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You You You All right brethren, welcome to the second service this afternoon. Please take your hymnals and let's turn to hymn number 157. Let's start with hymn number 157. We'll begin by singing, Calm Thou Almighty King. You can remain seated. One, five, seven. Calm Thou Almighty King. AAAAAAAAAA Come thou Almighty KingSlow past my name to see Now last in praise, O Mother of glorious, Come, all victorious, come and reign over us, ancient of days. Come, love, in coming word, word on thy mighty soul, our prayer at hand. Come, and I live with less, thy word, sex and spirit, come all in us, all us to save. Come, holy, come, for turn, thy sacred interest may, in this bad fight. Thou rule all lives here, thou rule in every heart, and evermore, receive the spirit of God. To the great God in three, eternal praises He and several more, His sovereign advocacy, they will all receive. All right, Heavenly Father, Lord, I want to thank you to be able to be in your house once again this afternoon. Lord, I just pray that you would take the things that we've learnt from your Word and you would help us to live out a life that's pleasing and holy for you, Lord, this coming week. Lord, thank you once again for salvation for Jesus. And Lord, I just pray that as the people here this afternoon, Lord, in your life of the Church, that you would guide us, that you would teach us, Lord, that our hearts and minds would be opened to receive your Word and that we would not be distracted by anything else, Lord. Help us have our minds and attention upon you. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, 472, please, 472, this is my Father's world, 472. This is my Father's world, and to my list it is. This is my Father's world, and to my list it is. This is my Father's world, and to my list it is. This is my Father's world, and to my list it is. This is my Father's world, and to my list it is. All right, great singing. Please take your Bibles now and turn to Psalm 19. We're going to be singing from Psalm 19. We haven't sung Psalm 19 in a little while, so please turn there. Psalm 19. I think you guys know pretty well how we sing this one, so we're going to start there in verse number 7, and verse number 10 is the chorus. All right, so let's start there in verse number 7. Ready? Verse 8. Verse 9. Verse 11. Verse 12. Verse 13. All right, excellent singing. All right, now you've got your Bibles there, so please turn to Philippians chapter 1. Philippians chapter 1 is where the reading is from, and Brother Brody's coming up for the reading. Philippians chapter number 1. Philippians chapter 1. Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus, which are Philippi, with the bishops and the deacons. Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine, for you, all making requests with joy, quench for your fellowship in the Gospel, from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Even as it is met for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, in as much as both in my bonds and in the defence and confirmation of the Gospel, you are all partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ, and this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, that ye may approve things that are excellent, that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out, rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel, so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places. And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife, and some also of good will. The one preached Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds, but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the Gospel. What then, notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and I therein do rejoice, yea, and I will rejoice? For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness as always. So now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by my life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor, yet what I shall choose I whatnot. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all, for your furtherance and joy of faith, that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one Spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation and that of God. For unto you is given the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but to also suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now to hear to be in me. Dear Lord, I'd like to thank you for this day and everyone here this afternoon. I'd like to pray that the Holy Spirit be upon Kevin as he preaches. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. We are going to start a new book of the Bible. I did say that we're going to start in John. I decided against John just simply because I am going through our statement of faith and we're going through who God is, and I felt like I was going to tread a lot of the same ground if I went straight to John. So we are going to do Philippians, and then we'll do our regular free Psalms between books, and then after those free Psalms I'll be doing the book of John. But look at Philippians chapter 1 verse number 21. It says, For to me to live is Christ. The title for the sermon this afternoon is To Live is Christ. Can you say that about your life? To live is Christ. For to me to live is Christ. What a phrase. I think many times we live for ourselves, or we live for our hopes and dreams, but truly brethren, we ought to be living for Christ. And this doesn't mean that quit your jobs and all become pastors and all start churches and all be missionaries, full time missionaries. It's just that everything we do in our life ought to be for Christ. You know, God has given us life. He's given us a new day. He's given us family. He's given us work. He gives us opportunities. And whatever it is that we are given, brethren, we are to do it for Christ. To live for Christ. Now before we get into the main chapter here, obviously this is Paul writing to the Philippian church in Philippi. In fact, it says there in verse number 1, Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ to all the saints in Jesus Christ which are at Philippi. Okay, so before we get into Philippians, let's first understand a little bit of the history of this church. So please keep your finger there in Philippians and turn with me to Acts chapter 16. Acts chapter 16 and verse number 12. Because what we do read about as far as the beginning of this church does play into what he teaches in the book of Philippians. So Acts chapter 16 and verse number 12. This is part of Paul's missionary journeys, going from city to city, preaching the gospel, getting a congregation together, starting churches. And it says in Acts 16 verse 12, and from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, so you can see it's a major city there, and a colony. And we were in that city abiding certain days. And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a riverside where prayer was want to be made, and we sat down and spake unto the woman which resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira which worshipped God, heard us, whose heart the Lord opened and she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized in her household, she besought us saying, if ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there, and she constrained us. And from the very beginning, they go to Philippi, the very first person they get saved, there is this woman, Lydia, alright, she gets baptized, and then she invites them to stay as a base, you know, in her house as a base, as they continue preaching in that city. Now, drop down to verse number, we're not going to go into all the history here, but let's go down to verse number 22, because, look, it's a wonderful start. This almost feels like the very first door you knock. Have you ever gone soul-willing, the very first door you knock, someone gets saved. It's like, and now you're on a high, it's like, man, this is just going to be awesome, alright. Well, it doesn't really end up too awesome for them, okay. I mean, it seems like a really receptive place to begin, but we get to verse number 22, just very quickly, people start to rise up against the preaching of the Gospel, and it says here in verse number 22, and the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates, so even the leaders, even the authorities there, and the magistrates rent off their clothes and commanded to beat them. Man, imagine that copping a beating for preaching God's word. I mean, it started well, but now you've been beaten up, verse number 23, and when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely, so then they get thrown into prison after getting beaten. But you know what's so amazing about this story, you know, I almost feel like, man, if I got beaten by a town or city, and then thrown into their prison, I don't know about you, but I almost feel, I mean, I don't know, I guess sometimes, you know, by the working of the Holy Ghost, the feeling of the Holy Ghost, I guess we could respond differently, but I guess right now, I'm just thinking, man, I'd be so discouraged if I was, you know, if I was poor, I was in this situation, but we have the great story that takes place with this Philippian jailer. It says in Acts 16, verse 29, and if you know the story, a miracle takes place, they're singing praises, they're praying to God, and then God opens up the prison doors, and the Philippian jailer is so shocked by this that he decides to end his life, commit suicide. I guess this is a death sentence for him, you know, thinking that all prisoners are going to escape out of his hand. And then it says in verse 29, and he called for, sorry, Paul says, hey, you know, don't kill yourself, you know, we're still here, so you can, you know, and he starts, the Philippian jailer starts to have a conversation with Paul, and then it says in verse 29, and he called for a light and sprang in and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? What a response. You know, I mean, if Paul and Silas weren't thrown into prison here, weren't beaten up, thrown into prison, they probably would never have crossed paths with this Philippian jailer. And what's his question? In fear and trembling, sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Can't be any clearer than that, amen? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house, and your family. Hey, if your family also believe, they too will be saved. What happens? Verse number 32. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. So he invites him into the house, his house. All right. Hey, come and preach to my whole house, come to preach to my family. Verse number 33. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes, and was baptized. He and all his, straightway, and they immediately get baptized. Everybody, his family, everybody that heard the word, everyone that believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, that very same night, they all get baptized. And then he takes care of their wounds, you see there. He washed their stripes. All right, so this kind of gives us, you know, the beginning of the Christians, the believers in Philippi. And of course, a number of these, we don't know exactly who everybody would be, but eventually a church gets formed in that city. And so let's go back to Philippians chapter 1. So this then, Philippians chapter 1, you know, the book of Philippians is, you know, sometimes it's hard to know exactly, but it's estimated it's about 10 years after all these events. Okay, so the church is running potentially for a good 10 years of time here. And it says in Philippians 1, 1, Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons. So you can see that this church over these 10 years has started to form. Okay, it says to all the saints, and by the way, brethren, if you're saved, you're a saint. Okay, there is none of this Catholic nonsense that says, well, only the best of Christians are saints. They say basically, if you can do three miracles after your death, then you're canonized as a Roman Catholic saint. I don't know how they work this out. Anyway, obviously, obviously it's nonsense. But no, the Bible is very clear. If you're saved, you're sanctified, which is where the word saint comes from, you are a saint. But not only did we learn about the saints here, we see that this is a developed church or maybe multiple churches in Philippi, where there are, it says there, sorry, I lost my, oh yeah, with the bishops and deacons. So you can see there's been a time where the bishops have developed, there are people that are qualified to become the pastors or the bishops, which means the overseer, and not only that, but they also need deacons. So, obviously, this church had grown to the point where the bishops alone could not do the work. They need a deacon. So definitely a developed church. And in fact, as you read through the book of Philippians, they are a developed church. There really isn't any major issues with this church. I mean, I'm sure you know, as you read your New Testament, you read about certain churches, there are many times that Paul has to call out major issues in the church. But in the book of Philippians, you don't really have any major issues. Again, very developed, very mature, you know, the two officers, the bishop and the deacons, they're there serving in the local body. Verse number two. It says, Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Just like this morning I said, many of these epistles, you see the opening referring to God our Father, God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, once again confirming that Jesus Christ is not the Father. Okay, otherwise, he wouldn't have to separate the two in this way. So of course, two distinct persons. And when he says, Grace be unto you, what he's trying to, of course, grace is unmerited favor. We often use that definition, and I think it's a good definition. But of course, he's saying, look, the grace of God be upon you, meaning that in your time of help, in your time of need, you know, he prays that God's grace, that God's help will see them through in a time of need. And then it says, and peace. And brethren, you know, we need peace. We need the peace of God, which passeth all understanding. You know, when it comes to this world, the most peaceful people ought to be believers, ought to be those in the house of God. And again, we know how wicked this world gets, we know how bad this society gets, and how bad the economy is getting. And you know, sometimes we get a little bit worried, a little bit fearful, but brethren, we've been given the peace of God. You should be peaceful. You should be at peace. Okay, we've got God's grace, we've got God's peace. You know, so we should not be people that are worrying, people that are anxious. You know, sometimes I talk to people, and believe it or not, there are several people in church here and down in Sydney that say, you know, I struggle with anxiety. You know what the answer to your anxiety is? The peace of God. The peace of God. You must go to God and say, God, give me that peace that I read about in your scriptures. I don't want to be worried, I don't want to be anxious, I don't want to be, you know, concerned about every little thing that happens. Help me overcome this anxiety with the peace that comes from you. Verse number three, he says, I thank God, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. I love these beautiful words. You can see that Paul loves the congregation, he loves the church. And every time he remembers the church, every time he remembers members of the church, he says, I give God thanks. Like, oh man, yeah, brother So-and-so, that's right. He says, I thank you, Lord, for bringing that person to my remembrance. Why is that? Because then in verse number four he says, always in every prayer of mind for you, all making requests with joy. He goes, yes, Lord, thank you for bringing that brother again to my mind so I can pray for him, so I can pray for his needs, so I can pray for her needs. And again, brethren, this is a good church, this is a loving church. I don't know about you, but what happens during the week, what happens on Tuesday when you remember Pastor Kevin? Oh, man, is that what happens? Sister So-and-so, why did she come to my mind? No, no, no, look, let's give God thanks when people come to our mind. God puts it in our remembrance so we can remember to pray for them. It's like, I don't want to pray for them. What does he say here? Always in every prayer of mind of you, all making requests with joy. He goes to God and says, Lord, I'm bringing the request of my brother or my sister in church, and I do it with joy. I'm excited, Lord. Thank you for the opportunity to pray for my brethren. Let's never get to the point where we get sick of someone saying, can you pray for me? I don't want to pray for that prayer request. Now look, obviously there are some requests that maybe aren't quite right. You can still pray for the brother. Hey, if a request is not quite right and you know it, you say, Lord, this brother has a request, but you know what's best for them. Lord, according to your will, answer their request, answer their prayer, exactly as you will, Lord. But brethren, look, we ought to be excited to pray for one another. I know we're in church today, and look, I'm probably not going to see you on Monday, I'm probably not going to see you on Tuesday. Lord willing, I'll see some of you guys on Wednesday. But you know, whenever your name pops up in my mind, or my name or other brother's or sister's names pop up in your mind, please don't just think, oh, why did I just come? It must be a coincidence. No, God's put that remembrance in your mind, so you can pray for them, so you can pray for them. Okay, be a praying people, and the more that you pray for your brethren, I promise you, the more love that you'll develop for your brethren in this church. Verse number five, he says, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. Now, when I used to read the book of Philippians, verse number five, I always thought, when it says that for the fellowship of your gospel from the first day, I thought he was referring to the time that he gave them the gospel and they got saved. And look, maybe there's still an element of truth in that, but again, you know, when I start to sort of prepare sermons, especially when I'm starting to look at books of the Bible, and I'm going chapter by chapter, verse by verse, I often read that book over and over and over and over again. Okay, and then I start to realize, I start to see things that I didn't see before. And so, what he's referring to here, for your fellowship in the gospel, it sounds like they've been fellowshipping in the