Go with me, if you would, back
to Philippians 3. When I was called to come here,
I had five or six different pastors all tell me the exact same thing. They said, give it ten years. They said, I was told Give it
10 years and I'm passing it along to you. Give it 10 years. That
has been such a true statement for this ministry. My prayer
is that. That is the truth for me personally. This ministry started in 2006.
Without me, I was not here. For years. Some of the brethren here every week, every week faithfully
listened, came and listened to the gospel preached. And brother Tom Harding came
down every week. He faithfully preached the gospel
of Christ every single week. And there I was thinking about
that time. I was not here. There could have
been some space of time when it might have been discouraging.
You don't know. I mean, you don't know what's
going to happen. You're waiting to see. And I
can see how that happens. But by God's grace, the brethren
that were here kept going. They persevered. And we just
had our 2016 conference this last September, 10 years later. We had to rent the big room at
the Renaissance Center. We served pizza to everybody
after the service Friday night. I was standing up there with
Brother Tony and we were looking at all of the brethren that the
Lord had brought to this congregation. The pastors that came in, not
just the ones that preached, the other pastors that were there,
the brethren that came from other congregations, and the gospel
witness was here. The gospel witness was here.
This was a church that people came to. Preachers came and preached
at, brethren came back who had been here before, and we were
standing up there in that building looking at all the brethren,
and he said to me something he said many times before, but he
said, my goodness, how this ministry has grown. And I want that to be said about
me personally. I want that, honestly, to be
said about me personally. This year is five years I've
been here. Five years from now, this is
my prayer. It's that somebody will say,
my goodness, he has grown. I mean that. I truly mean that.
I want the message to be clearer. I'm not satisfied. I haven't,
Paul said, I haven't yet attained. I want grace to be sweeter. I want people to say he's kinder
than he used to be. He's more tender. He's more loving. I want to grow. I want to grow. I truly want to grow. I want
to be a better preacher, but I, I mean this, I want to be
a better pastor to you. I want in 2017 to be a better
pastor than I have been the last four and a half years. If God
will enable me to be, I want to be a better husband. I want
to be a better father. I want to be a better brother.
I want to be a better friend. I have two children, and think
about the reality of this, okay? You dial into this and think
about the reality of this. What if they never grew? How
alarming would it be? How absolutely concerning? Wouldn't
we be concerned as parents, all of you would be concerned as
outsiders looking in if my children never grew, if they never got
taller? Year after year, they never got
taller. What's going on with them? They're
not getting any taller. They never outgrew the clothes they're
wearing. Never had to go buy bigger shoes. Wouldn't that be
so concerning? Something's wrong. Growth is a sign of life. It's a sign that God is blessing
with strength and with health. And spiritually that's exactly
what we need, we need that spiritually. A professing child of God that
never experiences spiritual growth, that's a concerning thing. Does
that make sense? That's a concerning thing. The apostles recognized that. They knew that. They said, Lord,
grow our faith. Increase our faith. The very last thing that the
apostle Peter said to the church of God, the very last thing he
had to say, look at it with me over in 2 Peter 3. 2 Peter chapter 3, this is the
very last thing that Peter had to say to the church of God. 2 Peter 3 verse 18 says, but grow
in grace. and grow in the knowledge of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and
forever. Amen. Grow. That's the last thing
he said. Grow. That was his heart's desire
for the church of God. Grow. Look at 1 Peter chapter
2. First Peter 2 verse 2 says, as newborn babes desire the sincere
milk of the word that you may grow thereby. If so, you have
tasted that the Lord is gracious. Desire the sincere milk of the
word that you may grow thereby. What is growth? What is this
growth? How do we grow? Well, all through
the scripture, we see things like what he said in verse one,
the verse right before verse two, he said, wherefore laying
aside all malice, that's maliciousness, ill will, laying aside all guile,
that's deceit, Laying aside all hypocrisies, that's acting, trying
to be something you're not. Lay aside all envies, that's
jealousy. Lay aside all evil speakings,
all filthiness, all wickedness, all backbiting. He said just
put it away. Put it all away and substitute
it with the sincere word of God. He said that's growth. That's
growth, the sincere word of God. Look with me at Ephesians 4. Ephesians 4 verse 15 says, But speaking the truth in love,
and if you have a center margin, that speaking the truth says
being sincere. In love, you may grow up into
him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. This sincere
truth, the sincere word, God's word, that's what conforms us
into the image of the body of Christ. He kept saying, you're
the body of Christ. Over in, it's across my page,
Ephesians 2 verse 21 says, in whom all the building fitly framed
together groweth. The whole building of God fitly
framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, in
whom you also are builded together for a habitation of God through
the Spirit. Lord, make us grow. Make us grow. Now back in our
text in Philippians 3, this is the perfect and wise place for
the apostle to say what he's about to say. The reason is because
he began this chapter by saying, we are the recipients of God's
grace who have no confidence in the flesh. Isn't that how
he started this? Absolutely no confidence in the flesh. We are
not looking to anything that we do to save our souls. He established that very clearly. He said, I count every good deed
I've ever tried to do a foul stench before God. He said, it's
all dung. Everything I've ever tried to
do. He said, my only hope is to win Christ and be found in
His body and in His blood. That's it. That's it. Not having
mine own righteousness, having His. Having His perfection. Having His work. Being perfectly
united with Him in His suffering, in His death, in His resurrection. He said, I did not attain all
this myself. I did not earn any of this. He said, I was apprehended. I was attained. God apprehended
me. And in God's good time, He revealed
all of this to me. Now, is that our testimony, if
you want to say it that way? Can we say the exact same thing?
