Either yesterday or today marks five years that I have
been called as pastor here. And I've had it in my mind that
it became official on 10-11-12. I've told you that many times. 10-11-12. But I got to thinking about it
and It might have been 10-10-12. Brother Tony called me on a Monday.
I went back and looked at the calendar back in 2012. Monday was October the 8th. And
he asked me if I would consider being the pastor here. And I
remember where I stand and I was sitting there holding the phone
to my ear, not saying out loud, yes. And before he ever called,
I knew, the Lord gave me a heart to be here. He gave Hannah a
heart to be here. And I knew what my answer was, but
I have been told all my life, over and over again, all my life,
my dad has told me over and over again, if you have an important
decision to make, Pray about it for three days. He's told
me that over and over again. I've tried to do that. If it's
something I think is very important, you know, that's what he said.
If it's that important, it can wait three days. You pray about
it for three days and see how the Lord leads you. I knew what
I wanted, but I wanted to see if that is what he wanted. And
so I was on the phone October the 8th, and I had it in my mind
I'm not giving him an answer until October the 11th. Three days. But thinking about
it, I don't think I made it. I was a little too excited. I'm
almost positive I called him on Wednesday, October the 10th.
Either way, yesterday or today marks five years. That's amazing,
isn't it? Five years together. For that
reason, tonight I want us to look at Philippians 1. Turn with
me back over there to Philippians chapter 1. This is a very special
portion of scripture to me for a few different reasons, but
it's a very, very special scripture to me personally. And I believe
this is appropriate for the occasion, and I believe this is our message.
I believe this is the message for the night. Philippians 1,
verse 1 says, Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ. What an honor. What an absolute honor. What an honor to be called the
humble servant. The thankful servant. Just honored
to be a servant. Verse one, he said, to all the
saints, those who have been made pure, that's what a saint is. Somebody who has been made pure,
made morally blameless, made holy. And verse one says it's
in Christ Jesus. That's where it is in Christ
Jesus, the source of our salvation and our life in Christ Jesus,
in his person, in his blood to all the saints in Christ Jesus,
which are at Philippi. And I'm quite positive. The same could be said about
Kingsport. with the bishops and the deacons, those who have been
given the responsibility of spiritual matters and those who have been
given the responsibility of physical matters. Verse two, he says,
grace be unto you. What is grace? I love simple questions. We know
the answer, but it makes everybody really think about it. What is
grace? What is grace? Let me show it
to us. Go over to Romans 3. Romans 3 verse 10 says, As it is written, there is none
righteous, no not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. They are all gone out of the
way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that
doeth good, no not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues, they've used
deceit. The poison of asp is under their
lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing
and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed
blood. Destruction and misery are in
their ways. And the way of peace, have they
not known? There's no fear of God before
their eyes. Verse 24 says, being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, through the suffering agony that took our debt and
paid our price. Verse 25 says, Whom God hath
set forth to be a propitiation, that means a bloody victim, an
atoning victim, through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness
for the remission of sins that are through the forbearance of
God to declare, I say at this time, His righteousness. He just
declared our sin and now He's declaring His righteousness.
That He might be just and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It's
excluded. By what law? Of works? No. By the law of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a
man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. That's
grace. That is freely given grace. Look with me back over at Philippians
1. Do you know what the byproduct of grace is? The side effect, the end result
of grace. Verse 2 says, Grace be unto you
and peace. Freely given grace makes peace. Grace brings peace. It goes on
to say, From God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse
3 says, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. To me, that's
one of the sweetest verses in the scripture. That's one of
the sweetest, kindest, most loving verses in the scripture. I thank
my God upon every remembrance of you. Always in every prayer
of mine for you all, making request with joy for your fellowship
in the gospel from the first day until now. You know, we have
a lot to be thankful for, don't we? We have a lot to be thankful
for. God chose us. God chose us and Christ died
for us. And the Spirit has called us.
Every physical need, and need needs to be all capital letters,
every physical need has been provided. Every spiritual need
has been provided. And on top of that, He's given
us each other. He's given us love and affection and unity
with each other in Him. He is what binds us together.
