God Saved Me and He Gave Me Peace
First B Jackson
2024-02-11

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Alright. Good morning, everybody. Hey. Would you would you stand with with us and and sing with us? I'm I'm glad to be here.

I'm glad to see you, and I'm glad to worship with you this morning. An encouraging word from, Psalm 34 to lead us in a worship. It's glorify the Lord with me. Let's exalt his name together. Would you join us in singing Psalm 34?

I sought the Lord and he answered me. Let's sing

this together. I sought the one and he answered me and delivered me from every field. Those who look This poor man cried, and the Lord heard me, and he saved me from my enemies. The son Oh, taste and see. Oh, taste and see.

That the Lord is And let us bless the Lord. Let us bless the Lord every day night.

Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I have a few announcements. Blake, would you just scroll through them? I don't have the clicker up here.

There is Awana tomorrow night.

There he is. So Awana's on at, 05:45 for regular clubbers, but for leaders, for leaders and their their kids, it's a meal at 05:15, and Naomi will be cooking. And, also, catch this, it's ice cream night for Oh. Awana tomorrow. Hi C Smiles or something?

No? Yes.

Alright. And connect hour, I saw a lot of people have signed up, but you can still sign up out in advance of that if you'd like to take care of the connect hour for us between services. Sisters Saved by Grace is a Thursday evening Bible study at 6PM. They're studying creation in Genesis and dinner and fellowship and prayer afterwards is is the way that goes usually. The next one is the Jackson Hole Women's Community Bible Study.

That happens on Wednesdays in this room, starting out in here, and they spread out around the church. That seems to be a common theme, actually. Iwana does that. The Wednesday Ladies Bible Study does that and breaks into smaller groups from 10AM to noon. There is a men's snowmobile retreat that's happening February twenty third to twenty fifth.

So that's coming fast. That's like two weeks. Right? Twelve days. Yeah.

That's two weeks from now. February twenty third, twenty fifth, it's an old faithful Christian ranch up in Island Park. Richard Largie is around here somewhere. There he is. That's the guy to talk to if you wanna go on this.

A $100 per adult, 75 for kids. That's his number if you wanna talk to him about it. And this is our theme for Vacation Bible School this year, June 17 through the twentieth. It's a four day morning Bible school this year. So plan on being here, volunteering.

Just so you'll know, you can put it on your calendar, June seventeenth to twentieth, hometown Nazareth. Oh my, tax time. This was one that I had not anticipated. I usually take the extension. Anyway, given statements went out a few weeks ago, if you have not received yours, please talk to Nick.

Alright? Nick is the guy, assistant at first b jackson dot org. Anything else, Blake? Musical chairs. Would you stand up?

How about this? Greet one another around you, and if you could, mosey towards the front. There's always empty space up front. If you're standing in the back, you can always have a seat up front.

Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder, who leaves his breath in. And I wonder the king glory, the king above all kings. Let's sing of his grace. This is amazing grace. This is unfailing Who brings our chaos to you?

Who brings our chaos back into Jesus, I'll save for all that you've done for me.

Let's sing. Worthy is worthy

is the thou worthy Jesus, I sing for all that you've done for me.

I love singing the truths of scripture, and that is what we're doing together. And here is one of them that was really the song spoke about. It's from second Corinthians four six. It's for God who said, let there be light in the darkness has made this light shine in our hearts. Is that beautiful or what?

And it's not just beautiful, it's true. God's light has shined in the hearts of our believers, of his people. As we trust in him, his light consumes us. It fills us, so we could know the glory of God that's seen in the face of Jesus. Let's keep singing.

Lean not on my own understanding. I lean not not on my own understanding. My life is in the hands of a black girl one there and again. I lean not on my own understanding. I lean not from Proverbs three five.

God, I I know that many of us are are climbing some some mountains in life right now, and and and, Lord, we may be trusting too much in our our own understanding. God, could we yield our will to yours and trust in your wisdom and your understanding to lead us? And thank you, Lord, for the promise that you say that we are your workmanship. Your workmanship created in Christ. Created in Christ for good works.

