Philippians 3 (Pastor Jeff Shipley)

Whitten Baptist Church

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Now I want you to pay attention. It wasn't anything in Israel. It wasn't their military size.

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It wasn't the type of people. I hope today through this passage of Scripture two questions can be answered and I think they're applicable to anybody in this room.

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How do I get to heaven? And number two, how do I mature in my

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Christian faith? I love this passage of Scripture and most pastors should because Philippians chapter 3 verse 1

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Paul says finally and then in chapter 4 verse 8 he says finally again.

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Now most pastors like to say well see that's why I go on and on and on but in good hermeneutics

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I forgot what that word means. Look at my

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MIT students. They're doing so good. I appreciate that. So hermeneutics is an understanding that when

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Paul says here finally what he's saying is in conjunction with what

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I've said before and in summation. So he's summing up what he has said so far and so going to that we can get some truth.

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Now one of the things that we have to remember as people of God is that we believe in the law of non -contradiction and if you have any semblance of intelligence at all in other words you graduated from the

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University of Tennessee, Go Vols. You can understand that A can be a letter and you can focus on that but you can also understand that that law cannot contradict with any other logic and some of the folks out there understand what

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I'm saying. Paul talks here and I'm going to be honest with you in chapter 3 of Philippians Paul gets a little savage.

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He gets fresh fire savage in this chapter. I mean he uses some really coarse language and he uses language that would be offensive to a lot of the religious lead of that time and it says that and I think he does that because Paul had a pastor's heart and he heard that a church that he had planted in Philippi it was the first church in Eastern Europe that existed he had heard that people had come in and started telling lies to his church people.

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Now at this time Paul's in prison in Rome. This is 61 through 63

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AD somewhere around in there and he's in prison in Rome and he hears that the people that he has loved so much and worked so hard are now believing some falsely and so he writes them and he's not angry at them he's angry at the folks that have come in.

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So three things today that I hope will help you understand A. How do

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I get to heaven? or B. If I'm a Christian how do I mature? The first one that I think you need to understand is you need to stay away from some parasites in your life.

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Look here in chapter 3 verse 1 it says this Finally my brothers and that brother there once again is a mankind thing not a gender specific thing it says finally my brothers rejoice in the

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Lord to write to you the same things to you is no trouble for me and is safe for you.

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Verse 2 look out for the dogs look out for those evil doers look out for those who mutilate the flesh for we the circumcision who worship by the spirit of God and the glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.

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He lists three people or three types of folks that you need to stay away from.

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This morning a young man who is in some dire peril of his own choosing called me because I had sent him a text message and I was like where you at boy how come

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I don't see you in church? Why aren't you living with your mama no more? What's going on? And he calls me up and he goes he always does that and he sucks through his teeth yeah you know

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I just want you to know who I'm talking about and he sucks through his teeth and he's like man I don't know man my mama she mean to me man she kicked me up out of the house man

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I was like can you say man one more time for me please I go why did she kick you out of the house man

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I don't know I was like boy you a lion sack of dog poop you exactly know why because you smoking weed like it's going out of style you stinking up her house man with that weed and she's asked you time and time again man shoot man man here's the problem he's a great kid

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I've known him since he was this big he's a good kid the problem is he started running around with dogs and Christians let me tell you something you lie down with dogs you gonna come up with fleas you men date a young woman that you know she ain't a young lady she a young woman that is not someone no matter how codependent you are that is not someone you want to have a relationship with same way with you young women if all he is is one of those guys who wants to give you a kiss that ain't a guy for you that ain't a guy for you they dogs they're absolute dogs they're also those dogs in the church let me explain what

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I mean do you know someone who is quarrelsome and divisive in spirit

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I remember there used to be a lady let me rephrase there used to be a dog who used to run around this church and I remember her validation was this

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I've been a member of this church for 30 years and I was like what's that mean what's that mean

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I remember her getting mad because a kid wore a hat in church service and I remember sitting there looking at her like going who are you and her favorite line was this well

