Well, it's a very awesome thing
to know the Lord Jesus Christ, isn't it? What a glorious, blessed
privilege. 1 Corinthians 16. I suppose the only thing that
you could say that would be better than knowing Christ is Him knowing
me. I love what Paul said in Galatians
chapter 4 verse 9, where he said, Now that you've known God, or
rather, are known of God. Now that you've known Christ,
I do know Him, but or rather, are known of Christ. 1 Corinthians 16. I'd like to
read verses 13 and verse 14. I've entitled this message, Five
Things to Do. Five things. to do. Beginning in verse 13, Paul says,
Watch ye. Stand fast in the faith. Quit ye like men. Be strong. Or be strengthened. Let all your things be done with
charity. Paul is closing this epistle
to the Corinthians and this was a true church with true believers and a lot of problems. There were divisions among them.
There was pride. There was moral problems. There
were doctrinal problems. There was the abuse of the gifts
of the Holy Spirit. There was the abuse of ordinances. There was failure to love one
another. They were actually suing each
other and bringing each other to court. And Paul had addressed
all of these issues and more, and he's giving them closing
instructions, and he gives them five things to do after writing
this glorious epistle. He says, watch ye. Be watchful. Stand fast. Don't be moved. Stand fast in
the faith. Quit ye like men. Act like a
man. Play the man. Grow up. Grow up. Be a man. Be strengthened. Not so much be strong. Be strengthened. And let all your things be done
with charity. Now, if by the grace of God,
you and I are enabled to do these five things and actually put
them into practice, it'll be a great blessing to us. And it'll
save us from a lot of heartache that will come into our lives
if we don't do these things. Five things to do. I want to
do what the Lord says, don't you? And I know it's only by
his grace I can do it, but I want to do what he says. And the first
thing he says is watch ye. Watch ye. The word means be awake. Don't sleep. Be on your guard. The disciples slept when they
should have been watching and they all ended up forsaking the
Lord Jesus Christ and fleeing and playing the coward. Samson
slept while his locks were cut off and he lost his power. The servants slept while the
enemies or the enemy planted the tares. The Shulamite woman
who pictures the Lord, pictures the believer in his relationship
with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Song of Solomon, she fell
asleep and she lost her communion with her beloved. Falling asleep
brings on troubles that we would not have if we would stay awake. That's why he says watchy. Turn with me to Mark chapter
13. Now this falling asleep means a whole lot of things. You know,
it's. It's seldom. Then I preach a message where
somebody doesn't fall asleep. Seldom one time. I read where Charles Spurgeon
was preaching and somebody fell asleep. And he said to the person
beside him, wake him up. And the fellow replied to Spurgeon,
you put him to sleep, you wake him up. I'm sure I've done that a few
times. But don't fall asleep. Don't fall
asleep in the preaching of the gospel. Don't fall asleep in
spiritual things where you become looking like you're dead. That's
what he's talking about. Be awake. Don't fall asleep.
Now look in Mark chapter 13, beginning in verse 35 or verse
33. Take ye heed. These are the words
of the Lord to his disciples. Watch. Don't fall asleep, watch
and pray, for you know not when the time is for the son of man
is as a man taking a far journey. who left his house and gave authority
to his servants and to every man his work and commanded the
porter to watch, to stay awake, don't fall asleep on the job,
stay awake. Watch ye therefore, for you know
not when the master of the house cometh at even or at midnight
or at the cockcrow or in the morning, lest coming suddenly
he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say
to all, watch. Watch. Be alert. Be on your guard. Now, who's the first person we
need to watch out for? Now, if you're a believer, you
already know the answer to that question. The one you need to
watch out for is yourself. Not somebody else. You know,
some people are good at watching out over other people. It's a
waste of time. You don't need to be doing that.
You have plenty enough reason to be watching over yourself. You know, every one of us ought
to have a very healthy fear of ourselves and a distrust of ourselves. You know, the scripture says,
he that trusts his heart is a fool. Watch out over yourself. You've
got plenty of reasons to watch over yourself, don't you? If
you know yourself at all, you have plenty of reasons to be
paranoid about yourself, to watch out over yourself. And that's
the first thing he's talking about is watching out over yourself.
