[0:00] Philippians chapter 1. We're going to begin reading in verse 19 and read through the end of the chapter. So 19 through 30. Philippians chapter 1.
[0:11] For I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage, so that now, as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
[0:36] For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.
[0:47] Yet what shall I choose? I do not know. I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far. But it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
[1:04] Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again, your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.
[1:20] Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel, without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.
[1:43] This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.
[2:00] Since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. Let's hear God's word preached. Well, thank you for your prayers for me while I was away.
[2:17] The Lord has answered them. He has refreshed me and brought me back. Thankful to be home. You are home. And look forward to worshiping and working together on into this year.
[2:34] Now, in our study of Paul's letter to the church at Philippi, we've noted three major themes that just keep bouncing back up.
[2:44] That of joy, unity, and the mission, the gospel mission. And we're also noticing something of the interconnectedness of those three themes.
[2:58] The interdependence, how one affects the other. And as we come today to verse 27 of chapter 1, we are now coming to the first commandment given in the letter.
[3:12] We've come 26 verses without a command. And now we're given a command to obey. And it's a special command, one that's to shape the whole of our lives.
[3:25] Verse 27a, whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. That's the command.
[3:40] Now, God's commandments are usually applied to a specific aspect of our lives. Maybe to marriage or to worship or work.
[3:52] The family, some aspect of life. The commands come specific to those responsibilities that God has given us. But every so often in Scripture, we bump into a command that is all-inclusive.
[4:09] What I'm calling an all-inclusive rule of conduct. It reaches in its application to the whole of life. Not just to worship. Not just to family life or work life.
[4:22] But to all of life, every aspect of it. It's like the golden rule that our Lord gave us in Matthew 7 and verse 12. And notice, it's all-inclusiveness.
[4:35] So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. Very similar. For this sums up the law and the prophets.
[4:47] It's very similar to that second greatest commandment. To love our neighbor as ourself. Jesus knows that we love ourselves. And he says, now put that love for yourself to use.
[4:58] And learn how you are to love your neighbor. So put yourself in their shoes. And ask the question, if I were them now in this situation. With all that has gone on and is going on.
[5:11] How would I want to be treated? And then treat them accordingly. The golden rule. One size fits all rule.
[5:21] Another one is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 31. So whether you eat or drink. Or whatever you do. Do it all for the glory of God.
[5:34] You see its extent. All inclusive. Every single thing you do in life is to be done. For the honor of God's reputation on the earth.
[5:45] And if you can't do it to the glory of God. You're not to do it. Well, that's the kind of text that Philippians 1.27a is. It belongs to this same category of all inclusive rules of conduct.
[6:00] Whatever happens. Whatever happens. Or always and only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
[6:13] Now, there were failures of unity in the church that Paul is soon to address head on. But he begins by rightly relating this problem to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[6:28] Unity problems are gospel problems. Love problems are gospel problems. Indeed, we can say without being overly simplistic.
[6:43] That all problems are gospel problems. All problems are failures to rightly understand and apply the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[6:54] Christ. And so everything that follows verse 27 for the rest of the letter. In one sense is just spelling out what it means to conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel.
[7:12] Now, would you not agree that if we are anything, brothers and sisters, we are gospel people. Once we were not a people. But now we are the people of God.
[7:24] And how did we become the people of God? Well, it was through the gospel. It was through the gospel of Christ. That we entered into these glorious privileges of salvation.
[7:38] And became the family, the people of God. And so we sing the gospel. We read the gospel. We preach the gospel.
[7:49] We believe the gospel. We receive it. We walk in it. We live it. That's what the Apostle Paul is telling us here.
[8:00] That the gospel is not just something to know. It's not something just to get right and to sign on to on our statement of faith. There, I've done it. I've believed.
[8:11] And now I can get on with my life. No. Paul says the gospel is now meant to dictate the kind of life that you live.
