I appreciate them. That offer
to her is a particular blessing. Fill me now. Philippians chapter
three. Now, Philippians three. Liberty is relative. Truth is unchanging. I'm going to preach this morning,
say, I'm going to say the same things, the same old things that I've
been saying from the very beginning, the same things I said last message. As a matter of fact, I think
I quoted this very passage, last message. Same thing. Because the message
stays the same. It's always the same. The gospel's
the same. God is the same. Jesus Christ
is the same. Yesterday, today, and forever.
We may change, but our needs stay the same. There's one thing
needful. One thing. We need to win Christ,
be found in him, and to know him. which is eternal life. Philippians 3, verse 1. Paul
says, Finally, my brethren, finally, after it's all said and done,
finally. And we've been studying through
Philippians, and we've seen all the things that have happened
to the Church there. trials, tribulations. Our Lord said you must, through
much tribulation, enter the kingdom of heaven. Trials. God's people
go through trials, suffering, sorrows, troubles, persecution. Paul had gone through quite a
bit. He says, finally, brethren, after all that happens to you,
after all that happens to me, after all we go through, much
tribulation, finally, Rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord. After it's all said and done,
after all you go through, rejoice in the Lord. That Jesus Christ
is Lord, what he said back there in chapter 2, he said, every
knee should bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord. God's
people should certainly do so, and they do, and they should
rejoice. They should rejoice in the Lord,
that he is Lord. Now, turn back over to Isaiah
chapter 40. Keep your place in Philippians.
Turn to Isaiah chapter 40. Just a couple of books after
the book of Psalms, you'll find Isaiah chapter We need to rejoice
that Jesus Christ is Lord. To believers, I say this to believers now, do you know and do you understand, do you really believe that everything that happens
to you, everything that happens to you, Everything that happens
to you is of the Lord. If you do, then you can rejoice
in the Lord, that it is the Lord, that he is doing what is right. What Romans 8, 28 says, doesn't
it? We know that all things work
together. for good, for good to them that
love God, who look all according to his purpose. Jesus Christ
reigns and rules over all. He's the Lord over all. Do you
rejoice in his Lordship, that he's the Lord, and everything,
everything is under his direction? Do you rejoice in that? Rejoice in that, in the Lord.
Look at Isaiah 40, verse 9. Oh, Zion, or thou that bringest
good tidings to Zion. Talking to a preacher here, really. Get up in the high mountain,
or at least get up in the pulpit. Oh, Jerusalem, thou that bringest
good tidings, or the gospel, that's good tidings. You who
preach the gospel, lift up your voice with strength. Lift it
up, don't be afraid. Say unto the cities of Rocky
Mount, Behold, your God. Behold, your God. He's God. How often do I say
that? I want to say that every time
I stand up here. I want to start with that. God's
God. That's what separates true faith
from false. We believe that God is God. Now if God's God ain't nothing
to rise or wriggle, it's not under his control. Rejoice in
that. You see that? Finally, brethren,
rejoice. Verse 10, Behold, the Lord God
will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him,
his work before him. Who's that talking about? Jesus
Christ is who that is. He will come. The Lord God will
come. Is Christ God? He sure is. God was manifest in the flesh.
He came, and it says, with a strong hand. Well, He had no hands but
your hands, they say, as some fool preacher standing up this
morning saying that very thing. He has no hands but your hands. My God does. He's got a big hand, and I'm
in it. He ain't in mine. I'm in his. I rejoice in that. Do you rejoice
in that? I never grow tired of thinking
about that. It's all my hope. It's my salvation. Joe, it's my salvation that my
God has had. That's my salvation, I'm telling
you. And when Christ came down, you
remember when Christ arose from the grave? God in human flesh
died, was buried three days, arose from the grave and appeared
to his disciples. You remember what the first thing
he said was to them? He said, Behold my hands. I've got them. And you're in
them. And there's scars in them. Your name's in them. You could go on and on, couldn't
you? Remember my pastor preaching that very message one time up
in Fairmont, West Virginia. He showed them his hands. I don't
think anybody had heard that message. Forget it. Those hands. Look at verse eleven. He shall
feed his flock like a shepherd. He shall gather his lambs with
his arm, carry them in his bosom. That's my Lord. The Lord is my
shepherd. See, I'm an old black sheep,
and all we black sheep have gone astray, but the Lord is my shepherd." He goes finding those black sheep,
John. When he finds them, he puts them
on his shoulder. Rejoice in the Lord. The Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord. Look at
chapter forty-one. Look over there. Chapter 41. Look at verse, let's see, chapter
41. It says, verse 1, keep silence
before me, O island. I believe that so-called churches
ought to do a lot less singing and carry on a lot more. That'll
be a lot more silence. Scripture says, be still and
know that I am God. Scripture says, Be not hasty
with thy mouth to utter anything before God, for God is in the
heaven, thou unto earth. Let your words be few," he said.