We've got plenty enough to look at with ourselves. We don't have
to watch over anybody else. Watch over yourself. And anytime you
can watch over somebody else, I fear that you're leaving where
you need to really be watching. And if I start watching out over
somebody else, I'm leaving my post. I'm the one I need to watch
out for. Do you believe that about yourself?
You ought to. You ought to just trust yourself
and just automatically assume that you're wrong. I wish I could
do that all the time. I don't, but I know I ought to.
Watch out for yourself. You know, there's a million reasons
we need to do this. Watch out, lest I grow complacent. Watch out, lest I grow fatalistic. Watch out, lest I grow self-righteous. Isn't that an enemy that comes
up in so many different forms? Watch out lest I develop some
bad and wrong attitude. We have such a reason to watch
out over ourselves. Now, I think of the different
scriptures that deal with watching. In Acts chapter 20, verse 31,
we're told to watch out concerning false doctrine. He said, remember,
by the space of three years, I cease not to warn you night
and day." Now watch. Watch out for this. He said, "...of your
own selves shall men arise, speaking corrupt things, to draw away
disciples after them." Now watch. Watch. Watch out for false doctrine. Watch out for false doctrine
in the church. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Watch out. You know, that scares
me to death. I don't want that to happen here.
Watch out. Paul said in Colossians chapter 4, verse 2, continue
in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving. In 1 Peter
5, 8, Peter says, be sober, be vigilant or watchful. That's the word. It's just translated
vigilant there. Be watchful because your adversary,
the devil, goeth about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Watch out. You know, when the
Lord taught us to pray, He said, deliver us from evil. Deliver
me from this evil one. Deliver me from that evil one.
Watch out. Turn with me to Revelation chapter
16. Verse 15. Behold, I come as a thief. In another place, he said, I
come as a thief in the night. Blessed is he that watcheth. And you know what he's doing
while he's watching? He keeps his garments, lest he
walk naked and they see his shame. You watch and you keep your garments.
Now, what's your garment? Your garment is the righteousness
and merit of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, you make sure that every
thought is brought into obedience to His righteousness. You make
sure by the grace of God. Be paranoid about not trusting
Him only. I mean, be scared of yourself. Be paranoid about looking somewhere
else other than Him. Oh, blessed is that one who keeps
His garments, who looks only to Christ and nowhere else. You
know, the Lord said to the church at Sardis, if therefore thou
shalt not watch, I will come upon thee as a thief in the night. Paul said, let us not sleep as
do others, but let us watch and be sober. And once again, let
me repeat this. The one I'm to watch out for
is this one. May God give us grace to do that. Watchee. Watchee. And then he
says next in our text, go back to our text in First Corinthians,
Chapter 16. Watchee, stand fast in the faith. What timely instruction at all
times. Stand fast, don't be moved. Stand
fast, don't be like a reed shaking in the wind. Stand fast in the
faith. Now the faith is another name
for the gospel. The faith signifies what we believe
and the act of believing. The faith signifies the object
of faith and the act of faith. Now, stand fast in the faith,
and the Bible uses Genesis to Revelation to define the faith. Now, I've used this so many times,
and I like it more now than ever have, as far as a summary of
the faith. I mean, like I said, the whole
Bible gives us the faith, but I like this. It was called the
watchword of the Reformation, the sola fide, or that's Latin. Scriptures alone, Christ alone, grace alone, faith
alone, the glory of God alone. Stand fast in the faith, the
scripture alone. I look to the word of God alone. We really believe that the Bible
is our only rule of faith and practice. You know why I don't
have a church, whatever it is, constitution and covenant, or
I don't even know what they are, creeds and all those big things.
You got a four or 500 page document, tell them what we, got the Bible.