gospel, okay? From the first day, what could that be about until now? Well, keep your finger there and just go to chapter number four, Philippians chapter four, and verse number 15. Of course, the Philippian church would know what he's referring to, okay? But I believe Philippians 4, 15 gives us the answer to us as to what exactly it's referring to. It says Philippians 4, 15, Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, that kind of sounds like from the first day, from the very beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. So what fellowship did the Philippian church have with the gospel from the very beginning? He says, look, when I've gone out to other places, none of the other churches supported me financially. None of the other churches said, hey Paul, what kind of help do you need? How can we assist you in the furtherance of the gospel in these other places? Only the church in Philippi. Only the Philippians said, hey Paul, we'll help you out. Alright, what do you need? What are your resources? What are your finances? Let us send it your way, It makes a lot more sense why he's then speaking about the fellowship in the gospel. Okay, that he's thankful about this. That they've participated in helping get the gospel out. It continues in verse number 16, Philippians 4, 16, For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity, not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. And so brethren, just a reminder, I don't want to always be preaching about giving financially to the work of God, but again, just a reminder that as we give our finances and our resources, our abilities that God gives us, that we are in fellowship as the gospel is going out and reaching a people. Again, not to always bring this up, but obviously this coming weekend, a few of us are going to Melbourne to preach the gospel. To preach the gospel. And look, there will be other people that have given financially for this work. And not everybody can go, but hey, we want your prayers. If you're able to assist and say, hey pastor, here's a special offering for the work in Melbourne, hey, you know what, that means you're in fellowship with that gospel you preached. And there's going to be fruit to your account. Even though you may not physically be the one that's able to get there, but you're helping other brethren, other believers, utilizing the resources and the finances, whatever it is to go and do a work for God. To go and preach the gospel, to see people saved. And so please be encouraged in that area as well. Your giving is a blessing. It brings into fellowship the work that is being done for our Lord Jesus Christ. Verse number six. Being confident of this very thing, that he which have begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. And again, he's praising the Philippian church. He said, look, I'm so confident that the work that God has begun in you, that he's going to continue doing that work until the day of Jesus Christ. Say, what is the day of Jesus Christ? Well if you can, please turn with me to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Turn with me to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse number 1. Because the Bible is very consistent about this day of Jesus Christ. Sometimes it's the day of Jesus Christ, sometimes it's the day of Christ. In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse number 1, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse number 1, the Bible reads, 2 Thessalonians 2, 1, Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him. Now of course, you all know what this is referring to. The coming of Christ, the gathering unto him. Of course, this is the rapture. Verse number 2. That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. So what is the day of the rapture? The day of Christ. In the book of Philippians, Paul refers to it as the day of Jesus Christ. Obviously, it's the same day. He's saying, look, I'm so confident, you know, you're saved, you're serving God, you're in fellowship with me in the ministry of the gospel, that God's going to continue working in you till that very day. We know that day what happens? We get our new resurrected bodies, and we're made unto like Christ. And look, I'm looking forward to that day. Don't get me wrong. I know that day will be wonderful. I know that day I'm finally going to have victory over sin in my flesh. Okay? But don't forget that God is doing a work in us right now. Okay? God's not just waiting for that day. He's actually working in our lives right now that we can be more like Jesus. I think that's important. We don't want to be like, okay, this is just the way I am. Okay, the future's coming. I'll be like Christ. No, work on it today. God is working with you to change you today. Okay? And He'll continue this work. God's not a quitter. Sometimes we're quitters. We start a work and we quit. We start a project and we quit. God is not a quitter. He's begun the work. He's going to finish the work on the day of Christ. He's going to finish the work at the day of the resurrection. Please turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse number 4. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse number 4. Look, if Paul's confident about the Philippian church, you know, growing and being more like Christ, then, brethren, I've got the same confidence for New Life Baptist Church. I've got the same confidence for every man, woman, and child in this church. That God will continue the work that He began in you. That, you know what, next year you're going to be a little bit more Christ-like. You know, in five years you're going to have a little bit more wisdom. You're going to be able to pass judgments even better than you have in the past. The more and more that we learn from God's Word, you're going to grow and be more like Christ. God promises that He's going to work in you. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 4. Just to reinforce the same truth. Again, about the Corinthian church. We know the Corinthian church was pretty messed up. Really messed up. Really messed up. Especially at this point in the writings of 1 Corinthians. But still, even then, it says in verse number 4, I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ, that in everything ye are enriched by Him in all utterance and in all knowledge. Okay? So we're being enriched in Christ, in utterance, in how we speak. You know, the things that we speak ought to be a little bit wiser as time goes on. Our judgment ought to be a little bit better. Like, as we mature and grow in church, people ought to realize, hey, the way you speak is a little different now. There's more wisdom there. You know, there's more clarity in the way that you speak. There's more boldness in the way that you speak of the Bible. And then it says, not just utterance, but also in all knowledge. Again, that wisdom. Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that ye come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Once again, the coming of Christ, the rapture. Look at verse number 8. Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. You see, God is doing a work in us. He gives us the knowledge. He gives us the wisdom. He gives us the right words to speak. We ought to be changing. We ought to be growing. We ought to be maturing. If you say, well, pastor, I don't know if I'm growing. I don't think I'm maturing. Maybe I'm going backwards. You know, I thought I was mature in the Lord. Now I just feel like I'm childish in the things of the Lord. You know, well, it's not that the Lord's failed. The Lord is working in you. It's that just sometimes we quench the Spirit. Sometimes we're just in the flesh, just way too much, when we ought to be walking in the Spirit. And that's where the Lord's going to be doing the work in you. Okay? So, God wants the work in you. Please remember that. God wants you changed. God wants you to be more like Christ as the time goes on in your Christian life. Back to Philippians chapter one, verse number seven. Philippians chapter one, verse number seven. He says, even as it is meet, or, you know, acceptable, suitable, even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye are all partakers of my grace. So we learn an interesting truth in verse number seven, that Paul is in prison. Again, it's not talking about the time he was in prison ten years ago with a Philippian jailer. Again, he finds himself in prison. This happens quite often with the apostle Paul, if you know his story, okay? But again, this is an epistle. This is an epistle he's writing from prison. And, you know, it's really interesting that he says that, you know, at the end of verse number seven, he says, ye are all partakers of my grace. Meaning that, you know, God's grace has fallen upon Paul, you know, as he's serving him, as he's going out preaching the gospel, but because they've been in fellowship with Paul, because they've been helping Paul along that work, that God's grace will also pour over unto them, okay? You know, as God will see Paul through, also the Philippian church will benefit from that blessing and that grace that comes from the Lord God. Verse number eight. I like these words as well. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you in the bowels of Jesus Christ. He says, church, Philippian church, I just miss you guys so much. I want to be in fellowship with you guys. I want to see you. You know, I want to talk to you. I can't wait to come, you know, be out of prison and be able to see you. And just in case someone goes, Paul, do you really think that? He says, for God is my record. He goes, look, I don't have to prove this to you. I don't have to prove that I love you. God knows. God holds a record of why I serve, of why I preach the gospel, of why I'm in prison. See, just keep in remembrance that God keeps an account of everything. God keeps a record of everything. Nothing, you know, passes God's knowledge. Right? There's a record. And, you know, as your pastor, as the pastor of this church, I tell you, honestly, I love all of you. I really do. You know, I really appreciate everybody in church. You know, even people that were in church and not in church anymore. I still think about those people. I still pray for them. I still love them. Okay? And you say, well, prove it to me, pastor. I don't think so. You don't come and see me that often. I don't know. God is my record. Okay? God knows the truth. God knows why you serve in the house of God. You know, this is, the last thing I want is attention for myself. I'm not that kind of person, honestly. I'd rather the attention be on someone else. But you know what? Just the love for God's people, the love for God's church, the love for his kingdom and his work compels me to serve in this capacity. You know, and if you're going to be a religious leader one day, you know, the bishops and the deacons, you have to have a love for God's people. You've got to have a love. You know what? To the point that you're willing to serve how God will use you. And again, you don't need to prove everything. God is my record. And this is why, when people say things about you sometimes, you don't always have to defend everything that people say about you. Lies. Look, there's a time, I suppose there is a time to defend yourself to some extent. Okay? But at the end of the day, I've heard things said about me, you know? Not necessarily, or sometimes, even from within the church, yes. And outside of the church, I'm like, whatever. You know, I'm not going to get caught up, you know, and defend myself over every little issue because God is my record. God knows the truth. Okay? God knows who's lying. And look, if I've done something wrong, then God can judge me. God can correct me. He will correct me. If I'm going to be the pastor of two churches and I'm messing up severely, you better bet that God's going to chastise me. Okay? It's got to happen. Okay? Judgment from God, of course, for the people that stand up and proclaim his word. But I love the fact that he says that for God is my record. You know, it just, whatever people are saying about me, you know that I love you and God knows that same truth. Verse number nine, verse number nine. For this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgments. So our love is to grow. Okay? You see that? And as your love grows, so does your knowledge and judgment. You know, there are people, there are Christians, saved Christians, that just have no love for God's people. And I'm not saying they have no love. It's impossible if they're saved because the new man's going to love God's people. But once again, because there's way too much in the flesh and like no church is good enough for them. There's no church that I can attend because they just don't have the knowledge that I have. Oh, they're pre-tribbers. And we're not pre-tribbers. You know what? Love for the brethren ought to outweigh, you know, where people may differ on secondary or tertiary issues. You know what? Some people just have that, oh man, I just got the knowledge and there's no pastor that knows as much as me. You're lacking in love. Okay, church is so important because it allows us to see people, to talk to people, to see where we're struggling, pray for one another, love one another. Can you say, for God is my record, can you say, pastor, I love my brother and sister in this church so much. I love the children in our church. I want them to serve God all the days of my life, all days of their life. For God is my record. Can you say that? I don't know. Let's pull out that record. I don't know, you know, but that's how it ought to be. A love so deep, so true, that even God can testify of that love. And listen, for that love, again, we grow in knowledge and judgement, we can judge better, we can judge situations better. Verse number 10, this is interesting, verse number 10, that ye may approve things that are excellent, that ye may be sincere, and with that offense to the day of Christ is the day of Christ once again being referenced. Okay, if you want to be blameless to the day of Christ, you can see that we need to grow in knowledge and judgement and approve things that are excellent. What does that mean? That means as we pass judgement, we've got to be people that say, hey, I'm going to walk this way, I'm going to accomplish this task, I'm going to do X, Y, and Z, because it is the excellent thing to do. The word excellent means to excel. Okay, we want to excel in our lives, but again, we've wisdom, we've knowledge, we've good judgement, we can excel in all places of our life. Again, the title for the sermon is To Live is Christ. Every part of our life ought to be excelling, be excellent in all aspects of our life, in our soul winning, be excellent. Listen, I don't know about you, but you know, just making little changes in your gospel presentation, learning how to present the gospel, learning how to be excellent with preaching the gospel, that ought to be the goal. Hey, I want you guys to be excellent church members. You know what, we're never lacking, you know, in service for God. We're the task that our people take on board, it gets done, it gets finished, the way God finishes his work. I want to be an excellent pastor. Okay, not, I want an excellent pastor, I want to excel for Jesus Christ. I want to preach excellent sermons. Yeah? I want to be an excellent father, an excellent husband. I want to have excellent children. Can you say that? To Live is Christ is to excel. Kids, excellent students, workers, excellent workers, where your boss says, you know what, that guy that goes to church, he excels, because he's got knowledge, he's got wisdom, he passes right judgement, and he's the best. Reverend, that's the goal. That's the goal. You know, what's the difference between Americans, and look, there are issues with Americans, don't get me wrong, and Australians. It's very clear, if you've spent time in America, I won't say we're lazy, we're laid back. We're laid back people. We have a laid back society. You know, it's not uncommon for Americans to have a double shift or a triple shift at work. Okay? Because they push themselves, again, I'm just generalising, I'm not saying that everyone's like that, okay, but generally speaking, you know, I've been to the United States, my brother lives there, you know, I've been there many, many times, okay, and I can see a real difference in society. You know, Australians, and again, there's actually a blessing as well laid back. It's a wealthy country. You know, there are other benefits. You don't even have to, you know, you don't even have to have a top job to be able to make ends meet and maybe things are changing these days. I don't know. But you know, this is, you could say this country is excellent, but also, it does breed laziness. Now, laid back, and it's almost like the minimal. We just do the minimal just because, you know, we're looking forward to our holidays, we're looking forward to our breaks. Now Brevin, be like this, be like what we just read about. Here in verse number 10, that ye may approve things that are excellent. Ladies, when you get dressed, say, you know what, I'm gonna put on something that is excellent, that excels, okay? I'm gonna make sure that my clothing standards meets what God says in his word. You know, I know what is excellent because it's what God approves of. I need to be able to prove the way I dress, the way I speak, you know, the way I labor, the way I think about my brethren, I wanna excel. Even when I pray about them, I wanna excel the way that I bring their requests before my Lord God. It's a big, a big task, like it's a big ask, like it's a high standard. But Jesus Christ excelled in everything that he did. And don't forget, I know his God, but he was also man. And again, the Bible says that we are to walk in his steps. Okay? So we, again, if you're more like Christ, you will start to excel in all areas of life. All areas. Okay? It's not just what you do at church or what you do when you're out solving. It's every area of your life. Okay? To live is Christ. If every part of my life is to honor Christ, then I better excel in every area of my life. Excellent. Verse number, um, sorry, brethren. Verse number 11. Verse number 11. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness. So as we grow, okay, the fruits of righteousness are to be filled up in our lives, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. You see, as we become more righteous, it gives God glory and praise. That's why we ought to excel. Do you want your God to be praised because of your life? To be glorified because of your life? Then you need to excel. Then you need to develop fruits of righteousness in your life. Please turn with me to Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse number 11. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse number 11. Fruits of righteousness. What idea do you get about the fruits of, I guess, you know, living righteously? Yeah, of course. You know, that would be you know, the Bible will use this term a few different ways, but in Hebrews chapter 12 verse number 11, it says now, no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. You know, God will chasten you. God will correct you. God will judge you for the weakness that you do in this life, okay? It doesn't, again, no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous, okay? Nevertheless, afterward, good of the peaceable fruit of righteousness, unto them which are exercised thereby. Why does God judge us to bring forth this peaceable fruit of righteousness? That we can be more righteous than we were before we were judged by God. So just remember that. You know, as God is working in our lives, okay, and making us more like Christ, you will face times of chastening. You will feel some grievous times with God. Say, God, why are you putting me through this? But I want you to remember, it's that you can excel, that you can be more righteous, that your life can give more praise and glory to God. Please go with me to Proverbs 11. Proverbs 11. And while you're turning to Proverbs 11, I'll just quickly read to you from James chapter 3 verse 17, which says, but the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable. I want you to think of all these words, wisdom, purity, peaceable. Then it says, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Isn't that what our life ought to be like? All these things that we're reading about, without hypocrisy. Then it says in verse 18, and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. As we started this chapter, we saw that grace and peace of God will come upon the believers. That was Paul's desire. You know what? And we ought to be people that make peace. Have peace amongst the brethren, not conflicts. Bring peace with people between them and their creator as we go and preach the gospel. Works of righteousness, how God changes us. And you're there in Proverbs 11, verse 30. And you guys know this one. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. You see, as you're trying to live a righteous life and be more like Christ, your life ought to be a tree of life, where your life brings forth more life. Say, what are you talking about? And then it says there, He that win of souls is wise. He that win of souls is wise. The fruit of righteousness. What is the fruit of the righteous? To bring more life into the kingdom of God. More everlasting life. To go out and preach the gospel, the good news. To bring people into the kingdom to win souls. That's why we call it soul winning. Because our aim is to win souls. Really, our aim is to do God's work. Our aim is to knock doors, even if we don't win a soul. You've been successful. But it's just the cream on top of that cake, the cherry on top, when someone calls upon the Lord. And when that happens, brethren, you've been very wise. You've been very wise. You've been very righteous. Hey, your actions have given God praise and glory. Praise God for that. Back to Philippians chapter 1. Philippians chapter 1, verse number 12. So again, Paul's in prison. Right? Man, is it worth going and preaching the gospel, Paul? You're getting yourself in prison time and time again. And I love Paul's attitude. I love his positivity. I wish I could be more like Paul in this regard. He says, But I would, ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happen unto me, that's being in prison, being beaten, all that kind of stuff, right, being thrown into prison, have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel. He goes, Man, you think the gospel's being restricted because I've been locked up? He goes, No. Being locked up means that the gospel's going out further. Isn't it amazing? How is that? I love his positivity. You know, whining, complaining, you guys know I don't like it. My kids know that, you know, I don't like it when my kids whine and complain. I don't even like it when I whine and complain. I don't like it about myself when I whine and complain. You know, I'm always trying to find a positive outlook to life, even when things are going bad. Because that's what Paul does, under the inspiration of a Holy Ghost. He goes, Look, don't be upset, guys. Don't worry, the gospel is going out further now that I'm locked up. Okay? And this reminds us, of course, of a famous passage, Romans 8.28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose. Can you say that about your life? All things work together for good. But again, it's not a carte blanche there. It says to them that love God, and to them that are called according to his purpose. Now we are, because we're saved, but you're to love God. Remember, how do we love God? What did Jesus Christ say? If you love me, keep my commandments. You know, if you're living a wicked life, and look, we all live some level of wickedness because we're sinners. But you're just openly rebelling against the Lord. You know, and bad times before you, you can't turn around and say all things work together for good to them that love God. Because you don't love God. Because you're not keeping his commandments. You're not walking in his ways. You want all things to work together for good? Love God, keep his commandments. Then even when bad times come, it's for good. Okay? You're going to be able to turn around and say, man, that was for the best. Look how God has been glorified because of my difficulties. Look how the gospel's gone out further. Look how I've grown as a Christian. Look how my family has come through the fire. And we love God more than we've loved him before. So yeah, oh, very positive, positive attitude, even in bonds. Verse number 13, Philippians 1 verse 13. So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places. So like, everyone's hearing about Paul in bonds. And of course, this letter, these writings that Paul did in prison is further in the news that Paul's in prison for preaching the gospel. Verse number 14. And look at this. And this is what happens when Christians are being persecuted for doing right. In verse number 14 it says, and many of the brethren in the Lord waxing confident by my bonds are much more bold to speak the word without fear. There's something interesting that takes place within Christianity amongst brethren. When you see a loved brother in the Lord or a loved sister in the Lord be persecuted for preaching the gospel or for just standing true for God's word, and you see that persecution, you see what they're going through, the difficulty, somehow, and of course, it's by the spirit of God that other brethren get encouraged and go, man, you know, how is that brother so-and-so or sister so-and-so is being persecuted? Well then, if that's the case, then I need to stand up. I need to go and do something for the Lord. I need to be able to preach boldly. Maybe I need to get out there and preach the gospel. Because I'm assuming that's the response. It's saying, man, Paul's in prison. The gospel's not going to get out. Then I better get out. And then there are multiple people making that same decision, that same judgment. And then all of a sudden, instead of it just being Paul's team going out preaching the gospel, all of a sudden, it's the brethren. Everyone's being encouraged. Everyone's becoming more bold as they see God's people being persecuted for the truth. You know, the Bible says in Acts chapter 4 verse 31, and when they had prayed, the place was shaken when they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. Where does boldness come in when you speak God's word? It has to come from the Holy Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost. And again, this is why, something about God, you know, when you see a believer being persecuted, thrown in jail for the name of Christ, the Holy Spirit starts to work in the hearts of other brethren, and get them encouraged to go and do a great work for God. Verse number 15, Philippians chapter 1, verse number 15. This is quite interesting. It says, some indeed, so there are a mix of brethren that are getting confidence, and bold, you know, to preach the word. And by the way, if you say, Pastor, I'm not very bold to preach God's word. Well, none of us are bold in our flesh against the Holy Ghost that fills us, gives us that confidence, that boldness. What we saw in Acts chapter 4 is that they prayed. They prayed for it. Okay? If you're timid, you say, I can ever knock a stranger's door and give the gospel. People are so timid, even Christians so timid to just give their loved one, somebody in their family, the gospel, because they're scared how they're going to react. Okay? You need the boldness to go to God and say, God, please help me. Give me the boldness. Fill me with your spirit, Lord, so I can get out there and preach your word with boldness and confidence. We're not talking about being arrogant. Okay? You know, it makes a big difference when you knock someone's door and you're like, oh, hi, I'm just from church. Are you sure you're going to heaven? Here's a tract for you. Okay? Versus, I must knock someone's door. They said, I thought it was the police. You knock someone's door, hey, that first few knocks with