He said, don't be ready to offer the sacrifice of fools. A fool
is known by a multitude of words. I think you ought to be a lot
more silent. I certainly think preachers ought
to be a lot more silent. I wish God would silence them
all, most of them. Let the people renew their strength.
Let them come near, then let them speak. If they find out
where strength is, then they'll speak of who that strength is.
Let them come near together to judgment. Who raised up the righteous
man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations
before him, made him rule over kings, gave them as a dust to
his sword, driven his stubble to his bow, pursued him past
safely, even by the way he had not gone with his feet. He hath
wrought and done it, calling generations, I the Lord, the
first and with the last, I am he, I am the Lord." Remember
when Jesus Christ said that in Revelation? I am the first and
I am the last. I rejoice when I see passages
so clearly. Brother Stan, when I see passages
so clearly that that tell that Jesus Christ is very God and
very God. In the face of all these blasphemers
out there that say he's not, don't you rejoice when you read
things like, I'm the first and the last. Who? Jesus Christ. God. Lord. That's it. I rejoice
that he's Lord. If he's not, he's the biggest
impostor that ever lived. He can't save a flea. Look at chapter Look at verse
13. Look at verse 13. I, the Lord
thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear
not, I'll help thee. Fear not, thou worm, Jacob. I like that. You men of Israel,
I'll help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One
of Israel. Who's that? That's Jesus Christ. I rejoice that he's Lord. Look at chapter 43. Look over
there quickly. Chapter 43, verse 10. And you
know, this is salvation, people. This is salvation when you know
and realize and understand that Jesus Christ is Lord. Verse 10. You are my witnesses. Isaiah 43, 10. You are my witnesses,
saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, the true
preacher that you may know and believe me and understand that
I am he." Who? Lord. He that cometh to God must
believe that he is. Who is? Jesus Christ is Lord. Finally, brethren. So we turn
back to the text. Finally, brethren. Rejoice in
this. Do you rejoice in that? Huh? Oh, it's people, it's got to
be more than a doctrine, more than a creed, more than a confession
of faith. This is, this is, this must be
the joy and rejoicing of your heart. The very saving and keeping
of your soul. The very hope and encouragement
for you, for your family, for everything about you that Jesus
Christ is Lord and you're in his hands. Do you rejoice over
that? Somebody smile if they do! Rejoice! He's Lord! Who He is, that's who He is. That's
where you start. He's Lord. Not a pretend to be,
not a might be, not if you let Him. He is Lord. And what He has done. What has
He done? Just what has He done? Well,
a preacher today And I'm going to warn you about them. I'm going
to describe them in a minute. They say he tried to do this
and tried to do that. I can't rejoice in somebody who
tries to do anything. I'm trying to build a house right
now, and I ain't rejoicing yet. I tell you what I rejoice in
is when that house is up, when it's built, when it's finished,
when I can stand back and say, Boy, you'll see somebody rejoicing
there. My wife says I never smile anymore. Boy, I'll smile if the
house gets built. I'll be rejoicing. Honey, let's
go. Come on. Smile. I can't rejoice in a Christ that
tried to do anything. I can rejoice in a Christ that
said it's finished. Can't you? It's finished. I came to do a work. What was
that? To save a people. Came to do
it. I got the job done. Went back,
took his work clothes off and sat down. Finished. Job done. What has he done? He became a
man to live for me before God. I couldn't do it. I can't do
it. Never will be able to do it.
