Conduct Yourselves Worthy of the Gospel First B Jackson 2026-07-19 Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record. ---- Yeah. Good morning, First B. Thanks for being here. And make sure you stick around after the service. We're gonna have you know, First Barbecue, think is what First BBQ is what we call it. So hang out after the service. You'll get some, get some nice nice breakfast. But again, thanks for being here and, worshiping with us. Just to lead us into, into worship, Isaiah twenty five one says, Lord, you are my God. I will exalt you. I will give you thanks to your name. For you have worked wonders, plans formed long ago with perfect faithfulness. Let's, stand and sing Evidence. Hey. And Van's gonna come up for the announcements. He As fast as I can. Yeah. Van sprained his ankle this week. Last week. Last week. He's getting here as quick as he could. Good morning, everybody. So glad you all are all here today. If you can, go ahead and scoot in towards the middle. It looks like we've got a little bit of space in the middle. We got It's turned on. Yeah. Okay. There you go. Welcome. So glad you guys are here. Thanks for scooting in. Some of you did that. Awesome. So we got a lot of announcements this morning. But first, if you've never been here before, first time guests, so glad you're here. We I don't think it's by mistake that any of us are here this morning and so recognize that and if you feel led to fill out the card in front of you and in your seat back pocket, we would love the opportunity to connect with you and meet with you even if you're here just for a week. We'd love to get to know you and pray for you and send you back home. If you've been coming here a long time, I didn't mean it like that, guys. We have a lot of long term relationships with folks that don't live here. You know that. Oh, If you've been coming here for a long time, we'd love to pray for you and you can use that card to tell us anything. Tell us that you need a new guy to do announcements, you know, whatever you need to say. Alright. So first announcement, if you can smell at all, you know, first BBQ is happening. It smells so good. I'm so hungry with that bacon. I don't know. Bacon is a weakness. We lived in The Middle East for a season and they don't have real bacon there. Anyway, so go enjoy that. Next, we have our discovery class in Ray's office during first BBQ, but it's gonna be at 09:30 and it'll be abbreviated. So if you're interested, come in at 09:30 because I also wanna eat. Did I say 09:30? 10:30. Okay? Really all over the place today. 10:30, that's at ten. 10:30 in Ray's office. I'll be in there. If you want to know more about membership, come in there. We'd love to have a conversation. Next is church at the fair, which is next week. Next week. Next week on Sunday. Don't come here Sunday. Right? Because we won't be here. Will we have anybody here? Maybe? The signs on the door to say, come meet us at the At the at the big tent, at the fair. So, 10:00, one service, at 10:00, next week. One service at 10:00 next week, not here at the fair. Alright. And then there's a fair in Dricks next week. Also, yes. And we were asked to put on same thing over there. So at 05:00 in Driggs, we will have another church service at the fair in Driggs at 05:00. Alright. Today, also busy day today, 04:00. Are you all tracking with all these times? 04:00 in the fellowship hall. If you're interested in the Costa Rica trip or the Zambia trip, come and it's not an interest meeting. We've moved past that. If you're still interested and want more info, get with me. I have some papers that would help you out. But I've ordered books. We're gonna go through a book study every month. This is the first one. The books haven't come in. I chose not to support Amazon, and that has kind of messed me up. The the nonprofit doesn't move as they don't have the logistic skills that Amazon does. So they're not here yet, but we're still gonna meet and talk about the book. I'll have some material to go over. It'll be great. Last announcement, I think, worship Hootenanny. I have never been. I've heard it's amazing. You can camp there. I've been on the, I went ahead and registered our family. It's in Bondurant. There's worship. There's teaching. Well known guy is there. I can't see his name. Matt Carter. Matt Carter. He will be there and it's gonna be three days of fun, worship, hanging out, and Bondurant. So you've been. It's good. There you go. Register for that though. They they I think need to know as soon as possible how many people are gonna be there because they're they're providing food and all sorts of things. So let's pray and go back to worship. Lord, thank you so much for today and for this opportunity that we get to gather here in this place and worship you and proclaim the gospel. We pray for Ray specifically as he goes through a text that is so rich that you've given us to know who you are and what you've done for us in Jesus name. At at your name the morning breaks in glory at your Thanks. You could have a seat. Sure. Would you pray with me? Lord God Almighty, thank you. Thank you, Lord. Overwhelmed by your goodness and your grace, we do see the evidence all over our lives, Lord. And in the midst of the difficult circumstances, it's still there. Would you allow us the the grace to see it, to walk in gratitude. In Jesus name, we pray a blessing on every one here, but every family that they represent. Lord, this is there's a wide swath of humanity that's covered by just the people in this room. So Lord, I pray that you would be shining your light and reflecting it off of these faces to the people around them. May we all be a witness for you and in Jesus name, I ask that you'd bless this offering Lord to do whatever it is that is your will in this community and to the uttermost part. We wanna be doing your will and your way. Would you show us, Lord, what