forces of hell are against you
to keep you from hearing this, and against me to keep me from
preaching it. But His grace is sufficient. You can be turning to Romans
chapter 10. The text will be found in Philippians
4, but turn first of all to Romans 10. David wrote one of my favorite passages,
Psalm 27. He said this, "'One thing have
I desired of the Lord, and that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house
of the Lord all the days my life or in eternal life, to behold
the beauty of the Lord, to inquire, ask questions in his temple. He went on to say, in the time
of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion. There's going to
be a day of great trouble on this earth. But God's people
will be hidden from all of it. No more tears, no more crying.
In God's great and grand and vast pavilion, or home, the place
he prepared for them, away from all trouble, in the secret of
his tabernacle, it's a secret place now, it's a mystery to
us. He'll hide me. He'll set me on a rock, a high
place, far above all of this. And now, and I'll be able to
say this, and now shall mine head be lifted up above mine
enemies round about me. Therefore, he says, will I offer
in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy. I will sing. Yea, I'll sing praises unto the
Lord in that day. And that's why I'm here this
morning. The reason I'm here this morning,
the reason I'm going to come back this evening, the reason
I'm going to be here Thursday night for a long time, Thursday
night, the reason I read my Bible, the reason I pray, the reason
I meet together with you folks, seek God's face, talk with other
believers, is because I want to know God and someday be with
Him. Behold His beauty. I want to
see Jesus Christ face to face, like that song says. That will
be glory for me. I want to see Him. I want to
inquire in His temple. I want to talk to Him. I want
to walk with Him. I want to ask Him questions. I want Him to
answer me. I want to dwell with Him forever. Do you? I do. I want to know him. That's what
Paul said. Oh, that I may win Christ and be found in him, that
I may know him. Really know him. Is that what
you want? That's what I want above all
else, really. That's why I'm here, that I might
grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. I want
to know him. He's real. He lives. We serve a risen Savior. He's at the right hand of God
and ever lives to make intercession for us. I want to be with him. Now, how can I do that? I'm a sinner. I don't hardly see and understand
how people can stand to be around me, much less God. How am I going
to go be with a holy God? God's have too pure eyes to look
upon iniquity. Says the sun and the moon don't
even shine right, shine purely in His eyesight, His holy eyesight.
The angels have to hide their faces. How am I going to go be
with Him? How am I going to be in His holy,
spotless presence? How can a sinner like me ever
live with a holy God? How can I open my mouth before
such a one as that, huh? How am I going to go be with
God? That's what I want. That's what this life is preparation
for, going to be with God forever. How am I going to do that? The
only way I can do that, the only way I'm ever going to be with
God, is because God came to be with me. God came down here to
live with me, to live for me. God came down. And here in Romans
10 it says, by simply believing the record, Trusting, looking
to the Lord Jesus Christ, look at it. It says in Romans 10,
verse 6, the righteousness, or that is, acceptance with God,
holiness, living with God, eternal life, which is of or by faith,
this is the way it talks. Don't say in your heart, how
are we going to get to heaven? What can we do to get to heaven? How are we going to live? You've
got to live right to get to heaven. That's not what righteousness
which is of faith says. Don't say in your heart, who
shall ascend into heaven? That is to bring Christ down.
We've got to go, if somebody could just tell me, if somebody
could rise from the grave and just tell me what it's all about.
