This Saturday, we'll have a memorial
service for Debbie Williams here at the church, and after the
service, we're going to have a lunch for the family, and the
church will take care of the meats, and if anybody can bring
a dish, that will be helpful. 11 o'clock Saturday morning.
There's gonna be an email about it, I'm sure. Let's read this verse of scripture
again, 1 Corinthians chapter 16. Verses 13 and 14. Watch ye stand fast in the faith. Quit ye like men. Be strong or be strengthened. Let all your things be done with
charity. Five things to do. And this is part of Paul's closing
letter, close to this address to the church at Corinth. Five
things to do. And one of the things I found
encouraging about there being five things, and I don't know
that that's what the Lord intended for this, but five is the number
of grace. And this was a reminder to me
anyway, that grace will enable me to do all these five things. Watch ye. It's the first thing. Watch ye. This word is found
23 times in the New Testament and 17 times it's used by the
Lord in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and in the book of Revelation.
Watch ye. When I say unto you, I say unto
all, watch. Now this word is usually used
with regard to watchfulness with regard to his second coming. How would it affect my attitude
about everything? How would it affect my conduct? How would it affect my values
if I knew he was coming back today? I want you to think about
that. What effect would it have on
you if you knew he was coming back today? That is the way every
day should be lived. Watching for his second return,
thinking it may come today and think what an effect that would
have on me and you. My dictionary says the word means
take heed less through remission and indolence or laziness, some
destructive calamity suddenly overtake you. Watch out. Watch
out. You know the main person you
need to watch for? I know you do. Yourself. Yourself. Be suspicious of yourself. Watch
out for yourself. And I can think of so many things
that I need to watch out for in myself that comes up so naturally. Self-righteousness is the first
one. Pride. A judgmental, critical attitude. Feeling sorry for myself. Apathy. Spiritual laziness. Selfishness. I gotta watch out how I preach.
I hope I always preach as a sinner preaching to other sinners, and
never any other way, not preaching down. Watch out for yourselves,
how you hear. Ask the Lord to deliver you from
hearing with a critical ear, but with a hungering ear. There's so many things we need
to watch out for, and we could spend the rest of this message
naming things. But I think the best way to handle
this is to look at what the Lord warned us of to watch for in
Revelation 2 and 3. So would you turn with me to
Revelation chapter 2? This is something I need and you need
to always be on the watch for. Be sensitive about this. Revelation chapter 2, he's speaking to the church at
Ephesus and he's commending them about some things. But look what
he says in verse four. Nevertheless, in spite of all
these things he commended them for, nevertheless, I have somewhat
against thee because thou hast left thy first love. Now what a thing to be on my
watch for. leaving my first love. And we just heard in that song,
what language can I borrow to thank thee, dearest friend, for
this thy dying favor, thy pity without end. Oh, make me thine
forever. And should I fainting be, Lord,
let me never, never outlive my love to Thee. The first thing
he warns the church at Ephesus about is leaving your first love. And he closes that epistle to
the Ephesians with these words, Grace be to them which love our
Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Perhaps he had some inkling that
that's what was going on with him when he was writing them.
And he says, grace be with those that love our Lord Jesus Christ
in sincerity. Now, look what he says to the
church at Pergamos. He commends them for several. things. And he says in verse
14, but I have a few things against thee. And really, I think all
of these things come out of losing your first love. This is where
this will go. He says to the church of Pergamos,
a true church, true believers. He says, I have a few things
against thee because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine
of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before
the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols,
and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold
the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate." Now here's
his warning. You have those who hold the doctrine
of Balaam. And he taught the children of
Israel to sacrifice, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit
fornication. Now, is he talking about those
things literally? I wouldn't say he's not, but that's not
the main meaning. When I eat things sacrificed to idols, that
means I'm gaining or think I gain or say I can gain spiritual nourishment
from that which is not the truth, which is contrary to the gospel. Eat things, sacrifice to idols.
You know, there's other places where Paul says, eat things,
sacrifice to idols. It's just meat. But here he's
talking about something spiritual. If I can gain nourishment, so
I think, from that which is contrary to the truth of the gospel. The
Lord says, I've got that against you. The spirit of. compromise
and to commit fornication. Now we know from the account
of numbers, many of those people did commit fornication and he
killed 23,000 people in one day. But what this is talking about
more than anything else is trying to find some satisfaction outside
of the covenant, the covenant of God's grace, the covenant
of Christ. He says, you have them there
that say you can Benefit from that which is false is what it
means. And trying to find some kind of hope of assurance, some
kind of joy, some kind of peace outside of the covenant that
God made. That David spoke of when he said,
though my house be not so with God yet, hath he made with me
an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure. He also
says you have them there that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans,
which thing I hate. Now, there's been so many commentaries
trying to guess what the Nicolaitans are. And the only way we can
understand what the doctrine of the Nicolaitans is, is by
knowing what the word Nicolaitan means. Because there's no historical
setting of these people in any books of history. We don't know
about them. But the word means above the people. It's clergy
laity. Which thing Christ says I hate. Now why does Christ hate that?