boldness, with confidence, all right, and when they answer the door, you know, we're going to heaven and we've Callum. We're just from a local Baptist church going house to house, you know, handing out these leaflets or whatever it is that you say. You know, I just want to ask you a question. You know, we're all going to pass away one day. Are you sure that when you pass away that you'll be in heaven? Are you confident about that or do you have some doubts? Hey, you know what? That boldness, that confidence translates to that person like the way they receive the word. If you're timid, now look, I'm not saying that if you're timid, you're not going to succeed. I think I shared with you, I'm sure I've shared with you before. The very first time I went door to door with him, I was the silent partner. My partner, who was a little bit younger than me, he was very timid. He was, he doesn't normally stutter, but as he's at the door, he's just stuttering, stuttering. I'm like, man, what a disaster. Like, I'm thinking first, my first time out, I can do better than that, in my mind. Just stuttering, just making a mess of it all. I mean, the message was all there. It was all good. It was all accurate, and the guy at the door gets saved. Okay, so look, don't forget, it's by the power of God's word. You know, even if you're weak, and we are all weak in the flesh. Remember when we are weak, that we are made strong. Strong in the Lord Jesus. And as long as the word is being preached, it's not going to return unto us void. Okay, so I'm not saying, look, if you're timid, don't go soul winning. All I'm saying is, if you want to increase in your success, if you want to be more engaging, okay, and again, to excel, to be excellent, then we need the boldness, and we need to pray for that boldness. That boldness comes from the Holy Spirit of God. But anyway, so, as people are getting bold, and encouraged to go and preach the gospel, a funny story takes place here in verse number 15. He says, some indeed preach Christ, even of envy, and strife. Isn't that interesting? Envy. So, some people are like, man, I'm going to go and preach the gospel. I'm going to go knock doors, because they're envious of other people knocking doors. And strife. They're like, oh man, look at the apostle Paul. He's been thrown in prison. Woo hoo. Rebellion. You know, let's stand up, and whatever. I'm going to go and preach the gospel, because I can get in trouble too. I can be a rebel as well. Do you believe there are some people that preach the gospel for those reasons? I know for sure, because I've gone out with some of them. Okay. Looking for the conflicts, looking for the strife. But then he says, and some also of goodwill. So some people actually go for the right reasons. Okay. Because there's a mix. Like, as he's in bonds, people have been encouraged in different ways. Okay. Now you're saying, you know, we shouldn't be out there preaching in envy and strife, and you're right. That's not the right approach. I understand that. Okay. But what we're about to read, he's very interesting. Let's say, there's a soul winner out there that goes out, and you're like, Pastor Kevin, look, this guy goes out there. He's always causing problems. You know, he wants to be, like, known as the number one soul winner. He wants the praise of men. Let's shut him down. No. What we learn in this passage is, no, don't shut him down. At least he's preaching the gospel. How many Christians are not preaching the gospel? How many are not preaching the gospel? Okay. Look, if someone is a bit of a troublemaker, but they're still at least preaching Christ, they're still preaching God's word, leave them alone. Okay, so we keep going with this. Look at this. It's amazing. Verse number 16. The one preached Christ of contention, right, he wants to contend, he wants to get into arguments, not sincerely, okay, supposing to add affliction to my bonds. It's like, yeah, man, I'm like Paul, right, I'm gonna get arrested and thrown in prison, and then everyone's gonna look up at me like Paul, everyone looks up at Paul. Obviously, that's not Paul's attitude, but some people are like that. And again, I know they're out there. I know there are people like that, okay. Verse number 17. But the other of love. So obviously, we should be going out because of love. You know, we love lost souls. You know, God loved them so much, and he gave Jesus Christ to die for them. We ought to have that same love for lost souls. That's the right approach. That's the right motivation. Verse number 17 again, but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. What then? Notwithstanding, look at this, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, like whether they're pretending to love people, but they're really about contention, or whether they truly do have love, he goes, Christ is preached, and I therein do rejoice, yea and will rejoice. So brethren, I'm never going to knock a soul winner. Okay. Even if their presentation's all over the place. Now, I look lovingly, and I hope other people do, that experienced soul winners will come up to that person, and say, hey look, your plan can be better. Maybe say these words. Follow the examples that you see in church. Hey, get behind that person. I don't want to steal someone's zeal. But look, even if someone's a troublemaker, and they just want to be known as a rebel, and they go out preaching Christ, we ought to rejoice for that. That Christ is being preached. That Christ is being proclaimed. Because once again, there are Christians that do zero soul winning. Okay. You'd rather be the Christian that gets out there, and actually gets into fights. Alright. Than being the Christian that does nothing, when it comes to preaching the gospel. Alright. So, you say, but they've got the wrong intentions pastor. But here's the thing, we can't always be the judge of intentions. We don't always know that. Right. Like sometimes people talk to me about something, and you know, I don't believe they got the right intentions. Well I don't know. How do you know that? I don't know that. Maybe they don't have the right intentions, but I don't know. Maybe the person that I thought had the right intentions, has the wrong intentions. Maybe the person that I thought has the wrong intentions, has the right intentions. I don't know that, because that's within them. Okay. But look, at the end of the day, Paul rejoices. The gospel is being preached. You know, he's rejoicing that. In his bonds, people are getting encouraged, and going out there, and speaking of Christ. Now, when it comes to intentions, of course they matter. Of course they matter. Okay. Now let's quickly read, from Matthew chapter six. Let's go there. Matthew chapter six. Matthew chapter six. Matthew chapter six. Let's read from Matthew chapter six. Let's go there. Matthew chapter six, and verse number one. Because I don't want a church, of contentious soul winners. Okay. But if you are a contentious soul winner, I still rejoice in you. Okay. I still rejoice, that you're able to do a great work, of preaching Jesus Christ. But in Matthew chapter six, verse number one, we do have a teaching of Christ on intentions. On what motivates somebody. In Matthew chapter six, verse number one, the Bible says, take heed, that you do not your arms, or those are your good works. Okay. Your generosity, the things that you do well, before men. Now it's not saying, some people misunderstand. They think, oh let's hide it from man. Like if man finds out, and that's a problem. No, no. Just don't do it for men. You know, to appease men. To be seen of them. Otherwise, you have no reward of your father, which is in heaven. So here's the thing. If someone's out there soul winning, not because of real love for the lost, but because they want to be number one, they want to be known, oh man this is the greatest soul winner in Australia. You know what? They're just going to receive no reward of their father. At least they're going and preaching the gospel. At least they're doing some good work. But they'll receive no reward. Okay. For the father. Verse number two, wherefore when thou doest thine arms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Hey, when we do our works, it's not about being glorified by man, is it? Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. What is their reward? The glory of men. Well done. Say, pass, I went so in, I got into fights and arguments, with all the first prophets out there. You know, and you're like, pass to heaven, this guy's not quite right in the head. You know what? He's got his reward. He got the praise of men. That's it. Okay. But at least he preached the gospel. At least God's word went out. Okay. And at the end of the day, yeah, okay, fine. He got the praise of men. He won't get the praise, he won't get rewarded from the Father, but that's, he's decided to take that route. Okay. And, and you know, lovingly, we guide these people to be sincere, to be true, to have love. All right. To do things by the right motivations. Okay. But that, that can take time with people. Okay. Now look at verse number three. It says, but when thou doest, when thou doest arms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. Okay. Again, is that possible? Can you make, if you're doing something, can your left hand really not know what your right hand's doing? No. Okay. I mean, but let's keep going there. It says, verse number four, that thine arms may be in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Now don't take this too far again. Okay. Let's say you do a good work for God. All right. And a fellow brother says, hey, what'd you get up to on Tuesday? And you, let's say you went soloing or something. I'm like, oh man, I don't wanna tell him I went soloing on Tuesday because then I'll lose my reward because it's all a bit secret. No. You didn't do it for the glory of man. Hey, it's fine. Yeah, I went soloing. I mean, you know you went, you did it for the Lord. You know you did it for the love of the lost. God's still going to reward you. In fact, you saying that I went out there on Tuesday to preach, you know, to see these souls saved. All right. Or that you messaged the church group, hey, so and so got saved. It's not because we want glory of men. Hey, because it can be an encouragement to other brethren and other servants. Hey, we're going out there. Hey, we get out there too if you want the rewards from the Lord Father, you know. And so don't think you just got every little thing because all the preaching that I do is very public. These are my arms to you. Does that mean, well, God's not going to reward me because you're sorry. It's not in secret. In fact, it's so much not in secret, it's on YouTube. Okay. Does that mean, okay, I didn't get no rewards for being the pastor of the church. Well, of course, if I was doing it for the glory of man, yeah, if I was doing it like that, that's all I'll get. Okay. But again, you don't need to be the one that, you don't have to be the one that balances the books in life. Okay. If someone has the wrong motivation, but they're preaching Christ, rejoice. Just learn to rejoice. And if they're doing it for the wrong reasons, well, they get the praise of man and that's it. How does that affect you? How does that affect you? Okay. It doesn't, it affects them. It affects some of the rewards that they would have had if they did it for the right reasons. Okay. But I'd rather encourage the brethren to do the work, you know, than be a discouragement to them. I'd rather rejoice even if people aren't doing things just quite right. You know. The Bible says in Romans 14 10, but why dost thou judge thy brother or why dost thou set at naught thy brother, at naught, you know, zero naught. Why do you make him nothing? He's got wrong intentions or maybe he does. But why do you do that? He says, for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Brethren, Jesus is going to judge our works. Just let it be. Okay. Leave them alone. You're not their judge. If they've got the wrong motivations and the wrong reasons, all right. Jesus will judge them for that. Okay. They're not going to receive the rewards. It's not your business. Okay. Let them serve Jesus. You know. Let them start with contention if they want. Let them have the wrong motivations. At least they're going out there. And then as we encourage them, we get them having the right mindset, the right love, the right sincerity. Okay. The right reasons to serve Jesus Christ. Verse number 19. Philippians chapter 1, verse number 19. He says, for I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ. Now, so the fact that other brethren have been motivated to do the work and going out preaching the gospel, he says, I know this will turn to my salvation. Now, he's not talking about salvation from the soul. He's talking about his deliverance or salvation from prison. He goes, I know that all of this is going to help me get out of prison. Again, through your prayer, through your prayer, prayer is important. Prayer is powerful. Never take the view and say, well, God knows. He'll take care of it. You pray about it through your prayer that you can deliver people even in times of difficulty. So we should be praying for one another. Okay? So this salvation that he's looking for is the salvation from bonds, salvation out of prison. But what's really interesting about this in verse number 20, because you might think, well, of course, he wants to come out out of prison living. But Paul doesn't take that view. In verse number 20, he says, according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed that, sorry, but that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body. Look at this. Whether it be by life or by death, he goes, look, I know I'm going to be delivered. I know I'm going to be saved out of bonds, but it could be by life or by death. Okay? What does that mean? In life, that he can walk out of prison and visit the Philippian church physically. In death, if he dies, he's out of prison as well. Okay? But he goes, whatever situation happens, I know I'm going to be delivered out of this place and that God will be magnified. You see, if he dies, a martyr's death. Again, further and so that gospel is going to be going out there. There will be more boldness of people. People are saying, hey, this is not right that Christians are being killed in prison and they're losing their life. And again, the Holy Spirit's going to do a work in the brethren. More boldness, more preaching of Jesus Christ. So again, I love his attitude. I know I'm going to get out. Whether I'm going to get out alive or I'm dead, I don't know. But it's all going to glorify God. Verse number 21. Then he says these words. For to me, sorry, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. What a positive outlook. That's a positive outlook. Again, being thrown in prison, I think I'm going to be pretty upset about that. And if I had to die in prison, man, I don't know. Okay, but look at Paul. He goes, all right, for me to die is gain. So be it. It's gain. It's an advantage. I get to be in heaven. I get to be with my Lord. I get to be with Jesus. It's amazing. You know, 2 Corinthians 5, 8, he says, we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and be present with the Lord. So you can see why dying is gain for him. He can't wait to see Jesus. He can't wait to be with his Lord. But he says, for to me to live is Christ. Okay, so if he gets out alive, he's still going to continue serving Christ. He's going to live for Christ. Okay. So, good, you know, which way is better? Coming out of prison, alive or dead? It's going to further God's work. God's going to be glorified. Okay. If he gets out, he can go visit the Philippian church. He can keep preaching the gospel. Hey, but if he dies, he dies and marters death. Okay. And again, to live is Christ, just very familiar passages to you. Colossians 3, 17, and whatsoever ye do, this is so important, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Whatever word, even the words that you speak, whatever you do, do it unto Jesus Christ. So, how far do we take this, Pastor Kevin? I love 1 Corinthians 10, 31, which says, whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Even what you eat and drink, brethren. You see, for to me to live is Christ. When you wake up and you have your breakfast, say, I'm going to eat this breakfast unto the Lord. I'm going to give him thanks for my provisions. I'm going to eat this because I know it's going to get me through the day, so I can serve my Lord, so I can think of my Lord, so I can be praying to him and be fellowship with him. And to read his word and to pray for church members that come to my remembrance. Everything we do, brethren, is for the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse number 22. He says, but if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor, yet what I choose I what not. So he goes, look, if I get to choose whether to live or die, this is how I come out of prison. He goes, yet what I shall choose I what not. He goes, I'll decide. I don't even know which one I want. Do I want to die or live? Because, I don't know. They're both good. I'm happy either way. And again, if it was us, he'd be like, man, I want to get out alive, I think. Okay, I know I would take that approach. But again, we see the maturity of Paul. Okay. You know, I've got a long way to be a little bit more like Paul, and then I've got a lot more way to be more like Jesus Christ. Okay. But the positive mindset that he has, he goes, look, I don't know which one I choose. To come out alive, or to just die, which is gain for me, because I'm with Jesus Christ. Verse number 23. For I am in a strait betwixt two. Having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better, nevertheless, to abide in the flesh, is more needful for you. Great attitude. He says, whatever God decides, positive outlook. Okay. Even if I have to live, and I come out, it's profitable for you, the Philippian church, I can come and visit you, I can come and serve you, I can come and teach you. But Paul has a positive outlook to life. Again, he could easily be complaining, couldn't he? Easily complaining about being in prison. Easily complaining that he could possibly die in prison. He goes, nah, it's all good. It's all good, even when times are tough. Verse number 25. And by the way, let me, verse number 24. Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh, is more needful. More needful for you. If you're alive today, okay, it's needful. Okay. God has a purpose. God has a plan for your life. God has a need for you on this earth. Please don't have suicidal thoughts. I just want to end my life. Paul doesn't have suicidal thoughts. Okay. He goes, look, it's good either way. If I die, outside of my control, so be it. If I live, great. It's more needful for the church. It's more needful for the church. Reverend, God has a purpose for you. You're needed by God. Okay. To serve him. To serve this church. To win souls. That's why you're alive today. Okay. There's a need. Don't let it go to waste. Verse number 25. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you, sorry, with you, for your furtherance and joy of faith, that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. So he's got confidence that actually he's going to be released alive from prison. He's got that confidence that he's going to come and see them once again. Verse number 27. Only let your conversation or your behaviour, your lifestyle, and it says conversation. That's what he's referring to. Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ. He says, look, let your lifestyle, let your behaviour match up with the gospel of Christ. You've been saved. You're meant to be a witness. You're meant to be a soul winner. Okay. Let your lifestyle and behaviour match, okay, with that becometh the gospel of Christ. That whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel. Alright. So let your behaviour match the gospel message that you're saved, you're a child of God, you're on your way to heaven. Okay. And look, if your life matches the gospel, you're not going to be that soul winner that gets out there for contention. You will be driven by love. Okay. You're going to appreciate the fact that you were saved by that gospel. And so it's so important that other people hear that same truth that delivered you from your sins. So let your behaviour match the gospel message. Verse number 28. And in nothing, terrified by your adversaries. So don't be afraid of your enemies, your adversaries. Which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation and that of God. So there are going to be enemies to the gospel work. Now Brevin, we learned an interesting truth here. So don't be afraid of your adversaries. If someone is trying to stop, now look, I understand that even amongst Christians there can be conflicts, right? There can be issues that maybe remain unresolved. And that's not good. It shouldn't be that way, but it does happen. Okay. But if it's a fellow brother in the Lord, they're not going to stop you from furthering the gospel, from preaching the truth of God's word. Okay. If you have someone that claims to be a Christian, all right, and they're trying to shut down your soul-willing efforts, okay, they're trying to stop churches from going out and preaching the gospel to the lost. It says this, in verse 28, which is to them an evident token of perdition. That person is not a believer. A token of perdition. Perdition means damnation. This is proof that they're on their way to hell. Okay. This is proof that they are not saved. I want you to remember this in your mind. I'm not saying that if a Christian doesn't go soul-willing, that they're not saved. I'm not saying that. I'm saying if a Christian tries to stop a so-called Christian, or anyone, any enemy, tries to stop you winning souls, that is a token of their perdition. You can, yep, they're actually lost. They're on their way to hell. Okay. They might even be reprobated. Okay. And then it says, but to you of salvation and that of God. So don't let enemies bother you because you're saved. You're going to heaven. They're going to damnation. They're going to hell. Okay. So again, keep that in mind. It's like, oh man, these people are bothering me or this person's trying to stop me. Look, they're on their way to hell. You're on your way to heaven. You're saved. You continue. Don't be afraid. Okay. You continue doing the work of the gospel. Verse number 29. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, which we've done that. We've believed on him. We're saved. But you know, this is also your responsibility, but also to suffer for his sake. You know what? If your life matches the gospel, if you make that the priority in your life, you will suffer in life. You will face persecution. You will face people hating you for the work that you do. Okay. But listen, it's your call to suffer for his sake. That's not what saves you. What saves you is the belief. Okay. We've all believed. I hope. We've all trusted Christ as our savior. Have you suffered for him though? Have you been persecuted for him? Say, no I haven't. And look, maybe you haven't because you're too young. You know, young children, I don't assume that you're going to be persecuted for Christ, you know, if you're young age. But you know what? If you haven't been persecuted for Christ, it probably means that you've done nothing for Christ. And I'm not saying that to belittle you. I'm saying that to encourage you. Okay. Get busy for the Lord. Get busy serving him. Alright. And there's a guarantee that you will face adversaries. You will have enemies. You will be persecuted. But listen, we are called to suffer for him. Okay. Paul suffered. He's thrown in jail. He's been beaten. He's gone through all these things. Then he says in verse number 30, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now here to be in me. Now, I believe that the conflict is referring to here is the fact that he said in verse number 21, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. And if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor, yet what I shall choose I what not. Because there's this sort of conflict within him. I'm not sure which, because I'm not sure which way to go with the Lord. And you know what? When you're being persecuted and you're being attacked, you know what? You are going to face persecutions. You're going to face people that hate you. You may even have to know You may even have to lose your life for Christ, but it's worth it. Okay? While you live, you live for Christ. And if you die for Christ, it's gain. You get to be with the Lord God in heaven for all eternity. Okay? And you can see, listen, Reverend, you know, you can see the Philippian church is definitely a mature church. Definitely mature. You know, they've got Paul's back. You know, they've gone and provided his needs. You know, they see him suffering and them talking and they see him suffering and them too. They've been encouraged and they're bold to go and preach the word of God. But as you serve the Lord, you need to understand there's going to be suffering. Okay? There's going to be turmoil. There's going to be problems. If you want a Christian life with no problems, then just don't serve the Lord. But if you don't serve the Lord, you'll have no rewards. Reverend, the rewards outweigh your suffering. The glory that you're going to receive when Christ looks upon you for the work that you do will outweigh the suffering, will outweigh the losses that you've suffered, that you've had as you serve the Lord Christ. All right, brethren. To live is Christ. To live is Christ. Please, don't have that mindset. Only pastors, only people in positions like that are to live for Christ. You live for Christ. Okay? When you go and have lunch this afternoon, you do it for Christ. Okay? As you live your life, your family life, your work life, your church life, you excel, you go for excellence. You excel. You pass the right judgments. Increase in wisdom. You know? Serve Jesus with all that you've got. Use what God has given you. Use your life. Use your strength. We're to love the Lord God with all our hearts and all our minds and all our soul and our might. Give it all to Jesus Christ. Serve him faithfully. Be a loving husband. Be a submissive wife. Be obedient children. You know, reach out for excellence. Live for Christ. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I want to thank you for your word. Lord, thank you for the Philippian church and the example that they've been to the churches in their age, Lord, but also to the church here at New Life Baptist Church. Lord, I just pray, Lord, that you would utilize us, Lord, the gifts and the abilities that you've given us, Lord. Please put a fire in our hearts to serve you, Lord, to be excellent in all the things that we do. And, Lord, help us to have the right motivation to serve Jesus, Lord, to give our best in all that we do. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, brethren, please take your hymnals and turn to hymn number 261. Hymn number 261. We'll sing, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. 261. Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. Here it comes. 1 2 1 2 3 4 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 For a pumpkin tree. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, O Lord, in His wonderful face, And the face of a footwork stage In Him, in the light of His glory and grace. Through death into my favorable skin, We pass and be followed, we play. We'll rust in love of half dominion, For more than one words rely. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, O Lord, in His wonderful face, And the face of a footwork stage In Him, in the light of His glory and grace. His word shall not fail to be promised, To keep Him there all will bow, Thankful to the flow that is far, In His perfect salvation. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, O Lord, in His wonderful face, And the face of a footwork stage In Him, in the light of His glory and grace. Thank you for watching!