He did. He did. Verse 7, or who shall
descend into the deep? That is, to bring up Christ again
from the dead. We don't have to go over to the
Holy Land and visit the tomb, do we? He's not there. He's risen. That's what they said to the
disciples back then, wasn't it? What are you doing? Why are you
crying? What are you here for? He's not
here. And why would we go back again, Joe? He's not here. He's risen. We
serve a risen Savior. Well, what does it say? What
does faith say, verse 8? Well, the word is not even in
your mouth, in your heart. It's the word of faith which
we preach, that if you'll confess with thy mouth the Lord, the
living Lord Jesus Christ, and believe in thine heart God raised
him from the dead, seated him at the right hand of God, exalted
him above all, he is your sovereign King and Lord, thou shalt be
saved. Believe. Simple. Belief. Trust. Look into
a Lord, a living Lord, God in human flesh. There's a man at
the right hand of God, John. And because he's there, I can
be there too. Because of what he did. Because
he came down here, and as a man lived that life, I need to live,
but can't. But because he did, I can live
before God. I'm a man, I can go stand before
a holy God. Dressed in that righteousness,
he prepared for me with his own hands, with his own feet, with
his body. And he shed that blood. My sins
have to be paid for. God can't just forget sin. He
just can't forget and forgive sin. They've got to be paid for.
Right? That's the reason he went to
the cross, isn't it? That's the reason Christ died. That he might
suffer the just for the unjust, to bring us to God. And now my
sins have been all paid for, I am holy, unblameable, unreprovable,
righteous and holy before God Almighty, and now one day I can
walk into heaven itself, and God sees me in Christ, and I
can be with God. Why? God came to be with me. Immanuel, that was his name,
that's the sweetest name on earth, sweetest name ever been heard,
Immanuel. What does that mean? We read
it in Isaiah 25 and 9, didn't we? Lo, it shall be said in that
day, this is our God. This is our God. He'll save us. And God said it from the heavens. Call his name Jesus, he shall
save. He'll get the job done. And Christ, as he was about to
leave the earth, even while hanging on the cross, said, I did the
job. It's finished. I saved my people. I saved them
from sure and certain destruction. And he died and rose again and
ever lives to make sure every one of them come to him. God
with us, and therefore we can be with God. But you know something? Now, all of that is, that's the
gospel, what Christ came and did for us in order that I may
go be with God. He had to come down here. I've
only been preaching now for five or six minutes, and I just told
you the whole gospel story in five or six minutes. That's what
God had to do for me in order for me to go be with Him. All
right? But you know something? I need
Him every hour. We sang that song just now, and
I sing it all the time. When temptations beset me, around,
to, before, and behind, I sing that song. Temptations lose their
power when thou art nigh. I need thee. Oh, I need thee. Every hour I need thee. Oh, bless
me now, my Savior. I come to thee. And he said that
in James, didn't he? Draw nigh unto God. And He'll
draw near to you. Now, I need God with me right
now. You need God with you right now in order to hear and get
anything out of this message. Otherwise, it's just going to
be another sermon. It's going to be like water off a duck's back. I need
Him to touch my heart with it, else I'm just going to be reading
you my notes. So how's that going? How am I
going to get presence of God with me right now. All right,
turn over to Philippians 4. This is where we'll stay the
remainder of the message. Philippians chapter 4. Philippians
4. I need thee, oh I need thee,
every hour I need thee. I'm a needy creature, and from
him all blessings flow, and I've got to have them every hour of
every day. Philippians 4, look at verse
9. It says, Look at this now. If you desire that presence of
God, listen, those things, verse 9, 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 shall be with
you. Those things do, and the God
of peace shall be with you. Well, that's just sparked my
interest. How about you? What things? I need God with me. God of peace. I need peace in my heart, peace
in my mind. I certainly need peace with him, but what things
is he talking about? All right? You remember last
time we met together? Last Wednesday night, I believe
it was. I told you that God deals with us the way we deal with
others. Do you remember that? First of
all, God deals with us the way we deal with his Son, with Christ. We believe, love, worship, kiss
the Son like God tells us to do, worship him, bow to the Son. God is no longer angry with me.
