's the present tense of salvation we've been speaking about. And the brother said to her, he said, I have a pencil in my hand. He gave it to her and he said, now you make that stand up on its tip. Well, of course you try it on the table that was in front of her and of course it wouldn't stand up. And it's a very simple illustration. But he said, well, actually I can make that stand. He put the pencil on its tip and he held it with his finger. And that's exactly what God does, doesn't he?
And Philippians tells us.
How he does that, These four things we've been speaking about. This is how, as it says in verse six, he that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. God has a plan and a purpose for our blessing. He wants to see us not only end up in heaven, but he wants to see us live a life That's for his flooring and for our blessing.
2nd Thessalonians Chapter one. We'll see the difference between the day of the Lord and the day of Christ. Second Thessalonians, chapter one and verse 7.
And to you who are troubled, rest with us, When the Lord shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished.
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Everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. That's the day of the Lord. Now the next verse 10 When he shall come to be glorified in the Saints and admired and all them that believe, because our testimony among you was believed in that day. That's the day of Christ.
The Day of the Lord begins with the appearing and will extend for 1000 years. We learn that from Second Peter Chapter 3.
So the two distinct features of the same time period when they'll be in force.
Raise the question, where do we get the expression man's day? And just let's just look at it because I think it's it's helpful. It is in Scripture, but you have to go to Mr. Darby's translation to get it in First Corinthians chapter 4.
Paul writing to the Corinthians in verse three he says but with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you or it should and it should read or of man's day. Paul was misunderstood by the Corinthians. They questioned everything about Paul. They questioned his authority as an apostle, They questioned his ministry. They even questioned his ability to present his ministry. But Paul said, I'm living in view of another time.
Paul's whole life was in view of the day of Jesus Christ. He was living in view of the Lord's. Well done. That's why, again, he said to the Corinthians we labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. He didn't have the acceptance of the Corinthians.
But he said that's OK, I just leave.
I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. I'm not living for man's day. I'm not living for the world's approval now. I'm living in view of the Lord's approval and the full manifestation of it when all is displayed in this world. And as Erica said, and I think it's very helpful to to say it again, what we the the day of Jesus Christ.
Is the manifestation of the rewards that are given at the judgment seat of Christ. It's public display and manifestation. For the Saints of God, it's the Lords Day is perhaps vindication for the Lord Jesus, but there's going to be vindication for his people as well. He's going to declare these are the ones I and the children whom thou has given me and we're going to reflect in that day the glories of Christ.
When he when heaven opens up.
That brother throws my soul to think the day when heaven is going to open up and they're going to look up. And wherever they look at the heavenly company, they're going to see the glories of Christ reflected unhinderedly. All that ought to motivate us, brethren, to live in view not of man's approval, not of a flash of glory or applause in this world, but to live in view of the day of Jesus Christ to the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.
To live in view of the day when we're going to be displayed with him, This was Paul's desire. So I just say that in contrast to man's day. And that's where Eric got the expression and we use it, and it's a scriptural expression. We live in man's day now, but there's a day coming when the Lord is going to have his day, but there's the day of Jesus Christ when he's going to display his Saints with himself. Oh, if that doesn't throw your heart and mind and motivate us to live for Christ now.
Then I don't know what goes on within our souls.
Would be seeing 156.