that is? In Jesus name, we ask a blessing on the gift and the giver. Amen. It is good to praise you lord and make music to your name oh most high it is good to praise you lord and make music to your name oh most high It's good to have the young'uns up here with us this weekend. There's no running off this week, so there's no pitter patter. It feels weird. The rhythm is different. I have one more announcement to make. If bands was not long enough, so no. I have one more announcement to make. During the church at the fair, so we're under the big top with the Lions Club. It is the last hour of their last day making their biggest fundraiser of the year. So if you're gonna go to church at the fair, plan on going early, listening to the sound check and getting some pancakes and whatnot, bacon, bacon. Lots of lots of good stuff. But it's their last hour of their last day of this fundraiser. And so we wanna be a blessing to the whole community. So if you would, please show up early, eat a bunch, help out the lions club, that's it. We are in a study of Philippians and we just finished the study of Ephesians. Now we don't know exactly the order. Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon all written from the same prison imprisonment, but here we are at one twenty seven. I was just gonna finish out the chapter, but I think I'm gonna have to roll over into chapter two. And my plan for next week is to give us clearer picture of Christ as I can, and it's gonna be from Philippians two. So would you all be praying for that? I think that if if I had to say this is the best image of how Christ what Christ has done, and our example, all that stuff, I think that Philippians two three through 11 or so is it. So that's what I'm planning on doing next week, but that's what I do if I were here. Right? You all know that we're just gonna keep on rolling forward. So here we are, Philippians. Greek scholars, you all know what this says? There are a couple of them that are looking at it and trying to figure it out. Conjunction junction, what's your function? That's not biblical. It's just a child of the seventies gen x person that I am. This is something that's in my head all the time. And when I'm exploring the scriptures, the reason that I use the new American standard version of the Bible is because it retains the Greek word order with the conjunction at the front of the sentence. That might not mean anything to you. We're just reading it, but you don't necessarily, you don't normally start sentences in English with a conjunction. That's weird. I do it all the time because of this. But it makes I keep every one of them I'm hearing in my head, all of the conjunctions now. I don't want it to be annoying or distracting for you. But the way all this connects together, last week when I started, I said now. And I said, this is the signifier of this is what he's saying, this is what the whole letter is about. This is why I'm getting in touch with you. The transitions make a difference. So I'm a highlight them, I'm a read through as a ramp to get to where we're going on 27. I'm gonna read from twelve forward. This is what I did last night. Now, I want you to know brothers and sisters that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel. So that, you see what I'm talking about at the beginning of the verse typically, and if you have a King James Bible and they're all separated where it doesn't look like paragraph style, you'll notice King James also retains Greek word order. So nobody ever really talked like the King King James Bible. Okay? That was not normal even then. But it does help because it lets you know how they now I want you to know this, that my circumstances turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the praetorian guard and to everyone else. And that most of the brothers and sisters trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment. He is saying that there are people who've actually trust in the in the Lord because he's in jail. So we tend to try to avoid trouble and avoid difficulty as much as possible. Go with the path of least resistance, but Paul, not so much. Because of my imprisonment, they have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. So there are others in there. I'm not gonna hit every conjunction, but the ones at the beginning of the sentence make a big difference. That's how it connects. Now this is what it's about. So that my imprisonment is actually a good thing and I know that y'all sent Epaphroditus to me and you're worried about me. But hey, it's a good thing. Some to be sure this is that chiasmus I pointed out last week that has some to be sure are preaching Christ even for men being strife. That's not good. But some from goodwill, well that's good. The ones who are doing it from goodwill do it out of love. Yeah. That's what's supposed to be motivating us. Knowing I'm appointed for the defense of the gospel, the former those who are preaching from envy and strife, they do it out of selfish ambition. This book of Philippians really is saying, actually next week spoiler alert, don't do anything out of selfish ambition. Don't do anything out of vain conceit. God resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble. So the former proclaimed Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives. They think that they're causing me trouble in my imprisonment. Well, what then? That's the connecting tissue. What then? Only that in every way, whether it's in pretense or it's in truth, Christ is proclaimed. Now, I don't like that they're doing it for the wrong reasons, but they're still doing it. They're proclaiming Christ and in this, I rejoice. Oh, would that more of us could get to the place of, you know what? I don't agree with them on every single point and it doesn't seem like the motivation is good, but if Christ is being proclaimed, Christ is being proclaimed. And