[8:24] It's meant to control our conduct as Christian men and women, boys and girls. It's meant to exert a powerful influence upon everything we do.
[8:37] And so verse 27 is nothing less than a call to gospel-shaped living. The gospel-shaped life.
[8:48] And that no matter what happens. It's to be a life shaped by the gospel. Now, I don't know everything that's happening in your lives. Or may happen in your lives.
[9:01] But I know that whatever happens, you are to conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel. Now, Paul's been telling us up to this point what's happening in his life.
[9:13] What was happening to Paul? Well, it was imprisonment by the world, wasn't it? Persecution from the world. And mistreatment and trouble from his brothers.
[9:23] Some of the brothers in Christ who were preaching Christ out of rivalry, trying to stir up problems and trouble for Paul while he was in prison. That's what it had been for Paul.
[9:34] And what he shows us is that his response to what was happening was to walk worthy of the gospel of Christ.
[9:48] And that's what he's now calling us to do. He's turning to the Philippian church, to Grace Fellowship Church. And he's saying, now you have the same duty.
[10:04] Follow me as I follow Christ in this business. The gospel's brought untold blessing and privileges to us, but it also lays upon us this all-encompassing obligation to now live worthy of it.
[10:21] I've not yet got my head around this one duty. But it's been helpful thinking through these things this week.
[10:39] And I see just how all-inclusive this is. And as it trickles down in more and more to our head and hearts, we will see that I do nothing but that the gospel is to have a shaping influence upon me.
[10:59] So that's the all-inclusive rule of conduct stated. Now let's see this all-inclusive rule of conduct applied. And I was going to say, let's apply it generally, and then we'll see specifically how Paul applies it to the church at Philippi.
[11:16] But I realized this morning that I have just too many pages of notes. And rather than rush over it, I'd rather save the latter part for next week, Lord willing.
[11:29] So what we're looking at then is how does this rule of conduct apply in our lives? How does it touch everything that we do and shape all that we are and do?
[11:43] And then next week, we'll see how the apostle applies it to the specific situations that were going on in Philippi. Anyway, it's clear on the face of the verse that there is such a thing as conduct worthy of the gospel.
[12:02] And there's conduct that is unworthy of the gospel. So let me give some examples this morning. Let's tease this out and ask, what is conduct worthy of the gospel?
[12:17] What does a gospel shape like look like? Well, let's ask what the gospel says. The gospel says that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son.
[12:33] That whoever puts their trust in him will not perish in hell forever, but have everlasting life. The gospel says that the son of God loved me and gave himself for me.
[12:48] The gospel says that when the kindness and love of God appeared. He saved us.
[13:00] So if the gospel is saying anything. And if the gospel is anything, it is God's love in action, isn't it?
[13:11] And it's God's love in action for sinners. For sinners. For God demonstrates his love for us in this and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
[13:26] The gospel of Christ is a gospel of love. Therefore, conduct worthy of that gospel means that you must major on loving people.
[13:41] And sinful ones at that. Especially sinful ones, since that's what gospel love is. Whether they be Christians or non-Christians. Loving with gospel love.
[13:54] And so this gospel is calling us then to be imitators of God as dearly loved children. And to live a life of love.
[14:06] Just as Jesus loved us and gave himself up for us. Ephesians 5, 1 and 2. And that gospel then. The gospel of love.
[14:17] Holds huge ramifications for whatever happens to us in life. Doesn't it? It means that Christ-like love. 1 Corinthians 13. Love. Should be more and more describing me every day.
[14:33] Love that is patient and kind. Love that rejoices with the truth. That bears all things. That believes all things.
[14:44] That puts the best construction on all things. Love. Love. That's conduct worthy of the gospel of love.
[14:57] And this love does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. Nor self-seeking. Not easily angered.
[15:10] And keeps no record of wrongs. Why not? Because. That's not God's love. And that kind of love is. Or treatment is not.
