Seeking for the help of the Lord, I beg your prayer for attention to Paul's epistle to the Philippines, chapter 3, and reading from our text, verse 1. The first verse. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord, to write these same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe." Philippians 3 and verse 1.

The Apostle closing his epistle to them and giving them advice, direction, is very evident. He is very concerned that the ministry that they have, the words that are spoken to them, that they are safe words, that they can trust in them, and that they will not lead them astray into a wrong way.

We're very concerned here to expose and to warn of evil workers, those of the circumcision, those that were leading back to the law and rest in the law instead of the gospel. He dresses them as brethren, but though we have brethren, we ought to think, well, they're already in the Lord, they know the Lord, and therefore they can't go wrong, they can't be in error.

The whole of the epistles, we think of many of them, we think of those to the Corinthians, They are brethren. He always addresses them at the start as a true church. And yet, there was errors amongst them, things that needed to be warned of, and things that needed to be addressed to keep them in the right way. And that will be right to the end of time.

Satan will always be attacking, not the false church, not those that are not God's people, but those that are God's people. And one of the ways he comes in is not like a roaring lion, but as an angel of light. And if he can come in slowly, imperceptibly, through the ministry and through the teaching of the church, instead of him saying, well, I'm going to teach error from some other way, he said, I'll just turn their ministry away, I'll turn their pastors away, and I'll get my error in through their own teachers. Where that is the case, there is the most danger.

With the churches that are written to in the Revelation, seven churches in Asia, some of the reproofs of them was that they had in their midst those that held error, and those also that taught error. And it is with this that Paul is concerned here, and he probably is aware that they know some of the things that he has written to other churches, Corinthians, all the Ephesians, and other things he's written to them before.

And to God against the accusation, well, they're the same things. We've heard that before. That's been addressed before. Why are you bringing that before us again? But he gives the reason why he to write the same things to you. To me, indeed, is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

Sometimes the Lord's servants preach from a text. I must admit, I seldom do it, but sometimes it does happen. You preach from the same text at different places. I remember many years ago, in deep trouble as a family, and we went to hear show a bus at Matfield, and we were greatly blessed under that service. In fact, when we came out, we sat in the car and gave thanks before we went home because of the blessing. And then the sermon appeared in the Gospel Standard. But it was not preached at Matfield at all. It was preached in America. And he preached the same sermon. He had the same points and everything.

When we think of Jonathan Edwards, the great sermon, the Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God, it would lead to a precept three times, but greatly used and greatly blessed. It is where the Spirit of the Lord is and where the power attends it. It won't be so if a minister is just lazy, he doesn't bother to seek the Lord for a fresh text or to think I'm not going to prepare again, it doesn't need all that labour again, I'll just pick up a few old notes and I'll preach from that. The Lord won't honour that at all.

Where the Lord lays on your spirit that you are to bring the same word again, then it is wrong to turn away from that. And Paul here gives a very good reason, a very good argument why we are to keep to those same things. because for you it is safe. And so he points to in this passage what is a safe ministry. Some of the things we hope to look at. And he warns of these false teachers and also to consider the consequences of what it is if we were to have an unsafe ministry. What if we were to be leaning on something that was not safe.

We used an illustration. Years ago, being in engineering, I was particularly interested in this. An engineer, he designed a walkway to go to a ship. But he made a mistake. It wasn't quite long enough. It didn't quite hook on to the ship. And the people walked on it, and it gave way, and many were killed. It just came a little bit short. And when we think of the doctrines of prayer, those doctrines that point to salvation, to come short in that, and to come short of eternal life, is a terrible thing to be led astray with the error of the wicked.

And so, I want to look at three things that define a safe ministry, and that's what this On my spirit this afternoon, a safe ministry. What is a safe ministry? So a safe ministry, three points. Firstly, a safe ministry is one that rejoices in the Lord. Now text begins, finally my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. Secondly, a saved ministry is one that keeps to the same things, the same doctrine. And then thirdly, a saved ministry is one that has a goal or an end in view. This is very evident in this passage, that the Apostle has personally and is setting before the Philippians an end in view, a glorious end.

in view. But firstly, one that rejoices in the Lord. The Apostle here in this chapter, he shows how much he really is rejoicing in the Lord, what the Lord meant to him. He says in verse 7, But what things were gain to me those I counted lost for Christ." What a high standard, what a view he had of Christ and that he could leave all his preferments, everything that he had as a Pharisee and all his upbringing, everything that once he counted very dear, he could leave all that aside if he may but gain Christ and be found in Him.