in this, I rejoice. For to me, to live as Christ. Paul, it was all about everything that he did. I pray that it's all about everything that I do. When I wake up in the morning, I say, Lord, I long to do your will. Show me your way and I'll walk in it. To live is to live Christ. Following after his example, we'll see next week. And to die is actually gain because incorruptible hope in heaven above is my reward and to be absent from the body is to be present with Christ. But if I'm to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor to me. I'm not gonna despair here in prison. I'm gonna write letters. I'm gonna see everybody that comes to me with questions. I'm gonna witness to everybody that's around me and I don't know which one to choose. But I'm hard pressed from both directions having the desire to depart cause that is much better by far being with Christ. Yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sakes, recipients of this letter and even that extends to you. And if you ever think, why are we reading somebody else's mail? Okay. I mean, I heard a comedian a couple weeks ago that said, I'm not Corinthian. Well, there's a bit of if the shoe fits and the shoe fits everybody in Philippians. Okay. The shoe fits everyone of us in Philippians. That is much better. Yet to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake, so convinced of this and I know that's not a conjunction in English, but it is in Greek. Since I'm completely and since I'm completely persuaded that, I know that I will remain and I will continue with you all for your progress and for your joy in the faith. I've said, he mentions joy in Philippians 17 times in this really short little book. And he wants for people to laugh again as Chuck Swindoll says. He wants for them to have the joy. You remember when David said, Lord, restore to me the joy of your salvation. Right? I did some stuff that got in the way, but would you forgive me and I know that you do and I know that you will. Would you restore to me the joy of your salvation? Paul wants for them to progress and he wants them to be joyful in the progress, so that your pride in Jesus, your bragging on Jesus might be abundant because of me and my coming to you again. He's looking forward to getting out of prison and going to see them again. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. He was fine either way. We need to be fine either way in all of our circumstances. And I see our missionaries to Zambia back there. Hey, good to see you. Yeah, they're here. If y'all wanna see them, that helps the interest meeting a whole lot. So good to see you. So here we start the today's text. Only Come on, on. Only what in the world? Where is this gonna go? Well, this is a little bit of that transition. In Ephesians, we had the first three chapters of theology and foundational underpinning, and then we had the last three chapters where okay, this is how to work it out. So only be conducting yourselves in a manner that's worthy of the gospel of Christ. The good news of Christ sets people free. The good news of Christ is something to be joyful about. So be walking it out every day, only conduct yourselves in a manner that's worthy of the gospel of Christ. It sounds a whole lot like Ephesians four one, where he says, therefore, I'm a prisoner of the Lord, same prison, same time. I urge all of y'all to walk in a manner that's worthy of the calling which you have been called. That's the gospel call that though none of us were righteous. Christ has come and he has lived a perfect life and had a perfect record that he voluntarily and sacrificially gave over to anyone who would be willing to accept it. The love of God, the grace of God, the mercy of God, the forgiveness of God available in Christ alone. That's the gospel. And now, with all humility and all gentleness, with all patience, be bearing with one another in love, agape. Being diligent to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. That sounds a lot like only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. So that whether I come to you and see you or remain absent. Sorry. I keep on doing the conjunction thing. I'm gonna try to just skip on through it. It helps me. Whether I come to see you and see you or remain absent, that doesn't matter if you're walking it out. Paul never saw any of us in this room, but he's glad that we're walking it out. The continuing witness is going forward and that's the design. This is plan a. There's no plan b. I will hear about you that you're standing firm in one spirit. That sounds like there's one body and there's one spirit just as you are also called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one. Do you hear all the unity there? It's very present in Philippians two. Now later in the book, we'll see that there had been some divisions. And it might have been just two people that were divided, but usually when two people are divided, it starts the rift and then people take sides. And so he's trying to stop that and I'm trying to stop that. I threw up a couple of theological terms a while back. Hey, there's this side and this side. I was like, oh my goodness, I can't believe I said that out loud. Because I don't wanna start a rift. I wanna bring both of those sides back together and that's what Paul is writing for. It's possible. It's possible to have an opinion that is deeply held. Be thoroughly convinced James says in your own heart and in your own mind and walk it out. It's thoroughly convinced of that ism that you belong to. That's fine. But don't blast the other ism that is the balancing ism. Okay? Here we go. With one mind. This will be in chapter two, very big. One spirit, one mind striving together. So it's hard to make peace between warring parties. Would you all agree with that? It's really hard when only one of them wants to make peace. This says striving together. So both