WWUTT 015 Friday Review

In Philippians 2 .5 the Apostle Paul says have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus That's been the subject of everything that we have talked about over the course of the week and today we want to do some review

So we might know more how to have the mind of Christ when we understand the text Welcome to when we understand the text my name is

Pastor Gabe Hughes and we are that much closer to overthrowing Joel Esteen as The number one most listened to spiritual podcast on iTunes

We are nowhere close to number one. I'm sure But I'm but I'm also sure we're that much closer than we were the week before anyway

I bring that up just to ask of you if you do listen to this broadcast on iTunes Podcast if you download the podcast through iTunes be sure to star it and give us a review it helps to attract

Some more listeners to the program and sure appreciate you participating in this with us

Reading through the scriptures with us. I mean, it's me But anyway, I have other folks that help out with the when we understand the text ministry

Reading through these scriptures together as you've been studying through Philippians with me I learn best when

I read the Word of God out loud. That just is just the way that it works for me I spend some time studying the scriptures then

I open up the microphone and talk through it out loud And so you're you're kind of part of that study with me

I learn more about this every time that we do this and so it is it is so great to be able to go

Through the Word of God together. I hope we can overthrow Joel Esteen as the number one podcast because it would put some sound doctrine on that list there is sound doctrine on that list

Tim Keller and Matt Chandler and John Piper as well happen to be three of those ministers that are in the top ten most listened to spiritual

Podcasts, so I'm sure glad there is some sound doctrine that is getting out in Social media outlets just like this today.

We are doing our five -point review we are going over a review of everything that we've looked at over the course of the week and and it's been a

It's not it's not been contained in one chapter We've actually been in several different places Philippians chapter 1 starting in verse 27 through chapter 2

And I think we finished up in about verse 13. So next week on Monday, we'll be starting in verse 14

So we'll kind of go back over some of this and do our five -point review considering that it is five -point

Friday Instead of going back to chapter 1 though. I'm actually gonna start in chapter 2 and we're gonna read through Verse 13 together.

So why don't we start there and then we will pray Philippians chapter 2 starting in verse 1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ any comfort from love any participation in the spirit any affection and sympathy

Complete my joy by being of the same mind having the same love being in full accord and of one mind

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves

Let each of you look not only to his own interests But also to the interests of others have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus And then we get to that beautiful hymn of Christ who though he was in the form of God did not count

Equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself Taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and Every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is

Lord to the glory of God the Father Therefore my beloved as you have always obeyed so now not only in my presence but much more in my absence

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure

Our great God as we come to these scriptures I pray that you continue to teach us more and more what it means to have the mind of Christ Help us to be unified in these things as the body of Christ.

No matter what denomination we're a part of What what church congregation we attend and who we worship with these things are still?

Helping to bring the body of Christ together more and more. We're unified in your word

Because we have been Justified in Christ Jesus and are being sanctified

Through his words So teach us these things more and more what it means to have the mind of Christ and I ask this in the name of Christ we pray.

Amen. All right, I'm gonna jump back now, even though we started in Philippians chapter 2 I'm gonna skip back to Philippians chapter 1 verse 27

Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let the way that we live

Display that we are recipients of this gospel It has changed us and is changing us to be more like Christ.

We've been justified. We're being sanctified So let our lifestyle show that we're worthy of the gospel of Christ So that whether I come and see you or am absent

Paul says to the Philippians I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind

Striving side -by -side for the faith of the gospel and not frightened in anything by your opponents this is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation and that from God and So here's where we're gonna draw our first point today in verse 29

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ. You should not only believe in him

But also suffer for his sake Engaged in the same conflict that you saw

I had and now here that I still have So the first point that we draw out today

Summarizing what we've talked about this week. Number one point. Number one Suffering is a blessing.

It is a blessing to suffer Paul says here verse 29 for it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ You should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake.

