Heavenly Conversation

Q: What does the Bible say about our conversation being in heaven?

The Bible teaches that our conversation is in heaven, indicating that Christians' focus and life should be oriented toward God and His glory. In Philippians 3:20, the Apostle Paul emphasizes that our conversation is in heaven, indicating that as believers, our lives should be centered on God and the things of His kingdom. This phrase signifies not only our discussions but also the essence of our lives. As Paul elaborates, our ultimate aim is to glorify God, and we look to Christ, our Savior, who is in heaven. This perspective transforms how we live on earth, directing our thoughts, actions, and relationships toward the divine realities and eternal promises that await us.

Q: How do we know the doctrine of election is true?

The doctrine of election is affirmed through Scripture, notably Romans 9, which defines God's sovereign choice in salvation. The doctrine of election is a biblical truth intricately woven throughout Scripture, with Romans 9 serving as a key passage that vividly illustrates God's sovereignty in salvation. In Romans 9, Paul lays out how God chooses whom He will save, demonstrating that salvation is not based on human effort or merit but on God's gracious and merciful will. This highlights the sovereignty of God in electing individuals for salvation, emphasizing His glory and purpose throughout the redemptive history. Furthermore, Ephesians 1:4-5 reminds us that believers are chosen 'before the foundation of the world' to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ, reinforcing the truth of God's election.

Q: Why is the gospel important for Christians?

The gospel is central to the Christian faith as it reveals God's glory and is the means by which believers are saved. The gospel holds paramount importance in the life of a Christian as it embodies the very message of God's grace and salvation through Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul asserts in 1 Thessalonians 2:4 that he was entrusted with the gospel to proclaim it boldly and faithfully, indicating its crucial role in the ministry of the church. The gospel not only reveals the character and holiness of God but also provides believers with the only means of reconciliation with the Father. It is through the gospel that we understand the depth of human sinfulness, the magnitude of God's love in sending His Son, and the grace available to all who believe. Furthermore, the gospel compels Christians to live transformed lives focused on God's glory.

Q: How should Christians respond to false teachers?

Christians should be vigilant and discern false teachers, as warned by Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:18-19. In Philippians 3:18-19, the Apostle Paul cautions believers about false teachers, describing them as enemies of the cross of Christ. Paul urges Christians to be aware of those who distort the gospel for their own gain and who focus on earthly things rather than on divine truths. A faithful believer is called to discernment, understanding that false teaching can lead many astray. In response, Christians must hold firmly to the truth of the gospel, engage in sound doctrine, and lovingly correct those who stray from biblical teaching. By doing so, believers actively participate in protecting the integrity of the gospel and ensuring that the truth of God's Word is faithfully proclaimed.

Q: What does it mean to have a life conversation centered on Christ?

A life conversation centered on Christ means that every aspect of a believer’s life is directed towards glorifying Him. To have a life conversation centered on Christ, as mentioned in Philippians 3:20, implies that every part of a Christian’s existence is dedicated to glorifying God and expressing the transformative power of the gospel. Paul indicates that our conversation reflects our focus; thus, if Christ is our life, our speech, actions, and motivations should align with His character and mission. This commitment affects how we engage with others, approach daily challenges, and prioritize our spiritual growth. Ultimately, living in light of our heavenly citizenship and aiming for Christlikeness shapes our identity and purpose as followers of Jesus.