He treats me like a child. He treats me like a child. I'm
reconciled to him. If I love the Son, the curse
is that everyone that loveth not the Lord Jesus Christ, by
anger the wrath of God abides on him." You know that God deals
with us for Christ's sake? Do you know that? Not for my sake. Everything God
does for human beings is for Christ's sake. You know that? You remember the story of David
and Jonathan, don't you? How much David loved Jonathan
as his own soul would have done anything for him and did. Jonathan
had a son named Mephibosheth, didn't he? And he was lame and
he was a rebel against David. Well, after Jonathan died, David
met up with old Mephibosheth, didn't he? Do you remember what
he said to him? He said to Mephibosheth, son
of Jonathan, he said, I'm going to show you mercy because you're
a lovely fellow, because you're so sweet, because I feel sorry
for you because you're a cripple, because you need this. No, for
Jonathan's sake. Right? Because I love Jonathan. Because I made a covenant with
Jonathan. Because we made an agreement. I love him more than
anybody else. I'm going to show mercy to you.
And everything God Almighty does for sinners who deserve hell,
he does it for Christ's sake. Christ's sake, not for our sake.
You know what he said to Israel? I'm not doing this for your sake,
O House of Israel, but for my name's sake. My name's sake. Christ deals with us for Christ's
sake, or God deals with us for Christ's sake, because Christ
came and lived the perfect life. He makes me perfect. Because
Christ came and died and he reconciles me to God now. Makes me friendly
toward God and God toward me. And so God's dealings with me
are according to how I stand in Christ. OK? How I stand in Christ. Because
I believe him, trust him, love him, worship him. God is not
angry with me, but God loves me. And you find out Later we
find out first that that faith is a gift of God, even. He gave that to you, or else
you would have never had an interest in Christ at all. And then our
dealings with others. I told you how our dealings with
others. The scripture says, with the merciful thou wilt show thyself
merciful. With the pure thou wilt show
thyself pure. With the froward thou wilt show thyself forward. So if you want the salvation
of God Almighty, the approval of God, you want to be with God
someday, acceptance of God Almighty, you're going to have to believe
Christ. You're going to have to bow to, trust, kiss the Son,
love Him, worship Him, serve Him, else God will be angry with
you. And we'll have to love others
as we love ourselves. And all of that's found right
here in Philippians chapter 4. Look at verse 8. He says, if
you want the God of peace to be with you, verse 8, look at
it. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things
are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are
pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good
report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think
on these things. Those things which you have both
learned and received and heard and seen and may do, and the
God of peace shall be with you." Do you remember us reading that
in Isaiah 27? 26, I mean? "...Thy will keep
him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee." Those things. Now, all right, let's take each
one of these words very briefly in verse 8 and consider them
in relation to Christ. and in relation to others, the
way we deal with others. Finally, brethren, whatsoever
things are true, true, who God is. We're going to have to know who
God is if the God of peace is going to be with us. He says,
Whatsoever things are true, think on these things, and the God
of peace shall be with you. Two can't walk together and say they'd
be a Greek, can they? If I think God is some sugar
daddy up there just waiting to give me a handout, He's not going
to be with me. He's going to be against me.
If I think God's done all He can do and now it's up to me,
God's not going to be with me. But if I think He's God, if I
believe truly in my heart He's God, He's holy, He's just, He's
righteous, He doesn't have to have anything to do with me.
He's on the throne. I'm in the dust. Let my words
be truth. God will draw nigh to me." Isn't
that what he said in Isaiah? He said, God dwells in the heavens. God is holy, high above all things.
Dwells in the heavenly. And he dwells with him as of
a broken and contrite heart. Trembleth at his word. Can two
walk together except they be agreed? Agreed on what? The truth
of who God is. God's not going to have anything
to do with anybody who doesn't bow to him as a holy, sovereign
God. What I am, what I am, I've got
to know what I am if I'm going to approach a holy God, or I'll
do it wrong. And I'm a sinner, I'm a beggar,
I never approach God any other way but just a beggar looking
for a handout. Please, Lord, thank you. Have
mercy on me. God will be with me. Who Christ
is, I've already said that. Whatsoever things are true, you
know, he's truly Christ. He's the truth. He said, I'm
the truth. Truth of what? How I'm going to get to God.
If I think I'm going to get to God any other way than the way,
the true way, Christ the truth, I'm sadly mistaken, aren't I?