sides, if you're immovable and I'm thoroughly convinced in my heart that I'm right, I care more about that than I care about that other person. That's not good. It's just not good. Work with one another and see if we can get to the center which is Christ, infinite God in the flesh, and we're finite man in the flesh. Right? So have a little humility that you might not have it alright. Be alright with, I don't understand their motives. I don't get it. Now we'll get on to the gospel here in a minute. There's exclusivity to to the gospel. We'll get on to that. Paul will get into that. But be striving together to make peace. Being diligent to keep the unity and spirit in the bond of peace. For what? For the faith of the gospel and it says the faith of the gospel. So there's an exclusivity about this good news that it's unlike any other self help plan that man has ever come up with. It's not a self help plan. You need Jesus. Jesus is available. Trust him. The gospel is available. The faith of the gospel reminds me of this. Galatians one six through nine. I'm gonna read the whole thing. Because people were walking away from actual gospel. I'm amazed Paul says that you're so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ, God. For a different gospel good news, which is not just another account, but there are some of you who are who are disturbing you and they wanna distort the gospel. They wanna add to the gospel. In fact, in that case, they wanted to add all of the ceremonial parts of the law, all of the law back in to the law that Christ had fulfilled. And Paul says, and I think there's a great deal of humility in this statement. Even if we, me, Timothy, even if we come back to you or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel that's contrary to the free gift of salvation available in Christ alone. That one is to be cut off, accursed. As we've said before, even now I say again, he said it twice just right there. If anyone's preaching you a gospel that's contrary to what you received, he's to be accursed. The gospel doesn't need anything else. Amen. Amen. For the faith of the gospel. It is exclusive and I know that in our day, it's one of the hardest things for people to get their head around that how could God. That's assuming you know more than he does. Okay. You don't. One man striving together for the faith of the gospel and in no way the transition alarmed by your opponents, which is a sign of destruction for them. If you have the gospel and you are you and God is a majority. Okay? You heard that before? You and God is a majority. You don't be alarmed when they come at you. It's a sign of destruction from them, but it's of salvation for you. And this too is from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, he is building his church, not only to believe in him. Okay. We're with him so far. This sounds great, but also to suffer on his behalf. I don't know exactly what the suffering was from the Philippians. I don't know what it was. And honestly, I don't know all your stories and what it is for you. But if you have been, if it has been granted to you for Christ's sake, not only to believe in him, it's probably gonna involve some suffering. And so you have been chosen to carry forward a gospel witness. And like I said last week, redemptive suffering is possible. Not only to believe in him, but also to suffer conjunctions. So this is where I said it last week, God redeems Christian suffering. I want you to know, brothers and sisters, my circumstances turned out for the greater progress of the gospel. Yeah. If you want another one, first Peter five six through 11. All of these passages pull us away from pride and self and humility before a loving God who offers us good news and a way out. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that he may oh, this was a fair sermon from last time I preached a fair sermon. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God so that he may exalt you at the proper time. Having cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you, be of sober spirit, be on the alert. For your adversary, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion and he is seeking someone to devour. So resist him. If you're keeping up, there are four commands there. Humble yourself, be sober, be alert, and resist the devil. Knowing what? Knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished. I love the word accomplished there. They're going through the same kind of stuff you're going through. All your brothers and sisters in Christ who are in the world. And so if you're looking for other examples of redemptive suffering, in the Old Testament, you see the suffering servant passages from Isaiah, and they're pointing to Jesus. We see Joseph in the Old Testament. Right? Classic example. Joseph is a type before Christ. Right? Thrown in a pit, left for dead, came back and sold into slavery, lied about, confused, rises to power, and then there was a pharaoh that knew not Joseph. Like you think that it's going well and then again, and then again. Eventually, when we go back to the Old Testament, that's the first place I'm going. Joseph and OT, other example of redemptive. Job. Job. Boy, I don't know why Job went through all the Job went through. Man, it comforting to read that and be thankful you don't have boils all over your whole body. Yeah. It helps. Other examples, New Testament, suffering servant is Jesus. Paul and Silas in the New Testament, Peter, all the rest of them, you can see that throughout the book of acts where difficult circumstances lead to other people coming to know the gospel. So it's been granted to you for Christ's sakes, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on his behalf. You're not suffering and it's not just you. You're not alone in this. Christ is with you in the journey. On his behalf, you're experiencing the same conflict that you saw in