Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
The profitable, the concern Lithium Chapter 3. Philippians Chapter 3. Someone would read it for us.
Chapter 3. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same thing to you. To me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.
Beware of God, beware of evil workers, beware of the confessions, for we are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in this language. If any other man thinketh that he aware of, he might trust in his life, I'm worried.
Circumcise the 8th day.
Of the Doctor of Israel, of the private Benjamin, and Hebrew Of the Hebrew, are such in the law of Pharisees concerning zeal persecuting the Church.
Touching the righteousness which is in the law, flameless.
But what things regained to me? Those I counted lost for Christ.
The Goddess and I count all things, but lost with the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and you count them but done, that I may win Christ, and be found in him not having my own righteousness which is of the law, for that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.
That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering.
Being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might have pain under the resurrection of the dead.
Not as though I had already attained either were already perfect.
But I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count on myself with apprehended. But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth under those things which are before I press, are the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us therefore as many as be perfectly thus minded, and isn't anything ye be otherwise minded? God will reveal even this unto you.
Work your way have already attained. Let us walk by the same rule. Let us mind the same thing.
Brethren, we follow it together of me and mark that much walk so that you have us for an example.
For many walks to whom I've told you often and now tell you even the weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end of destruction through God of their belly and his glory is in their shame through mine earthly things.
Where our conversation is in heaven.
From whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a change our vile body.
So there may be a fashion like unto its glorious bonding according to their working, whereby He is able even to subdue all things under Himself.
Him and opening Lord, Thou hast drawn us after Thee. Now let us run and never tire. And here we have one who was really running in that race with Christ before him. And I was thinking how this chapter sets before us in contrast.
The two paths Paul was pursuing at first in a religious way.
And then he was brought to know the Lord, and his whole prospect in life was changed. He had Christ in glory before him.
Everything was valued in connection with Christ, but then there is also pursuing it in an earthly way.
Now that is minding earthly things, and so I believe we have the two paths.
He was, as I say, first pursuing it in a religious way. There is also a danger, perhaps even after we're saved, of pursuing that the path that ends in destruction, but going on in those things that are all going to pass away, minding earthly things. But in contrast with this was the apostle who had a complete new sense of values.
00:05:00
Measured everything as to how it compared with Christ.
And it changed his whole life. And he said, I pressed toward the mark. Well, that's our desire. I trust, President, as we have been singing that hymn together, Lord, thou hast drawn us after thee. It's easy to tire along the way. But the little hymn said, now let us run a never tire. What a portion we have in him. Well, I just thought of these few things in connection with this chapter before us.
The world today is very energy conscious.
They're talking about energy and.
Fearing an energy shortage.
I think that we can apply that picture here for energy and spiritual things comes from seeing Christ up there and there's really no shortage of a supply. It's all there. If we just see Christ in glory, then there will be energy to go in that race that you're talking about.
Characterizes this epistle.
Now this may seem strange when we think of the Apostle.
In prison.
And with nothing that would provide for temporal happiness.
So the joy that he's Speaking of belongs to normal Christianity, which is really the subject of this epistle.
Normal Christianity has an object, and that is what directs the heart, and the feet will follow the heart.
And so if we have Christ as the object.
In measure, we can be like Paul.
Having a joy even in the midst of sorrow or tears, we can have a joy that can never be taken away from us as the Lord speaks of in the Gospel of John.
And never can be taken away from me. It's a permanent thing because it's found in Christ. And so this is the way our chapter begins. My name is my brethren, rejoice the notice in the Lord.
And I suppose that we could say that it's only with a sense of who he is that we can really rejoice. Not only that, He's Lord in the sense that we must obey. We love to obey because we have a nature that loves to obey.
About his Lord in all of our circumstances, and that's a practical part of this epistle in everything that takes place in our lives down here as Christians, He's Lord, and he's able to alter and order all things for the blessing of his people. That's why we're encouraged in the latter part of the next chapter.
To to phrase because he's able to meet us in all of our circumstances.
Finally, my brother rejoiced in the Lord.
And then he speaks of that which is safe for the believer to speak of, and he's going to enlarge on the subject. Our brother has been mentioning that which is natural to man, and that is to, in his pride, to think of his own righteousness and glory in it.
But the Christian has no such righteousness to Gloria.
No human righteousness to glorious.
And the moment we think of our righteousness as natural men.
Why we've gotten off of the path entirely. What we glory in now is the righteousness that's of God. But here in this epistle, the apostles looking on to the end when he comes into the full blessing of it. And so he's looking on to that righteousness, although he has it in a sense still when he gets home to glory, where righteousness will dwell.
This is what he has in mind. I believe in this. If this first chapter and the 18th verse we have rejoicing in connection with the rejoicing in our chapter, we might notice that he rejoiced in the preaching of the gospel. 118 What then, notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached?
I therein do rejoice ye, and will rejoice.
And then in the second chapter.
He talks about rejoicing in connection with.