He did it. It's finished. I don't have to try. I am trying
to don't have to try to please God like that. I can't. He did. He could. He did. It's finished. That's finished. I don't have
to do that. I don't have to keep the law
to be accepted by God. Now, I'm not saying that people
can go out and break the law. You know that. I'm just saying
that the righteousness which is of the law was finished by
Jesus Christ. Men can take that and do with
it what they want to. God's people rejoice in the Lord
their righteousness. He came and he died. He died
to justify me. Who can lay anything to the charge
of God's love? It's God to justify. Who? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's love? Who is he that condemns? Christ
died. He died. God will accept me. Why? There's blood on the mercy
seat. You know, he didn't spare his
son, so therefore I'm spared. I'm spared. He lives. I don't worship a dead Christ. What's the reason we don't wear
a cross with some poor pitiful fellow hanging on it? He ain't
there. He's on a throne and he lives. I worship a living Lord. I rejoice
in a living Lord, not a dead Christ on a cross, a living Lord. If a dead Christ on a cross can't
save me, a living Lord on the throne can. He lives to intercede for me.
He says, because I live, you'll live also. I pray for you. Finally, brethren, rejoice. Do
you rejoice? in the Lord Jesus Christ, huh?
Rejoice in the Lord. You know, nine times in this
one letter, he says, Rejoice. Nine times. Look at chapter four,
verse four. Nine times he talks about rejoicing.
Chapter four, verse four, he's concluding this letter, and he
says, Rejoice in the Lord always. And he says again now, if you
didn't hear me the first eight, again I say, Rejoice. If he is not Lord, I'm running
to the hills. I'm going to get me a cave somewhere
and take my family out of Sodom for fear that it just might all
blow up at any time. I'm going to live the life of a hermit.
But I don't have to do that. It's still my God's earth. It's
still my Lord's earth. The earth is the Lord's, and
the fullness thereof. The world and all that are in
them are. The King's heart is in the hands
of who? My Lord. As the rivers are water,
he turneth it with his word. I rejoice in that. You can't
rejoice anywhere else. You can't rejoice in anything
or anyone else. He's the Lord. If I don't say
anything else, I give you cause for rejoicing this morning. This
is the day. Now listen to me. Stick with
me. Now this is the day the Lord
hath made. Isn't it? Are you with me? Everybody. This is the day the
Lord hath made. And you put you here and made
all circumstances surrounding it. This is the day the Lord
hath made. What are you going to do with
it? I'll rejoice and be glad in it. I'm glad to be here this
morning. Rain or shine, I'm glad about
this. Everything. Now listen to me. The bottom line is, listen to
me, the bottom line is those who constantly murmur and complain
and mope and are miserable all the time, I just don't think
they know this Lord. I'm sorry. Either He is the Lord or He's
not. Either this is a day he made or it's not. Either he's
ordered all things and sure it's not. Either all things are working
together for good or they're not. He's either Lord and you
rejoice in the fact that he's Lord and everything's under his
control or you don't. Finally, brethren, I say rejoice
in the Lord. We look at Philippians 3 again.
Philippians 3. Look at verse 1. He says, Now
to write the same things to you, to me, is not grievous. You'd think a fellow would get
tired of saying the same things over and over again. You'd think a fellow would have
something new to say, don't you? You'd think he'd come up with
something new. It's just we've heard this before. Paul, we've
heard this before. Oh, it's not Greek. It's not
Greek. You know, this is proof to me
that the Word of God is the Word of God. This is proof to me that
the gospel is the gospel. It's proof to me that the Word
of God is the power of God, that you can keep saying the same
thing over and again, over again, and somebody says, hey, that's
great. You can say the same exact statements to somebody that's
heard them one zillion times, and they say, oh, I love that! And they might even say something
new in the same statement. What? Did you see that? That's
proof to me that it's God's Word. Huh? Now, I've had a certain
thing my wife has fixed me over the years, Some things I've had
over and over and over and over again. And just to be honest
with you, it wouldn't hurt my feelings. And I never had one
again. Meatloaf. She loves it, but I don't. And
it's good meatloaf, if you like meatloaf. And, you know, this
is forewarning, ladies. If you ever had me over, don't
fix meatloaf. If I say I like it, I'll be lying.