Works that you prepared in advance long before we ever knew. That is what you're doing. God, would you continue the good work in us as we trust in you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Christ alone, cornerstone. We made strong in the savior's love. Through

You can have a a seat here for a moment. Let's worship through giving part of the service. I'll invite the ushers to come forward. We're gonna sing a new song. But before we do, Ray, may I ask you to pray?

Sure. God, thank you for this opportunity to come together, Lord. For some reason, the voices from the crowd today are overwhelming me. Thank you. Thank you, Lord, that we can sing one song at a time together.

Oh, the unity of the body of Christ. You play such an important song, lord. I pray that you would draw us into your will and your way in Christ Jesus. We pray that you do your will in your way in us, first of all, and then through us, that you would be actively working, Lord. That you'd be accompanying our obedience and not just working in spite of our disobedience.

Lord God Almighty, we give you praise and honor and glory and we're so thankful. So thankful to have been drawn into your presence, to have been drawn into your family. Lord, would you would you bring in new brothers and sisters through us and our testimony. The blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. In Jesus name, we're in awe and thankful this morning.

Amen.

And you're on my knees again. I'm begging please again. I need you. Oh, I need you. Walking down these dales and roads all for my thirst.

So I Oh, I don't wanna abuse your grace. God, I need it every day. It's the only thing that ever really makes me wanna change. Oh, I don't wanna abuse your grace. God, I need it every day.

It's the only thing that ever really makes me wanna change. Well, I don't wanna use your grace. God, I need it every day. It's the only thing

You're up.

Yeah. I'm up just for just for a few minutes. So I wanted to to share in the weeks ahead, as elders, we want to introduce ourselves so you know who who are the elders, who are our shepherds, our overseers, the people that that care for us.

And I'm one of them

and Ray's one of them, and you know us pretty well. But we also wanted to share our just a few minute testimony for a couple reasons. Number one, to encourage, to build up the church, but also so that it would open the door where you go, oh, I I know him. I know him. Or I get him.

I understand them. So that we can get to know one another better, and then we know how to better love and care for you and serve you and pray for you and all those things. So that's the idea there. If I were to sum up my my testimony in just a sentence, it's this, that God saved me and he gave me peace. God saved me and he gave me peace.

I grew up in a in a Christian family. My parents both believers. They raised my brother and I in the Lord. And at an early age, they took me down Romans Road. Anybody ever take you down Romans Road before?

Isn't it beautiful? They took me down Romans Road as a child, and as a child, I understood. I I got it. Absolutely sure. God has created me.

He loves me. He wants a relationship with me, but I've I've got sin, and it's separated me from God. And and then Romans says that the wages of sin is death. Oh, no. But the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus.

And that stuck. I I mean, like, I got that. That's why we do Awana at an early age as much as kids can understand, and they understand a lot. I I I received that. I believed it.

Confessed it with my mouth. I believed in my heart, and and I I was a believer. But when it really started to click when it really started to click where I go, oh, there's more here, was late teens, early twenties. Moved away from home. I did my best to take a prodigal walk, but it didn't last very long.

I was so lacking peace, and I went, I

don't like this at all.

Like, I don't like this at all. And the Lord graciously drew me back to himself, and he gave me peace that I'd never experienced before. Not like that. That's my story. That's my testimony.

It was the kindness of God that led me to repentance, and he gave me peace. It was his kindness that drew me back into the family of God, into the church, and surrounded me with loving Jesus followers like you. And then, on a worship team, and then somehow in full time ministry. And then, wouldn't you know it, here I'm twenty five years later. Twenty five years later, pastor and worship leader.

But, the point is that I I had not known a peace like that before. Not like the peace that I have in Christ. A peace that passes understanding, peace of heart and peace of mind, peace the world cannot give because we've all chased, we've all we've all chased peace and went, I'm not finding it anywhere around here, but I found it in Christ. Peace with God because I've been justified through faith in Christ. That's Romans.

And I know that many of you know that kind of peace and experience are currently experiencing that kind of peace. But if you don't, would you would you catch this? Would you know this? It is available in Christ. This is about Jesus.

This is about Jesus. He gives peace. All it takes, really, stop working so hard. All it really takes is a yielded and surrendered will. That's it.