And I'm going to have to think on the truth. I'm going to think
on Christ, who is altogether true. And the gospel is the only
one true gospel, isn't it? Only one way, only one way. And you know something, the gospel
really, it's said there in Psalm 126. Let me read that to you.
You know that the gospel to an old, hell-deserving, rotten,
wretched sinner who really knows what he is, the gospel is almost
too good to be true. You know? It's almost too good to be true.
He said this here in Psalm 126. When the Lord turned the captivity
of Zion, we were like them that dreamed. Tell me that again. Are you going to just let me
go off scot-free? Then was our mouth filled with
laughter, and our tongue with singing. The Lord hath done great
things for them. Our mouths were filled with laughter.
What? There is mercy for an old rotten
sinner like me? That's almost too good to be
true. No, it is true. Think on it. I tell you, if you'll
think about that, think about the goodness of God towards you,
it will lead you to repentance. Repentance. And God will be with
you. Look at the next word. He says,
Whatsoever things are honest. Whatsoever things are honest. He used to say years ago, and
I've quoted this so many times, and maybe somebody will hear
it for the first time. He used to say, Honest men and
women don't ever go to hell. Honest men and women don't ever
go to hell. Honest. There was a man named
Nathaniel one time, sitting over under a fig tree. And somebody
came and got him and said, the Christ is here. Jesus, called
the Christ, is here. Our Savior. Come and see him.
And Nathaniel came along and met him. And the Lord said concerning
Nathaniel when he was walking up, remember what he said? Huh?
You remember? Behold, an Israelite in whom
is no guile. Now, there's an honest man. He's
really seeking some answers. He's really seeking the Lord.
There's a man who's honest before God. No guile, no hypocrisy.
He's not playing games. Would to God he'd say that about
me. Would to God the Lord himself would say that about Paul Edward
Mahan. Now, there's a man with no guile. He's really in this
thing for real. He really is seeking the Lord.
He's honest. You know, we've got to come naked
before God Almighty. just as I am. Lord, God, help. I'm ignorant. I'm no good. I'm
a sinner. I need some answers. I need some
help. I need salvation. I need to know
God. I am nothing, know nothing, can
do nothing. Help. Honestly, Lord. I really, honestly, truly want
some answers. I want salvation. Not just playing
church. Whatsoever things are honest,
look at the next word, whatsoever things are just, or that is right. Whenever you see the word just
in the scriptures, it generally means right. Whatever is right
is just. It's equitable. It's equitable
in character or act. Well, who, what is just? What
is right? You know, Christ is called the
just one. Yeah, he is. Christ is called
the just one. Let me make a little play on
words here. Christ is called the just one because he's just
the one I need. He's just the one I need. He's
just God and Savior. You know, that's what Christ
is. He's a just God. I need God to come down here
and live for me, John. As I've already said, man, mere
man can't do it. Moses couldn't do it. Adam couldn't
do it. Noah couldn't do it. I need God with me. I need God
to come down here and live for me. He's just God, and He's righteous,
and a Savior. I need a man to shed His blood,
and He's both. He's a just God and a Savior,
and He's just the one I need. Nobody else can help me. And
He's just. He's holy. He's righteous. This
word just means things of principle and equitable character. Whatsoever
things are just. God will justify you because
Christ was just. And I am justified by Him just
as if I'd never sinned because Christ was just. Now, that'll
keep you in perfect peace. Joe, I'm never just in myself. I can never do anything really
that God is ever pleased with in and of myself. It's tainted
with sin, right? But Christ did everything. So
God always justifies me. Everything I do is justified
by the just one for Christ's sake, because he's just. He's
holy. He's right. He's right. He's
true. I'm wrong. He's right. Everything
about it. Just what I need. And he says
this. Go on. Whatsoever things are pure. Whatsoever
things are pure. 1 John 3 says, when he, when Christ
shall appear, when he shall appear, then we shall be like him. We shall be like him, for we
shall see him as he is. As he is. How is he? He said
that in another place, didn't he, John? As he is, so are we. How is he? What is Christ like? He's pure. He's pure. Scripture says, "...as every
man that hath this hope in him purifies himself, even as Christ
is pure." Christ is pure. Seeing, therefore, you have purified
yourselves in believing the truth, believing, thinking on Christ
the pure One, thinking thoughts purely of Christ, not of yourself.