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I tell you how the cow ate the cabbage really did I suddenly become a punk do you actually think that you just because of who and what you are you really think you can talk to people like that no that ain't how it works guys there are dogs that you pastors that pastors have got to defend their flock against there are people out there that want to suck the strength out of you and tear you down to try to build themselves up stay away from those people the second thing it says here watch those evil workers now if we have a great recovery addiction recovery group in this church

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I love this group and I remember something that someone told me a guy who said he was my sponsor but then sold me a little bit but anyways

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I'll never forget it I'll never forget what this guy told me and I've remembered my whole life he goes you have to stay away from old play grounds and old play mates and there's never a true word spoken dude there are people that will enable you to continue to live in absolute object loserdom because misery loves company they don't care how many times they tell you they love you or they care about you or you know after a 12 pack you're sitting on a roof somewhere going man

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I love you man no one understands me like you and yes that was a personal experience no homo but it was that experience that we connected with but that individual was simply enabling a behavior in me and loving the company because he wanted the shared misery stay away from those people and then third thing here if you look verse 2 it talks about someone who mutilates the flesh now let me explain to you what's going on there are people in this church in Philippi who have been saved by the grace of God they have heard the message of the gospel which says put your faith in Christ put that faith in the

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Lord and they really did it and they really became believers but then religious folks come up behind them and go well that's good you did that but you haven't done everything you need to do yet and so they would tell the men you got to be circumcised now if you want to be that full gospel

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Christian you need to speak in tongues you want to be that full gospel Christian you got to give money you want to be that real

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Christian you got to dress like this look like this act like this problem is that's contrary to the gospel you see the gospel says for whosoever shall call upon the name of the

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Lord and join First Baptist Church will be saved whoever shall call upon the name of the

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Lord in faith these guys were coming in now I want you to note how serious these people were about changing your life because if you want to join

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Witten Baptist Church here's what's got to happen you got to come down and profess your faith in Christ then we're going to step out over here and we're going to do a little snippy snip and dudes were saying okay where do

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I sign up I mean I believe in Jesus but if one of the prerequisites of being a member of your church is you're going to pull out a knife and we're going to have some private personal time with that knife

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I'm finding another church right later these guys stayed and that's what made

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Paul so angry is because they were adding to the grace of God and taking advantage of the naivete of a people who were just trying to serve the

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Lord so how do you stay away from these parasites how do you do that well look once again in verse 1 and 3 starting with verse 3

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I want you to note the pronoun for we are the circumcision you know one of the ways you stay away from dumb people is you start hanging around good people do you understand why we meet every

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Thursday at 630 and we encourage people to stay off of drugs and alcohol or whatever addiction you're dealing with because in the plurality of not being alone and having accountability you have a better chance to make it

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God said that when two or three are gathered together in my name there

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I am in the midst of them now it's opening day in a few weeks it's opening day

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Artie what's the exact day yeah no no no no gun

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I ain't talking about middle of November okay okay rednecks at 1203 we can go shoot a deer anyways anyways some of y 'all are going to have to make a choice guess where I'm going to be during deer season it's

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Sunday morning right here right here watch this

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I can worship God on a lake just like I can in church well yeah sure you can that's great and you can worship

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God on a lake but not at Sunday morning because the word of God tells us in Hebrews 10 24 and 25 do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together why does he tell you that so that the we factor can happen and you won't be sucked away by stupid that you won't have people coming to you and telling you lies when

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God's people are gathered together Satan trembles and won't come in the door because where two or three are gathered there is

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Jesus in the midst of them you want to learn and grow and mature it is a we thing you will never do it by yourself well pastor

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I don't need that you're going to be the person that's praying for deliverance from the same sin for the next 35 years because you don't have the maturity and accountability to overcome it by yourself how many times you done it all right here we'll go real quick we'll talk about women and y 'all's pornography habits you know what