It's been granted by God that you believe in him It's been granted that you also Suffer for his sake we read from James chapter 1 verses 2 and 4 2 through 4

Count it all joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds count it all joy

For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete

Lacking in nothing. We also considered first Peter 4 12 through 14 beloved Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you

But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed if you are

Insulted for the name of Christ. You are blessed I want to read that again just because it's such a

An important instruction if you are insulted for the name of Christ you are blessed

It is a blessing to suffer for Christ because the spirit of glory and of God Rests on you as I was kind of going back over these things again

I was reminded of an exchange that Paul and Jesus had in 2nd

Corinthians chapter 12 a Spirit of Satan was sent to Paul a thorn in his flesh to torment him and he pleaded with God three times

To take that thorn from his flesh, but Christ responded to him My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness

Therefore Paul says I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me

For the sake of Christ then I am content with weaknesses insults hardships persecutions and calamities for when

I am weak Then I am strong Because our strength doesn't have anything to do with us and our ability to be strong.

It is relying entirely Upon Christ it is through this experience that Jesus is communicating to us.

How much do you trust me? Do you trust me so much just so that you would have comfortable living?

Or do you trust me so much that you would say to me God I am willing to give up my comfortable living for your

Glory, and as I said earlier in the week, I believe this was Monday when I said this do we pray?

to have a comfortable life or Are we praying that we might suffer for the cause of Christ because in suffering with Christ?

We are blessed. It is a blessing to suffer with Jesus. That is point

Number one point number two. We need to count others more Significant than ourselves or more directly count others more significant than yourself.

Okay, we read in Philippians chapter 2 that we need to continue to let love a

Blossom among us in the body of Christ being in full accord and in one mind All right

Having the same love Paul goes on verse 3 do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility humbling yourselves count others more

Significant than yourselves. Okay in humility count others more significant than yourselves

I believe it was CS Lewis that said humility doesn't mean thinking less of yourself.

It means thinking of yourself less So in humility count others more significant than yourselves

Paul goes on do nothing from selfish and I'm sorry I'm reading verse 3 again Verse 4 let each of you look not only to his own interest but also to the interest of others see in our selfishness

We have a tendency to look toward our own interests and Paul challenges the Philippians Take That tendency that you have to look at yourself and instead flip it around and look toward the interests of others

This is the same thing that Jesus said when he was quoting Leviticus 1918 and saying that we need to love our neighbor as we love ourselves in other words

We're naturally inclined to love ourselves Turn that around and love your neighbor instead

The two greatest commands are to love the Lord with all your heart soul mind and strength and to love your neighbor as Yourself all of the law and the prophets

Hinge on these two commands Jesus said and that leads us into our third point

Okay so the first point is suffering as a blessing the second point is count others more significant than yourselves and Number -three

Christ is the ultimate Example of the two greatest commands to love the Lord your

God with all your heart soul mind and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself Christ is our ultimate example on how to do those two things and we see this in the hymn of Christ that Paul gives in Philippians chapter 2 verses 6 through 11

Christ though. He was in the form of God did not consider Equality with God a thing to be grasped, but he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant

He went from the form of God Emptying himself and becoming the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form

He humbled himself even more by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross a very humiliating way to die

Excruciating way to die. He went from God in his heaven King of Kings and Lord of Lords Deserving of all worship and glory and yet he did not consider that that position a thing to honor himself by But he took on the form of a servant.

He took on the form of a human He became obedient to the will of the Father even to the point of death death on a cross

Therefore God the Father whom he glorified Has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus Every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is

Lord to the glory of God the Father in his

Divinity in his human life in his human death in his resurrection in his ascension to heaven and Even now where he is there seated at the right hand of God in all of these things

Christ the Son glorified the Father So through him we have the example of how we love the

Lord our God with all our heart soul Mind and strength he is the ultimate example of obedience in that command furthermore

He is the ultimate example of what it means to love our neighbor as ourself because Christ Emptied himself took on the form of a servant and being born in the likeness of men

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death. His loss is our gain

Because he gave up his life we gain his life and Live forever with God through our

Savior our Lord Jesus Christ. I Love this how beautiful is that it is

Tim Keller who said this is a quote that I posted on Twitter earlier this week It is Tim Keller who said the only reason a three -person

God would have had for creating us Was not to get cosmic love and joy of relationship but to share it

God did not need anything from us. He does not need anything from us

He created us to share his love with us and we see that through the person and the work of Christ Who shows us exactly what it means to love your neighbor as yourself

So it is in Christ that we have the ultimate example of what it means to obey

The two greatest commands you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength you will love your neighbor as yourself point number four

It is through this the hymn of Christ that we just read that we can see and understand that Christ verifies and sanctifies every part of life from conception to natural death because Christ Experienced it all we see in the hymn of Christ it being

Explained here the the deep theology that that Paul is giving us in just these few verses we see

Christ pre -existence his Incarnation his death his resurrection and his ascension to the right hand of God Because Christ came into this world in the form of a baby

Conception by the Holy Spirit all the way to the point of natural death Jesus Christ sanctifies that entire process

From conception to natural death. So therefore there is no part of that life process that we can say

Doesn't count or isn't worth protecting Because Christ experienced all of it and sanctifies all of it

He even sanctifies suffering because he suffered going back to point number one, right?

Suffering is a blessing because Christ suffered and died. He didn't just die.

He suffered and died Sanctifying suffering itself. So we should never get to a point where we say

Oh, it is a person shouldn't have to suffer. They shouldn't have to suffer before they die. No, no, no

No, we should we should take their life or euthanize them and legalize euthanasia so that they don't have to suffer before they die

We even go through suffering because Christ suffered he sanctifies the process of suffering itself

So that even through that we might give glory to God because Christ did he suffered and gave glory to God So we should also

So that is point number four Christ verifies and sanctifies every part of life from conception to natural death

We should protect and preserve all of it point number five. It is

God who works in you God is working in you in all of your experiences

Blessings sufferings which are the same Okay I don't mean to separate those two because it is a blessing to suffer but whether things are going well for us or we think

Things are going bad It is in all of these things all all walks of life that God is working through Both to will and to work for his good pleasure that is

Philippians chapter 2 Verse 13. It is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure

I quoted from Charles Spurgeon when we talked about that who said if I find taught in one part of the

Bible that everything is for Ordained that is true And if I find taught in another scripture that man is responsible for all his actions

That is true and it is only my folly that leads me to imagine that these two truths can ever contradict each other

Christ has chosen those who will be saved and those who will be the objects of his wrath

We read that in Romans chapter 9 But though God has chosen those who will be saved by Christ Jesus We read in Romans 14 12 each of us will give an account of himself to God So we still will be judged according to our works therefore we must be faithful to obey the commands of Christ Jesus and that by the way everything that we just talked about here related to Election being predestined that happens to be the subject of the question that I'm gonna answer here in just a couple of minutes

But first of all going through our review point number one Suffering is a blessing point number two count others more significant than yourselves point number three

Christ is the ultimate example of how to do that of how to obey the two greatest

Commandments to love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself point number four

Christ verifies and sanctifies every Aspect of life from conception to natural death.

It is all important It is all valuable. We should protect it all and point number five

It is because it is God who works in you To will and to work for his good pleasure our great

God Thank you for guiding us through these things in these scriptures, and I pray that we are storing up this knowledge

So that we might know more of what it means to have the mind of Christ help us in this walk

To will and to work for your good pleasure, and we pray this in Jesus name. Amen In psalm 139

David wrote that every one of his days had been written by God before one of them came to be God told

Jeremiah that he appointed him to be a prophet before he was even born The Apostle Paul also said that he was set apart by God before he was born

Jesus said to his disciples you did not choose me. I chose you that is the picture that we see throughout

Scripture We didn't choose God it is God who chose us for his glory through the saving power of Christ We who are

Christians were predestined before the world began by no action of our own God chose those who would be saved and those who would be the objects of his wrath don't dismiss this teaching as some sort of Ism, it's what the

Bible says now that said do you still have a choice well as far as you're concerned?

Yes, faith is given to us by God, but you still have to obey repentance is also granted by God But you still have to turn from your sin no one can come to Christ unless the father draws them

But you still have to follow you choose to be thankful you choose to help others you choose to preach the gospel

You choose it though. It is God who wills and works for his good pleasure We're still held accountable for the choices that we make

It's not for us to know now the full picture the way that God sees it that comes later for now

We see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face now I know in part then I shall know fully even as I have been fully known

It is not you who chooses God But God who chose you now confirm your calling by being obedient to what he has commanded when we understand the text

And our question today has to do with that video from Robin in Canada.

She says dear what thank you for your video on Predestination the idea that God knows in advance who is going to choose him

But that he doesn't make them choose just didn't sit well with me if he knows what you're going to choose even before you're born

Then how could you have made any other choice? Isn't that the same as God choosing for you and didn't

Jesus say you didn't choose me. I chose you Yes, Robin.

You are correct. That is a great apologetic deduction that you did there. Good job There are those out there who will say that God did not predestine

Who would be saved and who would be the objects of his wrath? They will deny the doctrine of election but still concede because scripture says that God does know who will choose him

For you know, he's he's for it's for knowledge. They'll use that word for knowledge

He foreknows who will choose him even though he doesn't make them choose and that doesn't make any sense

Because if God knows who will choose him clearly a path has been decided that cannot go any other way

Therefore a person doesn't actually have a choice There is no way that they can make any other choice if God already knows the choice that they will make it's a ridiculous dance

God doesn't choose but he knows who will choose but he doesn't make them choose even though they can't choose anything else

That argument commits suicide as far as I'm concerned

Here's what we read in the scriptures Romans chapter 9 verses 22 and 23 What if God?

Desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power has endured with much patience vessels of wrath

Prepared for destruction in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy

Which he has prepared beforehand for glory God is predestined those who will be saved and those who will be the objects of his wrath and again as was said before He does this to show the full range of his glory.

It's all for the glory of God Do not get caught up in making the argument

Well, what's the point of evangelism? Then if God is already chosen, then there's no point in evangelizing anyone

That is a ridiculous argument you evangelize Because God has commanded you to and if you are truly in Christ, you will do it

Folks it is not for us to know who the elect are we don't know that God knows that it is our job to be faithful to what he is commanded and Rejoice folks because we are saved and now we get to be part of his divine plan.

We get to be Participants in it, which is one of the reasons why as was said before Suffering is a blessing.

We are participating in God's Divine plan and as participants he has commanded us go into all the world and make disciples of all nations

Baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded and behold

I am with you always to the very end of the age. Yes Folks, there is nothing that happens outside of the will of God nothing

Including your salvation nothing in the whole universe that God did not ordain

Lamentation 337 who has spoken and it has come to pass unless the

Lord has commanded it Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and bad come?

Proverbs 16 for the Lord has made everything for its purpose even the wicked for the day of trouble this is to show the full range of his glory by redeeming for himself a chosen people and Removing from himself the wicked

Romans 9 again this time starting in verse 16 so then it depends not on human will or exertion but on God who has mercy for The scripture says to Pharaoh for this very purpose

I have raised you up that I might show my power in you and that my name might be

Proclaimed in all the earth. So then he has mercy on whomever he wills and he hardens

Whomever he wills Give God the glory for salvation has been given to you in Christ Jesus our

Lord preach his gospel for the sake of the faith of God's elect Amen Robin, thank you for your question.

And thank you for giving me an opportunity To glory and God again in these things making

God big God. You are so big. Oh, we love you and we are

So amazed that we get to be participants in this divine plan. Thank you for calling us to this

Thank you that by your spirit We have answered that call and are now part of the family of God through Jesus Christ our

Lord Because of the work that he did on the cross by his blood We we have been united it is it is thicker than a blood that unites us in our

DNA It is the DNA of Christ and so let us display this in his body your glory to the glory of God the

Father we pray Amen You've been listening to when we understand the text of pastor

Gabriel Hughes Our ministry was born out of a local church and we rely on the contributions of our viewers and our listeners

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