Pastor Gene Harmon wrote an article, and I'd like to start making a short
devotional time before I bring in the prayer and then have the
message. Pastor Gene writes this, and this goes so much along with
what we're about to see in today's message. He says, as we, speaking
of him and Judy, look back on this past year, Judy and I are filled with praise
and thanksgiving to our wonderful Lord Jesus for every member of
our little church family right here at Rescue. We thank our God upon every remembrance
of you, as it says in Philippians 1-3. By the power of God, the Holy
Spirit working in us, our Heavenly Father has been pleased to use
us, speaking of Him and Judy, as instruments in the sovereign
hands, in His sovereign hands, to faithfully declare His glorious
gospel for the glory of Jesus Christ, our risen, exalted Lord
and Savior. Not only have you, dear folks,
supported this ministry with your attendance, your prayers,
your monies, your gifts, your talents, For the glory of Christ
our Lord, you have ministered to mine and Judy's needs as well. Thank you," he says. He says,
as we start this new year together, may God the Holy Spirit be pleased
to continue to use us for this very purpose, to glorify the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. From this little corner of the
world that he has created, the greatest title any of his chosen
redeemed called saints can wear is the title of a servant of
the Most High God. May our Lord be pleased to enable
us to continue to wear that title for His glory as we have the
honor of serving Him together. Turn to Philippians chapter 1
once again. Pastor Henry Mahan wrote in opening
to this letter to the Philippians. You'll recall Paul was in prison,
and the Philippians had sent a brother to minister to Paul.
They took him some things that he was in need of. He was under
house arrest in Rome. And when this minister came to
Paul, he was so overwhelmed with the love of those people in Philippi. that he wrote this letter back
to him, and Pastor Henry Mahan wrote this, he says, Paul was
especially dear to these Philippians. He was the preacher who had brought
them the gospel. And upon hearing that he was
a prisoner in Rome, they sent their minister, and I apologize,
I'll try to do the best, Epiproditus. That's the best I can do. They
sent this man to him with presence and good wishes. Presence and
good wishes. And then he sent this epistle
back to them by their minister. Now the design of this epistle
is seven things. To express his love and affection
for them. To give an account of his imprisonment
and the results of it. To encourage them under affliction
and persecution. to excite them to love, unity,
and peace among themselves, to caution them against false teachers
who are trying to mix Moses and Christ, the law and the gospel,
grace and works and salvation, to exhort them to a holy life
and behavior, and then to give thanks to them for their care
for him. In our first look at this epistle,
we took note of Paul's declaration that he and Timothy were servants
of the Lord. Paul didn't declare himself an
apostle in this letter and Timothy something else. He declared them
both servants. And by doing so, he was admitting
that they were willing servants. That was the title of our first
message, talked about willing servants. How at one time we
were unwilling, now we're willing. Not just servants, though, they
were willing servants, made willing in the day of God's love, in
the day of His power. For we all come into this world
exercising our natural will, a will that is bound by the bondage
of sin, a will bound by our very nature, dead in trespasses and
sin, enmity to the things of heaven. Yet now they are declared
for all to know that these men are servants, willing servants. In our second message, we considered
the words grace and peace out of verse 2. And we considered
the order, grace must come before peace. Those who have not received
the grace of God can have no peace in this world. The only
peace we have is by His grace and that He is gracious to us. We are saved by grace, not of
works, lest men should boast. And this grace brings peace between
the elect and God. I once heard a story. A man who attended church just
about every Sunday would come in and sit by himself. And for the most part, he stayed
to himself throughout services. And after services, he would
get up and leave. One of the members of the church
approached this man. And I can't recall for the life
of me what it was that the member mentioned to him. But I do remember
the part of what his comments was. After speaking what they
said, this man who sits by himself said, you know, I don't come
here to join in on your partying type
of attitudes. He says, I come here to worship
my Lord and Savior. And that stayed with me because
I thought about how sad that must be. to not have fellowship. And don't
take me wrong, I don't judge this man one way or the other.