Isn't that enough? I really believe the Bible is
the Word of God. And I don't need anything else. We look to
the Scriptures alone. I want to hear what God has to
say. And if I can't see what I believe, understand this, I
don't go to the Bible to prove what I believe. May God deliver
me from that. I don't go to the Bible as a
proof text to prove what I believe. I go to the Bible to find out
what to believe and bow down to what God says. I bow to what
God says, the Scriptures alone. You don't have any interest in
hearing what I've got to say, do you? As far as my opinions, you
want to hear what God's Word has to say. The Scriptures alone
as our only rule of faith and practice. Christ alone. Christ Jesus is
the ground of my salvation. Here's where my assurance comes
from, Christ alone. Here's where my confidence comes
from, Christ alone. Here's the object of my faith,
Christ alone. I love that scripture where it
says they saw no man save Jesus only. There's two words that
go well together, Jesus only. Jesus only is everything in my
salvation. Christ alone, not Christ and.
You know, the word alone is very important. You can stand for
the scriptures and Christ and grace and faith and the glory
of God, but if you don't use that word alone, you've missed
it. Christ alone. And I tell you what, this gives
me such confidence and such assurance. Christ is all in my salvation.
I love thinking about it. Christ only. is everything in
salvation. Grace alone. Don't you love the word grace?
Grace is a charming sound, melodious to the ears, free grace. Grace
in every aspect of salvation. You begin an election when God
chose a people to glorification where those people stand perfectly
conformed to the image of Christ and everything in between. Salvation
is by grace alone. Not grace and anything, grace
alone. You like that, don't you? Takes
the pressure off. It makes me feel good. Faith alone. Christ is received by faith. I can't see that I'm perfectly
holy in God's eye, but I believe I am, because I'm looking to
the Lord Jesus as my holiness and my righteousness before God.
Faith alone, not faith and something. Faith alone. And the glory of
God alone. That's the only right motive. All other motives are wrong motives. I'm not preaching trying to Get
a crowd. Try to get a big church. No.
The glory of God alone. And if that's not really my motive,
I have no business preaching. May the Lord deliver us from
a man that has any other motive than the glory of God alone. Now, you stand fast in the faith. Don't be moved. Let me give you a scriptural
illustration of this. Now, what I'm talking, scriptures alone,
Christ alone, faith alone, grace alone, the glory of God alone,
these are givens. If we waffle on any of these,
we're certainly not standing fast in the faith. And here's
an example. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter 5. Verse 11, of whom, speaking of
Melchizedek, of whom we have many things to say and hard to
be uttered, seeing you are dull of hearing. For when for the
time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach
you again what be the first principles. the ABCs of the oracles of God. And you become such as have need
of milk and not of strong meat. For everyone that uses milk is
unskillful, inexperienced in the word of righteousness, for
he's a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of
full age and have reached maturity. Even those who by reason of use
have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil, therefore
leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ. Let us go
on to perfection. not laying again the foundation. Now, before we go on, if you're
always having to lay again the foundation, superstructure never
comes up, does it? These are things that we're to be grounded
in. And we can't have to always... He doesn't mean we don't preach
these things anymore and go off into bigger and better things.
He's saying I'm to be grounded in this. This is the ABCs. And
if I'm not grounded in this, I'm in trouble. Not laying again
the foundation, and here are the six principles that we should
not be always going back and forth on. Not laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works. Have you ever repented
of your dead works and looked to Christ alone? I shouldn't
have to be laying that foundation all the time over again to where
you, well, he says, no, we shouldn't be doing that. Or faith toward
God, that's faith in Christ. Is faith toward God faith in
Christ? Sure it is. of the doctrine of baptisms.
Now what is the doctrine of baptisms? We know what the act of baptism
is, it's immersion. Going under the water and coming
back up. Well what is the doctrine of
baptisms? Well it's union with the Lord Jesus Christ. What I'm
saying when I'm baptized is here's my hope of salvation. When he
lived, I lived. When he died, I died. When he
was raised again, he was raised again for my justification. The
doctrine of baptisms is union with the Lord Jesus Christ. And
then he talks about the laying on of hands next. Now, when he's
talking about the laying on of hands, that's not talking about
where religious people put their hands on one another and so on.
That's talking about the high priest laying his hands on the
head of the sacrifice. And it represents the transference
of guilt, the transference of righteousness. And that's what
happened on the cross. My sin was transferred to him.
His righteousness is given to me. Don't be waffling back and
forth on that. What joy there is in the doctrine
of the laying on of hands. And next he says in verse 3,
and of the resurrection of the dead. Christ's resurrection from
the dead and what it accomplished, the justification of His people.
