You can go back to Philippians
1 with me. Philippians 1. Brother Pastor Bruce Crabtree,
I preached a message from Luke 17, verse 5. Lord increase our faith. Such
a blessing to me and all who heard it. Such an instructive
message, such a edifying message, such a convicting message. Just all the things that you
want and need to hear from God's Word. And so that's what I pray
for this message. This is a prayer. For the church, it's an epistle
written to the church, Philippi, and this church told Brother
Nyberg that the church should not be out of the epistles too
long. The epistles are written to the
churches and all the instructions we need and all of the things
we'll go through as a church. And so for that reason, we're
going to go back into studying epistles. We're almost through
with Matthew's Gospel. Just finished 1 Samuel. I'm not
sure which epistle, but it would be a good one. And I need this
message, and so I know you do. Paul in verse 9 says, And this
I pray. He wrote a letter to the church
and expressed his love for them. their fellowship and his confidence
that God had begun a good work in them and that God would finish
it. God will finish what he begins,
always has, always will. And then he says, this is my
prayer for you, and this I pray. And he asks for four things,
basically. All right, let's get into it.
Verse 9. This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and
more. in knowledge and in all judgment,
that your love may abound more and more, that your love might
overflow, abound, run over. That's what it means to abound,
run over, that your love might grow, prosper. And he said in
another place, be perfected and mature and get better. But your
love. Brother Crabtree, You remember,
John, when he the first one of the first things he said was
from Luke 17 5, where the apostles, the apostles said, Lord, increase
our faith. Well, the first thing he talked
about was this faith is our faith. You remember that as a real blessing
to me that God has given us faith. It's a gift of God's not of yourselves,
but it gives it to us. And now we have it. And it's
a precious gift to those that have obtained like precious faith
that's our faith. I believe you didn't believe
for me. It's my faith, our faith. And here he says that your love
may abound. If you love God, the God of the
Bible, if you love his word, his truth, if you love his Christ,
if you love his people, then God has shed this love abroad
in your heart. It's your love. Oh, you love
him because he first loved you. Yeah, but you do love him. Like
Peter said, Yeah, Lord. I love you so that your love,
he prays that your love may abound, may overflow, may run over, may
grow, may prosper two ways. Number one, in knowledge, he
said. In knowledge, turn with me to
Ephesians three, just back a few pages to Ephesians. Chapter three
love. He says, I pray that your love
may abound in knowledge. Now here's the first thing. That
will know his love for us. That will learn more and more
about his love for us, because that will cause us to love him
more and more. Right. Here's what he says in
Ephesians three, verse 19, to know the love of Christ. Well,
go back and verse 17. that Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith you being rooted and grounded in love may be able
to comprehend with all the same all the same know a little bit
about this anyway the breath. Just how wide. How many God takes
in. How many. Why widen us God the
length just how far did he go. to get you, to save you. We sing
that song, he reached down, way down. He said, my arm's not short,
is it? The length and how far it will
take you, how far, all the way to glory. Never fail. And the depth, that's the depth,
that's how far down. And the height, how far up it
will take you. And to know the love of Christ
which passeth knowledge, that passeth just ahead. So this is
the first thing, the love of God. He writes this, Paul wrote
this, behold what manner of love, John wrote this, behold what
manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should
be called. Now if you feel like you're the
chief of sinners, you can quote that, that we should
be called the sons of God. I can understand how some of
these fine people that I admire would be, but me, the prodigal,
goes on to say, greater love hath no man than this. Here's
the love of God. He'd lay down his life for his
friends. Paul wrote in Romans, he said, now, some might die
for a righteous man, some might die for adventure, for a good
man, some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love
toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Now, God so loved
that Christ died, that he made his son a bloody sacrifice for
the likes of that. Now, that's loving. To know his
love for us will cause our love to well up, abound, overflow,
grow. It's the only thing that will,
really. And this love, this love and knowledge growing, go back
to the text, Philippians 1, says that your love may abound yet
more and more in knowledge. This this knowing love this love
and you know it and are knowing love. It goes back all the way
to the garden where the first mention this word no was found. Remember they might know what
I'm talking about where it says God made a woman for Adam. and brought her to him, and it
says Adam knew his wife Eve. Doesn't mean they just shook
hands and said glad to meet you. No, not at all. It means they
both intimately joined together, minds, hearts, and even bodies,
and became one. The two became one, united together. This is an intimate acquaintance
as a husband and a wife. An intimate embrace. Two become
one. And that's what this is talking
about. That your love may abound in this. And look at Philippians
3. Here's what Paul said. Now, Paul
knew the Lord Jesus Christ, didn't he? Sure he did. Sure he did. But look at what Paul writes
here in Philippians 3. He says in verse 8, I count all
things. Doubtless. There's no doubt in
my mind, he said. I count all things but lost for
the exit before I knew Christ it was all wasted time he said
but it's all lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord this is all the personal terms my Lord for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things but I just traded down for pearls
he said it was no loss at all but I may win Christ He's the
prize, he talks about later, about forgetting those things
and pressing toward the mark, the prize of the high calling
of God, and be found in him. Not having my own righteousness.
