A Closing Word of Encouragement

Q: What does the Bible say about rejoicing in the Lord?

The Bible encourages believers to rejoice in the Lord as a source of gladness and strength. In Philippians 3:1, Paul exhorts believers to 'rejoice in the Lord.' This joy is not based on our circumstances but on the immutable character of God and His gracious dealings with us. Rejoicing in the Lord means finding our ultimate satisfaction and gladness in the truth of the Gospel, recognizing that He is our shepherd who leads, teaches, and protects us. Each believer has ample reasons to rejoice—namely, the completed work of Christ and the gift of salvation bestowed by God's grace.

Q: How do we know that God has chosen us?

God's choice is affirmed through His sovereign grace and the transformative work of regeneration in the believer's heart. The doctrine of election is foundational to understanding God's grace in salvation. Ephesians 1:4 declares that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. This election is not based on foreseen merit but is purely of God's merciful grace. Furthermore, in Ezekiel 36:26-27, God promises to give a new heart and spirit to His people, thus confirming His effectual calling. Those who truly desire to believe and come to Christ are evidence of God's sovereign choice in their lives, embodying the truth that it is God who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Q: Why is confidence in the flesh dangerous for Christians?

Confidence in the flesh leads to spiritual pride and undermines reliance on God's grace for salvation. In Philippians 3:3, Paul warns against having confidence in the flesh, which refers to reliance on human effort, works, or righteousness to earn favor with God. This attitude is dangerous because it negates the grace of God and places our hope in ourselves rather than in Christ's completed work. Romans 7:18 underscores that in our flesh dwells no good thing, emphasizing that true believers recognize their utter dependence on God's grace. By rejoicing in Christ and worshiping in the Spirit, we acknowledge that our salvation is entirely the work of God and not our own efforts.

I'm gonna ask you to take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Philippians chapter three, Philippians chapter three. I'd like to look at verses one to three in this blessed book. And the apostle Paul has been moved by the Spirit of God with three words of exhortation, exhortation to God's people. To give unto the Lord's people these words and thoughts of admonition. And it appears as though that the apostle may be feeling that his time on earth is short. We don't know when the Lord will be pleased to take any of us, but the Apostle Paul was moved to write these words. Philippians 3, verses 1 to 3.

He said, finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me, Indeed, it is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision, for we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.

Now let's just look at these words of encouragement, instruction. The Apostle Paul was moved to say in that first verse, finally, my brethren, brethren, brethren. You know, that's a wonderful title, brethren. made so by the grace of God to be united in one family, brethren, brethren, brothers and sisters in Christ. And this is what Paul was moved to say.

He said, finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice. What that means is be glad. Be glad. Be glad. Be glad exceedingly in heart toward the Lord. Now let me just say this. We know this, but it would do well for us all to hear it again. Be glad because we've got reason to be glad. Brethren, be glad. Be glad because the one whom the Lord God of heaven, the Father, has been well pleased in Christ. Rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord. Be glad because the Lord, who is the glorious shepherd of the sheep, we need We need to be led. We need to be led, we need to be taught, we need to be protected. The glorious shepherd, who is the word of God himself.

I just, as I said a while ago, we know these things, but it does us good to hear them again. Be glad, rejoice, because Emmanuel, God with us. You know how easy it is to let these things slip? You've heard these things for years and years and years. God with us. Think about this blessing. Here again, I've said these things before.

It's okay. Paul said, finally, my brother rejoiced in the Lord. He said to write the same things to you. Indeed for him, he says, not grievous. Be glad. Every time a believer hears the word of God expounded in truth, not in deception, but whenever they hear the word of God, They rejoice in the Lord. They're glad.

They're glad that Almighty God, the Father who chose a people, you that believe. Now you stop again and just think, Lord, thank you. Thank you that you were pleased to choose me. Thank you, Lord, that you were pleased to call me out of darkness, that you'd be pleased to give me a new heart, to believe you, you that believe.

Aren't you glad to be here? Aren't you glad you want to be here? Aren't you glad that you rejoice that the Lord would give all of us a place where we could come together and just hear what God has to say. Lord, would you speak to me? Would you speak to my heart? The Lord God of heaven was pleased to send the only begotten of the Father, the only one that was birthed by the Father. to come into this world. Turn with me, hold your place there, and turn with me to Isaiah 53. Here again, I'm not gonna tell you anything new. Aren't you glad? Aren't you glad that you're not gonna hear anything new today? I'm glad that the Lord will give us an opportunity, a privilege to hear something that we've heard before and rejoice in. Isaiah 53. Here's a reason that we rejoice.