Because this Putting the difference between me and somebody else
is a denial that Jesus Christ is all in salvation. And as soon
as I espouse that kind of thinking, that I'm different, or that I'm
better, or I'm more blessed, or I'm more this, or I'm more
that, I've espoused the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing
Christ says he hates. You see, you are all one in Christ
Jesus. Isn't that a great place to be?
simply one in Christ Jesus. And then to the church at Thyatira,
he gave some commendations and he says in chapter two, verse
20, not withstanding, I have a few things against thee because
thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, which calls herself a prophetess,
to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, to eat
things sacrificed unto idols. Now here it's a little bit different.
He doesn't say you have them to teach this. He said you allow
this to take place. You tolerate this to take place. It's really the same thing as
the church at Pergamos. They had them there. did that,
but here he says, you allow it. You allow it. And that should
never be in this church or any other true church. This could
never be allowed. Wandering down the gospel to
where you can find spiritual benefit from that which is not
true and some kind of comfort outside the covenant. He says,
you allow that to take place. And I have something against
you because of that. Look in chapter 3, verse 1. Now
remember, we're talking about watching. Watching. I want to
be on my watch about this with regard to myself. Chapter 3, verse 1, unto the
angel of the church at Sardis write, these things saith he
that hath the seven spirits of God and the seven stars, I know
thy works, that thou hast a name, that thou livest, and are dead. Be watchful. Be watchful. Now what this is talking about
is living in the past. I remember when I learned this.
I remember when I experienced that. I remember when I did this.
I remember how I felt it. Living in the past. That's the
most dangerous false refuge there is. Living in the past. Your past experience and thinking,
I must be okay now because everything was well in the past. He says,
don't do that. Don't do that. You have a name
that you live. You're living on past thoughts
of yourself, when in reality, you're dead. Now, I want to watch
out for that. I want to look to Christ today,
the way I looked to Him for the first time. I want to rest in
Him today, the way I did the first time. I want to rejoice
in Him today, the way I did the very first day. Don't live in
the past. Don't make a false refuge on
some kind of past experience or past understanding. Look to
Christ. You see, faith's always in the
present. I don't look to the way I looked to Christ yesterday
any more than I get satisfaction from yesterday's meal. I had
a good meal yesterday, but I'm hungry today. I gotta look to
Christ the same way every day. Now, look, in chapter three,
verse 14, Under the angel of the church
of the Laodiceans, write, these things saith he, amen, the faithful
and the true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know
thy works, that thou art neither cold nor
hot. Coldness is uncomfortable. Nobody likes being cold. being hot is uncomfortable. He said, you're neither. You're
neither. You're satisfied. I'm OK. So then, because thou art lukewarm. You know, the thing I think about
when I think about lukewarm is when my coffee gets cold. Love it hot. If I wait too long,
it gets cold. It's disgusting when it's cold.
It's not good. You are lukewarm, the Lord says
to the church at Laodicea. So then because thou art lukewarm
and neither cold nor hot. You know, if you're cold spiritually,
it makes you miserable, doesn't it? You feel alone. You feel cut off. There's nothing
good about being cold. When you're cold, you know it
and you hate it. When you're hot, when you're hot spiritually,
that's not comfortable. What is dangerous is when I'm
rich, I'm fine. I'm increased with goods. I have
need of nothing. I'm in good shape. Don't worry
about me. I'm good. I'm good. Verse 17,
because thou sayest, well, Look what the Lord says, I'll vomit
you out of my mouth. That's what the Lord thinks of
lukewarmness. He says, because thou sayest,
I'm rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. And
knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind
and naked. Now, watch out for lukewarmness. And you know, I, you think about
this, all of these come from losing your first love. If I
lose my first love, I'm tolerant of that which is contrary to
my first love. I'm tolerant. You don't need
to be so severe. I live in the past. All these
things come out of losing your first love. And that's the first
thing he said to the church at Ephesus. I want to watch out
for this, don't you? Watch out. Let me love you more and more
if I love at all, I pray, if I have not loved before. Help
me to begin today. I do not want to lose my first
love to him. Now go back to our text in 1
Corinthians chapter 16. There's the first thing. Watch.
