saints as becometh saints. Paul says regarding this woman,
Phoebe, who I'm going to try to spend a few minutes talking
about, that you receive her in the Lord as becometh saints,
as saints ought to do. I commend unto you Phoebe, our
sister." Now some use this to say that there were female deacons
in the early church because the word is deaconess. I commend
unto you Phoebe, a deaconess of the church. But you know that
same word is translated servant much more times than it is translated
the office of a deacon. It's literally a waiter of tables. And you can't argue that the
Bible teaches that women are called to the office of deacons.
When Peter first spoke of the office, he said to the church
at Jerusalem, look ye out seven men, full of full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom
and of good report. The deacon is called upon to
be the husband of one wife, not the wife of one husband. And to try to use this scripture
to prove there are women called to the office of a deacon is
a dishonest use of the scripture because the word servant is used
in so many different respects and very rarely is it used with
regard to this office. But do you know the Bible? I
want to say this as clearly as I can. The Bible's not chauvinistic. It's probably the only book that's
not. There is no male nor female in
Christ Jesus. Isn't that glorious? There's no male nor female. And men are not more important
than women in the scriptures. They're just not. I think it's
very significant that when the Lord was on the cross, who fled
away and who was still there? All the men left and the women
were still there at the cross with him all the time. Who was
the first person the Lord appeared to when he was raised from the
dead? A woman, Mary Magdalene. That being said, no woman is
called to the office of a pastor or the office of a deacon. That's
not God's protocol. It's not right. And if a woman
tries to usurp either of those offices, she's doing so in contradiction
to the Word of God. But Phoebe was a servant of the
church at Cynchria. In verse 2, Paul says she was
a suckerer of many, and he's commending this woman. This was
a very special woman who was a servant of the church, and
every woman here ought to aspire to be just like Phoebe. servant of the church. In this
word, sucker, it means a female patron. It's the only time this
word is used in the New Testament, and it's one who helps with her resources. Turn
with me for a moment to Luke chapter 8. You know, I've thought of women
in this church, I think they would be in this bunch if they
had the same opportunity these women had. Luke 8. And it came to pass afterward
that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and
showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve
were with him, and certain women, which had been healed of evil
spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom
went seven devils, and Joanna, the wife of Chewsup, Herod's
servant, Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of
their substance." I love thinking about this. These women followed
the Lord around. And they made sure he was taken
care of. And I know that there's women in this church that if
they were in that position, they would be doing the same thing.
And I just love thinking about that. What a blessing Phoebe was to
many. And Paul said, I commend her.
I have confidence in this woman. I've seen her as a sister. She's
in the family, the brethren. He called her our sister. She's part of the family of God,
her name means radiant. Now look what he says about her
in verse 2, that you receive her in the Lord. Now that word receive is the
same word that was used against our Lord when they said this
man receiveth sinners. However the Lord receives sinners,
how he embraces them. You receive her in the Lord as
becometh saints. Receive her in the Lord. All
of God's spiritual blessings are in Christ. And all of God's
people are in Christ. And all the fullness of the Godhead
is in Christ. You receive her in the Lord. You assist her. You present yourself
to her to do or give whatever she asks you to. That word is
the same as present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable unto the Lord, which is your reasonable service. You
receive her in the Lord. She's been a sucker of many and
of myself also, and you do this as become a saint." Now, a saint. I thought, how would I define
a saint? And you know the best word that
you can use to define a saint is a sinner. You find me a sinner, and I'll
show you a saint every time. You find me a sinner, a real
sinner, someone who believes themselves to be nothing but
sin, and the only righteousness they have is the righteousness
of Jesus Christ. You find me a sinner, and I'll
show you a saint. A saint of God. They all have
that in common. What is a saint? A saint is someone
chosen of God to be a saint. Elected before time began. God's
glorious choice. You can't talk about being a
saint without talking about election. God choosing that person to be
holy according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world that we should be holy and without blame before
him. A saint is someone who Christ died for. And by his death, God
declares him to be holy. Their sin has been put away. It's been cancelled. It's gone. Wherefore, by one offering he
hath perfected forever. Talking about his death. Wherefore,
by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
A saint is someone who's been born of the Spirit. They've been
given a new nature, a holy nature, a nature that was not there before.
It's with that holy nature that they see their sin. You know,
the only way you can see yourself as a sinner is if you're a saint.