[15:22] Worthy of the gospel. The gospel of love. So. The gospel is a supernatural love. Such as only the gospel produces.
[15:34] And so. Your loving kindness ought to surprise folks. Who are used to the harshness and hatefulness. That is found. In the world. And that's conducting yourself.
[15:45] In a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. That's not hard to see. Is it? How the gospel. Shapes our life. The gospel of love. Means that.
[15:56] We love. Like we've been loved. Or again. Another example. The gospel tells us that. In Christ. We have redemption.
[16:06] The forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1. 13. How many of you have earned. Forgiveness from God. How many of you have.
[16:18] Have paid for your sins. You say. John. That's not the gospel. Of course it's not. And besides. It's impossible. Our debt was too great. Indeed.
[16:29] The offense of even one of my sins. Would take eternity. To atone for. And I could never. Be able to pay the last farthing. No. The gospel of Christ.
[16:39] Says that. When we could not pay. Jesus paid it all. For us. That all my sins. Have been freely forgiven. For Jesus sake.
[16:50] Because of what he did. For Christ. Died for sins. Once for all time. The. The righteous one. For the unrighteous. To bring.
[17:01] Us. To God. So the gospel of Christ. Is a gospel of full. And free forgiveness. And to conduct yourself.
[17:13] In a manner worthy. Of this gospel. Gospel means. That you ought to be. Ever so quick. To forgive. Others. Who sin against you. You've been forgiven. Far more.
[17:23] The gospel of free forgiveness. Tells us. Get rid of all bitterness. Rage. Anger. Brawling. Slander. Along with every form of malice.
[17:36] That says. There's. More than one kind. Of malice. Some of it's outward. Very obvious. Others. Inward. But to get rid of every form.
[17:46] Of malice. And then. To forgive. Each other. Just as. In Christ.
[17:57] God forgave you. That's the gospel. And only this kind of behavior. Is worthy. Of the gospel. We didn't pay for our sins. Christ did. Yet.
[18:08] Without this gospel. Shaping our hearts. When others offend us. We can be brutal. In making them pay for it. Can't we?
[18:21] We can go off on them. Just. Explode. With sharp. And cutting words. Intended to hurt. Back. We can give them. Icy looks. Don't we have that phrase.
[18:33] If. Looks could kill. That's what it's talking about. You're going to pay for that. If it's nothing more than. Icy look. Or.
[18:43] We can give them. The silent treatment. The cold shoulder. Or file away. For future use against them. What are these? But all ways.
[18:54] To make them pay. For their sins against me. But such conduct. Is completely out of touch. And totally unworthy.
[19:05] Of the gospel. Of Christ. The gospel. Of full and free. Forgiveness. Such a gospel. Says. Calls us. To be merciful.
[19:15] Just as we have. Been shown. Mercy. So no one. Needs to earn. Mercy. No one. Ever. Needs to earn. Grace. From me.
[19:27] Because. The gospel. Has freely. Forgiven me. Because of. What Jesus. Has done. He paid it all. That's conduct. Then. Worthy. Of the gospel.
[19:37] Of Christ. Freely. I've received. So freely. I give. Freely. I give. Forgiveness. How does the gospel. Shape.
[19:48] Our conduct. Another example. Well. Since Christ. Has freely. Forgiven. All my sins. Does that mean. Then. That I don't need.
[19:59] To really. Be all that. Concerned. About sin. In my life. I can just. Live any way. I like. Because Jesus. Paid it all. And though. I. Am a bit. Flippant.
[20:10] In explaining it. That is a doctrine. That runs. Rife. Through the church. The evangelical church. I don't need. To be all that. Concerned. About mortifying. Sin. About making.
[20:22] Every effort. To be holy. Because after all. Jesus. Paid it all. It. Is that. Right. Or. What do we do.
[20:32] With such a suggestion. And. It arises. In our own. Hearts. Well. What does the gospel. Have to say. About this. You see. That's what we've got. To keep coming back.