We might say martyrdom.
00:10:00
In the second chapter and.
Verse 17 Yeah. And if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith.
I joy and rejoice with you all for the same cause also. Do you joy and rejoice with me? Well, think of those two things. They rejoice in the gospel, and then even to rejoice if he was going to be offered up, but he says finally, just rejoice in the Lord.
That sacrifice you mentioned?
In the second chapter.
It was customary of certain offerings to to provide.
A hand of our own and a hint of wine. In other words, it would be the same measure of oil, the same measure of wine to be added to the sacrifice. Now the the oil would speak of the spirit, and in the manner in which the spirit is in control of the believer, there will be that measure of joy as a result.
So the apostle is lightning his sacrifice and martyrdom.
To this cup of wine, let's be poured upon the sacrifice.
It was just something, it was their sacrifice, he says. You've taken up the work that I was supposed to do and now I'm in prison and I'm rejoicing that you're able to do it and I'm going to be offered up just like that. That end of wine was offered on top of the sacrifice. So the the joy of the Saints and it is joy to see soul Saints.
Joy of the Saints, and the joy that he has as he sees all this being carried out, a work that he could not complete.
Because he was in prison, he's filled with joy. And it's likened to this. This wine is poured on top of the sacrifice. Rejoicing in the life of the Christian can be and should be a steady thing because it's not founded on circumstances at all. It's not founded on anything that we are in ourselves. We have righteousness in Christ.
He is our portion, He is our joy and all this.
Is outside of circumstances, and so in the first chapter and in the second chapter he could rejoice because even though he was in prison and coming up on trial.
He could still be happy because his portion was outside of this life altogether if it meant parted him. Still, his portion was outside of this life, and I believe that's what he's bringing before the Saints here. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. We may not always be able to rejoice in our circumstances. They may be very unpleasant.
But we can always rejoice in the Lord. He is unchanging.
And that's why the Lord said, I believe your joy, no man taketh from you. It's a portion that is not affected by anything that goes on here, anything in ourselves, it's outside of ourselves altogether. And this is what gives steadiness to it. But the attempt of the enemy is to get our eyes off the Lord, and then he brings in other things. So immediately after speaking about.
Rejoicing in the Lord, he immediately gives warnings.
Because don't we know it only too well? Perhaps we get up in the morning and we're very happy in the thinking of the Lord. We read His Word, we kneel in prayer, then we meet circumstances in life, we meet situations that make it very difficult for us, and we need to be exhorted that we wouldn't allow those things to come in and rob us of the enjoyment of His presence.
We feel them, of course, the Bible says, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing.
God hasn't made the Christian without feeling even the Lord Jesus himself said, Reproach hath broken my heart. I am full of heaviness. We see him in the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, how fully he felt what it was to anticipate the bearing of sin. So we have feelings, but we also have the ability to rise above these things in occupation with the Lord Jesus.
And we find that so perfectly in the Lord, in His whole blessed pathway.
In Matthew Chapter 11, when he was rejected, he could take it from the Father and say.
Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. And in Luke's gospel were the same instances recorded, we find added to it these words at that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, because in Luke's Gospel he's the perfect dependent man, the perfect pattern for us. And so, though rejected, he could rejoice.
00:15:24
In the Garden of Gethsemane, feeling all the awfulness of meeting sin.
He could still say not my will, but thine be done. So we need the encouragement to rejoice. We also need the warnings lest other things would come in to rob us of the enjoyment that is truly our portion.
And to die is gain.
Their contrast to that statement that Hezekiah X and Isaiah 38 verse 16. Oh Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit.
So will thou recover me and make me to live, so we can prophet by what we pass through in the trials. But of course, death was the king of terrors in the Old Testament, and the future that was before was not really fully revealed. There was a knowledge of resurrection. The interval between death and resurrection was not revealed.
Someone mentioned this morning that passage in Timothy. I believe you read it. Read it to a second Timothy, chapter one.
It says life and incorruptibility have been brought to light by the gospel. And saw Hezekiah feared death, all could say that he pardoned me with Christ, which is far better. It was a known and enjoyed portion. Because now all this has been revealed and made known in Christianity in the 63rd Psalm.
Psalm 63 and verse one. Oh God, thou art my God.
Early will I seek these my soul searches for Thee, my flesh longest for Thee, in the drive and thirsty land, where no water is, to see Thy power, Thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary, because Thy loving kindness is better than life. My lips shall praise Thee. And then when we go down to the.
Pittsburgh, my soul shall be satisfied, or better reading it is satisfied as the Maryland Platinum.
My mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips, when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on Thee, and the night watches, because Thou hast been my help. Therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
We find that this Psalm was written by David by the heading of the Psalm at a time when you might say, naturally speaking his his outward.
Health.
