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Philippians, Chapter 4.
Beginning at verse one.
Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved, and long for my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord. My dearly beloved, I beseech Euteus and besieged syndicate, and they be of the same mind in the Lord. And I entreat thee also, true yoke fellow, help those women which labor with me in the gospel.
With Clement also, and with other my fellow laborers whose names are in the book of life, rejoice in the Lord Alway. And again I say, rejoice, let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report.
If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things for those things which ye have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do, and the God of peace shall be with you. But I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again.
Wherein you were also careful but you lacked opportunity.
Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things. I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ.
Which strengtheneth me, notwithstanding ye have well done that ye did communicate with my affliction. Now ye Philippians, and know also that in the beginning of the Gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only, for even in Thessalonica.
He sent once and again unto my necessity, not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all and abound. I am full, having received of aphoriditis the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.
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But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Salute every St. in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you. All the sayings salute you chiefly they that are of Caesar's household.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Just want to make this comment at the very last verse quite different in the diabetes grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. There was a spirit of contention in the that assembly a little bit wasn't there a problem? So it doesn't just say with you all but your spirit. That struck me as being addressing the problem that existed there.
I just read in Galatians 6 the last verse there is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be with your spirit rather than not amendment. Both dealt with legality, didn't it?
The Galatea can really spoil the spirit of an assembly.
In Galatians chapter 5 and verse one, the apostle there uses the same words. He says Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of *******. And then we have the same term used. In chapter one of Philippians verse 27, he says Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.
And then he uses this term.
In verse one of our chapter here.
Dearly beloved and long for my joy and crowned souls stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. And then I think he uses it only one other time in.
First Thessalonians, chapter 3.
Verse eight, he says now we live if ye stand fast in the Lord. And so there was a tendency and there is a tendency in each one of us not to stand for all of the truth of God and perhaps to take it up, as you say in a legal way. But we need to have Christ in view when we stand fast and the Lord stood for all of the truth and we have him as that example.
He doesn't say stand fast in Christ, he says stand fast in the Lord.
In Christ is an expression used in Paul's epistles to describe the position that a Christian is in.
And there's no exhortation or needed for us to remain in that position because there's no devil or man that can take us from it.
Whereas secure in that position before God.
As ever. But he does say stand fast in the Lord, and that brings in the practical side of things where the lordship authority of Christ should be over our lives. And I think if we acknowledge the lordship of Christ, each one of us individually, then we will get along with our brethren. So he starts here with the exhortation to stand fast in the Lord.
Before he beseeches Yeardius and synthetry. It's interesting too. He doesn't say.
Now, brethren, stand fast in the meeting.
He says stand fast in the Lord.
You know that this chapter is mentioned earlier on how Christ being our strength. So verse 13 I believe mentioned already that how we follow all this. What we really still need the Lord's help is He's the one that can strengthen us. He's the one that give us the strength to stand fast on. I believe there are seven different exaltations here that he listed here to stand fast is being the first one of it that we see in verse one. If I may, I'd like to list the other.
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The six on top of that, just for perhaps for the young people here, I know some like to take notes on that. So in verse one here, the first thing we are told to do in order to strengthen ourselves is to stand fast in the Lord. And then in verse two there we are told to what the louder part of the verse is, that we are to be of the same mind. Now often we try to be on the same mind, but here he stresses the point a little bit more. Not just being of the same mind, but of the same mind.
In the Lord and then the third excitation I believe is in verse four. Then we're told and be reminded again sets here rejoice in the Lord. Oh all these things are in are in the Lord. The 4th one would be in verse 5 is that let your moderation or perhaps another word is let your gentleness be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
And then the 6th, the fifth one would be in verse 6. Then with all this in mind, then we can go on and say, be careful for nothing, be careful for nothing. But in everything, by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.
And then in verse eight, it goes through all these lovely things so every things are true and honest and so on to what the end of the verse is that they encourage us to think on these things. You know, how often do we know what we need to do? But we don't dwell on it. It's like we had the exhortation in the last meeting. Many have said to me how it touches the heart and conscience. But now do we think on this thing? Do we dwell more on it? That's the sixth thing is listed, but then the last, the 7th one that it mentioned here in the next verse is something that we often miss because it's only one little word.
And it has only two letters in this word in verse nine in the very middle of that. Let me read just the word so we can stress the point here. The word is do do. So let's read that verse again. Those things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do, and the God of peace shall be with you. Does that mean the same vegetation as.