Spiritual resurrection, the new birth. The final resurrection
when God's people are raised from the dead. And I like this
statement of eternal judgment. He doesn't just say of judgment,
but of eternal judgment. I love to think of the eternal
security of God's people. Eternal judgment. My judgment
in the purpose and mind of God took place when the Lamb was
slain from the foundation of the world. I like eternal judgment. I like eternal redemption. I
like eternal justification. Everything God does is eternal.
He's God. If it's not eternal, God didn't
do it. Everything He does is eternal. It has its roots, and
here we're struggling for words because what can you say about
eternity? We don't much understand it, but everything is eternal.
I like it that way. Eternal judgment. And this we
will do if God permits. We shouldn't have to be going
back and forth trying to lay these things down. Don't have
to lay this foundation again. Be settled. Be grounded. Stand
fast in the faith. Stand fast in faith. Believe
in God. You know it glorifies God by
trusting Him. And it dishonors Him when we
don't believe Him. There's nothing. You know, some
people act like if you don't have assurance, that's a good
thing. No, it's not. There's nothing good about it.
Is Christ not worthy of complete trust? Is there a reason to not
completely trust Him? Has He ever given you a reason
to doubt Him? Oh, staying fast in faith, believing the gospel,
really believing that Jesus Christ is all in salvation, that He's
interceding for me. I really believe. that I stand
before God without guilt because of the Lord Jesus Christ. Stand
fast in the faith. Don't be waffling back and forth.
Like I said, some people almost act like it's spiritual to doubt.
There's nothing spiritual at all about that. It's unbelief.
Believe the gospel. Now, I realize the flesh will
struggle with faith, but realize that it's the flesh. The only reason that I would
not have full assurance of faith is because I'm looking in here.
I'm looking somewhere in myself to find assurance. If you do
that, you ought not have any assurance. You don't deserve
to have any. Why are you looking there anyway? I'm speaking to myself.
I'm not just speaking to you. Of course you're going to doubt
if you look within. Look to Him. Listen to these scriptures. Paul
said, Be of good cheer, for I believe, God, that it shall be even as
it was told me. Acts 24, 14, But this I confess
to thee, that after the way they call heresy, so worship I the
God of my fathers, believing all things which are written."
In the prophets, the psalm, and the law of Moses concerning him. You know, we're told in 2 Corinthians
13, 5 to examine ourselves. Anybody know the rest of the
verse? Whether you be in the faith. Now, I'm always examining
myself, I'm examining my motives, I'm examining my, you know, how
much I love, how much I believe and all that kind of stuff. And
boy, you know, it's rough. But that's not what he says to
do. He doesn't say examine yourself to see how you're doing, examine
yourselves whether ye be in the faith. if you believe the gospel. Are you trusting Christ as your
righteousness before God? Are you in the faith? Do you
believe? Are you reliant? Examine yourselves
whether you be in the faith. We're told in Jude to earnestly
contend for the faith. And we're told here to stand
fast in the faith. Now, back to our text in 1 Corinthians
16. Here's the third thing he says
to do. First he says, watch him. Then he says, stand fast in the
faith. And then he says, quit ye like
men, literally play the man, be a man, be mature. You know,
when you say to somebody, be a man, you're saying, be responsible,
be mature, do the right thing, grow up. You know I want to grow
up, don't you? I want to grow in grace and the
knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now Paul had previously
said to this bunch, you're acting like a bunch of babies. Look
in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. He says in verse 1, And thy brethren
couldn't speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal.