Right? How often could you take meatloaf?
Could you take it seven days a week? Three meals a day? It's just meatloaf. How come you can take the gospel
four times a week? Same message. And it'd just be
like the first time you taste it. That's proof. It's the power
of God. It's true. It's God's Word. Who
else but God can make the same things new and fresh every morning. All new. Like it's the first
time you've ever heard. Paul says to write the same things
to you is not grieving. Now Paul, you have to remember,
Paul was in jail and everywhere he went people would say, now
what's your story? He told the same thing everywhere
he went. He was in Rome and he was being
tossed back and forth from Felix, to Festus, to Felix, to Festus,
to Herod, to Felix, to Festus, to Agrippa, back and forth. What
is, what is, what's wrong here? What's going on? And he'd tell
the same thing. Well, I was a man of Tarsus and
I was going, and I saw the Lord over and over again. And finally,
after he'd told it a bunch of times, a fellow named Agrippa
had him in front of him and said, now Paul, now what is this all
I hear about you? You know what Paul said? You'd
think, you'd say, I'm getting tired of telling the same old
story. That's because I just told him. He said, Euripa, I'm just happy
to tell it again. He said, I just think my, I just
tickle pink that you give me another opportunity to tell it.
Would you let me tell it one more time? to write the same things to me
is not great. How could I get excited over
I've preached the same message here. And it's just as exciting to
me now that was the previous several times. David I tell you
how David said in Psalm forty five John David said well my
heart is indicting a good matter. I speak of things which my hand
hath made as touching the king. My tongue is a pen of a ready
writer. I'm ready to say something. It's
about my king," he said. My king! If you ever meet the
king, you'll never go... How often could you people talk
about your grandbabies, or your children for that matter? Huh?
You ever go tired of hearing about them? What if every Saturday
we're all going to meet together and talk about Andre? I guarantee
you I know who'd be on the front row. And a big smile on her face. Yeah, tell that part again. Tell
about when he was a little boy. Tell it again. Oh, I heard that
before. Tell it again. Wow. That's my
boy. I love that boy. There's a joy
and a rejoicing in my heart. This is my Lord. This is He who's
the fairest among ten thousand, the bright and morning star,
the King of kings, the Lord of lords. I speak of things as touching
the King. What do you see? If you see Him,
you'll be like Sheba going away talking about Solomon. Is that
all you want to talk about? Yeah, if you saw Him, you'd talk
about Him, too. There's nothing else. Same thing. The joy, the rejoicing of my
heart. It's not grievous, it's my salvation. Christ is my salvation. My strength, my help, my encouragement,
my consolation, my comfort. Christ is all. Jesus Christ is
all. And you know, they say, he says
in verse one, he says, for you it's safe. For you it's safe. You know,
it's safe for me. You know, I'm on safe ground
right now. If a man knew what he was doing
right here, he'd have his shoes off every time he stood up here. If a man really knew what he
was doing, he'd literally take his spiritual shoes off every
time he stood behind his desk right here. Let me tell you something. I'm on safe ground preaching
what I'm preaching this morning. I'm on safe ground. I have no
worries that God is going to leave anything out. that I'm
not preaching the whole counsel of God, no worries that God's
going to hold me accountable for preaching a bad sermon. Why?