I didn't attain this. I did not do this. Nothing I've
ever done is worth anything. God just attained me. He accomplished
it all for me and then in time He revealed it to me. That's
it. God has revealed to us the same thing He revealed to the
Apostle Paul. Now, believing what Christ did
for us, believing that what He did alone, by Himself, for us,
on that cross, alone, Verse 21 says, right here in Philippians
3, that he shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned
like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is
able even to subdue all things to himself. Do we believe because
of what he did, do we believe he's going to change us? Do we believe he's going to change
us? I believe that. I believe I am not going to stay
the way I am. I'm not going to stay this way.
We know what we are. Do we believe that a change is
coming? Do we believe that a change is
around the corner? A change is coming. Do we believe
that He is going to remove every ounce of sin from us? Every ounce of sin. Not only
will our flesh be spotless, but our heart will be spotless. Our
mind will be spotless. Has He revealed that to us? Has
He caused us to believe that in Christ? That's what He's going
to do for us. Look with me at 1 Corinthians
15. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 51 says, Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound and
the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed." I want
to emphasize the word changed. We're going to be changed. For
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal
must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall
have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory." Do we believe that? God is going
to change us. If He returns before we lay in
this grave, We may not sleep but we'll all be changed, we're
going to be changed. Has he revealed that much to
us about salvation, about God's dealings with us? about his will
and his purpose for us in Christ. If he has revealed that much
to us, and the reason I say that is because the next thing I have
to say does not apply to any person who is lost in religion. If God has not revealed the truth
about salvation to us, if God has not revealed the truth of
Christ's dealings for us, the truth of our own dealings before
God, they're worthless. If he has not revealed that much
to us, then this second part I cannot say. But if he has,
if he has revealed that much, if he's revealed something of
the truth to us, then this is what the apostle has to say to
us for our learning and for our growth. Go with me back to Philippians
3. Verse 15 says, let us therefore
as many as be perfect, mature, complete in Christ, as many as
be perfect, be thus minded. And if in anything you be otherwise
minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless,
where to we have already attained in what God has already revealed
to us. in the things that he has already
revealed to us in his word. Verse 16, nevertheless, whereto
we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, the
things that he has opened our eyes to. Let us start walking
in them. Let us mind The same thing, let's
all have the same mind. He said back in chapter two,
it's the mind of Christ. Let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ. Verse 17, he said, Brethren,
be followers together of me. You know that Paul didn't want
to start a sect of people to follow him. He's speaking the
word of God. And God said through the apostle
Paul, this is God's word. He said, be followers together
of me. And then he said, mark them,
which walk so as you have us for an example. Mark them for
an example. If God has revealed the things
of Christ to us, If God has revealed His Word and His will for us,
then let's walk in it. It's time that I start walking
in it. It truly is. He's not giving
us a suggestion. He's giving us a commandment.
He's saying, walk in it. Walk in it. Let's all be mindful
of what God has revealed to us in this Word. Keep it right here
in the front of our mind. and follow it. Follow what he
said. What has he said? Again, we could
just start turning pages. The Bible study is a time when
I believe we see what he has to say to us, about us, what
his will is concerning us, such on and so forth. And then after
that, we get into the message and it's a time when we are truly
focused on Jesus Christ crucified. Well, we need both. We need both. These scriptures are bifocal. We see two things in this word. There's not a verse in here that's
not talking about Jesus Christ crucified. Not one verse. And at the same point in time,
the things that he has written to us, he wrote them to us. And where we go wrong is whenever
we look into this word and we only see the things he has written
to us and we don't see Christ crucified. And also where we go wrong is
when we only see Christ crucified and never pay attention to what
he has to say to us. They're bifocal. And he said,
walk in him, walk in him, whatever he has said to do. He threw Philippians
two. This is the great chapter where
he talked about in verse seven, the Lord made himself a no reputation,
took upon him the form of a servant made in the likeness of men.