[20:43] What is the. Does the gospel. Have anything. To. To contribute. To this discussion. Of. How I ought to live. Well. The gospel. Claims to be.
[20:53] The power of God. Unto. What? Salvation. For everyone. Who believes. And by the way. That salvation. Is a salvation.
[21:04] From. What? Sin. In fact. That's why the son of God. Took the name Jesus. God gave him that name. Because Jesus means. The Lord saves. And he will save his people.
[21:16] From hell. No. That's not what it says. It says. He will save his people. From sin. From their sins. Yes. From hell. But. He will save them.
[21:27] From that sinful lifestyle. That. That used to characterize them. We sang it. Didn't we? That there's power. The power of God. In the gospel.
[21:38] To break. The chains. Of reigning sin. To set the prisoner free. So. Interesting.
[21:50] That's what the gospel claims. So are you conducting yourself. In a manner worthy. Of that gospel. Is it patently.
[22:01] Obviously. Clear. That. That the gospel. The power of the gospel. Is setting you free. From your sin. It's setting you apart. To God.
[22:12] Is there. Is there more to your life. Than just an outward form. Of godliness. Is there. The inward power. Of godliness. The inward power. Of the gospel.
[22:24] Changing you from the inside. Out. From top. To bottom. The gospel. Tells us of a father. Who chose us. To be holy. Not because we were holy.
[22:36] We weren't. But he chose. Us. To be holy. That was the purpose. For saving us. To be holy. That we might. Honor.
[22:47] And glorify him. By a holy life. Walking according to his rules. His ways. So. The gospel says.
[22:58] We have a father. Who chose us. To be holy. And it tells us. That we have a. A savior. Who died. To make us holy. A holy life. Then.
[23:08] Is conduct. Worthy. Of the gospel. God forbid. Should we go on. Sinning. That grace may abound. God forbid. Perish the thought.
[23:19] It's. It's not worth. Hanging on. To a second. Longer. Because. We were saved. To be free from sin. To be set apart. Unto God. For holiness. So.
[23:31] Be holy. As he is holy. Not in order to be saved. But because he has saved you. He saved you freely. By the work of Christ. By grace alone.
[23:43] Through faith alone. But that grace. The grace of God. God. In the gospel. Is sin killing grace. Isn't it?
[23:54] Isn't it? That what Titus 1. Titus 2. 11. And following says. That the grace. Of God. That brings salvation. Has appeared to all men.
[24:06] The grace of God. That brings salvation. Has appeared to all men. And it teaches us. It. What? The grace of God.
[24:16] In the gospel. That saves us. Teaches us. To say no. To ungodliness. And worldly passions. And to say yes.
[24:27] To a self-controlled. Upright. And godly life. In this present. Age. That's what the gospel. Teaches us. And says to us. That Christ.
[24:39] Gave himself up for us. Why? To redeem us. From all wickedness. And to purify. Unto himself. A people. Who are his. Treasure possession. Eager to do.
[24:51] The good. And so Calvin writes. We're not cleansed by Christ. So that we can immerse ourselves. Continually. In fresh dirt. But in order that our purity.
[25:03] May serve the glory. Of God. Making every effort. To be holy. Is conduct. Worthy. Of the gospel. Of Christ.
[25:14] You see. When the gospel. Comes to a man. In saving power. It not only does something. For him. It does something. In him. And both are.
[25:25] Absolutely. Parts of the gospel. The gospel. Applied. The gospel. Does something. For me. It changes. My record. In heaven. From damned. To justified.
[25:35] From condemned. Guilty. To righteous. That transfer. Of my sins. To Christ. And his righteousness. To my account. That. Is what is done.
[25:47] For me. By the gospel. But the gospel. Also does something. In me. It brings to me. The heart. Of Christ. The Holy Spirit.
[25:57] Working. Transforming. My life. Into what? Into that same. Likeness. Of Jesus. That holy one. That one. Righteous.