The Lord says Remember Me this do and remember to me. Paul did that. He was an example in breaking bread for them I believe.
And for us, do do the little word do is an action word, isn't it? Not just to sit and think, not just to talk about it, but to do we require action.
It also requires the right spirit. I was just thinking, but The Unsheathed Sewer, the little pamphlet by Brother Lundeen mentions this about. I can't quote it, I'll just paraphrase. Paraphrase that he says that.
A brother in a right spirit can be the means of either the salvation or the restoration of the whole assembly, but it just takes one also with a bad spirit that can bring about its destruction to the spirit is very, very important.
The assembly was generally going on well, but there was a little piece of sand, shall we say?
Between a couple and it was becoming and they were being irritated with one another and his fear was that it would affect the whole assembly and so he speaks of them by name here, Jordius and Syntaxy. That they would be of one mind in the Lord shows us that.
It's not necessarily prominent. Brothers in an assembly, if they don't agree, will divide the assembly. Even sisters who may not have a prominent part, if they're not getting along, that bitter spirit can affect others and pretty soon the assembly can get polarized. So it's very important that we all have that, that same mind in the Lord, that mind that we had in chapter two of the Lord Jesus going down.
You probably have heard this story before, but Brother Ironside was in a meeting.
Years ago and they were having a Bible reading and they were reading this chapter and there was this, I believe it was a Navajo Indian brother that was the one who would stand up and read the chapter. And he didn't have that good of command of the English language. And when he read this and he got to that second verse, he said, I beseech, odious and soon touchy that they'd be of the same mind. Well, you can imagine.
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How that if there was somebody who was odious and somebody who is very touchy that they're going to be sparks, there's going to be Nitro and there's going to be glycerin. And when you put those two together, even the youngest school child here knows that you got problems. And so we we need the grace of our Lord to to get along with one another.
The remedy was to have the same mind, and of course that mind has been presented to us in chapter 2.
I've seen this illustrated. I used to tune pianos years ago and I would get some because I was a novice tuner. They gave me the junkie pianist to tune and I would.
Get get up in the particular in the upper reaches of the piano where you have three strings together. And the way you bring those three strings together that don't agree is you tune one of them right and tune the second one right and.
Then you tune the third one right. You had a standard you went by, but they had what were called wild strings. Sometimes strings that just you, it could seem like you couldn't make them settle down. But the interesting thing was if you tune two of the strings right, the third string tended to be affected by the harmonics of the two good strings and harmonize. And we can have that effect on one another if we have the mind of Christ.
There are so many ways that a sister can be a help in the work of the gospel, although not publicly. She can do many things to promote the the Lord's work privately and behind the scenes. I think we all have had that experience of sisters who labored for the Lord, whether it be in the kitchen or in the preparation of texts or children's work and so on. They they occupied a very.
Important place.
A place given by the Lord not.
Contrary to the word and they were, they were.
Laboring with us in the gospel. And they were true yokes, fellows, so to speak. So it's an encouragement for the sisters to.
The exercise along these lines.
So they were to be in of one mind, the same mind in the Lord. And so how do we know what that mind is? That was the mind of the Lord. It's really to pick up the word of God and to read of our Savior, the Lord Jesus. And he abode always in the truth. I am the way, the truth and the life. And so we read the word of God and we know something of what the mind of the Lord is. And so we don't set the truth of God aside and.
So to speak, compromise, that there might be peace, and so on. We desire that we would all walk in the same spirit, being subject to the Word of God and to one another. And then there's that sameness of mind.
Let me reread chapter 2 verses one and two. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ with any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any valves and mercies Here it is now fulfill ye my joy that she be like minded, having the same love, being of 1 accord of one mind. And then he says, Let nothing be done through strife.
Or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Very similar to what he says here about these two women.
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You get a beautiful example of the esteeming other better than themselves. Later in that second chapter. We didn't have time to touch on it, but you see that the apostle Paul having worked the mind of Christ out in his own life, when he says in verse 17 of chapter two, yeah, if I be offered or poured out, I think it is upon the sacrifice and service of your faith. I joy and rejoice with you all.
What he was saying there was that their fellowship with him in the gospel by sending fellowship in whatever way funds was, he looked at it as the as the major sacrifice and his would be like a a drink offering sacrifice that would be poured over top of the major one. It's an allusion to what you have in the sacrifices. You know, a person may come with a a burnt offering, which were some major offering like that, and they could elect to put a drink offering over top of it, which was to pour wine over the top of it. It was sort of like a condiment or a something that was added to the major sacrifice.