I don't know whether he's a saved man or not. But speaking from
my own experience, I love fellowship with the saints. I love sitting around talking
on Friday night after Bible study. We've started having discussions. We've always had a question and
answer time. And to be quite honest with you,
Pastor Gene is a way better pre-teacher than I am. And usually when he's
done with a lesson, there's not a whole lot to question. He's
kind of answered it. Many times I've sat there at
the table and think, I've got to have some kind of a question.
Oh, maybe, no, he's already answered that. Well, maybe, no, he's already
answered that. And I'm not the only one. You
can ask anybody who can. Ask Roger, he's done the same
thing. Pastor Dean's a good teacher. But we have such a wonderful
time now, sitting around, having fellowship, talking about what
it was we just read. Or how about the things of the world? all
this stuff that's going on in the world around us, sitting
around talking with you folks about how we're dealing with
it. First off, it can remind me that
I'm an idiot. It can remind me of how weak
I am and how much I need my Lord and Savior because I can start
getting very judgmental about what's going on down there in
Sacramento or all the other places around me. And by talking and
having fellowship with you folks, it brings me back to that point
of remembering that my flesh is weak. It reminds me. That's what we're to do, isn't
it? We're to edify our brothers and sisters in Christ when they're
weak. But then we fellowship on the
discussion of who our Lord and Savior is. Isn't it great? Isn't it great that me, a sinner,
has a Savior? I'm not going to sit here and brag
on my sins. I don't want to do that. But
I'm going to brag on my Lord. Oh, what fellowship we have,
and how sad it is for some, one of God's children possibly, who
does not have that fellowship. I thought to myself what a sad
thing it must be to miss out on the joy of the fellowship
with the saints. Is there not a joy of fellowship
in you? Look at verses 3 through 5 of
Philippians chapter 1 with me if you would please. Paul has
just received these goods from the Philippian church, from the
saints at Philippi. And after introducing in his
letter who it is it's writing, praying grace be unto you and
peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, in
verse 2 he says in verse 3, I thank my God upon every remembrance
of you. That's what we just read in that
article by Pastor Gene. Thank God, he says. I'm telling
you folks, this is what I hear from my brother, my loved one,
my pastor. John, give the brothers and sisters
at Rescue My Love. Tell them how much Judy and I
miss and love them. He says, not in these exact words,
but in words of his own, I thank my God upon every remembrance
of you, always in prayer of mine for you all making requests with
joy for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until
now. He's been God, what, a year and
a half? Something like that, I think,
yeah. And it's as fresh in his mind today as it was the day
he left. What a joy God has given that
man and that woman in their hearts with the people of this congregation.
They're having fellowship with other saints now. It's not that
they're without fellowship. But this is the fellowship he'll
remember forever. This is the attitude that we
need to cultivate towards other believers. Leave off the judging
and the criticizing and finding fault of others around us. Our
attitude should not only be to thank God for one another, but
praying for His grace and His peace to be with all believers. That's my desire for you. Lord,
what should I preach this Sunday? What should I bring before Your
children? Here are the words that God speaks to me often.
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith the Lord. How can I comfort them? What
is it they need comforted from? Same thing I do. I need comfort
from myself, I need comfort from the world around me, the chaos
that's going on. Not just in today's time, but
the chaos throughout all the world. All the things that have
happened. The chaos of false religion. Here's a poem. I'm not sure who
the writer is. It goes like this. It says, May
He, by whose kind grace we meet, send His great Spirit from above,
Make our communication sweet and cause our hearts to burn
with love. Loving one another is the greatest
sign of us being children of God. I say this with all sincerity,
folks. I take great joy in looking forward
to this Sunday, to next Friday night, to the Sunday after that. I enjoy meeting with you. Yesterday,
Kathy and I were blessed with the chance to have dinner with
some friends here at the church, some friends that we would spend
time with many years. We rode motorcycles together
with them, played golf with them, traveled with them quite a bit.