[26:08] One. So the gospel. Does something. To a man. It changes him. And is changing him. It humbles him. It makes him poor.
[26:20] In spirit. It makes him mourn. And mourn. For sin. And.
[26:32] To mourn. For none. More than his own sins. Because he knows them. Better than. Anybody else's. The gospel. Makes a man. Meek.
[26:43] Have you noticed that? That the gospel. Tenderizes. Man. I didn't say. It makes him weak. It makes him weak. Not weak. But meek. Doesn't have to have his way.
[26:54] He's a tender man. He's gentle. He's. Easily approached. He's reasonable. Meek. Paul was a savage man.
[27:07] Before. He was saved. Breathing out. Slaughter. Against the church. Of Jesus Christ. And the gospel. Tenderized that man.
[27:17] Didn't it? He wept. Over his people. He wept. Over his laws. Israelites. It tenderized him. The gospel. Makes a man.
[27:28] Meek. The gospel. Makes a man. Hunger. And thirst. For righteousness. To be right. With God. To live a life. According to God's. Righteous commandments. The gospel.
[27:39] Makes a man. Merciful. Not demanding. Justice. Be served. The gospel. Makes a man. Pure in heart. Cleansing.
[27:50] The heart. From sin. The gospel. Makes a man. A peacemaker. Like his father. In heaven. The gospel. Makes a man. Willing to suffer. Persecution. For Jesus.
[28:01] Sake. And we'll see that. Next week. As Paul. Applies. This whole principle. To the church. At Philippi. Well. You know. What I've. Just done. I've taken you. Through the beatitudes.
[28:13] That is. Conduct. A heart. And conduct. Worthy. Of the gospel. That's the gospel. Shaped life.
[28:23] Well. We could. We could. Go on. The gospel. If it's anything. Is a gospel. Of grace. And. You know. The grace. Of our Lord. Jesus Christ. That though. He was rich. Yet.
[28:34] For your sakes. He became poor. So that you. Through his poverty. Might be made rich. How rich. I am. Since Jesus.
[28:45] Came to me. Redeemed my soul. Gave me eyes. To see. How rich. How very rich. I am. But it came. At his expense. And so to live.
[28:57] To live. To live. Life. And to conduct. Myself. In a manner. Worthy of the. The gospel. Of Christ. Which is a gospel. Of grace. Means that. I will be willing.
[29:08] To become poor. To make others. Richer. I will be willing. To go without. And to sacrifice. Rights. And preferences. And things. For myself. In order.
[29:20] To make others. Rich. With my money. With my time. With my words. With whatever it is. I am. And have. That's life.
[29:30] And conducted. In a manner. Worthy of the gospel. What does the gospel. Tell us. It tells us. About a humble. Savior. Doesn't it? Tell us.
[29:42] About a humble. God. That though. He was. And this is where. Paul's going. You see. This is all. Part of. The thought. From 27. He's going.
[29:52] To chapter 2. And he's going. To tell us. About the son of God. Who was. Equal. With the father. In every way. And yet. He didn't. Hold on. To all those.
[30:03] Privileges. And rights. That were. His there in heaven. But. He humbled himself. He became one of us. A nobody. A servant. A slave. And humbled himself.
[30:16] And was obedient. What's humbler than a slave. Obeying a master.
[30:27] And even. Obedient to the death of the cross. Down. Down. Down. He went. The gospel's about a humble savior. Did you know that the only place in scripture. Where Jesus talks about his own.
[30:39] State of heart. Is Matthew 11. Verse. 28 and 29. Where he says. Come to me. All you who are weary. And heavy laden. And I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you.
[30:50] And learn from me. For I am what? I'm lowly. I'm humble. And gentle. Of heart. That's our savior.
[31:00] That's the gospel of Christ. That tells us about a humble Jesus. Well then there ought not be. A humbler man on my street. Than. One who's been saved. By that humble Jesus.