We're at a minimum. He had seemingly lost everything. He had been driven out into the wilderness of Judah. He had had to leave The Cave of the Dullum. He found that the Philistines were after him. He found that the the people of Kila were prepared to betray him. That all the props that David might naturally lean upon were taken away 1 by 1 until the time came when David, as we're had nothing left with the Lord.
And then he could sit down and write the 63rd Psalm. Because thy loving kindness is better than life. My lips shall praise thee. And he could speak, speak about being satisfied. He had no certain dwelling place. He was being chased about in the wilderness of Judah. And yet, as he thought upon the Lord, as his heart was taken up with the Lord, he found that he rejoiced.
Well, when we come to the third chapter of Philippians, we find another 1A philosophic servant who again has had all the natural props taken away. He's in a Roman jail. As far as the world was concerned, his future was, to say the least, uncertain. Martyrdom was surely to be his court, as it eventually was, I believe. And yet we find that as a result of a heart taken up with Christ.
He's able to rejoice, he's able to echo the words of the 63rd Psalm, in effect rejoicing in the Lord as his heart was taken up to him.
It seems to me, brethren, that it's a little indication of how we can speak of some of these things as we do today, this morning. But when the texting time comes, that's when they're put to put a word to reality. We're tested as to whether we really mean what we say. I think of the 11Th chapter of John's gospel where we have Martha saying to the Lord, she said, I know that whatsoever thou hast asked of God, God will give a thing.
00:20:23
So then the Lord says a little while later, roll away the stone. All right away Martha sees all the difficulty. He's been dead 4 days now. She had already made a profession. She had said, well, I know whatever you ask of God, God will give it thee. But then the test comes, and all the way to stone. Now she said, oh, he's been there for four days. Also. It is with the apostle Paul. When the gospel was introduced in the Philippi, they saw a rejoicing surgeon.
When the Philippian jailer got saved, he had a testimony of a man who rejoiced more when he was in prison, in stocks, his back beating, he was still rejoicing in the law. The testing time came then. He was rejoicing in the Lord. Many years later, the testing time comes again and Paul's confidence hasn't changed at all. He finds that the same one who satisfied his heart so many years before.
Was still able to satisfy his heart and enable him to rejoice when the testing time came, even though years had passed by. This was a very practical subject for us.
It seems that the Spirit of God would always exercise our consciences.
Even when He brings before us, we might say positive truth.
Now in the case you mentioned as to Martha after he relates to her.
Who he is, he says, believe it's thou this.
Believe it's thou this Well, let's place it immediately upon her conscience. Now we have most of us pretty well fixed in our minds certain truths. And if someone were to ask us.
About certain truths we could in a general way set them forth, but the question is believe it's thou this? Are they really practical with us? I'm reminded of a young man who had some background, but he was not a believer and had gone a long way off from the truth. And he met an atheist in the Navy.
And the atheist began to questioning scripture and so he thought, well, I'd better get a Bible and do a little argument with him.
With with him. So he got a hold of a Bible. The result was he was saved. Now he knew these things, but he didn't believe them.
And there is the danger, you know, and this is a good test when it comes to circumstances. We know the Lord is able. We know that He will come in and meet us. He promised Israel that in their day, if they had failed, they cried. The Lord, he would come in and deliver them.
Do we believe it? And if we act upon it in the simple way, it will prove that we believe it. We say that dogs are a figure of shameless evil. And this is the character of things in the world constantly that we're surrounded with more and more. As we get nearer the end, man's evil becomes more shameless. And we might say, well, I can see all those things are wrong. They don't affect me, but we find they do affect.
More than we are aware, and if we're not careful to maintain in our souls that communion with the Lord.
And the standards of his precious word, we can become affected.
We can begin to think somewhat like the world. And so these warnings are given to us, that as the world casts off all sense of shame, and that we as Christians are to maintain in our souls that which is suited to God. Or we can't have the joy of the Lord in our souls and be careless in our walk. It's impossible for these things to go together.
The joy of the Lord is a holy joy.
And tells us about the heavenly city without our dogs. They have no place in that scene where all will be eternal enjoyment in His presence. And we need to watch. We still have the old nature within us. So this warning follows right away after the encouragement given to us that we've been talking of, to be rejoicing in the Lord.
You would rejoice in the fact that he came from a certain tribe, a certain line of people.
00:25:01
And so he says, beware of the concession. I suppose the evil workers here would include those who.
Having had the gospel presented to them, rejected it, and would be the open public enemies of the gospel. It was the energy of the flesh, and setting aside the truth, whatever else there may be in it, we have that.
Things that followed the Apostle all the way through the book of Acts and in his ministry in general. Those who were.
Showing great energy and setting aside the truth. But when we have the concision, we have those who are particularly occupied with their genealogy and all that belongs to them as Jews.
When actually if they.
Would look back, they would see that it was the first born, it would be Esau that would have the right, and they couldn't trust in that line of things to talk.
God has always done well, dealt with man on the principle of His sovereignty and grace, or there never would have been any blessing to man at any time whenever man was placed in responsibility.