me. In Philippi, you know, he's beaten and jailed there. So he's writing to people who knew that he was beaten and jailed. The same stuff you saw in me and this is the knowing the same experiences are suffered by others. Now, if you go on in this first Peter passage, it says, now after you've suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you into his eternal glory in Christ, he will himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. And he has the power forever and ever. He's using your circumstances to bring other people into the family of God, if you will allow that. Okay? Experience the same conflict which you saw in me when I was there and you now hear to be in me because here I am in jail. Thank you for the gift by the way. That's this is another one. Some people think Philippians is just a thank you letter. They're not reading it hard enough. Or a missionary prayer letter, they're not reading it hard enough either. Philippians two starts like this, therefore, so all of that that we've come through in chapter one. Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, and the Greek on this is a rhetorical question expecting a yes, certainly there is response. So is there any encouragement in Christ? Yes. Duh. Absolutely there is. Okay. So therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, is there any consolation in agape love that others focus, self effacing kind of love that God has for us? Is there any comfort and consolation in that kind of love? Is there? Yes. That's a rhetorical question expecting the yes, certainly. If there is any encouragement in Christ, if there's any consolation, if there's any fellowship of the spirit, is there? Yes. Okay. So some of y'all I assume are from out of town. Right? Some of y'all are. So when you wander into a church house on a Sunday morning, do you feel fellowship in the spirit? I pray you do. If you don't, we're doing something wrong. We should be looking to take care of the stranger. We should be in the spirit, fellowship and with one another. Hey, first b b q is out here today. It's all the time. It's all the time. Is there any fellowship of the spirit? Yes. I feel sometimes I have more in common with someone that I've never met speaking a language that I don't know on one of our trips, right, than than my neighbors sometimes. I love both of them, but I have a fellowship of the spirit with those folks. So yes. So there's another one here too. Is there any affection and is there any compassion? By the way, empathy is not toxic. Okay. Compassion is not toxic. Please don't go for that nonsense. Is there any affection and is there any compassion in the body of Christ? Yes. Yes, certainly. Exactly. Thank you, Chris. So then, if all of this is true and he's got you in the nodding heads this way, he says, then that's implied, that's not a conjunction in this place, but it's implied. If this is true, y'all make my joy complete. Okay? Make my joy complete by being of the same mind. Bring it back together. Don't let the world divide you. Don't let all of the aggravating circumstances of life make you form teams. I might have said this recently, I think of it all the time. So Carl and I, when we were on a trip in Kenya, they gave us the playground time during a get together. And we're like, we don't we're not the game. That's best Makui. I don't I'm that's not that's not our you know, I'm not that's not me. No. Y'all take care of them. They're like 80 kids out there. Well, what are we gonna do? And then we said, how about Red Rover? And Red Rover, that's a great game. Red Rover, you can play with as many people, you know. So we split them in half and try to get them to stand in the lines. And then, you know, send what and we're trying to explain the game. And they kept on closing in the lines, and they kept and they're singing, and I'm not joking. Let's make a circle. A big big circle. They would not let us divide them. And then after a little while, we just said, let's do just make a circle a big big circle. I still sing it in my head, Carl still sings it in his head. Why are we trying to divide people? That's crazy. Make my joy complete by being of the same mind and maintaining the same love. You can't generate it, but you can mess it up. So maintain it. Keep on coming back to this is the everlasting God who loves me. First John says, we can love because he's first loved us. Maintaining that same kind of agape love, not just the filios love, not just eros love, but agape love. Main maintaining that same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose and that purpose is the gospel and it is exclusive. It is. But it's exclusive and universally offered to all. So it's universally out there for everyone to accept or to reject. May we live our lives unified with one purpose, the advance of the gospel. May people see us in the midst of what is obviously human suffering with joy in our hearts, with the gospel on our lips, with Jesus in mind, maintaining the unity of spirit. Would you all stand with me? I'm gonna invite the band to come back up. In Jesus name, may we be one Just as he prayed in that high priestly prayer, may we be one just like the trinity is one. Lord, would you draw us together? Would you bring us into a place of absolute unity, of harmony? Not uniformity. We don't have to all be exactly the same, but may we be intent on this one purpose, the advance of the gospel. May we use Jesus as our example and his spirit as our power to do what it is that you want us to do and to bless those who are also in the same reason. Amen. Amen. From first Thessalonians five, how about this? Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstance for for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. May it be so. Lord, may we recognize that. May we live in that and may we be encouraging one another and building each other up. In Jesus name, amen. Amen.