He humbled himself. He became obedient unto death,
the death of the cross. God highly exalted him, gave
him a name, which is above every name. That's the gospel. He said right before that in
Philippians 2 verse 2, Fulfill ye my joy that you be like minded,
having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let
nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness
of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look
not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things
of others. Did he mean what he said? Absolutely. Absolutely. So whatever he has to say to
us, let's follow it. And he said mark, and that word
means regard, it means consider, look at, observe, contemplate,
direct one's attention to them which walk so. That verse took me back. Mark them which
walk so for an example. See them for an example, just
like the apostles are our example, just like the Lord himself is
our example. We should make it our mission
in this life. And here's, here's the point.
We should make it our mission in this life to be examples in
the Lord. That should be our mission in
this life, to be examples in the Lord, for two reasons. Two
reasons. The first one is, our God has
commanded it, and we desire to obey Him. Everything He has commanded
to us, His people have a heart to believe it. They have a heart
to obey it. They have a heart to bow to it.
And He's commanded it. The second reason is this, it
comes with a promise. It comes with a promise. Look
at chapter 4 verse 9, Philippians 4 verse 9 says, those things which you have both
learned and received and heard and seen in me do. And the God of peace shall be
with you. The God of peace will bring his
peace to you. Once a sinner gets a hold of
the fact that salvation is not by works, I love it whenever
people come in off the street, you invite a neighbor, you invite
a family member, you invite a friend, and for the first time in their
life, they hear that salvation is not by anything that we can
do, and it's a shocking revelation. And after they hear that, most
people take on the attitude, then why would I want to bother
with any good works at all? What are good works at all then? Why pay any attention to that
stuff? Yeah, but that's just works. But then, in time, God's
Holy Spirit comes to that sinner and says, because it glorifies
your Father. That's why. It glorifies your
Father. Look with me at John 15. John 15 verse 8 says, Herein
is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit, so shall you
be my disciples. Herein is my Father glorified
that you bear much fruit. That's not talking about salvation,
that's talking about discipleship. Herein is my Father glorified
that you bear much fruit. It's not about merit, it's about
love. It's not about trying to become a child of God, it's because
you have been made to be a child of God. Look back at John 13. This is when our Lord washed
the disciples' feet. John 13 verse 14 says, If I then,
your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also ought to
wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example
that you should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily,
I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord, neither
he that is sent greater than he that sent him." Now here's
the promise. If you know these things, happy
are ye if you do them. He said, I told you these things,
you learn these things, you know these things, happy are you if
you do them. You do what I commanded you to
do and you'll be happy. Happiness will be in your heart.
In Matthew 11, he said in verse 29, you know this verse of scripture,
but he said Matthew 11 verse 29. He said. Take my yoke upon you
and learn of me. For I am meek and lowly in heart. And here's the promise you shall
find rest into your souls. Drop all pride. Drop all pride. Pride comes on quickly. It comes on when you least expect
it. It sneaks up behind you. It overtakes
you. It makes you believe that you're
set on this is what I'm going to do. Drop all pride. Take my yoke upon you. Learn
of me. I'm meek and lowly in heart. Drop all pride. Approach the
Lord. Approach the brethren with humble
service. And he said, your soul is going
to find the rest that is craving. So back in our back in our text
in Philippians 3. Verse 18 says. For many walk of whom I have told you often,
and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of
the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is
their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly
things." Listen to what one of the commentary writers had to
say about these two verses. He said, I have told you often,
and now tell you with great sorrow that many religious people walk
a road which reveals them as enemies of the cross. They hold
to ceremony and circumcision, not to Christ alone. They glory
in the flesh, making merchandise of you. And that's what religion
does. It's a business. and you are the commodity and
they will make merchandise of you. They are more interested
in converts than in conversions, meaning they're more interested
in how many people are in the building than what God is doing
in the heart of the people. So we said they're more interested
in converts than in conversions, more interested in statistics
than in spirituality, more interested in gifts than in the giver. All focused on the gifts, not
the giver. They turned the grace of God
into a license to sin. Their end is destruction. Their
God is not the living God, but their own desires and passions.
What they glory in is really what ought to be their shame.
They are concerned for carnal, earthly, fleshly things. Someone
said, God created us to love people and use things, but sinful
men love things and use people. And that's true. And here's the
problem is, they're not worshiping the true and living God. We don't worship a doctrine.
We don't bow to a doctrine. We're not going to approach the
throne of a doctrine. It's not about being right. It's
about bowing to the true and living God. It's about our relationship
with Him. It's about our obedience to Him.