Turn with me to Philippians chapter
three. The book of Philippians. Paul's letter to the church at
Philippi. Chapter three. Read with me the twentieth verse,
Philippians three, verse twenty. Our conversation is in heaven from whence or where also we
look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our conversation is in heaven. Now, the Apostle Paul was perhaps the greatest preacher
of the gospel who ever lived, excepting the Lord Jesus Christ
himself. Paul was a bold and courageous
contender for the truth. And the Apostle Paul, like all
of God's true preachers, had first and foremost in his mind,
in his goal, his aim, his purpose, the glory of God. That is what
the Apostle Paul strived for in his preaching and his ministry
more than anything else, the glory of God. And the Apostle Paul always proclaimed
the gospel. which is the glory of God. He
always proclaimed that gospel every time he stood up to preach,
and he did it with authority. He did it with boldness. It cost
what it made, and it did cost him a lot. He was imprisoned
for a great deal of time. The Apostle Paul said, Do I now
persuade men or God? Who am I preaching before? In other words, who do I answer
to? Men or God? He said, Do I seek to please
men? For if I yet pleased men, I should
not be the servant of Christ. Turn with me to 1 Thessalonians,
chapter 2. First, just a few pages over
to 1 Thessalonians, chapter 2. In other words, Paul is saying
what I just quoted to you. Whoever you serve is who you
are going to seek to please. Whoever you seek to please is
who you're going to speak to and about, right? And you're
going to use words, if you seek to please someone, you're going
to use flattering words, right? You're going to be complimentary.
You're going to commend that person. Use words of commendation
and praise to whoever you speak about or to. Look here at 1 Thessalonians
2 verse 4. Paul says here, We were allowed
of God to be put in trust with the gospel. And this is what we speak. Even
so, we speak, he says, not as pleasing men, but God, which
trieth our hearts. He said we have been entrusted
with the gospel. I'm not sure we realize the full
import of what he's saying here. This church, this preacher, has
been entrusted with the gospel, the greatest story ever told. There will never be a greater
story. There has never been one to come close to it in glory. and wonder and amazement and
importance. It never has and never will be
the greatest story ever told as told by God Himself who created
it and who first told it, the gospel. And the story, the subject
matter of this story, The story concerns that which is the dearest
to the heart of God Almighty. The dearest thing to God Almighty
is his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And he says here, we have been
entrusted with this precious, this glorious, this marvelous,
This mysterious story or message. And he says, well, that's what
we're going to speak. Even so, we speak, Paul said
in another place, we must. He said, woe is unto me if I
preach not the gospel, right? Woe is unto me. In other words,
if a man stands up on Sunday morning or Wednesday night or
whenever the people are met together under the sound of God's word
and he begins to preach or teach, I use the word preach very lightly,
that he begins to expound upon some endless question. or endless
genealogy, or abortion, or politics, or the issue of the day. Woe is pronounced on that man. Because we have been entrusted
with the gospel, and God expects to hear it every time. Every time. God demands it. And a man, a true man of God
who has God's glory in mind and the good, the real good in spiritual
welfare of the people, not his own personal gain, he'll preach
that gospel. Because there's nothing else
that will help the people. There's nothing else that will
meet the people's needs. And his conscience will not let
him alone unless he preaches the gospel. And then and then
only can he go home and go to sleep at night and feel in his
heart that I have not shunned to declare the whole counsel
of God, which is the gospel. Right? Now, it may not be what men want
to hear. Men and women are taken up with
the issues of the day. And granted, there are some things
that bear dealing with, but not to the exclusion of the gospel. Right? Those are side issues. This is the main issue. The gospel
is the main line. Don't get off track. Stay on
the main line. Point men to Christ. These issues
will take care of themselves, won't they? A man or woman falls in love
with the Lord Jesus Christ, bows to uh... submits to season him
all he needs and worships and follows and becomes a disciple
of the Lord Jesus Christ. His life will pretty much fall
into place. Right? His steps will be ordered by
the Lord, by his relationship with the Lord. You can't get
a man to fall in love with Christ by talking about abortion. Can you? Okay. This message may not
be what men want to hear, yet is what God wants to hear. You
remember the story over in, I believe it's, well, I'll not misquote
where it is, but in 1 Kings, I believe, 18, where there were
two young men running to tell the news of young Absalom to
King David. You remember that? Well, one
of them, The first one was a good runner, and he ran well, he looked
good, he could probably speak well, but he didn't know anything
about what happened to Absalom, the king's son. He just knew
there was a commotion going on, and it looked like victory was