He is what binds our hearts together. It's all in Him. And Paul says,
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer
of mine for you all, making request with joy for your fellowship
in the gospel from the first day until now. God keeping us,
he said, I thank God for your fellowship from that first day
all the way up to right now. God keeping us is something to
be thankful for. You know, when people leave and
go astray, they think they're right in doing so. Isn't that
right? They're convinced, I'm right
in doing this. I'm doing this because I want
to do this. Isn't that right? God keeping us, keeping us from
ourselves, that's something to be thankful for. So many things we become focused
on, usually it's wrong things. But if we could just honestly
get a hold of the fact that we're being kept by the power of God. Through faith unto salvation,
ready, waiting to be revealed in the last time, if we could
ever get a hold of that, everything else would be so insignificant.
So insignificant. And he said, I thank God on every
remembrance of you, every prayer, making requests with joy for
your fellowship in the gospel. And the gospel is a person. This
is what he's saying. I am so glad that you all just
want to talk about a person. Have you ever been around somebody
who just wants to talk about doctrine? wears you out, doesn't
it? He said, I am so glad that you
all just want to talk about a person. I would like to interject myself
right there. I'm so glad you all just want to talk about a
person. That's it. Men, they love to get together
and impress each other with their
doctrine. Men love to impress each other with their doctrine.
You know, they think they're so wise and they think they're
so aged in the scriptures, you know, and they like to, to give
everything a label, give it a hard word, you know, and explain this. And if you don't understand this,
then you can't understand that. And they love to fellowship around
doctrine. And that is not the gospel. I don't care what doctrine it
is. It is not the gospel. The gospel is a person. Right? The gospel is a person. And Paul
said, I am so glad you all just want to talk about a person.
We have so much fellowship in that. And we have that, don't
we? So much fellowship there. Verse 5, for your fellowship
in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident
of this very thing that He, and that's where all our emphasis
needs to be, He, which hath begun a good work in you, he will perform
it until the day of Jesus Christ. Isn't that so relieving? Isn't
that so relieving? You know, he started it, but
you're going to have to finish it. He opened the door, but if you're
going to make it in, it's all on you. Aren't you so glad that
is not the message? Isn't that so relieving? Being
confident of this very thing. I mean, if we have confidence
in anything, it's this. He that begun a good work in
you, he will perform it all the way up until the day that you
see the glory of God Almighty in the face of Jesus Christ.
He'll take care of it every step of the way. The whole way. That is confidence to be thankful
for. Verse 7 says, even as it is meat, that means good and
right. 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 defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers
of my grace." And the margin right there says, partakers with
me of grace. He said, it's good and right
for me to be thankful for you. Because I am not in the ministry
of this declaration alone. You're with me. And I love that. You're with me in heart. You're
with me in bonds. You're with me in the defense
of the gospel. The confirmation of the message
of the gospel. He said, we're all partakers
of this grace together. All of us together. Verse eight. He said, for God is my record. How greatly I long after you
all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. He said, I want you to win Christ
and be found in him. That's what I want. I want you
to win Christ and be found in him. Look over at chapter four
Philippians four verse one. Therefore, my brethren, dearly
beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the
Lord, my dearly beloved. Just stay right there in Christ. Just stay right there. Stand
fast, he told the Galatians, stand fast in the liberty wherein
Christ has made us free. Stay right there. What is the
liberty? It's his own blood. It's his
own payment, his own work, his own salvation. Stand right there. Stay right there. Don't get off
of that right there. Oh, I want to stand right there.
Don't get off of that right there. We don't need anything new, do
we? Stay right there. Stand in the free grace, stand
in the liberty. Go back to chapter one. He said
in in verse nine Philippians one verse nine. And this I pray. Now this is what I pray for us.
This is what I pray for us. He's praying this for the Philippians.
This is what I pray for us. Number one, he said that our
love may abound yet more and more. Our Lord said, By this shall
all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one
to another. Isn't that what he said? By this
shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love
one to another. Love one to another. Paul said,
I pray that your love may abound, grow and abound more and more
and more. This flesh can ruin everything. This flesh has a way of ruining
everything, doesn't it? Because it's so tainted with
sin. But if our God would allow this little congregation right
here to absolutely flourish and abound and grow and thrive in
love, absolute love for each other,
it would be the greatest gift this congregation could know. Look back at 1 Corinthians 13.