Isaiah 53 verses 4 to 6, Surely he, the Lord Jesus Christ, hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But this is the reason that he was stricken of God. But he was wounded for or because of our transgressions. All of us have sinned before God. We've sinned against God.

We have absolutely no excuse. No excuse. I remember when I was one of the first things that they told me You that have been in the military, this is the, I don't know what, if they told you this, but this is what they told us. He said, if you're approached by a commander or anybody, they ask you why you did something, this is the answer. No excuse, sir. I have no excuse. I have no reason, I have no excuse for doing what I did. That's the best thing you can say, is take the blame, Go on with it.

But here the Lord was stricken, wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement of our peace. What we deserved, what we deserved, as we've heard this before, but still, is that not an amazing thought? What we deserve, He bore, he took, all of our transgressions. Our chastisement of our peace was upon him, for with his stripes we're healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all.

I cannot grasp, I cannot enter into the truth that the Lord was made sin. I've said that before. I don't know how many times I've preached on that, but I still can't enter into the depth of it. He was made sin. As I've told you before, He was not a sinner. He said, well, you've said that before, Marvin. That's right. I'll say it again. By God's grace, I'll say it again. He wasn't made a sinner. A sinner is a disobedient one. He was made sin. The scripture sets forth that the Lord Jesus Christ was bearing the burden, the chastisement of his people.

Someone might say, well, I thought that meant that he died for everybody. Nope. He did not die for everybody in this world without distinction. He did not die for all without any separation, any distinction for all of the people of this world. He did not. And it doesn't matter. Well, it does matter, but it has no validity to it. People say, get on television and say, now Jesus died for everybody's sins. He did not. He did not.

The Lord Jesus Christ said in John 10, 11, I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. For the sheep. for the chosen of God. Now, with that truth set forth, lay down his life for the sheep, that settles it. For whom did Christ die? For all that the Father gave him in eternal electing grace. He died for those that God Almighty eternally loved. Well, doesn't he love everybody?

Nope. Jacob have I loved. Esau have I hated. I told you before, I looked that word up to find out what it meant. You know what it means? Hated. Hated. Or someone will say, I don't understand that. Okay. I'm with you. But I believe it. If the Lord said it, that settles it. That settles it. Philippians 3.

Rejoice in the Lord. You rejoice in the Lord because the Father has accepted his sacrifice, the sacrifice of himself on behalf of his people. Rejoice in the Lord because he effectually came into this world for his own. Rejoice in the Lord. I'll tell you another thing that you ought to rejoice in. Rejoice in that he's given you ears to hear and a heart to believe and a new will.

Not that old will of that old man. The Lord told those Pharisees, he said, you will not come to me. This is your will to not come to me. But you that believe, let me ask you this. Do you want to come to Christ? I do too, Neil. I want to. I want to believe him. Lord, I believe. Help mine unbelief. Help thou mine unbelief. I want to come. I want to be where God's people are meeting. I'm thankful that God has given me the privilege to be here this morning. and have a mind still to think. I told you before, believe me, I see my frailty. I see it.

It's been so good that I've been afflicted. It's so good. It's so wonderful. It's so marvelous that the Lord has been pleased to afflict this unworthy sinner. It showed me something of myself. Rejoice in the Lord because By His grace, you affectionately heard the truth, and you believed it.

Hold your place again there. Turn with Ezekiel. Turn with Ezekiel 36. Ezekiel 36. And I pray as we read these scriptures that we've read before, Lord, give us a fresh understanding. Ezekiel 36. Now let's just read this and just ask the Lord even right now. Lord, give me a heart of understanding. Ezekiel 36 verse 24. For I will take you from among the heathen. Now let me ask you something. Does that mean that God chose a people out of the mass of humanity? Is that what that means? That's exactly what it means.

I will take you from among the heathen and gather you out of all countries and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water, the water of God's word, I will sprinkle you with clean water and you shall be clean. Lord, are you saying that you're going to make me by sprinkling me by your spirit through the means, the chosen means of the preaching of the gospel and you giving me a new heart to believe that you will cleanse me That's exactly what it means. I will sprinkle clean water from all your filthiness, from all your idols. I'll cleanse you.

And listen to this, 26, a new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I'll give you a heart of flesh. pliable, easy to hear, not that fleshly heart of unbelief. I'll give you 27. I'll put my spirit within you and I'll cause you to walk in my statutes, keep my judgments and do them.