Saying, God, I've been chasing forever. I I can't find it on my own. I'm looking for peace. I know that it's found in you. I can't I can't manufacture it on my own.

Would you give me your peace? And if he did that for me, I know that he can do that for you. He is the prince of peace. So that's my testimony. As an elder, I I want you to know this.

My spiritual gifts are mercy, encouragement, and service. Mercy, encouragement, and service. So if you're kind of like, you resonate with that and you're, oh, I think I like him. I like hospital visits. I'm not the justice oriented guy.

I'm more of the mercy guy. I like hospital visits. I like to talk and and pray together through hard stuff and not hard stuff. And I like to laugh, I don't take myself too seriously. And I also have lots of experience loading U Haul trucks.

That's the gift of service. So, call on me. I'm your guy.

Thank you. Thank you, Carl. That's good. Oh, we have hauled a lot of stuff together. Philippians.

Know, normally when I put that up there, put numbers after it, but this is just the whole book of Philippians. Prepare yourselves. I'm really working towards the fourth chapter. I've been doing a relational series lately and it's kind of been open ended. We're working back towards getting back in the Harmony of the Gospel study.

We're on Tuesday of Holy Week and I think that next week, I'll go back to that, I think. But Philippians has so many greatest hits verses. It's like bumper sticker madness all over Philippians, there's so much good stuff and I just was looking at it yesterday and trying to come to a place of peace with the sermon and I thought, last week I said in Colossians, Paul said when he sent that letter to the Colossians in the fourth chapter, said, hey, you Colossians, read this letter aloud in church and send it to Laodicea and let them read it aloud in church and you get the one I sent them to. Right? And just read it aloud.

We just sang holy water. It's like holy water washing over me. It's the kindness of God that leads to repentance. I wanna share with you a letter. It's one of the prison epistles.

So the prison epistles, Colossians, Ephesians, which we've hit in the past few weeks. I've quoted Philippians every week for the past six. It always comes down to something from Philippians. But Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon, for that one guy who lived in Colossian, the church met his house in Philippians. Starts right here.

Who's sending this letter? Return address, Paul and Timothy. What are they? Bond servants of Christ Jesus. Who is it to to all the saints of Christ Jesus?

Now, it's saying specifically to the ones in Philippi. If you wanna know what Philippi is like, it is a very nationalistic place where a lot of ex military guys retire for the good climate. They enjoy it. They wanna be there. Including all of the overseers and deacons, all of you pay attention to this, elders, deacons, grace to you and peace.

Look at that, Carl. If you ever look into any of Paul's New Testament letters, it always starts off with grace usually, but also peace. It never has them reversed. You get the grace of God, you get the peace of God along with it. Other than that, you're searching for peace.

So grace to you and the peace that comes with it from God, our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. If we were to take away an application point in any conversation, always start with grace and peace. Give them unmerited favor at the outset instead of holding something against them when you see them. Us and them is not a good idea. It's a terrible idea.

This is Paul's prayer for Philippians and this is where we started last week, Paul's prayer for the Colossians. I thank my God in all of my remembrance of you. Every time I think about you all, every time I think about you, I'm grateful. I see right there, I'm looking out and I'm seeing people, and I'm thinking, I'm thankful for that person. Every time I think about you, I'm thankful.

Sometimes I smile because we loaded a U Haul truck together or drove one to Tampa. Always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for all of y'all. All of y'all comes up over and over and over again. Actually, you can't see it from here, but you see all the yellow on that page? That's every time Paul says all of y'all in the first chapter of Corinth of Philippians.

Always offer in prayer, always with joy. Remember Hebrews thirteen seventeen, obey your leaders. Do you remember that verse? What it says is obey your leaders, they're ones that are accounting for you and let them do that with joy and not with sorrow. Isn't that good?

He's saying, every time I think about you, I'm praying for you and I'm joyful about it. In view of your participation in the gospel from the very first day until now. If you look at Acts 16, you'll see Paul's first trip into Philippi. He had been serving in Asia Minor, Turkey ish, and the spirit wouldn't let him go on into Asia. He wanted to.

It says, and the Holy Spirit hindered them from going into Asia. They spend the night somewhere, Paul has a vision, it's a Macedonian man near Philippi. Macedonia, Philippi's in Macedonia. Macedonian man saying, come on, we need your help. Please, Paul, come, bring us the good news.