And he says in verse 8, Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. How he is rejoicing in the Lord. The Lord means so much to him, and he desires that he might be found in him, not having one own righteousness which is of the Lord, but that which is through faith of Christ. that which comes from the faith that Christ gives, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

And verse 10, that I may know him. If you don't rejoice in someone, you don't desire to know them and to know the power of his resurrection, he's all centering on Christ. It's what me beginning to read the first chapter in Philippians, is 18 times in that chapter, he is bringing in Christ, or Jesus Christ, or our Lord Jesus, even in the salutation. He is mentioning three times before he gets through the first two verses, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus, and then, grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thought, well, if just in those 30 verses he mentions Christ 18 times, how much are we dwelling upon Christ, setting him forth in the ministry or in our conversation? The apostle hardly mentions anything, but he's giving it all ascribe to the Lord. And I think what he says to the Corinthians, that no flesh might glory in my presence. There must be the Lord's Glory alone. And this is a real mark of a saved ministry, when the crown, all the time, is being put on the head of the Lord, but it's not just lip service. There's a rejoicing in Him, and He is joined to everything that is really spoken about and set forth.

You think we're going back to Philippians chapter one, And we have verse 8, he longs after them all, he doesn't just put a stop after that, or long after you all, he says in the bowels of Christ Jesus. Verse 10, he's saying that you may approve things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense. He doesn't leave it there, he says till the day of Christ. And all the time he's lifting up Christ. Then he's speaking of filled with the fruits of righteousness unto the praise and glory and praise of God. But he doesn't, he inserts in the middle which are by Jesus Christ. These fruits of righteousness are coming from him.

And then in verse 13, he doesn't just say so that my bonds are manifest in all the palace and all other places, Now he says, bonds in Christ. And all the time he is joining Christ to all what he is saying, what he is teaching, what he is speaking of, and it is very, very evident how precious he is to him, how much he rejoices in him, and looks to him. How he rejoices in the Lord Jesus Christ.

This, the second chapter, and we think of verse 16, holding forth the word of life, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. We go to the fourth chapter, and verse 4, we have not only one rejoice, But he says, rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice. It's one of those things that he's not mentioning just once, but again and again. That which really touches the heart. It's not just dry doctrine, it's just not learning truths disassociated with the person the Saviour Jesus Christ. It has that beautiful view of all that the Lord has done, what He's accomplished at Calvary, the Gospel in all its beauty, and there's a real rejoicing in it.

The Lord is risen again, the Lord is ascended, and there's that rejoicing. You think of those that when the Lord came into Jerusalem on the cold Now that they cast their garments before him, and they rejoiced, they sung hallelujahs and praise to our God. And they said, Master, tell thy people, tell thy disciples to hold their peace. He said, these should hold their peace, the very stones should cry out. A ministry. that does not lead to rejoicing in Christ, or has that which moves the hearts of the people after the Lord, that is not a safe ministry at all. Because you can be sure there will be something else that is put in, that is rejoiced in instead. Rejoiced in man's wisdom, man's skill, a preaching or a wonderful congregation, or a lovely long list of hearers to our internet services, and they'll be rejoicing in other things. But the apostle, he says, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.

Now the question with us is, do we rejoice in Him? Do we have those things that really gladden our heart, lift our spirits, and what the Lord has done and what he has accomplished at Calvary, the whole Gospel, that which the Lord has brought in. The law came by Moses, but grace and truth by Jesus Christ. You think of the Psalms when our Lord enters into heaven and opened the gates and the glory, the King of glory shall come in and the rejoicing and the sounding and the joy the captain of our salvation, brought forth with singing, with glory, and with praise.

A ministry that resounds to the praise and honor and glory of God. That is a saved ministry. I think it was said years ago, there were two people that went to hear different ministers and it was asked them afterwards, well, how did you get on? with the ministry, and one said, well, the minister was very good, he opened up the text, and he did this and he did that. And the other one, when they were asked, they said, oh, Christ was so precious. He was so lovely, wonderful. And they said, well, but what about the minister? He said, oh, I didn't see him, didn't notice him. All I could see was Christ. That was what captivated.