Watch. Wouldn't it be a blessing to
us if we would stay watchful like this? Living every day,
this is the day the Lord's coming back. It would just change your
view of everything. There's things that you get upset
with now, you don't get upset about it, but the Lord's coming
back today. Oh, would to God that you and I would live in
this state of watchfulness. Now he says next, let me get
back there. Verse 13. Here's the second thing. Stand fast in the faith. Be unmovable in the faith. Be stationary in the faith. Stand your ground in the faith. I love what Paul called the faith
in Titus 1.1. The faith of God's elect. The acknowledging, the embracing,
the perceiving of the truth. That's what faith is. It's the
acknowledging of the truth, which is after godliness. It's godliness
that causes that. Stand fast in the faith. I love what Paul said at the
end of his life. I fought a good fight. How'd
you do that, Paul? I finished my course. Course
in what? Keeping the faith. I've kept
the faith. Now, would you turn with me for
a moment to Colossians chapter one? I think this is helpful
in understanding this thing of keeping the faith. Standing fast in faith. Look
at verse 23. Well, verse 22 says, that he might present us holy
and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight, if, if you continue in the faith
grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the
gospel. Now, if you continue in the faith,
Grounded and settled, there's one reason. It's because he's
made you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight.
And the only evidence that he has made you holy and unblameable
and unreprovable in his sight is if you continue in the faith,
grounded and settled, and be not moved from the hope of the
gospel. Look in verse 14. Now, he talks
about the person of Christ, the work of Christ. First, the person. Verse 13, who has delivered us
from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom
of His dear Son, in whom we have redemption through His blood,
even the forgiveness of sin, who is the image of the invisible
God, the firstborn of every creature. For by Him were all things created
that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all
things, by Him all things consist. He is the head of the body, the
church who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things He might have the preeminence, for it pleased
the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell. What a description
of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is His person. And you can't
go on to His work unless you understand who His person is.
We get this, we're gonna understand what he says next. Verse 20,
this glorious person, here's what he did, having made peace
through the blood of his cross. by Him to reconcile all things
to Himself. By Him, I say, whether they be
things in earth or things in heaven, and you that were before
time, sometime before time, alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through
death to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable
in His sight, if you continue in the faith. Grounded and settled
and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel. Well, what's
that hope of the gospel? Look in chapter two, verse six. As you have therefore received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. How'd you receive
him? You know how you received him?
As an empty-handed sinner, needing his mercy and his grace. As you
receive Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and
built up in him and established in the faith. As you've been
taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving, beware, lest any
man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition
of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you
are complete in him, which is the head of all principality.
Now here's the hope of the gospel. I'm complete in him. Right now,
while I'm standing here talking to you, aware of so many things
about myself that hardly seem complete, in Christ, I am complete. That's the hope of the gospel.
All God requires of me, I have in him. I'm accepted in the beloved. That is my hope. Complete in thee. No works of
mine may take the place dear Lord of thine. Thy blood hath
pardoned but for me, and I am now complete in thee. What a hope. What a hope. Now back to our text. Here's
the third thing. Watch ye, number one, stand fast
in the faith, number two, here's number three, quit ye like men. Now that doesn't mean quit, obviously. It means man up. And this is
spoken to women too. Man up. Quit ye like men. Be a man. Now this is said to
all the church, quit ye like men. And the word has in it the
idea of being courageous. Now you have every reason to
be courageous. I have every reason to be courageous
because of God for me. Who can be against me? There's a reason for courage.
You may be a very timid person. You may have a tendency to be
not courageous. But here is the apostle's instruction
to every member of his church. Quit ye like men. Be a man. Be responsible. Take responsibility. I love what
Paul said to Timothy. Endure hardness as a good soldier
of Jesus Christ. Be a provider. If any provide
not for his own, especially they of his own house, he's worse
than an infidel and denied the faith. Now that's more than material
provision, that's spiritual provision. Quit ye like man, man up. Be a rock, be wise, be one who
is dependable. one who is faithful, one that
can be relied on, be one that others can follow your example. Do the right thing. Don't be
childish. Don't be weak. Don't be fearful.
Don't give in to that which would make you less than a man. Do
the right thing. Don't be a victim. Do the right
thing. Don't be childish. Man up. Don't be so foolish as to say,
that sounds like works. Man up. That is what he says
to every single one of his people. Don't be a baby. Don't be childish. Don't be immature. Man up. Now, here is why we can be encouraged
to do this for this fourth thing he mentions. He says, be strong. Now I'd like
to be strong, and you would too, but I love the fact that in the
original this is spoken of in the passive, be strengthened.
Now this gives me some encouragement that I can man up, that I can
be watchful, that I can be strong in the faith and established
in the faith and not be moved because it's all a work of His
grace. Grace for obedience. Be strengthened. Be strengthened
by His omnipotent grace. This is not about doing spiritual
push-ups. It's not about holding yourself
up by the bootstraps. Be strong in His grace. Let me give you a couple of scriptures.