Lord, how merciful, how kind, how compassionate when I don't even know how to thank you. I don't even know what to say. Here I am preaching this. I've gone over this. I've read these scriptures. I don't know how many times I've rewritten these messages, these words, numerous times. Came up here this morning and wrote them again. And I still can't enter into the depth. But I can say thank you. Lord, thank you for your goodness, your mercy, and your compassion. Back in Philippians 3, the Apostle Paul said, Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.

To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but you it's safe. Brethren, we're so prone to forget. Now all of you that believe, now you know that's so. We hear these things, and when we hear these things, And it's the same thing. I told you before, this was what I was accused of, and other preachers have to, of the gospel have to.

Y'all are on a, man, y'all like a broken record, you know? It's like it's stuck, you know? You remember, you know, those of you that are old enough to remember what a record looks like, boy, if it ever got a scratch on it, it would just repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. You'd have to go over and touch it, and it'd scratch a little bit, but you'd get it going to the next part of the song.

This is, we're like that. We're like a broken record that just says the same thing. Paul says to write the same things to you. To me, he said, it's not grievous. It's not burdensome. Not burdensome. To say the same things. I need to hear exactly what I'm saying. I need to hear it. I need to hear the same thing that you're hearing because these are not my words.

These are the words of God. These are the words of the Lord. Lord sends a pastor. And when the Lord sends a pastor, according to his heart, they preach the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace. And they never say, they never say, I'm tired of hearing that. God forbid that we should ever come to that point to where we say, why don't you tell us something new?

This was at, turn with me to Acts 17. Hold your place. Turn to Acts 17. Acts 17, this was a real, revelation of man by nature. Now listen, here's men by nature. They do this very thing. I'm not even going to comment. Act 17. Act 17 in verse 16. Act 17, verse 16. Now while Paul waited, for them at Athens.

His spirit was stirred in him when he saw the city wholly, completely given to idolatry. Wherewith disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons in the market daily with them that met with him, then certain philosophers of the Epicureans and Stoics encountered him and some said, what will this babbler say? Other than some seemed to, what would this babbler say? Other some seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods because he preached unto them Jesus, the resurrection. And they took him and brought him unto Areopagus saying, may we know this new doctrine? whereof thou speakest, for thou bringest certain strange things to our ears, and we would know wherefore what these things mean, for all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing. Do you know how false religion keeps people coming? Give them some new things to do. Start a new program. You got anything for the kids? Do y'all have any kind of special programs or something? We'll bring our children, drop them off. You know what I'm saying? They want to hear some new things.

This is a sign of a believer. the old, old story. Tell me the same thing over and over and over again. Finally, my brethren, back in Philippians 3, to write the same things to you, to me, indeed, is not grievous, but for you, it's safe. And then the apostle Paul said in verse 2, beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of concision, Those that, actually that word concision means to cut off. Beware of those who impose man's works to be the basis or the necessity of life.

Those who snarl. Here's what he said. Beware of dogs. Those that snarl. Have you ever heard anybody that knows what you believe snarl at the gospel? I mean, they're angry. They growl. They growl at the truth. They snarl at the doctrine of God's free and sovereign grace.

You tell somebody the truth of this word that says that God Almighty saves men women that he's elected before the foundation of the world. And he's going to send the gospel to them. And he's going to call them out of darkness. He's going to give them a new heart, a new spirit, a new will, a new mind to believe.

And if the Lord leaves a man, a woman to themselves, they will not come to Christ. They will not. Why? They're dead. You tell a man by nature he has no free will. He has no free will. His will is not free. It's bound. Tell a dead man, I've told you that before, tell a man, a woman, and a corpse, if you'll get up, go out and I'll buy you something to eat. I'll buy you lunch today. Well, if he can get up, he wasn't dead. But if he's dead and trespasses his sins, he's not getting up. But you tell somebody the gospel of God's free grace, and this is what they're going to do.

I'll bite you. They snarl. They're dogs, evil workers. They don't want to hear the truth of God's free grace. Beware. That's what Paul says. You beware of dogs. Beware of evil workers. Beware of those that want to cut off the truth. Beware of these evil, misleading people that bend, that wrest the word of God. They'll try to take scripture and they'll try to make scripture say something. that it doesn't say, for God so loved the world. They'll say, you see there, Marvin, you were wrong. God so loved the world. He loved everybody. That's not what it means. You know what the word world means? I told you before. I need to say it again. I need to hear it again. He loved the world, the order of man. the order of mankind.