Come on now, I've got a hold of something here. Christ is
the pure One, holy, spotless Lamb of God, pure God and pure
man. And the gospel is pure Christ,
pure grace. We need to think purely of him,
not of ourselves. Thou wilt keep him in perfect
peace, purify your heart and soul, your conscience, when your
mind is stayed on him. Think on things, these things.
Think on these things. What? Him who is pure. Well,
thank you, Seth. John Newton wrote that hymn.
He said, When I look within, all is dark and defiled. Oh, could I deem myself a child? Well, don't look in, John. Look
out. Look without. Look without yourself. Look to
the pure one. God doesn't look in, does he?
He looks at Christ. God doesn't look at me. He looks
at Christ, doesn't he? So we need to think purely thoughts
of Christ. If we want peace, if we want God with us in his
presence, in his comfort, in his help, in his encouragement,
think purely of Christ. Think purely of Christ. All right,
go on. He says, Now whatsoever things
are pure, go back up to the top again. Whatsoever things are
true, that's Christ. He's the truth in it. Whatsoever things
are honest. venerable. That's Christ, isn't it? Isn't
he the venerated one? Whatsoever things are just, he's
the just and holy one. Whatsoever things are pure, he's
the pure one. Whatsoever things are lovely,
that word has a lovely sound to it even. Whatsoever things
are lovely, Do you think of a verse of scripture that talks of somebody
being lovely? Something being lovely? You know,
this world, as much as I enjoy it, as much as I enjoy my daughter
and my wife and the home I live in and the food I eat and the
things of this world, recreation and your company and all that,
you know, there's really not much lovely in this world, is
there? It's pretty ugly. Pretty ugly.
Especially when you go out in it. It's dirty, it's filthy,
it's vile, it's wretched, unlovely, ungodly, wretched, miserable,
and defiled. Everything about it. Do you know
Christ is altogether lovely? Everything about Him. Everything
about Him. Without a flaw. Spotless one. The spotless Lamb. Do you realize
what a lovely thing He has done for you? And we realize how, is the gospel
lovely to you? Does it make your heart, does
it fill you with love to God Almighty for what he's done for
you? Coming down to a wretched, vile, miserable sinner like yourself
and doing what he did for you. Isn't that lovely? He didn't
have to, but he did. And it's just what we needed,
and he did it all for us. And He'll do all for us to make
sure we get back in that lovely. Isn't His character lovely? You want something that will
cause you to live a life of godliness, practical godliness, if you will? I can't think of a better way
to do that than to just study Christ. Just consider how lovely
He was. How am I supposed to do that?
How'd Christ do it? How am I supposed to act? How'd Christ act? altogether
lovely in every way. If I want to be like him, and
I want things to be lovely to me, I'm going to have to think
on him. Think on him. It also means this, lovely. Listen. It also means friendly toward
Reconciliation is a word to be friendly toward. The scripture
says in 2 Corinthians 5, God has reconciled us to himself
by the blood, by the body, by the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He's made us lovely to him. Now, that's lovely. When I look in the mirror, I
get uglier every day. And if you opened up and looked on the
inside, it would be despicable. I see it at times, black, it's
awful looking. And I look in the mirror, I'm
getting older, getting more haggard looking. Some of you are already
there. And I look and I get uglier every day. You know Christ, God
considers me lovely? Hmm? Considers me lovely. Man. In Christ. In Christ. That's about the loveliest thing
I've ever heard. Because I feel so unlovely, but
God loves me in Christ, he really does. And now verse 8 again,
he says, Whatsoever things are of a good report. Whatsoever
things are of a good report. Now you know what that means.
Whatsoever things are of a good report, good news. If we could
get a hold of these, what old Brother Scott Richardson said.