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I'm saying they're not like us men we can just turn that stuff off but those women why y 'all chuckling because you know

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I'm lying oh well I'm a Christian now I don't struggle with that you a liar well here's what

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I always love young men they're like well I'm going to get married and it'll be all better nope nope no the lust of the flesh is something hard to overcome the lust of the mind where the biggest sexual organ in your body is is what

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God is trying to renew it ain't in your body it's in your mind and if you are by yourself and isolate and how many of you keep going inward and isolating from God's people and you can't figure out why you're so depressed and you have such great anxiety and blah blah blah blah blah keep doing what you're doing and expecting a different result and then sit there and go

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God where are you I gave you an entire church family to help you what more you want man guys how do you overcome this stuff how do you stay away from stupid stay with the herd second thing look at this glory in Christ verse 3 it says who worship by the spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus don't you wish that the triune nature of God was found somewhere in the

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Bible anyways it says worship by the spirit of God we and then it says glory in Christ years ago

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I don't know what it is about people that you debate and then they just start saying the same thing over and over again you know like huh yeah circular reasoning that's very astute they're very good but I'm talking about the people that go what what what or nah

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I ain't gonna talk or they start clapping at you I just want to jack them you know here was my favorite a few years ago it's fallen out of repose but talk to the hand

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I was like I wonder what funny would it look like if I grab your four fingers and just split your arm like a turkey wing you know talk to my hand you know but there's something good in that because we as Christians one of the ways we get away from those people that are trying to pull you down is start saying talk to the spirit of God glory in Christ well

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I think you need to do this and I think talk to the freedom and spirit of Christ you know you sit there and you start using

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God's word instead of your own logic man things go a lot a bit better watch this it says no confidence verse 3 again it says and put no confidence in the flesh it's a positive negative we had a sermon on this couple of three weeks ago a positive negative what's your confidence in today what's your confidence in some of you guys your confidence is you know like me you're a felt perfect specimen of the human male species you know some of you girls you know you do like this make sure everything right before you come to God's house to worship because what your butt looks like is really important right you putting confidence in those things yeah a lot of you girls looking at going did he just say that yeah

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I'm talking to you some of you put confidence in your intellectual superiority you're just smarter than ever you're the smartest person in the room guys you're putting confidence in the flesh and let me tell you that attracts other losers just like you other losers little insecure kids just like you see who you need to hang with are those people like I don't really care

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I want to do what Jesus wants me to do those people that you used to think were freaky those are the one

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Jesus freaks hang out with them and watch how your life changes watch how that there's no more room for stupid in your life look at this right here joy oh my gosh now some of y 'all don't get upset with me on this one verse one watch this rejoice in the

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Lord guys how many of y 'all struggle with anxiety and depression like me y 'all got some

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Zoloft babies up in here oh man God and you know what's going to happen in what three weeks is it three weeks or four weeks that time change oh yeah it's dark when you get up and it's dark when you come home and it's dark all the time the world's coming to an end oh my

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God well I ain't making funny because that's what my brain is like it's 430 in the afternoon you shouldn't have to be using your headlights going somewhere right we're still an agrarian society oh my gosh we need that extra 30 minutes of time to grow some more corn we got tractors now we don't have arty or mules

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I know this is going to sound frustrate some of you but it says rejoice

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I'm going to tell you a secret that I learned many years ago in fighting depression and anxiety it's okay it's just Moses it's all right listen focus it's just a black guy walking it's okay something like probable cause listen

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I know listen listen kids some of y 'all want depression anxiety to go away but you ain't doing nothing to fight it oh yeah pastor

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I'm praying and I'm taking my medicine and that's good that's good getting a support group yeah but if you want to fight it you're going to have to fight it you see you have a responsibility and a duty as a child of God to not rely on what

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I feel like but to rely on what God's word tells you to do I don't feel like rejoicing do it anyways