Beautiful deceit that he does not look at his service for the Lord as the major thing and their fellowship with him as being the little thing. He turns it around exactly the opposite and says your offering is your sacrifice and service of faith. He said I just feel like my life service for the Lord is just like a drink offering being poured over top of yours. There he was esteeming their sacrifice greater than his services for the Lord. A beautiful example.
Of esteeming others better than ourselves. That's a beautiful thing for us to imitate in the assembly.
Then verse verse three it says, I entreat thee also true yoke fellow, help those women which labored with me in the gospel. It's very possible that he's referring to the women in verse two. They were a help to Paul in the gospel.
And here they are now, two sisters at one another. We don't know why, we don't know to what extent, but it was enough for the apostle to be concerned. So if we go back to chapter one and verse 27.
Does only let your manner of life be as it worthy 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, here they were against each other. They were a help in the gospel. Now they were hindered from being a help in the gospel. And so.
You see the?
When when you're at enmity with anyone, especially those that you're going on together with, it hinders your prayer life. It it hinders your ability to be a help in the Lord's things.
It destroys communion. There's there's your whole joy is disrupted. And so he says, I entreat thee also true young color, help those women which labored with me in the gospel.
I enjoy thinking brother, and when you talk about being of the same mind in the Lord that.
In the last chapter we had the exhortation verse 15 as many as.
The tour be thus minded, and if in anything you be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Sometimes, you know, we try to fix up the difference. We try to make the person understand the way we are minded, and they want to make us understand how they're minded.
And it doesn't get any better, but I enjoyed I got this, I think from your brother Clam and that Mister Max Priestly used to say, he says there are some Christians that agree to disagree and there are other Christians that agree to agree.
And neither of them is right. To agree. To disagree is to be content. Just accept it. That that guy, that brother, he thinks that way and I think different.
And there are others who say, well, that brother is so godly, I guess I'd better just agree with him. So you agree to agree. Neither of those is right, brethren. What is right then? To leave it in the Lord's hands? God shall reveal it unto you. And I think that is a great way to take care of it. Don't force it.
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And Bruce mentioned this morning, sometimes it's a matter of spiritual growth. A child of five years old isn't going to understand things the way a 15 year old would understand. You don't force it on the five year old child. You let him grow up. And so we need to sometimes leave those things in the Lord's hands, not try to force things when there's differences of money. God shall reveal even this unto you.
If you read in the book of the Acts, we find that that's the very case with the apostle himself.
It says that the dissension between him and Barnabas was so sharp that they parted ways.
But now he writes this sometime later, and he has the remedy for those differences, and he's learned it, and he's passing it on to the Saints. Beautiful.
And that's what we have in verse 5, isn't it? Let your gentleness, your moderation, be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. In other words, the Lord's right there, brethren. He's listening. He understands why there's the difference.
Then let's be gentle, one with another.
The thought of the Lord is at hand.
If you knew the Lord was coming in the next hour.
How would you conduct yourself?
What kind of things in your life would you immediately try to change?
Would you want to be in a state of soul that he would approve of when he came? I believe that's the emphasis of the of the Lord at hand is it's always having before us our conduct and that we should we should be living a life that gives glory to his name.
Mr. Derby in his translation, states that this way the Lord is near.
He's near. And so when we find ourselves gathered to the Lord's name, we're in a very privileged situation where we have the Lord in the midst. He is at hand. And so we need to be very careful how we conduct ourselves.
Before we get too far from it.
This is the third time the apostle Paul brings before us in verse 4, rejoicing in the Lord, says rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say rejoice. So he said it three times in this epistle.
It needs it needs our attention, and it's brought to mind 2 verses in the Psalms, the first of which is Psalm 34, I believe.
You notice our verse says rejoice in the Lord always. We say, yes, that's a good idea, so of course we do it. No, we don't. We know we should. Why don't we? Well.
Hint at it in Psalm 34 verse one. It says I will bless the Lord at all times.
In other words, there's a purpose of heart. We heard a bit about that last night or yesterday afternoon, and we need to have a purpose of heart to give the Lord His place in our lives and our lips. I will let, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. But it cannot be merely a matter of the will or something else too.
Psalm 22.
Psalm 22 and verse 26.
The meek shall eat and be satisfied as this.
Phrase I had in mind, they shall praise the Lord that seek him. We all want to be happy Christians.