I, if I be lifted up above the earth, will draw all men after thee. and a true minister, we would that we would that he saw no man but Jesus only and that the glory would be his and that sinners would be drawn after him and rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in what he has done at Calvary. Rejoice in what he has done for us in our lives in conversion, in grace, of those things that we hear and we rejoice in the Lord. So that is the first point that I bring before you. A saved ministry is one that rejoices in the Lord. Truly Jonah would say yes, salvation is of the Lord.

And then secondly, a saved ministry is one that keeps to the same things, the same doctrine. It's always a danger, especially in days like we have, where the churches, the gatherings are small, and we think, well, how can we make the world more attractive to the world? Many churches have gone down that road. You need to remember what the Lord said, for those who received in heaven, Well done, our good and faithful servant. It's faithfulness that is commended, not large congregations, not the praise of man, but faithfulness to the word of God.

And it's always a danger, and in one sense we live in dangerous times. You see many, many churches that are using worldly methods and worldly ways to try and attract people to come in. It's not that we ought to deliberately do those things that virtually make us to be just as museum pieces, but we are to be faithful to the Word, preach the Word. I know we stream the Word this afternoon, we stream, we have video at Cranbrook, but all we are doing is taking exactly the services in the Lord's House the reading of the word, the preaching of the word, and prayer, and we are making that available to people that cannot attend a place of worship. And yet it is still the same, it's not bringing in things into the church building or looking to other means of conversion, but the word alone.

When the Lord spoke of the So that which keeps to the same things, the same doctrines is a saved ministry The first thing then is the Scriptures. Preach the Word, not go away from the Word of God. We have a beautiful example shown where the Lord, on the way to Emmaus, in all the Scriptures, the things concerning Himself. Old Testament Scripture, no new written man. And then with the eunuch, the Philippi begins at the same Scripture, Isaiah 53, and preaches unto him Jesus. We have the Bereans, and Paul is preaching to them, but they don't just say, well, here is Paul, he is an apostle, he must be preaching right. They search the Scriptures daily whether these things were so.

This tells us something about Paul's preaching. Paul's preaching could be tested by the Scriptures. They wouldn't turn to the Scriptures and think, well, I can't find anything that Paul has said in here. He's been not speaking of anything. You might say, well, the New Testament, the New Revelation, but how many times is the Apostle Paul all the time going back to the Old Testament? He's keeping to those same things. One salvation, one way, one God, one Lord Jesus Christ from Genesis to revelation. It is written, it is written, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches all the time. It is the Scriptures, the inspired, infallible Word of God. That will be saved ministry.

It is also saved to keep to that which is the historic, true Church of God, the faith once delivered unto the saints. There's so many that I come across that get caught up with novel things, perhaps a conspiracy theory, or perhaps they think that there's a specific part of truth that somehow the reformers missed and the mainstream churches have missed. they try to lead and enslave people that they're the only ones that God has given them life upon this specific point, that which is the old heresy of the Lord Jesus Christ not having a soul, a place of the soul, taken by his divine nature. That is an old heresy, but it's one that has plagued certainly the gospel standard churches for some at 25 or so, 30 years, and they're those that hold to something that they say, well, everyone else has missed, and we have got light on that specific point. Immediately you're going into those sort of things. Then alarm bells ring, and those, there's one chap, he visits our churches, and he's come out of a Roman Catholic, but he services our fire extinguishers. He caught up with those internet, ministry, those who say everything's spiritual. You don't have to gather in a church, it's all spiritual. You don't have to have the Lord's Supper or even baptism, it's all spiritually designed. And it's totally different, contrary to the church's teaching, the godly people have gone through the ages, and contrary to the Word of God.

But they are so taught in such a way that they say, well, we know Greek and Hebrew. We know better than you. And we have insight. And I say to him, well, do you know Greek and Hebrew? Oh, no, no. Well, you're relying on this man who says he knows what is in there, in that Bible is Greek and Hebrew. Well, I was thinking of this as regarding translations. The Word of God says, thy word have I hid in my heart. So am I not sinned against thee? The word I've hid in my heart, that's not Greek or Hebrew or another language, that's in our own language. We understand that. And the Lord has given his word to all the nations, going into all the world and preached the gospel for every creature. The Lord has appointed translations, certainly the authorized version, you can see very clear providence bringing that to us, and sadly all the other versions that may contain the Word of God, they can be used, certainly, but it brings in that question, doesn't it? Hath God said? Is this the Word, or is that the Word? And some, they change it in a very serious way, it takes away the glory of the Lord, it changes the doctrine itself, and so keeping to the historic church, that which the saints of God have held to, they've lived, they've died, they've trusted in that word, novel, unique things that perhaps only a little handful of people have followed after, or is a danger, a danger sign.