I'm preaching Christ. I know God's smiling. Just because
men don't, I know who He is. When I say that name, heaven's
smiling. The angels are listening. Jesus Christ is Lord over all. I'm on safe ground. And for you it's safe. It's what
you need to hear. Would you hear it again? You
know like that Corn Flake commercial? Taste it again for the first
time. I fear that some of us in here
who have tasted it before, it's lost its sweetness. Would you
taste it again for the first time? Jesus Christ is Lord. Don't lose your first love. Don't
become lukewarm to this message. May your heart be filled. May
you get heartburn when he opens up the Scriptures to you, by
the way. and go out of this place saying, did not our hearts burn
within us? Well, we heard that Jesus Christ
is Lord. Don't let him say, oh, spew me
out of my mouth, you lukewarm. That's not me talking, that's
Jesus Christ. That's what he said in Revelation
1, Revelation 2, Revelation 3 and 4. Then Paul gives some warnings
here. In verse 2, he gives some warnings. He says, Beware of
dogs. Beware of evil workers. Beware
of the concision. Beware of dogs. Now, he's not
talking about pit bulls or Doberman pincers. Turn over to Isaiah
56. This is the dogs he's talking
about. Isaiah 56. Turn over there. Okay. Isaiah 56. He's not talking about
Doberman pinchers. He's talking about religious
rovers. He's talking about pharisaical
fidos. Religious dogs is who he's talking
about. He calls them evil workers. He's
not talking about Gentiles. He was talking to a Gentile church
here. He's talking about religious
dogs. He calls them evil workers. He calls them the concision,
Judaizers that go compass sea and land to establish one proselyte,
to win one's soul. Soul winners. Dogs. He said beware of them,
especially beware of those that wear collars. wear the collars around backward
and have it usually go by the initials D.D. Look at that. This is where that comes from.
Isaiah 56, verse 10. You know, preachers are called
watchmen in the Scriptures. They're supposed to be watchmen. He says, verse 10, His watchmen,
or those that call themselves watchmen, are blind. They are
all ignorant. They are all dumb dogs. That's where that title comes
from at the end of some men's names. D.D. Do you think it means
Doctor of Divinity? They do, too. It really means
dumb dog. Because they cannot bark, they
can't preach, they can't preach. dreamers, lying down, loving
to slumber. Yea, they're greedy dogs," he
said. Greedy dogs can never have enough. They are shepherds that cannot
understand. What? They don't know the Lord
who is the shepherd, and they don't know who the sheep are.
They don't know what the message is that brings them, the sheep. They all look to their own way,
their names. Their own gain, everyone from
his own gain, his own quarter. That's who these dogs are, that
Paul's warning of. Religious dog. Balaam's. Religious for gain. Balaam, that's
who Balaam was. He was a good preacher. Balaam
was a good, pretty good preacher. Isn't he? He said some good things,
didn't he? But he was in it for gain. He was a hireling. In it
for the money. Paul says, beware of them. Paul
says, Beware of him, but you listen to us. Listen to me. That's what he said. That's pretty
bold, isn't it? You watch out for those fellas,
but you listen to me. Doesn't he? How could you say
such a thing? How could a man be so bold and
so arrogant and so presumptuous? No, not bold about himself, not
arrogant in himself. Not presumptuous in himself. He says, you know, all that go
by the name Christian are Christian. All that go by the name preacher
are not preachers. How do you know the truth from
the false? Well, here it is. Philippians chapter three. Again,
here's the three ways you know, the true from the false and God's
true people, God's true church from the false. There's a so-called
church on every corner, isn't there? Everybody calls themselves
a Christian. Everybody calls themselves a
church. They call this Forty West. It's because there's forty
churches west of Rocky Mount. Forty east, because there's forty
east of it. Forty churches, so-called, aren't
there? Church, church, church, what
difference does it make? Here's the difference. Here's
all the difference. This is how you may know. People
say, I'm looking for a church. Well, if you find these three
things, you'll find the church. Looking for a If you find these
three things, a man preaching these, you'll find God's preacher.
Verse 3, look at it. We are the circumcision. That's
just another word for the chosen people of God, is what that is.
God's people. Just another word. You could
say God's prophets, God's apostles, God's evangelists, God's pastors
and teachers. We are the circumcision. And John said the same thing.
He said, We are of God, and the whole world lieth in the nicket,
and wicked. Didn't it? But Paul says, We
are the circumcision, number one, which worship God in the
spirits. We worship God in the spirits.