won, and he ran to David and said, I've got good news, David,
King David, I've got something to tell you, and King David said,
what about My son. Absalom. I know there was a commotion. I know there's a lot going on
down there. I know you got a big crowd. I know you, you know,
you're doing a lot for this cause and that cause. And what about
my son? They said. And the first runner said, I
don't know. I didn't see your son. I don't
know what happened to your son. I don't know much about your
son. But I'll tell you this, we've got, we've joined forces
and we've got some prayer warriors going along and we're doing something.
I'm not saying much about Christ, but we've got a lot of religion
going on down there. David said, step aside. You don't
have the message. Step aside over here. You're
no preacher of mine. Sit down. And then the next one
came along and he knew about David's son. And he told the
news. And in the same sense, this is
what God Almighty requires, yea, demands of every man who stands
up and calls himself a preacher. And I do say man. What about the Lord Jesus Christ? What are you going to say about
my son this morning? Have you studied my son? The responsible position in the
territory. The Apostle Paul was a gentle
and caring man, compassionate man, tender, sensitive, loving
man. He loved the people he preached
to. He loved them. And as I've quoted
so many times, it's one thing to love to preach. A lot of men
like to stand up and like the adulation and the praise and
the groupies that come with it. It's one thing to love to preach,
but it's quite another to love those to whom you preach, to
be really taken up with concerns about the souls, the spiritual
welfare of the people you're preaching to. The Apostle Paul loved the people
he preached to, and he sorrowed and wept over them as his own
children. John called them that, didn't
he? The beloved disciple John called
them little children. Can there be a more affectionate
term? Little children. And the Apostle
Paul sorrowed and wept over them, even those who rejected his message. I'd like to know something about
that spirit and attitude. He said in Romans 9, now you
know that Romans 9 is as clear a passage in God's Word of the
sovereign grace of God. of the discriminating, electing,
predestinating sovereignty of God Almighty in salvation. How
that he will be merciful to whom he will. He will be gracious
to whom he will. He will save whom he will, and
the rest he'll damn. It's all in his hand. There's
not a clearer passage in all of the Word of God than Romans
9 concerning the sovereign grace of God. You know how the Apostle
Paul began that passage of Scripture. He began that by saying, I have
great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish myself, he went
on to say this, I could wish myself accursed for my brethren,
my kinsmen, my fellow citizens. They don't know the Christ. Romans
10. Is there a clearer passage, Brother
Henry, is there a clearer passage of how man is saved in Romans
10 by the righteousness of Jesus Christ? That he is our righteousness? He is our salvation? Paul began
Romans 10 by saying this, My heart's desire and prayer to
God for Israel is that they might be saved. He was a tender, caring individual. He preached boldly, unabashedly,
unashamedly, unapologetically. But he preached tenderly and
compassionately. He contended for the truth, yet
he didn't do it contentiously. And that convicts me greatly.
I worry about running people off. Preaching mean as a young
man is so prone to do. I want to preach boldly. I want
to preach as the authority of God. I want to say this is what
God says to leave it or be damned. And I want to do it with such
vehemence and such zeal and such a sense of urgency that men will
go away thinking, I may die tonight. I've got to believe this message
right now. But I want to do it with tenderness
and compassion. understanding, realizing the
frailty of the flesh. So Paul was a bold and zealous
preacher of the gospel, yet he was a tender and kind and compassionate,
loving man. And yet for all of that, the
apostle Paul was killed because he preached the gospel. Killed
him. He became the enemy. He who was
the best friend that men ever had, except in our Lord, the
preacher of the gospel, became their enemy because he told them
the truth. Because he glorified God rather
than man. Right? Our Lord said it first. Our Lord
said, I am come in my Father's name. The Lord God of heaven
came down to earth. The Son of God himself walked
this planet. Immanuel, the holy spotless altogether
lovely Son of God, who was sent from the bosom of the Father.
Love itself sent this precious gift, this precious pearl of
great price, the most blessed, glorious, loving, gracious, merciful,
tender, kind, the truth, the God-man walked this earth. And
he did it for the glory of God primarily, foremost. He came
down here and walked this planet, and he said, I must do my Father's
bidding. I must do that which is for the
glory of my God. And I'm going to let you people
in on it, he said. That's why I came, to let you in on this
thing. I'm coming in my Father's name.
God sent me, he said, with a message. I'm coming in my Father's name
for the glory of God. the honor of god alone and he
said no but you receive me not he said you let another man come
he said you let another man come in his own name be it jimmy swagger
be it oral robert be it dwight thompson be it Robert Hilton