It's about our love and service to Him. So those who have never
seen Christ and never seen his mercy, never seen his word, that's
what that's how they walk. All right. Now, those two verses
are in parentheses. You see that when you put something
in parentheses, that's an added thought. And you can remove what's
in those parentheses and the sentence still makes sense. It's
not that it's not important. It's just the sentence is still
saying what it's trying to say. So we're going to remove that
and see what the apostle is saying to us. Philippians 3 verse 16
says, nevertheless, where to we have already attained. Let
us walk by the same rule. Let us mind the same thing. Brethren be followers together
of me. and mark them which walk so as
you have us for an example. Verse 20 says, for our conversation
is in heaven. From whence also we look for
the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body
that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according
to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things
to himself. While this world is minding earthly
things, the conversation of a believer, and this is what I want my conversation
to be, this is what I want our conversation to be. The heart,
the desire, the mind, the attitude, the walk of a believer, he says,
is in heaven. It's in heaven. It's on Christ. It's on what he's done for us.
Always on what he's done for us, what he has prepared for
us. And the more we stay right there, and the more we walk in
that right there, the more we're gonna grow into him. We're gonna grow into him. So he said, mark those that are
examples and follow them. Mark, he said, what I have written
and mark those that follow what I have written. Now I want to
mark one for us, okay? I'm going to close with this.
I want this. I pray God would give this to
me if he's willing. When I came here, I was going
back and forth between Virginia and Tennessee. I was trying to
close out everything in Virginia and get everything started in
Tennessee. And every time I crossed paths with Brother Henry, he
handed me something. He gave me this one of those
times. It says 14 illustrations. He gave me a packet of illustrations.
I believe he knew I was going to need some help. One of them
on the first page is about a man named Josh Gravett. You remember
his name? Brother Henry, when he came to
know the truth, he was in his 20s and an older man in his 60s
was named A.D. Mews. And Henry looked up to him and he
was close with him. And A.D. Mews was born in 1890. And when he was a young preacher,
there was a man who was much older than him that he looked
up to named Josh Gravett. And he told Henry that that man
was a tall, skinny coal shoveler. He worked in a boiler room keeping
a fire going. And all his pants were highwaters,
suspenders. He wore high-top shoes, and they
said you could still see his white socks, and covered in coal
dust. He came to know some things of
the scripture, and he wanted to know more, so he did what
everybody did back then. He went to a Bible college, a
Bible institute. It was called Moody Bible Institute
when it first started. Mr. Moody started it. And they said he was not a gifted
man, wasn't a talented speaker, but he was sincere. I mean, he was serious
about God's Word, about the holiness of the office of preaching. And Mr. Moody liked him, had
a heart for him. And one day a group of people
came from the Midwest and they came to the Moody Institute and
Mr. Moody came into his office and
said, we're a group of people and we're looking for a pastor
and we're hoping you can recommend some men to us, and they said
he was a very short-spoken man, kind of a sharp-speaking man. And he said, get Josh Gravitt. And they said, well, we were
hoping that you could recommend a few men. He said, I said get
Josh Gravitt. you'll find him in a boiler room.
So they go down to the boiler room and there stands Josh Brabant
in his high water pants and coal all over him. They said he didn't
look anything like a preacher. So they go back to the institute,
they go back into Mr. Moody's office and they said,
you know, we have a fine group of people over in our church
and we were kind of hoping you could recommend somebody that
he said I said, get Josh Grabbett. That's all I have to say. So
they called Josh Grabbett. He went. He was the pastor out
there for 50 years. Faithful, loving man. They fell
in love with him. And he had a saying that he said
all the time. Whatever happened, no matter
what it was, this is what he always said. He'd say, well. God is sovereign and we'll be
thankful. So A.D. Mews told Henry that
in 1920, he was 30 years old and Josh Gravitt was an older
man, they were preaching together, they were driving down the road
in a Model T Ford, they had a blowout and the car flipped. Josh Gravitt
was thrown out of the car and A.D. Mews opened the door and
crawled out and went over to him and put his arm around him.
He said he could tell he was just hurting. He was in pain.
Found out later he'd broken ribs and punctured a lung. Okay, now
here's his car upside down. He's thrown from it. He's got
broken ribs, a punctured lung. He's in absolute pain. And A.D.
Mews comes up to him, puts his arm around him, and he said,
Are you hurt bad, Brother Josh? And he said, Arthur, God is sovereign
and we'll be thankful. I'd love to do that. I would
love to do that. Things come our way that we think
are so horrible. We think they're so terrible.
We think we can't go on. We think life is bad to me. I've
been given a bad deck of cards. You know what the reality of
it is? God is sovereign. You know what I pray He'll put
in this heart right here? I'll be thankful. If He would
do that, you know what that means for me? I will grow into Him,
into the image. I can envision our Lord hanging
on that cross. You know what He said? If it
be possible that this hour pass from me, But God is sovereign
and I'll be thankful. Not my will, thine be done. Let's follow that. That's a sinful
man who is worthy to be followed. Let's follow that for the example. Lord calls us, I pray he'll cause
us to follow the example. But more so than that, I pray
He'll cause us to be the example. I want to be the example. I want
to grow. May the Lord make it so. All
right, let's stand together.