Or rather, placing himself under the law, we find he failed in that.
And yet he's glorying in the fact that he has a traditional background of being God's people outwardly. But in the book of Romans, in the third chapter, we see what the apostle says about this, how that you say a man should not steal. Do you steal?
And so it's a question now of what they were not the outward association that they might profess.
Being God's people, what's the reality in the heart? Did they have a righteousness that would stand before God?
But here they are glorying in the fact that they have a certain genealogy, a certain background.
That would put them in the place of God's people. Could we say here that the concession is set in contrast with the circumcision? That is the concise. The concise dictionary is one that shortens things down, kind of put things in concise words. Why we cut out certain things and shorten it down.
So that the concision is something in which the natural heart can glory. I gave up this, I gave up that. And that's what the Jew did. He could make broad his philac trees and enlarge the border of his garments. He could be so sincere in going on with the outward things that it wouldn't even go into the Judgment hall because he wanted to keep the Passover the next day.
That was the concision that we can be like that too. We can say, oh, I gave up this and I gave up that. I've done quite a bit for the Lord.
But what is the circumcision Why it's no place for the flesh at all. Concision is cutting off some things. The circumcision was the end of the flesh before God and that's what took place at Gilgal. It Gilgal means rolling and it was the reproach of Egypt that was rolled away. And so how easy it is for us even as Christians the glory have done this or I've done that. But when we get.
Presence of God, we are led to say the flesh prophetess nothing. And so they're set in contrast here I believe. Beware of the circumcision, for we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.
So our worship is by the Spirit. When the temple was dedicated, there were 120 priests sounding with trumpets. Some Christians would say, oh, but you wouldn't just object to one musical instrument certainly wouldn't have 120. Well, that's something of the flesh that remained. It's the concision. But the circumcision is not to give the flesh any place.
In life or in our worship, all that God values is that which is produced in our hearts by the Spirit.
Whether it's in our lives, whether it's in our service, whether it's in our worship, all that is of value in the eyes of God is that which is produced in us by the workings of the Spirit, He Himself producing it. No heart, but of the Spirit taught, makes melody to Thee. No man can come unto me except the Father which has sent me draw him. There's a great deal of the concession in Christendom.
00:30:15
But it's it's very.
It costs something to take the place of the circumcision, to get to Gilgal, as it were, and to learn that the flesh profiteth nothing.
Incision is to fix up the flesh. Maybe cut off a little bit to fix it up so it looks or appears.
Better and what a contrast that is to the entire cutting it off. I was thinking as you're Speaking of the musical instruments that in connection with the worship here.
It's by the Spirit and if you look at Acts 1725 you have a verse which applies in a way Acts 1725.
All preaching on Mars Hill.
Using that inscription to the unknown God and then preaching of the true God.
Says of him in verse 25. Neither is worshipped with men's hands. We don't need musical instruments that are played with the hats. And in Romans 15 you find out the music that can be produced for God. These things are so simple, but I think they're helpful to see that musical instruments played with the hands are not to be used.
Today.
In the 15th of Romans and.
Verses 5 and six. The God of patience and consolation.
Grant you to be like minded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus, that he may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, so we can certainly sing and worship Him in our praises.
Chapter 2.
References made there to the 11Th verse. And whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands.
And putting off the body not of the sin, but the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. And then when we come down, I read in the other translation, I believe it's a little clearer. The end of that chapter, the 23rd verse, it says which things after Speaking of touch not, taste, not handle not.
Says which have indeed an appearance of wisdom and voluntary worship and humility and harsh treatment of the body not in a certain honor to the satisfaction of the flesh. Those are things that the flesh has can find where not to glory in the cross of Christ is made of none effect. The flesh finds that which it can take pride in.
Find glory in a harsh treatment of itself, having rules and regulations.
Whereas you and I, beloved brethren, have begun to see that in the circumcision of Christ identified with Him, the flesh is set aside entirely tired. I've also been struck in noticing that perhaps we could turn to it in Second Chronicles. Second Chronicles, chapter second.
Second Chronicles chapter 8 and verse 11 reads there Second Chronicles 811 and Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh.
Out of the city of David, onto a house that he had built for her. For he said, My wife shall not dwell in the House of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, where unto the ark of the Lord hath come.
Then if we notice the First Kings Chapter 11, First Kings Chapter 11 and verse one.
Says, But King Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, and so on of of the nations, concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go into them, neither shall they come in unto you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their dog.
Solomon Cleveland to these in love in the fourth verse. For it came to pass when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods.
That struck me in comparing those two passages in Second Chronicles 9 First Kings 11 That we see an example of a man who had confidence in the flesh. Solomon knew that that the daughter of Pharaoh had no place and no place in in that in the House of David.
00:35:12
That the things of God were holy, That the one they had to do with was holy. And so he built a separate house for her. But.