Now Brother Scott's been through some trials as well as Some of
you and many older saints especially have been through some really. Brother Scott's been through,
he lost, did you know he lost a daughter? A young infant child. And not too long ago, he had
cancer, you know, and he was operated on. And, you know, the
result of that operation is something he has to live with. It'd just
be a difficult trial he has to live with from now on. You know
what he said? He said, you know what, I haven't
really ever heard any bad news since I heard the good news. I can know what that man is talking
about, wouldn't you? They came into Job, didn't they? Job, your
house is burned up. All your sheep, your cattle,
oxen have been stolen. Your wife and children, your
children are all dead. It's the Lord. I haven't heard
any bad news since I heard the good news. Like Barnard said, again, everything
this side of hell is mercy. It's the Lord. He gave it to
me. He took it away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. He must
know something I don't know. And he does. And he's doing it,
and it's right. Shall not the judges of the earth
do right? I haven't heard any bad news since I heard the good
news. The good news of what? Your sons. God loves you. Christ
came to die for you. And now he undertakes to do everything
for your good. All things work together for
good to them that love God and are called according to that
covenant purpose, saving purpose. And he'll not do. anything, but
what is absolutely the bad? Well, that's good news. And if
your house burned down, you think, well, it must have been what
I needed. I must not have needed that house. I must need something.
If I lose my job, well, I must not have needed that job. There
must be something else out there better for me. If I lose this,
I lose that. If something with sickness happens
to me, well, I must need chastening. I must need that. God, thank
you, Lord, for this. I don't really understand it,
It's not bad news, it's good. All things work together for
good. Since I heard the good news, Christ came, lived, died,
rose again, God loves me in Christ, there's no condemnation to them
that are in Christ. Believe, be saved, everything's
going to be alright. Going to be perfect, matter of
fact. Just the way it's supposed to
be, the way it ought to be. That's good reporting. I've got good
news for you. I've got good news for you. The world is going to be destroyed.
The economy is going to fail. You may lose everything you have,
but I've got good news for you. God loves you if you are in Christ,
and you're going to be with Him forever. No tears. No problems. Eternal bliss and happiness.
Acceptance with God. That's good news, and nothing,
nothing can top that. And he goes on to say, if there
be any virtue, any virtue, that is excellence. Is this worth your while this
morning? Is it worth coming here? Virtue. Virtue is something of
any worth or value. Is there any value worth to all
of this? Sometimes I wonder, was that
worth it? Was that all worth it? Was that necessary? Was that
any value? Did anybody profit out of that
at all? Did anybody get anything out of that? Huh? Oh, yes. It's all worth it. This is worthy
of all acceptation. If we had eyes to see and ears
to hear and heart to receive it, we'd be doing like we read
over there in Isaiah and shout. You know, he said that night,
he said, When I heard that, he said, I want to offer the sacrifices
of shouting what the word praise meant in the march. Whoop! That's where you know Brother
Donnie whoops it up every now and then. It's too good to be
true. That's good news. Oh, this is virtuous, this is
worth hearing, this is virtuous. It's worthy of all acceptation.
Excellent, excellent things. Excellency and knowledge of Christ
Jesus, my Lord and Savior. Excellent. His excellency. You
know, you can talk about Christ there, too, couldn't you? If
there be any virtue, all virtues in him. All virtues in him. Go on. If there be any praise. We got anything to be thankful
about? Sometimes I'd wonder, wouldn't
you? The way we moan and groan and complain. Wake up every morning
at times on the wrong side of the bed acting like we inhale
already or something. But we got every reason in the
world to praise God. Don't we? Our cups run over. Run over. We don't have to look
any further than our first breath to see the mercy and the grace
of God. We don't have to look any further than our own refrigerators
and cupboards. We don't have to look any further than to look
over in the bed to see that loving husband or wife, go in the next
room to see our children, look at the roof over our head. We
don't have to look any further than that. We don't have to look
any further than the scriptures to see the blessings of God Almighty. Any praise? If there be any praise,
is there anything worth praising God about? But everything worth
praising God about. Well, then he says, think on
those things. rather than Christ is true. You
know, the things that are seen are temporal. The things that are not seen
are eternal. We set our affection, our mind, our heart on things
below, don't we? A soap bubble. Don't think on that. That's false.