See, I used to love that, my own righteousness. Now I hate
it. He goes on to say, which is of the law. I thought I was
blameless. Now I realize I'm guilty on all points. But that
which is through the faith of Christ. Paul realized it wasn't
anything he had done, but everything Christ had done for him. That
he had wrought all his works for him. That Christ earned heaven
for him. Should have kept him out, but
ensured that he'd go in. The righteousness which is of
God by faith, and that I may know him. That's what he's talking
about. This intimate acquaintance with
him. To know him is to love him. To
know him is to love him. How do you get to know the Lord? How do you get this intimate
personal acquaintance? One way. James said it, draw
nigh unto God, he'll draw nigh unto you. Our Lord said it, except
you abide in me. Abide in me. Abide in my love. Abide in me. Stay with me. You know, the more you're around
somebody, the more you get to know them. And if they have any
Christ-like qualities at all, the more you get to love them,
don't you? The only one way you can grow to love somebody, the
only one way that your love can grow for someone is to get to
know them. Right? Draw an eye unto God,
he said. He'll draw an eye unto you, make
himself known in a very special way. That's this knowledge that
your love may abound in knowledge. his love for you and this intimate
acquaintance. I go back to the text, and he
says in verse 9 that your love may abound in all judgment. Judgment. If you have a marginal
reference, what does it say about judgment? Sense. Judgment. You often think of somebody using
good judgment as somebody just using good sense. Well that applies. It's love in every sense of the
word. Now where would you go in God's
word. I ask you where would you go.
To a book in a chapter that talks about love. It deals with love
from start to finish. Where would you go. First Corinthians
13. Go over there with First Corinthians
13. This every single verse deals with it. First Corinthians 13.
And here's love that makes sense. All right. Now, this is talking
about God's love to us. If you go through here, we've
done this before, you could substitute Christ's name for the word love.
God is love. And Christ is God. So you could
substitute his name all the way through 1 Corinthians 13, where
it says, verse 13, love suffereth long, Christ suffereth long.
Remember what Peter said? He said, we need to account that
the long suffering of the Lord is salvation. He said, how much, how long must
I suffer with you or bear with you? All our lives. And he will. He goes on and love
is kind love in Vietnam and so on so forth. So it is with God's
love to us and. So it should be so we pray. So we're looking at a prayer
aren't we? This is a prayer we're not perfect Christ is. And so
that's why we're looking at this we're praying Lord. My love needs
to grow I have it. But it's so weak and I'm so ashamed
of it. So Lord make it abound. Abound
in all and every sense of the word. And good judgment. Good judgment. Here he goes into
the next verse with this. In all good judgment that you
may approve things that are excellent. That your love may abound in
all good and judgment, approving things that are excellent. You
know, the world doesn't have good sense. Men and women by
nature are crazy, lunatics, the things they go after, the things
they give their lives for. What will a man give in exchange
for his soul? Anything. Oh, but when God Almighty, through
His great love, And then he puts his love in us for him, sets
our affection on things above, things of God, things that never
end, true things. Now, you see, the things that
are seen are temporal, so-called, like kids playing with toys. But the Lord gives us good sense.
We begin to value and love things that are worth loving, like God. like God's Word. There was a
time when you and I didn't give a flip for God's Word. We didn't
care. We didn't care less if it was written. But God, with
His great love, we're with His love. He's quickened us by that
same Word. Oh, it's by grace you're saved.
And operated upon us with His powerful work and put this love,
shed abroad this love of God in your hearts to where you love
His Word now. You love it. And not like you
ought to, not like you want to, but you do. You do love it. And
we give loving approval of more excellent things. That's what
he said, approving things that are excellent. We give loving
approval, not just, well, I believe that, so, no, it's with the heart. See what he's saying? Loving
approval of things above. We say when we, everything, Everything
we hear we say, I believe that and I love that. Don't you? I
want that. When we talk about these spiritual
things, these spiritual blessings in heavenly places, you say,
you do, from the heart, I want that. There was a time he didn't
want that. He went out of here. This is
God's work. When we say things about who
God is and who Christ is and what salvation is, just declare
the truth, you say, I believe that. Not only believe that,
I love that. Don't you? We approve things
that are more excellent. I'm here to tell you, and you
know it's so, that our God's more excellent than theirs. Isn't
he, Stan? Our gospel's more excellent.