The result of, as it were, feeling he could handle the situation. I mentioned this for our beloved young people here today, particularly the thought brethren, that we are capable of handling a situation of going into something knowing in our hearts that it's not of God, but we're not going to be stumbled by it. A relationship, a friendship.
Perhaps even a marriage so thinking that you can disobey the word of God, knowing full well what the word of God says.
But that you are able to handle the situation, you can keep yourself so that you won't be stumbled by it. But we see an example in Solomon. He knew it was wrong. He knew that there was no place for the daughter of Pharaoh and those things which were of God. But he went into it knowing full well that it was wrong. And the result was that he ended up having his heart turned away from the war.
Well the word of God says keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.
And the moment we feel that we can trust, feel in any way that we are capable of controlling situations apart from the Word of God, we're going to fail. We're trusting in flesh, and the flesh in the believer is no different than the flesh and the unbeliever. It's just as capable of doing anything to the dishonor of Christ and the ruination of your life and mind as depression and unbelievers.
And the only safe path for us is in subjection to the Word of God.
Not trusting the flesh at all.
13 We would have the.
Remember, we start to do an open role again. You have now the pronouncement is on the train. Swallow.
IF11C brings out the Broadway skin and the left will see cover all the skin of him that have to play from his head even to his clay. Where to live the priest look at him, then the priest should consider.
Before the leprosy had covered all of his flesh. He shall pronounce him clean after play. It is all eternal life. He is saying. It's just to cover me. I believe in time. Here we have.
The soul injured, who can look upon his flesh? The priest can look upon his flesh. And as Isaiah tells us in the first chapter, there is no more challenges in from the soul. Of course, to the crown of the head there is nothing but wounds and bruises and sacrifying swords.
And suddenly comes to that where we see that there is nothing.
That is good in the flesh. What a subtle scenario is that the the look upon some of us and said, well, that's good. Here's a man, that's another where he looks no matter where the priest trust, he sees no soundness. It's all leprous.
But when we come to judge ourselves before God is that like that there's absolutely nothing in us which is acceptable to God in the flesh. Then he said he is clean and it's not necessarily repent and just ourselves ally the most awesome part, the most inconsistently universities and proud Christians.
One who thinks highly of himself in any way.
How did we become Christians is by judging ourselves before God.
What a wondrous thing is when we get into the presence of God and Joe got into the presence of God, we have to say identify. I'd rather be by the hearing of the year, but now I'm not. Excuse me, wherefore I or myself when Peter got into the presence of the Lord Jesus.
00:40:03
You know, he said he parked from the old world. We realized what we are in the presence of infinite folders and then it says when we come to that, all of them like to keep that every force what we the pit commercials indeed and what is brought us into. That's why he follows with what he does.
Because someone might say, oh, but you've never had those things.
So it doesn't mean anything to you, but if you had a position, you'd realize how much it costs to give up something like that. Paul had everything as a natural man in which the flesh could glory. He wasn't like someone who really didn't have anything naturally. He had everything. There are young people who you might say have everything. They have a great deal of personality, personal gifts.
All these kind of things, possession, Paul had all this, but it was a question of getting into the presence of the Lord, as it's been mentioned, when he got into the presence of the Lord, when he saw that light above the brightness of the sun, his whole sense of values was changed. And all those things that he could have had confidence in. Now he said that they were only lost. They were worse than that. They were dumb. He, he was through.
Because he had found something, some person who was so infinitely better. So we could, we can perhaps give up things that were of no real value anyway. We're going after empty things, and we found their empty. It may not be so hard, but for a person who had all these things looked up to and respected by his fellow man because of them, and then in the presence of the Lord.
Say there are nothing. I found infinite value, infinite worth in Christ himself. I think it's so lovely here because when God is going to teach us a lesson, he always picks out a person who had certain things. If he wanted to show the need of new birth, he picks out a man that was a master in Israel and said that man needs to be born again.
He wanted to teach us true worship, what true worship is.
He takes the one who was sunk in the very depths of sin brought to Christ. Now she could learn what true worship is an overflowing heart and Thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. And so to show us the emptiness of earthly things. He picks a man that had everything and shows us this very remarkable to find how this is brought before us. God knows just who to use as the instrument to set.
Certain truths before us.
That of all the men who should be given to write, that all is vanity and vexation of spirit, God should choose a man who was made the richest of all the men the world had ever seen. Given wisdom that marked him out as above any other man that had ever been here in this world. Given him power where he had the power of life and death.
And even as far as pleasure was concerned, he was in a position where he could write and say that he held himself back from any joy.
And as he tried everything, well, someone today might have great wealth, but they might be in a position where they say, well, I've got all this off, but I would like to have power. I would like to be in a position to have power. I might say, well, I'm, I'm very rich, but I'd like to be the president of the United States and so on. Well, God took a man who had it all, gave it all to one man. And then that one man said, I've tried everything and there's nothing there.
The heart can give us a man who emptied himself up at all, the man Christ Jesus.
And there we see not only the picture of what he did and his suffering for us, but.