It's a soap bubble. It's an illusion. You know, this
is an illusion. I know that sounds much like
Hinduism, but it's true. This is an illusion. After this
is all gone, Then the truth will come forth. The truth. Once everything is honest, I
tell you, I can't find it. I said in my haste, all men are
liars. They're liars. Everything about this life we're
living is a lie, isn't it? He's true. He never lies. God cannot lie. He does not lie. Christ, He said, if it were not
so, I would have told you. He's honest. I can find an honest
man. Is there an honest man on earth?
Well, he was. He walked this earth for a while.
I'm going to appeal to him. What sort of things are just?
There's no justice in this world. Don't expect to find it. Don't
expect to find it in your boss, in your job, even in your family. There's no justice to be had.
There's no right, righteous, holy, just, altogether righteous
dealings to be found. Don't expect it. Don't be disappointed
when you don't find it. But everything he does is right.
Even those unjust dealings you get from your boss, is God's
dealings with you, and he's doing it because it's right. Maybe
just to make you see that, hey, there's no justice here, only
with me. Whatsoever things are pure, I'm
telling you, everything's tainted with sin, corruption, no pure
love, no pure anything, only in Christ. Whatsoever things
are lovely, good reports, there's no good news out there, is there?
Well, they're going to take half of it from taxes. I saw that
in a cartoon one day. A fellow came out and was looking
at his paycheck and he said, well, I must have got a raise.
My deductions are higher and my bring home's lower. I must
have got a raise. That's no good news in anything,
is it? Got a new car. Well, it's going to break down.
It's no good news anywhere to be found, is it? It's the only
good news in the gospel, really. That's the reason I come here.
Is that the reason you come here every week? You've heard nothing
but bad news all week. Come here to hear the good news.
God forbid that I should preach anything else. Be any virtue,
anything worth thinking about, this is it. Be any praise, anything
praiseworthy, this is it. Think on those things. Think
positive. I'm not talking about PMA. I'm
talking about CMA. Christ Mindfulness. Christ-minded
attitude. Think on things above, he said,
didn't he? Set your affection on things above. What's above?
Heaven? No, where Christ is, where he
sits at the right hand of God. Now look at verse 9 now, quit.
And he said, those things which you've both learned, that you've
learned through the preaching and teaching and received by
faith in your heart and experience, And you receive the some of your
shaking your head, not just because you believe it. So you believe
the preacher, but because you've experienced it. You know, those
who shake their heads the most and the longest of those who've
experienced the most when you touch on something. That's right. In itself, when you hear something
that you've actually experienced, you can really you've been firmly
persuaded. by experience. Those things which
you've received, those things which you've heard, you've heard
it from others. I heard that from Brother Scott.
He says it's so. And I've heard it from others
who've experienced it. It must be so. I heard it from Christ. First of all, it must be so.
Through the world you must have tribulation. But be a good cheer.
Think on these things. I overcome the world. And this
is the victory that overcomes the world. Even our belief that
he's overcome the world. You understand that? This is
the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. What is
faith? Believing he overcame the world
for us, and there's nothing against it. If God be for us, who or
what can be against it? Huh? It's God that justifies
it. Who's he that condemned it? Christ died. And he says, those things you've
seen in me are seen in others. Seeing the apostle Paul, you
know Paul said, I've been beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, this and
that and the other, suffered manifold persecution and trouble,
and smile on this face. I think myself happy to tell
you about all this again. It must be something to do with
this. You've seen it in others, haven't
you? And a man standing in my living room not too long ago,
after going through a great deal of persecution and problems in
his family and all that, and he said, you know something?