Even as unto babes in Christ I fed you with milk and not with
meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it, neither now
are ye able. For you are yet carnal, for whereas
there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are ye
not carnal and walk as men?" Envying. It is so contrary to
faith. Envying. You know, there isn't anything that
smites me more than when I see myself envying somebody. That
lets me know just how sinful I am. No, if you love somebody,
you don't envy them. Do you envy your children? If
your children prosper, are you jealous? No, you're happy. You want them to prosper because
you love them. You want the best for them. Envying is so contrary to the
spirit of grace. Strife, that's competition and
contention, competing with one another. And you know, there's
so much strife in religion. trying to prove who's the godliest,
or who's the most spiritual, or who's used the most, or who's
used as much as I am. That's such foolishness. It's
so contrary to the spirit of grace. Division. Making a difference
between people. You know, remember this. Here's
a good rule of thumb regarding all of God's people. We're all
nothing. You believe that? We're all nothing
and we're all somebody in Christ. Greatly significant. I find my
significance in the Lord Jesus Christ. And I really do. I don't
find my significance in my preaching. I don't find my significance
in what I quote do. I find my significance in who
I am in the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm complete in Him. And there's
not to be a division among God's people. You have this group and
that group. You know, just the very idea of denominations. We're
denominations in the Bible. They're not there. They're God's
people. No divisions. Now Paul is saying
quit acting like spoiled brats, immature children. Be men, be
mature, be responsible. A man accepts responsibility,
children shirk from it. But a man lives up to his responsibilities. When we say be a man about it,
we're saying do what's right. No matter what it costs you. Be a man. Be mature. That's what real men do, and
that's what mature believers do. So he says, quit ye like
men. Act like a man. Back to our text
in 1 Corinthians 15. Here's the fourth thing he says. Be strong. Literally, be strengthened. Doesn't so much say be strong,
he says be strengthened. Does somebody say, well, how
can you be strong when you're weak? You know, I'm too weak
to bench press 250 pounds. It won't happen. If I try to
bench press 250 pounds, it's going to come crashing down on
my chest, and I won't be able to get it up. And it won't do
me any good to say, well, tell yourself you can. Be positive
about it. No, it won't do me any good to be positive about
it. I can't do it. So how am I supposed to be strong when
I'm weak? The key to spiritual strength
is what? Weakness. I fear we don't much believe
that, but it's still true. Paul said, when I'm weak, then
am I strong. We're called upon to be strong
in the Lord and the power of his might. And we read in Ephesians
3, 16, of being strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man. He strengthens us. Now listen
to me. You listen real carefully. I
hope I'm listening to this. If He's the one doing the strengthening,
I don't have any excuse to not be strong. Isn't that so? If strengthening is His work,
and it doesn't say be strong, lift weights to get stronger.
No, it says be strengthened. If strengthening is His work,
there's no excuse for you and I to not be strong in the Lord
and the power of His might. Be strong in the grace that is
in Christ Jesus, he said to Timothy. Be strong in grace. I tell you
what, we're grace believers, aren't we? This is the Todd's
Road Grace Church. We believe in grace, the grace
of God in Christ Jesus. Be strong in graciousness. I
tell you what, if I'm strong in the doctrine of grace, it
better lead to graciousness or I don't believe the grace I claim
I believe. If you really believe grace, it'll make you gracious.
It'll make you merciful. It'll make you kind. Be strong
in grace. Be strong in faith. Turn to Romans
chapter 4. I love this passage of Scripture.
Romans chapter 4, beginning in verse 17. As it is written, I've made thee
a father of many nations. This is God speaking to Abraham.
Before him whom he believed, remember we're to be strong in
faith, even God who quickens, who gives life to the dead and
calls those things which be not as though they were. Who against
hope, believed in hope. There wasn't much hope that his
wife who had already gone through the process of menopause, and
was 90 years old, and he was 100 years old, there wasn't any
hope that she'd have a baby. But God said she would, therefore
she would. He believed the word of God,
who against hope believed in hope that he might become the
father of many nations according to that which was spoken, so
shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith,
He considered not his own body now dead when he was about a
hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb.
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but
was strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully persuaded
that what God had promised, he was able also to perform. Do you believe that what God
has promised, he's able also to perform? Paul said, I can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me. Is anything too hard for the
Lord? Is it too hard for Him to make
me strong? Be strengthened. Growing in grace
has something to do with becoming stronger. Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find, knock
and it shall be opened to you. Ask the Lord, let me be one of
these people that are strengthened. And if you're not, you didn't
ask because the Lord said you have not because you ask not.