The gracious way in which he did it, which really is set before us as a pattern here in this book of normal Christianity. It's the gracious way in which the Lord gave himself and offered himself and the joy that he had as he does so.
In serving the Father that gives us the pattern in this book, if it's not thinking of the apostle Paul.
00:45:00
What a contrast. When he was unsaved, breathing out, threatening and destruction, this is what characterized the religious man. But now these writings to us about normal Christianity, he's talking about joy even in the worst of circumstances. Here we see a tremendous contrast.
And her brother was remarking about Leviticus.
Now there's nothing. With the clash, we have the end of Luke 14.
Except the man forsake all, he cannot be my disciple.
And in the 15th chapter we learned there that then came all the publicans and sinners for the hearing. Well, they're the ones who had realized that they not that they had nothing, and they came to hear the Lord Jesus. And I'm afraid today there are many young people who.
We're surrounded with so many things in a natural way. They don't realize that their sole need for eternity. They haven't come to realize that they have a need and sometimes the Lord reduces us to that position where we feel it the mercy if He does. But with many they pass on with the circumstances being.
Such that would.
Give them sort of a temporal happiness here in this world, and they don't realize what true happiness is found in Christ. Happiness of knowing your sins are forgiven and that you have an eternal portion that can never be taken away from you. That's the joy we have in this chapter. The question here of trusting in one righteousness or another is not the apostles bringing before us.
The righteousness which is of the flesh, or the righteousness which is by faith. And so He's bringing before us all that He first.
Trusted in as a natural man.
Or religious man, they might say.
And that righteousness which is of the flesh, which you could glory in until the the Word of God came home to his conscience and smote him. Thou shalt not come. Then he realized that he had nothing because of the offenders. In one point he was guilty of all. He knew that well. It's only getting into the presence of the Lord that enables us to get the right sense of values.
Tells us about the Corinthians. They measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves, were not wise. And we can often do these kind of things, compare ourselves with others, speak of our advantages. We may see here how the Jews rejoiced in their genealogy and all that they had in this way, but we can.
We can think of this to our own families and how perhaps God has come in and blessed our families.
We have to be careful that we don't allow these things to minister to our own spiritual pride. And so all this is set before us to show us that all those things in which the natural heart can glory, not just a Jew, but one brought up in the meeting, can be of this kind too. And if we're not in the presence of the Lord, we can allow these things to give us something in which to glory in his presence. There's.
Complete change, a seventh verse. But what things were gained to me, those I counted lost for Christ. One thinks of what it says in the Proverbs, a false weight and a false balance, or an abomination to the Lord. Every one of us know that to be dishonest in business is an abomination to the Lord. But brethren, isn't it possible to for us as Christians to have a false sense of values too?
And I used to wonder why it spoke about after the shekel of the sanctuary, because money is spoken of as a filthy lucre. Why does it mention after the shekel of the sanctuary, where we only learn the true value of things, even money itself, in the Lord's presence. In His presence we learn what really has value, and God may enable us to use these things for His glory.
But unless we have brought them into the sanctuary, like the children of Israel when they came in and possessed Jericho, and they were to bring all the silver and gold and put it in the treasury of the Lord. And that's the only way in which we can learn the right sense, right value of anything, whether it's money or spiritual things or position or anything. Only place we get the true sense of value is.
00:50:13
His presence, well, I suppose there were few who could bring the credentials of the apostle, brought us to the flesh. It might be that others, like the Kadimus, were of a like character.
Upright, and as far as any outward manifestations were concerned, there was no fault that could be found with them.
But that wasn't before God, was it? And who would want to try to stand before God in their own righteousness?
Surely that would never do, even though we may have a reputation before men who would want to try to stand before God in their own righteousness. And so when Paul finds out that there is a righteousness that will will make him stand in good stead before God, why he just takes the other and throws it overboard completely.
But he had to have this revelation from God himself.
It wasn't anything he discovered by research. No man by searching can find out God.
So it is really the sovereign grace here, like it has always been with blessing for man, God coming in in His own goodness. But the point for us is, are we listening when He does come in to reveal to us the truth?
We might be like Pilate, who said what is true and then he changed the subject. We know at that moment it reached his conscience, but he didn't want it. And sometimes I believe that we resist the truth. In fact, more often than we realize, we resist the truth when we should say.
Speak, Lord, for thy serve, and hear it ourselves in so many ways.
Speaking to myself I'm not trying to be critical of anyone but this subject is joy Lord brother John are the same testing I was thinking every today is testing time, but the captain on the floor not to be the most joining the people on the face of the earth. Despite all the evils of the commander. We have a savior in the glory we have a.
Our sins are all forgiven without the end of this journey. We're on the side of the picture to belong to Christ where it is where children against all.
You don't do this season, but we create that so little thing. I have to improve my own heart. The world is so affected us and affected us with this, with this drawing and soils. It's appeals of all like assault and young people today.