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I never have one of my kids go dad I don't feel like cleaning my room today cause he'd be like I swole shut what do you feel like now what do you mean you don't feel like it are you really 8 years old you are a 50 something year old born again believer and the child of the living

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God and you're still living by your feelings and you wonder why you ain't maturing well

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I don't feel like here's the one I love some of you young people up in here I don't like reading you don't like reading

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I'm like can you really be that lazy really ok well do me a favor listen just don't read the bible and watch the matriculation of your spiritual life it's going to be like you're going to be just as dumb tomorrow as you were today you see the word of God tells us to study to show thyself approved well pastor

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I listen to videos and I listen to your sermons I am not the word of God I'm just one idiot sharing with another idiot where to find truth that's all

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I am well my pastor don't ever out of your mouth say my pastor said ergo it must be true ok don't don't put me in that position

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I'm just a fat bald guy ok study the word of God know the word of God and that's what will set you free alright second thing stay away from parasites but here's the second thing now

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I'm moving from how do you become a Christian and how do you stay I'm moving to how do you mature more here's the second step stop self righteousness stop it look at verse 4 read what it says now this is the apostle

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Paul though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also if anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh

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I have more you know what Paul's saying he's saying don't have confidence in flesh but if you want to start comparing resumes watch this hold my beer look what it says

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Paul sits there and says well he was in rehab too watch this

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Paul says this circumcised on the 8th day Leviticus 21

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Paul was like I'm keeping the law before I even knew there was a law of the people of Israel I am the tribe of Benjamin I am a white

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Anglo -Saxon Protestant at First Baptist Church watch this watch this a

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Hebrew of Hebrews what he's saying is I'm not a Hellenist basically he's saying

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Hellenists were Jews who loved Greek culture and they kind of partied like it was 1999 well he was saying

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I wasn't doing all that man I was a good Bible school student you know watch what it says as to the law

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I was a Pharisee meaning I was a Bishop Dr.

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Reverend Apostle I love meeting preachers that have that many names I always love openly mocking them verse 6 as to zeal a persecutor of the church you want to know how bad

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I was I was hunting you Christians down as to righteousness under the law watch this blameless blameless whoo you want to compare church resumes oh

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I don't do that pastor some of you put more stock in walking down an aisle than you put in the blood of Jesus Christ are you a

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Christian yes I believe in God I've heard some I ask people all the time so are you a Christian they say well yeah

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I'm a Christian how do you know well I believe in God well so do demons and they're screwed well no

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I believe in Jesus because I remember there was a song playing on the piano man and the preacher preached this really good sermon and I got this feeling right here and I walked down the aisle and I prayed

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Jesus Christ in my heart as my Lord and Savior that was gas dude do you see the problem if you notice

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Paul the word I and his actions are all in that you know how

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I'm saved by the grace of God I didn't find Christ Christ found me

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I had no ability to find Jesus because I was a totally depraved dead sinner

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Ephesians 2 you see self righteousness will sap your strength from you it will it will sap your strength from you because you will convince yourself that you are something because of the fear and the self righteousness that you want to project on the world let me ask you a question if in you live 75 years and everyone around you thinks you're just Mr.

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Super Christian and you die and go to hell what have you accomplished it's gonna suck to be you well

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I grew up in church you want a bucky beaver batch well I taught

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Sunday school I was a pastor I sang in the choir what would he do none of that earns you heaven how can you say that pastor because you're incapable of earning heaven there's no way all of your works the word of God calls them filthy rags use menstrual rags that's that's what

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God feels about you war people helping the little crack heads or you motorcycle dudes you know go tell people about Jesus it's commanded for us to do it but it doesn't earn me one lick of grace you say well pastor how do

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I mature stop relying on you how many of you have sat there and done this tell me if I'm lying am

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I really saved well I did this I quit doing that I faltered and you start trying to measure out see the problem is you're not a