And then finally, he says in our text in 1 Corinthians chapter
16, let all your things be done with charity. And you remember
what he said about charity, love. I love 1 Corinthians chapter
13, that wonderful chapter And he ends up saying, now abideth
faith, hope, and charity, these three. But the greatest of these
is charity. Make this your aim. Make this
your ambition. I want to be somebody who really
loves, don't you? Follow after charity. Make it your aim. Why
is the greatest of these charity? Because faith is going to be
turned into sight. Hope is going to be turned into experience.
There won't be any need for faith in heaven. There won't be any
need for hope in heaven but charity will always be. Let all your
things be done with charity. Whatever we do is to be done
with charity. Are we preaching? We're preaching
in love to God. I love the God I preach and I
love the people I preach to. I like what one fellow said,
it's one thing to love to preach and it's another thing to love
the people you preach to. Totally different. Let all your things
be done in charity. Are you working? I don't care
what your job is. I don't care if you're digging a ditch. I
don't care if you're working in front of one of those computer
screens and whatever it is people do. Whatever you're doing, do
it as unto the Lord. That gives it significance, doesn't
it? Everything I do is important
because I'm doing it as unto Him. There's nothing mundane
to a believer. Nothing is mundane. Whatever
I'm doing, it's as unto the Lord. If you're working, if you're
a spouse, husbands, make your wife love you by the way you
treat them. Treat them in such a way as they just feel so loved
and so special. Let all your things be done with
charity. Wives, Make your husband feel
like they've just got it made. They've got the best wives in
the world. Do all your things with charity
as a parent. Love your children. Seek what's
best for them. Let all your things be done with
charity. Do you believe? Love him whom
you believe. Are you repenting? We're grieved over the one we
love that we've sinned against. Let all your things, whatever
it is, let all your things be done with charity. Charity never fails. Now, here are five things to
do. Watch. Stand fast in the faith. Be a man. Be strengthened. And let all your things be done
with charity. And these are commands. This is not good advice. These
are commands. And thank God, He will not command
us to do what He does not enable us to do. Everything He requires,
He gives. I can't tell you how encouraging
these scriptures are to me. Let me quote three scriptures
to you. The first is found in 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 21,
where Paul says, Faithful is he that calleth you, who also
will do it. Now would you turn with me there
for a moment? 1 Thessalonians 5. Let's begin in verse 14. Now
we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, Comfort
the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
See that none render evil for evil against any man, but ever
follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all men.
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing in everything. Give thanks for this is the will
of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Whatever it is you're having
a hard time giving thanks for, whatever it is you're having
trouble with, remember God brought it your way. And this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Evidently, it's what you
needed. Do you believe that? Evidently, it's what you needed.
Quench not the spirit. Despise not prophesying or preaching. Prove all things. Test what you're
hearing according to the word of God. Hold fast that which
is good and abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very
God of peace sanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit
and soul and body be preserved blameless under the coming of
the Lord Jesus Christ, faithful as he that calleth you who also
will do it. all these things that He calls
upon us to do, He says, God will do it. That's encouraging, isn't
it? Listen to this scripture. In
Hebrews chapter 13, verse 20 and 21, we read now, The God
of peace that brought again from the dead the Lord Jesus, that
great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting
covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will
working in you. that which is well-pleasing in
your sight. Now turn to Philippians chapter
2. This is the last scripture we'll look at. Verse 12. Wherefore, my beloved, As you've
always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. You give attention to everything
that's contrary. That's what he means. You work
it out. You know, when I say I'll work it out, I'll work on
it. I'll work it out. I'll work out. Work out your own salvation.
You give yourself to this, working out your own salvation. Is that
teaching salvation by works? You know better than that. Remember
to look at all scriptures in the light of other scriptures.
You know it's not teaching salvation by works. But what is it teaching? You work out your own salvation.
Everything that's contrary to Christ, work it out. With fear
and with trembling, now look at this promise in verse 13.
For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do. His good pleasure. You want to
do His will, don't you? He worked that in you. And the
doing of His good pleasure is His work in you. You work out
what God has worked in. Watch Him. You have every reason
to be encouraged. The Lord will enable us to do
this. And I want to do these five things. Watch Him. Stand
fast in the faith. Be a man. What's the fourth one?
I forgot. Be strengthened. Be strengthened. And let everything you do, by
the grace of God, be done with charity. Amen. Let's pray together.