But it's God's intention that we should never be happy apart from Christ. We can't have the experience without the person. We'll have both together in heaven, and that's the way it's supposed to be down here too. They shall praise the Lord that seek Him. If the Lord doesn't fill our hearts with praise, we need to say, have I sought him lately?
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It is difficult to rejoice when you see problems and difficulties before you. It's easy to talk about it, but I believe one way to get around that problem is to know what is ahead of the problems. If you know that the end is better than what you see, then it's easier to rejoice. And I believe that's why the Lord let us know what is ahead of us. And we've been reminded many times how our own character should be heavenly regardless of what happened here in this world. We can rejoice because.
We know, we know where we're going to be. We know that we're going to be like Him. We know that we're going to be conforming to His image because our brother reminded us yesterday how we are in Christ, with Christ, and will be with him in eternity. Now I'm thinking of a passage that perhaps many already know. I'd like to turn to a passage in the book of Habakkuk. We don't often turn to that book, but it's a short book. There are only three chapters in it and the Book of Havoc.
Talked about the five different worlds that the Lord speak about.
Nebuchadnezzar but this world speaks of all these terrible things that's going to happen to Israel. This book was written perhaps about 20 years or so before Nebuchadnezzar come and destroy Israel. I just want to look at the last couple of verses because it talked about the problems, but yet they can rejoice. Habakkuk chapter 3. And I don't think we need much comment from just reading these verses.
It's nice to read through the chapters to get the connections, but we'll just read the last couple of verse. Verse 17 says here, although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, and the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat. The flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there should be no herd in the stall. We think of that. That's dreadful and terrible things.
How to see fig trees, the most important fruit that give them fruit and oil that failed here, all the vine and so on. And the flocks were being cut off. What are they to do? They know that it's to come, but yet knowing what is ahead of them, they were able to tend this in verse 18. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation.
What confident they have.
And in our chapter, the remedy for the problems that would impede our joy is in verse 6.
Be careful for nothing or you might read it. Be full of care about nothing. Doesn't mean we're careless, but we.
The rest of the verse in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving. Let your request be made known unto God. In other words, He wants us to tell Him everything. Doesn't mean He's going to answer every request.
But when we do tell him everything, there is a positive result in our own hearts.
And it is in verse 7, the peace of God.
Which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Mr. Eric Smith used to explain that this is a word picture, and it's a picture of a town in those olden days that was surrounded by a wall and outside the wall was.
A division of the army Garrison the city. It's not that we keep the peace of God, but the peace of God keeps our hearts and minds.
So we go to the Lord, we tell Him everything. We make our requests. Doesn't mean we're going to get all our requests, but the result is that there's peace in the soul to keep our hearts and minds. Wonderful provision for us as we walk through this world. There are problems too big for us, brethren. They are not too big for the Lord.
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Take them to him. Unload your load of care there.
And the peace of God will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Are we to understand this to be an individual matter or are we to understand it what he's setting before the assembly at Philippines, the assembly matter?
Do you understand my question?
Well, can't you apply it both ways?
Well, maybe so.
I'm sure it can apply as an assembler or as an individual too.
In the second chapter it seems to be more collective there that they all needed to have the mind of Christ so that they could workout with practical salvation from.
The spirit of contention here, he seems to be addressing it on the individual level.
And oftentimes the reason that there is carefulness is because there isn't submission to what the Lord has allowed. And so the flesh profiteth nothing and it it wiggles it, it seeks to escape the circumstances and the situations that the Lord allows to test us and to produce that fruit for himself in our lives. And so he gives this remedy that we might submit, not be careful about these things filled with care and trying to solve the thing ourselves.
But in everything by prayer, that's that dependence that he would desire for us and these issues of life with supplication and Thanksgiving. So to supplicate for others that perhaps are involved. And then with Thanksgiving. You know, our brother Gordon Hale used to say there are circumstances in life that will develop and be sure in those circumstances to thank the Lord. And sometimes you may have to be weeping on your knees with tears running down the face, but still thank them for the problems.
Thank him for the trials that he's allowed. And so let your requests be made known unto God. And so we sometimes feel that we have a perfect solution all figured out. But the Lord says you just request, don't demand, don't make force a demand, so to speak and.
Have that solution, perhaps you might make that request, but then just leave it with him and then it says I was thinking of first, John.
And how lovely the Spirit is there of John. He says in chapter five of first John and verse 14. This is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will, He heareth us. And if we know that he hear us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. And so let's just make the request an independent lay the burden down.