And he goes over and he meets a very wealthy woman named Lydia, a seller of purple. He's followed around by a demon possessed slave girl who is screaming out, these people are from the most high God. That's a weird thing. But it's the richest ish and the poorest and then they get thrown in jail. When they're thrown in jail, God rattles the cage but they don't leave.

Roman soldier, retired prison guard is like, I've got to commit harry carry over this. All the prisoners are going to escape on my watch. And Paul says, no, we're here. What must I do to be saved? That's all in Philippi.

So when he says from the first day till now, Paul's thinking about Lydia. He's thinking about that demon possessed slave girl that finally Paul has enough of her just following him around and says, come out of her for crying out loud. And she's delivered. Lydia's saved. It's implied that this slave girl is saved.

The Philippian jailer and his whole household are saved. The the participation in the gospel for these folks is really really real. And he's thinking about it. He says, for I'm confident of this very thing that the one who began a good work among you, he's gonna complete it in the day of Christ Jesus. You are kept by the power of God.

It's only right for me to feel this way about all of y'all because I have you in my heart since both in my imprisonment and in the defense of the confirmation of the gospel. Y'all are partakers of grace with me. You're showing it. You sent me somebody to take care of me. He's gonna tell you more about that in a minute.

But y'all are in this with me. We're in this together. All of y'all and me, we're in this together. For God is my witness. How I long for all of y'all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

I love you in Christ's love like Jesus loves you. I wanna see you again. And I pray this too, so his prayer goes on. I pray that your love, which I know is real, it may overflow more and more. How?

In real knowledge and in real discernment, so that you can tell the difference between right and wrong, good and bad. So that you may discover the things that are excellent. He's writing this from prison. That you may be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ. I'm praying this for all of y'all, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ alone as Carl said this morning during band practice during a prayer.

He said, Lord, it's not our righteousness if it were our righteousness, it would be self righteousness. All of the righteousness that we have that's real is derived coming through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. Now, I want you to know brothers and sisters, my circumstances You know I'm in jail. Right? It's a rough spot.

No, he doesn't say that. He says, my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel. I'm sitting here still. I've already written the Colossians and the Ephesians and Old Philemon. Here we go.

It's good for me to just slow down every once in a while and take stock. I'm surrounded by people. You're sending me people. So that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ, I mean, I'm here because of that, has become well known throughout the Praetorian Guard. What?

He's in a Roman prison. Caesar's guard and to everyone else. Everybody in here knows the gospel. They're stuck with me. And that most of the brothers and sisters are trusting the Lord because of my imprisonment.

Remember Onesimus last week? Onesimus got saved from just being there hearing the gospel. Now, he had been in Philemon's house, a house where a church met and he ran away as a runaway slave and he meets Jesus in the prison. They have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Cause what's the worst that can happen?

Here we are having a ball. Some to be sure, I know there are folks out there that are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, I know that. But some of them are from goodwill, the latter of those do it out of love. The people who are doing it out of goodwill are because they love people, not just us. But they also love them.

They love everybody. They're preaching the good news of the gospel to bring more brothers and sisters into the kingdom. The latter do it out of love. Those are the folks of goodwill knowing that I'm appointed for the defense of the gospel. That's what I see.

I understand it from both sides and I know that that's why I'm here. The former though, those that are preaching Christ from envy and strife, they're proclaiming Christ out of their own selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking that they're causing my distress and my imprisonment. Have you you ever see a battle of the bands? The battle of the bands, oh, our band's the best, you know. Well, there are some people that just wanted to be the best proclaimer, you know.

And Paul's stuck in prison, so this is my opportunity. And they think that's gonna cause me distress. What then? What do I do with that? He goes, well, either way, whether it's in pretense or truth, if they're sharing the content of the gospel, it's the gospel.

Christ has proclaimed and in this I rejoice. It's like you can't even make him mad. But not only that, I also am not just gonna not be mad, I'm gonna rejoice. For I know that all this will turn out for my own deliverance through your prayers and provision of the spirit of Jesus Christ according to my eager expectation. Can you hear how much hope this guy has?