be it whoever it may be and he may be as wild as Donnie Bell
would say as a Red River steer. Obviously wanting your money
making merchandise of men's souls so obviously in this thing for
his own vain glory and honor and riches and so forth Let him
come in his own name, and he splatters his name all over the
church building, all over the TV screen, even puts it on a
Bible. And Christ said, and you'll receive
him. Didn't he? He said, you'll receive
him. He said, men will receive him.
As a matter of fact, he said, they'll heap to themselves teachers. There's so many of them, you
can't count them. Heap to themselves teachers. We like what you're
saying. Why? What are they saying? Well, look back at the text.
Look back at the text there in Philippians 3, OK? Look at it. Philippians chapter 3, verse
18. I'm going to dwell here for a
few minutes. Philippians 3, 18. And Paul says
this in reference to these fellows. He said, Many walk, of whom I
have told you often, And I mention to you people these false prophets
quite a bit, don't I? I speak of them quite a bit.
I warn you quite a bit. Why? Well, a faithful watchman
will do it, won't he? Why? Because the wolf is coming.
He's at the door. And there's a pack of them, Joe.
It's not just one. It's not just... It's a pack
of them. And they sense, like in the hospitals
or out in the community, that the weak, the helpless, The ignorant,
the uneducated, the poor, miserable people, you know, and it's through
the TV screen. They swarm them like a wolf after
it's prey. And a faithful watchman will
say, there's one, there's one, there's one, there's one. Look
out, there's another one. He's coming up behind you, right?
And Paul did the same thing. He said, many walk of whom I've
told you quite often. And I tell you now, even weeping. weeping, that they're enemies of the cross
of Christ. See that? Verse 18. They're enemies
of the cross of Christ. They come in sheep's clothing,
Christ said, with a smile on their face and a pat on the back,
telling you that God loves you and they do too. But they're your arch enemy. And they're certainly God's arch
enemies. Enemies of the cross. Why are
they enemies of the cross? They're not preaching it. Right? Any man, he that gathereth not
with us scattereth abroad. Right? How do you gather the
sheep? How do you draw men to Christ,
huh? How do you gather? Christ said,
if I be what? If I be lifted up, high and holy,
sovereign, glorious, on the throne, the only mediator between God
and men, the only Savior, the only righteousness, the only
God, the only way of salvation, the only hope, help, strength,
life, if I be lifted up in this manner, Lord, You don't make
him Lord. God lifted him up and made him
Lord. And if I'd be lifted up, I'd be preached, I'd be exalted,
glorified in this manner, lifted up. He said, this gospel, this
story of me, high and lifted up, that'll draw men to myself.
That'll draw them. My sheep will hear about this
glorious shepherd, and they'll come. Read Brother Montgomery's
article in the book. God's sheep, they know they need
help. They're lost. Like old brother Walter Groover
telling us about being lost in the woods. He said he was lost
on his face. Unable to make another move.
Tongue so parched he couldn't cry out for help either. Literally. And two faithful men came to
where he was and found him. And every lost sheep of the house
of spiritual Israel God sends His faithful watchdogs, goodness
and mercy. They follow them. They're on
the trail of God's sheep. And Henry, bless God, he'll find
them. They don't find Him. Sheep aren't
looking for shepherds. It's not in the nature of a sheep
to go looking for the shepherd. They're wandering. All we like
sheep have gone where? Astray. It's not in the nature
of a human being to seek God. It's in God's nature to seek
something. And He comes to where they are and He saves them. They're
lost. They're dead. Christ said, I've
come not to show you how to live the life, you're dead. I've come
to give it, give life. And these men that don't preach
the cross, not just the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ, but all that that means, the person of Christ. It doesn't
matter if some man died on the cross if you don't know who he
is, right? There were two men dying right
beside of him. Why aren't we singing their praises? Two thieves. Well, and a lot of people said
that this Jesus on the middle cross was an imposter. That's
what I'm saying today about this Jesus men are preaching today.
He's an imposter. Can't save anybody. He couldn't
even save himself. He can't save you. He didn't
save you by his blood. It's your decision that saves
you. I say that Jesus is an apostle. And I'm here to tell you this
morning who the right one is. The one on the middle cross is
none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who came down here to
make an effectual, once for all, final atonement, to pay a price
that our sins demand. to God Almighty, and he paid the price, wiped
his hands off, took off his work clothes, and went back and sat
down at the right hand of God, expecting everybody to be saved
who he shed that blood for. And you better count on it. They will be saved every last
one of them. It's not in the hands of men,
it's not in their decisions, it's not in their will, Not of
blood, not of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man,