Very, very dear friends. Carnal friends, though. We all
have friends like that, don't we? We have family like that. Do we not have sweet fellowship
to a certain degree with our families, our children, our loved
ones, our friends? And we had a great time, spent
a great time, not once did we talk about the Lord. It just
is not in our dear friends to talk about Him. If the door was
open, if the Lord would have given them even the ability to
ask one question, I would have been all over it to the best
that I could. I even thought maybe giving them
a tour through the building might open the door for them to ask,
but the Lord just didn't have it so. But we had a good dinner. But it's not like the fellowship
that I'm having with you right now. We love what we hear from the
Lord, don't we? We love the fact that he gave
himself for us, don't we? With sinners we see the love
that He has for us, therefore we love Him back. I have such great joy in my heart
coming together with you. Look over at the 10th chapter
of Hebrews for just a moment, will you? Mark your place in Philippians,
because we'll come back to that. Fellowship with the saints, it would seem is a necessity. I can't imagine what it's like
for Larry and Gladys living in Redding not having any fellowship
with true believers. I know my brother Lee and his
wife Shirley live in Colorado and they've only met two. And
they don't always have fellowship with them. It's a hit and miss
thing. Busy lives. But our Lord makes it pretty
clear here in Hebrews chapter 10, that fellowship with the
saints is an important thing. In fact, it's so important, it
was important enough for God to tell us here in verse 22,
Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled from
an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, let us
hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering. For He
is faithful, that promised. And let us consider one another
to provoke unto love and to good works. That's what I was talking
about just a little bit ago on how I need to be able to fellowship
with you. You bring strength to me. God
brings strength to me through your experiences. Just as the
Lord uses my experiences to give you strength in certain things. Let us consider one another. And to provoke unto love and
to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together
as the manner of some is. but exhorting one another, and
so much the more, as you see the day approaching. Oh, the
Lord's day is coming soon. I know they've been saying that
for a long, long time now. And they could be saying it for
a long, long, long more time, but the day of the Lord is coming
for all of us sooner than we know. It may not be the return of our
Lord Jesus Christ in the full of His glory coming down from
heavens, but one day you and I will walk through that door
marked death, and that will be the returning of the Lord if
we are His. Absent from the flesh is to be in the presence of the
Savior. Back to our text in Philippians. Look at verse 4 again if you
would please. Always in every prayer of mine for you all making
request with joy. You see, I wonder if there was any joy
in that poor man. Does he have the same joy that
I have? And sitting at the table with
Brother Mike and his wife Shirley, eating some sugar cookies this
morning, or donuts. Oh, I just gave you up. Sorry
about that, brother. All right, for those of you who
aren't here, there was a bunch of other people sitting at that
table eating sugar, too. Oh, the joy that we have talking
about what we studied in Bible study. Talking about how it is,
all that chaos going around, going on around. This is in this
control of the one who works all things after his purpose.
We got nothing to worry about, do we, Mike? No. Bring on whatever
you want out there, world. Our God's bigger than anything
the world has. You ain't got nothing to worry
about, Cheryl. If God takes you home on your trip out to Utah,
you're going to be in a better place. And if He doesn't, He's
going to take care of you perfectly. Nothing this world has can overcome
the power of God. What a joy there is in fellowship
with those that you love. Folks, we walk through this world
surrounded by the curse that is upon it. We see the truth
of what this world is and what it's destined to. We walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, but we fear not the things of
this world, because we stand on the promises of God. The promise that God's people
shall not be forsaken. The promise that all of those
for whom He died shall come to Him. The promise that we can hold
on to being joyful and knowing that all things are for our good. And we take great joy in fellowshipping
with the like-minded saints who know these very things. Look at verses 1 and 2 of Philippians
chapter 2, will you? If there be therefore any consolation
in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the
Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy." Oh, Paul
took it such a joy knowing that the saints were all of one mind,
that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord
and of one mind. You know what my brother Pastor
Gene Harmon holds on to every day is that the gospel is still
preached right here in Rescue. That the family of God that God
gave him is still able to hear about Christ and Him crucified.
So many churches in the world today. Charles Spurgeon's very
own church, over 2,000 people. There was at times, I think,
and I think I might have the wrong number or not, but I think
there was like 200 men who would show up before services just
to be a part of the men's group, the prayer meeting. And I believe it was within five
years, maybe even less. that that church had returned
to Arminianism and had left the sovereign grace of God behind.