My eager expectation and my hope that I'm not gonna be put to shame in anything, but with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, that he will be exalted in my body. He's doing what he's doing through my circumstances as bad as you all think they are. I'm loving this, whether I live or die. And that starts to mend us something that is a greatest hits paragraph for sure. For to me, as I see it, to live, that's Christ.

To to die is gain. I've got a future in heaven for sure there in those mansions sublime. I can go and do that and for me, if I'm to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me because I know whom I have believed in. I don't know which one of these things I'd choose. I'm hard pressed from both directions, to live or to die, to live or to die.

Having the desire to depart and be with Christ, that's done. That's much better. Yeah. We won't have to put up with all the earthly nonsense we put up with, but to remain on the in the flesh, that's better for y'all. I've walked down the road a little further than y'all have.

And I I wanna be here for you convinced of this. I know I'm gonna remain. I know I'm gonna continue with you for all your progress and joy in the faith, so that your pride in Christ Jesus may be abundant because of me, by my coming to you again. I can't wait to get out so I can come see you again. Thus, he's not saying because the circumstances are bad, which they're terrible.

He hasn't mentioned that at all. Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the He said that in Colossians, he said that in Ephesians. He's saying, y'all be walking worthy. Be walking worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come to see you or I remain absent, I'm gonna hear about y'all and I'm gonna hear that you're standing firm in one spirit with one mind here, unity, striving together for the faith of the gospel and in no way alarmed by your opponents. Which is just a sign of destruction for them because if they're standing against almighty God, they cannot stand.

If you all stand together, you can't lose. For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on his behalf. Experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, you saw how it was and now you hear to be in me, you get it. There is some suffering involved in this. He mentions that he's not shying away from it.

Therefore, is there any encouragement in Christ? Can I ask y'all, is there any encouragement in Christ? Yes. Is there any consolation of love? Well, it's the most wonderful thing.

Yeah. Happy Valentine's Day coming up this week. It's wonderful. There's consolation in love even if you're going through a hard time. It's great if somebody loves you.

If there's any fellowship of the spirit, is there? To go to the other side of the world and to know you're in Indonesia or you're in Africa or you're wherever and you can just happen into a group of people that you have more in common with just like that, is great. There is fellowship in the spirit of God. If there's any affection, if there's any compassion, then y'all be making my joy complete by being of the same mind. Unity is so important.

It was so important to Jesus and Paul recognized it was so important to the advance of the gospel. Y'all, be maintaining that same love. Be united in the spirit. Be intent on one purpose. Don't do anything out of selfishness, nothing.

It doesn't go anywhere good. Trying to look good yourself. Selfishness or empty conceit, But with humility, y'all be considering one another as more important than yourselves. When you hear in Romans 12 it says, outdo one another how in showing honor. Pay attention to what they're saying.

Listen to them both directions. That's pretty good. Consider one another as more important than yourself. Don't merely look out for your own personal interest, but also be looking out for the interest of others. James three tells us right before the passage on the wisdom from above, this is the sentence right before the wisdom from above.

It says, where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. Oh, to be forgotten so that Christ may be remembered. Oh, to be forgotten so that Christ may be remembered. The vast and unchronicled witness is the way that the gospel advances. He's saying, don't do anything to make a name for yourself.

That leads to all kind of ugly stuff. Now, is Paul's instruction for him. Have this attitude. Attitude is everything by the way. The attitude that he's displaying right now is, though I'm in prison, I'm having a ball.

God's word is working itself out here. I'm not rolling and tumbling anymore right now. Have this attitude in yourselves which also was in Christ Jesus who, as he already existed as God, he did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. He wasn't trying to be right all the time. He already was submitted and righteous.

But he emptied himself. He emptied himself by taking the form of a bond servant and being born in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and by becoming obedient to the point of death, death on a cross. That's the worst. It's the most shameful.

But for this reason, because he was willing to empty himself, because he was willing to walk it out in complete submission to the spirit, because he's willing to voluntarily give himself over, God has highly exalted him. He bestowed on him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow. Everyone, everyone of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the father. This is a hymn. This part right here is probably a poem that Paul is quoting.