but they'll all be born of God. And they'll hear the shepherd's
voice, and they'll come running, and they'll say, boy, isn't he
all? Christ is all. What's your theology? Christ is all. How were you saved? Why, I made my decision. I made
Jesus. No. Christ came down here and paid
the price that was necessary to save me. That's how I'm saved.
And if I ever get to heaven in the end, it won't be because
I was faithful. It's because he is faithful. And I tell you, Paul said, there
are enemies of the cross who don't preach just this. Verse
19, it's evident. Their end is destruction. It
will be evident to everybody. In the end, everybody will see
their destruction. And it's evident, equally clear,
their God is their belly. Isn't that right? Look at their bellies. Do you
see a gaunt one of the bunch? Do you see one of them driving
around in an 85 Olds? Oh, they've got 92 Mercedes.
And they've got a million dollar palatial mansion on the California
coastline. God is their belly, right? Their
goal, their purpose in life is things whose glory is in their
shame. Look at that, verse 19. whose
glory is in their shame. Do you watch any of these people?
Do you all watch any of these people on TV? Have you ever seen
this Dwight Thompson? Have you ever seen the rest of
them? They glory in what they ought to be ashamed of, don't
they? Huh? They brag about what they should
be ashamed of. Proud, boastful, arrogant. Somebody They're strutting their
stuff, aren't they? The only person who ever walked
this planet who had the right to strut his stuff was the Lord
Jesus Christ, the only real man who ever lived, who could have
walked around with his head up saying, look at me, I'm somebody. What did he say about himself,
though? He said, I'm meek and lowly. He washed feet. He didn't rake in the dough.
He was the bread itself. He said they mind earthly things. You see that verse 19? They mind
earthly things. Always talking about things. Right? Earthly things. Always
talking about what you can have. And what you ought to have, you
got a right to it, claim it. It's yours. Your miracle, you can have it.
Your finances, what you can have, health and wealth, right? Their
methods and their message caters to man. Their life and their
conversation is bound up in people and the things of this earth,
okay? And John said, They are of the
world, therefore speak they of the world, and the world hears
them. But John goes on to say, John said, They are of the world,
they're worldlings, just like everybody else, and they speak
of the world, all about the world, what you can have in the world.
Don't you want this? Don't you want that? Yeah, everybody
wants that. And they speak of it, and the world hears them,
and piles of cash on top of it. But he said, We are, John said,
We are of God. Now here's a man who's of the
world, and he's speaking of the world, and the world's just swarming
him. Yeah, that's good preaching.
Preacher. Here. Speak of the world. Over here is a man sent from
God. Does that remind you of anybody?
John the Baptist, over here. Now he's got a few disciples,
a few of them, but eventually they all leave him, and eventually
he gets his head cut off. He is of God, therefore what's
he going to speak about? He's of the world, speaks of
the world. They that are of God speak of
who? God. God. This is the message. This is
true evangelism, to acquaint this world of God-haters with
this God in whose hands their breath is and are all their ways,
this angry God. who is angry with the wicked
every day, who hateth all workers of iniquity, who will by no means
clear the guilty. Right? Not all love. That's what
men want to hear say. If God loves me, if Christ died
for me, that means I can live how I want to, right? And I'll
just up and accept Him any old day I want to. But I've got a
more convenient time. When I get my fill of sin in
the world, then on my deathbed I'll make my peace with this
loving God, and I'll just go on to be with Jesus in heaven. It doesn't work that way. 3, verse 20, our conversation,
the true preacher of the gospel, His conversation is in heaven. Heaven. From whence, or where,
we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the word conversation,
we all use it quite a bit. It means one of two things. It
means both here. Conversation. When I have a conversation
with one of you, that means we talk together. We speak to one
another at the topic of our discussion. What was your conversation about?
What's your conversation about? What did the preacher speak about?
What was his conversation about this morning? What you can do,
what you can do, what you ought to do, how God needs you. What
does Paul say? Our conversation, our topic of
discussion, our speech is always seasoned with grace, Christ,
the gospel. We speak of God. And the word
also means life. Conversation means your life.
Conversation. Do you remember that over there
in Colossians 3, when Christ, our life? Whatever you talk about,
this is the way I began this message. Whatever you talk about
the most is what is your life. Whatever you are taken up with,
or whoever you are taken up with, is your life. Right? Christ said it, where your treasure
is, that's where your heart is. In other words, whatever you
have your heart set upon, that's your treasure. It's your treasure. Look over at 1 John chapter 2
with me. 1 John chapter 2. I won't keep
you much longer. This is important. 1 John 2,