Our Christ is more excellent. Everything we believe. One of
our dear sisters said that she was talking to someone the other
day who once again brought up accused her and us by saying,
you think you're right and everybody else is wrong, don't you? And
her answer to him was, yes. I mean, Paul said, I know whom
I have believed. I think, no, I know that the
God I believe is right. And every other is wrong. It
was wrong with saying that. Can I not say as a preacher,
if I'm a true preacher, cannot I say with the apostle Paul that
any man preach any other gospel than that which I preach and
that which you receive, let him be anathema maranatha. I firmly believe, and I'm not
ashamed to say it, that our Christ is Christ. Let God be true. One more time.
Let God be true, and every man a liar. David said that. He said, I said in my haste,
all men are liars. Well, it's time to quit mincing
words. Time is short, isn't it? It's
time to quit mincing words. They said that to Noah, didn't
they? You think you're right and everybody's wrong, don't
you, Noah? Can the majority be wrong, Noah? Can all this whole
world be wrong, Noah, and you think you and just seven other
people are the only ones that are right? Yes. It's not us, but it's what God
has revealed to us. There's no other way to say that.
You mean God's revealed something to you He hadn't revealed to
us? Yes. And here's the test. Well, do
you love God as God? Yes. Do you love this gospel that
gives Christ all the glory, I mean all of it, that he did it all? Yes, I love it. That's the test,
isn't it? Love God-lovers. You know, everything about our
God, about the God of the Bible, is different. than man, different
than the God being preached today. Different, he says. In the text,
it says, approve things that are excellent. In your margin,
does it say try things that are different, that differ? If you
have a Cambridge Bible, that's what it says. Maybe some other,
a Nelson or something. Try things that differ. I tell you what, if the Lord
will enable somebody to try the spirits, Put them to the test. Isn't that what John said in
1 John 4? Try the Spirit. Put them to the test. See what
they're saying is so. Get your Bible and go home. Enable
somebody to do that. Test them. Especially these false ones and
the true ones. Paul said, We commend ourselves
to every man conscious in the sight of God. If our gospel be
hid, it's not as hidden in their law. We're not hiding it. You're
not supposed to preach that election, it's the family. Where does it
say that? Yes, the family, all right, God's
people, they'll all love it. So you declare it and see who's
on the Lord's side, don't you? Try things differently. And Paul
said, you know, Paul preached a different God, didn't he? And
the people said, let's hear this strange doctrine you're telling. You're setting forth a strange
God nobody else is preaching. Let's hear it. God, Kelly, will
enable somebody to try things, not tell you to try God, but
you understand the content. Put them to the test. Things
that are more excellent. You know, I just believe if God
will enable somebody from the heart and sincerity, Seek the
truth and put them to the test. And when they finally hear. God
is God, they'll say, oh, this is more excellent. This is how
I found it. Like old Nathaniel. We found
him. Philip, we found him. Don't need
to look any further. Or Hosea. Was it Hosea or Amos? I still get them. Hosea. Hosea
said, what have we to do anymore with idols? I've heard of him. So, try things that differ. Approve things that are more
excellent. You know everything about God's
Word is different from what man says. Put him to the test. That's prove
him. Prove the Lord. That's an old
Puritan saying, not meaning... Do you know what they mean by
that? Prove the Lord means take him at his word, act upon it,
and he'll prove himself to you. That's what that means. That's
what they meant. The world says blessed are the
rich. If you could ask Howard Hughes
today, what would he tell you? Let's ask the rich man in hell.
The Lord used to have those kinds of things. What would he tell
you? Scripture says blessed are the poor. Completely different. Blessed are our Lord was was
didn't have the Lord here. Here's here's here. He is. Here's
the truth personified son of man didn't have where he lay
his head. Was he blessed? Blessed the world says blessed
are the happy. Happy. Those that are happy in
this world. Please. Yes, he says go to the
house of mourning. Our Lord said blessed are they that mourn.
They should be comforted. Would you rather mourn a little
while, a few years, and be happy the rest of eternity? The world says blessed are the
strong and the proud. Only the strong survive. Survive
what? They don't survive the judgment.