There are no non-saved people that really believe themselves
to be sinners. They may admit, oh, I'm a real
bad person, some kind of rock and roll, immoral type of person,
and they may think, oh, I'm bad to the bone, and they can say
all those things about themselves, but They think they at least
have the potential to be good. They may be bad, but they have
the potential to be good. Only saints believe themselves
to be sinners. And that's why saints so desperately
need God to elect them, and Christ to die for them, and God the
Holy Spirit to give them life, to preserve them, because they
know they're sinners. And the only way they can be
saved is if God does everything for them. Now, you treat this
woman as becometh saints in a worthy manner. Now, what that tells
me is there is a way in which a saint ought to conduct himself
in a worthy manner. And there are ways that a saint
ought not conduct himself. That's just the way it is. Turn
with me for a moment to Ephesians chapter 4. He's speaking to this Gentile
church and he says in verse 17, This I say therefore and testify
in the Lord, that you henceforth walk, not as other Gentiles walk,
in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that's in them because of the blindness of their heart, who
being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness,
to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you've not so
learned Christ. If so be that you've heard of
him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus, that
you put off concerning the former conversation of the old man,
which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust, and be renewed
in the spirit of your mind that you put on the new man, which
after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore,
put away lying. Speak every man truth with his
neighbor. For we are members of one another. Be ye angry,
and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon
your wrath, neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole
steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands
the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that
needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but
that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister
grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit
of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let
all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking,
be put away from you with all malice, and be ye kind one to
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for
Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Isn't that beautiful? As becometh
saints. Now there we see some ways in
there that saints ought not be. But what I want us to do is look
at the six different places in the New Testament this word is
used, that's translated in our text, as becometh. As becometh. Turn to your own Ephesians. Let's
look at the first of chapter four. Now every believer, without exception,
desires to walk in a way that's becoming to the gospel. You really
do, don't you? You want to walk in such a way
as is becoming of the gospel. In chapter 4, verse 1, I therefore,
the prisoner of the Lord. I love it when Paul says, I'm
the prisoner of the Lord. He's there and He's in a Roman
prison, put there by the Romans with a Roman guard, and he says,
I'm the Lord's prisoner. The reason I'm here is because
the Lord's put me here. And I know that, and I believe
it. Well, isn't it a blessing when you really believe that
God's in control of everything and you're not murmuring and
complaining and thinking about how bad everything is? Everything's
great. Everything's great because the
Lord's in control. He's the first cause of all things. And where
I am is because He put me there. I'm the Lord's prisoner. And
what a thing to say. I mean, can you imagine what
a rotten life it was? Yet He says, I'm the Lord's prisoner. Let's go on reading. I therefore,
the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk And that's
the same Greek word as, becometh saints, I beseech you that you
walk worthy of the vocation, and that simply means the calling,
the calling wherewith you are called. And he tells what this
worthy walk looks like. And here's the first thing he
says, with all loneliness. Now, if you would walk worthy,
if I would walk worthy, I would do so in genuine humility. That's what that word lowliness
means. It's humility. I love it when someone once asked
John Calvin, what are the three most important Christian graces? He said, first, humility. Second,
humility. Third, humility. I don't think there's anything
more distasteful than someone who professes faith that's not
a humble, lowly person. You see, humility is a just estimate
of yourself. That's all it is. You have a
just estimate of yourself. You know you're a sinner. You
got to begin right there. I mean, that's a just estimate of yourself.
And you know it's only by the grace of God that you know you're
a sinner. There was a time when you didn't know it. You do now.
God's revealed that to you to cause you to look to His Son
only as everything in salvation. But loneliness, with all humility,
when Paul told the Romans, In Romans chapter 12, to present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service. And don't be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
you may prove what is that good and perfect and acceptable will
of God. And here's the first thing he said, here's the first
thing I say to you to do that, let every man among you not to think
of himself more highly than he ought to think. All the problems I have is when
I think of myself too highly. Oh, what a blessing it is to walk in loneliness. I am what I am by the grace of
God. And with meekness, verse 2, meekness. Meekness is an attitude towards
God. It's what one man called a Godward
attitude. It's an attitude toward God where
you realize that everything that comes Your way is from Him, and
therefore it's good. This is the will of God, that
you give thanks for everything. That's God's will for you, to
give thanks for it. That's a meek attitude towards
God. If I'm meek, that means I know
God knows what He's doing, so whatever He does is right, and
whatever He does is good. I don't know what He's doing,
and I don't need to, but you trust Him as whatever He does
is right. In everything give thanks. For
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Now, that's
what it is to walk worthy of God, is to walk in lowliness,
to know you're nothing but a sinner saved by grace. You know, if
you're lowly, you're not going to be looking down your nose
at other people. You're not going to be sitting in judgment of other
people. You're not going to be judging them. You're going to
be considering them better than you. Oh, what a blessing it is
to be enabled to do that, to not put yourself first. to walk
in humility and with meekness and long-suffering. That's believing
God's on the throne. That's all long-suffering comes
from, just believing He's in control of everything and everything's
going to be fine. Last, whatever day it was when
I landed, I was in a plane. I guess it was last Saturday.