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Christian the problem is you're still relying on the works of your flesh to validate truth rather than the finished work of Jesus Christ and the bible says a double minded man is unstable in all of their ways that's why you're constantly anxious about it because you're still looking to your own self righteousness rather than the vicarious work of Christ last thing here's the other side it ain't the self righteous person it's the person that is always doubting oh my gosh that's me

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I'm going to tell you I'm going to be honest with you why me

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God and I might say that's not humility well someone said well that's such humble of you no it's not humble because the word of God says

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I can walk boldly before the throne of Christ but I don't think like that Roman says that I'm a joint heir with Christ that was one of the most awesome things

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I ever figured out about scripture because I thought heaven was going to stink so bad because I got to wear a white robe you know and you know sing in a choir for 10 ,000 years

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I mean that was just going to be so boring you know sorry I did

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I was so happy to find out we shared the throne room with Christ I'm going to be like yo

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Gabriel come here man can I have a little bit more of that thanks bud you know I always think less of myself

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I am my own worst critic that's why when people say well

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I didn't like your sermon I don't care because I really don't because I'm already beating myself up about it and even if I do have any success in life

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I always qualify it that it never even balances out all the many failures

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I've already done do y 'all any of y 'all in here understand what I'm saying okay

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I was just concerned here for a minute I thought I'd have to go to Bellevue look at verse 12 watch this

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Paul says not that I have already obtained this or I'm already perfect but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own we'll get to the other verse in a minute y 'all got about a couple more minutes let me just drive this point home is that cool?

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okay good watch it says right here I need to forget perfection guys my dad told me

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I was so stupid I couldn't pour a bodily liquid out of a boot if the directions were written on the heel and what makes that so bad is it took me forever to figure that out that what does that mean oh you turn some of y 'all just got it thank

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God I remember being told other crass things that are not polite for mixed company here's the thing

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I actually even though I didn't consciously say I believed them they took root they did

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I felt like everything that I got that was good was because by the grace of something or somebody else because I couldn't accomplish anything because I am that big of a loser

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I don't know if any of you else feel that way sometimes we don't mature in Christ because we're so busy figuring out how to big fat stupid loser we are we can't see the grace of God that has set us free from that line of thinking you see if God says right there in that verse

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I am His I belong to Him do you know

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I don't have to do anything for me to belong to Jesus I belong to Him Ephesians chapter 1 verse 13 says after you heard and believed you were sealed with the

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Holy Spirit of promise do you ever worry about keeping your salvation you see what's happening is you're looking at trying to be perfect rather than looking at God's grace you want to mature in Christ can you cut yourself the same break that the blood of Christ did

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God already knew you were a big fat stupid loser that's why He sent Jesus to die for you okay

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He gets it, ain't a shocker to Him He already knew that you would say

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I'm never gonna do that again and then you end up doing it again you understand look at verse 13 it says this brothers

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I do not consider that I have made it my own but one thing I do forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead

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I've shared this with y 'all last week and it's happening more and more I don't know why maybe it's because I'm getting older but I think about things that I did and I go

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I don't know why it is it's usually in the shower or when I'm driving I don't know it's those two times and I go golly

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I can't believe I did that you know what were you thinking

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Shipley how how about we do this in our pursuit to grow in stopping self -righteous let's forget the things you're behind I know someone's gonna say how do you forget it you gotta try real hard and I know it's happened because of the four or five things

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I can remember I got a lot more detention and a lot more pulled over and a lot more interventions with law enforcement than those four or five things and I can't remember what

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I did but I had to do something right guys forget how do you forget

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I think one of the ways is you focus on grace instead of focusing on where you failed focus on where Christ won and remember this

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God doesn't look at you and consult your failures in the past and determine the grace of God in your future you are free how do you mature in Christ well number one get away from people that are bringing you down number two man focus not on your own self righteousness focus on the grace of God number three quit trying to be perfect and enjoy the grace and mercy that God already bought for you now you say well pastor how do

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I get saved it's real simple the same faith that saves you is the same faith that sustains you and it's the same faith that's going to carry you home the same faith that saved