[31:10] By that humble. God. Who stooped. To take my sin. And pay for it all.
[31:24] So. We could go on. I trust you see. Just how intensely practical. And how all inclusive. This rule of conduct is.
[31:36] Work it out for yourself. Think about. Whatever's happening. Think about the gospel. Take time to think. What. What. What does the gospel tell me. That ought to shape my conduct.
[31:47] Right now. In what's happened. All our daily Christian behaviors. To flow out. From the gospel. But now how.
[32:02] How do we keep our hearts. Under this life shaping power. Of the gospel of Christ. That's the challenge. Isn't it. I mean. I can come in here on Sunday.
[32:12] And sing. And hear the word. And pray along with you. As you men lead us. And my heart is just. Burning within me. Like those disciples. On the road to Emmaus. And by Thursday.
[32:24] I can be ready. To strangle. Somebody. Who offended me. When I've just been. Four days earlier. Worshipping a God.
[32:36] Who forgave me. The whole mountain. Of my sin death. And now I'm ready. To strangle a man. For some words. He said against me. Or some look. That he gave me.
[32:47] Here. No. What's wrong. How do I keep my heart. In a state. Where the gospel. Is shaping. My conduct.
[32:57] That's the. That's the million dollar question. That I. Was struggling for this week. We want the gospel. Working in our hearts. Like a tea bag. Flavoring every drop of water.
[33:09] In the cup. And you who are tea drinkers. Know that that doesn't happen. With a one minute dip. In and out. Of the cup. You must let it steep. You must wait.
[33:20] You must linger long. Until the flavor. In the tea bag. Leaves its flavor. In every drop. In the cup.
[33:32] And if our. Entire conduct. Is to bear the distinct flavor. Of the gospel. Of Christ. It's going to take more. Than an occasional dip.
[33:43] Into the gospel. Of Christ. In him crucified. It's going to mean. Lingering. At the cross. Like Bunyan's pilgrim.
[33:55] Who just stared. And stared. Until the tears fell. And he was ready. To go on. In the journey. So how often.
[34:07] Do you need. To revisit. Calvary. To keep your heart. In a gospel. Shape. I find. I need it daily.
[34:18] If it's to hold. Sway in my heart. If it's to humble. And. Tenderize me. And keep me. Low. And lead me. In whatever happens. To behave.
[34:28] In ways worthy. Of the gospel. Of Christ. I need it. Every day. I forget. So easy. That I'm the sinner. Who needs this savior. Who is bleeding. And dying. On the cross.
[34:41] And when I'm forgetting. That I'm toxic. I'm dangerous. To you. To anybody. In my life. I'm not. Then. Conducting myself.
[34:52] In a manner. Worthy of the gospel. I'm not building. Others. Up in love. I'm not. Giving them. Grace. And mercy. I'm tearing them down. In self-interest. And neglect.
[35:03] And spiteful. Paybacks. How often. Do you need. To revisit. Calvary. There. Confess your sins. I wonder.
[35:14] If our Lord. Is not. Teaching us. Something. About. That question. When he taught us. To pray. Give us. This day. This day.
[35:25] Our daily bread. And. Forgive us. Our debts. Even as we forgive. Our debtors.
[35:35] Could it be. That what Jesus. Is saying. Is that just. As. This day. And every day. We are to pray. About our physical. Needs. We are to come. Confessing.
[35:46] Our sins. To God. And to receive. From him. That kiss. Of pardon. I am.
[35:56] Needing. Daily. To bring. My sins. To that. Beautiful. Terrible. Cross. Asking. What is. Someone like you. Doing. In a place. Like this.
[36:08] You. The holy. And harmless. Son of God. The eternal. Delight. Of your father. What are you. Doing. In. In this. Place. This. This place.
[36:18] Of judgment. Of condemnation. Of curse. For everyone. Knows. That. That. That. Cursed. Is the one. Who is. Hanged. On a tree. Everyone. Knows. That the curse.