They had turned to the works of men. Fulfill ye my joy, he says. That's
what Pastor Gene, that's what he says to me. Fulfill
ye my joy, John. Keep preaching the gospel. His
favorite phrase to me is this, keep on keeping on. Just keep
doing it, John. Just keep doing it. There's nothing
new. It's the same story that's been
told for generation before generation before generation. Jesus Christ
is Lord of all. Is it not natural to love one
who is like-minded? How exciting is it to visit another
church anticipating great fellowship? We've got two churches, three
churches. If you want to travel a short ways, there's a church
being held over in Marysville. I encourage folks to go over
there and visit once in a while. They would love to see people
who support them from over here, too. It's a good thing to notice
that there are more of God's people around. We're in as small
remnant as it is. Go down to San Diego and visit
the folks down there in San Diego. Go up to the Dalles, Oregon.
Visit the people in Dalles, Oregon, just for a weekend or whatever.
But man, I can tell you from experience, it's just a great
joy to have fellowship with the saints, no matter where they're
at. I've shared this story before with Kathy and I. We were pulling
into Don Fortner's church back there in Danville, Kentucky.
And we pulled. They got like a, if I remember
right, it was kind of a vine type of barrier at the front
gate of the long driveway. It was up to the hill of his
church. And we pulled up, and there was an elderly gentleman
sitting there. He was working. He was a groundskeeper. He was up there in age, too.
He's like Mike over there, just strong as a horse still. And
we pulled up and rolled the window down. Hi! How y'all doing? Are you here for the conference?
Both Kathy and I just perked up and smiled. Yes we are! Is
this Don Fortner's church? Boy, yes we do! Come on in! That's the very same kind of
greeting that I have had at every church I've ever visited of God's
saints. The dowels. Chris Cunningham's. Who else
should we go visit? Is that it? I think that might
be it. But still, oh, the fellowship
of the saints. How wonderful it is to talk about
our Lord and Savior with people who know Him. But even better
yet, people that He knows intimately. What a joy. How exciting it is
to visit another church anticipating the fellowship. Do we not get
excited when we think one that we are speaking with, one that
we have crossed paths with, may know the Lord of glory, the very
same Lord that we know? I deliver freight for a living,
and I see a lot of people. I cross a lot of paths. And I
can tell you from experience that there's been a lot of times
where I've gotten very excited. Oh, could this be one of God's
children right here? One that I've never met? Could
this be one who loves the Lord as I do? Could this be one that
the Lord loves as He loves me? I've been disappointed so far. Most
of them have not. Some I don't know. They went
on their way doing other things. But it excited me that they might
know the very Lord who became flesh. Look at verses 5 and 8
of chapter 2. 5 through 8 of chapter 2 with
me if you would. Let this mind be in you, our
Lord says, or Paul says, which was also in Christ Jesus. Who
being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with
God. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit. One God. Three distinct persons. One God. You cannot worship the
Father if you do not worship the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But made Himself of no reputation. We were talking about this in
the Bible study this morning. We were talking about the servant.
How God Himself became the servant. to those that serve Him. I know
that sounds kind of weird, doesn't it? But everything serves the
Lord. Yet He served His people, His
chosen, by becoming our substitute, by giving Himself for us, by
laying down His life and becoming sin for us so that we would be
righteous in Him. but made Himself of no reputation,
and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men, and being found in the fashion as a man, He humbled
Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross." I know it's strange to think
of it, but through this sad description here of what had happened to
our Lord and Savior, that brings great joy to this sinner's heart.
Because if He hadn't have done it, I would have had to take all
that, all that I have earned, all that I deserve upon myself. He became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. I love to tell the story of Christ
in all His glory. What about you? Turn over to
2 Corinthians chapter 6, if you would please. We walk through this world cursed
by sin, and sometimes we feel alone,
don't we? The prophet said this, he says,
who has believed our report? It seems so few know the true
and living God. Too many have fallen for the
lie of free will, the lie of works, the lie of self-help. If you'll just come to the front
of this church and pray the prayer, God will accept you. If you just
get into this water and be baptized, God will accept you. If you just
show up on Saturday... We want to so badly relate to
those around us, don't we? So much so that we may even tend
to compromise our belief in order that we might have fellowship.