We mentioned about Paul preaching to other churches, and so the same things same things as preached to other churches. It would be a sad thing if in my church at Cranborough I got to preach one thing and then I came here and thought, hmm, that'd be different. I'm going to change my ministry. I'm going to bring a bit different here. God forbid that that should be so. We bring the same word and the same way preached to other churches. It may not be the same text, but it's the same precious truths is from the same word. You know the Apostle Paul, many of his epistles, he has the same greeting. It's his same signature. The grace of the Lord be with you all. He starts, he finishes, he's not weird of doing that. You think of his determination to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. is not going to be turned away from that, from Christ's resurrection, a risen saviour, ascended saviour. What a solemn thing, with the Church of England denying the resurrection, or denying the teaching of the Church against holiness. Another vital teaching, and Paul is again and again covering this, against immorality, against sexual sins, against unholiness. Peter, he's setting forth God who is all holy, be ye holy as I am holy. Those same things that are emphasised in the Scriptures, that is what we emphasise as well.

He says to Timothy, will that thou affirm constantly that they who have believed in Be careful to maintain good works. You may hear Timmy say, well Paul, do I have to keep saying this? Do I have to keep repeating this? To writing and to saying the same things? Yes you do, because we forget. There's always a danger sometimes now, especially when many services are recorded, you think, oh when did I preach from that last? And if you preach from it, perhaps a few months ago, you think, oh, I'll not see if I'll find another text. It's a danger, really. A danger. It puts a limit on the Lord and restrains the freeness of the Word. And it may be we might take the same text, but see it through very different eyes, see what the Lord has brought us into that is still applied in the scriptural way. Preaching that word for that season, for that time, to that people.

Now the apostle then kept to the same things. And may this be an encouragement, encouragement to you.

One of the things that brought this to my attention actually, it was interesting, I looked at the recordings of last Lord's Day and Stephen preached to you. I didn't actually hear his sermon, but, well not then anyway, but I saw his title. And I was actually in the congregation at Salisbury when he preached it. So I knew that he was preaching the same again. But it led me to this, and I thought of that with Gerald Bass as well. I thought, well this is so scriptural.

And I know Malcolm Watts often says, he says, when I'm at home, I prepare my material, And often when I'm preaching away, I might preach a sermon that I preach at home, and I'll preach it somewhere else. And it was said of Spurgeon that, well, he didn't think a text was rightly preached until it had been preached 20 times. But I'm not saying that that is the way to go. We want to be led by the Spirit. We want that the Lord direct us. what to preach and when to preach.

When I first was a pastor at Cranbrook, there was a great concern to me. I thought, if I'm deficient on one particular doctrine, then the people will be. They won't hear about that. If I just ignore one part of the word, my mind went to something like the Heidelberg Catholicism, which methodically goes through and makes sure you cover all the doctrines. But the Lord really impressed on me that I did not have to worry about what I was to preach from. And I would say, I will give you a text. I will show you what to preach from. But when I give you a text, you make sure you open it up, and you explain it, and you preach from that text, not go to lots of other texts, and not go, but keep to what I've brought to you. And it was such a help to me.

Now, I trust the Lord has helped me to do that. I hope it is also you could listen to one of my sermons now, and then go back 30 years and listen to one, and it'd be the same truths, and the same word, and not another change. So that's the thing, to enter into the way, to continue preaching that same gospel the same way.

I want to look then lastly at one further evidence that I cite ministry. It's one that has a goal in view, and a goal that is scriptural in view. Instead of just beating the air, instead of just thinking, well that was an interesting sermon, or just a very contracted view of thinking this is just for this week or something, Paul always has an end in view, a real goal. We've already mentioned some of those verses in this very chapter.