verse 18, he says this, 1 John 2, verse 18, little children, oh my, it's the last time this thing is winding up, isn't
it? Look around you. Look around
you. This world, this planet, our
society, the United States is going down the tube fast. They've got an earth summit today.
They're going to try to save our planet. It's too late. God's
already had a summit a long time ago, and he says he's going to
burn it up. And the greenhouse effect has already started. It's
the last time. And you've heard verse 18, that
Antichrist will come. Everybody's looking for the beast.
You know, he's got 666 written all over him, that way everybody
will know. No, he doesn't. Antichrist shall come.
He's here now. Isn't that what he says right
here? He's here now. Where is he? He's in the pulpit. There are many Antichrists. It's
not just one. That'd be easy, wouldn't it?
There's many, many. But, he says, I write unto you,
and this is desperate. See, why is the preacher hollering?
Oh. He says, I write unto you, verse
twelve, I write unto you, little children, young people, I'm always
talking to you, Stephen and Catherine and and Andrew and Jennifer and
Anna and Colleen and Sarah and others. I'm always talking to
you. I'm always drawing attention to you. You think I'm talking
to your parents on the side, don't you? Huh? You think I'm
talking to your parents on the side that they've been telling
me what you're doing? No. I'm talking to God. And I'm talking to you because
I was just like you. And I know where you're sitting.
I know what you're thinking. And I'm constantly talking to you,
beseeching you, pouring out my heart and soul
to you, because I know what lies ahead for you. I've been in it.
I've been out there. And unless God saves you, you're
gone. And I'm warning you from this
Scripture with all the compassion and zeal and enthusiasm I can.
Your teacher's not going to. Your principal, your friends
aren't going to. They're headed the same way you
are, unless God does something. I'm a faithful minister to you. Little children, listen to this,
verse 12. John says, Little children, I
wrote right unto you because your sins are forgiven you, for
his name's sake. You know God's going to hold
you accountable someday for what you've done, what you haven't
done? If you don't know Christ, Stephen,
we read this morning that if any man love not the Lord Jesus
Christ, he's going to hell. Isn't that right, Dad? That's
what we read there, 1 Corinthians 16. I want more than anything for
you to come to know Jesus Christ and fall in love with Him. Because your sins will be forgiven
you. Your sins will be forgiven you. Fathers, verse 13, I write
unto you, fathers, because you've known Him. Him, I hope you do. And I must add this, you won't
be much of a father if you don't. You may provide the best things
this life has to offer, but unless you know Him and instruct your
children into the knowledge of Him, you ain't much of a daddy
at all. Verse 15, love not the world.
These are the things in the world. Any man love the world, love
the Father, is not in him. The love of the world, all that's
in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,
the pride of the life, it's of the world, and the world's passing
away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God,
what's that? To believe the Son, believe Christ? He abided forever,
ever, eternal life. Back to the text, and I'll quit,
okay? Back to Philippians 3. And so
a faithful minister like Paulâ€”I've got a good name, haven't I? Mama
and Daddy named me well. You ought to carry a little weight.
A faithful minister like this Paul, and like the John you just
read about, his conversation, scope and goal of his ministry
is to that men and women and young people might know Christ. Not get rich, but to get rich
with the unsearchable riches which come in knowing Christ.
Right? Look at Philippians 3 real fast.
Paul, through the first seven verses, he says, now as a religious
man one day, I was a religious man. Look at verse 5. Circumcise
the eight, verse 4. If you have confidence in the
flesh and your religion and your religious upbringing, your Christian
heritage and so forth, if any other man thinketh that he hath
whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more. I told you my
story. Right? is to swim in the backstreet. How in the world? Why in the
world dad let me do that? I don't know. I wouldn't let
Hannah do that. But I've been in the baptistry
more than anybody. I've been actually baptized twice. But that ain't nothing. Born
and raised in a good old Baptist church by a Baptist minister. circumcised the eighth day, the
stock of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews,
as the son of a Calvinist, the son of a Calvinist, a Calvinist. As touching the law, a Pharisee
will fall short there. Verse six, concerning zeal, persecuting
the church, touching the righteous within the law, blameless. In
other words, Paul said, I was religious, I was born religious,
I grew up religious, and I practiced religion. I was a religious man.
I was religious, but I was lost. Why? He said, I didn't know Christ. I thought I knew God. I had a
zeal for God, but it was ignorance. I was worshiping a God of my
own imagination. And he says, those things that
were gained in me, verse seven, those things that made me respected
and well-liked and this and that and the other, and I got a good
job because of it. It was lost time. I kept that
lost. For what, Paul? Now you don't