He's singing them a song. That center section, if you see the the colors there, that's just chiasm and it's to bring attention to that center section. Christ humbled himself and his humiliation went so far as to being obedient to death and even the death on a Roman cross. He's calling for unity in the body and he's saying that it mattered enough to Christ that he was willing to go all the way to death. So then, oh, here we go.

This is the turn. What do you do with that information? My beloved, just as you have always obeyed. Y'all, when I met you, it was just immediate, it took off and y'all were paying attention and the gospel was spreading and the church was growing and not just while I was there, I've heard a lot since I've been gone, but now much more in my absence, I hear about you all the time. Y'all be working out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

My path is not exactly your path, but you're saved and as you're walking that out, be doing so with reverence to God, listening, paying attention and advancing. It's God who's at work in you, you don't have to manufacture it like Carl said. You don't have to manufacture, it's God who's doing the work, he's doing it both to desire and to work for his good pleasure. So in humility, be doing what he says. Do all things without complaining or arguments.

Some some translations say, without grumbling or complaining. Oh, now I've gone from preaching to meddling. Do all things without complaining or arguments so that you'll prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent. Children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you will appear as lights in the world. When people ask about Jackson, a lot of people kinda make fun of me honestly.

Right? They're suffering for Jesus. Somebody's gotta do it. Well, you're out there in one of the prettiest places in the world. And I said, yeah, I am.

I am. I'm trying to do it without grumbling and complaining. What I say, spiritually speaking Jackson can be a very dark place, but there are some really bright lights. Right? Really, really bright lights among whom you appear as lights in the world.

Pay attention to that. Hold firmly to the word of life. Stick with what scripture has to say, so that on the day of Christ, I can take pride because I didn't run-in vain. I didn't labor in vain. Even if I am being poured out like they tell me, as a drink offered upon sacrifice and service of your faith, even if what I've done has gotten me here, I rejoice and I share my joy with all of y'all.

Y'all, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me. I wanna hear how things are going. I wanna hear good stuff. This is about him sending Timothy and Epaphroditus back to them. I'm skipping one paragraph.

Say I mean, y'all don't have to thank me or anything. Here we are, chapter three. Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands. To write the same things again is no trouble for me.

It's a safeguard for you. We're leaky people. We need to keep on hearing this. Beware of the dogs. Beware of the evil workers.

Beware of the false circumcision. We know, we know. We're the true circumcision. We who worship in the spirit of God and take pride in Christ Jesus put no confidence in the flesh. It's not earthly stuff I'm talking about.

I could boast, but I could boast it'd be for the wrong reasons. Oh yeah, circumcised in the eighth day just like you're supposed to. I'm of the nation of Israel, course. Tribe of Benjamin, wonderful tribe. Hebrew of Hebrews, that's the law.

Was a Pharisee. I mean, they're super zealous. And as the zeal, I was a persecutor of the church. I know about what it is, the righteousness which is in the law. I was found blameless.

But whatever things were gained to me before, whatever I used to think was something special, these things I've counted as absolute loss because of Christ. When he got me, it made all that other stuff seem silly. More than that, I count all things to be lost in the view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I've suffered the loss of all things and that's fine. I count all that stuff as just mere scubula, rubbish. It's a pretty foul word actually.

Dung, filth. I count everything that I thought was great before to just be filth, so that I may gain Christ, I may be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ. The righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed into his death. I'm dying to self and it's wonderful. If somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead, I'm looking forward to it.

Not that I've already grasped it, I don't know it all or already have become perfect, I'm certainly not, but I press on. If I may also take hold of that for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I don't regard myself as having taken hold of it yet, but one thing I do, I leave the past in the past, forgetting what lies behind, reaching forward to what lies ahead. If we're going to spend eternity together, then let's get together now. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, all of y'all who are mature, let's have this attitude together. And if anything you have a different attitude, if if in anything you don't agree, God will reveal that to you as well. I trust him to do that. However, let's keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. Let's don't turn back on it now.

Brothers and sisters, join in following my example and observe those other folks who are walking according to the pattern you've seen in me and in Timothy and in Silas. Many walk of whom I've often told you, now tell you as I weep that they're enemies of the cross, that's true. Their end is destruction, but let God deal with that. Who's God is their appetite, whose glory is in their shame, who have their eyes on earthly things. Yeah, it exists.