As they ever live before some of us are looking back on our lives, the best part of our lives speaking in a natural sense gone and strengthens way, but all for those who do that kind of would like to be only separate friends before they sell. They have the word study of they never have the time. I think today about my life.
Is is travelling and I'm not real old and I know many noise threatening.
But all studying the word when you're done. And that's what we come back to now. Bridge Park.
Downtown.
All of our joy in the Lord which is our strength facing benefits.
Thinking of John chapter 15 in connection with what you were saying. Brother Hendricks. John chapter 15.
Verses 9:10 and 11:00 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you.
Continue ye and my love. If ye keep my commandments, she shall abide in my love.
Even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love, these things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. We can quote this ninth verse and speak about joy in the Lord, but if there is something being allowed in our lives that is not.
00:55:18
Consistent with the fellowship with the Lord.
Why we're not going to have the enjoyment of this love? That love is ever unchanging. Having loved His own, which were in the world, He loved them unto the end. But when the Lord had spoken these words continually in my love, He immediately tells them how this could be.
If you keep my commandments, she shall abide in my love. And isn't it often true, speaking in a practical way?
We want to enjoy his love, but there's something that's come between.
Something that has been allowed that we haven't really judged in his presence. And the result is we can't enjoy his love until it's been acknowledged, until we're restored to communion with Him. Then we can be in the enjoyment of his love again. We see something of that in our chapter because Paul said in the seventh verse.
What things were gained to me? Those I counted lost for Christ.
Not Speaking of the in the past tense, I counted laws, but now the eighth verse Yeah, doubtless and I count all things but lost. Now he speaks in the present tense. And if there was a time in our lives when the love of Christ had more claim to us when we were in that fresh firstness of freshness of first love and joy in him and and now we're not having that enjoyment of.
There isn't that freshness of first love and it's because something has come in. He hasn't changed, but we have changed and with many of us I believe if we get into the Lords presence we find that there is something that's robbing us of that. Joy. Was very much struck by a comment that I read that the church was in its happiest state when it knew the least, and that was on the day of Pentecost.
Why was why were they all so happy? Just filled with the Holy Ghost, filled with rejoicing, rendering a powerful testimony in Jerusalem. Great grace was upon them all, while there was nothing allowed. All the truth that had been made known to them, they were walking in and enjoying, but as they learned more of the truth and didn't walk in it.
Them little things began to come in.
Has selfishness, as with Animias and Sapphira murmuring because they didn't feel they were getting their share as we have with the widows, and that little things began to come in. But when they were walking in the enjoyment of what they knew. Then there was the enjoyment of his love. And so when Moneys first saved.
Probably walking up to all the light that he knows. He's happy, he's rejoicing.
But we're sitting here, we're learning a little bit more. Are we going to put it in practice?
If we don't, we've learned more, but if we're not going to walk in it, we're going to lose the joy of the Lord in our souls. So we can speak of this joy, and it's very, very important, but let us also remember that there is what is necessary.
And that is, it's in obedience that we enjoy it. A child who is in disobedience to his disobedience to the parent will not be enjoying the parents love. But when he comes and says Daddy or mother, I'm sorry, then he enjoys that love. The love was there all the time. He wasn't enjoying it because he hadn't acknowledged his wrong.
Immediately.
He feels the warmth of love, the hog and the kiss. It's it's settled now. He can enjoy it again. It was always there for him to enjoy. Well may the Lord give us to really be before him that like the apostle, it isn't just what we knew the day he saved us, when we counted all things but lost when we said that I have decided to follow Jesus, but I doesn't go on in our Christian life.
May we be exercised that would be a present thing to count all things but loss for the Excellency of the knowledge.
Of Christ Jesus our Lord. There are different things in Scripture which were instructive, but I was thinking of of John that says, he says of himself, the disciple whom Jesus loved, I believe well, was he not one of the sons of Thunder?
01:00:13
It's very definite in Scripture that that was his past history. He's one of the sons of Thunder, but I don't believe the corrections in his life were made because someone continually hammered at John and told him that he was the son of Thunder.
I believe it is because he was conscious that he was the disciple of Jesus Love.
And we find that the Lord could even trust him. We speak in this way, that the Lord does use certain ones in certain ways, and he could trust him with the Book of Revelation with almost terrible judgments, because he knew that John was in the enjoyment of that love that that he had learned down here.
This was.
Was true, as we noticed of the Apostle Paul too.
What a change there was in the apostle, the time he was breathing out, threatening until the moment he was.
Speaking to the Saints of Thessalonica, I believe it is.
To that he would be.
Like a nurse who would cherish her own children as a father who would exhort his own children. Well, there was quite a difference between.
Paul and his beginnings.
And then you take Peter and the two epistles. There's a lot of difference between the first epistle and the 2nd and the salutation. The first Peter, he says Peter the Apostle, but in the second epistle he speaks of a servant and an apostle. So I believe that there is growth seen in the apostles.
And it wasn't because someone had hammered at them about.