Now, turn over to John chapter 4 with me, OK? Just give me ten
more minutes, would you? John chapter 4. John 4, we worship
God in the spirit. In other words, we don't worship
God by ceremony or symbol, not in outward form or a show
of religion, but in spirit or heart, not with the lips only. That's flesh, isn't it? But with
the heart, you can sing unto God without moving your lips,
without a sound coming out. Right? That's true singing anyway,
from the heart. Like that little lady that got
up to sing one time at some revival meeting where Brother Barnard
was preaching, you know? And that old John the Baptist,
you know, he saw through things. And you can, too. Watch them
on TV sometimes. They grab their mic, you know.
Why do they always, every one of them, wrap their mics up with
a paperclip? I don't understand that. But they do, for effect,
you know. Wrapped in my hair. And you see
them, don't you? Don't you? Huh? Barnard saw a
woman doing that, you know, in one of his revival meetings,
and he got up to preach right after she sang. You know, the
people wiping their eyes and everybody so pleased and all
that. And Gerard got up and he said,
Young lady, you said that wasn't nothing but the flesh. Oh, can you imagine? I hope it broke her old fleshy
heart. Maybe the Lord used that to show her that it was. I just
made a big show. I was just putting on a show
up there this morning. I wasn't worshiping God from the heart.
I was putting on a show. I was wanting everybody to see
me and hear what a good singer I was. That's why they clap. They're clapping for that fellow
singing. Right? Paul says, We're not ruling with
the lips only, or our Lord said that, and not in elaborate places
with all the trappings of religion. Why don't I wear a robe? Well, I am. You just can't see
it. I've got a robe on. crosses, candles, statues, graven
images, and all. Why don't we have all that? We've
got something better. Look at John 4, verse 19. And
this is the story of our Lord meeting that woman at the well.
And the woman, and she was a, oh, she was a religious, she
was a sinner. Been married five times, living
with a fellow now. And that she was religious, she was
Southern Baptist. Verse nineteen, the woman said,
Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our father, and here
she had some questions for him, religious questions. Now our
fathers worshiped in this mountain. Here's the mountain where we
worship, but you say that over in Jerusalem is the place In
other words, we are Baptists. My daddy was a Baptist, and his
daddy was a Baptist, and we come from a long line of Baptists.
You're Methodists, and you say, Methodists, and y'all worship,
but y'all have this, y'all have, we have this. What do you say? Verse 21, Christ said unto that
woman, Woman, believe me. Believe me. Believe me that hour
cometh when you shall neither worship in this mountain nor
at Jerusalem. It's not a place. It's a person. Worship the Father. Read on. You worship, you know not what. If I asked you to tell me what
you believe, you'd say, well, I believe what my pastor preached.
What does he preach? He believes what the church believes.
Well, what do they believe? They all believe the same thing. What's that? We don't know, but
we believe. What you don't know, what you
worship or believe. Salvations of the Jews, Christ
said. Now, John, that's just, that
was a whole lot right there, and what he meant was God has
an elect people. Verse 23, the hour cometh and
now is. And Christ still talking to this
woman now. The hour cometh, and now is, when true worshipers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father seeketh
such to worship him." God is spirit. They that worship him
must worship him in spirit and in truth. And another passage
of Scripture says, God is not worshiped with men's hands. This is not how we worship. God is not impressed. God seeth
not his man. The only way that man seeth is
outward. That's all he can see. All I
can see is how you look to me right now. You either look sincere
or you don't. I can't see your heart. God does,
and that's what he looks at. God looketh on the heart. And
as so many people, our Lord said, This people draweth near with
their lips and their facial expressions, but their hearts are far from
them. See, true people of God worship
God, worship God, number one, worship God. They meet together
to worship God. How do you know a truth from
a fault? Find a place where people are bragging on God, not bragging
on men. Right? Find some man that's standing
up and all it seems like he has to say or talk about is God and
Christ. And he's the... You know what
a good message is? It's not one that lifts us up. It's one that brings us down.
A good message is one that lifts Christ up and brings us down
at his feet. Preachers all over today are
preaching messages trying to make people feel good about themselves.