I told you, I said, God made an order of birds and four-footed beast and all fish flying. Yeah. He made an order called man, and he loved that order. Not everyone in the order, but there's an order of human beings. God loved the order of man. He loved humanity is what it means. But when you look that word up, you look and see what it means. Look it up. He loved the order of man and that the order of man would not perish out of this world. Had God not chosen out of the order of man, a people of his choosing, I'm telling you, the order of man would have perished. But Almighty God loved that order. You say, why did he love them? because it pleased him too.

It's the only reason I can tell you. He loved the order of man, and he purposed that the order of man would be with him in glory, the bride of his son, and would bestow upon them all of the benefits that only God Almighty can give. I'm way over my head right now. I can tell you that right now. But I'm telling you, this is so.

You that believe, the only reason that God Almighty chose you is because it pleased Him to do so. It gave you a heart. And if you leave this world without Christ, you know why you left this world? Because you wanted to. You might say, well, no, it was the Lord's fault. No, it wasn't. No, it wasn't.

The order of man perished spiritually in Adam's fall. Adam was a representative of all mankind. All mankind was in the garden. God made a man, and he gave him a wife. And all mankind fell in Adam. And everybody that comes out of the loins of Adam, which is everybody, God was pleased to call out of that order of people he chose. we're going to be dogs snarling at the truth.

Verse 3, for we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. We are the circumcision. What does that mean? We are those spiritually separated from the unclean. That's what it means. We are the circumcision separated unto God. We are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit. We worship God Again, I don't know what these words mean unless I look them up. We worship God. I've told you before what people say, you know, we're going to worship the Lord. I'll tell you how they do that, you know. Raise your hand, head back 15 degrees, close your eyes, and go back and forth. That's called worship. That's what they say. That's not worship. Here's what the word worship means. It means to worship correctly. We worship God correctly, not made up, not a made up, you know, outward act of self-righteousness. Worship God in the spirit. What does that mean?

Prompted by and aided by the spirit. Do you realize right now, if in your heart you're worshiping the Lord correctly, in your heart, without even moving, without even closing your eyes, without cocking your head back, without waving back and forth, without doing any of that outward stuff, God's people worship God correctly as they are aided by and prompted by the Spirit of God. You'd be worshiping God right now and not move a muscle. I'd do anything. Worship God in the spirit and have no confidence in the flesh.

No confidence. Well, I this, I that, they have no confidence in themselves. I was not the instigator of life. He was. I'm not the maintainer of my life. He is. I'm not the guide of my steps, he is. The steps of a good manner, what? Ordered by the Lord. Directed by the Lord. God's people, by his sovereign grace, God Almighty has been pleased to circumcise in heart a cutting, a cutting away and a giving of new. They have been given a new heart of understanding.

Before the Lord taught any of us the gospel of God's grace, we didn't know it. We didn't believe it. It was strange to us. I told you before, first time I ever heard the gospel, the truth, I thought that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life. And it wasn't until the Lord was pleased to reveal Christ to me. And I tell you what happened.

Everybody Pretty much. Well, I guess everybody, maybe not outwardly, but at least inwardly in their heart. Everybody that I once thought I had fellowship with in religion, whenever I told them what I believed concerning the truth of the gospel, they cut me off. They wanted to have nothing to do with me.

You know why? Because what happens is when you set forth the glory of God in salvation, saving, electing, redeeming, regenerating grace, you take away their God. You take away their God. You take away their will. You take away their so-called life. And they will hate you. You'll be hated of all men, the Lord said, for my sake.

And it's the truth. Whether we know it outwardly, see it, but I'm telling you according to his word, God's people worship spiritually as opposed to that outward so-called false religion. And now, you that believe, hearing these words, is this your confession, Lord? I know that in me, that is in my flesh, there was no good thing. Paul said even after he was converted, that old man that was still with him, he said the will is present with me. How to perform that which is good I find not. I pray that the

A Closing Word of Encouragement

What does the Bible say about rejoicing in the Lord?

How do we know that God has chosen us?

Why is confidence in the flesh dangerous for Christians?

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About Marvin Stalnaker

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A Closing Word of Encouragement

What does the Bible say about rejoicing in the Lord?

How do we know that God has chosen us?

Why is confidence in the flesh dangerous for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Marvin Stalnaker

Comments

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