He already mentioned it in the first chapter that they were preaching out of envy and strife and selfish ambition. But Paul says to these folks who are citizens and Roman citizenship is a big deal in Philippi, actually, yeah, I won't go into that. For our citizenship is in heaven. We've called out of and into. Out of all our little groups and into this group that has citizenship in heaven, for which we also eagerly wait for a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, will transform the body of our lowly condition into conformity with his own glorious body by the exertion of the power that he has subject to himself.

Therefore, fourth chapter, my beloved brothers and sisters whom I long to see, my joy and my crown. Boy, I just sit here and think about how awesome you all are. You all be standing firm in the Lord. Be standing firm firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. Now, we could go back to that and say, humble yourselves and think of others and serve them.

Stand firm in the Lord in this way. I urge Euodia and I urge Centichi to live in harmony with the Lord. They're specific people, my goodness, he called them out. Well, everything that he said is for all of us. I urge you all to live in harmony with the Lord.

That's the way you do it. You don't just try to get closer to the other person's opinion, you both try to get close to Jesus' opinion. Indeed, true companion, I ask you also help them, help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel. Both of them are valuable workers for the kingdom together with Clement as well as the rest of my fellow workers whose names are all in the book of life. He's not questioning anybody's salvation.

We do that a lot in the church. If they disagree with us about transubstantiation, they're anathema. Do you all know what transubstantiation is? Yeah. That's right.

Goodness gracious. Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice. Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. Let them know what?

Your gentle spirit. The Lord is near. Don't be anxious about anything. Is that a time? Is this this is what I was working towards right here.

Is this a message for our time or what? There is so much fear mongering and anxiety inducement around. And Paul is saying, gentle spirit, that's what we're after. The Lord is near, take heart, don't be anxious about anything but if anything sneaks up on you and you're starting to get anxious in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving. There's a lot of brain brain science stuff that's coming out right now saying, you cannot be anxious and grateful at the same time.

That's what this said. Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And if you'll do that, the peace of God which Carl spoke so personally of, the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, it'll be guarding your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Four eight, finally, he's already said finally, he's just a preacher, isn't he? He's already said finally like three times.

Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, is that what we talk about? Is that what we dwell on? If there's any excellence, is there? Yeah. Is there anything that's worthy of praise?

Yeah. Be thinking about these things. Lately, I've been trying to do this. I wrote down a little matrix for myself. If I start to get upset or frustrated with a situation, I say, what is true in this situation?

What is honorable about this situation? If I'm struggling with a person, I say, what is true about that person? He sure could whistle. It might start small. What's honorable?

What's right? What's pure? What's lovely? What's excellent? What's worthy of praise?

You can always go to God and name those things because you can see them in him. But think about his image bearers and how they are that way too. I like this. This is this is something that I just I love. As for the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, Paul says, be practicing these things.

And I tell you what, the God of peace will be with you. I'm a stop right there. As for the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, in my life with you, in my life away from you, in my life in this prison, and in this letter, everything that you sing, come on up Carl, would you? And Lisa and Ryan. We're gonna sing a song together.

Yep. The peace that passes understanding is my song. Would you stand up? We're gonna sing my hope is in you. God help us.

Help us when we get so self righteous, we are just horrible to be around. Help us, Lord, to see that when you called us to a job, you figured in our stupidity at the outset. In Jesus name, thank you for using our weakness to show yourself as strong. Amen.

And my soul sings out as your word throws down far away. I send to you and my heart cries holy. Hallelujah. Father, you were near my hope is in you. My hope is in you, Lord, all day long.

And I won't be shaken by drowned or storm. Feast that passes understanding is my song, and I'll sing. My hope is in you low. I wait for you, and my soul finds rest. And my sail

Amen. Two benedictions for you. Four six and seven says, be anxious for nothing. If anxiety is creeping on you, pray. Pray.

Ask God with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to him and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. If if that doesn't work or even while it's working, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there's any excellence, and there he is. If there's anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Be thinking about them. Lord, may it fill our hearts and our minds and may it overflow out of our mouths.

Amen. Amen.