And I didn't want to know the U.K. score. I taped it and I
was all excited about getting to come home and watch the U.K.
football game because I had this feeling Louisville was going
to get beat. And I said I called it. So I
said, you always call the Kentucky win. That doesn't mean anything.
And I guess that's true. But at any rate, as soon as we
landed, A bunch of people started screaming, Kentucky won! You
know, they turned their phones on, ruined my time. You know,
I was all excited about watching that game. But then afterwards,
I watched it anyway. You know, they won. I wouldn't
watch if they lost. I watched it anyway. And I didn't get uptight
at all. I mean, whatever happened, everything
was fine. I knew the outcome. Now, if you're
long-suffering, you just believe God's sovereign. He's in control,
and you're not worried about the outcome because you're going
to win. And then it says in verse 2,
forbearing one another in love. That word forbearing means putting
up with one another in love. Paul put it to the Colossians
in Colossians chapter 3 verse 13, forbearing and forgiving
one another. Now, if we're around each other
much, we're going to have to find ways to forgive one another.
Isn't that the key to a happy marriage? Forgive your spouse.
If you hold grudges, if you're always mad at them, you're going
to be miserable. You're going to make them miserable
too. But forbearing and forgiving one another. Verse 3, endeavoring,
giving effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace. You don't want to cause trouble.
You want to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace,
and he tells us what that unity is. I love these next few verses.
There's one body. That's the unity of the Spirit.
You know, there's only one church. The Church of God's elect. The
General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn, whose names are
written in heaven. That's the church role I want
to be on. There's one body. The idea of different denominations,
it's just ridiculous. It's just ridiculous. There's
not divisions and different denominations in the church. There's one body.
All believers believe the same thing, don't they? They all believe
just alike. I mean, right down to the T,
they believe just alike. We all believe the Bible's the
Word of God. We all believe God's God. We all believe salvation
is of the Lord. We all believe Christ is all.
There's no difference in what we believe. I've come across
somebody that doesn't believe the way I do. Well, they don't
believe then, because all believers believe the same thing. They
believe just alike. There's one body and one spirit. We're all taught by the same
spirit, even as you're called. In one hope of your calling,
there's only one hope. And I know what it is. The only
hope I have is that Jesus Christ died for me. That's the only
hope I have. And if you tell me that he can
die for somebody and they wind up in hell anyway, you've taken
away my only hope. Because my hope is that if he
died for me, I must be saved. My sins put away. God's satisfied
with me. There's one hope. One Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ. One faith,
the faith of God's elect, the acknowledgment of the truth which
is after godliness. One baptism. Baptism by mercy,
the believer's confession of Christ. One God and Father of
all who's above all and through all and in you also. If I'm going
to walk worthy of the Lord, I'm going to walk in humility, meekness,
long-suffering, putting up with each other. endeavoring to keep
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Turn to Philippians
chapter 1. Only let your, verse 27, Philippians
127, only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel
of Christ. That's the word. Let your conversation
be as 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. That's what happens when people
are walking as becoming the gospel. They stand fast in one spirit,
striving together for the faith of the gospel, and do nothing
terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token
of perdition, but to you a salvation on that of God, for unto you
it's given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him. Now,
if you have faith, you know it's given to you, don't you? I mean,
I'm so sure of that. I didn't work it up. He was given
to me. But not only is it given to me
to believe on Christ. Look what it says next. Not only
to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake. Now what
that's a reference to is being persecuted for righteousness
sake. That's one of the Beatitudes. We make such an issue of the
righteousness of Christ being the only righteousness there
is. The folks are going to get mad
at that because it's taking away their righteousness. But if I'm
walking as becoming the gospel of Christ, I'm going to be making,
people are going to know what I believe. They're going to hear,
they're going to hear what I'm saying and they're going to get
upset. Now that is walking in a way that is becoming to the
gospel, it glorifies Christ. And one of the things I was thinking
about this, somebody that doesn't hate the false, They don't love
the true. That's all there is to it. If
you don't hate the false, if you can stomach the false, if
you can accept the false, there's only one reason. You don't love
the true. If you love the true, the truth
of who God is and how he saves sinners by grace, If you love
the truth, you can't stomach anything but the truth. And that
is becoming to the gospel. That's because you love Christ.
You can't bear that which dishonors Him and takes away from His glory.
That's why you will make enemies when people say things with regard
to the gospel that you know dishonor Christ and take away your only
hope. You won't listen to it. Now that's a life, that is a
conversation that is becoming to the gospel. It's because of
love to Him. It's not just wanting everybody
to believe the way you do and trying to get mad at people that
don't. You love Him. And His honor is at stake. And that's
why you're that way. Colossians chapter 1. Verse 9. Verse 7, As you also learned
of Ephraim, our dear fellow servant, who is for you a minister of
Christ, who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit, for
this cause also, since the day we heard, do not cease to pray
for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge
of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that
you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. being
fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of
God. Now if I'm going to walk worthy of the Lord, I'm going
to have to have a spiritual understanding of the knowledge of His will. That doesn't mean that I can
give theological textbook definitions of the decrees of God and His
will and the difference between the sovereign will and purpose
of God and human responsibility. I'm not talking about having
theology straight. Here's what I'm talking about.