Verse 10, that I may know Him, the power of His resurrection, is not that a goal? Is not that a desire to know Christ? And that in verse 12, that I may apprehend that for which I am apprehended of Christ Christ has called him and saved him the Lord knows all about him but does Paul understand everything what is bound up with his calling and the blessing that's been bestowed upon him that's what he desires to know he desires to really understand what he's been called to and for and to be in heaven at last. He says in verse 13, that he has not, he doesn't count himself to have apprehended, but he's got a goal, he's looking forward, reaching forth under the things that are before. I press toward the mark, you think of him later on, let us run the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus. And all the time he's got and aim and desire. In other parts he says that for me to live is Christ, to die is gain. All the time he's got his eye on heaven and on where he's going. It's not far behind his thoughts at all.

We mentioned as we read where it says here, verse 20, our conversation is in heaven. In the original languages, that can be described as our citizenship. It's only mentioned that word twice in the Philippians. That's citizenship. Now some of us, well, I'm only a citizen. I only have citizenship of Britain. Our children, they were born in Australia, they've got dual citizenship. They can be in two countries. But when we have citizenship, then so something happens on the airplane from here to Australia, it is the British consulate, it is where we have citizenship, they're looking after us, they're helping us. And to have that passport, as it were, a British passport means so much. But to have a passport for heaven, remember, And the Lord's servant, his son, who sadly left the ways of the Lord, but when he was rebellious, they asked me as a minister to sign his passport application. And I said to him, do you understand the worth of this passport? He said, yes. I said, so you can't get into the countries where you want to go without it, can you? He said, yes. I said, well, what's your passport for heaven? Do you think that you'll get into heaven without that proper passport, proper credentials, proper way? That man can say, to get into this country or that, you've got to have the right paperwork, but to go to heaven, it doesn't matter.

We can just be anything goes. No, the scriptures are very clear on that. And so it's a blessed thing to realize the Lord has brought us to be born into his kingdom, and grafted into his kingdom part of that citizenship of heaven.

A number of years ago, I may have said this before, preaching at Pilgrim Home, and there was a chap sitting neck and neck just in front of me, and I hadn't seen him before, paid great attention to the Word, and afterwards I said to him, and it turned out it was Ron Bishop from Cobra, I said, are you in permanently or just for rest and change? He said, no, permanently. And then his face changed. And he just lit up. And with joy he pointed above, but my home is above. This is not my home. And you could see it was so close to him and suddenly a realization of what hope he had beyond the grave and a home in heaven. And I can always picture him, it was a good lesson, and we often think in going into that pilgrim home, I take away more than I give to those dear aged pilgrims. And it's a great privilege for many different denominations, and I've been going in there for 24 years, and I've seen many of those people, the end of their lives, and seeing that faith, and that love of the Lord, and that enduring unto the end, he that endures unto the end, never counted a small thing, that the Lord has given you an aim, and you desire, and you're getting closer and closer to it, and you long for it, and you desire it, that is safe, when the Lord has set that before us, and nothing will turn us aside from it.

Our eyes are set, you know when our Lord was going to Jerusalem, when he was to be crucified, When his time was come, he went through Samaria. The Samaritans, they wouldn't receive him. Why? Because his face was set to go to Jerusalem. The disciples, they said, shall we call down fire from heaven? Consume them, as Moses did, as Elijah did. And the Lord said, you know not what spirit ye are of. The Son of Man came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them. But the way the Lord had his eyes set, that sacrifice, that which was pointed to do from the beginning of the world. The Lord says to Pilate, for this cause came I into the world. He was to suffer, bleed and die, and lay down his life for his people. His aim was to save his people. His aim was to bring them safely to heaven. That's still to be so. And He will accomplish that.

But I believe one precious evidence of being His people, that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. And we'll have that aim, and that ministry then, that not only rejoices in the Lord, but not only speaks those same things and keeps to the old paths, not new innovative paths, And that ministry that has Christ as the end in view and heaven in view, in which the Lord said, Father, I will that they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory. May our aim and our desire be the same. This is not our rest. It is for me too. And a ministry that settles men, women down short here below, that is not safe, but that is safe. that though our outward man perish, our inward man is renewed day by day, and we desire to, at last, as the Apostle said, to be with Christ, which is far better.

A safe ministry, while I trust my ministry is so, and our brother here, and William, and our dear brethren in the Lord, we would seek to, that our ministry is safe, It doesn't build up man, it doesn't centre on man's works or man's deeds, but Christ's righteousness, His finished work, His blood, His righteousness alone, that our trust is solely there. And that will never be put to shame. The Lord add His blessing. Amen.