Strong and proud. Scripture says blessed are the
meek and lowly. The independent, boy, now they've
got it made. Independent. No, sir. The totally
dependent are the blessed ones. That's what it means to trust
the Lord. Be totally dependent. Totally. Totally. Tell me who's most blessed. Huh? A little child in a mother's
arm? Or a teenager heading out into the world? You'd rather have him back with
you when you marry. Who's blessed totally dependent
on. Not the one seeking is independent.
Less than are the leaders of scripture say are the world said
that's not the leaders go getters take charges the leaders. Less
than are the follower. Less than are the follower. Because
these blind leaders. Religious world says, well, I
got to go on. I got to get out of this. Try
things that differ. I got to go to the next one.
And the things more excellent, the most excellent thing of all
is the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. 10 that you may approve things that
are excellent. Try things that differ and that
you may be sincere. All praise for us that we may
be sincere and without offense to the day of sincere that you
may be sincere sincere as opposed to being a hypocrite. You know
where the word actor came from. Latin or Greek word, whatever,
hypocrites or whatever. I hope no smart people listen
to this. Hypo something, but we get the
word hypocrite. It means an actor, somebody playing
a part, trying to be what they're not, trying to appear to be what
they're not, playing a role, doing what they do for show,
put on a face, actor. Sincerity. Our Lord said these
scribes and Pharisees were just mere doctrinalists. They had
the correct doctrine. They were very orthodox in their
doctrine. Every jot and tittle they would ascribe to it. Ascribe
to it. Scribes and Pharisees. The Lord
always said, John said, scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites. Better to be a publican than
a Pharisee. of the contract on the heart
to see what the heart of the issues of life, not that he had. Salvation is not going to be
what you know. In the end, you're going to be
justified by his knowledge. Write it down. Trust it right
there. That all of your salvation depends
upon what Christ knows. And Christ know when you not
your knowledge. If Paul the Apostle said, we
know in parts, where does it leave the rest of us? And I want
to say to these sons of Saba, who think they're something,
Jesus we know, and Paul we know, but who are you? That's what
the devil said to them. We're saved by his knowledge
of us. That's what Paul said to the
Galatians. He said, after you have known Christ, or rather,
he said, let me check that, are known of him. The Lord's not going to stand
with us in the judgment and say, now tell me what you know about
him. The Lord's going to say, do you
know this man, to Christ? He's going to say to Christ,
do you know this man? Yes, I knew him, foreknew him. I foreknew him. I foreloved him.
So did you. Scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites
trying to act the part, trying to appear to be what they're
not, saying but not doing, doing to be seen, applauded, thought
well of. Lord, make us real. Make us sincere. Do a genuine, real work of regeneration. Yes, a new creature. Create in
us a clean heart. That's this song, 51, is a cry
of a broken heart. Overseeing, creating me, wash
me throughly from my iniquity. Sincere, from the heart. Worship,
wouldn't you like to worship from the heart? From the heart,
huh? Wouldn't you like to pray from
the heart? Wouldn't you like to do things,
works of charity, works of faith from the heart? Huh? Give totally, completely from
the heart? Huh? This is a prayer, Lord. He prays that our love may abound
and that we may be sincere. And sing, wouldn't you like,
to once in your life add love to Him, appreciation to Him,
just once, from the heart, irregardless of what anybody thinks, whether
anybody's here in your life. Well, Paul said, let us do it
with the unleavened bread of sincerity, sincerely thankful,
sincerely humble. With man this is impossible,
but with God all things are possible. That's why we pray. That's why
we pray. Verse 10, he goes on, that we
may be without a fence. Oh my, anybody need this? that
we may be without offense. Lord. Go with me to James chapter
3. Hurry, I've got to close this
out. James chapter 3. You know, the
gospel is offensive. The truth offends, and may it
be so. I really do want people to be
offended. It means they've heard something.
I worry when somebody hears it for the first time said I will
I really enjoyed that I really did. Because the first thing
the gospel does that the truth does is kill your old God. And
tear out your refuge tear your refuge away from me all your
foundation out from under you make it makes you lost that's
what the truth first does make you lost. In it, when certain
people finally hear the truth, what do they conclude? If what
you're saying is so, I'm not saying it is. So, let it be offensive. Let not the offensive across
cease, huh? Let's not use persuasive words
and things like that. Let it be offensive. Let us not
be offensive in doing it. Well, there's a difference there.
Let me preach the truth. Preach it in love. Preach it
with compassion. Don't be mean-spirited. But oh,
may the Lord use it to convict them of offense. But let me be
without offense. Let me be without an offense. Paul said in 2 Corinthians, give
me no offense in anything. that the ministry be not blamed. Giving no offense in anything.