And umm, then there's that, not that fretting and trying to solve it ourselves. And then there can be a thankful spirit. Then there's that peace of God which passeth all understanding and it's going to keep our hearts and our minds and our minds and our hearts can be taken up with person of Christ instead of the issues that are at hand.
In connection with that, Robert.
I in first Peter 5 there's a couple of verses that go along with that. I think there is important.
Says humble yourselves. It's verse six. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Remember a brother telling talking on those verses and he says this sometimes we have the experience of seeking to cast.
A care on the Lord and we tell them about it, but it seems like we get up and we continue to be burdened by it. And he suggested that verse six comes before verse seven because we need to recognize in what the Lord has allowed. He has allowed it for a purpose. First of all, we need to acknowledge his hand in it and humble ourselves there.
And then when we come, we will be able to cast the burden and leave it there.
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Can we imagine ourselves being in that assembly that morning?
When this letter is read.
And the names of.
Sent a key and Yodius are mentioned. You can almost see the heads turn and look at these sisters. So I believe in chapter 2 has been said that we're going to have almost the same instructions just in chapter 4. Yet they're not named in chapter 2. So it's more collective. So it's individual here under even name. So you can imagine the squirming that went on in those seats and but yet how careful the apostle Paul is in the next verse.
Just as I turn my head to look at them, the next verse was red. And then it says, and I entreat the also true young fellow, help those women. Help those women. So it's very serious. When it came down, they actually had to name names. But he involves rest of the assembly too, not in condemning them, but the word has helped them.
I guess there's a difference between.
Peace with God, which is a result of the work of Christ. When we've accepted Him as our Savior, we have been justified by faith. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. That is eternal in character. It doesn't fluctuate. It depends upon the finished work of Calvary. We we enjoy that unhinderedly, but we don't always speak for myself.
Have this peace of God.
The problem?
In the first case was our sins.
Which were burdening us and we brought them to the Lord, and He settled that matter.
And gave us that wonderful peace through the blood of his cross.
But now with the cares and the problems and the difficulties that we encounter.
We are invited to bring those to the Lord in the same way and lay them at his feet, and there's nothing too small for the Lord. I think maybe the young people might profit by that, that in all the difficulties you have at school or work or whatever.
We tend to go to the Lord in emergencies, yes, but in every detail of our lives. There's nothing too small for the Lord. He's interested in our progress at school, in our friendships, in our business relations, et cetera, et cetera. We can pour everything out at his feet. Not very many people you can pour out your heart to unhinderedly, but we can to the Lord. However, there is a, there is a point that I think we all recognize that is.
There may be something in my life that I am not willing to judge and therefore I don't have confidence in prayer. I we all know the scripture. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. That verse that our brother Bob referred to. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. It might be that there's something in my life that I refuse to judge and I really haven't humbled myself and judge that matter in the Lord's presence. I'm still still meddling with something that is.
Dishonouring to the Lord, I'm not going to have confidence in prayer, neither will I be able to cast those cares at His feet. So there is a state of soul that comes into the picture here that I think we have to recognize. Are we walking in uprightness before the Lord and death and judging those things which we we know are not honoring to Him or pleasing to Him in our in our lives?
Remember as a young believer.
Very interesting when you meditate on it that.
Respond to a difficulty. You take your natural response.
Reverse it and.
And check it out with scripture.
Someone smites you on the cheek, What's your normal response?
Reverse burn the cheek. Check it with scripture.
Yeah, that agrees. So here in this case when you have difficulties.
In the assembly.
Speaking as long as you have a sailor in this.
Difficulties in your individual lives what happens when you have.
00:45:06
Some that are loggerheads in the assembly.
Well, here it says to rejoice.
That's not my natural response, but that's what Scripture says.
And to not meet it with harshness.
But we're gentle.
And to realize that there is a resource for us. The Lord is near.
To realize that I don't need to be anxious about it.
He says be careful about nothing.
So what do I do? I go to Yemen. Remember in Matthew 18 where that one who had been forgiven for so much and failed to forgive his full service, there were those that saw it. What did they do? They just gossip about it. Did they just turn within themselves? No.
They were very sorry. And then what? It went and told their Lord, and then what?
And then the Lord, the Lord took care. You know, how wonderful to see that we need to make our request and known it to God, and then that peace of God can come over when we have difficult assembly conditions, we have difficulty in our personal lives. How wonderful.