Behold, there came a leper unto him, and worshipped him, saying,
Lord, if you will, You can make me clean. Let me tell you what
a spiritual understanding of the will of God is. You know
the supremacy of God's will and your only hope is what He will
do for you. Now that's a spiritual understanding.
I've never had it. Lord, if you will, you can. Make me clean. I can't tell you
how many times I've prayed that prayer. I'm still praying it.
Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. Now that's a spiritual
understanding of His will. Salvation is in the will of God. It's not in man's will. It's
not in free will. It's in God's will. Now that's
a true spiritual understanding of the will of God. Now, when
you have that, Anybody who comes to Christ like that is saved
and they desire to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing
and being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge
of God. Turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter
4. Verse 1, furthermore then, We
beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as
you have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God,
so you would abound more and more. That word, how you ought
to walk, that's the same thing. Walk in a becoming way. Well,
how do you walk in a becoming way? Well, furthermore, then
we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus,
that as you have received of us how you ought to walk and
to please God, so you would abound more and more. How ought I to
walk? Wanting to please God. And how
do I please God? Without faith, it is impossible to please Him. You got to start right there. And anybody who has faith, loves
Him and wants Him to be pleased with him. I want the Lord to
be pleased with me. Now I know that His only pleasure is in
Christ. I want to be found in Him. But
I want to be somebody like David, a man after God's own heart. I want to be a pastor after God's
own heart. I want to be someone who seeks
his honor and his glory. I want him to be pleased. I know
the only way he can be pleased with me is in Christ. I know
that as sure as I'm standing here. I know everything that
God looks for out of me, he looks to his Son for. And I love it
that way, don't you? I love it that way. I wouldn't
want it to be any other way. But I know this. I don't want
to please Him. That's how I ought to walk, seeking
to please Him. And he goes on to explain what
all that means in the rest of that chapter. I turn to 3 John. 3 John. Verse 5, Beloved thou doest faithfully
whatsoever thou doest to the brethren and to the strangers,
which have borne witness of thy charity before the church, whom
if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort. Now that is the same word, walk
pleasing and so on, if you bring these fellows on their journey
in a way that becometh saints, in a godly way. thou shalt do
well, but cause that for his name's sake they went forth taking
nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive
such that we might be fellow helpers to the truth." Now these
men were preachers who were spreading the gospel and they were not
taking support from the Gentiles. doing what they were doing for
his namesake and to bring them forward on a godly sort is to
support them in what they're doing. Now, the main idea is
the support and the spread of the gospel. If I love Christ,
if I love the gospel, I want everybody in Lexington to hear
the gospel. I want everybody in Kentucky
to hear the gospel. I want everybody in the United
States to hear the gospel. I want everybody in the world
to hear the gospel, and I'm going to prove it by being behind wherever
it's being spread. If you bring them forward on
a godly sort. Now, if you know Christ, you
want other people to know Him. and you want to be behind anybody
who's preaching the gospel, you want to preach the gospel. And
you want to be behind anybody preaching the gospel. And you
want people to hear the gospel. There's no such thing as someone
who's saved that is indifferent about other people hearing the
gospel. This is becoming to a saint, to seek to help in the spread
of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And finally, Phoebe,
back to Romans chapter 16, this special woman. Paul says, I commend unto you,
Phoebe, our sister, which is a servant of the church, which
is at Synchria. What a high honor to be a servant
of the church. that you receive her in the Lord
as becometh saints, and that you assist her in whatsoever
business she hath need of you. You do whatever it is she wants
you to do. I'm commending her. She's special. She's somebody
the Lord has used in a great way. For she hath been a succorer,
a helper of many, and of myself also. Now, if I'm going to act
as becometh saints, I'm going to get in line with her and I'm
going to do what she tells me to do as becometh saints. Oh, may the Lord give me and
you grace to conduct ourselves in a way that becometh saints. Let's pray. Lord, we ask that you would give
us the grace to walk worthy of the Lord, of
his gospel, and to conduct ourselves in a
way that becomes thy saints. Oh, Lord, make us saints indeed. Lord, as we prepare to take your
table, we ask that you would enable us to do this in remembrance
of thy dear son. That we remember. His broken
body shed for us, suffering Your wrath, taking on what we deserve,
that we remember His precious blood and what it accomplished
to make us holy and pure and without blame before You. Lord,
enable us to do this in remembrance of Thee. In Christ's name we
pray, amen.