Anybody need this? Anybody need the Lord to help
you here that you be not without offense? All our offenses bring
reproach upon our God. Right? Nathan said to David, he said you've given great occasion
to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. So, that's all it does. It brings more shame. It does
more than shame us, our offenses. And bring shame on the gospel,
but it doesn't change it. But what's our biggest object
of offense? Where do we what do we what is
most offensive about all of us? James says it. Look here, James
chapter three, verse two, and follow it. He says, in many things
we offend all. And we're all just different
personalities. And husbands and wives, men and
women. get married. They're just different. They're really different. And
there's different things that offend. And our personalities,
something about us may offend people. If any man offend not
in word, speech, that man is a, now he's a mature man. A Christ-like
man. And able to bridle the whole
body. Read on. We put bits in a horse's mouth
that they may obey us. We turn about the whole body.
Ships, though they be great, great huge ships. There's a man
up there in a wheelhouse with a wheel controlling one of these,
you know, one of these ships half a mile long. He goes on to say, it turned
about with a very small helm. Even so, the tongue is a little
member. It sure sets a little matter
on fire, a great fire does. Tongue is a fire, a whirl of
iniquity. Verse 10 says, How can I of the same mouth proceed
blessing and cursing? Brethren, these things ought
not so to be. But they are, aren't they? willing to cast the first
stone. This is a prayer. We're praying
a prayer here together, aren't we, Lord? Let me not offend. In word, anyway. In word. Verse 14. If you have bitter
envy and strife in your hearts, glory not. Light out against
the truth. This wisdom descended not from God. It's earthly, sensual,
devilish. Chapter 4, verse 2. You lust
and have not, kill and desire to have, cannot obtain, fight
and worry. You have not because you ask
not. Verse 6. So what are we praying for? Lord, I need more grace. I need more grace. He giveth
grace to the humble. Submit. Here it is. Verse seven. Submit yourselves, therefore,
to God. Resist the devil. He'll flee from you. Draw an
eye to God. He'll draw an eye to you. So, Lord, we pray. You know, giving offense is hard
to cease it. Giving offense with our lips,
with our tongue is hard to cease. So we're to pray without ceasing. And here's a good prayer. Lord,
set a watch over my lips. Let it be. And he says in our
text that it may last until the day of Christ. It may be real
and lasting until the day of Christ, because the Lord is going
to destroy all things and all people that offend. Here's a
good prayer. Here's a good short prayer. Lord,
let me not be easily offended, and let me not be an offense. Look at the next thing, the last
thing. He says, I pray that you will be filled with the fruits
of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ. The fruits of righteousness. He said, in me is thy fruit,
Christ said. Fruit comes from Where does it
start? Where does fruit start? It starts
with seed. Christ, didn't He? It can't come from a barren soil,
but Christ, didn't He? Fruit comes from Christ. He said,
except you abide in Me, you cannot bear fruit. A branch can't bear fruit of
itself, the Lord said. He that abideth in Me, and I
in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. Much fruit. Filled with fruit, he said. But
you may fill with fruit, which is through Christ. And what are
those fruits? Fruit? It's this. You know these. Galatians 5,
22 says the fruit of the Spirit is love. First thing. First thing. Love, joy, peace, longsuffering.
Isn't this all Christ? meekness, temperance, and so
forth, they that are Christ's. Well, being filled, he says,
so we pray, Lord, fill us with this fruit of righteousness.
You know, the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by them that
make peace. Fruit produces fruit. Lord, help
me. Without thee I can do nothing.
Herein is the Father glorified. And it's all, verse eleven says,
unto the glory and praise of God. If we do bear this proof,
it'll be by God's grace, won't it? Oh, we have this treasure
in earthen vessels. And if these finite, sinful,
failing, fickle, poor vessels in any way resemble the Lord
Jesus Christ and bear any proof, of love, joy, peace, gentleness,
goodness, longsuffering, meekness, and so forth. It will give all
the glory to God. This has to be the Lord to make
some creature like that look like Him. All right, stand with
me. Our Lord, thank You so much for
this prayer that You caused this man to pray. for the church given
to us to read, study, meditate upon. Lord, our prayer is that
you might enable us to first pray it from our hearts in sincerity.
Pray it without ceasing. Remember it. Hide these things
in our heart. Lord, more than anything, act
upon it. Give us grace. Give us wisdom from above. Give
us strength. Lord, give us thy spirit, we
pray. It's in Christ's name we've met
here tonight. Amen. you