A good message from God makes you feel bad about yourself and
makes you feel mighty good about Jesus Christ. Find a place where a man is bragging
on God, not bragging on men. Worship God. We worship God. We praise, we thank, we study
God. Not men, not man, not what John
Wesley said, not what John Gill said, but what Jesus Christ said. And he says we do it in spirit.
We worship God in spirit. That is, with the heart, with
the inward man. All right? The next thing. Now,
how do we do this? There's only one way to worship
God. There always has been only one
way to worship God. And nobody who meets together
this morning who doesn't worship this one way is worshiping God.
From the very beginning From the very beginning, from the
very first sinner, God said, you can't come near me, you can't
worship me, I'll not see you, I'll not listen to you, I'll
not speak to you, you're not here for me, unless you bring
one thing. You've got to bring one thing
to worship God, right? You can't worship God without
this one thing. A man can't preach God without
preaching this. What's that? Blood. You got it, brother. You got
it. Maybe you have it. Maybe you
got it. The blood. And he says this is
what he means by rejoicing. Look at it. We worship God, number
one, in spirit, not with outward show and ceremony. Rejoice in
Christ Jesus, number two. We rejoice in Christ Jesus. Now, it's easy to rejoice in
religion. It's easy to get excited about
religion. That's how people get so excited.
If you go in their church, you'll see excited people. We are an
excited church. We do exciting things. You get
excited with us. We'll all get excited. What are
you excited about? I don't know. I'm just so excited. We've got a singing going, we've
got a hayride, we've got a ball game, we've got a guy so excited,
let's get excited! Somebody get excited with me.
I can get all that down to 4-H, I can get all that down to Woodmen
of the World Club, I can get all that down to Roll Club, Rotary
Club, Lions Club. Get real excited down at Joe's
Bar and Grill, at the racetrack. Here's what God's people are
getting excited about. They're rejoicing in Christ Jesus. Not in their church, not in their
work, not in what they do for Jesus, not in people per se. They're rejoicing in the person
and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are rejoicing in
Him. Oh, Christ, you see, Christ is
all. Christ is all to the people of
God, so he's all they talk about. Right? If Christ is all, he's
all they talk about. If Christ is all to a preacher, he'll be his message. He'll be
all he talks about. So that woman said that in derision
of Brother Richardson one time, she said, all you preach is gospel,
gospel, gospel. She got it written down right
here in my Bible. All you preach is Christ, Christ.
They said it about my pastor. A woman said about my pastor,
he's made an idol of Jesus Christ. Whoa! He said, Malpassion said,
put that on my tombstone, would you? He made an idol. He worships
Jesus Christ. That's how ignorant people are,
Stan. That's how plumb ignorant. You see, they think Jesus is
just another part of religion. I'm here to tell you, Jesus Christ
is all the religion there is. He's all. And if he's holy to
somebody, he's all I talk about. His righteousness, they don't
talk about their own filthy, filthy, filthy rags. His righteousness. His work, not my own filthy,
filthy, filthy rags. His work. His person, not their
own filthy, filthy, filthy sinner I am. Sinless, spotless, holy,
unblameable is he. His faith, not their own. Weak, weak, weak, no faith at
all. Faithless, great is thy faithfulness. Right? We are the circumcision. We are,
I don't, and I don't apologize for that. This is the gospel.
This is it. This is the church of God. This
is the church of God. All those people that worship
And there are others just like it. I'm not saying it's the only
one. There are others just like it. There are few and far between.
And how you'll know is you'll find these three things. And this is what is meant by
rejoicing in the Lord. And to spend our time doing anything
else, or talking about anybody else, is lost time. Paul called
it manure. Didn't he? It's all a bunch of
BS. Religious BS. That's exactly
what's going on today in all these places. A bunch of religious
BS. Somebody translate that how they
want. Anything else he said is dumb.