Would you turn with me to Ephesians chapter three? Be strengthened. And this encourages
me so much because I just said be strong, I think I'm weak though.
But when it says be strengthened, that gives me some encouragement
that I can be strengthened by his grace and I ask the Lord
to strengthen me by his grace. Be strengthened. Now Ephesians
chapter three, verse 16. that he would grant you. And that word is graciously bestow
on you. It's a more powerful word. It's a gift of grace. That he
would grant you. What's a grant? It's something
you don't work for, it's given to you. That he would grant according
to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by
His Spirit in the inner man. Now, if you're a believer, you're
saying, Lord, strengthen me with your might by your Spirit in
the inner man. Look in chapter four, verse 13. Do we all come in the unity of
the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God into a perfect
man, a mature man, under the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to
and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the
slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie and wait to
deceive? But speaking the truth in love may grow up unto him
in all things, which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole
body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every
joint supplieth. Accordingly, the effectual working
in the measure of every part maketh the increase of the body
unto the edifying of itself in love. Now that is him strengthening. Strengthen. I love Paul's words
to Timothy. Thou my son, therefore be strong
in the grace that's in Christ Jesus, our Lord. We can only be strong in grace
when we're weak in ourselves. Didn't Paul say, when I'm weak,
then am I strong? It's being strengthened by His
all-sufficient grace that we can watch, that we can stand
fast, and that we can man up. Strengthened by His omnipotent
grace. Turn to Ephesians 1. And what is the exceeding greatness
of His power to us who believe according to the working of His
mighty power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him
from the dead. Now that's the strength that strengthens us,
the spiritual strength. The same power that was used
in the resurrection of Christ was used in your regeneration.
It's used in your preservation. And we're asking the Lord right
now, strengthen us with that strength, the power of God my
life. Lord, make me strong to watch,
make me strong to stand fast in faith, make me strong to be
a man by your omnipotent grace. While it's true, the Lord said,
without me, you can do nothing. Don't you know that so? He didn't
say, without me, you can almost do nothing. He said, without
me, you can do nothing. Nothing, nada, zero, zilch. Without me,
you can do nothing. But Paul also said, I can do
all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me. Be strengthened. And finally, in chapter 16, here's
the last thing he says. I love this. Verse 14. Let all your things, we got a
lot of things, don't we? Let all your things, whatever
it might be, let all your things be done with charity. And he'd been speaking of charity
earlier in this chapter. Turn to 1 Corinthians 13. We
would do well to read this chapter once a week, every day, really.
Look what he says in verse one. Do I speak with the tongues of
men and of angels? And have not charity, I'm become
as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the
gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
and though I have all faith so that I can remove mountains,
and have not charity, I'm loving. And though I bestow all my goods
to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,
as a martyr for the cause of God and truth. Think of that.
And had not charity, it was a waste of time. It didn't profit me
a thing. It wasn't real. Charity suffers
long, is kind. Charity envieth not. Charity vaunteth not itself.
It's not trying to convince you that you're worthy of being loved,
it loves. It's not puffed up with pride.
It doesn't behave itself unseemly, rude. It seeks not her own. Is not easily provoked. You don't have to be touchy around
it. Thinketh no evil, that means it keeps no records of wrongs.
It rejoices, not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. It
bears all things. It believes all things. It covers all things is what
that means. It bears all things. It covers
all things. It believes all things. It hopes
all things. It endures all things. Charity never faileth. Let all your things be done with
charity. May we live as ones who love,
love Christ. love everything about him, all
of his gospel, all of his attributes, all of his salvation. May we live as those who love
God, the Father. And we love God, the Holy Spirit. Remember, every experience you
have of God comes through the Spirit of God. We love God, the
Holy Spirit, may I be a husband of charity as I live in this
world. May I be a wife of charity as
I live in this world. When I go to work, may it be
as unto the Lord, him whom I love. When I preach, may love to him
be behind everything I say. When I hear, may I love him of
whom I hear. May love be the great motive
of my life. May love to him be the reason
in all my things, whatever it is. Let all your things be done
through charity. When I witness, Let it be because
I love him. When I give, let it be because
I love him. When I surrender my supposed rights, let it be
because of love to him. Content with beholding his face. My all to his pleasure resigned.
No changes of season or place would make any change in my mind.
When blessed with a sense of his love, a palace, a toy would
appear in prisons. would palaces prove if Jesus
would dwell with me there. May this be behind all we do. That's what puts significance
in all we do. Watch. Be on your guard. Stand fast
in the faith. Man up by being strengthened
by His grace. Let all your things, whatever
they are, be done with charity. Let's pray.