This will set up what I pray for us. Paul prays for them.
1 Corinthians 13. Verse 1, he said, Though I speak
with the tongues of men and of angels, if I don't have love... Boy, I tell you now, he is one
heck of a preacher. He's just so mean. He's just so hard. One heck of
a preacher, but he's hard. Though I speak with the tongues
of men and of angels, if I don't have love, I am become a sounding
brass or a tinkling cymbal. I can say whatever I want to.
If it does not come from and go out in a heart of love, it's
useless. It's absolutely useless. Verse
2, and though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all
mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so
that I could remove mountains, if I don't have love, I'm nothing. Though I bestow all my goods
to feed the poor, Though I give my body to be burned, if I don't
have love, it profits me nothing. This congregation gave more than
any other congregation in America last year. And we're just so
proud of it. If I don't have love, I can give
it all. It'll profit me nothing. It'll
profit me nothing. Verse 4 says, Love suffers long. It comes from the Lord of love
himself. who suffered long for us. Love
is kind. It doesn't envy. Love is not
puffed up. It doesn't vaunt itself. Love
does not behave itself unseemly. Love does not seek her own. Love
is not easily provoked. One person says something and
Didn't come out just quite right. You know what love does? That's
all right. That's okay. Love thinks no evil. What did
you mean by that? Love says it don't matter. Verse
six, love does not rejoice in iniquity. It rejoices in the
truth. It bears all things, it believes
all things, it hopes all things, it endures all things. Love never
fails. The love of Christ has never
failed us, the love of Christ will never fail us. It did not
fail on the cross when love gave Himself. And the love of Christ
in His people will never fail. Verse 13, Now abideth faith,
hope, love, these three. The greatest of these is love. So Paul said, I pray your love
and my love will grow. I pray it will grow and grow
and grow. And he said back in the text,
if you go back to Philippians 1, Verse nine. This I pray that your love may
abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment. I am extremely
sincere when I say this is my prayer for this congregation. Knowledge means understanding. Judgment means discernment. I pray that we all myself included
might abound in understanding and discernment. It stems from
love. He said in verse nine, this,
I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge
and in all judgment. I pray your love will grow and
I pray your understanding and discernment. will grow. And he said, I pray it will grow,
verse 10, that you may prove things that are excellent. And if you see in the margin,
that means different. And that means better. I pray that we might grow so
we can have this discernment to know the things that are better.
One man said it like this. It's the difference in knowing
the doctrine of the Christ and the Christ of the doctrine. I
pray this congregation will grow in understanding and discernment
and love. To know the difference. In the
doctrine of the Christ and the Christ of the doctrine. A man
can know doctrine all he wants to, but if he does not know the
Christ of the doctrine. It's useless, it's meaningless.
He said, I pray you might grow in love, understanding, discernment. So you might know the difference
in being in religion and being in Christ. I pray that. And he
went on to say in verse 10, that you may be sincere. I pray this
for us. Sincere in heart, sincere in
desire. I pray this might be real to
us. I pray this might become real
to our children. Life, sincerity. That you may be, verse 10 says,
without offense. I don't want to offend anybody.
I especially don't want to offend my Lord, my God, the offense
of unbelief, that stumbling block of unbelief. He said, I pray
you won't be and I won't be a stumbling block to ourselves or to anybody
else. Pray love might grow and that
we might have this understanding and discernment. That we might
truly see the difference, truly see the difference and be sincere
and give no offense. in anything. He said, I pray,
verse 11, that you might be filled with the fruits of righteousness
which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. Now, what does that look like? Paul said, this is what I pray
for you. And this is what I pray for you. I pray these things. The question is, what does that
look like when a person receives that ability? What does that
look like in a person? This love. This sincere love. This real understanding. This
real discernment. When a person truly has discernment. When a person honestly sees the
difference and honestly sees what is better, what does that
look like? Charles Spurgeon gave an illustration. This is the best description
of this grown understanding this grown discernment. This is the best description
of that that I've ever known, that I've ever seen. This is
what I pray for myself. This is what I pray for you.