We're talking about the Pearl. The pearl of great pride. Lastly,
verse 3, he says, we are the circumcision which worship God
in the spirit, rejoicing Christ Jesus, who he is, what he's done,
not in what we are or what we've done. Have no confidence in the
flesh. Number three, no confidence in
the flesh. Now, listen carefully, okay? Paul's not saying that you can't
have confidence in anybody. You're not saying that. He said three times in Corinthians,
he said three times to the Corinthians, he said, I have confidence in
you and all the things. Three times he said that. He
says in the flesh here, no confidence in the flesh. John, you're not
in the flesh, but in the spirit. If so, be that the spirit of
God dwell in you. Right? Romans 8, 9. Am I right? You're not in the flesh. The
flesh here, that he's talking about, we have no confidence
in. Bodily exercise, same thing he
said in another place. The flesh here is anything that
has to do with the flesh in the worship of God. You see that? That's the context that he's
speaking in. You see that, John? That's the context he's been
talking about, right? Anything that he goes on to say
if anybody thinks they have anything in the flesh to be confident
of I do I have more and I was baptized. Paul said I was circumcised
the eighth day I was of the stock of Israel I've come from a good
family a good Christian home a tribe of Benjamin a Hebrew
a Hebrew my daddy was a preacher his daddy's daddy was a preacher
is touching the law moral and liquors never touch these lips.
I never smoked, drank, cussed, or chewed or ran around with
women to do." That's what Paul's saying right there. He's touching
the righteousness, morality, outward immorality. He said,
I don't blame much. He said, but oh, those things that used to be
gained to me, that had me preaching in everybody's pulpit, because
I was such a loss. They won't get me anywhere with
God. The only one thing that'll get me anywhere with God, that's
the blood of Jesus Christ. The righteousness. God says all
of that, all of that righteousness is filthy, stinking. You know
what kind of rags they are. That's what he said. Paul says, I've got a righteousness. Oh, it's not by righteousness
which I have done, but according to his righteousness. Righteousness. You see, flesh, anything that
has to do with my flesh, anything the flesh does to try to be accepted
with God. And all those things I just mentioned,
you've heard people say those very things, haven't you? Well,
I've never, I may have done something, but I've never done that. And I've heard Jerry Falwell
say, liquor never touched my lips. My mother was a godly woman.
She never did this, never did that. That doesn't make her a
godly woman. That makes her a self-righteous
Pharisee. That doesn't hold water with
God. Anything that has to do with
the flesh can impress God, to please God. In the flesh, no
man can please God. Did I say that? God is spirit. They that worship him must worship
him in spirit, flesh, outward form, shows of worship. Whether
it be ceremony, music, like I said music, or preaching. Preaching. A man trying to preach to impress
people. Salvation is not in tears that
we cry. Salvation is in truth. It's not
tears. It's truth. It's not the burning of candles. It's God burning his word within
our heart. Salvation is not a new robe that
we have purchased with our car wash money and our bake sale
money. It's a spotless robe Christ purchased
with his own precious blood. Salvation is not in our hands, and God is not
worshipped with our hands, but with the heart. So Paul says,
finally, finally, rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord. Again, I say rejoice. And we
now are the circumcision, God's people. We worship God On the
inside, we rejoice in Christ Jesus, Him and Him alone. But all our confidence in Him
and Him alone, having no confidence at all in what we're doing, what
we have done, what we are doing, whatever we'll do, all our confidence
is in Jesus Christ and Him alone. Right? That's how you know. That's how you know. Stand with me and I'll dismiss
this in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we ask your
blessings upon your word that you might imprint it upon our
heart. Engraft it, the word, may we
receive it with meekness, not as being the words of a man,
but as it is in truth, the word of the living God. Lord, we thank
you for it. We ask your forgiveness for the
vessel that brought it. It is stuttering and stammering
and vain babbler, but thy word is the joy and rejoicing of our
heart. Christ is the word. We rejoice
in him, who he is and what he has done and what he has said.
May we receive all of this as being from his very lips. May
we be that true circumcision, true people of God, and have
these marks upon us, not outward marks of the flesh, but on the
heart. Thy law, thy word, thy gospel
written upon our heart. Worshipping God, rejoicing in
Christ, and not putting any confidence in the flesh. In Christ's name
we pray, amen. you