[36:28] Brought the thorns. And. And you're. In a place. Where you're. Wearing. A crown. But it's. The crown. Of a curse. Placed. Upon you. What are you. Doing. Doing. Wearing. That crown.
[36:40] Why are you. Crying. You. Who have enjoyed. Sweet. Fellowship. With your God. Forever. My God. My God. Why have you. Abandoned me. Why in that moment.
[36:52] Does he feel. Absolutely. Zero. Of the father's. Delight. And love. In him. And the gospel. Says. It was for you. John. It was for you.
[37:03] John. So. So stay. And linger. And watch. And think. What's happening. Here. Until your heart.
[37:18] Warms. And melts. Before the sight. Who. Was the guilty. Who laid this. Upon thee. Oh.
[37:30] Alas. My treason. Jesus. Has. Undone thee. T'was I. Lord Jesus. I.
[37:41] It was. Denied thee. I. Crucified thee. For me. Kind. Jesus. Was. Thine. Incarnation. Thy. Mortal. Sorrow. And. Thy. Life's.
[37:51] Oblation. Thy. Death. Of. Anguish. Thy. Bitter. Passion. For. My. Salvation. There's. Nothing. In that. That. We. Don't. Know.
[38:03] We hear it. Every week. We read it in our Bibles. If we're reading our Bibles. We're. We're bumping into it. But. But. When. Has it last. Melted you. And brought you under its spell.
[38:15] Of. Wonder. Love. And praise. And. And. Then. Sent you out. Into a world. To love. And give grace. And mercy.
[38:25] And truth. And righteousness. And holiness. Whatever. Is happening. To you. So.
[38:38] How many days out. Are you. How long. Since you've had that kind of look. At the terrible. Beautiful.
[38:49] Cross. Of Christ. And knowing. That it was your sins. And then. Took your sins. To that savior. And just as the.
[38:59] The sinner. In the old testament. Laid his hands on the head of the. The sacrificial. Victim. The sheep. And confessed his sins. Do you come to the altar of Calvary.
[39:10] And. Confess your sins. You sin specifically. Do you confess. Specifically. Do you trace your sins back. Right to the root core.
[39:22] Of the heart. And confess that. Before the altar of Calvary. Where the blood is flowing. For your forgiveness. Oh Lord.
[39:34] Forgive my father. That I should ever think. That I know better. How. To live my life. Forgive my pride. That I should.
[39:46] Should ever think that. I deserve better. Than what I'm getting. Folks. We deserve hell. Period. Period.
[39:58] We must come and confess. That we've been. Discontented. We've been peevish. We've been unsatisfied. We've been ungrateful.
[40:09] We've been ungrateful. That one affliction. Has caused us to lose. The wonder of a thousand mercies.
[40:20] That we're. Receiving. From our God. And we. We confess. Our waywardness. That we stray.
[40:32] That there's still something in me. That. That wants to go my way. Instead of your way. And we bring it to the cross. And we. We cast it upon our savior. Forgive me Lord.
[40:45] It's rebellion. And rebellion. Is as the sin. Of witchcraft. It's arrogance. To try to throw you.
[40:57] Off the throne. And arrogance. Is like. The evil. Of idolatry. And I'm making myself. An idol. And putting myself. In your.
[41:08] Place. On your throne. Forgive me. Forgive me. I come and confess. My sins. How many days out are you?
[41:21] How long has it been? It's only as I come fresh. From that altar of Calvary. With the kiss of mercy. And forgiveness.
[41:31] And love. That I'm then ready. To meet you. Ready to meet my family. Ready to meet my church family.
[41:42] Ready to meet the world. And treat them. As I have been treated. And as I want to be treated. You see.
[41:54] We sing that song. We stand forgiven. Where? At the cross. Don't we? We stand forgiven. At the cross. That's the glory. Of the gospel. What I'm telling you now.