I pray God would bring every one of us to this. We're not
gonna be a finished product until the day we see Him. We don't
know what we shall be, but when we see Him, we know we're gonna
be just like Him. But as much of a finished product
as we can be on this earth, if the Lord would conform us to
a mature believer, a grounded believer, I mean a firm, grounded
believer, this is what it will look like. And I pray that this
might be all of us. Spurgeon told a story about a
man named Huckster Jack. Huckster Jack was a poor, wicked
fellow. We can already relate to him.
Huckster Jack was a poor, wicked fellow who had gone about from
village to village swearing, drinking, huckstering, and perhaps
pilfering, thieving, stealing. Some thought him half-witted,
but the story would show his wind to be sound enough. He heard
a poor woman sing somewhere. And this was her song. I'm a
poor sinner and nothing at all. But Jesus Christ is my all in
all. He remembered the words and what
was better. He felt their sense. I'm a poor
sinner. And nothing at all. But Jesus
Christ is my all in all. And he kept on humming them to
himself till God's good spirit engraved them on his heart. So
he assayed to join himself unto the church. But the brethren
looked suspiciously at him and inquired, what is your experience? He said he had no experience,
but this, I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all, but Jesus Christ
is my all in all. The good elders very properly
asked, are you converted? Have you been born again? And
Jack replied, I do not know much about these things. But I do
know and am sure of, I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all, but
Jesus Christ is my all in all." They put him back for a while
to try if he would grow in his knowledge. But he never went
an inch beyond the first standard. He knew what he did know and
to that he held fast. I'm a poor sinner and nothing
at all, but Jesus Christ is my all in all." Well, they must
take him into the church. They could not well refuse a
man with such a confession of faith. And when he was in the
church, walking with the brethren, he was happier than the rest
of them. At which they greatly marveled,
and one said to him, Brother Jack, Don't you sometimes feel
doubts and fears? Doubts, he said. What do you
mean? I never doubt that I'm a poor
sinner and nothing at all, for I have daily proofs of it. And
why should I doubt that Jesus Christ is my all in all? For he says he is, and I must
believe him. Ah, well, said one, sometimes
I enjoy good frames and feelings and feel very happy, and then
I lose them and sink in spirit. Jack answered, I never get lower
than I am, for I'm down at the bottom, a poor center and nothing
at all. I cannot get lower than that,
can I? But I'm also at the top. For Jesus Christ is my all in
all. I cannot get higher than that,
can I? They tried him many ways with
their blessed experience, of which you and I have got cartloads,
perhaps wagonloads, but he could not be drawn out of his one firm
position. They tried him with their various
attainments, depressions, anxieties, quibbles and questions, but still
the huckster would not budge. He had bought the truth and would
not sell it, so he stuck to. I'm a poor sinner and nothing
at all, but Jesus Christ is my all in all. That right there
is knowledge. That right there is understanding. That is discernment. It takes
a lot of growth to get to that place. That is a very mature
believer. Babes in Christ sound the opposite
of that. I think I got this. I finally got this. That's an illustration of myself.
That right there, what we just witnessed, that is knowing the
difference. That is knowing what is better. That's being sincere. That's
being honest. That is the fruit of righteousness. That right there is a grounded
fruit of righteousness. Every bit of that stems from
love. The love of God to him. The love of God in him. The love
of God for him. and love for God in return. That's what brings a heart in
an experience like that. May God ground us in that. Honestly,
may God ground us in that. May He plant us in that. This is one position. We're just
not leaving. I'm a poor sinner. Nothing at
all. Jesus Christ is my all in all. That's it. That's it. Paul
told them, I thank God for you. Thank God for the remembrance
of you. I thank God for your fellowship. And I say the same
thing. I thank the Lord for you. I really do. I love being here. I thank the Lord for bringing
us together. And I pray he'll give us many, many more years
together. All right, stand with me.