I know those who do. I know. I know those who do. What do you mean, John, you compromise
it? I'll sit there and let them talk. And when they tell a blatant
lie about a Jesus that can't help anybody, I don't say what
I should. I compromise my belief in order
to have fellowship. But God's chosen people cannot
have fellowship with darkness. when one has been given the gift
of faith, the gift to believe the truth, when our great Lord
and Savior shines the light of who He is, God Almighty in the
flesh. When He shines the light of what
He's done, He went to the cross, His name is Jesus, because He
shall save His people. Not maybe, not might, shall. When He shined the light of where
He is right now, sitting on His throne, working all things out
after His own counsel. I'm not waiting for you to do
something, the Lord is saying. I'm doing it. When one has been born again
by these truths, we cannot walk in the fellowship of a lie. At
least not for long, anyway. For our God will not lose one
for whom His blood was shed. Are you with me? In 2 Corinthians
chapter 6, look at verses 14 through 18 please. Be ye not
unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Folks, I know people I know people who believe that
if they will go to a church that preaches lies and hang out with
that church, that those people will see in them something different
and leave that church and come with them. That's not the way
it works. God has to move in the hearts
of people to move them. It is God who works in the hearts
to change men. It is God who worked in this
man's heart to change him from what he was before. It was God
who worked in the heart of Mike Lovelace to change him from what
he was before. Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers, for what fellowship? We're talking about the joy of
fellowship with the saints. What fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light
with darkness, and what conquered hath Christ with Baal? Or what
part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement
hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the
living God. As God hath said, I will dwell
in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they
shall be my people. Wherefore, come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean,
and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye
shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." What joy there is in fellowship! The fellowship that we have with
a brother or a sister who stand in the grace of our Lord and
Savior. What joy we have in sharing our
love for one who first loved us with another. Look now, if
you would, over to 1 Peter chapter 1. We have a common joy We have
a new heart. And a new heart has the same
joy all God's children have. It's a joy in our Savior. A joy that we sinners have in
common. A Savior. His name is Jesus.
For He shall save His people. We are saved by the grace, not
of works, lest we should boast. Our Lord says, and I will receive
you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons
and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Are you with me in
1 Peter chapter 1? Look at verses 2 through 8. elect
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. Those who
were chosen in God the Father before the world was. Those that
it speaks of when we read, all that the Father giveth me shall
come to me. This is who he's addressing. Elect according to
the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification
of the Spirit. It is the Spirit that makes us
holy in Jesus Christ. It is not something that we do.
It is not something we can do. There is no holiness in us unless
Christ is in us. Sanctification of the Spirit
unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. All blessings flow through Him. Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. There's that very thing we looked
at last week. Grace first. Peace comes with that. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according
to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible
and undefiled, Can't take it away from us. What was promised
to us before the world was ever created cannot be taken away
because God the Son assured that that promise would be done. and inherited, incorruptible,
and undefiled, and that fate is not a way reserved in heaven
for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed in the last time wherein ye greatly rejoice,
Though now for a season, if need be, ye are in your heaviness
through the manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith,
being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though
it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not
seen, ye love. In whom though now you see Him
not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable. Joy unspeakable and full of glory. Now again if you would turn back
to 2 Corinthians. I'm just about done so bear with
me just another moment please. 2 Corinthians chapter 13. Look at verse 14. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God and the communion. Oh, to have fellowship. To have fellowship with the saints
is to have fellowship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
To have communion, togetherness of the Holy Ghost. May it be with you all, Paul
says in that 14th verse, I ask you this this morning, folks,
where is your joy? Is there fellowship in your joy? Our Lord says in the 15th chapter
of John, verse 11, He says this, These things have I spoken unto
you, unto you, his children. What can I say to the Lord? What
can I say to the Lord's people that would bring comfort to them? These things have I spoken to
you, he says, that my joy might remain in you and that your joy
might be full. My prayer is this, folks, in
our text we read in verse 2 through 5. Grace be unto you, and peace
from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance
of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all, making requests
with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first
day until now. Where is your joy this morning
and is there fellowship in your joy? Will you stand with me please?