[42:05] Is we stand forgiving. At the cross. Because the one. And the two. Are connected. I will not forgive you. Unless I am appreciating. How much I've been forgiven.
[42:16] Didn't Jesus tell. A parable about that. And ended with the fact. Of God have mercy upon me. As I have had mercy on others. And if I'm not merciful. Toward others.
[42:26] You won't be merciful. And so. It's only here. That receiving mercy. That I'm ready. And I'm equipped. To conduct my life.
[42:37] In a manner worthy. Of this gospel. That I just delighted in. And that I've come away. Melted. And warmed. And shaped by. And so I sing. Jesus. Keep me near the cross.
[42:49] There I'm equipped. For conduct. Worthy. Of the gospel. Let's get to the cross. Every day. Oh. We can be so.
[42:59] Flippant. So shallow. So. So quick. And forgive my sins. And thanks for dying for me. I don't know about you.
[43:10] But that doesn't cut it with me. I don't. I don't. Last long. In. In. Conducting myself. In a manner worthy of the gospel. And that's all I give. Well that's a general.
[43:25] Idea then. Of how this all inclusive. Rule of conduct. Is to be applied. Next week. We'll notice how the apostle. Plies it. To the specific situations.
[43:37] In the church at Philippi. And we're going to find. That they're not. We're not so much different. In our needs. As them. If you're here without Christ.
[43:49] This morning. The answer. For you. Is much the same. What does the gospel. Say to you. Well we've just been explaining.
[43:59] What it says to you. Forgiveness is free. Free to you. Costly to Jesus. The gospel is about. The love of God. About the grace of God.
[44:10] The mercy of God. For. For the ungodly. For idolaters. For sinners. So. So. Could I. Urge you.
[44:22] In behalf of Christ. To. To conduct yourself. Right now. In this moment. In a manner worthy. Of that gospel. To come to this. Jesus. And to cast yourself.
[44:32] Upon his mercy. That's conduct. Commensurate. And in line with. The gospel. Do you know. What's being offered. To you this morning.
[44:44] It is the precious. Gospel. There's nothing more. Precious in the world. Than the gospel. To have all your sins. Forgiven. Never once. Brought up against you.
[44:55] In judgment. Do you know. Do you know. Do you know. the excellencies of him who's called us out of darkness into his light.
[45:31] And he will give you the gift of forgiveness. The gift of light and life, abundant life, eternal life. And the gift of the spirit to enable you more and more to live in a manner worthy of the gospel.
[45:52] Jesus, keep me near the cross. We were going to sing a different hymn. But since we've stopped short, I'm going to ask you to take your hymnals and turn to number 704.
[46:05] And we're just going to sing two verses, 704. The first and the third verse. Jesus, keep me near the cross.
[46:19] God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. We'll stand and we'll sing as our response to this word, Jesus, keep me near the cross.
[46:30] First and third verses. Let's pray.
[46:44] Let's pray. Our loving and kind Father in heaven, faithful friend, thank you for the Bible.
[46:59] Thank you that it is so precious because it contains the good news. And it is amazing grace that you have anything good to say to sinners like us.
[47:10] And so help us to think long enough that we would be amazed. And to look hard enough at the cross to see our sins there.
[47:24] To fix our eyes on Jesus as he bears the pain and shame of the cross for us. And then to go with its shadow ever over us.
[47:36] With its flavor and aroma ever left behind in whatever is happening to us. That's what we want, Lord. We come so far short.
[47:47] We come to confess that we have treated precious things as if they were just common things. Forgive us and make Jesus and his gospel and his cross increasingly beautiful to us.
[48:04] And make our lives increasingly the best illustration of what the gospel does for a sinner. And we'll give you glory.
[48:17] And we'll go into this world. A world that needs to see this Savior. To meet up with this kind of love and grace and mercy and truth. And humility.
[48:29] Help us. For your glory, we pray. For the gospel's advance. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen.