Truth in Love Eph 4:15

Hello good evening. I'm so very very thankful that you decided to to join with me and and spend time with me. Watch the video. This is this is less about you watching the video and more about us spending time together.

I love the Lord and I love our community and so we can't be all in all places at one time we we can't reach everyone just with our hands and feet but the Lord has given us this technology where we can be together.

And I enjoy being with you so much and I hope that you are enjoying. I hope you're being encouraged. I hope that you're being strengthened. I hope that you see that Christ is is being exalted. That's my desire to exalt Christ to glorify God and to love you.

So thank you for loving me. Thank you for praying for me. I thank you for watching the video and all the support that you give. I hope that I'm an encouragement to you if I am just would you let me know and help me through Facebook to to share God's Word and and share the gospel to our community.

Would would you mind to like to share to comment whatever the Lord would have you to do to help me to reach our community for the Lord Jesus Christ. I would really appreciate it and and chat with me let me know what's going on.

The floor can always be yours something on your mind. You have a question you want to talk about something just let me know. That'd be awesome to talk to you and see what's going on. This is truth and love.

Truth in Love from Ephesians 4:15

And I found that and I get it from from Paul writing to the Ephesian church. In Ephesians chapter 4 verse 15 he says. But speaking the truth in love we are to grow up in all aspects unto him who is the head even Christ.

And that's our goal. And that's what we want to do. Good evening Chuck. Thank you for watching. I really appreciate it so much. I cannot get warm the past several days. I love winter. Hey Tammy. Thank you for watching.

It's good to see you. It's wonderful to see you guys. I don't know about you but I cannot get warm this week. I love winter time. I love cold weather and something is changing for me but I cannot get warm.

That's why. That's why I have a sweater on. I almost wore a toboggan tonight and I want to share something else with you tonight. My wife made an excellent dish tonight for supper. She called it a chicken wrap but it it met my low-carb diet.

It was filled with chicken and cheese and and sour cream and a lot of other things. But she wrapped it in cheese that she had already baked. So it was. It was a low-carb wrap and it was so good. I encourage you to to try that sometime.

Maybe I can get the recipe from her and share it with you. But it was so good. I'm thankful for her. I'm thankful that she can cook so well and she's supporting the diet that I'm on. And it's been really really good.

Absolutely. I don't know what's going on with me. It's it's strange usually I don't get this cold but this year I am and I cannot get warm. Right before I started the video I was thinking about how I think about how we're treated sometimes by other people.

And you know how how God would despite how they treat us how how we should treat them how I should treat them in response to that and and my first thought before I react to someone else is you know how God has treated me.

And I thought about how you know I don't deserve anything. And yet despite the fact that I don't deserve anything God has given me so much. And being in Ephesians a verse a verse or the Holy Spirit help me remember a verse talking about how much he has given me when I deserve nothing.

God's Riches, Grace, and Our Response to Others

Ephesians chapter 3 verse 16. Listen to this. It says that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory according to the riches of his glory he gives us to be strengthened with power through his spirit in the inner man so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.

And that you being rooted rooted and grounded in love according to the riches of his glory he lavished grace on us. Grace he's given that grace to me despite the fact that I deserve. Not only do I not deserve anything what that's not true at all.

I deserve an eternity in hell. I don't deserve anything good and I'm not earned anything. And I deserve hell for for my sin and what I've done. But through Christ he gives me grace according to the riches of his glory.

And and I can't praise him enough for that. And and it helps me to remember how I should treat someone else despite how they're treating me. I thank you for bearing with me through that introduction. Just wanted to chat with you for a little bit if I can pray for you.

I always like to pray at the end. If I can pray for you I'd love to be able to do that. All you have to do is type me and I'll see it at some point. And yeah if tell me if you're talking about the the grace and how we treat others absolutely.

Are you asking for prayer. I don't. I don't know which is going on there but I'll definitely pray for both you guys and and the grace that feeling that true feeling that appropriate feeling of realizing that we did we've not earned anything.

We don't deserve anything good but what we and realizing what we do deserve it's amazing. And then thinking about how we should treat others based on how Christ's treated us. Wow. It's a very it's very humbling to think about that.

Absolutely yeah. Chuck I'm right there with you and it's such a good reminder. And I'm thankful the Holy God gives us the Holy Spirit to remind us of those things according to the riches of his glory when we deserve hell.

Once we were his enemies and now we're now we're his friends through Christ. What a story. What a gospel. It's amazing. So if I can pray for you all you have to do is type me and and I'll see you that if you watch the video later.

And if you'd like for me to pray for you all you have to do is type me. Thank you Tammy and Chuck. Yeah absolutely. I'll see it. I'll see the notification and I'll pray for you when I see the notification and I'm sure any brothers and sisters in Christ that see that you've put me on there that you're requesting prayer.

They'll pray for you as well. So many people request prayer on Facebook and that's one of the things that I like about Facebook is that you can put a request on there immediately and your brothers and sisters will see that and they'll know to pray for you.

And and and we can be faithful in praying for one another. That's one of the good things about Facebook. There's there's quite a few things that could be improved upon and I think they're going through some battles in in the in Washington right now with with the social media folks.

But but those are some good things that the Lord is using the ability the ability to pray for one another. Let me know if I can do that for you. Um stop me at any point to talk about anything that you want to talk about within reason questions about the Bible subjects about the Bible.

We'll do that as well. What I want to talk and talk about tonight before we end going through Philippians. We're gonna be wrapping up Philippians pretty soon. We're almost at the end of the book. But I also wanted to talk about other things.

I don't have a really good imagination. I'm not the I'm not the greatest speaker. I don't know how to. I'm just not good at coming up with things. So what God has given us which is his word is all I have as a teacher and all I know to do is just go through it.

So that's kind of that's kind of me and who I am and you know that's that's the greatest thing that we have is his word and that. But that's all that I know and that's why I do go book for book verse for verse.

Why I Teach Book by Book and Verse by Verse

But I also think it's probably the best method for any pastor or teacher is just to get in God's Word and go through it and let it go through you and so that we don't miss anything. So we don't just focus on our favorite points and we kind of look over the points where we may get in trouble with our congregation if we speak on that.

So we just kind of ignore it for years and years. No we got to speak up and speak boldly about God's Word from cover to cover no matter what's going on. So I encourage you to be in a church where the pastor is not afraid to go verse by verse and let you know what God says and not what.

Not what he says. But I also wanted to include other things and if you guys ever can think of anything as you as we spend time together like I said this is not my video this is not you watching a video.

I pray that this is us spending time together and if there's anything that we can talk about any subject I know some folks have requested things recently. One was on forgiveness and one was on kindness.

The forgiveness video I've already done and I shared the link. The kindness video is coming up next with Pastor Jeff and I'm looking forward to that one as well. We're talking about the fruits of the Spirit with Pastor Jeff and that kindness is coming up next so we're going to be hitting that video.

So if there's any other subjects that you would like to discuss with me and I could and me discuss with you let me know leave it in the comments. I love to be able to do that but going in that direction where I wanted to start tonight is that phrase that I say at the end it came from a study and I need to go back to it so that study and see see which which study that that came out of but it also it also matches my theology and the way I think about the Lord as well is I remind us that Jesus is King and that we should live in that victory and then we should go continue to go out and proclaim the gospel and share the gospel with folks.

Jesus Is King Now and Reigns by All Authority

But how should we be living right now as Christians if Jesus has won the victory with it with his life with his death and with his resurrection. And if Jesus is King how should we be living our lives.

What what should they look like in light of that victory that Jesus has won. Well let's just go over a few things to kind of hit us in that direction we need to we need to get our bearings right get us pointed in the right direction and we need to answer that question is is Jesus King.

Is Jesus King now. There's some folks out there that say Jesus is going to be King later. I'm not sure how they get that when there's clear verses in Scripture the the the story of the text the the analogy of Scripture as the story unfolds it teaches us that Jesus is King now and and we don't have to wait for him to be King later.

It's a long I want to read several of those verses that speak of Jesus kingship and and just worship Christ through these verses and hearing about his kingship before before we move forward. So we're kind of addressing that first phrase Jesus is King and we're going to do that as we look at these verses.

Acts chapter 2 verse 30 through 36. So because he has he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of Christ that he was neither abandoned to Hades nor did his flesh suffer decay.

If it is this Jesus whom God raised a fact to which we are all witnesses. Therefore since he has been exalted at the right hand of God and when you see that the phrase at the right hand of God that's a place of authority that's the place of a king.

The one who has authority who has authority is the king. So it kind of goes hand in hand. If the right hand of God is the place of authority and the person that who has authority is the king you can just put two or two together.

Jesus has authority. And since he has authority he's the king. You you just you know put those concepts together. He has been. Did you catch that we have to listen to what they're saying to us in these we can't make up what we want to hear.

We have to hear what they are saying to us. Therefore since he has been exalted it's already accomplished it's already happened. Therefore since he has been exalted at the right hand of God and has received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father he has poured out this which you both see in here where it was not David who ascended into heaven but he himself says the Lord is my Lord.

Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ. This Jesus whom you crucified.

Now let me just go through these verses and I'll try not to interject too much. Hebrews 1 verse 3. And he is the radiance of his glory and the exact representation of his nature and upholds all things by the word of his power.

When he had made purification of sins he sat down at the right hand of majesty on high. Hebrews 1 4 through 8. Having become so much better than the angels to the extent that he has inherited a more excellent name than they.

For to which of the angels did he ever say. You are my son. Today I have fathered you again. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me. And when he again brings the firstborn into the world he says.

And let all the angels of God worship him. And regarding the angels he says he makes his angels winds and his ministry ministers a flame of fire. But regarding the Sun he says your throne God is forever and ever.

And the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of his kingdom. Hebrews 1 verse 13. But to which of the angels has he ever said sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool at your feet first.

Peter 3 verse 21 21 and 22. Corresponding to that baptism now say corresponding to that which is what he was just talking about. Baptism now saves you not the removal of dirt from the flesh but appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Christ Jesus Christ.

Who is at who is at. We can't skip over that we can't go too fast and miss that. We have to hear what he is saying to us. Who is at. That means it's it was happening then when he wrote it who is at the right hand of God having gone into heaven after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to him.

Did you catch that after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to him. So there's another verse that's going to talk about when these things have been accomplished. And they Peter says they have been subjected to him.

So we don't have to wait for it to happen. They have been subjected to him Ephesians 120 through 23. Which he brought about in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.

That's where his throne is. That's where he's seated. That's where he's ruling from far above all rule and authority and a power and dominion. It's been it in subjection to him. And every name that is that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.

So this that has happened this subjection everything in subjection to him this seating at the right hand happened in this age. It was currently happening at in that age and the age to come. We don't wait for it.

It was going on then and it's going. It will go on in the next stage. And he put all things in subjection under his feet there it is again and made him head over all things to the church which is his body the fullness of him who fills all in all.

And just two more verses 1st Corinthians or two more books 1st Corinthians 15 25 to 26 for he must reign. And this has been repeated in several of these these verses. He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

So when when did he start reigning. It's already happened. And all things have been made under subjection under his authority. And how long is he going to reign. He must reign until all his enemies have been put under his feet.

The last enemy that will be abolished is death. And in Matthew Matthew 28 verses 18 through 20 and Jesus came up and spoke to them saying we can't leave out the first part of the Great Commission if you if you want to look at the Great Commission if you want to recite the Great Commission if you want to use the Great Commission as a commissioning verse to to your missionaries to your church you can't leave out the first part of the Great Commission.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them saying all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me go therefore based on that fact that all authority has been given to him in heaven and on earth go and make disciples of all the nations nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

And what are we to do teaching them to follow all that I commanded you and behold I am with you always even to the end of the age. So getting our Baron straight getting us in the right direction is Jesus King.

Now we we do that by saying three things all right. So what are the three things to get our bearing straight. The three things that we wanted that I wanted us to see all those verses are these three things.

And these three things help us get our bearings right pointed in the right direction. Answering those questions is Jesus King. When will it be King. Number one Jesus is King and he is now reigning. And we get that from those verses and many other verses from the New Testament and many of them are quotations and fulfilled prophecies from the Old Testament.

Peter Peter quotes the Old Testament and so many other places quote the Old Testament about the Messiah who's going to reign as King sitting on David's throne. And they are telling you this is a prophecy that's been fulfilled.

So number one Jesus is King and he is reigning now he number two he currently in his kingship has all authority in heaven and on earth. And we got that from several several verses especially Matthew 28 verse 18 the beginning of the Great Commission.

And number three the third thing that we need to see is that he must reign until all his enemies are made his footstool. And the last enemy is death. Jesus won the victory on the cross and by the resurrection he has made things right.

And he is and he is in command. However that victory so Jesus has established won the victory it's his. He won. He earns it. He earned it he deserves it. However that victory just like in the relationship between justification and sanctification all right justification is when God makes us right with him.

He declares it. It's it's over it's done with. He has made us right with him. He's caused us to be born again. We're his child. That's justification. He saved us. That's how we that's the terminology that we use.

He saved us. We are justified. But then we begin to go through the process of sanctification or growing in holiness or becoming conformed to the image of Christ. However you want to say it we we are justified made right with God where he is.

But there's a process that begins at that point of making us more like Christ growing us in holiness conforming us to his word you know him working on us making us to who he wants us to be. It's a process and it begins when we're saved and it will continue on until we're glorified and we're with him in heaven.

So just like in that relationship with justification and and sanctification the victory has been won. So it's it's done. It's one he earned it. I keep losing my place. The victory has been won. And yet the manifestation of that victory will continue to occur until all his enemies have been made his footstool.

So you see that process is the same thing with justification and sanctification. Jesus has won the victory right now. That victory is a process. Or he wouldn't say if it was all said and done you know we would be living in a perfect earth.

And if we were to if we were to be waiting on it to come later it would have told us that too. But he says he's won the victory. He everything has been been made subject to him. He has all authority in in heaven and on earth.

Right. That's what it says. And so we don't have to wait for that to come. It's going on right now. He's currently raining. And now if it was if it was to happen immediately all that stuff everything was to be made perfect.

The scripture wouldn't tell us that he's going to rain until that word until that means it's it's going to continue on until all his enemies are made his footstool. So he's he's taking his enemies and making him his footstool.

What you have to hear. What the authors of scripture what God is telling us through the words that he uses. He is speaking of a process until he has made all his enemies a footstool. And so just like sanctification it is a process and he is working on making all his enemies his footstool.

Thank you Tim. Thanks for joining me. I really appreciate it and thank you for those kind words all. Right. So that's what's going on. Let me find my place again. So where are we. That's the question.

Where are we. We are in the in between time the between the victory paid for and the victory constant the consummation of that victory. In other words we are living in the progressive sanctification stage for the whole earth since therefore Jesus is King.

How then do we live in that victory as we wait on the consummation as Christ's victory manifests itself or continues to manifest itself over time how does it manifest itself in us. How does that victory manifest itself in us.

One Life Under Christ in Work, Family, and Daily Holiness

So just quickly we have just a little bit more to go. I wanted to kind of touch on that so that we can be encouraged so we can because we want our lives to look like and reflect what God has designed for us.

So what. How does Christ's victory manifest itself in our lives. In my opinion no this is my opinion. You can tell me whether you agree with me or not. I believe that it's it's very common for us as Christians to in our thought process to think that we have two separate lives that we live the divine life or things concerning the divine and then the secular church and the are living out in the world our spiritual life and then everything else we kind of make two categories and we kind of try we try to live in both of those categories because that's where our mind is.

And then we we think that there are that there are two categories and so with that thought process when we read certain verses I think it is very common for us to think about these verses in in light of that thought process that we that we categorize our life.

So when we when we read a verse like 2nd Thessalonians 3 10 and it says if you don't work you don't eat. That's kind of how it's summarized and that's how it's quoted if you don't work you don't eat. If we have that thought process of categorizing and compartmentalizing our life then when I read that verse I'm thinking I gotta work if I'm gonna put food on the table if I'm gonna you know provide for my family if I'm gonna give to the church.

Yeah I've got to work. And and the Bible says if I don't work I don't eat. So I have to go to work. And then when we read verses like 2nd Corinthians 13 12 or 1st Peter 5 14 when it when they are speaking of how we should greet each other greet each other with holy kiss greet each other with Psalms and hymns you know that's kind of we go to that compartment of our our spiritual life so that so that's how we interact with each other in our in our spiritual box we greet each other with holy kiss we greet each other with hymns Psalms and spiritual songs.

Tim says yes you are correct. We have to bring all of life under submission to Christ absolutely. And and that's that's where I'm going with it. And I'm glad you saw that appreciate that. So and then when we read if if we have that same thought process where we have our compartment of spiritual life our compartment of our secular life we we read verses like James 1 27 where it says help the the widows and orphans and they and there in that part it seems to bleed over.

But we we still I think compartmentalize that in our in our spiritual box. So like we need to set up a program to help help the those who are in jail or to help those that need their leaves. Right this week we need to set up this program and schedule a time for for us to get together and and go do that.

And that's our spiritual service. Right. And so we've we've got that raking of leaves that that ministering to the widow or the those who are in prison. We've got that in our our spiritual box. Those things are good those things are wonderful.

And I and I'm thankful for everybody who does it. And it's I'm not saying anything negative about it. I'm just saying at this point if we think in these terms we keep those things in our spiritual box.

Maybe you agree with me. Maybe you don't. I'd love to hear your thoughts. So that's where we are. And I think that is I think that's most common for us. But is that is that the way God would have us to live.

And Tim he's he's pointing us in the right direction. What about Matthew. Let's flip over to Matthew just for a second and read and read these verses and and see if and see what God would have us to be doing.

Matthew chapter 12. I'm sorry the the pages are right in front of microphone. And I hope that it's not too loud and bothersome to you distracting. Matthew chapter 12. Oh that was marked. Well so Matthew 22.

Matthew 22 36 through 34. Let's try that Matthew 22 36 through 36 and 37. Okay. What would God have us to be doing teacher. Which is the great commandment in the law. And he said to him you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind.

This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On those two commandments depend the whole law and the prophets. So that is our life. And that is what God expects of us.

That's what how he is modeling us and conforming us to Christ as he is conforming us to Christ he is in conforming us to love him and love our neighbor. To love God and love our neighbor. Are there two compartments.

Our spiritual life and our secular life. Or do we have one life with the two great commands of Christ to love God and love our neighbor. Which do you think is what scripture is teaching us to compartmentalize.

Or to have one focus to love God and love our neighbor. So practically. Practically. And this is the end. I'm working my way towards the end. Practically. How does that work for us. So I see and here I am compartmentalizing.

I'm just thinking of four different categories. So I'm gonna switch the word on us. I'm not. I'm not talking about focus. Yep absolutely. So I'm not talking about compartmentalizing. I'm talking about categories.

We have different categories in our life our work our family and our spiritual and physical health. And so in in each of those locations whatever whatever we are working on at that time whether we're at home with our family we're at work we're working on our spiritual life or physical life.

It's not in one of two compartments or boxes. It's all the same life focused on two things loving God and loving your neighbor. So think about work when we talk about loving God when we're focused on our work it has to do with our character doing it with excellence with honesty integrity working hard as unto the Lord strive to be your best.

Your appearance. Yeah absolutely your appearance you we are not just reflecting God in in our inner man but does the inner man and the changes in the inner man not manifest itself out in us. And so how we present ourselves.

And when I say how we dress our appearance I'm not trying to say conform to what the the culture standards I'm speaking of letting our inner man influence our appearance our countenance every aspect of our life.

When we are a Christian first we when asked can you tell me about yourself. He used to start with. I'm a Christian because that is the most important part of your life. Absolutely absolutely. If you if you don't have that then you don't have life right.

So it is the most important. Jesus is the most important hashtag. Jesus matters. Absolutely. Thank You Jeannie. So think about those things and maybe you can expound upon those with me your your speech.

Our neighbors are also our enemies sometimes yeah who are against us love them and pray for them. Absolutely your your enemy that hates you treat them in two ways in such a way that you're loving God and you're loving them.

Absolutely so so when you're at work your speech the inner man is is manifesting itself. The changes that the Holy Spirit is making in you is manifesting itself out. How we speak not just the the the coarse language but speaking kind to one another building each other up your attitude all these things are ways that we can love God at work.

What about loving your neighbor at work. Somebody that yes of course you know the the scripture tells us that your neighbor is you know the person that you come across that's in need and that may be your co-worker.

But you have neighbors everywhere. And I think that's one of the points of that text. You have neighbors everywhere and so how can you love your neighbor. How can you love that neighbor that's in close proximity.

How can you love that neighbor that's that's far away. Or how can you love your actual physical neighbor the one that lives beside of you. How do you love your neighbor at work. Make listen this this is this is something or that this is a way that I don't think that we normally think so.

So listen to this and tell me what you think about it. How can we love our neighbor. Make as much money as you can. Is that what we should be focused on making money in a way if we want to love our neighbor we've got to be able to have resources you know to love them.

We can't give them food. We can't. We can't if if we're not making enough money to even take care of ourselves. We can't take care of our neighbor. So why not make as much money as you can so that you can give as much away that you can.

Money is the love of money is the root of all evil. But making money so that we can love our neighbor is an amazing thing. Work to be in a position to make change. You want to love your neighbor and this one is kind of related to the money thing.

You know. Work your way up in the company where you're making more money so that you can give more money. Or that work your way up into a position where those decisions that you make in that position can affect your neighbors your co-workers those who are under you.

You can you can make that workplace more Christian friendly and you can more freely show them the love of Christ. Think about this. If if we train our children that the office having a political office or the having the desire to hold a public office a public servant a governor a senator my house member a sheriff any of those positions.

If we train our children and teach them that it's it's a good thing to desire to strive for one of those positions and we get our Christian children in those positions they can affect change in our world.

They can be in a position where they can glorify God and love our neighbors and make changes. We don't need to make laws that favor Christianity. We need to make laws that love our neighbor right. And they can do that in those positions.

Work towards positions where you can love your neighbor. Be an example to your co-workers. Be an example when you're at home be an example to your family when you when you're working on your spiritual life in your physical health.

All those things are your life. Work your family your spiritual health. Your physical health. That is your one life not two different compartments. That is your one life. And in each of those areas we should be loving God and loving our neighbor.

In our physical health. We should be loving God and loving our neighbor. What is what is my physical health have to do with loving my neighbor. If I let myself go and I'm laid up on the couch eating chips and soft drinks I can't get out and help my neighbor.

I can't love my neighbor because I can't get out. Some people can't help it. Some people have inabilities to to physically get out and do those things but they are able to do what they can do. I'm speaking of those of us who are able to either remain healthy or let ourselves go.

And you and you know what I'm speaking of. And you know what I'm talking about. If we let ourselves go we can't love our neighbor. And we're not glorifying to God by taking care of ourselves. Does that make sense.