Do we have we have a pattern for us to rejoice? Not in the circumstances.
But in the Lord to go to him and let his peace sweep over us, and let our hearts be guarded by him and his thoughts, and to think about those things, you know the enemy wants to distract us from thoughts that are positive.
And that's what the apostles saw as convention, as a danger here in the assembly of Philip I. How wonderful they turn that around completely.
I have something positive come out of something that was could be really devastating to the assembly. So as we go back to our home assembly, as we go back to our homes, I think there are principles here that we can apply, aren't there?
Verse eight shows the positive side, doesn't it? For the Georgia, it's once we have unloaded all the cares at the Lord's feet, then we need to occupy our minds with what is positive.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, so things are good. Report there be any virtue, there be any praise, Think on these things. To me, this is what it means in first Peter chapter one, and it says gird up the loins of your mind. It means to control your thinking. Brother, we should not let our thinking go in any direction.
Without control, and that's the problem with.
TV and movies because you're letting your mind go in directions that are often not true, not pure, not honest.
We are, We're supposed to think on these things. Still remember Paul Wilson years ago speaking on this verse?
And you remember how pointed he was at times. He read it this way. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, that rules out all novels.
He says. I know that there are supposed Christian novels, but brethren, we need to occupy our minds with what is true.
It's scary when I see young people and children who do not any longer know how to distinguish between what's true and what's false.
It's all a hodgepodge to them. It's all just mixed up. We need to know what's true. We need to fill our minds with what's true. And so this is a real way to test that which you allow your mind to be occupied with it.
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There's wonderful biographies of of missionaries and other biographies that are true. Occupy your mind with those things. Don't let it go in directions that don't fit this verse 8.
Paul could exhort, be ye followers of me, even as I am also of Christ. So in the next verse and ninth verse, those who do what Paul did, there's a reward that the God of peace shall be with you.
Not the peace of God, but the God of peace.
Were you going to go through the rest of those? Nope. Go ahead.
What a disappointment.
There's other brother in here.
A visit I had with AC Brown shortly before he passed away, he told me the real force of verse eight was these are the things that we should look for in our fellow brethren, and this would be the remedy for degenerating to the strife that developed in that assembly between Yodius and Sintiki.
There is that tendency, brethren, whatsoever things are true, we know a great danger among the people of God that.
Would separate us from one another in affection and thought is gossip. There's much that's said that isn't true, but we should have no part of it. And we can go down this list. Things that are honest, things that are lovely and so on. Are these the things that we feed upon about our brethren? There's many things that could be said, and some of them rightly so, but they're not that which would promote unity among the Saints of God. It's not not that which is edifying in character.
And as we see in verse 9, when Paul says think on these things, he says those things.
But you have seen in me, you have learned, received, heard, and seen in me do so these things that they were to look upon one another. They already had a demonstration for them in the apostle Paul thinking of a verse back in Genesis chapter 32.
That has sobered me along this line of what we feed on about what we hear about our brethren.
We know the story well about Jacob when the Lord met him and wrestled with him.
Genesis 32 and verse 31 it says, And he passed over Peniel, the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh under this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh, sinew that shrank. Well, that seems odd. Well, there are things perhaps that maybe even we know about our fellow brethren, and the Lord has come in and dealt with them about a certain matter.
That's crippled them in measure and it's been a discipline for them the rest of their life. But the word and warning for us is let's not feed on that. Let's feed on that which is constructive and positive. And this is what we provide, unity among the people of God. Sadly, it seems some brethren perhaps can say very little good about their brethren. Isn't it lovely when we see someone that only has something positive to say about their brethren? Well, if we follow the exhortation in this verse, no doubt it would be a great.
Constructive principle for us to promote unity and joy in the Assembly.
And it makes for growth too, for exotic to grow in faith and grow in knowledge and things like that. And I was thinking of verse 7:00 and 9:00 as being a parenthesis around Brother Mcintosh's life. I understand that the very first pamphlet that he wrote was titled The Peace of God. That's where you'd occupy with first. You know, we've made peace with Gabby. Enjoy that so much. But there should be progression and growth as it was with him and apparently.
The last pamphlet he wrote was Under the God of Peace, and I think that's.
Speaks well of his life and would be instructive for all of us to progress from just the peace of God, to be occupied with himself, that God of peace.
The next verses are interesting, brethren. He talks about the.
Help that the Philippians had sent him. Your care of me hath flourished again, wherein you were also careful, but you lacked opportunity. This is not that I speak in respect of one. I think this is so helpful, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. This was not something that came naturally to the Apostle.
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He says. I have learned, and I think it's something we all have to learn.
Not therewith to be content. Godliness with contentment is breaking my say brother, and I've been amongst some poor people in this world. But when there's content, it is a supreme joy to be with him. Not this attitude. Oh boy, if I just add that I could be content, no.
Godliness with contentment is great gain. And then he says in verse 12, I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound everywhere and in all things. I am instructed to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
You know what impresses me? Sometimes people think that if they had such and such, then they could do the Lord's work. If you're not doing what the Lord gives you to do right now with what you have, you will never be able to serve the Lord. It's not having abundance that capacity you to do the Lord's work. It is not a lack of having things that hinders you from doing the Lord's work.
What is it then? The secret is in verse 13. I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me, and it's beautiful to me to see what is done with seemingly so little when there is a right attitude and a looking to the Lord. He is the one who gives the increased brethren. It's amazing to think of that time the Lord was with those 5000 men.
In the desert. And he asked the disciples to give them to eat. They didn't have anything. Well, they did have 5 loaves and two fishes, but they said, what's that amongst so many? Put it in the Lord's hands. He can multiply what seems so insignificant. And the Lord did that. He gave thanks and he multiplied it so that all were satisfied.
And there was enough to carry home to those who weren't there 12 baskets full of leftovers. Oh, brother, And that's our God. And if we're just the simplicity of faith and looking to him, I find it a constant lesson, brethren, being amongst our dear brethren in South America sometimes in such poor circumstances. But the way the Lord comes in when there is simplicity of faith in looking to him.
Don't be discouraged in your whole meetings. We have a God who is fully able for every situation. Let's trust him more implicitly. So the apostle Paul at times had abundance. At times he was hungry, but he found sufficiency in Christ. I think that's nice. And Bob and I noticed that Paul changes the verb here.
He didn't say I know how to be hungry, he said. I am instructed to be hungry.
Hunger is something that's not natural and it's an awful feeling and you might have to go a few days without something to eat and say, Mr. Stomach, it's not coming yet. Just wait a while. God has just wait a while, but he comes in and meets the need if we trust him.
Thinking this land, we think of it a little bit differently. We are so accustomed to having things and having always just a little bit more. In fact, I remember even back in my younger days, my Sunday school teacher said remember the word enough. He said we often don't want too much, we want just enough. But what is enough? Enough is just a little bit more and whatever we have, we just want that little bit more. And it seems that in this land we use the phrase that.
We just don't make enough. We always want to make a little bit more trying to get ahead. I'd like to turn to just one portion in the book of Hageeide because I think it speaks off the conditions that we may face today for many of us because, you know, in the Book of Hageeide, they were our captivities. In fact, they were doing pretty good. And the house, remember that in Ezra's day, they built the foundation of the temple. They laid the the altar down and then things were forgotten.
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Things people were doing well and they've forgotten about the House of the Lord just want to read a couple verses there in the first chapter in the book of Hagei. I'll begin that with verse 5 now therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts. Consider your weight and I believe this is a message for us here and I believe we'd be reminded that a number of times through the past few days. Consider your weight verse six. You have so much and bring in little.
You eat.
But you have not enough. Ye drank, but ye are not filled with drink. Ye clothe you, but there is none warm. And he that earneth wages, earnest wages, to put it into a bag with holes. And we find that the more we struggle, there seems that the harder things get. Well here it would give us a little bit of a taste of what they have felt, that Can you imagine putting money in that bag, as if that bag have holes in it? But then the Lord gave them a little solutions there.
Verse 7 Thus set the Lord of hosts. Consider your ways, consider your weight, brethren. Verse 8 Go up to the mountain and bring wood, and build the house, and I will take pleasure in it, and I will glorify it, saith the Lord. Oh, do we not? You have to go up to that mountain, bring wood. Think of Christ, the humanity of Christ, think of him. Build a house for the Lord.
And you know, he gave us this comfort like to just jump over to the next chapter, chapter two. He gave them something that he I believe we have today. Earlier on we mentioned about the word of God, what comfort it is that we have the word of God before us. I believe the three things that we have like they do in verse two, in chapter 2, a lot of part of verse four, the Lord gave them this assurance. He said, I am with you.
Sayeth the Lord of hosts, Can we take that assurance? Yes, we can. The Lord said I am with you. Verse five, according to the word. Do we have that too? Yes, we do. We have the word of God before us. He's promised to be with us. He have His word before us. And then the louder part of verse five. So my spirit remaineth among you, Fear ye not. What a comfort we should have to know that we have His Word, we have him.
We have the Spirit guiding, teaching, leading and comforting us.
Proverbs mentioned made of the poor frequently. And he that lendeth unto the poor, or he that giveth unto the poor lendeth unto the Lord. And so here the dear apostle Paul, he was poor, he was perhaps penniless, and he had needs, and he depended wholly upon the Lord for those needs. These dear Philippians, they sent for his needs. But then it says in verse 16, For even in Thessalonica you sent once and again unto my necessity.
And so, you know, the Lord appreciated it and it's written in the word inspired word of God that they gave and they gave and they gave. And so we need to remember that what we have is already being mentioned previously, that we're stewards of what the Lord has given us and it really doesn't belong to us. And those that need it may need it more than we do. We need to have a an open heart to give. I can't remember one of the brethren out West here used to have the saying that the Christianity ought to be characterized by the open palm, not to close fist.
And so our hearts are taken up with those of the Lord's people that are poor, and we ought to have that affection for them to minister their needs in a practical way.
In verse 17 shows that it wasn't that he desired to receive, but that He desired that fruit would abound to their account. I think that's a beautiful thing. We need to be stirred about giving, brethren. That's what characterizes Christianity like you say it. It's important that we be giving. Let's keep our eyes open where we can do it in a way that would glorify the Lord. In verse 18 shows how he felt about it. It was a sacrifice.
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An order of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God if Aphrodite is was the one who brought it. And I think that is such a beautiful example too of service that can be done sometimes a person going to that person and confirming the love. That must have been a tremendous blessing to the Apostle Paul in prison to have that brother come.
And give him I'm certainly he must have stayed there a while to see if he could do anything for him. We know that he got sick while he was there with the apostle Paul. But these are also a sacrifice that God finds well pleasing.
That little statement.
It is more blessed to give than to receive means very, very much as to the character of our meetings. What's the most blessed thing we can do? Give to God, to think of him taking from us, and worship and praise and Thanksgiving and obedience. He puts us in the more blessed place of giving for receiving. Now always pretty rich to receive, and it's pretty necessary to ask, but to give is better.
It's important to see that we are.
Stewards of everything that we possess, we're going to have to give an account of the way in which we have used our time, used our temporal resources, and whether it be money or or talent OR gift or whatever, the money's going to perish, but not the way in which we have used it. That will go on into eternity as a reward. So it it really is an exercise how we are using these temporal things that God has entrusted us with.
Are we exercise?
To employ them for the Lord, for his glory and his service.
Not that a reward is the motive, but it certainly is an encouragement. In that coming day there will be a reward, we know. Make yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, and when it fails he may be received into everlasting habitations. I think the principle is there. So whether we have a house or whatever, we can use that for the Lord's glory, and for His people, and for the furtherance of His interests here below.
There's a verse that puts.
Lots of emphasis in what you're saying John in First Corinthians chapter 4 and it concerns the apostle Paul but is teaching for us the first verse.
Of First Corinthians chapter 4. Paul is writing to the Corinthians, he says.
Let a man show account of us. I believe he means the apostles as of the ministers of Christ. Now that's the highest, one of the highest officers that you and I have, servants of Christ. That's what that means. Ministers are servants of Christ. But that doesn't stop there. He goes on and says.
And.
Stewards of the mysteries of God. Now that's the gathered Saints that have so much truth. The mysteries of God are made known to us in these meetings by God Himself through the written Word as being gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
They're mysteries of God. The world doesn't know much about it.
We're seeing 312.
On Almighty.
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Lord.
Encouraged by Life by.
When it's going to follow?
We.
Are guide.
To this salvation.
Race.
They've been great.
Long as we.
First Chronicles, chapter 12.
First Chronicles 12 and verse 38.
All these men of war that could keep rank came with the perfect heart that he brought to make David king over all Israel, and all the rest also visual were of one heart to make David kick. And there they were with David three days eating and drinking for their brother, and had prepared for them. Moreover, they that were nigh them even under Issuer and Zebulun and NAFTA lie brought bread on ***** and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen and meat meal cakes of figs.
And bunches of raisins and wine and oil and oxen and sheep. Abundantly. So there was joy in Israel. So I give thanks.