have anything. You used to have everything.
You used to be somebody. You used to have some things.
You used to be well-liked, well-noted. Now you have nothing. Look at
you. You're in prison now. You want to go back? Oh no, he said, that was lost.
And I was lost. What things were gained to me
at one time, I thought was gained, I counted lost, because somebody
found me, and someone better, Christ. Yea, doubtless, I count
all things but lost for the excellency, what a passage, what a verse,
excellency of the knowledge of Christ. Do you know anything
about the excellency of Jesus Christ? Excellency of Jesus Christ,
for whom I've suffered the loss of all things. But that's okay.
It's just cow manure. That I may win Christ. How do
you win Christ? By working your way to heaven?
By your good deeds? By your righteousness? How do
you win Christ? You work real hard and someday God says, you've
done a good job. Come on in. You win heaven. You
win salvation. Look at verse nine, by being
found in him. One time I got a call on the
phone and the fellow on the other end of the phone says, are you
Paul Mahan? Yes. And he said, today's your
lucky day. He said, we had some names in
a hat or in a cylinder and he said, we drew out your name And
you win one hundred thousand dollars. You're lucky. Your name has been found in the
hat. We found your name. And you win
a free this and that and the other. Really? Yeah, if you come
and buy a piece of property on the side of the hill and pay
for it the rest of your life. I didn't win anything, but the
principle applies, you see. If the prize was $100,000 and
all the names were in the hat and they pulled out my name,
they chose my name and called out my name, I win $100,000.
Paul said, thanks be unto God who chose me, who elected me. who separated me from my mother's
womb and called me by his grace." And you know what he said to
me? You've done a good job. You've lived a good Christian
life. No, Paul wasn't doing that. Paul was persecuting the church.
Paul was running the other direction. He said, Paul, today is your
blessed day. You win Christ's. You get Christ
and all that goes with him. You win him. How? You found in
him. Your name was found in Christ. God put it there. Everybody's
name? No. If everybody's name was there,
everybody would be saved. Right? There's some names written
in the Lamb's Book of Life for the foundation of the world.
Every name that's in it is going to be saved. And if I get to
heaven by God's grace, by God's mercy, and he calls out my name,
I want to say, hallelujah, I've been found in Christ. While the religionists, the host
of religionists, are going to be standing over and saying,
but we did this, we did that, we ought to have our names in
there. Paul said, no, no. I did all that, but that didn't
avail me anything. It didn't avail me anything.
And he said, you know, all I'm concerned with now, verse 10,
is that I may know him. Know him. Who did this wonderful
thing for me? And so he says, from this day
forward, from this day forward, I count everything but loss. Everything I used to be, everything
I am now, but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of this person.
And I take it up with him from here on in my conversation. It's about him. My life is lived
in hopes of knowing him. Communing with him, knowing him
better. So I count not myself, he went
on to say, I count not myself to have apprehended. You read
that down on down there? I count not myself to have apprehended.
And right there's a verse, Joe, a sermon in itself. I count not
myself. We don't count, buddy. We don't
count for nothing, do we? Who does? Christ. I count not
myself. I count everything about me,
worthless, useless. This message I just preached
this morning, useless as far as making me accepted and well-pleasing
to God Almighty. Oh, no, but I press toward the
mark for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus my Lord. And that is who my conversation,
my preaching, my ministry, my life is taken up with. And yours better be too, he said.
Whom to know is to have eternal life. Our conversation is in
heaven, Terry. Well, what's in heaven? Are we
talking about heaven? Did I say anything about heaven this morning?
Our conversations in heaven, we read it from Colossians three,
first four verses. Set your affection on things
above. What, golden harps, pearly gates, golden streets? Huh? Set your affection on those things.
You can have them. No, where Christ sits at the right hand
of the Father. That's where your affection needs to be in a person. All these other things will pale.
They'll lose their luster when you see that great pearl. Stand with me.

Heavenly Conversation

What does the Bible say about our conversation being in heaven?

How do we know the doctrine of election is true?

Why is the gospel important for Christians?

How should Christians respond to false teachers?

What does it mean to have a life conversation centered on Christ?

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Heavenly Conversation

What does the Bible say about our conversation being in heaven?

How do we know the doctrine of election is true?

Why is the gospel important for Christians?

How should Christians respond to false teachers?

What does it mean to have a life conversation centered on Christ?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

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