Their faults, but it was because they were conscious.
Of that love when they were living in the joy of Peter also mentions you know.
In the 18th chapter of Luke, where he said we've left all the following what should we have? Therefore, this may be from another gospel, but it's the same passage in Luke 18.
While the Lord says you'll have manifold more in this present time. And so he learns that word manifold and in his first chapter, the first epistle, he speaks of the manifold tribulation, but in the 4th chapter he speaks of the manifold grace.
That goes along with it. So I believe that one who walks in communion learns not on the principle that the law brings out. Do this and thou shalt live.
But on the principle we're considering in our chapter in Philippians, there's one object before the apostle in this chapter and is spoken of his perfection here. Not that there's any perfection in man down here, but in the sense that he has an object for his soul, that's Christ. It's perfection in his pathway. That is, he has only one thing before it.
And that's Christ.
It's. He hasn't reached that object yet.
Although he's in Christ, but he's looking on to the day when he'll be in his presence and in the full enjoyment. All the gospel of Christ pray. Genesis chapter 14 and verse 18 says that Melchizedek, Genesis 14 and 18 and Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine.
And he was the priest of the Most High God, and he blessed him and said, blessed be Abram of the Most High God possessed.
Of heaven and earth, and blessed be the most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.
And he gave him tithe of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the person, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up my hand unto the Lord, the most High God, the Possessor of heaven and earth.
That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelace, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou should say, I have made Abraham rich. And then in the 15th chapter, after these things, the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Fifth VERSE. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward.
01:05:17
And tell the stars that they'll be able to number them. And he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord, who counted to him for righteousness.
To me, we have a picture presented to us here of the priesthood of Christ in Melchizedek, of the one who meets Abraham and reminds him before the testing time comes, reminds him that all that he has, it comes from God. And he goes on to say, blessedly, Abram was the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth.
And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hands. And so it is that the function here of Mount Kisselbeck.
The priest is to remind Abraham or Abram that everything that is good for him comes from God. The result is that then when he meets the king of Sodom, and the king of Sodom makes his offer, take the good, and he wanted the person. He says, give me the person to take the goods to thyself.
It's the very offer, beloved brethren, that safety makes to our souls. Now take the goods. All He wants is the person. All He wants is to have our lives ruined as a testimonies of Christ. All He wants is to have our lives taken up with the things that He offers.
And the result will be that he'll give you the goods. He'll offer all sorts of things. He can offer all sorts of temptations towards your young people. But what he's looking for, the enemy of your soul and mind, is to turn us away. I notice, I believe Mr. Darby translates that verse. Give me the soul and take the goods to myself. Well, when the testing time comes for Abram.
The result of the priesthood is that Abram meets the temptation and says I won't take from a threat to a shoe like.
I won't take anything that is on, lest thou should say I have made Abraham rich. And then the result of that is that the Lord appears to Abram and said, I am thy Shearer, and thine exceeding great reward. And then he says, Look toward heaven. Well, when we come to the 17th chapter of John, we find there what I believe might be considered the Lord's high priestly prayer, and we find him there praying that they might be kept.
From the evil that they might be kept, that there might be that oneness of communion, as well as oneness of testimony, and oneness and glory. And then he sets before their hearts, even in that prayer, the desire of his heart. Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am. Just as if, like he said to Abraham, look toward heaven, look toward heaven. The desire of His heart is that we might be with Him there in the glory.
But what does he seek for us from us now? Well, beloved brethren, he seeks our comfort. He seeks that that joy for his heart and of what will be for the joy of our hearts, that we might have his company now, that we might bring joy to his heart by walking with himself. And So what he said to Abram was, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. Not only I will be not only look toward heaven.
Going to be in the future, but I am thy shield and thine exceeding great reward. And so the apostle Paul, when he looked back, he said he counted his loss when he thought of his present circumstances in a Roman jail. If we could put it that way, if you and I could have said to Paul, Paul for all your life, you've given up perhaps 30 years of your life for Christ and all that's got you as a Roman jail.
All you've got here is a light year. Many have turned away from you. The time was going to come when he was going to have to say all latency of Asia turned away from me.
The time would come and the Apostle Paul's life when he had to write, they only looked disliked. But the time that we have here for the apostle, the testing time, the question is, was it worthwhile? Oh, he says Christ makes it all worthwhile or Abraham wasn't worthwhile. I am thy shield and I'm exceeding great reward. And look toward heaven. And so it is, brethren, for you and I when the testing time came forth, Steven.
He looked for heaven.
01:10:01
And he saw Christ. He saw Jesus standing at the right hand. His heart was taken up with heavenly things. The result is that when the enemy of our souls comes and says, here are the goods I want to give you, the answer of faith is as a result of the intercessory priesthood of Christ, the reminder to impart our hearts of all that he is and all that he's done.
The result will be, brethren, at least been measured, that the answer of faith will be, I will not take from a friend to issue right.