He said, Grace is real. Then he stood up. I wanted to
hand him a Bible and get him to start preaching. He did. He did it and said it in three
words. Grace is real. It's real. I wouldn't have believed
it years ago, but going through what I've gone through and the
Lord gave me the grace and the strength, it's real. This thing
is real. Christ is real. He's really there.
He really answers prayer. He really saves people. He saved
me. The Lord lifted up the simple. He saved this old boy. The Lord
really changes people. He changed this old maggot, this
old worm. And whatsoever you've seen in
me, Do it. Do it. And it says, the God of
peace will be with you, will be with you. And you know, you
could apply all of this to. Toward others in a practical
way, let me just say this, this is needful. My pastor and I talked
about these things. We need to think only in light
of 1 Corinthians 13, you know, it says in 1 Corinthians 13 that
charity thinketh no evil. Love thinketh no evil. Love rejoices
in the truth. It doesn't rejoice in iniquity,
but rejoices in the truth. You know, we ought to deal with
others along these lines, shouldn't we? Huh? Listen to me. We ought to think on things that
are true about others, not rejoice in iniquity. There's enough there.
There's enough there. But the chances are, the probability
is, I've got as much or more than they do. They don't think
on that. bad things or the false reports
of the gossip we hear. Turn a deaf ear to that. What
sort of things are honest? What sort of things are just?
Let's do right. Let's do right, my folks. Let's
do unto others And we have been doing that what sort of things
are just just being what sort of things are pure. Pure holy
that's a conversation season with salt grace singing in spiritual
songs and hymns and so forth what sort of things are lovely
word means a friend be friendly toward they that will have friends
the man will have friends must want. To him or herself friendly. Who's going to have to be the
friendly one? Who's going to have to do the showing of friendship in
order to receive? We are. I am. I am. Let's don't worry about how he
or she treats me. Let's worry about how we're treated.
And then, once everything's of a good report, did you hear about
so-and-so? Well, is it true? Is it kind?
Is it necessary? Those three things before we
believe a rumor, before we tell it. Consider those things. Is it true? Beyond a shadow of
a doubt, is it kind? Is it necessary? Do I need to
repeat this? Will it be hurtful to them? Any virtue? Is there any virtue? Can I find
any virtue in Charles Hudson there? I can find plenty of bad,
Charles. Same way you can with me, huh?
I don't need to look for that, do I? Look for the virtue. Look
for Christ in him. There's enough of Adam in each
one of us, send us to hell. Just look for the Christ in a
man. Any praise? Huh? Got any reason? Is there any
honor to whom honor is due? Any respect to whom respect due?
Huh? Oh, no, none of us do nearly
enough. None of us serve one another nearly enough, love one
another nearly enough. None of us do Christ like nearly enough.
There's something there. There is something there. And
I need to hear this. I need to think, rather than
get aggravated at you or even myself, let's think on these
things. Think on the positive, the Christ-likeness
that we see in others, and we'll have peace. That applies to the
home, too, you husbands and wives. Don't think about how they don't serve you, or don't
do what you wish they would do, or how they have mistreated you,
think about how they do help you, and what they have done
for you, and the good points. Is that not good practical advice?
There's some virtue there somewhere, and there's some praise there
somewhere. And chances are, if you dwell on that, it'll reap
rewards in other ways. You know what I'm saying? I know whatsoever things are
true, just, pure, lovely, a good report, that's Christ. That's all Christ. Think on things
above. Think on Him. And the God of
peace will be with you. The God of peace will be with
me. He's with me. I think of Christ,
dwell on Him, walk with Him, abide with Him. No harm can befall
me. I hadn't heard the bad news.
I hadn't heard any bad news. God of peace shall be with you.
Keep your mind on Him. Keep your mind on Him. Trust
in Him in all things. Lean not ye on understanding.
And the peace of God, which passes understanding, will rule your
minds and hearts by the Lord Jesus Christ. If you didn't follow
this along, get the tape and go back and listen to it again.
Some good things here. You need to think on these things
and do these things. for your own good, your own benefit.
All right, stand with me. you